“Mathematical Segun Odegbami takes the ball, and he’s running to the flank… He calculate one and two, maybe he will find Muda Lawal at the perimeter circle, but he decides to kick a 50 meter cross into the 18 yard box of the opponent, and Allocious Atuegbu intercepts the ball, he dribbles one, dribbles two and releases a cannon shot! O no! It’s over the bar! What a ballistic missile…” you can never miss the voice of Nigeria foremost football commentator, Late Ernest Okonkwo on radio Nigeria (FRCN) during the 80s.’ He was one person that added fun into football broadcast on radio. It was with such enthusiasm that fans preferred to listen to his commentaries even while watching football game on television or watching the match live at the stadium. Late Ernest Okonkwo brought another dimension to football commentary. He had a way of keeping the football match alive on radio, with his play-by-play commentaries and description of all the football actions. This is one thing football fans are missing today.
Football broadcast on radio has been neglected in-spite it’s rich portfolio. Apart from the play-by-play commentaries which is an important marketing tool, to advertise sponsor’s products at intervals or at half time, programs such as pre-game and post-game interviews with coaches and players reinforces the identity of a radio station as “the official station of the league.” A football fan that is loyal to a team will remain loyal to the sponsors as well as the official radio station of the league.
If you want football fans to be able to follow Nigeria Premier League on a regular basis, broadcast the league on radio! You need to make sure that a station like radio Nigeria (FRCN) or a network of stations carries the matches. Does it surprise you? You thought football broadcast on radio is going extinct with the invention of cable-television broadcast and internet streaming.
Well, recent research has shown that most fans in Nigeria first listen to football news on radio or read sport newspapers, before they see the highlights of the game on television. Most people listen to football news on their car radio or on their mobile phone receiver while driving on the road or going about their daily business.
Perhaps, due to irregular power supply in Nigeria; incessant traffic hold ups in cities like Lagos, as well as hectic work schedules, many fans are not able to catch football match on television. Sometimes, they get frustrated as they tune from one radio station to another in search of a station that’s running the match commentary.
The yearning for football broadcast on radio is more in the remote areas where there’s no electricity power supply at all. In some areas in northern Nigeria for instance, where some fans still live nomadic life , especially cattle rearers, who take their flock far into the desert, you can never imagine how far football broadcast on radio can reach. Research has shown that one out of every two Hausa/Fulani youth own a transistor radio. With the invention of mobile devices that has radio receivers, almost everyone can follow Nigeria Premier League on the go.
In fact, Satellite distribution has made radio broadcast much easier. Now-a-days, anyone can rent the use of a satellite transponder to broadcast his voice or programs on a designated frequency. While television broadcast require dozens of technicians and truckload of expensive equipment, a radio broadcaster needs only a modest transmitter and a laptop to give out signals from his own radio station. The radio broadcast is bounced from an up-link transmitter to the satellite orbiting over the earth and then to each affiliate’s down-link or receivers on the frequency range. Today, every football club can have it’s own radio station. It’ll be a great marketing strategy to have a closer fellowship with fans; but you will surely need to get approval from Broadcast Organization of Nigeria (BON).
