Nigerian editors seek new ways to remain in business

Mon, Nov 30, 2020
By editor
3 MIN READ

Media

THE Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, says that its members have resolved to explore new ways to create content, with aesthetics and overall values, that will help sustain media as a business in the country.

A communique issued after the one-day conference, with the theme: Media, People, and Covid-19: How to Create Sustainability in the Digital Era, said that the editors expressed the need for media professionals to rethink their roles from just assigning, reviewing, rewriting, and processing of words to creating compelling, engaging and impactful contents, in line with the needs of their audiences.

“This has become necessary if they are to be relevant and remain in business in the age of digitalisation and global Covid-19 pandemic,” the communique said.

According to the communique, the editors were urged to begin to think as marketing officers and develop well-researched products that would respond to the yearnings of the people across all segments of the economy at all times.

“That media business is about people at all levels, therefore practitioners should be less obsessed with government officials and focus on people-center reporting in order to generate the needed resources for the sustainability of media industry.

“Media practitioners are advised to adopt creative use of new technologies to generate revenue, by employing programmers, data scientists, information and communications technology specialists, as part of the demands of the new normal.

“Regular capacity building interventions are necessary to ensure that the knowledge and content provided are relevant and applicable to the needs of the reading public,” the communique said.

It emphasised that while there are several options for making money through digitalisation of media businesses, it is almost impossible to make a living without a large following. Therefore, efforts should be made to connect with the people, improve aspects of readers’ lives and obsess more with the audience through creative contents.

While identifying huge potential in archiving photographs and offering of transcripts as reliable means of generating new streams of income, it canvassed for fresh air in the media space through the use of creative headlines.

It stressed the need for periodic engagement with media audiences and communities to find out about their habits and preferences in order to create engaging contents for the consumers.

The communique also called for institution of reward system for audiences, in return for loyalty and enduring relationship.

The 16th annual conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, held via Zoom, deliberated on ways and means of sustaining operations of players in the media industry, in the face of the global Covid-19 pandemic which has adversely impacted on their survival.

– Nov. 30, 2020 @ 09:47 GMT /

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