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| Mrs. Funke Egbemode, MD/Editor-In-Chief, The New Telegraph Newspaper |
Funke Egbemode is a damn good professional. She is one of the very best media managers
in Nigeria, today. She started her 27 years career as a Reporter and worked her
way to the very top of her career. She is today the Managing Director and
Editor-in-Chief of Daily Telegraph
Publishing Limited, publishers of New Telegraph Newspaper. Many Nigerians
don’t know she was born in Ijabe, Osun
State (South Western Nigeria) and attended Baptist Practising Primary School,
Iwo, Baptist Girls High School, Osogbo
and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. She
graduated in 1988 and holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from Nigeria
Institute of Journalism, Lagos.
in Nigeria, today. She started her 27 years career as a Reporter and worked her
way to the very top of her career. She is today the Managing Director and
Editor-in-Chief of Daily Telegraph
Publishing Limited, publishers of New Telegraph Newspaper. Many Nigerians
don’t know she was born in Ijabe, Osun
State (South Western Nigeria) and attended Baptist Practising Primary School,
Iwo, Baptist Girls High School, Osogbo
and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. She
graduated in 1988 and holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from Nigeria
Institute of Journalism, Lagos.
Egbemode started her career as a staff writter in the defunct Prime People Magazine before moving to The
Punch in 1993 where she rose to become Deputy Features Editor. Since then,
she has been Associate Editor, (Thisday Newspaper), Editor, (The Independent).
She is the immediate past Editor of Sunday
SUN newspaper. Egbemode has also
served in the public sector as the Assistant Press Secretary at the Nigerian
Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC under the tenure of Otunba
Segun Runsewe. Special Adviser (Media) to first Nigerian female Speaker of
the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon.
Barrister Olubunmi Etteh and was
a member of the Board of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN. A
renowned writer and columnist, Egbemode
is the author of Intimate Affairs
and Conversation with my Country.
That she is good and competent can be observed in how this naturally beautiful
and sexy lady juggles all her roles. She is the current President of The Guild of Editors. She has been a
long standing Newspaper columnist, writing on burning issues. And she is
usually very lucid in her writings .
Punch in 1993 where she rose to become Deputy Features Editor. Since then,
she has been Associate Editor, (Thisday Newspaper), Editor, (The Independent).
She is the immediate past Editor of Sunday
SUN newspaper. Egbemode has also
served in the public sector as the Assistant Press Secretary at the Nigerian
Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC under the tenure of Otunba
Segun Runsewe. Special Adviser (Media) to first Nigerian female Speaker of
the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon.
Barrister Olubunmi Etteh and was
a member of the Board of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN. A
renowned writer and columnist, Egbemode
is the author of Intimate Affairs
and Conversation with my Country.
That she is good and competent can be observed in how this naturally beautiful
and sexy lady juggles all her roles. She is the current President of The Guild of Editors. She has been a
long standing Newspaper columnist, writing on burning issues. And she is
usually very lucid in her writings .
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She is engaging too, and she writes
so well. She is a single mother who became a widow years back when she lost her
husband. How does Funke juggle and
balance out all these roles effortlessly? These and many more were the
questions City People magazine Publisher, Dr. SEYE KEHINDE and Senior Reporter Mr. ISAAC ABIMBADE asked the stylish lady of substance who has a rich
knowledge of not only media management but public policy. Mrs. Funke Egbemode is the President of the Nigeria’s Guild of
Editors. She took over from Mr. Femi
Adesina who is now Spokesman to Nigeria’s President Muhammad Buhari.
so well. She is a single mother who became a widow years back when she lost her
husband. How does Funke juggle and
balance out all these roles effortlessly? These and many more were the
questions City People magazine Publisher, Dr. SEYE KEHINDE and Senior Reporter Mr. ISAAC ABIMBADE asked the stylish lady of substance who has a rich
knowledge of not only media management but public policy. Mrs. Funke Egbemode is the President of the Nigeria’s Guild of
Editors. She took over from Mr. Femi
Adesina who is now Spokesman to Nigeria’s President Muhammad Buhari.
