I recently read with some amazement the piece from an obviously ill-informed commentator. My amazement stemmed from the fact that anyone could still be so blissfully ignorant of the levels of aesthetics, technological and content advancement at the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) in recent times.
My conclusion was that the commentator in question was on a mudslinging mission and might be acting at the behest of those who are frustrated with the radical changes at the corporation’s radio and TV channels in the past eight months.
While the real facts are open and obvious for the populace and our teeming audience to see and judge, irrespective of the biased and non-constructive thoughts of an armchair critic, it may still be imperative to chip in a few words in defence of the nation’s pride for the sake of emphasis.
Note that the BCOS, for the first time since inception in 1976, has spread its reach to all the nooks and crannies of the state such that listeners can now participate in many programmes on radio. We are now an advertiser’s delight as leading and reputable agencies are taking judicious notice of this development, even as the image and rating of the station has soared to an all-time record high on all fronts as applicable within the industry.
Radical programming on radio and TV, coming in the wake of this unparalleled accessibility to listeners and viewers has impacted richly on the political, social and economic awareness of the people of Oyo State and beyond. Thus, it becomes all the more baffling that anyone would be asking what the BCOS is doing to increase its audience base in 2020.
It would be appropriate to conclude that whoever is still pondering over such, despite the unhidden facts and realities, neither watches nor listens to the stations on the stables of the BCOS.
I would say with every sense of responsibility that aside from our vast and teeming audience, advertising executives are those who should know, and with compliments from stakeholders like them, we remain convinced that we are on the right path.
BCOS commands the attention of the grassroots, we dine with credible opinion molders and thought leaders, and it is instructive to note that eminent Nigerians have lit up our studios in the last five months, including world acclaimed personalities like erudite lawyer and rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), who kept millions of citizens glued to the BCOS TV channel with his spellbinding and cerebral submissions on contemporary national issues.
Today’s BCOS TV maintains the capability to reach any part of the world from our studios via Skype and our social media presence is simply at the very highest as can be attested to by our numerous on line fans. Our TV aesthetics and ambience is now far more appealing and competitive than at any time before.
Note that BCOS bagged the Oyo State Merit Award for the Most Efficient Public Corporation in Oyo State for the year 2019, based on these serial achievements, while the corporation was also placed on the roll call of honor by the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria FRCN for the quick and giant strides recorded in recent times.
While the BCOS does welcome and encourage criticism to further enhance its service and performance, it would help when such criticism is fair and based on truth and facts.
Dotun Oyelade
