Community newspapers can use broadcast to woo buyers

By running jingles announcing their news headlines on radio and getting robust reviews on air, community newspapers can breathe new life into their publication and woo more buyers.

This was the kernel of the presentation of the General Manager, Radio Nigeria 1, Mrs. Treasure Durodola at the March edition of the monthly Community Media Forum organized by the office of the Special Adviser, Communities & Communications at the Lagos State Ministry of Local Government & Community Affairs.

Radio Nigeria 1 introduced the daily review of community newspapers on its programmes thus changing the content of a programme that reviewed national newspapers only.

Appearing with a powerful delegation of Mr. Femi “Stone” Taiwo and another review better know as God Pikin, Mrs Durodola allowed them to share their impression with the audience.

In his testimony, Taiwo said he was initially hostile to the idea of introducing community newspapers to the station’s press review programme.

However, he gradually realized that most of the stories were not covered by the national media and they dealt with the true experiences of the people at the grassroots.

He said this has turned him into a fan of the community media and now believe that the stories have made the station more community friendly.

Addressing the forum, Mrs. Durodola promised to complete a book on podcasting soon so that community print publications can use podcasting to convey their stories in broadcast forms.

She gave the example of a Yoruba investigative programme, Laabe Orun, which is now active on YouTube and works with Google.

Mrs. Durodola urged the forum to use the broadcast to market their publications by coming together to run jingles on the radio station to alert the buyers of the headlines in the papers.

She also suggested that the radio station and the newspapers could work by providing platforms for personalities interviewed in the print on the station.

She promised that the station will continue to review community newspapers and urged others not yet reviewed to come on board.

In another assessment of the community newspapers press review project, a beneficiary, Mr. Femi Akintobi, who manages Ilupeju Today

said the decision of  Radio Nigeria 1 to review the paper scored high with the buyers.

“A reader called me to congratulate me. He said he was happy that the newspaper has been placed on the map of the world”.

He said the review and a few other innovations by the management has increased advertising.