E24-7, Set for All Round Entertainment
E24-7 is a showbiz and entertainment oriented magazine. Having just clocked a year, the publication has surmounted the obstacles of every new business. In this piece, Buki Oyedemi looks at E24-7′s journey so far.
Entertainment in Nigeria is at a crescendo, so it is no wonder that all the various arms of media, including broadcast, social and print media are taking advantage of the avalanche of entertainment buzz to appeal to their target audience. What will however sieve the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’ is the ability to appropriately package the entertainment to the satisfaction of the audience. This trait is evident in a magazine called Entertainment Twenty-Four-Seven, E24-7 for short! E24-7 hit the newsstands a year ago, according to the Biodun Kupoluyi, Publisher/CEO of the magazine and has been an unprecedented success.
The Vision
E24-7 is the birth of a vision of many years. Having horned his skill as an entertainment reporter famous for the column Arts Live with The Punch newspapers for eleven years, Kupoluyi saw the need for a change in showbiz reporting and decided to actualize it with the magazine. He recounts his journey thus: “When I left The Punch as a chief correspondent, I went to Daily Independent newspaper where I became an assistant editor and from there I moved to Dove Media as the head of corporate affairs and communications At this point, I saw the need to project the entertainment industry positively and I knew I could only achieve that by coming up with my own publication and that is what I am doing today.”
Highlighting other reasons for the publication Kupoluyi adds; “First and foremost, E24-7 is here to raise the bar in entertainment reporting and we believe that we are doing that by all standards. We are also in this to provoke discussion on issues that affect the entertainment industry and how they can be resolved. A glance at the magazine tells the whole story. This, however is not to say that we are the best but I can affirmatively say that we have been able to add our own value and carve our own niche.”
Features on E24-7
An effort to glance at the magazine might not be a quick one as the contents range from interviews to highlights of events and the ample use of quality pictures all combined to make it a compellingly engaging. Emphasisng that content is paramount to any media Kupoluyi says, “The fact that E24-7 is not just a hip-hop magazine but an entertainment magazine means that we appeal to all ages. We take pride in developing quality and engaging content which is the drive for any medium.”
Some of the magnetizing content in the magazine include Interviews, which have featured the likes of Rita Dominic, the Anikulapo Kuti family, Richard Mofe Damijo and Bhaira Mcwizu; Spotted which shows innocent actions but funny captions, based on the photographer’s imagination; Movie Review, Fashion Blog; People and International news. The fact that the 72-page magazine is printed in gloss also adds to its attractiveness.
Surmountable Challenges and Future Plans
As it is with every business, challenges are a necessary fertilizer for growth and Kupoluyi attests to this. “Naturally, the challenge starts from finance, as banks will not come to your rescue, so you have to solicit the funds yourself. Electricity is another issue as we have to pay so much to buy diesel to run the office. The major challenge is the issue of getting good writers to handle the magazine. In all this, I believe the challenges come with chances of growth. Maybe because of my training, I know they are surmountable and with the crew I have currently, we are set to do well in the market place.”
Agreeing that many magazines are on the newsstands, Kupoluyi says he is not daunted by them because “content is what will separate the men from the boys.” Going on to say that the magazine is moving on to the next phase, Kupoluyi revealed that the magazine has begun a bi-monthly publication which featured a Tribute to Da-Grin, the late rapper in its first edition. “It’s a pity we lost the hit rapper, but we wanted to make a tribute to him. It was a quick job and in the space of a week, we sold out. It was a successful launch and that for us is the beginning of our bi-monthly publication. Our vision was to start E24-7 as a weekly but because of the structure of the industry, we could not. But as time goes on, we will have a weekly. Our aim is to report entertainment 24 hours a week and we will achieve it.”
Going Beyond Boarders
E24-7 is not restricting itself to the shores of Nigeria. Kupoluyi explains that the magazine is distributed in Ireland and the United Kingdom; “the magazine is positioned for the African audience. By that we plan to expand to other countries to let them know what we do. Right now we have extended our correspondence to Ghana and other countries in Africa. For the Nigerian market, we are dominantly in Lagos but we are also available, in trickles, in some South Western States, Rivers, Delta and Edo States.”
Noting the need to make the magazine readily available to readers, Kupoluyi says that the magazine is improving on its print run in order to meet the huge demand mostly on campuses across Nigeria. Divulging another strategic marketing move the magazine has made, he says, “To extend our readership base, we have been able to get LG manufacturers to patronize us. They buy a bulk of the publication and distribute to their customers. And as long as you buy an LG product, you get a copy of the magazine.”
Moving Ahead
E24-7 is a year old and according to Kupoluyi, its success can be attributed to perseverance, knack to fulfill a dream and God’s faithfulness. “God has been good to us and we have stories to tell. We are planning a public and media presentation which will take place very soon. We will also visit a few orphanages to show that we are a socially responsible entity.”
