Meet Comrade Samuel Ogbemuvire Ogude, Editor-In-Chief, Author, Writer And More

TODAY on SUI, our guest is an Editor-in-Chief of a magazine.

Please, can you briefly tell us about yourself and the magazine you represent?

I am Comrade Samuel Ogbemuvire Ogude, Publisher/Editor- in- Chief of Bailout Magazine and Assistant Secretary, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Warri Correspondents’ Chapel. I am also a member, Association of Nigeria Authors, Delta State Chapter. By the grace of God, l have written many creative works among which is The Pregnant Tomorrow, Otafia etc.( Drama texts).

How do you decide which articles or stories to feature in the magazine versus the online version?

For a story to be published or featured in Bailout Magazine, it must be of standard form. The story should be well written and devoid of libelous or defamation . That is, the story should not contain what will drag the the medium to litigation(Court). This is why, every source of story must be investigated- the story must be from a reliable source and factual. Bailout Magazine does not copy story from the Internet to publish. It prefers investigative and exclusive stories.

What’s your approach to balancing evergreen content with timely, news-driven articles, especially given the difference in publication frequency between the print and online versions?

Bailout Magazine is both hard copy and Online publications. While the hardcopy is showcased once a month, the online version comes out on daily basis. The hard copy is delayed as a result of the detail analysis of some stories to be featured which is a characteristics of magazines while the online is published almost immediately after the event is covered and the story written or contributor of stories sends such stories to our e-mail for publication. So, it faster to publish the online version than the hard copy of the medium. Both are good because they all meant to enlighten and inform the public at different times.

Can you walk me through your process for planning and managing content across both the print and online platforms?

Editorial Process of Bailout Magazine takes some time. The hard copy version takes more time than of the online version. For the hard copy, the correspondent(report) assigned to that assignment goes about it. After the investigation (coverage), he writes his report(s) and submits to the Assistant Editor who goes through. He looks at the structure and balances it. In case the story is not well written, he can rewrite- the structure that would make it suitable for publication. After that, he passes the news to Proof Reader who works on grammatical structure, including use of words, sentences etc. Thereafter, the Proof Reader passes the stories to the Editor-in-Chief who now does the final scrutiny of the news items before it is certified for publication.

Thereafter, there is quick meeting of Editorial Board Members to decide news items to be on Editorial Page and possibly the major headline of the Magazine.

Then, the Production Department takes over from there and does the page planning of all the news items using the dummy( Sketch on paper). And thereafter, it is sent for publication. The Circulation Department takes over from there and ensures that the Magazine gets to the public- readers.

For the Online version, it is much easy. News publication does not take this long process. After the Correspondent submits the news to the sub-Editor, the sub-Editor passes it on to Proof Reader who goes through and submits it to the Editor- in- Chief. It is finally passed on to Online Editor to publish. However, the major headline must be determined by Editorial Board members.

How do you foster collaboration and creativity among your team members, particularly when working on projects that involve both print and online content?

Bailout Magazine leadership and team Management is superb. All Departments, starting from Reportorial to Editorial, Production and Circulation Department collaborate to ensure the Magazine sees the light of the day. In the absence of one department, the other can not function. That is why, every one must be on his toes to see that the Magazine is published.

How do you handle feedback and revisions from writers or other editors, and what’s your approach to providing constructive criticism?

ANSWER:

For every publication in Bailout Magazine whether print( hard copy) or Online, there is always feedback. The feedback helps us to improve on our publications. In most cases, in Bailout Magazine online version, if there is wrong spellings of names, though rare, we correct immediately. But most cases, readers commend us for good job done because we are very meticulous in our duties. This is why, many Editors and Writers send stories to us for publication. And upon receiving such stories, we do not only do the investigation of the storied but work on them to suit our medium before publication.

What role do you think mentorship plays in the development of writers and editors, and how do you incorporate mentorship into your team’s workflow?

Mentorship generally in Journalism( news writing) helps to groom the young ones or up coming ones( Fresh graduates ) who studied Mass Communication or Related Media either in Polytechnic or University and cub Editors in news editing. And as for Bailout Magazine, we have students who are on Industrial Attachments to our medium. Apart from fixing some days within the week for tutorials where they(students) are launched into technicalities of Media practice properly, they are seconded to experienced correspondents or reporters go for news gathering and reporting. And by the end of their stay,(expiration of due time- industrial attachments), they go back to their respective schools for better performance at school and after graduation, their respective places of assignments.

What trends do you see shaping the future of magazine publishing, and how is Bailout Magazine adapting to these changes?

News industry has grown and still developing very fast especially with the advent of the new media: Facebook, Whatsapp and Internet. It is the duty of news organizations to keep pace with this development. As for Bailout Magazine, we not are resting in our oars as we are posed to move with the speed. This accounts for why, our online version is always out on daily basis. Our website is always worked on in order to be at the top while others follow by the grace of God.

How do you see the relationship between print and digital content evolving in the magazine industry, and what strategies is Bailout Magazine employing to stay relevant?

Both the print and digital content of news bulletin now compliment each other. In Bailout Magazine, we publish the hard copy monthly and online daily. The Management of Bailout Magazine will continue to do their best to enlighten and educate the public with information on sports, etc.

What methods do you use to measure the success of your content strategy, and how do you stay informed about changes in reader preferences and industry developments?

Bailout Magazine publishes news items daily online and measures its success of its content through feedback from the audience who are heterogenous. Many readers(audience) make comments on our publications especially on the content of our news. They laud the content and writing techniques and this has spurred us to improve on our publications. Some, we write back to inform them on our need to keep on with good job.While on the hard copy, we receive calls from our performance each time we come out with our quality and standard news items.

What are some of the biggest challenges you’re currently facing as an editor-in-chief, and how do you see Bailout Magazine overcoming them?

As an Editor-in-Chief of Bailout Magazine, l face the challenges of finance. With the rising cost of printing materials, the organization spends much money in the procurement of printing materials and publishing cost. At present, the organization has not been able to purchase its printing machine so, we pay other printing press to get magazine published. However, Bailout Magazine Management has technically increased the charges of publication of news items and advertisements to enable us meet up the challenges of high cost of publications.

What opportunities do you see for growth and innovation in the magazine industry, and how is Bailout Magazine positioned to take advantage of these opportunities?

Magazine as an aspect of media industry grows on daily basis especially in this digital era. With the presence of the Internet and WhatsApp, Correspondents at different locations filed their news to the organization’s Central Point computer for both Editorial Board Members to work the news to be published.

Though, many Magazine industries have folded up due to inability to print and attend to staff’s welfare especially staff’s salary, as a result of finance, the ones still printing are surviving by the grace of God.

Bailout Magazine is a growing organization that has harped on digital age of Internet, Facebook and Whatsapp to grow speedily. These inventions have made it possible for Correspondents to file news items to subEditor to be worked on before it gets to Editor-in-Chief before it goes for publications.

How do you ensure the magazine’s content remains relevant and engaging to a diverse audience, and what strategies do you employ to sustain reader interest over time?

Magazine news content would continue to be relevant to inform the diverse audience on different news areas of life. Unlike the conventional newspapers, Magazine presents indepth analysis of stories.Bailout Magazine would continue to churn out, reliable, accurate and factual information from the society for the consumption of the public.