Is Kenya’s Big Media Finally Turning To Podcasting? It’s About Time!
By Paula Rogo (July 2, 2020)
Each week, I write a column about the growth of podcasting in Africa from my perch in Nairobi, Kenya.
It appears that the large media conglomerates in Kenya might finally be looking into podcasting, according to rumors I have heard. It’s about time.
It’s an interesting period for the industry to be making this pivot, especially as layoffs were already occurring pre-Covid-19. Like I said in last week’s column, I think podcasting could be a huge kingpin in African media. So this news pleases me.
But I hope Big Media is not looking to podcasting as the messiah that will bring new profits and help it out of its declining revenue hole. If that’s the sole reason, it would be the wrong reason.
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Last September, I was invited to present to the board and top editors at the Nation Media Group, the largest media conglomerate in Kenya, during their annual meeting. It appeared they had a full day of presentations with different internal and external parties.
The right person in the right place recommended me (you know who you are, thank you!), and I was invited to the fancy Windsor Golf and Country Club to answer the question: “The legal, political, regulatory, social and normative context in East Africa is daily evolving. How well is the media keeping pace? What are the prospects for the future? What are the key things that the media should do to survive and prosper in this environment?”
Full disclosure: I didn’t know how to answer that question, so I talked about what I knew best at the time: podcasting. And its potential growth within Kenya and Africa.
At the time, I had just launched the groundwork for Africa Podfest with my co-founder Melissa Mbugua. Plus, the groundwork I had been doing within my own company Kali Media, and what I was seeing in the ground showed that pods were rising fast. By then, I already saw that Big Media would not be at the forefront of this particular revolution.
I gave my presentation…that was it really. As I left one or two people in the room reached out to me, admitting their interest in podcasting but also indicating that they were not sure if the organization was ready for this brand new trend. Overall, I couldn’t read whether what I said made a difference. I left in good terms.
That was September 2019.
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By late February, I was knee-deep in planning for the Podfest, which was set to take place from March 12–14, 2020. At the time, my team and I realized that either through lack of interest, or our own general failure in outreach, the interest in our event and in podcasting from Big Media was limited. Not just for PR purposes in getting the word out about Podfest. From our two Unconference on Podcasting events, #AfricaPodcastDay excitement, and the growing buzz around Podfest…well, big media was missing each time
This did not deter me. I recognized part of the growth of podcasting within Kenyan would eventually involve the big and small media houses. But to speed that along, I decided to add an event to the Podfest schedule specifically for journalists and media practitioners.
Titled, Podcasting in the Newsroom, this invite-only event co-hosted with the Baraza Media Lab and South Africa Media Innovation Program (SAMIP) brought together a panel of experts in global radio and journalism who had implemented podcasting into their newsrooms. From the invitation:
I emailed or directly called over 100 editors and key decision makers from a broad range of publications and media houses, welcoming them to come to the free event. And in doing so, I had a chance to have one-on-one chats with some. Many were interested in podcasting and recognized they should already be implementing the medium into their newsrooms. Others also mentioned their higher ups did not recognize the potential.
Other lines of thought I have heard about podcasting from big media is the fear that podcasting would overtake radio (which is king in Africa). Others have wondered about the potential for revenue and monetization, and are not willing to take risks unless they are sure. I’ve also heard the need for data to make decisions is paramount. These are all understandable questions to have, and I was excited for the invite-only panel to allow space for these discussions.
Unfortunately, like the overall Podfest, Podcasting in the Newsroom was cancelled due to Covid-19. What a missed opportunity for the industry.
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In recent years, the local media and journalism industry has taken an immense beating over the drop in revenue, even before Covid-19 brought on added new doom. This fact was confirmed in an interview with Standard Group chief executive Orlando Lyomu gave this week on Spice FM, one of Standard Group’s signature stations.
“The media industry has been on a slippery slope even before the Covid-19 pandemic as a result of digital disruptions,” he said. “…It is a case of the ship going down yet you have a few lifeboats, you must make a decision either way.”
Layoffs are rampant and more are expected to come, as the article indicated. Amidst all of this I have heard the aforementioned Nation Media Group is looking into podcasting. I am not sure how much investment, or what path they are taking, but this is good to hear. Other media houses are also, now, considering the options and opportunities to podcast
I’d like to think the work I have done, and the work of Africa Podfest, has helped move the process along.
Their interest, and hopefully, willing investment is important because the growth of podcasting in Africa needs Big Media investment to be players. We need their expertise and resources for the process to move faster.
But given the dire moment in the industry and times to come, I hope they are not looking to podcasts as THE answer to their problems. Monetization within podcasting as a whole is still being considered on a global level, and new pathways are being explored in and around Africa.Big Media needs to know that to join the Africa podcasting community is to also help in discovering and innovating the medium within our context. They must join in the work, not just benefit from it.
FIN.
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If you live in another African country, I’d love to hear if and how big media in your part of the continent is podcasting? Drop a comment or hit me: info@kali.media. Thanks for your great response to my first column last week.
I just discovered LinkedIn offers a newsletter option. Would you be interested if I turned this column into a LinkedIn newsletter?
ANNOUNCEMENT: I’ll be speaking on a panel about podcasting at this year’s Radio Day’s Africa conference, which is going digital for 2020 #RDA2020. My panel is on Wednesday, 15 July 2020 at 14:00 SAST (GMT+2). This is Africa’s largest conference for radio professionals, lovers and enthusiasts. Registration is free: https://radiodaysafrica.co.za/programme/
