Regina Chris- Ogbodo is a Broadcast journalist with more than two decades of experience.

Having obtained her degree in Mass communication she cut her teeth with Borno Radio Television, Maiduguri while doing her complusory National youth Service, NYSC, as a producer.

Her career as a Broadcaster started formally with Superscreen Tv formerly, Clapper Board Tv as a newscaster/ business news producer.

She rose to become a Senior correspondent( Aviation), Producer and Anchor of Bussiness Edition, a flagship bussiness programme.

After Six years she moved from Superscreen Tv to become the Head of News and Presentation at Business Tv and eventually Head Programs and Presentation while also Anchoring the flagship Programme of the station called The “Nigerian Morning” with veteran Bussiness news Editor, Boason Omofaye.

 

From BTV, Regina moved to Wfm 91.7 Nigeria’s first women centric radio station to explore new challenges and have a feel.of radio,where she became the head of News/ presentation within a short time.

While, having proved her mettle she became the head program.

At WFM she anchored Panorama a program many believed was a radio version of the TVC’s Your View..

She later went on to establish Reggypanache Training Consult where she trains people on broadcast Presentation , Public Speaking, Elocution, Diction and Phonetics.

She has certificates and trainings on Social and Emotional Intelligence, Ettiquette and presently doing two simultaneous leadership courses on Leadership.

She is a member of The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, ( NiPR).

 

Regina Anchors The Widow’s Might on Unilagfm 103.1 a program she designed after her experience as a result of her husband’s death.

 

She is currently the National Public Relations Secretary( PRO) of Unilag Alumni Association.

 

National Vice President Association of Diction Coaches of Nigeria.

 

She is a scriptwriter, voice over artist and MC.

 

 

In this Interview with Oyinlola Sale, Regina Chris- Ogbodo talks about her book “The New Normal Moderator” and her passion for encouraging widows.

 

After 2 decades in the field of broadcast journalism, you decided to establish your company called Reggypanache, what is the story behind the name ?

I have always been a lover of all that have to do with Communication or better still Mass Communication and right from the word go, I knew that at some point in my Journalism journey I would need to touch all those facets that is print, radio, television and Public relations Today, by the grace of God, I have had a stint with production and advertisement, done and Television and Radio and even written for few magazines. I am a PR practitioner.

It got to a point that I wasn’t feeling satisfied, so, a year or there about before I lost my husband I became restless and wanted more but didn’t place a finger moreover, I felt that I needed more time with my children and him.Before then,

he was actually more of the Parent around than I was and I wanted better relationship with my children.

In the course of my job I had been doing a few side hustles like writing scripts for jingles, documentaries or copy writing, Voicing and even training budding Broadcasters in diction, elocution and presentation which I enjoyed and still do enjoy them .

 

Those were the cues I began to feel, when the craving for indepedence set in.

I recall that I was even called to head a particular department at an A list Radio station but at my interview with the Owner, after reading my CV, he told me point blank that he sees me as an entrepreneur not a 9-5 working person.

I just knew that it was time.

So I asked myself why not do those things that make you happy and take them as a career but fear would not let me.

 

However when the unplanned happened, I knew exactly what to do.

I had started the registration of the company when my husband was alive albeit was foot dragging but then it became obvious that if I didn’t take the bull by the horns, I would blame myself because now I am the one and only parent.

I think his death accelerated that decision and I thank God that I had the courage to do it.

I completed my registration and began publicity on my social media platforms and as they say, today it’s history

*Now, you recently wrote a book titled “The New Normal Moderator”, what led you to publish the book?*

Woow, another interesting story.

 

The Normal Moderator,

That book was by a divine prompting

 

During the lock down, like every one else, I felt the uncertainty and wondered what I will be doing to sustain me. I realized that all that my job required needed physical contact or so I though and here came no movement and then a thought came to my mind to get busy by whatsoever way not necessarily for the money but for my sanity and then I decided to go online.

Knowing that TV was not new to me,

I began to teach and speak on fb and sometimes on Instagram.

It wasn’t long after that that a dear Younger Sister and friend Kehinde Okoroafor called me oneday and said ‘ Aunty” we will need you oh

I see you on fb and I’m sure you wl be the best person for the job.

I asked what the job was all about and she said online conference we need a Moderating,

Whattt? I exclaimed

I wanted to argue but she persisted and I told her that I would give it a try.

I got back to my lap top and recalling that I had used the Zoom a bit previously and done one MC online for a concert using the Stream Yard platform, I thought that those experiences should guide me.

So I called her and told her that I will take it up. I didn’t sleep that night because I literarily did everything

Line up the programme and just took care of everything with the help of a co host who took care of the technicalities.

 

It was free and all I did was to ask for data.

I recall that it was an International conference with Women across almost the six Continents .

I did the job so well according to the feed back I got and that was how more kept coming through her and at some point she would tell me that she had negotiated for me and that I should not do for free again.

It wasnt long before some companies also requested for my service which I charged reasonably.

If I can recall I did these jobs for almost 10-15 meeting if not 20.

Those meetings afforded me the oppurtunity to see the good the bad and ugly in online participation from participants and Moderator/ organisers’ perspectives.

That. Lock down never affected my entire family negatively.

I saw that that could be a source of income and professional if we’ll organised.

Then came 2021.

It was earlier in the year 2021when I was thinking of how my 50th birthday will be that The Holy Spirit gave me the idea of writing an e- book.

It sounded like a joke as I pondered on what Type of book.

He suggested me writing on my online experienced and that fear again came,

Me Author how.

I then when online to check if there enough information on how to handle online conferences, I found very very few.

Then I took the idea more seriously.

As I meditated on some titles that came to.mind The New Moderator came to mind more .

