Problems and Prospect of Public Electronic Media in Nigeria (a Case Study of Nigerian Television Authority)
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study are;
- To ascertain the problem of public electronic media in Nigeria
- To ascertain the prospect of public electronic media in Nigeria
- To suggest possible solution to the highlighted problems.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Electronic Media
The history of electronic mass media starts with the invention of radio by Marconi. The first radio station was set up in Pittsburg, New York and Chicago in the 1920s. Following the USA, European countries also started radio stations for broadcasting news and entertainment content. The colonial powers like Briton and France set up radio stations in Asian and African countries in the early years of 20th century. The next step in electronic communication media history was the invention of cinema. Following cinema, television broadcasting was initiated in the US on experimental basis during 1920s. But, the dramatic impact of television as a mass medium began in 1950s. Parallel to these, recording industry also boomed in the western countries. In short, the term electronic media mainly include: Radio Movies Television Audio and Video records
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. ICTs are now one of the characteristic of world powers and many nations are making efforts to develop this sector but Nigeria is still politicizing her policy. It is sad that the Nigerian government is yet to fully define the purpose, principles and values which should animate her communication system. Perhaps this is the reason why Stein and Sinha (2006:425) advised that making these social choices (having a clear-cut ICT policy) would allow these decisions to be incorporated into technology and industry as they develop rather than forcing expensive and inefficient changes later.
Cost of New Media Technologies
A challenge in using the new media in public service is the fact that new media technologies are very expensive. This is a major limitation to the use of the new media technologies as advertising channels in digital television as it increases the cost of producing and running commercials. In developing countries like Nigeria, the high cost of exchange rate is affecting the cost of these new media technologies because majority of them are from Europe and Asia. In Nigeria for example, the current exchange rate of about N560 to $1 in the parallel market (as at the time of writing this paper) is simply alarming. This alarming rate obviously affects the purchase of new media technologies.
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 problems and prospect of public electronic media in Nigeria
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 or things. The researcher is interested in getting information the problems and prospect of public electronic media in Nigeria. 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.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain problems and prospect of public electronic media in Nigeria. 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 of problems and prospect of public electronic media in Nigeria
Summary
This study was on problems and prospect of public electronic media in Nigeria. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain the problem of public electronic media in Nigeria, to ascertain the prospect of public electronic media in Nigeria and to suggest possible solution to the highlighted problems. 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 director, administrative staff, editors and broadcasters 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 utilised.
Recommendation
- 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.
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