Thursday, March 13, 2008

Nigeria's NBC wants more local content on radio

The Director-General of Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Engr Bolarinwa, has decried the inadequacy of local programmes from broadcast stations across the nation, saying that local content programmes could boost competition in the industry. Engr Bolarinwa made the observation yesterday in Port Harcourt at the opening ceremony of a four-day joint national workshop on, ‘Broadcast Programmes Production’ organised by the Alpha Institute of Broadcasting and Communications (AIBC) and the National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC).
The director-general noted with dismay the absence of local content programmes in most Nigerian broadcasting stations, adding that about 70 per cent of their programmes were from foreign and independent producers. According to him, “there is the repetition of foreign content in most broadcast stations in the country and this is not helping the nation’s broadcast industry”.
Engr Bolarinwa stated that Nigeria was still faced with the challenge of ensuring adequate local content programmes, an act which, he said, has militated against the nation’s growth in the industry. He noted, however, that proper local content programmes would not only make for easy learning and appreciation by local viewers and listeners but also boost the nation’s identity and broadcast independence among other nations.
(Source: The Tide Online/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)