- URGES STAFF TO COORDINATE EFFORTS AS PUSH TO RESUME STATION OPERATION INTENSIFIES.
BY MICHAEL AKPANG, CALABAR
The Management of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN South South Zone has urged members of staff of Canaan City FM Calabar, to rededicate themselves to their duties to enable the station impact on its teeming audience when it resumes operation.
This is coming two years after going off the airwaves due to technical reasons.
The Zonal Director, FRCN, South South Zone, Mr Lucky Obarien gave the charge during a forum with the staff of the Radio Station in Calabar.
In line with the instructions of the Director General of FRCN, Dr Muhammed Balama to restore transmission in all the stations, Mr Obarien called on members of staff of the various functional units including Programmes, News and Current Affairs, Engineering, Accounts and Audit, among others, to renew commitment to duty for improved quality of broadcast and listenership.
“The purpose of this visit is to inform the staff the effort the management through the Director General is making to make sure this station comes on air in no record time. If you observe, so many activities have been going on in the engineering section of the station. We’ve had an engineer that came from Abuja to work on the mast and our engineers came in from Port Hartcourt to work on the transmitter as well. And by the time we are through, we should be able to know the extent of what has been done and what is required to put the station back on air,” the ZD noted.
He advised the members of staff to be resilient and prepared to ensure that when the station comes on air they would start impressively.
“We have had the opportunity to discuss with the staff and we have told them what is expected of them especially from the various departments, particularly, the News and Programmes units, so that by the time this station comes up programmes and news contents should be of the highest quality in order to get our listeners back. They should be prepared to make sure that when the station comes on air they will start with a bang. That’s the essence of our coming to Calabar. For the technical expect of it, we will make sure that we have the best signals. The residents of this State love Canaan City. I’ve had cause to monitor their programmes anytime I’m in town and l know the kind of traffic they attract especially for the phone-in live programmes and l know that the people are yearning and waiting to get us back,” he enthused.
The Deputy Director News, South South Zone, Idara Ukpanyang, who emphasized the credibility and objectivity of news from the FRCN platform, urged reporters to deliver reports to the various FRCN news platforms for effective coverage of the State.
“The reporters in Calabar should sit up. It’s not for them to be discouraged, this is even when they are supposed to make impact. We have the Zonal News in Port Hartcourt and our website where they can send their stories. We also have the network news at the headquarters in Abuja. That the station is not on air does not mean they should not send their stories to these platforms. This is what keeps them moving and what keeps them working. So my advice to the members of staff, especially those in the News department is that they should be up and doing,” she emphasized.
Some members of staff who bore their minds on the engagement, described it as an eye opener.
