The journey of what is today called Voice of the South West, with four stations (two radio stations and two television stations), began from the snippets. It began on Monday, August 27 1991 when the then Military President of Nigeria, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (retired), announced the creation of Osun State. To indigenes of the new State who were serving at the Broadcasting Corporation of
Oyo State (BCOS), 27th of August 1991 was the outcome of what everyone had expected. However, it became inexcusable that they had to move to Osun State to establish the State’s owned media outfits. The officers who came to Osun were made of experienced journalists, professional broadcasters, seasoned administrators and tested engineers who could make much out of nothing. Some of the workers attributed the nerve-racking evacuation to the sour relationship which suddenly developed between the governments of Osun and Oyo States at that time. Some blamed the upsetting mass-departure on the variance which developed between the departing workers and the new management of BCOS. The movement of OSBC officers from Oyo State to Osun State was done in batches. The Management team took the first leap. The aim was to find conducive working atmosphere for the rest to settle and display their inventiveness. That decision was not realistic. Hence, key officers were subjected to traveling from Ibadan (about eighty- two kilometers) to Osogbo on daily basis. It was a phenomenal task. To get the needed voice started, the management team dealt with the threat of exasperation that had begun to confront workers who were coming from the capital city of Oyo State on daily basis. A greater percentage of the workers at that time were in catch-22. That is, a situation from which it was impossible to extricate themselves because of built-in illogical rules and regulations. For instance, they were uneasily moved from an accommodation to another:
They spent a week in a building belonging to the former State Hospital, Idi Seke, Osogbo. They nested in Presidential Hotel, old Ikirun Road, Kola-balogun, Osogbo. A reformatory home was transformed to satisfy the yearnings of programme department;
iv. They even sought solace in a three storey edifice called Kings Square beside Ota-Efun, Osogbo before those in the core operation units were moved to Ile-ife. This flux and lack of permanent administrative headquarters at the on-set did not assist the new Corporation’s file system of administration. The idea played negative role on Corporate planning as well as programme implementation. Although the management and staff started in an un-embellish way. They however had some luck.
1. The most senior and experienced staff of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (the General Manager and Directors) were from Osun State.
2. Transmitters were equally distributed. Television transmitter was in Ibokun, Obokun Local Government of the State. Radio had its transmitters scattered around towns like Iree, Ile-Ife, Osu and Iwo in Boripe, Ife Central, Atakunmosa and Iwo Local Government Areas of Osun State
3. They had privileged information that some States would be created prior to their departure from the old Oyo State. This was when the Secretary to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under General Babangida was featured on a BCOS programme tagged Saturday Special. The information gave the high ranking officers of Osun indigenes serving in BCOS the opportunity to plan ahead. Although the Secretary did not mention the names of the State that would be created while featuring on Saturday Special, the officers formed a committee to come to Osogbo and look for a suitable location that could suit the constitution of a befitting broadcasting village. Prior to the departure of the Committee to Osogbo from Ibadan, it was certain that Osogbo would be the Capital City of the new Osun State. This phenomenon made the first General Manager, Chief John Fademi, suggest Oke Baale. His suggestion was born out of the fact that this area of Osogbo is very close to Ibokun where a transmitter of BCOS TV had been cited. The proposition met stern opposition before it was accepted. While feasibility work was taken the desired shape at the Oke Baale area of the capital city of Osun State, OSBC directorate mandated its administration department to resettle engineers and line workers in TRANS HOTEL, Ile-Ife. At Oke Itase, Ile-Ife, OSBC engineers assembled some domestic equipment of the inherited 5 kilowatt transmitters of F.M. Booster Station of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS). The skills of engineers who received professional training in pure and applied science were combined with that of craftsperson and sub-professionals to apply scientific and engineering skills to technical problems met on ground. The engineering staffs designed circuits to perform specific tasks such as amplifying electronic signals as well as demodulating radio signals to recover the information needed for an impressive broadcasting station. Through their ingenuity and hard work, Radio Osun commenced transmission at Ile-Ife on the 25th of November, 1991 following the directive of the then Military Administrator of Osun State, Col. Leo Segun Ajiborisha. While Administrative Headquarters remained at Osogbo. The station’s signal on 89.5 Megahertz covered Osun and neighboring States. From the shades of almond tress in the premises of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, Ile Akede, Orita Basorun, Ibadan to the various lodges in Osun State, the only hankering of OSBC Management and staffs was to carve out a niche for Radio Osun in the Broadcasting industry in Nigeria. OSBC moved from grass to grace. It started at nothing and attained a remarkable position in programme and news presentations. The young station, 89.5FM, was known for its appropriate, sensible and suitable jingles and catch-phrases. The drive towards the establishment of OSBC television began during the regime of the First Executive Governor of Osun State, Alhaji Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke. The willingness of Governor Adeleke to bear his mind to the people under his jurisdiction, during the second anniversary of the State, conformed to the readiness of OSBC management to run a complete broadcasting outfit. Early 1992, the management of OSBC moved its engineers to Ibokun, in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State, to transform the two kilowatt booster station, which previously belong to the Television Service of Oyo State, into
