Behind the Microphone Mensur Abdulkeni’s Legacy in Ethiopian Sports Media

Mensur Abdulkeni is a renowned Ethiopian football journalist, producer, and radio host. He is the producer and football analyst of a daily radio show called Bisrat Sport on Bisrat FM 101.1, which airs daily except Saturdays. Mensur also serves as a match-day analyst for live football games on the same station alongside popular commentator Messle Mengistu. In a career spanning more than two decades, Mensur has served as the founder and editor of Ethio Sports newspaper and, more recently, as the editor-in-chief of the French TV channel Canal+ Sport Ethiopia. EBR’s Dr. Brook Genene recently spoke with one of the best football journalists in the country.

After winning the first edition of the media award, Mensur Abdulkeni stated, “I am a football journalist, but Solomon Gebregziabher, who handed me the award, is a true sports journalist.” This is something Mensur has emphasized many times. He has been a football journalist for more than 20 years, with a career spanning newspaper, radio, and TV work. He is now also broadcasting his daily show and additional content via his YouTube channel, which has more than 260,000 subscribers.

“No one can say they don’t want recognition. It’s nice for your work to be acknowledged,” he told EBR. The first inauguration of the media award was conducted by gathering public votes and incorporating the opinions of veteran media experts who were crucial in the decision-making process.

Mensur states that these types of awards keep motivation strong. “I have seen both praise and sometimes criticism on social media. I usually don’t read the comments unless I’m looking for audience opinions for the program,” he adds.

The media award has caused some controversy among the public. Some people have stated that the categories and the selection process for professionals needed to be more appropriate. Mensur says he is familiar with recognition, but that’s not why he does this job. “I was praised at Addis Ababa Stadium by both St. George and Ethiopia Bunna fans, but it’s always good to be careful when it comes to these things,” he states.

As someone who has spent many years in the field, he explains that the media dynamics have been changing rapidly during this time and emphasizes the importance of keeping up with the times.

“There were no advanced software programs when we used to write newspapers. I also worked as a design editor in addition to being a news editor, and the software I used during that time has been replaced by much better ones now,” Mensur explains.

When he talks about his time as editor-in-chief of Ethio Sports newspaper, he recalls how demanding and stressful the work was. “Selling the newspaper was the most important part of our income. We didn’t have many advertisers or any other organizations supporting us. The stress of working in that environment was immense, and I had employees affected by it,” he tells EBR.

Some people have criticized Mensur for focusing predominantly on European football in his programs. He explains that times have changed. “In the newspaper, our content used to be 50-50 in regards to local and international football. Even then, there were comments saying the foreign content was too much.” He notes that the current audience wants international coverage. “We are a commercial media outlet, so our content is audience-oriented. According to a poll we ran, 74% of football fans support either Manchester United or Arsenal. I can’t reach all the audience, but I believe I have most of them,” he adds.

Mensur explains that the rapid trajectory of media will continue. “I believe radio will be dead in the next five years. In European media, radio is still going strong. Because of traffic jams, people listen to programs. They also have podcasts and different options,” he states. He believes that enduring the hardships of newspaper work has made today’s job easier. “It was like passing through Mount Sinai,” he says of his days as a print journalist.

He understands the need for the media to change when the generation changes. “Many people have left the profession because of the rapid change,” he says. It is hard to remain relevant in an age when the audience gets the information faster than the media professionals.

Mensur’s journey to broadcast media started with a weekly program called Talk Football on FM Addis 97.1. “Talk Football was the first free talk program on the radio. It was based on news that happened over the week, but that type of format doesn’t apply now,” he says.

“I am grateful that people want to hear what I say after watching games. I am telling them what they have seen, but they still value my opinion,” he tells EBR. Mensur acknowledges that watching all games or covering all leagues is impossible. He adds that he will leave the profession when he becomes bored with football. “We stay for four hours while doing live commentary on the radio. Watching games during live commentary and at home is very different,” Mensur explains, emphasizing the dedication needed for this job.

Mensur agrees that there is an influx of information in this day and age. “The more internet connectivity increases in Ethiopia, the less people will wait for your content. Only if the news is exclusive will it be something no one can take away from you.”

He believes that he has succeeded in predicting what the future of football media would look like. “At Ethio Sports, we didn’t write news articles for long because there were many newspapers. We started writing feature articles. I knew we would reach this point even then. The major established media platforms are now using the type of format we used back in the day. We also worked on statistical pieces,” he states.

While discussing the downsides of social media, he states that it gives a false sense of importance to citizen journalists while professionals face abuse. “The comments can be destructive for young and upcoming journalists. There are journalists who don’t sleep because they receive abusive comments,” he says.

“I think Ethiopian football journalism is half-baked. Many journalists haven’t been mentored by experienced professionals, so when they are not guided, they are prone to errors,” Mensur says about the current state of the profession in the country.

He mentions a term he likes that describes some of the bad practices in journalism: “McDonald journalism.” He explains that information gets distributed without proper due diligence. He also discusses the spread of plagiarism and misinformation.

Mensur states that he did investigative pieces while at Ethio Sports. He mentions the case of an Ethiopian national team player named Zecharias Tefera, who falsely claimed to have played for the French side Bastia while representing the Ethiopian national team. He was even awarded a piece of land after the national team’s victory in the CECAFA competitions. Mensur notes that it took him six months to correspond with the club and expose the player.

He advises young journalists not to be quick to post things without verification. Although still determining how his professional career will progress, he is open to exploring new mediums like TikTok. “I have been trying to decide whether to start posting content on TikTok or not,” he says. The one thing that holds him back is the toxicity he sees on various social media platforms. “Maybe I am old school, but social media doesn’t align with the way I was raised,” he states. EBR

12th Year • September 2024 • No. 133