Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has warned that traditional media businesses face mounting financial and competitive pressure from social media and independent content creators, urging legacy outlets to rethink their operating models to survive.
The Asaase Broadcasting Company board chairman said the media landscape has changed fundamentally, with audiences increasingly consuming content on demand rather than through scheduled programming.
“If you don’t find a way to adapt, you may be lost completely,” he said on Channel One TV’s The Upside Down on Sunday.
He noted that bloggers and social media creators often repurpose content generated by mainstream newsrooms without incurring the same production costs.
“You take your time to do all the research and get the substance out and then somebody with just a phone will sensationalise one bit and get all the traffic,” he said.
Otchere-Darko added that sensationalism frequently outperforms rigorous journalism commercially, citing tabloid models globally as evidence that dramatic content attracts more audiences.
Still, he argued that credibility remains the comparative advantage of traditional outlets.
“People will go on social media to check what is happening, but they still come to traditional media to authenticate it,” he said.
He advised new entrants to focus on digital-first strategies rather than heavy investments in expensive broadcast infrastructure unless they have clear commercial backing.
“Technology has changed everything. You must go where the world is going,” he added.
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