Stakeholders to discuss future of broadcasting in Nigeria

Renowned broadcasters will today gather in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to discuss the content and future of broadcasting in Nigeria.

The bi-annual lecture, which is being organised by the Yemi Sonde Entertainment in partnership with the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has “Balancing professionalism and commercialisation in a digital era” as its theme for this year.

Discussants at the lecture include talk show ace, M O Abudu; Managing Director and CEO, Channels Television, John Momoh; Group Managing Director, Daar Communication, Tony Akiotu and broadcast equipment marketer, Ayodeji Osibogun. Others are Dr Ambrose Somide, Messrs  Yanju Adegbite and Yemi Sodimu.

 Broadcasting, a genre of mass communication, is facing survival challenge in Nigeria due to a combination of poor revenue, speedy technology advancement, epileptic power supply and high illiteracy level. The situation forces many broadcast stations to sell the airwaves for commercial programmes at the expense of professional content.

Speaking on the lecture slated for Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan today, Sonde explained that Nigeria is at a critical stage in its broadcasting sector, a development that calls for an urgent brainstorming by stakeholders to find the pathway to maintenance of professionalism in the face of pressure for survival.

“The broadcasting industry in Nigeria is endangered. The danger is posed by the need for proprietors and managers to keep business afloat in an economy that has only few business organisations to support its survival. Yet, we must find a balance between professionalism and profit-making if we must operate with the rest of the world. This country can not be left behind.

“Nigeria has many professional broadcasters but the current situation poses a danger to professional practice. That is why core professionals in the industry must come together regularly to discuss the future of our trade in Nigeria,” Sonde said.

The experts would seek answers to several questions in areas such as funding content in a digital process, how ready Nigeria is for the 2015 switch date to digital television and setting basic standards for independent producers.