Commendations as NBC holds two-day workshop on digitization

Emakpore

By AZUH AMATUS: It was commendations, plaudits and encomiums for the Emeka Mba-led National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as it successfully concluded a two-day workshop on digitization.

With the theme: “Broadcasting in an era of Digitization”, the well attended workshop was specially and specifically designed for broadcasters and relevant stakeholders in the Lagos, Ibadan and Benin zones as well as officers on salary grade levels 10 -13.

Again, with speakers and resource persons drawn from within and outside our shores, the event which held between December 2 and 3, at Welcome Centre Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos, afforded participants the unique opportunity to update and avail themselves with the latest policy direction and technical requirements ahead of the digital transition in 2015.

 Among the revered speakers at the historic workshop at the first session on day one, were: Engineer Amana, who spoke on the “State of the Nigerian Broadcast Industry Today” and Dennis Leverette, who delivered an incisive paper on the topic: “Digitization, multiplicity of channels and challenges ahead.”

Soft spoken and eloquent Mark Ojiah kick started the second session with a paper entitled: “Digitization Process with sub headings on legal framework, restructuring NBC and NTA, TV and Radio licences in a digitized era and continuous funding of public broadcast sector”, while youthful and ebullient Jayson Floyd, painstakingly delivered a presentation on “Equipment and personnel of broadcast stations in the digital era.”

Meanwhile, the third and final session for the day ended with a paper presentation and interaction by Chris Maduka, which was entitled: “Demands and resource management in digitization.”

Interestingly, activities for the day two of the hugely applauded workshop reached a crescendo and began with a general plenary that dwelt on the need to improve all aspects of the industry ahead of the switch over deadline.

Amazingly, the quintet of Leverette, Floyd, Amana, Emakpore and Ojiah as lead speakers spoke extensively on: content, personnel, equipment, funding and production, respectively.

In his speech, Amana called on practitioners to handle cameras with care and also ensure that professionals are the only ones allowed to man cameras.

“It is painful the way we treat our camera men and handle equipment, especially cameras. Our camera men are poorly paid and in most cases, the least qualified in our professional chain, yet they are very vital to our daily jobs. Again, we usually recruit them as school cert holders or ordinary people and fail to give them the requisite training that will aid our work. Most times, we go to events with dusty or spoilt camera lens and still expect to shoot the best of pictures. All these should stop especially now that we are going into the era of digitization,” Amana cautioned.

Veteran broadcaster, Emakpore also got a rousing ovation when he delivered an in-depth paper presentation on: “Emerging technologies and crises reporting.”

One of the major attractions of the workshop which was powered by NBC in collaboration with Mogul Media, was its very interactive nature. This gave many of the participants the opportunity to ask questions germane to digitization and in return get answers and knowledgeable insights on how digitization would work when it commences.

Collins, a participant who spoke with us hailed the NBC for organising the workshop and urged them to take the initiative round the six geo-political zones of the nation to further sensitize broadcasters, stakeholders and Nigerians in general.

“I learnt a lot about digitization at this workshop. I think I can function properly now with my exposure and knowledge about digitization courtesy of this NBC powered workshop. My advice to them is to take it round the nation for more awareness and knowledge for both stakeholders and the masses.”

The conference which came to a glorious end with a presentation on: “Advertising and sponsorship in digital era”, was spiced up with tea and lunch breaks for the two days that it lasted.