OSRC: The Revolution within

by Akintayo Abodunrin,Tribune.

Apart from its traditional functions of informing, educating and entertaining, the media also plays a vital role in the transmission of culture and values. This is the path the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation is toeing as it overhauls its equipment and programming. There is a quiet, ongoing revolution at the Ondo State RadioVision Corporation (OSRC), Akure. It began in 2009 when the Olusegun Mimiko administration came on board and resolved to retool the government-owned corporation. The first step in revamping OSRC Radio and TV located at Orita Obele, Akure was taken in March 2009 when the Governor appointed seasoned broadcaster with Channels Television, Ladi Akeredolu-Ale, to lead the revolution. Akeredolus brief was simple: turn the corporation into the first among equals in the not too distant future. Knowing full well that Akeredolu-Ale and his staff are not magicians, Dr. Mimiko didnt fail to provide the necessary support. The public didnt have long to wait as the changes, especially in the area of programming, became noticeable almost instantly. But that was only the first hurdle for Akeredolu-Ale and his team. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had been busy preaching the gospel of digital broadcasting and stating why Nigerian radio and TV stations have to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting. There was also the issue of the old AM radio station at Irese, on the outskirts of Akure that the government wanted to convert to a FM station. Aware that the process would be driven by technology, Akeredolu-Ale backed by government set to work immediately. New generators and industrial uninterruptible power supply machines (UPS) that will ensure that the station doesnt go off whenever there was power cut were purchased; six new high definition editing suites compatible with both digital and analogue broadcasting were acquired for the TV station while the 29-year-old terrestrial TV antenna was replaced. Six new Hilux vans were also purchased while the management is set to take delivery of brand new 5-cameras Outside Broadcast/Digital Satellite News Gathering Van capable of transmitting live signals from anywhere in Nigeria and West Africa. Onerous task My brief from the Governor and which guided the objectives that we set for ourselves were to turn OSRC Radio and Television into a professionally driven organisation; extend its

coverage area beyond Akure and improve the welfare of the staff, Akeredolu -Ale explains during an interaction preceding a tour of the mother station at Orita Obele and the new FM radio station at Irese. Restoring the credibility of the corporation was another task for the corporations director general. Prior to 2009, OSRC in its almost immediate history had a bit of difficulty because it was willy-nilly dragged into the political situation in the state at that time as an active participant which meant that it lost credibility. That was the first challenge, to get people back into believing that if you switched on OSRC Radio or TV, what you heard there was not the view of one person but what was happening and if there were more than one view, you would hear that as well. There was also the issue of non-interference which was related. Dr. Olusegun Mimiko gave me his assurance before I agreed to take on the job that the executive interference which had characterised the corporations activities before his coming as Governor would no longer arise. I am proud to say that almost three years down the line, the governor has stuck to that. There is no political interference in our activities. To each according to his/her need Explaining the need for the new FM radio station at Irese when the state already has a functional one, Akeredolu-Ale says: At inception in 1976, the corporation known then as Ondo State Broadcasting Corporation had one AM station and one TV station. FM came later. When FM came, OSRC was one AM station, one FM station and then the TV station. But as AM became obsolete in terms of the technology, equipment, it became difficult to keep it going. Once you had problems with the transmitter and spares, to get replacements from the manufacturers was next to impossible. Eventually, the AM station had to be closed but the site is still there. Staff who were employed in the station were transferred to the headquarters and pushed into the TV and FM. Now, the philosophy behind the whole tripod was that radio is basically grassroots because thats what people who dont have access to TV, electricity and so on listen to. The AM was identified more as the grassroots station whereas the FM was more the youth. When the AM shut down, we transferred quite a number of the programmes that those in the rural areas identified the station with to the FM. It created a problem for us in terms of the philosophy because you didnt know exactly what the station stood for. You could tune in at 2pm and be hearing Beyonce and Celine Dion and then at 5.30 it was Haruna Isola. The administration preceding this one then decided to reactivate the AM station but before it was done, there was a change of government - Dr. Mimiko was sworn in as governor. After we came on board, he asked us: this AM technology, does it make sense at this point reactivating an AM station? Wont you go back to the same problem that led to the closure in the first place? We said yes, that it was going to be even more difficult to maintain because that station had been closed in 2006 and we are talking in 2009. It was decided that in terms of the philosophy of the programming, we will retain the AM station of programming but we would have an FM station. That guiding philosophy has evolved over a period. As a matter of fact, one of the issues we were discussing before we came here was the vision for that station. In what direction is it going to go because then, the idea was we wanted to create an AM station in terms of programming with FM technology and now, three years have

