There Are No Heroes: An Autobiographical Instructive for the Modern Broadcaster is biographical, instructional, as well as inspirational. It was written by Mr Femi Sowoolu and published in 2016 by Quramo publishing, Lagos.
There Are No Heroes: A Review
The author is a broadcaster, journalist, public commentator, script writer, and social media activist, and media consultant, voice over artist, programmes designer and producer.
Femi Sowoolu, who started his broadcasting career in the 70s, has worked in a number of radio stations across the country, variously as presenter, producer, news reader, head of units and manager.
He has been involved in setting up of a number of radio stations across Nigeria.
At the time of writing the book, he was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Jamz FM, a radio station based in Ibadan.
The book, There Are No Heroes, is a 19-chapter work detailing the 30-year-plus professional broadcasting experience of the author; the highs and the lows, plus the very things that motivated his foray into the broadcast industry.
In this work, Mr Sowoolu shows us, in rather easy-to-read and conversational manner, and without the theoretical trappings of academic texts, how to be the best broadcaster you can be.
In other words, the work is a ‘how-to’ book on finding your way through the complex maze of the broadcast environment.
In this work, the author strikes me as a deep, meticulous and perceptive personality, with a proper understanding of what is needed to impact society positively and excel in the broadcast industry, both as staff and manager.
These, he indeed demonstrated copiously in the book.
In There Are No Heroes, Sowoolu states that purposeful preparation, careful planning, and persistent execution are three key requirements for every successful process.
Thus, for him, there are no short cuts. In fact, he says, “To become a successful, well-respected, and highly-regarded broadcaster, your search for knowledge must be unending and without limit.”
In another section of the work, Sowoolu emphatically states that there are core values that must guide anyone who aspires to excel in the profession.
He counsels that professionals must endeavour to act right always, and honestly undertake their tasks at all times.
For him, coming out good is essentially a product of hard work and perpetual practice.
He writes: “Do only that which is right. Be honest, be sincere, be dutiful, generous and respectful, study hard, perfect your art and practise your profession according to its guidelines, and do pray often.
“Add talent to those maxims, and you should be able to succeed as a broadcaster, if you cherish the values of the profession and follow its lessons.”
As stated earlier, Mr Femi Sowoolu is also involved in the management side of the broadcast industry.
He dedicated a large portion of this work to providing the reader the nitty-gritty of managing a broadcast set up. And in this conversation, he also discusses this issue.
He discusses his perception of what ought to obtain in the broadcast industry. He calls this developmental broadcasting.
His idea of the ideal of broadcasting is that which mobilises society for development purposes.
He is of the view that broadcasters should propagate the values that steer the minds of society towards the goodness and greatness of the nation.
In the work, Sowoolu provides copious case studies and practice tips and nuggets for practitioners.
It is an easy-to-read text suitable for both leisure and learning.
It is a professional compass potently poised to provide the direction that the broadcasting industry needs at this critical juncture of its evolution in Nigeria.
There Are No Heroes is a book for all.
