By Isaac Ato Mensah
Accra \u2013 23 October, 2019<\/p>\n
In the age of the convergent media, branding an online radio station means that practically all of your public relations skills must be brought to bear on your team.<\/p>\n
But as my mentor has stated, \u201cpublic relations and the other mass communications programmes for which bachelor\u2019s degrees are awarded are not enough to make you a professional.\u201d<\/p>\n
Currently, this is especially difficult for Ghanaians to understand.<\/p>\n
When you switch on and hand over a microphone to untrained and uneducated persons you will always have a real problem on your hands.<\/p>\n
Radio station managers therefore have a greater fiduciary duty to save radio presenters from themselves.<\/p>\n
Today in ghana, many radio programmes are streamed live on Facebook.<\/p>\n
And certainly what we are witnessing is not good- the shouting; loose talk; the poor grammar both in English and other Ghanaian languages; the poor grooming; and everything else is at play.<\/p>\n
The problem is compounded by academic departments in mass communication who send young uni students on vacation attachment to some so called \u201crespected\u201d media houses.<\/p>\n
The resultant effect is that training, as in, unlearning and relearning becomes difficult.<\/p>\n
A few examples will suffice.<\/p>\n
By the regulations of National Communications Authority, radio stations are stipulated to keep Off Transmission Recording (the latest six months); store programme preparation sheets (which show that your episode for the day has been approved by your producer or editor); desist from using their medium to castigate or cast aspersions on another nation or media house.<\/p>\n
Therefore, when you hear presenters attacking Nigeria or Nigerians, for whatever reason then you know the station is in the hands of improperly trained personnel.<\/p>\n
When you hear \u201crival\u201d presenters sparring on sister radio stations and or engaging in personal fights against each other, then you know that standards are at their lowest ebb.<\/p>\n
Here the National Communications Authority (NCA) is quick to remind us that regulation of content is the duty of National Media Commission (NMC).<\/p>\n
Are we to understand that they made the rules for NMC to enforce?<\/p>\n
There are considerable numbers of young people who want to go on air and start talking. And the unregulated online space poses a serious challenge to training them adequately before they do.
In 2017, the legendary Oko Dagadu, veteran broadcaster of Ghana Broadcasting Corporation told us at a specially appointed media strategy meeting in Accra, that he had to go through a mandatory six month training at GBC before he was allowed to go on air.<\/p>\n
No doubt Uncle Oko is a seasoned professional.<\/p>\n
Now those who want to implement an anarchic or laissez-faire free for all system of, grooming, diction and content, and are impatient to stream live on social media must find answers to these questions.<\/p>\n
One; where are you going and why are you in a hurry?<\/p>\n
Two; will your approach offer any valid teaching points to anybody?<\/p>\n
Three; why do you talk about the success of Rwanda as if it all happened spontaneously; do you know and understand what transpired before?<\/p>\n
Four; \u201cDo you not read any thing important?\u201d as my mentor will ask.<\/p>\n
Five; do you understand the implications of what you are doing?<\/p>\n
And finally to our PR professionals: if you do know better, then why do you go to these dodgy radio stations who do not adhere to stipulated standards to prepare promotional messages for you; have you really computed the cost?<\/p>\n\n\n
Feedback; ato@writersghana.com; www.writersghana.com; LinkedIn, Isaac Ato Mensah; Instagram, @atomenswriters; Twitter, @Atomens; Facebook, Writers and Shakespeares Ghana; Telegram, Isaac Ato Mensah; Quora, Isaac Ato Mensah. WhatsApp (+233) 020 022 0353.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Writers and Shakespeares Ghana Limited exist to be a moral and intellectual guide to the best practice of PR and integrated communications around the world, beginning with Ghana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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