When we hear of on-air personalities, most of us associate glitz and glamour to their lifestyle. However, that is far from reality. Behind-the-scene of the job is made up of grueling schedules, heavy workloads, and compensation that rarely match the OAPs effort. Bilkis Ahmad is one out of many young and upcoming OAP navigating the media landscape.
23-year-old Ahmad is a Mass Communication graduate,with a year of experience under her belt. She had always dreamt of becoming an on-air personality (OAP). After numerous failed attempts to land a job, she finally got her chance. Eager and excited, she believed the job would be all about talking and engaging with the audience. However, her desperation to find work blinded her to the reality of the role. The job turned out to be more than just chit-chatting; it involved long hours of research, planning, and multitasking under tight deadlines.
Ahmad works four days a week, her daily schedule includes anchoring various programs, writing nd delivering news for the afternoon and evening segment
“I start my day at 8 a.m., and once I get to the office, I immediately begin creating the news bulletin, editing it, and ensuring there are no errors,” she says.
Despite the demanding nature of the job, the compensation is far from adequate. Ahmad describes the frustration of earning meagre salary for the amount of work required.
“Imagine being a B.Sc. graduate offered just 10,000 Naira to work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., four days a week. It’s draining,” she laments.
In addition to stiff workload is lack of empathy from management. For instance, Ahmad recounts an incident where she switched shifts with a colleague who didn’t show up. She was the one who got fined and queried.
“The superiors are strict, they show no sympathy. They always want the work done, and they don’t care if you’re on the brink of exhaustion.”
Juggling tight schedules and earning meagre salary isn’t unique to Ahmad alone; it’s a widespread problem in the media industry, especially for fresh graduates or those working with smaller, less popular organizations.
“From people I have heard from, the payment is usually small with a heavy workload,” she notes.
“Media work requires a lot of teamwork, but more people require more money; so they would rather have fewer people do more work,” she added.
In addition to tight schedule, Ahmad complained of lack of transparency. She described it as unspoken pressures and expectations that come with the job.
“At the point of employment, the work seems minimal compared to the salary, but once you set foot in, the workload increases continuously, with no further compensation,” Ahmad says.
Over time, this relentless pressure affects creativity, job satisfaction, and mental health. “Being overworked and underpaid lessens one’s morale. It makes you lazy; you don’t want to put in the effort because, at the end of all the work, you get paid peanuts.”
To improve conditions, Ahmad suggests hiring more staff to allow for a better division of labor. “Even if they don’t want to increase the salary, having more people would at least give us time for other things,” she suggests.
Despite all the challenges, Ahmad still feels passionate about her work. However, she admits that the constant pressure and feeling of being undervalued can reduce motivation. “I love it, yes, but the pressure that comes with being overworked sometimes reduces the motivation in you,” she reflects.
Ahmad’s experience as an on-air personality offers a candid look into the reality of kicking off your career in the media industry. It highlights the need for better working conditions, fair compensation, and a more empathetic approach to management. For those on the outside, it serves as a reminder that the voices we hear on the airwaves are often carrying more weight than just the words they speak.
