FEATURE ARTICLE

Onyinye OyedeleWednesday, February 16, 2005
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Ontario, Canada

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THE ETHNIC MEDIA:
A FAST TRACK BROADCASTING ROUTE FOR BUDDING JOURNALISTS IN DIASPORA


unday nights on NTA News in Nigeria were always a wonderful moment for my family and me. We all sat down to watch Frank Olize on NTA Newsline and all the stories of what was happening around the country. Saturday mornings were also magical with the likes of Yinka Craig on morning ride, I could connect so much with the issues being discussed, although I was still very young. Reading newspapers in my home was like a daily ritual, we virtually woke up to the sound of newspaper vendors and my dad would use his last kobo to buy at least one of the dailies. This was where my love for information began. I always wanted to know the headline stories and could not wait for my dad to finish reading so I could take the newspapers from him. I could not stand being ignorant of issues happening in the country, I always wanted to contribute intelligently in any conversation and most of all it improved my vocabulary.

Watching Sienne Rasak Lawal and Ruth Benemesia Opia on NTA news was so intriguing to me. I admired the authority and eloquence with which they delivered the news .The likes of Cyril Stober and also some of the crew on African Independent Television (AIT), Claire Onuoha on DBN and a host of other Eloquent Nigerian broadcasters attracted me to broadcasting. I also enjoyed watching reporters and correspondents from the scene of a major story and I said to myself, maybe one day I could be on TV if I pursue a career in this area. My first step was to join the press club at Federal Government Girls college Abuloma, Port-Harcourt, and held the position of secretary in my final year. It was the role of the press club to read some News stories on school assembly days. I admired the newsreaders and how they tried so hard to impress us with their phonetic accents.

It was a privilege to watch foreign News channels such as CNN but I did not rely on them for local news. CNN has always been an authentic source of International News and I believe most national News stations looked up to them as a credible News source. However, I did not see a lot of Asians , black or Caribbean News anchors and I felt most stories about African nations were not a true picture of what we really represent.

A critical look at the Western Media will show that there is a poor representation of Ethnic Minorities. Africans, Caribbeans, Asians and other ethnic groups are not featured as often as their counterparts from other races. Most television programming on basic terrestrial stations in the UK do not cater for the needs of Ethnic minorities. The News, Soaps and documentaries scarcely has any content that represents people of these communities. Most Ethnic communities are now taking their destiny into their own hands by having there own television station on satellite to preserve their culture and also to update those in Diaspora on events back home.


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The sense of belonging and connection felt when you switch to a television station and you see a person of your ethnic background, while in another country can not be overemphasized. There definitely has to be a balance in the representation of all people on national TV considering the age of globalization which we live in and the high rate of immigration to the West.

The Internet has broken so many barriers, cultural exchanges and language barrier and hopefully, mainstream television will also adapt. It is this change that I look forward to as I challenge budding journalists in the Diaspora not to relent, and also to encourage them to seek to establish their ethnic heritage wherever they find themselves, using their Ethnic media: TV, radio, newspaper as a route to achieve their dreams. I am on this path and I will like to share it with you.

I studied briefly at Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State and there I got involved in my Christian fellowship Press Unit. I became the first female Editor in chief and I was writing a regular column: Family Circle. During the students union elections I was one of the top school journalists invited for a press briefing. I was intrigued, I enjoyed interviewing the aspiring Student Union President who eventually won the election. The level of access to information and the interaction with people, which I really enjoyed, gave me an inner confidence that I could still pursue my dream in journalism, a far cry from what I was studying at the moment.

Leaving the shores of Nigeria in April 2000 to my place of birth, the UK, was a big change for me and I was also looking to complete my University Education. As I filled out my application forms for the University, one thing was clear on mind, Media and Communications Technologies. I wanted to get into this industry and I believed that God would open doors for me if this is where He has plans for me. The University Of East London accepted me and I put my heart and soul into this new line of study. We had various debates during seminars on the limited amount of Ethnic and minority broadcasters on mainstream British Television. Africans and Asians were not well represented in the media industry although there have been regular talks to recruit more people from these origins. This obviously became one of my major concerns while pursuing my degree. I was also told that the media industry was highly competitive and you could only get in if you had a godfather in the industry.

Getting Work experiences was a very vital part of my plan to break into the industry, getting as much references, as possible on my scanty CV was a top priority. I got a catalogue of all major TV stations in the UK, from a friend who used to work for CNN UK, and started calling them up just presenting myself and sending out my CV.I got so many rejections but I kept on calling. I also got involved in the Video dept of my local church and was trained on camera.

Eventually SKY News offered me a 3day work experience in June 2002, after following it up for over one yr. Although most of my experience there was based on shadowing other reporters, it was one of the high points of my career. I met some of the News anchors on Sky News and also had the opportunity to attend the Prime Ministers Question time at the House of Commons., I remember chatting with Natasha Kaplinski who is now with the BBC and also receiving an autograph from Anna Booting. I was also on the road with a crew and we covered stories on football and shopping. At the end of the day, I saw the stories we had covered on the news.

The following month, I had the opportunity to work with a Public relationships company, Media Link Europe, monitoring press releases. I was also part of the Students Union press at my University writing a couple of articles and the only student journalist who covered the visit of the Duke Of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, to our school. There I met the University Press officer and I took his business card. I worked briefly with this department after my graduation, this was my first real hand's on experience in England. I got to do interviews and attend launches wearing a press badge.

