Voices Beyond the Newsroom debuts September 22

A new book on the Nigerian media, titled; ‘Nigerian Media Leaders: Voices Beyond the Newsroom’ will debut on September 22, 2015. Written by media Scholar, Richard Ikiebe, ‘Voices Beyond the Newsroom’ is a four-volume book of historical discourse on the media featuring interviews with about 80 participants. Volume One features conversations with 19 leaders, and […]

A new book on the Nigerian media, titled; ‘Nigerian Media Leaders: Voices
Beyond the Newsroom’ will debut on September 22, 2015.
Written by media Scholar, Richard Ikiebe, ‘Voices Beyond the Newsroom’ is a four-volume book of historical discourse on the media featuring interviews with about 80 participants.
Volume One features conversations with 19 leaders, and Volume Two features 22 persons. The two volumes would be presented at the event on September 22 at the Pan African University, Lagos.
Featured in Volume One are leaders such as Kabiru Yusuf, Segun Osoba, Ajibola Ogunshola, Yemi Ogunbiyi, Nduka Obaigbena, John Momoh, Vincent Maduka, Christopher Kolade, Betty Irabor, and Mohammed Haruna. It also includes Kevin Ejiofor, Tony Momoh, Patrick Dele-Cole, Adamu Ciroma, Lade Bonuola, Sam Amuka, Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, Felix Adenaike and Doyin Abiola.
Volume Two contains discourses with Gbenga Adefaye, Femi Adesina, Dan Agbese, Frank Aigbogun, Chidi Amuta, Clem Baiye, Ray Ekpu, Victoria Ezeokoli, Lanre Idowu, Nosa Igiebor and Emeka Izeze. Others are Femi Kusa, Ben Lawrence, Chris Doghudje, Yakubu Mohammed, Henry Odukomaiya, Gbolabo Ogunsanwo, Dapo Olorunyomi, Ademola Osinubi, Garba Shehu and Bilikisu Yusuf.
Dr Patrick Dele-Cole, one of the key players interviewed says the breadth of conversations is one of the strong qualities of this work.
“The first person accounts of key players in the Nigerian media scene over a period spanning about 50 years provides insights into the backgrounds, leadership styles, motivations, perspectives and context of actions that defined several of our key media organs over the years.
“By interviewing many players from the same organisation or the same era, the book offers readers variegated and rich accounts that provide for a holistic view rather than merely the recollections of a single person,” Dele -Cole said.
‘Voices Beyond the Newsroom’, Ikiebe states, seeks “to fill the foundational gaps in the study of Nigerian journalism”. It records “the substantial role that journalism and media leaders have continued to play in shaping the history of modern Nigerian nation-state.”
Topics explored in the books include media ownership and control, finances,  management, readership and circulation. Others are leadership styles, family ownership, involvement of media owners in politics. Then the effect of military rule; censorship, media law; the rise of magazines; guerilla journalism; broadcasting; media and propaganda and the role of the media in defining and shaping Nigeria.