Hence, the first television of OSBC, channel 22 UHF, came into existence with the refurbishing of television transmitters at Ibokun and assemblage of domestic television equipment on 27th August, 1992. With Radio and Television Services put in place, Osun State became a state with voices and vision. On the 28th of October 1992 the two stations operated under different management with a single Board of Directors, sharing a common office as headquarters. This was a three storey building named Kings Square along New Ikirun Road, Osogbo. During this period, Governor Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke appointed Honourable Tayo Ilupeju to chair the Board of Directors of OSBC. Considering the need for a radio station to be in the State Capital, Hon Ilupeju’s Board moved its operations to
Osogbo in July 1993. The operational studios of television station remained in temporary structures at Ibokun. Towards the end of 1993, retired Captain Rafiu Ishola Olugbeja was given the chairmanship position of OSBC by the second Military Administrator of the State,
Navy Captain Anthony Udofia (rtd). Captain Olugbeja held this position for five years. During his tenure, Navy Captain Udofia began the construction of the permanent site of the head office of OSBC at Oke Baale, Osogbo. It was not until February 18 1999 that the Corporation’s Headquarters moved to its partially completed permanent site at Oke Baale, Osogbo. This was when Alhaji Liad Tella held sway as Chairman. The move was directed by the fourth Military Administrator of Osun State, Colonel Theophilus Bamigboye. The second Executive Governor of Osun State, Chief Adebisi Akande who took over the mantle of the State on May 29 1999, appointed a media guru, Dr. Yemi Farounbi to lead the Board of Directors of OSBC. During his chairmanship, Governor Adebisi Akande procured and installed new 30 kilowatt capacity radio transmitters at the Corporation’s head office. This step culminated in the birth of 104.5 FM. On the 5th of January 2000, the management of OSBC Radio and Television were merged into one entity by Governor Akande. By April of 2000, the headquarters and permanent site of OSBC including 104.5 fm studios were completed
The unification of OSBC Radio and Television resulted into acquisition of a new Television Transmitter and the birth of a second television station, Channel 32UHF, transmitting from Oke Baale, Osogbo on August 2001. As a result, Ibokun television, Channel 22UHF, became an appendage of the new one. In 2003, OSBC 104.5 FM studio was commissioned for use
In 2004, the third Executive Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola made provision for the refurbishment of Ibokun Station to become an autonomous Station. The Station was commissioned on the 31st of December 2004 by the Deputy Governor, Erelu Olusola Obada. It began transmission under a new nomenclature as New Dawn Television (Channel 22UHF) Ibokun. It had a solid state digital ready (six channel) transmitters on the 27 July 2010. In July 2007, the status of the Corporation’s Chief Executive was improved upon. Impressed by the positive expansion taking place in the establishment, Osun State Government elevated its nomenclature (General Manager) to Director General. In 2005, OSBC station at Ile-Ife, which was re-christened ORISUN 89.5FM in 2003, came on air. Orisun FM is so named because of its location, Ile-ife, which is the cradle (the source) of the Yoruba race. It is a specialised 100% Yoruba transmitting station. The entire programme line-up is set out to promote the isms, norms and cultural antecedents of the Yoruba people. Today, the terrestrial reach of OSBC with an arsenal of four stations, consisting of two radio channels and two television stations covers effectively about 13 to 14 States in Nigeria. This is between 36 and 40 percent of Nigeria’s geographical spread. OSBC has, over the years, positioned itself in the forefront of cultural, tourism and sports promotions. It refreshes and updates viewers and listeners with accurate reports on economic, political, agricultural, religious, scientific, environmental, social and other events across the globe. It creates, develops and transmits unparalleled quality informative, educative and entertaining value-added programmes profitably. OSBC is reputable in analyzing issues and events of local, national and international importance. Qualified and committed staff is the driving force behind the efficiency of OSBC. On Wednesday, 17th October 2007, OSBC laid the foundation of a transit camp and commissioned same, for use, on the 6th of September 2008. Its aspiration was to improve the welfare, security, skills and knowledge of its employees; and also to meet the challenges of contemporary broadcasting. On Wednesday, 20th of May 2010, OSBC moved its channel 32 uhf studios from archaic analogue system to the modern digital ready system. Osun State Broadcasting Corporation is reputable for reporting current information of local, national and international standard. The Corporation’s programmes have placed it in an unparalleled position among its equals in South West, Nigeria. In October 2012, the Fourth Executive Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola procured for the Corporation, a DNSG Outside Broadcasting Van. The van is a 2012 model O.B Vehicle for sending live signals from event centres to the Corporation’s tv viewers. Through the unparalleled love of Ogbeni Aregbesola for electronic media, OSBC is being able to smarten up its services. This exercise cut across the 10 departments into which the establishment is divided. The aim is to allow for positive and meaningful contributions to issues of finance, fiscal planning, monetary value, trade, industry, community development, societal growth, educational expansion, religious tolerance, cultural renaissance, sports and democracy among others.
