For very many years, veteran newscaster, Bimbo Oloyede was a delight to watch, on NTA and Channels TV. She just knew how to get your attention with the news. Now retired from newscasting, Bimbo at 67, now focuses more on training and giving back to the society. In this special encounter with City People’s Contributing Editor, IYABO OYAWALE, she talks about life without Tunde Oloyede, her husband for 40 years and her new TV project.
You recently started a new TV project, what is it all about?
It’s about words and language, the use of English. I wanted to find out whether there is a decline in the use of English and what we can do about it if there is. So, I decided to interview a variety of people who represent different walks of life and they all said there is a decline and somehow, most of them traced that decline basically to our educational system. The program is actually called “Strictly Speaking With Bimbo”. The second segment is to do with public speaking. I have an in-house coach who discusses with me. We look at different aspects of public speaking. The third segment is called “Powered By Words” where we look at words and phrases from different perspectives. Perhaps, some perspectives that most people may not consider but are interesting nevertheless. So basically that is what the first 13 episodes are about.
Is the program on air?
Oh yes, it’s been on air since the beginning of October. This week is Episode 12.
Which station?
NTA network on Wednesday afternoons at 2:30 and Galaxy TV at 2:30 on Saturdays. We also have a Youtube Channel that we upload all the segments each week to.
How do you hope to attract advertising with the program or is that not the bottom line?
Well, it is the bottom line. We have a marketer who has been approaching various companies and agencies in the hope that they would identify with what we are trying to do. We know that it takes some time before a program becomes popular or accepted but we are hopeful that by the time we start running the second quarter, some people will identify with what we are doing. And the program is also going out on Africa Magic Family Channel from January. We are starting from episode 1.
So, how has the response been so far?
Well, it’s difficult to say. People who know me, who have watched the program, get in touch and say they’ve watched it, they enjoy it. We are also on online platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin.
What’s the handle?
speakwithbimbo but the Youtube channel is strictly speakingwithbimbo.
You also launched two books a while back, what do you hope to achieve through them?
(Laughs) I’ve discovered over a period of time through training a variety of people from different sectors that speech is a big problem. A lot of people are not able to pronounce words correctly and it’s not just children in school or the university or colleges, it’s also professionals. So, I’ve been training people for about 25 years now and after a while, I decided that I should write a book that would help but not just write a book, but also include a CD so that people can listen to the sounds of English, go through the exercises that I’ve written in the book, practice and improve on their spoken English. Basically, that’s what both books are about. One is more for professionals, the other is an adaptation for secondary school students and colleges. The first, like I said, is more for professionals and it’s called Strictly Speaking – Pronunciation Made Easy. The second one is called Strictly Speaking – An Oral Guide for Schools and Colleges. The second book has been approved by 3 state governments so far and it’s been approved by NERDC.
What are the state governments, do you care to mention them?
Yes, it’s been approved by Oyo State Government, Lagos State Government, and Ekiti State Government. And it’s in process for approval in Ondo State.
That’s nice to hear.
Thank you.
You’ve been in the media space for well over 4 decades, what would you say has kept you relevant all these years?
Relevant? Well, if you’re working and you’re making a contribution and the contribution is appreciated, it is understood, I would say that is enough to keep you relevant. I started out as a newscaster and then there was a break for quite a long time where I was more behind the scenes. Then towards the end of the 1990s, I came up with another program which I did with my friends. A TV program. From there, I was invited to anchor the news on Channels which I did for about 13 years and when I retired from doing that, I still continued with my training. I trained broadcasters, journalists, professionals, students, I still train and many of the things I train have to do with communication, have to do with the media and I will say that would keep one relevant. In addition, I have another program on air, I’m interested in what I do. I love what I do and I do it.
Now, what is the common thing you’ve found in the course of training fresh and practicing journalists?