gone and there are lots of ideas. There is talk of online radio and all that. All that again is interfering with what would have been the original vision and the governor being always interested in incorporating the newest technology, the philosophy keeps altering. Where we are now is that we are looking at exactly what it would do vis-a-vis the existing FM station because the original idea of one being grassroots and the other being urbanised has not been abandoned and its still the guiding philosophy. Its a work in progress. The station is almost ready and we expect to begin the installation of equipment in a couple of days. Once we do that, we do the test transmission, begin the audience survey and go full blast from there. A complicated process Akeredolu- Ale who assures that maintaining the equipment will not be a problem, does not hesitate when asked about OSRCs preparedness to go digital on June 17 as directed by the NBC. He reiterates that the corporation is ready for digital broadcasting but notes that the regulatory body needs to get its acts together before the implementation of the policy commences. On Tuesday when we went for the budget defense in front of the Governor, it was one of the questions he asked us because he said it came up at the National Council of State meeting. There is no law governing this digitization process, so on what basis is any reasonable person going to advise government? When he asked on Tuesday that this digitization thing I hope come June they wont come and shut us? I said your Excellency, I cannot say they wont but I can say this: digitization process is a bit more complicated than everybody seems to realise it is. Countries that have done digitization like the UK, US and the ones that are attempting it now like South Africa and others, have encountered difficulties and these are countries that are better organised than we are. There is the issue of set-up boxes; virtually all the TV sets in Nigeria today are analogue sets. Who is going to bring in these set-up boxes, has the Federal Government decided? No. What type of box? Are the consumers going to pay for this? If so, how much? This is January 20, nobody has talked about that then come June 17 you want us all to magically become digital! Lets talk about the operators side. We heard at some point that the transmitters that would now be in existence would be the ones where about six or seven stations will share one transmitter. Yes, what type of transmitter? Who is the manufacturer of this transmitter? Who has government approved as the supplier of this transmitter? We are yet to be told. Under which rules am I sharing with OSBC, OGTV and LTV? Then, if there are bills to pay on the maintenance of that transmitter, who pays the bills? Part of the reasons the Governor asked us about digitization was that we had suggested in 2009 that part of what OSRC needs is for us to get digital TV transmitters. What we were recommending at the time would have cost about a billion naira to buy, install and get all the associated equipment. It would be foolhardy for either the chairman or myself to advise the government to invest in such technology. Then when the transmitter is on the high sea, the government announces a policy that suggests the manufacturer that has been approved is

somebody else. What will happen? June 17 is five months away but this is Nigeria. Come May, there may be a flurry of activities at the National Assembly and then they pass this law but how is it to be implemented? If the operators comply by June 17, how about the viewer; if all of us have become digitally compliant by June 17, how about the people to receive us? It does not seem as if the central government which controls NBC has given a clear and concise direction for which everybody else in the system can follow. There is no reason why state governments should say they are not interested and walk off. The private sector may be more inclined towards moving, you mentioned the fact that I came from Channels, yes Channels is ready to go digital but it is not yet digital because if it goes digital nobody will receive them. But they are ready to go. Many NTA stations are ready to go too. The station that we are talking about is digital ready. The transmitters that are going to be installed there can be switched to digital when we have a clear direction. Those were things we already factored in. Considering the substantial amount that has been spent on the stations, will they still be run as public service or is Akeredolu-Ale thinking of making money for government? The entire resources invested here is tax so the people own it but the orientation right now is that it is going to be a mixture of both. There will be the service element for things like news, programmes and entertainment but there will also be the commercial element which comes from creative programming, inventiveness in the way you offer services to the people for which they will be willing to pay if they see quality in what you are doing. Explaining why broadcasting is a priority for the government when there are other areas it could focus on, Akeredolu-Ale says, Information dissemination is critical regardless of who you are. As government you can say I have no business in information dissemination, let the private sector do it but the day you are at loggerheads with the private sector which owns those media, what do you do? How do you get your own side of the story out? Development is still essential here [Ondo] and for people to key in into the development agenda, if they dont know what it is, they cant help you fine tune it.