I am truly mystified by the recent fierce hectoring and bullying of a broadcast media columnist, Onoshe Nwabuikwu, by Channels Television. In her column, “Airtime Plus”, in The PUNCH newspaper of last Sunday, December 2, she criticised some alleged unprofessional conduct by the television station. Channels Television reacted without restraints. A most bizarre spectacle.

Before we look at the details of the spectacle, let’s do a brief review of the Nwabuikwu article that got Channels TV all riled up. Titled: “The NTA-nisation of Channels TV”, the article recalls an earlier opinion she wrote about Channels TV in the same column, two years ago, on February 14, 2016, titled: “How Not To Interview A Guest, Part 1 & 2,” which was a critique of the uninformed and unpreparedness of Channels TV presenters in interviews with guests. I guess that did not go down with Channels. But they must have kept their claws, awaiting the right opportunity to unleash rage.

Fast forward to last month, it was pay back time when Nwabuikwu wrote again, tackling Channels TV. Reports of unprofessional conduct by television stations in the current political campaign season, Nwabuikwu said, compelled her to write on the subject matter. She noted two key incidents:

One, being the alleged refusal of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to air the campaign ads of Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, after receipt of payment. The second, being the allegation that Channels TV edited out controversial statements made by Femi Adesina, spokesman of President Buhari, from a video it had uploaded online, following stringent criticisms of the Adesina statement.

It all began on Sunday, November 25, 2018 in a live interview with Femi Adesina on the “Politics Today” programme of Channels TV. Asked about the number of Nigerian soldiers the nation lost, following reports that over 100 soldiers were killed by Boko Haram, an evasive Adesina said: “All over the world the military does not or rarely discloses the figures of casualties.” It was the video of this live interview that was uploaded online by Channels TV.

But that Sunday, the Adesina statement became controversial as an avalanche of criticisms from both local and foreign viewers and journalists declared it a false claim. By the next day, Monday, November 26, the controversial statement had allegedly been edited out of the online video.

This report of unprofessional conduct got columnist Nwabuikwu to snap: “Now, this is a new low for Nigeria’s supposedly best TV station. I am not surprised about the station trying to outdo NTA as a better promoter of the government, contrary to their mission statement.” She pointed out some more instances of falling standards by the television station.
Clearly enraged by what it perceived an affront to its corporate image, Channels TV charged at Nwabuikwu like a killer bull. Rage killed good sense. The television station took full and undue advantage of its broadcast powers to castigate Nwabuikwu.

It took a whole three to five minutes of its prime time national news segment to broadcast a public announcement (that commercially costs no less than N5 million) to attack Nwabuikwu. The announcement was all done up with a bold, screaming, deep red, headline: Campaign Of Calumny Against Channels TV. It was complete with a large sized, full processed colour passport picture of Nwabuikwu and a logo of The PUNCH newspaper. It was an overkill for a lady who writes a pretty low key but respectable column, which critiques the broadcast industry. Even the police will not burn that much airtime and dramatic design on a most wanted criminal.

The voiceover on the absurd illustration was no less embarrassing. Below are excerpts of the Channels TV declarations in the public announcement. It claimed that:

● “The article is false, misleading, fraudulent, and a figment of the imagination of the writer and her sponsors.”

● “Contrary to the allegations, no video was doctored in the interview with the special adviser to the president, Mr. Femi Adesina, Channels TV has never doctored any video in its 23-year history and does not intend to do so now or in the future.”

● “The web department posted the video on our online platforms after the programme. In so doing, some part of the videos which were cut in bytes of 10 minutes overlapped during the upload and suffered a glitch.”

● “When Channels was alerted to the glitch, the web department re-posted the video immediately and this has been up on our website and YouTube channel since Monday, November 26.”

● “Onoshe Nwabuikwu obviously didn’t understand the issues at stake but chose to latch onto the spurious and unsubstantiated claims on the social media and proceeded to impugn our integrity.”

● “We will not hesitate to use all within our means to seek legal redress against anyone who chooses to malign us or bring our media organisation to disrepute.”

Before we go ahead to analyse this sledge hammer approach to its being criticised, let’s examine a little timeline of the events and the response of another lady, Anna Cunningham, a foreign freelance journalist on the Adesina interview.

