ALICE WASS
Exploring Media

Having completed case studies exploring the BBC, I could not wait to attend a talk from Rachael Akidi, editor of the BBC World Service’s ‘Focus on Africa’. Rachael was born in Uganda, her career began when she was a freelance journalist for a Ugandan newspaper and radio stations whilst a student at Makerere University. Since 2002 Rachael has been a part of the BBC World Service. During that time she has worked across various programmes and platforms including: Network Africa; The World Today; Focus on Africa radio and television; the Africa Debate and the website for bbcafrica.com. She is responsible for the affairs radio programme for Africa, being in charge of the programme’s editorial direction, as well as leading a team of journalists in London and in Africa.

 

Focus on Africa is targeted at all of the African countries, their main listeners being Africans aged fifteen to thirty-four. It is a trusted source of news as it is reliable and independent, and has a network of employees all across the continent giving them exclusivity. In some countries media is not liberalised therefore they are dominated by state media which may not be unbiased, therefore people turn to Focus on Africa for news instead. When Rachael first began working there in 2002 their main competition was: Voice of America and Cable Network News. Now their competition is traditional media sources such as FM Radio stations, local and regional TV stations and companies such as Aljazeera, CCTV, CGTN.

 

With the introduction of new media, such as greater internet access across the continent, the use of social media by the younger generations as a source of news and also new social media websites, means that people have more access to information. Therefore, Focus on Africa have had to reflect on their place in this changing media landscape and how to keep themselves relevant. They are no longer a primary news source, instead they must focus on adding value to news as well as producing more original journalism through investigative news. They are also trying to create more opportunities to reach younger audiences as well as a variation in the news they present, because younger audiences want to know how to better their lives, therefore they broadcast more positive news stories.

 

Another method to keep up with this change includes focusing on their website, as audiences can listen to Focus on Africa online. It has a ‘clip’ page containing smaller bits of news that fit more easily with people’s attention spans. They have a podcast aimed at diaspora audiences, which give people a taste of the big stories. Focus on Africa have also been increasing their social media presence, as it is a key component of journalism and an important news platform. Use of Facebook live streaming and audio live streaming are getting audiences more involved. With all this modification to their social media they now have an estimated 6 million followers across all their platforms.

 

These changes have required lots of operational changes, therefore people need to be useful by having at least two key skills, enabling them to work on multiple platforms such as audio and video. Originally Rachael was only doing radio work, however, this had to change, therefore she is trying to enhance her TV skills to keep her work relevant. The company needs people who are in touch with their audience, this is helped through their chat apps such as WhatsApp. Focus on Africa currently reaches 100 million Africans every week, and they are still expanding. They are focusing on new ideas in: Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as creating thirty new TV digital and mobile video products to send out to all their audiences. 

 

I greatly enjoyed this talk for many reasons. Firstly, because my personal interest in radio, as I currently help produce and present a university radio show ‘Media Highlights’. Also I have great interest in Africa as a continent, having visited Morocco, volunteered for three weeks in Ghana, and I am going to be volunteering in South Africa for two weeks in July 2017. It was interesting to see how information from a media lecture, exploring China’s media effect on South Africa, linked into some of the points Rachael was raising, especially about competitors and how they have changed over time. The key message I took from this talk was the importance of upskilling myself. To maintain a job in an ever changing media landscape, I must be qualified in multiple skills, therefore I will aim to master at least two different platforms during my time at university, making sure that I am relevant in whichever area of media I decide to specialise in. Rachael also showed it is possible to work in the same company for years and how it is possible to work up the ranks, whilst adding value to yourself as an employee. I realise the importance of applying for jobs that I might not be qualified for but if I have a passion for, and push myself and go for it, because you never know what might happen.