Your Africa’s Number 1 Celebrity
Encounter blog, Asabeafrika brings
you full details of the interview for your maximum enjoyment. Enjoy the
excerpts.
Encounter blog, Asabeafrika brings
you full details of the interview for your maximum enjoyment. Enjoy the
excerpts.
How do you juggle all your roles as
President of The Guild of Editors, MD of The New Telegraph, a columnist and a mother?
President of The Guild of Editors, MD of The New Telegraph, a columnist and a mother?
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| Funke Egbemode….In a sober mood over systemic misfortune of Print Media business in Nigeria |
It is tough.
There are days I wake up and I am wondering; how am I going to get through the
day. My To-Do-List is now so long. Just the thought of the list does
not want to make me get out of bed. But I have divided my 7 days of the week in
such a way I split my duties as a columnist, MD of Telegraph and President of The Guild.
The one that I cannot delegate is the single mum part. The duties of a single
mum you cannot postpone or delegate. It is always on the To-Do-List. And you have to do it. The only advantage is ‘ok, the kids have grown up’ but I still
have an undergraduate in school. So, I just decided on what to do on the
different days. I could decide today, I am looking at the accounts of The Guild. Another day, I could decide
to do approvals for The Guild. The Guild’s responsibility is one thing I can’t
joke with. It’s huge. I got so much supports to get there. I do not want to let
my colleagues down. The Pressure of not wanting to let people down is there. I
just draw up a To-Do-List like on Monday, I can’t do anything else aside the
job of The New Telegraph. No outside
event except it is such that brings money to The New Telegraph. When I
travel outside Lagos to Awka or Asaba, Abuja, I use those
extra hours to take a breather to reflect on what I have done or what I have
not done. So, I try to catch up all the time. Most of the time, I am just
playing ‘catch up’.
There are days I wake up and I am wondering; how am I going to get through the
day. My To-Do-List is now so long. Just the thought of the list does
not want to make me get out of bed. But I have divided my 7 days of the week in
such a way I split my duties as a columnist, MD of Telegraph and President of The Guild.
The one that I cannot delegate is the single mum part. The duties of a single
mum you cannot postpone or delegate. It is always on the To-Do-List. And you have to do it. The only advantage is ‘ok, the kids have grown up’ but I still
have an undergraduate in school. So, I just decided on what to do on the
different days. I could decide today, I am looking at the accounts of The Guild. Another day, I could decide
to do approvals for The Guild. The Guild’s responsibility is one thing I can’t
joke with. It’s huge. I got so much supports to get there. I do not want to let
my colleagues down. The Pressure of not wanting to let people down is there. I
just draw up a To-Do-List like on Monday, I can’t do anything else aside the
job of The New Telegraph. No outside
event except it is such that brings money to The New Telegraph. When I
travel outside Lagos to Awka or Asaba, Abuja, I use those
extra hours to take a breather to reflect on what I have done or what I have
not done. So, I try to catch up all the time. Most of the time, I am just
playing ‘catch up’.
 |
| Funke Egbemode….Has a Big Heart full with Huge Plans for The Guild of Editors |
What are your plans for The Guild?
My
predecessors have done a lot, like The
Guild of Editor’s House that was commissioned recently. They started it. We
just went ahead with the scissors and ribbon to cut the tape and commissioned
the house. That is our first in 55 years. With this excos, I want to put in
place a Guild of Editors House that
will be a reference point and a Resource Center. We are going to raise money to
furnish the place to the taste of Editors. We want editors to be able to come
in there and use wifi, read up on
this, research this, make calls. We want the Editor’s house to be a Resource
Center. We want it to be a place where people can relax. We want it to be a
place where people can go on Saturday morning and exercise like Gym. If you are
stuck in traffic, you can go there to play Monopoly for 1 or 2 hours. Somewhere
Editors can let their heads down, somewhere they can decide to work or watch
football or play scrabble with other colleagues. Then, I am worried with what
usually happens to editors when they leave the seat within 6 months, they are
broke. It is not because they do not know how to manage money. Ours is not a
paying job like that, but we put in everything. Our job has a way of making you
engrossed and consumed. Before you know it, your Monday has become Sunday. It
is a headline business. You juggle so many things on a daily basis and before
you know it, you have become Editor for 10 years. That is why The Guild gets request for help. If the Lord allows it, I want to
put something together to guide Editors for life after the chair. If that is
the only thing that I do, that is what I want to leave behind as legacy. That
in these 2 years, editors will be able to say in these 2 years of Funke Egbemode being president of The Guild, I have been able to access
funds. I have been able to buy property or set up a farm, or start a small
scale business or I have been able to write books or launch their thoughts.
