A university lecturer, has challenged the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) to initiate more audience demand programmes in order to beat stiff competition of the digital age.

Dr Aniefiok Udoudo of the Linguistics and Communication Studies Department, University of Port Harcourt gave the charge Monday at a Zonal Programme Planning Conference of Enugu Zonal Station of Radio Nigeria held in Port Harcourt.

In his paper titled “Beating Competition in the Digital Age,” the don observed that there was room for improvement in quality of programmes presented and adequate time.

The don, however, commended the corporation for introducing such audience-participation programmes as Police-Diary, Consumers’ Rights, Public Complaint Half Hour and others and for spreading the stations of FRCN all over the country but advised that programmes on indigenous languages should be expanded.

The lecturer remarked that since the invention of radio as one of the media of communication till the present era of globalisation and digital communication, radio still remains a significantly relevant medium of mass communication, stressing that where other mass media such as television and print cannot reach, the radio is able to penetrate.

She appealed for more funding of the corporation and regular training of personnel to maintain and apply the required skills necessary for the digital age.

The Acting Zonal Director, Mr. Chigozie Obialo said the essence of the conference was to exploit opportunities to restructure and reposition the station.

“We are encouraged to see our coning together here as an avenue to join forces through ideas, rich experiences and skills to take our operations and indeed broadcasting to another level of success and services to our fatherland and humanity,” he said.

The acting zonal director pointed out that with the springing up of new radio, television, cable and satellite broadcasting almost on daily basis, the operational environment has become tough, rough, more challenging and competitive such that broadcasting stations seem to be at daggers-drawn in the quest to survive.

To succeed in this era, he said, there was need to apply those acclaimed better skills, training, experience and resourcefullness in addition to outstanding business and professional acumen to every duty.

Chris Oluoh