Break Out of the Mould and Unleash Your Potential!

Q&A with Advisory Board Member

Tony Dara founded NN24 (Network News 24), Nigeria’s first 24-hour news channel, in 2008. He has worked with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), ITV Central and Bloomberg TV in the UK, and Snell and Wilcox Ltd, a leading global TV broadcast equipment manufacturer.

1. Which are the key aspects to consider in a start-up media project?

The media 'product' - what kind of material are you producing and who are the target audience?

2. How would you describe an innovative media project?

Innovation comes from doing something out of the ordinary, thinking outside the box, using tried and tested knowledge and resources in a different and refreshing way. Innovative media projects do have such qualities and more.

3. What kind of needs does Africa have in terms of innovative media?

In my experience, African journalist are ready to work and do the right things, but they are generally handicapped and have no resources. The main problem for African journalists is securing the necessary financial and material resources to execute new ideas in media.

4. In your opinion, how do initiatives like the IPI News Innovation Contest promote the development of new media and strengthening of journalism?

The contest, in my mind, provides opportunities to journalists to break out of the mould and unleash (so to say) their potential. This is creating 'DREAM COME TRUEs' in media and journalism.

A lot of these ideas promote independent media, freedom of speech and a common good for all. These are concepts that are seen to be anti-establishment and will never get support from mainstream sources like banks or individual investors.

IPI support goes a long and immeasurable way to make this happen.

TONY DARA

Founder & Chief Executive, NN24, Lagos, Nigeria

Born in Bwari, Nigeria, Tony Dara is a TV broadcast engineer by training. He studied at Kaduna Polytechnic and De Montfort University in Leicester, UK where he received a B.Sc. in broadcast technology. Dara has worked with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), ITV Central and Bloomberg TV in the UK, and Snell and Wilcox Ltd, a leading global TV broadcast equipment manufacturer. He founded NN24 (Network News 24), Nigeria’s first 24-hour news channel, in 2008. Until the start up of NN24, he worked as a Service Engineer at Snell Group (formally Snell and Wilcox Limited) Havant, United Kingdom.

Dara founded NN24 based on the conviction that there was a yawning television news gap on the African continent. The news channel runs 24 news bulletins everyday, with in-house produced news content and content aggregated from other news agencies. The news editorial covers Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world. The NN24 television channel is distributed across Africa on DStv, a South African-based satellite television broadcast company.

In recognition of his work at NN24, Dara was presented the award of “Fresh Ideas in Broadcasting” by broadcasting regulators in Nigeria, the National Broadcasting commission in just six months of NN24 going on-air at its biannual conference in October 2010.

Dara also contributes as a board member of Media Expert Advisory Board of Highbury College Coshan near Portsmouth, United Kingdom where he is based.