You Don’T Have to Be a Broadcaster to Run a Radio Business – Adedoja Allen

She is the managing director of City 105.1 FM and has since her assumption in office, has been able to re-position the station to compete favorably with other radio stations around the Lagos metropolis, by injecting the much need technology, infrastructure, skilled staff etc. The stylish and industrious mother of two boys opened up on career, marriage and challenges on the job

How do you feel winning the best Female CEO of the year at the City People recognition awards?
I am excited and it’s a big honour for me. I’m grateful and thankful to the management of City People Magazine.

Do you see it coming?
No. It came as a very big surprise when I got the letter from City People telling me that they wanted to honour me as the best female CEO of the year. I feel really honoured about it.

Why do you think you were chosen for the award among the array of other hardworking female CEOS?
WelI, I think it’s hard work I put into revamping City 105.1 FM. When I joined the station as the CEO, the station was struggling financially but I was able to re-position the organization and make it financially viable placing it among other competitors.

What prompted you take up the job?
Well, my success and my career history in business process re-engineering. The organisation needed my skill and my qualifications to manage the radio station.

Weren’t you afraid to take up the job seeing that the station was struggling at the time you were contacted and also knowing that there is a fierce and stiff competition in the industry?
I wasn’t afraid to take it up. I took up the challenge because I knew that I could make the station compete with the big players in the industry. So, it wasn’t anything that I needed to worry about. But I knew that I needed to work very hard to ensure that I get the station to where it should be.

What are some of the things you brought to the organization that actually transformed it to what it is now?
I did quite a lot. To start with, I employed the services of a veteran broadcaster to work with me. And then, I formed a new management team, new creative team, new on air personalities. I changed everything from scratch which is more or less like building a business from scratch. It was about relationship building, hard work, understanding the industry and positioning ourselves for the position we wanted to be in the industry.

Achieving all these, you must have passed through some challenges. How were you able to overcome them?
Yes, you’re right. I did encounter a lot of challenges and one of it was to ensure that I made the right decision. I made sure that people’s lives, career and investor’s funds were well managed. In the course of it, I made one or two mistakes which we all can’t run runaway from. I’ve learnt from those mistakes anyway. There were challenge but honestly the challenges are over now.

Cam you paint a picture of what the station was like before you were employed?
It was a struggling radio station before I came on board. They were struggling to make money, to keep staff and they were struggling to balance in the industry. But now, the financial crisis has diminished. We’re now financially stable. We no longer owe staff salaries. We are getting recognized and making so much money in the industry.

Give us one or two reasons why we should listen to City 105.1 when there are other radio stations?
You need to tune in because we have more qualified presenters anchoring the morning shows, mid-day shows and the night belt. We do more of lifestyle and entertainment. This is what people want to listen to, in order to get their mind off the stress off the day. So, we do what most stations don’t broadcast which gives us that advantage and edge over others.

No doubt, you look radiant, what is the secret of your beauty?
Hard work, God’s goodness and I eat healthy. Once in a while, I do my exercises

Will you describe yourself as a stylish person?
I don’t really know but I’m always conscious of what I wear and how I look. I like to look presentable and neat.

What were you doing before you joined City FM?
I was working as an investment manager. I was into asset management at ARM Investment Managers.

Judging from your background, it is obvious you have little or no experience in the broadcast business
No I don’t but I’ve done a few courses on it. Meanwhile, it is a business and I’m not the one on radio. I’m running a business and ensuring that the business makes profit. So, you don’t need to be a broadcaster to run a business.

For sometimes now, people complain about some unprofessional on air personalities. How do you guard against such in your station?
I’ve been trained despite the fact that I don’t have any broadcasting background but those trainings have exposed me to the kind of things to look out for in my presenters.

How do you cope as a career woman and a wife?
My husband is very understanding. He’s a Libra and very supportive. He’s always there to cover up for me. The name of my husband is Akinsola Allen, a surveyor. We’ve been married for 11years and we’re blessed with two boys.

What has been the sustaining force in your marriage for these 11years?
It’s been God. We can’t do anything without the Almighty God.

Where do you see City FM in the next five years?
By the grace of God, it will be among the top three radio station in Lagos. At the rate we are growing, I’m very sure the dream will come to pass