Page 31 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 1 2013

the airwaves I can phone in and say
ʹYou are talking rubbishʹ and that is
what happens. The mobile has
given a voice to the previously
voiceless.
It has also had a profound effect
on a much more fundamental issue
called governance. People in power
can no longer ignore the public and
not respond because people take to
the airwaves and before you know
it there is a momentum that builds
over particular issues. I know that
in Uganda the president has
sometimes picked up the phone to
say on air: ʹWhat you are saying is
not true.ʹ In other words it has
meant that if wrong things are
being said they donʹt go unchecked,
and also it has meant that the
leadership is engaged directly with
the public, not only at times of the
national elections.
What are the business models for
private media?
Buying a soap opera, broadcasting
it and selling advertising around it
is one model that works. This has
also triggered the growth in locally
made soaps and programming,
generating a whole industry in
local languages and also in French
and English right across.
Increasingly Africa is becoming
digitised so you have a multiplicity
of platforms that need feeding in
terms of content. The other side,
news and current affairs is very
expensive to run and that is still a
bit of a challenge in many parts and
in many countries.
Sometimes funding comes
through a company sponsoring a
particular programme or event
and then inviting the media along
to cover that event or to facilitate
coverage of that event. Given the
difficulty of resources that is a
model that is also being deployed
in a number of countries and
stations.
What's state-funded media’s role?
It is still relevant and useful as a way
of ensuring that the big national
issues are covered and that the
information will reach the people
right across. Some of the state
media also will take advertising.
What's the outlook?
One of the things the African media
space has been able to do is leap‐
frogging Western societies. What
took 100 years in many Western
societies has happened much faster
in Africa. So within the next five
years I see greater use of
information.
For example, 4G will be an
everyday thing, for two reasons.
One, the falling price of access to
connectivity, two, the cheaper
handsets which means information
will be ubiquitous. Three, the
cheaper technology will mean
greater access to TV, radio as I walk
on the street. How people will
receive information and
entertainment will change greatly
and at a greater speed than in the
last three years.
Two years ago, after flying in
from Washington, I was in Nigeria
and saw this lady with an iPad and
I said to her ʹOh, I did not realise
the iPad is being sold in Nigeria
alreadyʹ – she just looked at me as
though to say ʹWhich planet are
you on?ʹ. It was fantastic. Yes, on
the one hand itʹs a country where a
huge percentage of people are
living below the poverty line, but
on the other hand what is the
biggest market for BlackBerrys in
the world at the moment? Nigeria.
People donʹt just have one, they
have two or three BlackBerrys.
When you talk about this term
called ʹbroadcastingʹ what will it
mean? Or is it going to be
narrowcasting in order to service
particular viewer/user
requirements? Companies such as
MultiChoice in South Africa are
already looking at ways in which to
target individual groups.
Technology will enable everyone
to make choices of what to see and
listen to and where and when, and
Africa will be no exception.
Joel Kibazo, thank you.
FOCUS | THE CHANNEL
The
mobile
has had a
profound
effect on
the funda-
mental
issue of
governance
“
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THE CHANNEL | ISSUE 1 2013 | 31