● On Sunday, November 25, Channels TV’s “Politics Today” had a live interview with Femi Adesina and the video was uploaded same day on Channels online channels.

● The same Sunday, at 9.56 p.m. Anna Cunningham wrote on her Twitter handle: “Really @FemAdesina @channelstv? Here is the list British military fatalities list available from the government gov.uk/government/sta… & here is the US list fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec… & the French memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/fr/article.php…” She and an AFP correspondent responded, providing proof that Adesina was not correct.

● The next day, Monday November 26, at 8:38 p.m. Cunningham wrote: “Question @channelstv have you edited the @FemAdesina interview re casualty figures? Jump cut 5 mins 30’ in?”

● Same Monday, November 26, at 11.33 p.m. Cunningham again wrote: “Strange @channelstv your YouTube version of @FemAdesina interview with disappearing words (that you yesterday quoted him as saying) has itself now disappeared. But here’s what I was talking about.” She then posted the erring video to prove her point.

● On Thursday, November 29, 2018, an online platform, devdiscourse.com noted on its update on the interview that: “Even a journalist of CBC News based in Lagos, Anna Cunningham recently discovered that Channels TV had edited the said interview on their YouTube page and removed that part where Adesina made the controversial statement.”

● On Sunday, December 2, 2018, a clear week after the controversial interview and alleged editing of the uploaded online edition, Nwabuikwu wrote her article. And somehow it was her article that got the management of Channels TV so hot around the ears, it pulled out all its guns hot and blazing.

Now here’s the thing. It is obvious that by 11.33 p.m. on Monday, November 26, 2018, Channels TV was still being reminded by Anna Cunningham that its video uploaded over 24 hours before, had been edited “with disappearing words (that you yesterday quoted him as saying) has itself now disappeared.”

Channels TV claimed it made corrections on Monday, November 26. Was it done in the less than 30 minutes after Cunningham wrote and just before 12 midnight into Tuesday? It is possible. But I have my doubts.

Check link below for more

https://opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2018/12/11/channels-tv-and-the-shame-of-corporate-conceit-by-ken-tadaferua/?utm_source=operamini&utm_medium=feednews&utm_campaign=operamini_feednews

lolz...no.honest TV stations/media companies in this country...

Channels TV has lost it, they are becoming TVC 2

Same Channels TV that showed EFCC chairman, Magu, in an APC event. And later started talking nonsense.

The sick television station is once again lying through the teeth, even with the deluge of evidences denoting their unscrupulous edit of that interview.

I refuse to soil my keypad by indenting my screen with their now disgustingly partisan name.

Let this be a lesson to other private interests who do not realize when to draw the line.

Sick bastards.

They don't want to lose government business. They have to tow the line

thatigboman:
Same Channels TV that showed EFCC chairman, Magu, in an APC event. And later started talking nonsense.

That particular incident was the height of partisanship any tv station could go, even the notorious NTA wouldn't do that.

Didn't even go further when I saw NWABIKWU.

Bitterness and hate wouldn't allow them see anything, they were cool with AIT in 2015 when it took assaulting buhari to an everyday low.

Channels remains the best TV station in the country, they have been fair 100% of the time.

Even in the Greatest country in the world CNN, Foxnews, etc gives 100% partisanship to its sponsors.


They now claim defender of journalism but won't caution the partisan nature of femi abarisala who is a PDP card carrying member endorsed by vanguard

zlantanfan:
Didn't even go further when I saw NWABIKWU.

Bitterness and hate wouldn't allow them see anything, they were cool with AIT in 2015 when it took assaulting buhari to an everyday low.

Channels remains the best TV station in the country, they have been fair 100% of the time.

Even in the Greatest country in the world CNN, Foxnews, etc gives 100% partisanship to its sponsors.

If you can't watch channels you can watch the junk called Ait

Get small sense and be useful to those around you.

The power of money exchange for one's conscience.

The tyranny of Buhari government has forced many institutions to act against their will.
It's really unfortunate.

[s]

zlantanfan:
Didn't even go further when I saw NWABIKWU.

Bitterness and hate wouldn't allow them see anything, they were cool with AIT in 2015 when it took assaulting buhari to an everyday low.

Channels remains the best TV station in the country, they have been fair 100% of the time.

Even in the Greatest country in the world CNN, Foxnews, etc gives 100% partisanship to its sponsors.


