Are the Lagos Radio Airwaves Really Jammed?

Access to information is a common feature of any free society. This information is received primarily through the media. Hence, it may be correct to say that the more media there is, the more enlightened the citizenry are likely to be. This however might not be the case in Nigeria as the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) recently announced that it will no longer issue licenses for new radio stations in Lagos because the city’s airwaves are jammed. Buki Oyedemi wonders if NBC is right this time around.

Many people have expressed doubts over the NBC’s real reason for saying it will not grant any more radio licenses in Lagos. In an interview with M2, Bola Agboola, Director of Marketing, Radio Nigeria, says he finds it hard to believe that airwaves can be jammed. “I honestly don’t think there is anything like airwaves being jammed because NBC gives frequencies to stations based on what is available. Except if more than one station is given a particular frequency, they can never clash.” He goes on to say that “looking at the dials on a radio set, it is clear that there are different numbers and except those numbers are exhausted, which I don’t think the NBC has, there is absolutely no way the airwaves can be jammed.” 

Similarly, Seun Awosika, a Producer and Presenter with Star FM, says “I would swap sides with the NBC as I don’t believe that the airwaves are jammed especially when you use a digital radio. I monitor the news a lot especially on other radio stations and I have never experienced any such jam.” However, ace broadcaster, Ngozi Alaegbu Ikediashi, says that “for a population of over 17million people residing in Lagos, it could be possible that the airwaves are jammed.” 

Analysts have given other reasons to explain the NBC’s action. 

Christopher Ubosi, Managing Director of Megaletrics Ltd, owners of Classic FM and Beat FM, says the decision could be as a result of economics and not really a case of the air space being jammed. “Usually, funding required for a radio station is obtained by commercial loans. You get the license a year before; and you start operations a year later and then pay commercial interests on these loans you have taken. So, it is possible they want to make sure that stations do not go bankrupt. You can imagine the amount of interest stations would have to pay.”

He also explains that there could be a probability that air spaces are jammed because in Nigeria, and especially Lagos, many radio stations use large transmitters that allow for a wider coverage and can ultimately cause the airspaces to overlap into each other. 

On his part, Awosika feels that the NBC would be contradicting itself if it says that it is trying to protect stations from going bankrupt. “I really don’t know who the NBC might be protecting because the more radio stations we have, the more money they get as licensing fees. My experience in radio in the last eight years tells me that no matter what you do in a radio station, you will always make your money. So I really don’t buy that idea. However it will be a good thing if NBC can come out to adequately explain what they mean by jammed airwaves in Lagos.” .

For Ikediashi, who believes that the NBC does not have any ulterior motive, the regulating authority could probably want to help in improving the stations that are already on ground. “It will not be a bad thing if the NBC encourages quality rather than quantity because, looking back at how far we have come, radio broadcasting in Nigeria is not there yet. Practitioners and presenters alike need to get more informed about what they do.” 

When asked whether this decision could hamper competition and entrepreneurial drive, she responds: “what is competition without quality? All this boils down to the same thing. The industry needs improvement because it is by doing this that there can be fair competition.” 

Agboola also agrees that this cannot hamper competition pointing out that the NBC’s recent invitation to bid for privately owned networks has already attracted seven bidders. “So, how much more competition do we need in the industry?” he asks. 

The professionals also made suggestions on how to improve the industry. 

Citing the Republic of Benin which has over 500 community radio stations, Awosika admonishes the NBC to encourage community radio because they use smaller transmitters and enhance proper dissemination of information to the grassroots.” 

For Ikediashi, “all we need is training. Owners of these stations should invest in training their staff. They need to keep their faculties open and keep themselves abreast of issues. They need to improve their pronunciations, delivery and on-air attitude.”  While Agboola quotes the research carried out by Zus Bureau which reveals that 82.5% of Nigerians listen to radio for news, 49.3% for music, 41.3% for drama and 35% for sports. He adds that, stations should strive to satisfy the public in what ever way they know how. 

Irrespective of the assumptions anyone might make regarding the NBC’s decision, the question that will remain on the lips of many stakeholders is: how can NBC say the Lagos airwaves are jammed when all we can boast of is only 17 radio stations? 

Though M2 met a brick wall trying to get NBC to comment on this, it is hoped that whatever results this decision generates will be in the interest of the broadcast industry in Nigeria.