Those who write columns should turn their columns into books. What they churn
out in a year is more than what a Professor churns out in 2 to 3 years.
Newspaper is history in a hurry. I want to get our Editors to harness what they
have to be able to prepare for the future and to ensure that you stay a
professional without ending up a pauper.
predecessors have done a lot, like The
Guild of Editor’s House that was commissioned recently. They started it. We
just went ahead with the scissors and ribbon to cut the tape and commissioned
the house. That is our first in 55 years. With this excos, I want to put in
place a Guild of Editors House that
will be a reference point and a Resource Center. We are going to raise money to
furnish the place to the taste of Editors. We want editors to be able to come
in there and use wifi, read up on
this, research this, make calls. We want the Editor’s house to be a Resource
Center. We want it to be a place where people can relax. We want it to be a
place where people can go on Saturday morning and exercise like Gym. If you are
stuck in traffic, you can go there to play Monopoly for 1 or 2 hours. Somewhere
Editors can let their heads down, somewhere they can decide to work or watch
football or play scrabble with other colleagues. Then, I am worried with what
usually happens to editors when they leave the seat within 6 months, they are
broke. It is not because they do not know how to manage money. Ours is not a
paying job like that, but we put in everything. Our job has a way of making you
engrossed and consumed. Before you know it, your Monday has become Sunday. It
is a headline business. You juggle so many things on a daily basis and before
you know it, you have become Editor for 10 years. That is why The Guild gets request for help. If the Lord allows it, I want to
put something together to guide Editors for life after the chair. If that is
the only thing that I do, that is what I want to leave behind as legacy. That
in these 2 years, editors will be able to say in these 2 years of Funke Egbemode being president of The Guild, I have been able to access
funds. I have been able to buy property or set up a farm, or start a small
scale business or I have been able to write books or launch their thoughts.
Those who write columns should turn their columns into books. What they churn
out in a year is more than what a Professor churns out in 2 to 3 years.
Newspaper is history in a hurry. I want to get our Editors to harness what they
have to be able to prepare for the future and to ensure that you stay a
professional without ending up a pauper.
What is the state of the industry
today?
today?
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| Funke Egbemode….She lacks the right word to describe the present state of the Nigerian Print Media Industry |
I can’t find
the right word for the state of the industry. I started journalism in 1989 and
I haven’t seen anything like this before until now. I never thought journalism
will get to this point, where everybody is handicapped. On copy sales, you are
handicapped. Advert wise, you are handicapped. Everything seems to be going to
the dogs; it is like media industry today is on oxygen, on life support. We
need to do something urgently, otherwise the industry will die. All our
consumables are imported meaning that we have to deal with dollars. So, if you
are holding naira you can’t even get enough dollars to buy newsprint, to buy
plate, to buy ink, and then, when you put all of that together, you will find that
there are some people googling your
stories for free. There are advertisers telling you, they want 40% commission
upfront, instead of the between 10% and 25% they were gladly accepting before,
because they are broke too. They have cut media budget. Nothing is the way it
used to be. And I fear for tomorrow, I truly fear for tomorrow.
the right word for the state of the industry. I started journalism in 1989 and
I haven’t seen anything like this before until now. I never thought journalism
will get to this point, where everybody is handicapped. On copy sales, you are
handicapped. Advert wise, you are handicapped. Everything seems to be going to
the dogs; it is like media industry today is on oxygen, on life support. We
need to do something urgently, otherwise the industry will die. All our
consumables are imported meaning that we have to deal with dollars. So, if you
are holding naira you can’t even get enough dollars to buy newsprint, to buy
plate, to buy ink, and then, when you put all of that together, you will find that
there are some people googling your
stories for free. There are advertisers telling you, they want 40% commission
upfront, instead of the between 10% and 25% they were gladly accepting before,
because they are broke too. They have cut media budget. Nothing is the way it
used to be. And I fear for tomorrow, I truly fear for tomorrow.
