Mabel Aderonke : The Role of Media in the Society is Sacred

People

Mabel Aderonke is a Media consultant who has been working with celebrities, politicians, institutions and corporations for over 10 years. She is currently planning a conference that will address some of the issues associated with broadcast production and the media industry in general. In this interview with Yinka Kolawole, Aderonke, the boss of Eagle Eyes Communications, talks about the forthcoming conference and challenges of running a media business in Nigeria

Who is Mabel in this industry?

Mabel Aderonke is a budding flower getting ready to burst into bloom. She understands the industry having worked and excelled in different sectors of the Media, with a good understanding of the global and local media business, having managed her media business profitably for over 10 years and working with celebrities, politicians, institutions and corporations. She possesses vast experience in television, radio broadcasting, theatre and film, all the while working for herself through entrepreneurship. She has met with managers of top developing companies in Nigeria, asked them the necessary questions, and tested some of their ideas. Hence, it is strongly believed that she has the experience required to ensure the smooth running of media business.

What are the challenges of running a media business in Nigeria?

Apart from the legal requirements for starting a media business such as licensing, the regulatory requirements, media business is big business, it requires heavy investments and there are so many people who would love to be in it but are constrained by the wherewithal to matchup to the investment demands. The equipment and machineries do not come cheap. And without all these in place, you can’t do excellently well. There are examples of a lot of media businesses that are operating but struggling because of the lack of investment power. It places a lot of demand on the individual that is launching into the business. That’s talking about those requiring infrastructures such as the broadcast media, the print, the investment are not little. I think that has posed a bit of challenges.

There’s also the aspect of competence i.e. having the technical and strategic knowledge of the workings of the media. This is where we must strike a balance because it is not a enough to have the investment power but also right to have the knowledge of how the business works in Nigeria; the knowledge of the law and ethics so that you’re not on the wrong side of the law in the course of your operations. The knowledge of law and ethics of the business is not just about understanding the international laws and conventions but also right to understand the local laws of the business, both the ones enshrined in the constitution and the media industry code and other industry specific laws. You have to be fully equipped. So, competence has been a very big issue in Media business. This business is not supposed to be an escape engagement, like something you venture into because you couldn’t find your feet in your chosen profession. Media business is deep, the role of media in the society is sacred and not something to be embraced with shallow knowledge. We can’t exhaust these issues.

What are the positives of technology on the media industry?

It comes with it its positives and negatives. On the positive side, I think it makes news breaking real time. Technology has made “citizen journalism” possible, where users can generate contents to share with a wider audience. Access to gadgets and internet puts many in the position to perform the function of the media in form of educating and informing, but basically, it does not mean that everyone understands the critical elements of media practice. The fact that you have access also does not mean you understand the strategy. Media business involves strategy; it’s not just the infrastructure or the access and it cuts across different aspect of the media – advertising, print, media buying, media placement – they are all strategic. It’s not about any platform that’s available.

The gathering and dissemination of information requires critical strategy that comes with training in the art of media. It’s not every information that you come across that’s newsworthy. There’s a gate keeping process that every information must pass through, there are checks that you need to ensure as a way of trying to determine the fitness of that information for the public space. One needs to be careful of backlashes or legal issues for not fact checking. Yes, technology has its blessings but also the negatives and because it has opened the space up for wider participation, you know, all manner of people have access but without the requisite knowledge, technical know-how, trainings, competence and strategy.

There’s incursion of these people into the media space and that’s why we have fake news, misinformation and disinformation becoming topical as far as media practice is concerned these days. In the past, there were more stringent regulations and practitioners were professionals indeed. Now, there is a mix between professionals and some people driven by survival.

In view of all of these, what will your upcoming MAB International Conference bring to the industry?

The MAB International conference intends to solve some specific problems in the business of media production and management. This project is also aimed at tackling the different challenges faced by the vast majority of youths who have burning desire to develop a career in media production and management in its entirety. The project, which will run every year with different themes, will also shed light on the pros and cons of the media business with the help of celebrated world class media giants.

So, where do you place the proposed conference? Is it your shot at cleansing the industry or just your way of impacting Nigerian youths that share your passion?

I’ll say it’s a mixture of both. It’s a shot at cleansing the media industry of its ills and vices, with the right ingredients, equipment and strategies and also to impact a lot of Nigerian youths who have the burning passion to learn and grow in the business of media.

What are the sustainability plans?

I mentioned earlier that this project will run every year with different themes targeted at different corners of the media practice. Now, I can confidently tell you that this is not just a conference but a journey with a destination at the right place. The conference will be powered by the mother company – Eagle Eyes Communications, a multimedia developing and consulting firm that specializes in television, radio broadcasting and theatre/film production and having been in the space for over six years, rendering services such as advertising, broadcasting, networking, news, blogging, printing and publishing, recording and motion pictures, it intends to bring all these technical know-how to make the conference sustainable.