For fresh journalists, most of them are as curious as they should be. Sometimes, I think they could be a bit impatient to succeed because you have to pay your dues. It actually takes time to develop a name, to develop a reputation, to develop acceptance. So whether you’re a broadcaster or a print journalist, for somebody that is just starting out, it does take some time to make that mark. You might be lucky, you might have an amazing scoop but even then, sustaining it is not that simple. So, I think they have to be a little bit more patient and more willing to give of themselves to make that mark. For those who have been in the job for quite a long time, I think we all have to accept and believe that we don’t have all the answers. We don’t have a monopoly of knowledge. And that there’s a possibility that people who have been there before you may have certain experiences that they can share with you that would actually be of benefit to you. Sometimes, I find that there is a hastiness to act that may be borne of the feeling that they’ve been in the field for some time and so those of us who were there ahead of them may not have much to add to what they know. Some of the things that journalists are finding out and some of their exploits, today’s exploits, may actually be different from what some of us have experienced in the past because life is dynamic and things keep changing and so the application may change but I still think there’s a place for experience. There’s a place for knowledge and advice. The other thing I might add, for people who are visible and audible, sometimes I find that they may not be in the profession for all the right reasons. I find that sometimes, they don’t realize that they have to give the profession as much as the profession would give them.
What has been the most challenging role you’ve had to take up in the course of your career?
The most challenging role I would say probably when I have had personal challenges, challenges within my family, for instance, and I still have to appear. I still have to look professional. I still have to look confident and calm. Sometimes, when there’s inner turmoil, it’s difficult but you have a job to do and you have to do it.
You and your husband left the NTA many years ago to establish your own media company, what was it like working together?
Truthfully, we really didn’t work that much together. We owned the company but my husband concentrated on the production side, especially when we were making TV Commercials. It was maybe sometime later that I now came up with the training aspect. So, we worked under the same roof but we did not necessarily work together on a daily basis. We left home together and went to the building together but we weren’t necessarily doing the job together. So, it’s not quite true to say we were running the company together. I don’t think we were.
You were married for 40 years, what would you say kept you together all those years?
We were friends first of all. We were friends and we enjoyed each other’s company. And we had similar interests. The work that we did, actually, we didn’t consider it as work. It was a way of life. Broadcasting for us, production for us, was a way of life and so we complemented each other’s activities because I could be presenting something and I’ll ask his opinion. He could be producing something and equally ask my opinion. We both knew what it took to produce and present. He was not a presenter but he had produced presenters, he had produced actors, so, he knew how to get the best out of people who are performing, which essentially is what presentation is all about anyway.
What do you miss about your late husband?
I miss his sense of humour, he’s a very very humorous man. Very keenly intelligent, had some interesting perspectives on a lot of things about life. I think I also miss his forthrightness, he was blunt, very blunt person. Didn’t beat about the bush. Whatever he thought about something, he would tell it to your face. Sometimes it was costly (laughs) but on the whole, that’s the kind of person he was.
Are you thinking of retiring or you don’t believe in it?
(laughs) I can’t see myself sitting down not doing anything. I mean I’m writing, I’m producing, I’m presenting. I don’t know if I’m going to get tired of doing it. I may get tired of doing one or two of them because it’s quite hectic and quite stressful sometimes but it’s what I’ve done for the past how many decades so it has become part of my DNA (laughs). I have retired from newscasting so I suppose I could retire from writing. Honestly, I don’t know. I can’t give you an answer. It depends because if I have an idea and I think it’s worth pursuing, I pursue it. I do it.
So what’s the age now?
I’m 67.
Wow! Wow!! Where do you get the energy to do all that you do?
Well, God is good. I also have children who keep me on my toes. Even if I wanted to sit and do nothing, I don’t think they’ll allow me to do so. (laughs) Because they are also in this same, well two of them, are also in this same industry.
Newscasting?
No, no, no, they are both in production. So when we meet, we are often exchanging ideas. They are asking for advice and I’m also asking for advice. In fact, two of them are part of the production I’m working on now. The third is into business but we are always discussing it too, so we are all involved with each other’s activities. Does this look like retirement to you? (laughs).
That means you’re a grandmother several times over.
Yes, I’m a grandmother.
Why did you leave Channels?
I left when my husband was ill. I was still there but I was training. I was still within the premises but it was difficult for me to continue with the news.
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