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OSRC: The Revolution withinby 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 StateRadiovision 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 takenin 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 TVantenna 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

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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 wasidentified 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 theprogramming, 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

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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 almostready 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 thequestions 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

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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 stategovernments 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 isthat 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.