They now claim defender of journalism but won't caution the partisan nature of femi abarisala who is a PDP card carrying member endorsed by vanguard

[/s]

xelly:


Get small sense and be useful to those around you.

Why not ask the bastard that wasted 3 million of your kinsmen in a fruitless war to get sense first or the fool that could not tell who holds power in a parliamentary govt ?!

As long as any criticism of this government is coming from any foolish senseless hopeless Igbo it remains void. The entire Igbo tribe can go to hell over Buhari issue, he rules till 2023. No hopeless tribe should turn my country into a nation of hate, let the Igbo be hating on themselves and their Osu tribe while they lie to their unborn generations that Hauasa Fulani Yoruba Kanuri Ikwerre Indians Malaysians Indonesians Arabs Chinese South Africans the entire world hate they for no reason.

Jombom:
Why not ask the bastard that wasted 3 million of your kinsmen in a fruitless war to get sense first or the fool that could not tell who holds power in a parliamentary govt ?!

As long as any criticism of this government is coming from any foolish senseless hopeless Igbo it remains void. The entire Igbo tribe can go to hell over Buhari issue, he rules till 2023. No hopeless tribe should turn my country into a nation of hate, let the Igbo be hating on themselves and their Osu tribe while they lie to their unborn generations that Hauasa Fulani Yoruba Kanuri Ikwerre Indians Malaysians Indonesians Arabs Chinese South Africans the entire world hate they for no reason.

A man deviating and turning to tribal abuse, how on earth will you imagine that such a person can think? My dear, be useful, get some sense.

Even if Buhari should rule till eternity, it is non of my business and the effect will not be felt by me alone. I want to assure you that if you feel it by 70% that's when I will notice 1% of his misrule. You don't even know if I am in his payroll.

Jombom:
Why not ask the bastard that wasted 3 million of your kinsmen in a fruitless war to get sense first or the fool that could not tell who holds power in a parliamentary govt ?!

As long as any criticism of this government is coming from any foolish senseless hopeless Igbo it remains void. The entire Igbo tribe can go to hell over Buhari issue, he rules till 2023. No hopeless tribe should turn my country into a nation of hate, let the Igbo be hating on themselves and their Osu tribe while they lie to their unborn generations that Hauasa Fulani Yoruba Kanuri Ikwerre Indians Malaysians Indonesians Arabs Chinese South Africans the entire world hate they for no reason.

It's quite unfortunate that a forum like Nairaland with over 2million users has gone to the dogs.
Can't there be a discussion on here without bigots like you running amok all over the place
What has Biafran war got to do with this thread

zlantanfan:
Didn't even go further when I saw NWABIKWU.

Bitterness and hate wouldn't allow them see anything, they were cool with AIT in 2015 when it took assaulting buhari to an everyday low.

Channels remains the best TV station in the country, they have been fair 100% of the time.

Even in the Greatest country in the world CNN, Foxnews, etc gives 100% partisanship to its sponsors.


They now claim defender of journalism but won't caution the partisan nature of femi abarisala who is a PDP card carrying member endorsed by vanguard

U avoided the issue at stake and went too low to resort to tribalism. How some of us have sold our No 6 baffles even yabaleft patients

Who doesnt know that channels TV has turned a pseudo media arm of APC, i was shocked when the headline of their news the day buhari received that doctored ceritifcate that the certificate saga has been laid to rest...i would rather tune to arise tv than watch channels, tvc,ait and co

Channel TV has lost its respect ever since Magu threatened to detain John Momoh, the founder of channels.
Any news or opinion you see on channels have already been vetted by the "presidency" before broadcast.

Xisnin:
Channel TV has lost its respect ever since Magu threatened to detain John Momoh, the founder of channels.
Any news or opinion you see on channels have already been vetted by the "presidency" before broadcast.

But AIT earned your respect? Hypocrisy of the highest...

rusep:


But AIT earned your respect? Hypocrisy of the highest...

Do you have a brain?

Jombom:
Your tribe is filled with dogs, take a look on NL and see how many foolish subhuman from your tribe disparage others of another tribe n come back to say the rubbish you just stated.

I just went through your profile now, only to observe you just registered about a month ago. And all your posts are full of bigotry and insults which in itself says alot about your personality.
So, this will be my last response to you. You can take your bigotry to another thread