THE name of the broadcasting house is Radio Lagos; it is transmitting on 107.5 FM. Established in 1978, it used to be Amplitude Modulation (AM), (standard radio broadcasting), but turned Frequency Modulation (FM) in 2001. The (FM) is a method of radio broadcasting which has several advantages over Standard (AM) broadcasting: elimination of static, no fading, but clearer sound, et cetera.

Radio Lagos 107.5 FM has assorted good programmes with quality performance in every other aspect, such as the promotion of our culture. One aspect in which this writer is interested is the coverage of the three main religious faiths – Christianity, Islam and Traditional. To one’s convenience, one can tune in the desired taste of the individual. Invariably, this writer does not discriminate; I am an avid listener of the three. Indeed, I find it most fascinating the early morning Islamic sermon – the Salat- ul Subhi, known as Asuba in Yoruba. I enjoy the Arabic language, though a Christian. This interest is accentuated by the female presenter’s quality, unmistakably Arabic intonation and rendition. Her adept Yoruba interpretation apart, one shall wonder whether she is a Nigerian or Saudi Arabian. It appears that the station is a bastion of female chauvinism, judging by the news – readers and presenters. This is commendable as it lends elegance and wits to the programmes. All these mental and verbal dexterities distinguish Radio Lagos from other stations. Some of the news-casters could be more distinct to avoid a muddle.

However, there is the other side of the coin. Radio Lagos has some inadequacies. The station is a public utility that is established and maintained with public funds. Therefore, occasional criticisms, are not out of step, to enhance its improvement, rather than for malign effect. In communication, there are the Sender of a message and the Receiver of it. In practice, the Radio Lagos is the Sender, whilst the Receiver(s) are the listeners. If the Sender of the message is interrupted, such message(s) cannot arrive at the Receivers’ ends. The messages are void and are nullities. Similarly, the Receivers can react by feeding back the Sender. That is exactly what prevails in Radio Lagos. And it is disgusting, if there is disruption of transmission.

Knowledge shall forever govern ignorance. This indicates that information is valuable, because knowledge gives power. Full and unfettered information aids the formation of opinion, which in turn, is central to good government. When I say good government, it encapsulates democracy. The public monitor the government through radio. If information is not well packaged, or if it is properly packaged but it is fragmented before it arrives at the Receiver(s), it serves no useful purpose. Technology is advancing. Therefore, Radio Lagos must advance with it to satisfy the needs of the listeners.

The Radio station is often epileptic. There is hardly any morning’s programme when transmission is not broken. For the umpteenth time, transmission is broken. It occurred Friday, January 8, 2016. The up-shot of it all is that whenever it happens, the services are disorganised for the listeners to lose focus. The scenario is preceded by rumblings from the studio to the radio set, followed by a staccato of squeaks that abruptly halt. For how long shall good packages of programmes be truncated? By so doing, good programmes are made bad. It must be that the break in transmission is occasioned by antiquated equipment. With archaic mechanism, there can be no efficient delivery, regardless of high quality performance of the staff. The poor performance is not of the staff, but of the ageing technology at the Radio Lagos. Talk about the staff. They are good hands, always punctual and regular, particularly the female staff who sacrifice their nourishing early morning sleep to make sure that they are present in the studio to serve their menu to the listening public. As a result, the staff of Radio Lagos must be motivated in appreciation of their good services.

Whenever the radio breaks transmission, it remains so for a prolonged period for the listeners to believe that the station is no longer in existence. Is the destabilising problem internal in the studio or is it external with the radio towers? Invariably, whenever transmission fails, news-stories are fragmented; the speaker of the particular radio set muffles words and flounders, with or without apology from the news-casters to the listening public. In that situation, the announcer is also embarrassed and sometimes offers flimsy excuses. It is an up-setting experience, when one is listening to the radio broadcast and it suddenly breaks off!

The situation reminds me of a line in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar when Cassius said to Brutus: “The fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves that we are born underlings.” Here, I may reason that the inadequacies are not in the staff of Radio Lagos, but in the Lagos State government which fails to update its antiquated equipment. It is ridiculous that a radio station that claims to be of world class to frequently develop hiccups. Let the government replace the carcass of equipment to serve it better. The listening public must have values for their utilities. Flattery will get Radio Lagos nowhere.

• Oshisada, a veteran journalist, writes from Ikorodu, Lagos.