Radio broadcasters undergo training

Kumasi, July 29, GNA - A day's training workshop for radio broadcasters in the northern sector of the country ended in Kumasi on Friday.

It was on the theme: "Broadcasting, a Profitable Business Venture" and organized by the Ghana Independent Broadcasters' Association to address the fundamental challenges facing the industry. The participants discussed the "art and science" of selling airtime, understanding customer needs, programme formatting and branding techniques.

Addressing the 45 broadcasters and heads of some stations, Mr Gerald Ankrah, Executive Secretary of the Association, said the workshop, the first in the series, aimed at addressing shortcomings of the radio stations.

Mr Ankrah hoped participants would take away lessons from the workshop to improve on their performance and promote the industry. Mr James Appiah, Chief Executive Officer of Broadcast Strategies, said the way to make money in radio broadcast should be long-term strategies based on effective techniques. He pointed out that three things created strong and successful radio station operation, saying they were quality signals, promotion and programming, adding that after strategizing, broadcasters needed to research into the taste and needs of the audience. Speaking on how to understand customer needs, Mr Neil Armstrong Mortagbe, Consultant, Krypton Ghana, expressed concern about the proliferation of non-professionals who have infiltrated into the broadcasting industry.

He said there were two major customers in broadcasting system and referred to them as internal and external customers. He said to win customers or the audience, broadcasters should consider production, sales, marketing and their general profile orientation to be able to satisfy their needs.

Miss Sylvia Darko, General Manager of Atlantis Radio, who spoke on how to sell airtime, advised the participants to prepare fully when meeting their prospects for the first time. "First impressions form lasting impressions," she held.