ABSTRACT
This research
project examines the implications of news commercialization on management of
broadcast Media in Nigeria
with emphasis on NTA Enugu.
Thus, the
issue at stake on this topic is to find out what impact does news
commercialization has on the Mass audiences even when media claims to be the
watch dog of the society. Therefore,
media should be ready to accept the dangers posed by news commercialization and
such dangers include media questions on objectivity, professionalism, and
fairness now being undermined by limited access to news airtime.
The
educationist, sociologist, politicians, the Businessmen and even the religions
minded are all interested in this debate.
In this
research I decided to use survey research method ascertain the validity of various
hypothesis formulated.
The result of
this research will useful to students of Mass Communication Media experts,
government and the society at large.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
TITLE
PAGE II
APPROVAL PAGE III
DEDICATION IV
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT V
TABLE OF CONTENTS VIII
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 BACKGROUND TO STUDY 1
1.2 STATEMENT OF
PROBLEMS 4
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY 6
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF
STUDY 7
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 8
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 9
1.7 CONCEPTUAL AND
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION 11
1.8 OPERATIONAL
DEFINITION 12
1.9 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY 14
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW 15
2.1 SOURCES OF
LITERATURE 15
2.2 ORIGIN OF
COMMERCIALIZATION 15
2.3 SUMMARY OF
LITERATURE REVIEW 26
CHAPTER THREE
3.1 RESEARCH METHOD 27
3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN 28
3.3 RESEARCH SAMPLE 28
3.4 MEASURING INSTRUMENT 29
3.5 DATA COLLECTION 30
3.6 METHOD OF DATA
ANALYSIS 31
3.7 EXPECTED RESULT 32
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS 34
4.1 DATA ANALYSIS 34
4.2 RESULT FINDING 51
4.3 DISCUSSION 54
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR FURTHER STUDY
5.1 SUMMARY 57
5.2 RECOMMENDATION FOR
FURTHER STUDIES 60
5.3 CONCLUSION 61
APPENDIX (APPLICATION) 65
QUESTIONNAIRE AND INTERVIEW GUIDE 66
BIBLIOGRAPHY 63
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND TO THE
STUDY
The
advert of broadcasting in Nigeria
was Ushered in, in 1932 with the empire
services transmitted from the British Broadcasting Cor-operation, (BBC)
in Daventry, England, to entertain and inform the
Colonial masters.
Aso Stella – Joan Ebo (1994: 43 –
44). Further stated that Nigeria
Stations began to experiment with rediffusion sets. Then the Nigeria posts
and telegraphs department was authorized to work out plans for the distribution
of programmes to subscribers in Lagos,
Kona and Ibadan.
It was in the phase of this that
brought about the establishment of broadcast media outfit both Radio and
Television in Nigeria
which Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Enugu
was one of them.
Even since the inception of broadcast
media in the country, Ownership pattern shows that investment into the
establishment of the industry was the exclusive preserve of the Federal and
State Governments in Nigeria. This is the reason why NTA is owned both at
Federal Level and State Level.
That is to say that prior to Decree 38
of 1992, no private ownership was allowed in Nigeria.
But before then, the down turn in the
economy of this great nation brought with it certain changes. Some of these changes were mostly stringent,
that various government were always decrying, lack of money to prosecute their
programmes.
Electronic media organizations which
NTA Enugu is one of them is not exempted from- the area government was finding
difficult to spend the limited resources available to it. However, government saw media as organization
that can fund them if given the enabling resources.
Then, the government of General
Ibrahim Babangida through the amended Decree N0 25 of 1988 empowered the media
organization to engage in commercial broadcasting. This allows them to do partial commercial
broadcasting through which they would be augmenting the meager subvention that
would subsequently be coming from government.
This due to the drastically reduction
of subvention from the Federal Government to the media organization, the
broadcast media organization now embark on various ways of generating now
additional funds to enable them run their stations.
As planning and execution continued in
most of the broadcast stations, they discovered that before they can ever
generate what is near to the amount that can be enough to supplement their
meager subvention, they would have to market almost all their programmes. It is on this understanding that news
programmes were not left out, rather, they were also commercialized.
Therefore,
with news commercialization the media organizations started to charge money to
go on coverage and writing of some news items.
The media management now see news as a commodity, much like advertising
that can be traded for profit.
But, alas, how can this
commercialization trend be ranged against
societal information needs? If
the broadcast media air only paid news, what will this mean to media professionalism
and much need social surveillance?
The foregoing, thus, forms the basis
of this study.
STATEMENT
OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
Broadcast
media managers are well aware of their essential roles in society. They have been tutu red according to the best
strategies to Manage Social Information.
They are conversant with societal information needs. These forms their guidelines in Managing
media resources to produce media sole offering –information.
Initially the production of news
package in Nigeria Television Authority (NTA)
Enugu,
was based on the principle of items that are newsworthy. Also it was guided by what is ethical in
journalism profession and according to the house style of the organization.
The producers of new packages would
then go out to cover an assignment, and when they return they would write news
stories objectively. They were always
careful not to include in their news stories materials that were based on wrong
news principles. Also they avoided
writing or converting some stories to be newsworthy. As the guidance perceived the news stories
put out by Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Enugu with implicit confidence, the channel
enjoyed high credibility rating from them.
However, some serious questions
readily come to mind at this juncture.
With the introduction of news commercialization as a measure of
improving the financial standing of the organization, have news producers
remained objective?
