Kiin Media Retreat: Experts admonish the expansion of the radio arm
September 2, 2023
Fausiat Salako-Sanni
Stakeholders at the one-day retreat of Kiin Media on Saturday in Ikeja, Lagos, have called on the nascent media coy to quickly produce quality content and expand its reach across all segments of society.
At the one-day retreat organised with the theme “Digital Entrepreneurship and Development,” various speakers identified the radio as a veritable tool of effective mass communication to society. According to them, the radio enjoys the comparative advantage of affordability and accessibility compared to television, newspapers and magazines. It has the leverage of reaching diverse people at the same time.
In his presentation on the topic: “Viability of online Radio and TV operations in Nigeria,” Mr. Taiwo Olapade, Broadcast Journalist, emphasised what is required to make Radio and TV viable. He stated that Visibility, Accessibility and Publicity are essential requirements to make the venture profitable.
He added, “For KIIN Media to enjoy the fast growth it needed, the contents need to be embraced by members of the society as a way to contribute their quota to the growth and success of the media outfit, giving the large number of membership Nasfat society enjoys, this will aid to drive traffic to all its social media platforms and the online app it’s transmitting on.”
On his part, Dr. Akintunde Akanni, an associate Professor of Journalism and Media Director of the Digital Media Research Centre, Lagos State University (LASU), who spoke on the topic “Managing Media Operations in the Digitech age”, identified significant challenges of managing media operations in the digital age.
According to him, “the fragmentation of audiences, the decline of advertising revenue, the increasing competition from other forms of entertainment, privacy and ethics, misinformation and fake news, and talent management are part of the challenges that need to be dealt with in this era of Digitech as far as online media is concerned.”
However, to address the critical challenges of managing media operations in the digital age, Dr. Akanni advocated for effective media convergence of kiin media content online. He also emphasised the need for collaboration with other media companies, Cybersecurity and Privacy, ethical considerations, staying up-to-date on the latest trends, and being responsive to feedback to manage the challenges.
Earlier in his presentation, the Managing Director of the famous “Islam Channel” in London, Mr Muhammad Alli, who joined the session through Zoom, identified good quality content as an avenue to drive traffic for an online media outfit. He said Islam Channel had grown its audience participation to over 63m simply because of creating good content interesting to the viewers.
In his contribution, Mr. Niyi Yusuf, the President of NASFAT, gave insight into areas which Kiin Media should focus on to make the venture viable and attractive to all, which include but are not limited to gender inclusion, climate change issues, integrity-inclined content, poverty alleviation-oriented content, among others. He also believes the radio arm must be strengthened to get the required growth the company needs.
Speaking on the possible ways for getting the required funding, the Nasfat Chief Missioner, Imam Morufu AbdulAzeez Onike, urged the board of directors and management of KIIN MEDIA to keep the critical stakeholders informed and alive about the need for funding, which might not be so difficult. He believes the coy has a high potential to grow by thinking big.
The Chairman Board of Directors of Lasilkiin Communications Limited Alh. Isiaq Ajibola charged the management of KIIN MEDIA to spring up into action to achieve the set objectives of the company while assuring Nasfat, who is the parent body of better capacity at this time to move the company forward.
Other dignitaries at the event include Alhaja Jalilat Adeniran and Alhaja Haleemah Ojediran, who are directors; Bar Bayo Alabidun, Company Secretary; Alh. Kemi Lawal and Alhaja Folasade Adeniji represent the NASFAT PR committee and the Executive Secretary of NASFAT, Mr. AbdulRahman Adogie.