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| Ace OAP on Nigeria Info FM 99.3, Zoe Chinaka tells us what it takes to have her job |
Zoe is also a singer. She got
professionally discovered in the first season of Nigerian Idol in 2011. She now
does her own thing musically. Says her “I do inspirational music, that is any
music that carries a message. I’m not a commercial singer. I don’t do songs set
out to make the clubs jam.”
Well, this interview is really about her
job and so I caught up with her on the Island to ask the hard questions…. How
can we also be radio presenters? Is the job all it’s hyped up to be?
What
inspired you to be an On Air Presenter?
I initially wanted to study Law but ended
up getting a degree in Mass Communication. I started out doing a Diploma in Law
but I did not make the cut off mark for Law and so I had to make a decision
whether or not to take the course I got through JAMB which was Mass
Communication. My mum always felt I argue a lot so she said I should go for
Mass Communication if law wasn’t working and that how I ended up studying Mass Communication.
I was further encouraged by my mum who loves listening to me listening to the
news.
Describe
a typical day and what your job involves
It depends on the shift really. I work
the 2 pm to 8 pm shift. My typical day involves waking up and think of what my
day will be like. You then prepare your work for the day and send it off as an
official email. The email list the topics you are going to be talking about for
the day and the different angles you are going to be tackling them from. Then I
get to the office and after signing, I take time to further reflect on the
topics of the day so I don’t get on air and sound stupid. It’s important in my
job to be informed and so I read up a lot every morning and then have a chat
with my co-anchor to set the tone for the discussions we will be having on air.
Then, I get into the studio, open stuff on the system and he it doesn’t crash
on you and you give it a go.
The
best bit about being an OAP is…..?
For me it’s the access it gives to you. In
the sense that people should take you seriously when you say “I want to see you.”
It also brings people to you. I’m not talking about fans. It has broadened my horizons.
It has broken every anti-politics bone in me, I am now very pro-politics. In one
word, I would say that the best bit of it is learning.
The
worst bit of being an OAP is…..?
There is almost no end to it for me. I have
to be very informed so the night before, I still have to know what’s happening.
It’s almost like I never really close from work.
What
are the personal qualities required to be an OAP?
Have a style of communication. Be convincing
and be relatable. So you may not be the nicest person off air but on air, you
have to be very accommodating and tolerant. You have to be willing to learn and
be willing to listen too.
How
do we get your job? What are the academic qualifications required to be an OAP?
It is really about the way you express
yourself. If I were to go old school though, I would say study something in the
line of talking. In this respect, Lawyers come close but of course the main
course of study is Mass Communication. It however is not strictly about what
you read in school these days. It’s about your expression and your ability to
convince people.
The
Dosh File
Kindly answer these questions by rating
them in relation to your job on a scale of 1 – 5 with 1 being the lowest and 5
being the highest.
Pay: 2
Hours: 2
Perks: 3
Effort to get the job: 1 1/2
Stress: 2
Glamour: 3
How nice and compact. Great apt piece, thanks.
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