Does the channel still enjoy the
confidence of the audience? Does it
still maintain the audience level it had before news commercialization?
How has this more affected the ethics
of the profession, and the newsworthiness of some of the materials that are
included in the news packages. What is
the current credibility rating of the station.
Does it generate substantial amount from commercial news stories to
justify its maintenance as a veritable source of income to it. Has this move not limited the amount of news
information that are disseminated to the consumers through news packages.
Mews commercialization has affected
the principle of news packages as a humanitarian service. This has led the sponsors of news stories
having some measures of control over he station. This they do through the understanding that
their news stories take precedence over unpaid ones.
As stated by Raph Efiong (1999:70) the
implication of commercializing news in the Nigeria media has effect on the
media credibility and consequences on the citizens participatory rights in the
communication media.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:
It is pertinent to find out in
this study to substantiate that news commercialization is unethical. It has caused out news producers to be
packaging some materials that are not news worthy as news stories. Also it has effected adversely the way and
manner in which out reporters go in search of news stories. Their manner of searching for news has been
constrained by the fact that some stories would have to be paid for. So any news story which has commercial value
and which is not paid for is usually dropped. They
are also affected by the fact that news stories, which have paid for, would
attract more prominence and detail than stories not paid for.
SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE STUDY:
The aim of
this study is to bring to the notice of the management the impact of their
decision to engage in news commercialization.
They will realize that their news packages are not
enjoying the confidence of their audience.
Also they will have to know that they have not been disseminating
adequate amount of information their audience members are expecting through
their news packages. The management will
later understand that this condition has adversely affected their credibility
rating.
The
journalists will realize the importance of maintaining their professional
standard in mews coverage and writing of news stories.
While on the other hand, the audience
will start to receive the type of news stories they have been expecting from
Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Enugu.
However, this will only become
possible if the management
rescinds
its policy of news commercialization.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Does news commercialization affect
negatively the level of confidence the audience have in Nigeria Television
Authority (NTA) Enugu
News packages.
Does news commercialization affect
negatively the standard of writing news stories in Nigeria Television Authority
(NTA), Enugu.
What
is the attitude of news producers to the idea of news commercialization.
Is Nigeria
Television Authority (NTA) Enugu
enjoying low level of audience viewer ship as a result of the news
commercialization.
Does
the preparation of news commercials lead the news producers into engaging in
unethical processes.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
HO The policy of commercialization of news in Nigeria
Television
Authority (NTA) Enugu, as a means of enhancing finances, has
not
In
any way adversely affected the objectivity of news producers in
News
writing.
H1 News commercialization as a means
of enhancing the financial
Standing of Nigeria Television
Authority (NTA) Enugu,
has
Adversely affected the objectivity of
news producers in news writing.
Ho News commercialization in NTA Enugu has not
contributed to the
Low credibility rating they enjoy.
H1 The credibility rating of NTA
Enugu has reached an all time low as
A result of the news
commercialization.
Ho Commercial
news stores in NTA Enugu, do not usually displace
humanitarian service news stories
H1 Nigeria
Television Authority (NTA) Enugu
commercial news stories
Usually
displace news stories that are humanitarian service.
Ho Finances
that come into the channel via news commercialization
justify
the continued maintenance of news commercialization policy
there.
H1 Incomes that accrue to the
station through news commercials are not
substantial enough to justify the
maintenance of commercialization
of news.
DEFINITION
OF TERMS
CONCEPTUAL
AND OPERATIONAL DEFINTION
It is very important that the meaning
of the topic at state is registers in the mind of the readers that is why I
decided to simplify for better comprehension/clarity.
NEWS: News or fresh information is reports of what
has recently
happened.
COMMERCIALIZATION: Financed by charges
made for
commercialization
advertisement in
programmes.
IMPACT: A powerful effect
that something has on a situation or person.
MANAGEMENT: The action or manner
of managing or control of things
or persons.
MEDIA: It is something
acting as an intermediate in sound between the
Aspirates and the tenures.
BROADCASTING: This is electronic
transmission of radio and television Signals designed for public consumption.
OPERATIONAL
DEFINITION
COMMERCIALIZATION: Commercialization of news in this context
means running or managing of mass media with a view of making profit through
information dissemination.
MANAGEMENT: This is the act of
Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing & controlling of something or
persons. For instance in media
organization such as Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Enugu.
IMPACT: This is the effect
which something or force that hit on a thing has for that. Thus, it is the effect which
commercialization of news has on the audience.
NEWS: This is timely
report, facts and opinion that has interest or importance or both on a
considerable number of people.
ASSUMPTIONS
It is assumed
that news commercialization will make the media to be class oriented. Because only those who can afford to pay will
be heard while majority who are poor will not, thereby making it a case of he
who pays the piper dictates the tune.
From the
above, it is assumed that the listener ship /viewer ship will fail because that
appeals to the majority are not telecasted neither area they given a look at.
The vast
majority of people in the rural areas shall be left out because they cannot pay
for their effectiveness.
Commercial
news stories normally displace humanitarian news stories.
It is equally
assumed that the reason while the media NTA decided to involve in
commercialization of news policy is because of financial problem facing it.
LIMITATIONS
OF STUDY
This research
work is limited to NTA Enugu due to financial/constraints.
Time is
another factor that is not in my side to enable me carryout similar research in
other states of the country.
However,
conscious effort will be made to carryout this study to the required standard
that will make it a reliable and dependable one. This is because I intend to base this study
on data correctly supplied by the respondents.
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