Today I was privileged to chair the maiden edition of ‘Town and Gown Series’ by the Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, (UNIZIK). Below are my remarks.
PROTOCOLS
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this maiden edition of ‘Town & Gown Series’ of the Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Many of us have journeyed from different towns to meet those of you in the classrooms with a common objective of exploring the emerging opportunities in our disrupted media and communication industry. The concept of ‘town and gown’ dates back to the Middle Ages and has over time evolved into a platform for exploring university-community engagement. I must, therefore, commend the faculty and students of the department for embracing this unique concept which will, no doubt, enrich the learning experiences of the students and prepare them well for the industry. This initiative will also position the department as a serious-minded, industry-sensitive, and practical-oriented knowledge production center for media and communication studies.
Our world is now governed by disruptions and innovations driven by technology. These disruptions are taking place across many industries and have resulted into new entities. Examples are Alibaba, Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, IrokoTV and Linda Ikeji blog. COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the seismic disruptions in the media industry.
Newspaper firms around the world have been closing at a rapid rate; buckling under the pressure from changing news consumption habits, advertising shifts and other economic factors. This has worsened a pre-existing financial crisis in the industry with many shutdowns and lay-offs. Many newspapers have become so slim that you would think that they are preparing for one of those Western-oriented beauty pageants. All these closures, lay-offs, and asset sales are coming at a time when quality information is needed in the crucial fight against disinformation. With these disruptions, some skeptics have predicted that newspapers will, sooner or later, cease to exist as we know them today. In fact, one emeritus professor at the University of North Carolina had the courage to predict the exact date newspapers will stop existing. In his controversial book, “The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism in the Information Age”, Professor Philip Meyer predicts that the last daily newspaper reader in the world will check out in 2044. October 2044, to be exact.
But should we accept this doomsday scenario as the truth? Recall that pundits have been predicting the demise of the ‘venerable’ newspaper ever since the first radio broadcast hit the airwaves. When television came, they still felt certain that the tube represented the final nail in print journalism’s coffin. What has happened is that emphasis has shifted to the quality of content than the medium. This means that content is not only the king but the beautiful bride of the news business. The sweet old wine called news printed on paper is being repackaged into a new digital wineskin. Unlike Prof. Philip Meyer, I am very confident that newspapers will survive the technological attack but will be in different forms and platforms. My confidence is buoyed by certain developments in the industry. About eight years ago in the heat of the disruptions, three notable American billionaires spent a whopping $720 million buying up newspaper firms. Why would John Henry, the reclusive owner of Liverpool FC and Boston Red Sox, buy Boston Globe newspaper for $70 m? Why indeed would Warren Buffet, easily the world’s wealthiest investor, spend $400m buying a portfolio of newspapers across the U.S? Tell me why Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of Amazon, a new media retail outlet buy the more than 140-year-old Washington Post for $250 m? These men are not known for gambling. There must be something they have seen about the future of these newspaper assets we are not seeing. They are obviously investing in trusted media brands and they plan to take these brands into the digital world. This is already happening.
NEW SKILLS, OLD VALUES
It is interesting to note that these disruptions in the media have thrown up unlimited opportunities for entrepreneurship. The new media ecosystem now offers a range of opportunities based on technological, social and economic developments. To operate in the new media ecosystem, you will need new skills to deliver the news in all formats – print, radio, television, online and social media. This is because the Internet and social media have created dynamic new platforms and blurred the distinction between print and broadcast. This means that universities must reflect this reality in their curricula.
There are plenty of opportunities for journalists in the new media ecosystem. Note that all the new opportunities require good writing skills. For you to survive online, you must have compelling content that is credible and truthful. Some of these opportunities are as follows:
1. Social media specialist: A social media specialist works for a brand or organization and communicates with the public through social media platforms to build a favorable reputation. Essentially, social media specialists Tweet, share, like, and post content about a brand or organization. He or she must have strong knowledge of social media platforms and networking tools.
2. Content Creator: Both traditional and new media platforms require compelling and niche content to survive. A journalist can create content for different media platforms for a fee.
3. Copywriter: A copywriter develops the message being delivered in any advertisement on any media platforms.
4. Editor: Basically, anywhere there’s a story, there’s an editor. Editors oversee every step of the publishing process, working with writers to plan and edit content for publication.
5. Videographer: They shoot documentaries for online platforms like Youtube.
6. Blogging: A blog is a type of website that organizes specialized content. Bloggers make money through advertisement placements on their sites.
7. Music Curator: Music is part of the content you can curate online with appropriate copyright permissions.
These are few of the emerging opportunities in the new media. In conclusion, we must note that even though that technology has brought about disruptions in the media, one thing is clear – nothing beats good writing. Therefore, in whatever platform you choose to play in, make sure that you have compelling content. So while you study, forge friendships and partnerships that may be useful in the future. I wish you successful deliberation. Thank you for your attention.
Chief Tony Onyima, Ph.D.
Umuoji