Working Lives – OAPs
The world is filled with mobile phones, tablets, and computers but the radio still has the widest audience coverage, reaching millions without access to the internet. As important as a radio set is, so are the content and the voices – the presenters or On-Air Personalities (OAPs). It’s our first Working Lives episode in the new year and in it, we explore the world of the voices on the radio, whose role it often is, to attract and retain the audience interest as well as distinguish one station from another through their shows. Enjoy!
Edna
When it was time for post UTME, my brother advised that I put in Mass Communication and not Law. He said it was tough to get admission into UNIBEN law department and that he didn’t want me to take any chances. That was how it all started.”
Where are you from?
I am from Edo State, born and brought up in Lagos though.
Which school did you attend and when did you graduate?
I studied Mass Communication at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and graduated in 2019.
Tell me about your family?
I am the only girl with three brothers. My dad is a businessman while my mom is a nurse.
Why go into the media industry?
The thing is, I never wanted to become a mass communicator. I actually wanted to become a Doctor.
Oh…
Yes. I was a science student back in secondary school but then my friends would always say I wasn’t fit for it. It’s not like I was dumb or something, but they just saw that drive of being in art class in me. So I transferred to art and thought of becoming a lawyer. But when it was time for post UTME, my brother advised that I put in Mass Communication and not Law. He said it was tough to get admission into UNIBEN law department and that he didn’t want me to take any chances. That was how it all started.
Hmm. Interesting. So how did you start working as an OAP?
Well, it was quite easy for me because where I am currently working was where I did my undergraduate internship. I was able to relate with the team and had a good relationship with them during my IT so that when I was done with school, it was going to be relatively easy for me to get in, and here I am today.
What did you have to do when you started working newly?
The thing is, it was quite hard for me because what they taught us in school was just theory, as we didn’t have much equipment to practice with. So, it was a bit hard for me to operate the equipment in the control room. But after about 2 weeks, I was already good and I knew how to operate the majority if not all of the equipment. Even right now, I know it so well that I now teach the newbies in the studio.
Haha. Star girl. Have you got a show of your own or you just do general studio work?
I’m still a learner o, hahaha. But yes, I have a show I run on Saturdays with someone. Then during the weekdays I only handle briefs. Our radio station does more of entertainment, nothing serious. We don’t really do much about political news and business.
Also Read: Working Lives: The Yaba-Trained Horologist Who Used to Fix Watches in Peckham, London
So how many hours do you work in a day?
I work for 5 hours a day during the week. Then on Saturdays, I work for 3 hours.
Tell me about a typical at work.
We have a newspaper section and the sports room section. We talk about international sports news, traffic updates, entertainment news, and then we have the 9 o’clock sports news again. At 9:30, we have this show where we talk about happenings around Ghana with the help of a connection that gives us updates about what’s happening over there. By 10 o’clock, we open the phone lines so our listeners can call in to talk about anything that is in the newspaper. That’s basically how it goes.
How much do you earn?
I earn N150,000 monthly.
And how much do you spend in a day?
In a day I get to spend N1,000 on food. For transportation, we get an allowance at work, which is N22,000 for the month.
Okay. That’s more than N170,000 a month you earn?
Yes.
So what other things do you spend money on?
There are family members and cousins that constantly tax me for money. That is what really takes a lot of my money. Also, I am not the type that likes going out for chills, so I usually have a lot of money left in my account.
You must have savings then. How much do you save in a month?
Yes, I do. I save N50,000 monthly.
Also Read: Working Lives- The Busy Lawyer Who Also Runs a Hectic Catering Business
For how long have you been working as an OAP?
I have been working for a year now, started last year.
Are you married/looking forward to marrying?
Hahaha. Marriage is not in my plans, for now. Let whoever wants to get married to me wait. I am still trying to grow career-wise.
Okay. Do you have plans to venture into something else apart from being an OAP?
I’m thinking of going into the fashion world and also owning a supermarket. Setting up a supermarket will be when I get married though, just so I can have something on the side that brings in money and I can look forward to on weekends, apart from just the OAP gig. Besides that, I love being an OAP!
