Urban TV in selfies drive

Mar 15, 2014

While the tradition of the selfie did not start in December 2013, US president Barack Obama played his part in popularising it.

By Vision Reporter
While the tradition of the selfie did not start in December 2013, US president Barack Obama played his part in popularising it.
 
During the funeral of former South African leader, Nelson Mandela, Obama was in the spot for taking selfies, with among others the Danish premier, Helle Thorning-Schmidt. The culture has since gone viral. 
 
Vision Groups’, Urban Television has not been left out. The teenage and young adults targeting TV station has started its own campaign of taking the TV to its audience by calling on viewers to tell the Ugandan story through selfies.   
 
Angelo Izama, a producer at Urban TV, says the reason he and his team took this path was because selfies are the future of their audiences. He also believes it is easier to tell the Ugandan story through pictures. 
 
“The selfies project is much more about people sharing their pictures with us and ultimately help us change the way communication between TV and audiences is concerned. I also believe that the pictures will help u share some of the beautiful physical features that Uganda has to offer,” said Izama.
 
He added that Ugandans knew little about their own country because they travelled less and maintained very small communities.  
 
“Uganda is diverse, we have some of the most beautiful sceneries and water bodies. One way of exposing Uganda is by letting everybody contribute pictures of their adventures. There is no better way of telling our story than by crowd sourcing images from Ugandans,” he said.  
 
What is Urban Selfie?
 
Urban TV is for the young and hip and seeks to reflect the character of its audience, a majority of whom are under 28 years of age and live in an ever converged environment. The Urban Selfies project is meant to enable audiences to express themselves on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Google Plus will also be taken on soon. 
 
“The intention is to make the selfies an icon of the self-expression of this generation,” said Izama. 
 
Presently the major form of communication between the station and viewers is call-ins and posts on Facebook. The plan Selfie should turn around this trend because it will immediately put a picture to the message and soon offer video and audio capabilities. 
 
“The call in was trending in the early 1990s after the liberalisation of the airwaves in Uganda, it was a highlight of that generation. We need to move away from the FM era and start our own with the tools at our disposal. The smartphone will provide the avenue and Urban TV will avail the destination,” explained Izama.

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