Like most Corporate Organisations, TELL Communications Limited, which today is one of Nigeria’s leading publishing companies, had a humble beginning. Though the company was incorporated in 1989, its first edition, TELL weekly magazine, arrived the newsstands on April 8, 1991. The coming of TELL into the Nigerian news business market marked a new dawn in journalism practice in the country. Since then, the company has not looked back.

TELL magazine changed the face of investigative journalism in Nigeria. Its founding editors at inception set some cardinal principles for themselves, key amongst which was that they will tell their stories exactly as it is, and ensure balanced reporting by giving opportunity to all those involved to also state their side of any story. More importantly they pledged to uphold the rights of the citizen and uphold the rule of law by crusading for equity, justice and fairness. These are no mean assignments. No sooner had all these lofty ideals been set, than the magazine and its editors found themselves in the trenches, fighting the military dictatorship of General Ibrahim Babangida until a coalition of groups forced him to step aside on 27 August, 1993. The “war” against the military continued under another despot General Sani Abacha, who took over the reigns of government from the unelected Interim National Government, ING, of Chief Ernest Shonekan. Those were indeed dark days in the life of the company.

TELL magazine changed the face of investigative journalism in Nigeria. Its founding editors at inception set some cardinal principles for themselves, key amongst which was that they will tell their stories exactly as it is, and ensure balanced reporting by giving opportunity to all those involved to also state their side of any story. More importantly they pledged to uphold the rights of the citizen and uphold the rule of law by crusading for equity, justice and fairness. These are no mean assignments. No sooner had all these lofty ideals been set, than the magazine and its editors found themselves in the trenches, fighting the military dictatorship of General Ibrahim Babangida until a coalition of groups forced him to step aside on 27 August, 1993. The “war” against the military continued under another despot General Sani Abacha, who took over the reigns of government from the unelected Interim National Government, ING, of Chief Ernest Shonekan. Those were indeed dark days in the life of the company.

It is on this pedestal that TELL Communications Limited built a reputation for itself (as it’s now dubbed the people’s parliament) and its products. TELL has become Nigeria’s largest, independent weekly newsmagazine. It is this same doggedness, integrity, and the upholding of the ethics of the profession and good business practices (good corporate governance policy) that established the TELL brand. The magazine fought on the side of the people and the people were quite appreciative of its efforts and the price that the editors and the management of the company had to pay. This was highly rewarded by a grateful citizenry with the magazine recording unprecedented volumes in sales. What later came to be known as guerilla journalism or underground publishing.

The magazine fought on the side of the people and the people were quite appreciative of its efforts and the price that the editors and the management of the company had to pay. This was highly rewarded by a grateful citizenry with the magazine recording unprecedented volumes in sales.
It is on this pedestal that TELL Communications Limited built a reputation for itself (as it’s now dubbed the people’s parliament) and its products. TELL has become Nigeria’s largest, independent weekly newsmagazine. It is this same doggedness, integrity, and the upholding of the ethics of the profession and good business practices (good corporate governance policy) that established the TELL brand.[/tab]

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Due to its high level of integrity, good corporate governance, and high ethical conduct, members of the public have come to build tremendous trust in the company and its products. It is this that has now established the TELL brand. The public reposes a high level of confidence in products that come from the company. It is taken as given that once the TELL name is on it, the issue of quality is settled. This fact is better reinforced by a close look at the second title in the company’s stable Broad Street Journal, BSJ, Nigeria ‘s most authoritative business newsmagazine. This magazine is the leader in its segment in the market. It is already attracting the attention of key decision makers in the business community and advertising patronage is on the increase. The magazine is breaking into markets that other business magazines before it have not been able to penetrate.

Just recently, The Economist chose her as a media partner for its conferences in Nigeria and other parts of the world. It has become the reference point from which business leaders monitor happenings in the business community.
TELL Nigeria ‘s largest independent newsmagazine is the company’s flagship. It is a serious newsmagazine that caters for the needs of the key segments of the society, namely; leaders in government, politics and business; upwardly mobile individuals (that need to keep abreast of developments in the socio-political and economic landscape of the country); opinion leaders; key decision makers in public and private life; the youths and students in general, who all equally need to have access to concise, informative and educative materials.
The language is simple, the style is lucid and easy to read without too much strain to the eye. The design/graphics planning and layout is generally appealing to the reading public. TELL pioneered the all-colour, high premium glossy magazine. As a product, TELL is above the pack, and this has won it many awards/laurels in its more than 18 years of existence.

Some of these include:

Nigerian Media Merit Award, NMMA, Newsmagazine of the Year award Won 14 times
Diamond Awards for Media Excellence, DAME, Magazine of the Year award Won 7 times
DAME Best Designed Magazine of the Year award Won 19 times -Amnesty International (UK) Press Award,
Pakistani Government Silver plate medal -Nigerian Print and Graphics Association – magazine of the year print production award -Industrial and General Insurance Company, IGI, Media Excellence Award; and others too numerous to mention.

The magazine’s reporters/journalists have also won many fellowships and awards locally and internationally.

Some of these include:

CNN: Best African Journalist of the Year award (several times).
The Alfred Friendly Fellowship award, USA. (Several times).

Broad Street Journal Top notch high premium business magazine, no doubt a clear market leader. Pioneer of the all colour, all gloss printing format, these unique selling points USP kept it at the top of the pack. It boasts of a readership profile encompassing all professions at both executive and top management level. The quality of stories in its reportage and clear cut analysis have made it reader friendly. The magazine has won about 15 national media awards within a short span of only two years. Thirteen Nigerian Media Merit Awards, NMMA, BBC Trust Fund Awards across all segments of business reporting attest to the quality of the magazine as a premium product.[/tab]

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President/Editor-in-Chief: Nosa Igiebor
Vice president/Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Dele Omotunde, Onome Osifo-Whiskey
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Executive Editor, Publications: Wola Adeyemo

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Chief Operating Officer: Dejo Oyawale
Executive Editor, CA $ BD:Adekunbi Ero (Benin City)

Director, Library Services: Idowu Awoyinfa
Director, Production: Emmanuel Bodemeh
AGM, Accounts: Yusuf Isiaka
AGM, Audit: Oludele Oyewole
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