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Inspiration FM… promoting morals, preserving family values

By Margaret Mwantok
11 July 2016   |   6:21 am
The Group General Manager of Inspiration FM. Mr Charles Supo-Orija has said that his organisation is out to re-enact the core values of morality amongst the adolescents, the youth and older people.
Supo-Orija

Supo-Orija

The Group General Manager of Inspiration FM. Mr. Charles Supo-Orija has said that his organisation is out to re-enact the core values of morality amongst the adolescents, the youth and older people.

In a chat with The Guardian, Supo-Orija said that his station felt the need to intervene in helping to halt the eluding moral values in the society reason it is tilting its content around uplifting moral values.

“If you look at our programme segmentation, we have different sections that specifically take care of these age categories and other interests. Ordinarily, people may imagine that Inspiration FM is a Christian station, no; we are not. We appeal to both the Christians and the Muslims. Basically, what we do is that we attach a lot of values to morals and that has carved a niche for us over the years.

“The main purpose of the station in the first instance is to cater for the family, and it is regarded as the number one family station. Within the society, the family plays a crucial role in nation building, and that is the strength and backbone of any society. We have looked critically from inception to carve an edge for ourselves.”

He said realising the fact that the station could not be everything to everybody, they have strategised in such a manner that the programming are suited to satisfy core interest areas. “We are fortunate to have a station that caught up with the public from day one, though one would expect that there should be a gestation period. But within short time, we have seen how widely spread we have become. Within the framework of our operations, invariably music is a very vital element in FM broadcasting, but we are playing songs that give meaning to life, songs that teach morals, songs that tell stories,” he stated.

Through this philosophy, the station, he asserted, “is affecting society positively. We are building the future generations, and take care of various diverse interests,” noting the diversity in programming with different segments catering for diverse classes – womenfolk, children – in the society.

On the operating environment, especially issues of regulation, Supo-Orija said laws were not made for animals but for humans. “The laws are meant to be respected; the thing about being forthright from day one is that if you do not learn to respect the laws of the land, then you are building a structure that does not have a foundation. We have realised that the laws are there; the moral value laws are there and are meant to be respected as well as religious laws. We have not done too badly in that respect, at least our station at any point in time had not been sanctioned and we have not had cause to have restrictions on our operations, but beyond that respect for the rule of law, you must have sensibility to the interests that you represent,” he emphasised.

On the need for expansion in operation, he said it is very vital for a business growth, though in broadcasting, getting the first licence, according to him, may be cumbersome. “Once you obtained the first licence, statutory checks on you are easier because there is a foundation that had been laid, but we still have to satisfy all the conditions in getting these licenses. We have to spread, because in a business growth, you have to see some expansions, this is one business that till date, we are not committed to any of the financial institutions for our expansion programme,” he added.

He noted that Lagos state was highly competitive, having well over 30 FM stations. “The market is getting more conscripted and a time will come that the first casualty in cutting budget or any corporate expenditure like the media will have to cut down on publicity. Remember that if there is no brand visibility, most of these revenues will not be generated. When you talk about the first casualty, global economic meltdown, the first casualty is the media. The important thing about prudence in management and effective management also, is knowing what you are doing. In a private enterprise, you have to be mindful of several factors. One, you are not going to be as loose as some other businesses that would take so much overhead. In the private sector, multi-tasking is a factor, and that also enhances the practitioners themselves,” he said.

He envisaged consolidation in the media industry as it happened in the banking sector, “when bigger brands will begin to swallow up the smaller ones because they have neglected their foresight for expansion, where they can use as safe haven. Business have its ups and downs, but you have to do what you have to do because if you do not, people that you have employed from the scratch may not be happy with you if there is need to let them go at some point. So, you need to do things that would enable you to grow,” he noted.

On the possibility of having platforms other than radio, he said, “One thing we must learn also is that some people cast too many irons in the fire and they begin to have problems. For us, it is one step after the other. We are not ruling out the possibility of television, and who knows, we may even go into print publication in the long run. Believing in God by the end of this year, we should be able to add two more stations, and from there, if the authorities see that we have done well, may decide to give us television license,” he noted.

And with television going digital, Supo Orija believes his station can also participate in one form or the other in the nearest future. At present, the concern, he stressed, “is to have a business that is viable, that would be profitable. But fundamentally, we want to be seen and known as a brand that has affiliations with the people; we want to be able to build into the cultures of the people, we want to be able to affect the society because morals are fast fading away.”

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