While writing my final year project, I took it upon myself to attend as many television seminars and events suggested by our course tutor and there I met two of the most influential people in news production in the UK. My project was based on the Videophone and its Impact on Live News Broadcasting and I needed to speak to people who had direct access to the technology. I met Nick Pollard, Head of Sky News and Gary Rogers, Editor of Channel 5 news at a television seminar at the London weekend Television center. I approached them and introduced myself and they were glad to help me with my project. I followed them up with my interviews and also asked for work experience opportunities.

In 2003, I trained as a script runner with Sky News, worked for one week as a junior reporter with Canary Wharf Newspaper and worked with Channel 5 News (ITN) for one week as a shadow reporter. At Channel 5 News I met Ellen Parker who was kind enough to encourage me as I asked her questions on how she became one of the top black female News presenters in the UK.

One of the most influential tools which has been helping me on this career path is Networking. I have always taken advantage of every opportunity to meet people in the media or to follow up a contact. I strongly believe that NO is not the end of the road. I have also learnt that one must be prepared to work for free, to get some experience in return.

My biggest break came in Sept 2003 when I got into BEN (Bright Entertainment Network) Television, on Sky Channel 184, in London. (www.bentelevision.com). It reaches over 7million people in Europe and parts of the United States. I had been watching this new TV station for a couple of months and I was happy to see a group of people that I could identify with. I saw the African and Caribbean culture being represented and I could identify with some of the presenters. These were a group of ethnic people doing something for their community, something that you could not see on mainstream British TV.

Although they did not have a large range of programs genre, I still felt the standard was growing and if our people will stop complaining and support them, even the Mainstream TV stations will soon come to tune in to them. There was no daily News program on BEN TV and I belief that people need to be informed and also entertained. I saw a request for presenters and producers scrolling down along the screen and I immediately sent an email to them. I had just rounded up my placement at Channel 5 News and I felt I could bring in few ideas to create something new.

Mr Alistair Soyode (CEO) interviewed me on a hot Friday afternoon, it was one of the most straightforward interviews I have ever had and he was very direct. He looked at my CV and offered me a part on the team as a trainee/Volunteer based on my personal commitments was asked to bring my ideas on board if I had any and I will be working independently and hands on, on any program. The idea of a news program was discussed and a proposal was handed in. My intention was to help produce the program while they got a presenter because I felt I would function well behind the scene doing my research and all. News had always been a top priority for the station but they were still searching for a presenter as they had already had series of auditions.

I was asked to give the idea a try and if it worked, it would become a staple part of the program. That was how BEN Headline News was born. Timi Adegbite of R70, produced the first few episodes of the program. The format was a pre recorded newspaper review of some ethnic media and also some news from Africa, the UK and the Caribbean. I was an amateur, a trainee and I know I was so nervous most times. However, I became comfortable as the days rolled by. I watched SKY News, BBC, and CNN news anchors on all TV stations and I read books on how to be eloquent, articulate and how to connect with the viewers.

My other producer, Jordan Johnson also of MoFlow Productions, with his creativity transformed the News program and gave me useful tips on how to present the news. Alistair, the CEO of BEN TV, was our executive producer and filled in as interview guest whenever we needed one. The News Headlines was a weekly regular for 5 months. As the station developed, we had direct satellite link from Nigeria and we could get Live News from AIT and NTA, which was a level we aspired to get to.

I moved on to program transmissions and program development, there I learnt how to create, write and direct a new program. I also helped to book guests for a weekly show "In Diaspora", hosted by Jide Iyaniwura. A video portfolio was created for me for my future references and I had the opportunity to work with a group of people who were doing their best to create a niche for Ethnic minorities also worked with Evelyn Obahor, formerly of DBN Nigeria. One of the female presenters whose command of the English language I admired greatly. The Ethnic Media I will say is a meeting point for people of a particular culture, idea and racial background.

My experience at BEN TV, London, was a very Unique one, which I will always remember. It allowed me to be a part of something new. I was never given such an opportunity on any of the British Mainstream TV where I had done work experiences. I was no longer a shadow reporter, but an independent News presenter. The Ethnic media still has a long way to go in attaining the level of excellence achieved by their Western counterparts. They face a lot of limitations in terms of finances, human resources, technology, program continuity and consistency, good quality in- house productions, a broad range of program genre and more advertisers. Other multimillion media empires, which exist today, also faced these challenges I believe, but they were very focused and overcame those challenges. The BBC, CNN, ITN, Sky News FOX, etc were not built in a day.

Here In Canada, another prominent Ethnic TV station is Planet Africa television. I established a link with this station by introducing myself and my career path so far, expressing my willingness to be part of something unique. Speaking to the producer and host Patricia Bebia, a former DBN Television presenter in Nigeria, it was interesting to know that she also found the Ethnic TV station the place where she could continue her career as she was told that other mainstream Canadian stations had no openings. Planet Africa Television is considered a meeting point for Africans and Caribbean's in Canada. It helps to promote their culture, businesses and other social activities. It also showcases interviews with prominent individuals visiting Canada.(www.Planetafricatelevision.net).

I will continue to pursue a broadcasting opportunity in the mainstream Western Televisions, hoping to help bridge the gap in the representation of ethnic minorities. But paramount on my agenda is to be part of something Unique and different as I continue my journey as an African journalist in Diaspora.

Onyinye Oyedele is a former BEN-TV London News anchor.