A media organisation, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), has said it will on Wednesday, June 22, hold a conference on media sustainability.
The conference, according to a press release by the ICIR’s Managing Editor, Ajibola Hamzat, is part of the Centre’s 10th anniversary celebration.
Hanzat noted that the issue of financial viability and sustainability has become a major concern for media organisations around the world.
According to him, “This challenge is exacerbated by the erosion of advertising revenues through the rise of technology platforms such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, and several others, leaving the media business in a fragile condition.”
This, he said, has been worsened in the last two years by the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
He noted that whereas the Western Media could to a large extent be said to have found winning formulae to do media business profitably, the case is different with the media in the Global South, particularly Africa countries, which are still struggling to stay afloat.
“It is in view of these multiple challenges that the ICIR is inviting media practitioners and other stakeholders to a conference on media sustainability in Nigeria,” he stated.
Similarly, the Executive Director and Founder of the Centre, Dayo Aiyetan, emphasised that “The time is now to have a conversation on the future of the media in Africa, particularly its viability and profitability.
“Many news organisations are not profitable because of dwindling sales and ad revenue, many media companies cannot pay salaries and are laying off staff. The media in Nigeria is hemorrhaging.”
The Executive Director added that “Industry leaders must discuss how to find profitable ways of running media businesses.”
Expected at the conference which will be held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, include Tshepo Mahloele, Chairperson of Arena Holdings, one of Africa’s largest English newspaper publishers in South Africa, who will deliver a keynote address on Sustainability Imperatives for African Media.
Others who will be discussants during panel discussion are; Chairman of Thisday Newspapers, Chief Nduka Obaigbena; Chief Executive Officer of Hot FM, Ms Chris Anyanwu; Chief Executive Officer of Daily Trust Newspapers, Mallam Kabir Yusuf; Chief Executive Officer of RadioNow, Ms Kadaria Ahmed and the Ndisika of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Abigail Ogwezzy.
While the Managing Director of Guardian Newspaper Limited, Martins Oloja, will moderate the conversation a high profile TV personality, Euginia Abu, would compère the event.
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