Challenges Facing the Media in Dissemination of Information
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The research work tends to know
1. If political interest or sentiment imposes serious threat to effective disseminating information on NTA?
2. If economic factor takes precedence in the coverage of program by NTA?
3. If technology factor restricts NTA from disseminating information to its target audience.
4. If the level of literacy of the audience help NTA in gathering and reporting issues of the day.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
NEW MEDIA AND BROADCASTING IN NIGERIA
Public Service Broadcasting in Nigeria has continued to grow immensely in line with global trends despite strong infrastructural challenges. Communicating with a mass audience is not totally strange in Nigeria (Nwanne, 2016). The use of these new media technologies in the broadcast industry in Nigeria today can be largely attributed to the deregulation of the industry by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida in 1992. According to Udeajah (2004:164) the deregulation of the broadcasting sector was a landmark achievement in Nigeria as it gave constitutional backing to the private ownership of broadcasting stations which was formerly an exclusive right of the government. In Nigeria today, there is no doubt that the stiff competition in the broadcast industry is as a result of the private broadcast stations trying to effectively compete with the public or government owned stations with their modern sophisticated digital broadcasting equipment. The government stations on their part have started to take the lead by digitalizing their stations to modern world standards with a view to facing the challenges of modern broadcasting propelled by the new media technologies. This also affirms the stand of the National Broadcasting Commission in stipulating that by the year 2017, all broadcasting stations and equipment still in analogue, must be phased out of the country; as such, Nigeria transited from analogue to digital television viewing on April 30, 2016 in the city of Jos, the Plateau State Capital when it launched the pilot phase of the Federal Government’s digital transmission project that kick started the digitisation process in Nigeria. The reason for this may not be unconnected with the idea of the regulatory body to ensure that the opportunities which the new media technologies herald as well as the challenges they pose on the broadcasting industry are taken and maximized for the optimum use of the citizens of Nigeria.
CHALLENGES OF NEW MEDIA IN PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING IN NIGERIA
Despite all the outstanding roles of new media, certain barriers still militates against their effective and efficient use especially in Nigeria. It therefore becomes imperative to examine these barriers. Today, in Nigeria, a number of barriers are militating against the effective use of the unique benefits the new media in broadcasting. Some of these problems arise because of the features and characteristics of some of the new media technologies, some, are economic while others, arise out of ignorance
Absence of Clear-cut Policies
It is the policy of many developed and developing nations to place much emphasis on modern Information and Communication Technologies as a way of remaining relevant in the global village of today. In the case of Nigeria, much effort is now paid to the development and usage of these modern technologies. Although the Information and Communication Technology Policy of the Federal Government states this, it is sad to say that it has remained a paper policy ever since it was adopted by the government.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to challenges facing the media in dissemination of information
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information on challenges facing the media in dissemination of information. 200 staff of NTA, Abuja were selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
DATA ANALYSIS
The data collected from the respondents were analyzed in tabular form with simple percentage for easy understanding.
A total of 133(one hundred and thirty three) questionnaires were distributed and 133 questionnaires were returned.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain challenges facing the media in dissemination of information. In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges facing the media in dissemination of information
Summary
This study was on challenges facing the media in dissemination of information. Four objectives were raised which included: If political interest or sentiment imposes serious threat to effective disseminating information on NTA, If economic factor takes precedence in the coverage of program by NTA, If technology factor restricts NTA from disseminating information to its target audience, If the level of literacy of the audience help NTA in gathering and reporting issues of the day. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 staff of NTA, Abuja. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made HRMs, production manager, senior staff and junior staff were used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
Broadcasting is a worthwhile venture if creatively and tactically managed. This management of modern broadcasting in Nigeria’s public service broadcasting can be successful if channeled through the right new media technologies with a blend of the old media. As a result of the new media, there is the need to determine whether Practitioners in the Nigerian public service broadcasting sector understand the new media technologies as an indispensable tool meant for their effective operations, find out what really constitutes the new media technologies in the broadcast industry, unveiling the advantages the new media technologies hold for the broadcast sector in Nigeria, as well as ascertaining how public service broadcast practitioners in Nigeria perceive the new media; and to know those problems militating against the acceptance or acquisition of the new media in Nigeria. The most public service broadcast stations in Nigeria are still transmitting on analogue broadcast equipment. There is the need to urgently equip the public service broadcasting stations with new media facilities which are capable of placing them in the same pedestal as their counterparts in Africa and other developing countries of the world if properly utilized
Recommendation
The following recommendations are made:
- Nigerian public service broadcasters should fully embrace and adapt to the use of new media technologies in other to fully remain relevant in the industry.
- That for the dream of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on the phasing out of analogue broadcasting equipment to be realised in 2017, the commission must step up efforts geared at ensuring that broadcasting stations acquire standard facilities capable of putting Nigeria’s broadcasting industry in the same pedestal as its counterparts globally.
- To ensure effective and maximum utilisation of new media technologies in the public service broadcasting, efforts should be made by the relevant stakeholders to ensure that broadcasters in the public service are trained properly on how to use digital broadcasting equipment.
- Government as a matter of policy must ensure that there is total removal of all barriers militating against the acquisition of new media facilities for broadcasting in public service broadcasting.
- Public service broadcasters, directors, producers and other key personnel in public service broadcasting should be trained on the recent technological innovations with regards to the use of Internet, computer and satellites; and have a grounded knowledge of the New Media.
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