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| Dele Momodu |
Almost 20 years he started his Pan-African celebrity magazine, Ovation International, Bashorun Dele Momodu is going into electronic media with the coming of his Ovation TV.
Momodu, popularly called Bob Dee announced the coming of the television on Saturday, 9 May via his popular weekly column on ThisDay, Pendulum.
"...The big news for now is that after publishing the Ovation International magazine for nearly two decades, we have decided to venture seriously into television. The decision is not fortuitous but something that has been meticulously worked at for over a decade," Bob Dee wrote.
According to him, the idea to go electronic was first mooted by the entertainment giant and President, Silverbird Group, Mr Ben Murray-Bruce.
"We had met on a flight from Abuja to Lagos. “Dele, have you thought of translating your magazine into television; it would be a bomb!” he said with finality. I thanked him and that singular act ignited my interest instantly," he disclosed.
Momodu, popularly called Bob Dee announced the coming of the television on Saturday, 9 May via his popular weekly column on ThisDay, Pendulum.
"...The big news for now is that after publishing the Ovation International magazine for nearly two decades, we have decided to venture seriously into television. The decision is not fortuitous but something that has been meticulously worked at for over a decade," Bob Dee wrote.
According to him, the idea to go electronic was first mooted by the entertainment giant and President, Silverbird Group, Mr Ben Murray-Bruce.
"We had met on a flight from Abuja to Lagos. “Dele, have you thought of translating your magazine into television; it would be a bomb!” he said with finality. I thanked him and that singular act ignited my interest instantly," he disclosed.
Bob Dee, who would be celebrating his 55th birthday next week, stated that as he grow older, it is a time to up the stakes in his carrier as a journalist and media entrepreneur, as well as work harder for the legacy he wishes to bequeath to the younger generation.
"...It is our determination to continue to weather the storm by being creative and adventurous in the industry. It is in this regard that we have finally taken the bold step to embrace both the print and electronic media," the foremost celebrity journalist added.
Ovation TV will start with one hour action-packed television programmes on Silverbird Television in Nigeria, GhOne in Ghana and BEN Tv in London.
Bob Dee explained further: "We intend to move quite rapidly to developing similar slots on Sky TV and also on French television. We have never forgotten that Africa has a significant French speaking population and we have always tried to protect their interests and give expression to their culture and lifestyle.
"Other platforms are being concluded in West and East Africa as I write this. We are very serious about delivering on the promise we made in 1996 to celebrate Africa and show the world that our continent is not synonymous with diseases, famine, internecine wars and all the bad stories that sell like hot cakes in Western media. We hope and pray that we shall enjoy the support of the African icons whose conquests have been under-reported for decades. The opportunities in Africa are limitless if we all join hands to promote our best interests.
"The journey that we propose to embark upon with Ovation TV is an exciting one. On our part we are committed to establishing one of the most colourful and brightest television stations not only in terms of presentation but also in terms of content. For this we have our rich Black heritage, culture and diversity to thank. Africans and black people in the diaspora are some of the most visible in their various fields of endeavour. We are intelligent, resourceful, charismatic and superbly entertaining. We add spice to the world even though we do not always appreciate this and allow others to put us down. It is no wonder that Africa is now considered the precious economic and commercial darling of the world. There are many suitors competing for the riches that the African potential throws up. We are proud to be in a position to now vividly celebrate Africans and black people not only in print but also most vividly through the visual electronic media."
Since 1996, Ovation have covered over 60 countries on all the continents. At different times and stages, the magazine have published in English, French, Portuguese and Hausa.
"...It is our determination to continue to weather the storm by being creative and adventurous in the industry. It is in this regard that we have finally taken the bold step to embrace both the print and electronic media," the foremost celebrity journalist added.
Ovation TV will start with one hour action-packed television programmes on Silverbird Television in Nigeria, GhOne in Ghana and BEN Tv in London.
Bob Dee explained further: "We intend to move quite rapidly to developing similar slots on Sky TV and also on French television. We have never forgotten that Africa has a significant French speaking population and we have always tried to protect their interests and give expression to their culture and lifestyle.
"Other platforms are being concluded in West and East Africa as I write this. We are very serious about delivering on the promise we made in 1996 to celebrate Africa and show the world that our continent is not synonymous with diseases, famine, internecine wars and all the bad stories that sell like hot cakes in Western media. We hope and pray that we shall enjoy the support of the African icons whose conquests have been under-reported for decades. The opportunities in Africa are limitless if we all join hands to promote our best interests.
"The journey that we propose to embark upon with Ovation TV is an exciting one. On our part we are committed to establishing one of the most colourful and brightest television stations not only in terms of presentation but also in terms of content. For this we have our rich Black heritage, culture and diversity to thank. Africans and black people in the diaspora are some of the most visible in their various fields of endeavour. We are intelligent, resourceful, charismatic and superbly entertaining. We add spice to the world even though we do not always appreciate this and allow others to put us down. It is no wonder that Africa is now considered the precious economic and commercial darling of the world. There are many suitors competing for the riches that the African potential throws up. We are proud to be in a position to now vividly celebrate Africans and black people not only in print but also most vividly through the visual electronic media."
Since 1996, Ovation have covered over 60 countries on all the continents. At different times and stages, the magazine have published in English, French, Portuguese and Hausa.
By Funsho Arogundade
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