Delta State
Mr. Ukah made the call in Asaba on Tuesday (October 25, 2016) when he played host to a delegation of the DPPCL Board of Directors led by its Chairman, Hon. David Oghenekevwe.
The Information Commissioner observed that irrespective of ownership, the sustenance of a print medium lies on its ability to productively harness the advertisement patronage of the generally public, noting that a print medium can only be self reliant if it proactively explores the wider market.
He observed that The Pointer newspaper, though owned by the state government, cannot totally rely on the state government for all of its revenue, adding that the marketing department of the company must device means to explore advertisement patronages from private corporate organizations in the state and in other areas of its circulation.
Mr. Ukah wondered why the state owned print medium is finding it hard to record appreciable patronages from the public and private sectors when some private medium are succeeding, insisting that any poor attitude among staff of the company must change, if the current challenges are to be surmounted.
The Information Commissioner maintained that The Pointer newspaper has the needed circulation strength that advertisers look out for, noting that the newspaper still remains the most virile grassroot medium in the state.
He commended the editorial department of the newspaper for recording palpable improvement in its editorial content, urging them, however, to eschew complacency and keep striving for the best.
Earlier, Hon. Oghenekevwe had told the state number one Image Maker that the DPPCL board was in his office to intimate him on some of the festering challenges in the company.
He identified acute shortage of staff, low market equity and undue encroachment into the company’s land as some of the challenges in the company.
The Board Chairman recalled that since last 12 years, the company has lost 82 staff to death, retirement and resignation, while only a paltry number of seven staff were employed within the period in review.
The consequence of this, he said, is that most editorial staff in the company are freelancers, observing that such situation is unhealthy for the company.
Hon. Oghenekevwe also told the Information Commissioner that there was the need for all MDAs in the state to buy copies of The Pointer newspaper on a regular basis, explaining that the quest for a self-reliant state will be a speculative mirage if the state cannot patronize its own products.
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