Journalist and media career development specialist, Lekan Otufodunrin, writes on the facts journalists should be told about their media houses to guide their career goals and aspirations
At an international newsroom Leadership in tough times training I am participating in, the Editor-In-Chief of a top United States newspaper was asked how to assure staff of their future in the industry with the uncertainty and job losses, her response was unambiguous; RADICAL TRANSPARENCY!
“This is what I will recommend to any media executive to adopt now,” she declared.
“Staff deserves to know the path ahead of them. There is no point in hiding the numbers from them. Hiding it from them is not a good strategy.
“In the absence of the facts, they are likely to start conjuring all kinds of false scenarios. They just need to know the truth and decide what they need to do with their career and lives before it’s too late,” she stated.
As I listened to her, I could not but reflect on the situation in the Nigeria media that is very precarious like in other climes, but there is not enough understanding of how bad it is by some journalists.
When the Managing Director of The Punch, Mr Ademola Osinubi issued a surprise memo to the staff of the company early this year in which he lamented the inability of the newspaper to overcome the challenges of COVID-19 on the industry, many were shocked to hear him say so.
His paper that was supposed to be the leading publication in the print industry in the country and doing much better than its competitors, but as the MD bluntly puts it “All projections point at a bleak and uncertain future for the media industry and the economy.”
While other media executives may not have openly owned up as Mr Osinubi did, the truth is that they are in worse situations.
Even when all the indicators, including non-payment of salaries in some organisations, are clear enough for all to see, some are still pretending that “it will be well” when the chances are very slim.
Unfortunately, some media staff have a false impression that their companies are doing better than their managers claim.
“We are making money. The problem is mismanagement,” a reporter once told me.
“How many copies do you think your paper is printing and selling?” I asked the reporter.
He responded claiming a high double digits thousands, adding that “we can see many adverts in the paper”
When I showed him the real unbelievable low circulation figures and sales of the newspaper nationwide per day, he initially argued that it cannot be true.
“You mean we sell this low?” he asked and wondered how much revenue could be earned from the low figure.
I know newspapers that circulate much lower than the paper we were discussing, yet some of their staff still brag about how well their publications are doing.
Very experienced Circulation manager and MD/CEO at AbingMO3 Marketing Management Consultancy Abiola Ayankunbi recently wrote that the total average daily supply figures of all newspapers in Ibadan, reputed to be one of the largest city in Africa, is slightly above 3,000 copies and the average sales per day hover between 45% and 65%.
Unbelievably low, but true. You don’t want to know how many copies are sold in some other states considering the cost of production, transporting the paper and maintaining staff and office in the state.
The situation is not really better in the broadcast industry. With so many private and public stations across the country, the competition is very stiff for the few available adverts and other commercials.
Some have cut down the broadcast time to minimise the cost of fuelling generators, sacked staff and it’s a matter of time before some will be forced to shut down.
I admit that mismanagement is part of the problems for some organisations, but the potentials for the continued existence of especially traditional media organisations that are not responding as well as they should to the digital disruption of the industry is very low.
Like a New York Times, Digital report once noted, it may no longer really make economic sense to continue to print newspapers given the low revenue from regular copy sales and advertising.
Media managers have had to resort to all kinds of survival strategies, some of which they are not proud to let the public know.
Instead of giving staff the false hope or the staff refusing to acknowledge how bad the situation is, all concerned must come to terms with grim reality.
Managers like the US E-I-C stated must be radically transparent and let every staff know what is likely to happen in the long run if their present situation persists.
Some of the options some media organisations have adopted, like giving awards are not sustainable and other ethically compromising ones are eroding what is left of the trust the readers have for the media.
Hard and strictly corporate governance driven business decisions have to be taken by media managers. New business models have to be explored.
There may be a need for intense brainstorming with all staff involved in how to remain afloat in the raging storm. Beyond the management staff, others may have suggestions of options to consider and adopt.
Back in November 1902, the Director of a sports daily L’Auto was hunting for an idea to crush the rival paper, Le Velo. “What if we organised a bicycle race, a young journalist on the staff suggested.
The suggestion that shot up the low circulation figure of the paper and is today one of the top global most covered sports events is Tour de France.
Fresh ideas, new thinking most needed now ever than before.