Before you make up your mind to go on radio……By Kenny Ogunmiloro

Radio stations are springing up everywhere now, and the rate at which people are setting up online radio stations, you would think owing a radio station even if it is an online station is one of the surest ways to make it in life today. To make it more interesting almost everyone is attaching themselves to one radio station or the other as long as you can speak English or Yoruba no matter how good or bad the level of your understanding of the languages.

Before you make up your mind to go on radio, pls take your time to ask yourself some questions like How lucrative is the media job most especially when you are on the radio? Can it pay your bills and care for your life after you drop the studio microphone?

One thing is sure, being on radio (no matter the level of the radio station) would bring you fame, OPPORTUNITIES and respect if you are doing the right things – those 3 things are guaranteed but let me be honest with it, it is not as rosy as you are thinking most especially at the early stages. Radio job is not lucrative most especially in this Ibadan,those people you see as gods needs your help. We blow grammar and make you happy, truth is many are doing the job suffering and smiling

Talking from a personal experience, I left my ICT job as the manager of a big hotel here in Ibadan to embrace a radio job. First 2years at Oluyole FM as a freelance sports analyst was hell for me because all the money I saved from my former position as Hotel ICT manager was spent in moving from one station to another trying to “build my brand”. It was a sacrifice I needed to pay and I was ready even though it wasn’t easy

I joined Star FM as a staff and for the first 4months, I was not paid a dime. At that point I regretted dumping my job to embrace a radio job. My joy was over full when I was paid my 4months salaries together in one payment.

When I left star FM for Fresh FM 5years Ago, I was still owed 3 months salaries although it was later paid even when I had left. It was at Fresh FM that God answered my call and I can do everything money can be use for in this life, only God knows the kind of life I would be leaving by now as a popular sports presenter if God did not bring me to Fresh FM

Before you embrace a radio job, Lower your expectations because you will be frustrated. many stations are owing backlog of salaries and have reduced their OAPs to corporate beggers all in the name of being an OAP. I am not surprised some people are leaving this job to face other things or even leave this country at the apex of their radio broadcasting career

Radio Queen(Star FM), Jacobs Adeyemi(Splash FM), Aunty Folake Otuyelu(Splash FM) Fortune Obeanoh(Beat FM), tripple S (Oluyole FM) etc were big names in this industry, they left d job, left the country to secure their future in foreign lands . Your name will not be on radio forever

Don’t make mistakes the Elders in the industry made, many of them are popular but their account balance is frustrating them. Even some of us that are getting well paid knows that it can’t be forever, the reason why some of us are setting up side hustles

Radio job cannot make you rich, don’t let anybody deceive you. If being rich is a reason u want to become an OAP, I pity your life 😀. Radio will only give you an opportunity to be rich and if you fail to use that opportunity, you are DOOMED. May u never regret coming to this industry later in life

I am sure Afouda Baba Agbalagba is telling his students at Primus Media Academy something like this 😀😀😀 cuz na wetin I Dey first tell anybody wey come to meet that they want me to train them as a SportsCaster