Dilemma of Tadi Bloggers and expectations of Radio Presenters and Industry players

• Posted on June 13, 2023June 13, 2023
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The distasteful conversation in the entertainment space where there is an undue expectation from industry players, particularly some Radio Presenters from Bloggers in the oil capital has reared its ugly head once again. 

It is not clear what exactly some Radio Presenters are expecting from bloggers in the Metropolis. 

Following conversations on social media platforms, it appears a Blogger is only applauded when he/she is in the good books of the one who is praising the online Writer. 

Just like how the word ‘real’ has become utterly subjective lately, anytime you hear someone hail another as being the ‘realest,’ check what the recipient and trumpeter have in common. It’s not always real as it should be; it’s either “you support my cause beautifully” or “you spoke/did it for me” and in that case, I think you’re ‘real.’ 

Just like the traditional media, these bloggers are equally guided by editorial policies. Some may choose to talk about an interview that was granted on one station and not update their online audience about the other, no matter how popular it appears. 

Hardly will you read a thread and not find a social media user commenting “don’t mind them, they’re copy and paste bloggers.” 

A medium may be dedicated to compiling stories from other media and credit them duly. It’s not against any journalism rule to do that as far as the credit is apportioned. It’s surprising how fast people label such blogs as ‘copy and paste’ but haven’t taken the pain to come to a realization that most current affairs morning shows have a dedicated hour and more for newspaper and online reviews which read stories from other news portals. What should we call them too; look and say?

Like how production team meet and discuss what interests them before coming on air and no one questions them why they didn’t add Bonyo Benjie’s ‘On the Go’ song but it took Kwadwo Sheldon in Accra to analyse the song and not a Tadi Radio Station; why it took a traditional media house in Accra to project Kwaku Bany, Semenhyia and those from the region who were in TV3 Mentor and none of the stations in the Twin City organised such reality talent show for them; why ‘Friday Night’ hitmaker, Lasmid was projected in a reality show sponsored by a telco and not media in the region, I’m not sure it’s a fair call to axe these budding bloggers with the hardest strike. 

The expectations of most of the radio presenters from the bloggers to carry their interviews on their blogs should be measured. To expect a blogger to randomly monitor your interview and make story out of it without any collaboration or prior notice to the person and discuss how you even want the story to be curled is close to being unreal. 

For a Metropolis with more than 42 radio stations, the probability of the blogger listening to your station at that time can’t be up to 1.  

Unless after an interview, a recording of it is shared with the blogger and it’s not posted, one can enquire from the said blogger. And even that, no one can compel anyone to post what he or she doesn’t want to or doesn’t meet their editorial policies even if you shared the recording.

The fact that story became popular out of the region doesn’t mean the bloggers have failed by not recognizing it but made the Accra bloggers post it instead. 

The story can be posted on one of the biggest online portals and not on a Tadi Blogger’s page. It doesn’t mean that blogger doesn’t know what he or she is doing. We are all guided by what interests us and what doesn’t. 

The best thing to be done is a proper collaboration with the bloggers and how to be on same page to make the industry viable and potent for all. 

The power of the digital space cannot be underestimated, so industry players should have a win-win approach to this blogger-radio-industry players collaboration. 

Of all the things that can shape society, the media appears the most potent so let’s be guided. 

I shall return! 

Author: Nana Kwesi Coomson (www.233times.net) @nkcoomson on Twitter/Instagram