How do you cope in all of these?
 |
| Funke Egbemode….The Columnist, The News Woman & The Single Mother |
As MD of New
Telegraph, we just keep finding ways to negotiate every month. We have had
plenty of support from the parent company, The
SUN. But there is just so much you can tell the parent to do, especially
when it thinks that the baby ought to be up and running. So, we need to
continue to find creative ways, we negotiate discounts. Instead of turning down
adverts, we give generous discounts, more generous than before; I drive my team
to do more. Fortunately, I have a good team. So, it is not as though as it will
be if you don’t have a good team. From top to bottom up, I have a great team.
Telegraph, we just keep finding ways to negotiate every month. We have had
plenty of support from the parent company, The
SUN. But there is just so much you can tell the parent to do, especially
when it thinks that the baby ought to be up and running. So, we need to
continue to find creative ways, we negotiate discounts. Instead of turning down
adverts, we give generous discounts, more generous than before; I drive my team
to do more. Fortunately, I have a good team. So, it is not as though as it will
be if you don’t have a good team. From top to bottom up, I have a great team.
How do you cope with the onslaught of
social media? Did you take them seriously at first?
social media? Did you take them seriously at first?
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| A very stylish News damsel, Funke Egbemode |
Hmmm! At
first, I didn’t take them seriously, and then I started taking them
seriously. Then, I also noticed that,
just like in every business, the bad eggs are also ruining the good guys online.
And then, I realized this is an open market, so, let’s go there and play. So,
we are playing online too. And I believe nobody should leave the online business
to those who are not professionals and say some people are online journalists. We
are the journalists. We are the people that went to school to study journalism
and its practice and we have been here for a long time. So, unless the person
is coming from us on this side and going there, all the stage is ours. Nobody
should say some people are online journalists. You are either a
journalist or you are not. So, since we are the people trained to do it, we
should go there and play. That is what we are doing here. Now, we have Online Telegraph that we sell on e-rending.
So, you can buy New Telegraph online for N50.
first, I didn’t take them seriously, and then I started taking them
seriously. Then, I also noticed that,
just like in every business, the bad eggs are also ruining the good guys online.
And then, I realized this is an open market, so, let’s go there and play. So,
we are playing online too. And I believe nobody should leave the online business
to those who are not professionals and say some people are online journalists. We
are the journalists. We are the people that went to school to study journalism
and its practice and we have been here for a long time. So, unless the person
is coming from us on this side and going there, all the stage is ours. Nobody
should say some people are online journalists. You are either a
journalist or you are not. So, since we are the people trained to do it, we
should go there and play. That is what we are doing here. Now, we have Online Telegraph that we sell on e-rending.
So, you can buy New Telegraph online for N50.
Do you think online will kill the
print version?
print version?
 |
| The Very Pretty Media Icon, Funke Egbemode….’The State of Print Media baffles her now’ |
No; because
if the online would kill the print, it would have done so since. As we are
suffering, they are also suffering. The only thing is, they have a newspaper
without a newsroom. And their costs are lower. We are going to be there
forever. So, we would go online and play there. If the online people want to
come and play in our market, they are also welcome to attempt. There are papers
that are 200 years old and they are still there.
if the online would kill the print, it would have done so since. As we are
suffering, they are also suffering. The only thing is, they have a newspaper
without a newsroom. And their costs are lower. We are going to be there
forever. So, we would go online and play there. If the online people want to
come and play in our market, they are also welcome to attempt. There are papers
that are 200 years old and they are still there.