I shared the titles with friends and my adopted son and children and almost everyone settled for this title.

 

So I set to work, albeit with fear but looking back here I am.

The launching was divinely set up,

my mentor Aunty Ayodeji Megbope and Grace Ladies Business fellow ship literarily took it up and reproduced some hard copies for me like “over night” and I launched it on my birthday 23 Rd march.

It’s one of my peak moments in life..

I intend to revise the book soon because the first is more like a work book.

 

What issues will this book address?

The book addresses three categories of readers.

First of, The MC who has to face the reality that we will never go to the former ways of MCeing at it were.

 

MCing will require the combination of onsite and online skills no matter what capacity it is.international organisations and corporate bodies those who foot dragged earlier, have seen the cost effectiveness of the platform and are taking advantage of it.

As such, the understanding of basic usage is required of the Anchor person.

Mind you it’s beyond just talking.

 

The second is An online conference/ event participant:

There is some etiquette, decorum and knowledge required for the participant .

I realised from my experience

many can a bit clumsy when it comes to participation, they don’t even know that they can barge or be disrespectful when online.

So the book addresses that too.

 

The third category is also for the Moderator too.

The money aspect of it. Infact it can be a career if built well a gave some advise there that can be very useful.if adhered to.

 

Is it capital intensive to publish a book of your Magnitude in Nigeria?

*I don’t know what you.mean by my magnitude but if what I think you are asking is whether it’s easy writing and publishing a book in Nigeria is easy, I’d say yes and no.

Yes because,

the beauty of an e book is that it’s more flexible and less cost effective however when one desires one’s book to reach specific target audience, one might have to spend an added capital on it

Yes it’s easy because now you don’t have those Ridgid and complex procedures that hitherto were existing when the publishers had all the monopoly of how it gets to the market .

Also the publisher and publicity has a way of wanting more money( laughs) when one chooses to go the whole nine yards.

Also there people that have not still accepted the internet and online thing and they can not be ignored.

You’d need to do a hard copy for them

That makes it expedient that one produces hard copies .

Those people, though few, can really be your real referrals .

They love to share instant evidence to who ever they tell about your book.

To summarize it I’d say that in this clime, yes it’s still capital intensive to write a book but not as herculean as it was before going through hurdles and checks that can swallows time and money.

 

What were some of the challenges you have faced so far in pursuing your passion as a broadcaster in Nigeria?

Woow,

I.like the word Challenges because I don’t see it in the negative

 

Well to answer your questions,

I had. the challenge of coming in late.

My husband didn’t allow me start my career on time

I stayed ten years after my university before starting my career even when he too was a broadcast Journalist.

I kind of understood him at some point because of the demand of the job but it was frustrating seeing your mates becoming your bosses and even your juniors the good thing is that God compressed time for me because I got in with a zeal to make impact and I did which explained how God helped me get to becoming head if Presentation and programe in two Stations .

 

I had the challenge of combining Motherhood and my career.

I went in when my children needed my around I felt guilt at some points but thank goodness my husband covered up.

He had grown in his career and could adjust.

I also had the challenge of no having renumeration that fitted with the popularity and so called status one had reached ( laughs)

People thought one had more than one could give.

You find yourself holding back not to act more than who you are

 

Insurance and life assurance were rare yet one is required to do extra ordinary like your international counterpart. Which very impossible, noone wants to did a useless death.

The technical aspect was the inability to get enough exposure and equipment to achieve just as the so called developed worlds level have .

We improvised a lot and sometimes, it was very embarrassing

We have all it takes but only few Managements understand the need to remunerate and equip their staff .

It’s still a big challenge in Nigeria today.

That’s why commitment is halfhearted.

 

How can your book empower women in the industry to see opportunities that they can key into?

There are so many talented ladies who don’t know that their voices are their goldmines.

All they need to do is down load the book and with just #2500 , they will be making money as Moderators

 

 

 

*What are some of the challenges you have faced so far in building Reggypanache?

I think it’s not perculiar to me .

It’s an entreprenuer’s challenge.

Number one was funding

I have a vision of making it a household name because need to be able not just talk but speak well.

English is the World’s Eco-language as I love saying it that way..We can not afford to joke with it..that’s the way to communicate cutting across all languages in the world even if it is interpreted.

What that means is that one has to learn it well and be understood.

 

To get there quickly I’d need more funds to inject into acquiring equipment for trainings but they are hardly accessible

One tries banks it looks like the conditions alone will drive one.

Quacks have also made it a bit difficult because when the people society who do not know the better option, they assume that the one available is very good they ask for peanuts and when we who know what it takes come to bill, tend think we are being exploitative

 

 

Tell us about your program called The Widow’s Might on Unilagfm 103.1 ?

 

The widows Might, putting it straight is a Mandate from God.

By the grace of God, after I lost my husband I had very minimal challenge even if it with regards to inlaws, people to help or my children s behaviours .

But I was in pain and needed succour and friendship,

My eyes began to note widows who were in pain and some abject poverty that you won’t reconcile their lives presently with how they were when the husband was alive.

That was when I came across so many whose stories were and are the direct opposite mine.

 

They will lament and weep.

It became a burden until one fellowship day that I heard ‘ The Widow’s Mite” spoken into my spirit I first thought it was the Biblical “mite” because with my relationship with God, I knew it was him talking but it wasn’t what He meant as He began to tell.me that He is The Widow’s Might in other words, Strength in times of their trouble

He mandated me to speak courage and hope into their lives and let them know that they could not do it on their own unless He helped them.

I started that in 2018 on Kissfm Lagos and God opened doors for me in Unilag Radio 103.1

It’s been a great time.

Women have been encouraged and empowered through friends’ help.

I feel so fulfilled answering that call.