Popular entertainment journalist, former editor of Saturday Independent Newspaper, and one-time senior correspondent at The Punch Newspaper, Olumide Iyanda has got his hands busy again. Iyanda has now joined Sunday journal The Niche Newspaper as Executive Editor. ‘I feel blessed to be where I am today. Being alive is an unmerited favour; doing what you love is a bonus. We have a committed, trim and closely knit team led by Ikechukwu Amaechi. I do not see my current position in terms of ranking, but an opportunity to add value to a project and the many lives we touch’, Iyanda confirmed. TheNiche which kicked off recently will run in print and web format. According to Iyanda, the print edition is a Sunday Paper that will ‘complement what people do on that day – relax as a family while setting the agenda for the next week’. As he assumes a new role, how will his job differ from what he’s been doing in the past? Iyanda says it’s all about writing good stories. ‘I have always been a reporter and I don’t see myself stopping now. Yes, one will provide editorial and managerial directions to the guys I work with, but the primary assignment is to write good stories and ask the right questions’. And on the silent tussle between online and traditional media, he says: ‘I think they complement each other. There is a greater migration to online publication but there is still space for what you call traditional media. Online media makes it easier for news to travel faster and farther. The days of waiting for newspapers to break the news the day after are long gone. What that means is that the newspapers have to devise ways of attracting and holding their readers. The traditional newspapers are surviving, albeit with various challenges, even in countries with deeper internet penetration than Nigeria, so online media will not kill the traditional media anytime soon’….
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