Lack of reliable internet connection is negatively affecting the efficient operations of media organisations in the country.
Speakers at the recent X space by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) with the theme Lost Connections, Lost Content who spoke on the challenges called for improved communication backbone for internet operations in the country.
The panelists included the Project Lead at Boom Radio NG, Sola Rogers, News Manager at Wazobia FM, Cool FM and Nigeria Info FM, Chioma Ezenwafor, and Senior Tech Writer at Tech Cabal, Frank Eleanya
“In this digital world, stable Internet connection is a necessity. The Internet is our gateway to the world and Information dissemination is been threatened by lost Internet connection” the Executive Director of WSCIJ, Mrs Motunrayo Alaka stated in her introductory remarks.
Alaka who was represented by the programme and research officer of WSCIJ, Samson Ademola said due to the challenges, media houses are prone to losing their revenues, streams of income and their audience.
Ezenwafor said the #EndBadGovernance protest failed due to the poor connection from network service providers.
“Journalists on the field effectively communicate their breaking stories with those in the newsrooms, but their contents were delayed and disrupted. There was also difficulty in fact-checking the delayed contents on the Internet.”
In tackling this issue, Ezenwafor implored that Journalists should be prepared for unforeseen internet glitch and should also generate contents that are closer to them.
Eleanya noted high cost of electricity, the buildings used by media houses, tariffs and other miscellaneous. He pointed out that the players in the telecommunication industry are not putting enough funds in the improvement of their industry.
Using Boom Radio NG as a case study, Rogers highlighted the struggles faced in running an Internet based radio station, noting that when Internet connection is poor, it is quite a challenge streaming live broadcasts and uploading their contents online.
Another problem he pointed out is the reluctance of advertisers in bringing their advert messages on online radio as a result of their fear of the instability of internet connection.
To solve the problem, Rogers suggested that Internet based media houses should embrace the purchase of cloud storage from the international media market as it will aid their streaming and uploading of contents online.
He also emphasized the importance of upgrading to an audio visual broadcast medium as well as the need for advocacy and government intervention in the reduction and stability of the dollar rate as the cost of purchasing cloud storage is quite high.
Regarding the mobilization of funds that will further aid their activities, Eleanya advised media houses to leverage on social media spaces like X and Tik Tok as tools for gaining online presence that will appeal to other stakeholders like sponsors and advertisers and emphasised on the use of AI and related technologies.
He recommended the use of podcasts. According to him, podcasts is a social media space that will also help the finances of media organizations boom as it can be monetized.
