ABSTRACT
This project is based on the theoretical and practical
study of the media ownership on professionalism.
In this
work, I revaluate the two types of the media-that is, government ownership and
private ownership (Minaji System Television Obosi and Nigerian Television
Authority Enugu) with a view to recommending a more effective ownership that
is, the type of ownership that is geared towards attaining professionalism in
media operations.
Professionalism
in media operation could be achieved by properly training and motivating media
practitioners. The ownership pattern of
our media goes a long way in determining the rate of professionalism in media
operation. Different chapter of this
talks more on this topic.
In
summary, media ownership i.e. government or private could be of help in
boosting the rate of professionalism by setting out media polices and ethics
that will guide the journalists or media practitioners in their duties.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I
will firstly than God Almighty for the strength he gave me to be able to write
this project.
And
also, special thank goes to my elder brother Eng Ilondu Peter for him moral and
financial support throughout my staying in school may God reward him abundantly
and to my elder brother Mr. Stanley Ezenga and the family for their
assisting. And also special gratitude
goes to my beloved Sisters Mrs. Amaka Chikwendu, Mrs. Pat Okakpu and Miss
Nwannka Ezenga for there mutual advice may Almighty God provide them their need
abundantly.
My special
honour goes to my supervisor, Mr. Ben Agbo for supervising me from the
beginning to the final stage of this project.
And also my regard to Mr. Odoh for him helps let me not forget people
like Mr. Walfer Nnaji. The Manager for
News and Current Affairs in NTA Enugu and the General Manager of MINAJI System
Television Obosi for their directing and supporting during the research of this
project.
Finally,
to Mr. Ifeanyi Agwuneha for him advice and financial help throughout my writing
of this project, may God reward him abundantly in all he does. And to Okechukwu Chukwudike for him kindness
may God lead him through in Jesus name Amen.
I sincerely
wish to thanks all those whose names are not mentioned but contribute to the
success of this project, May God bless you all.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE II
APPROVAL PAGE III
DEDICATION IV
ABSTRACT V
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT VII
TABLE OF CONTENTS VIII
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION 1
1.1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 1
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM 6
1.3
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 7
1.4
RESEARCH QUESTION 7
1.5
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES 8
1.6
CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL DEFINITION10
1.7
ASSUMPTIONS 11
1.8
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY 12
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF
THE LITERATURE 14
2.1
SOURCES OF LITERAATURE 14
2.2
SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW 20
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY 22
3.1
RESEARCH METHOD 22
3.2
RESEARCH DESIGN 23
3.3
RESEARCH SAMPLE 23
3.4
MEASURING INSTRUMENT 23
3.5
DATA COLLECTION 23
3.6
DATA ANALYSIS 23
3.7
EXPECTED RESULTS 25
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA
ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
4.1
DATA ANYALYSIS 26
4.2
DATA ANALYSIS 26
4.3
RESULTS 33
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1
SUMMARY 38
5.2
RECOMMENDATIONS 39
REFERENCE 47
APPENDIX
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
From its inception, in the pre-independence era, the
electronic media
Industry had been established to cater for the pleasure
of entertaining and information the colonial masters and its subjects. It is noteworthy that apart from providing
entertainment for colonial masters and their subjects, the existed as a vital
tools in running the day to day activities of government.
In 1977, following the decision of the Federal Military
Government to take over all the Television Stations in the country, later,
Anambra Broadcasting Co-operation outfit became what is now known as Nigerian
Television Authority (NTA Channel 8 Enugu) Enugu State. NTA Channel 8 Enugu, Broadcast on the vision
high frequency (VHF) spectrum from its Independent Layout Studio, and it has a
295-metre mast a lokilowatts solid-state digital transmitter at the Abor hills
in Udi, Local Government Area of Enugu, Enugu State. It has the State of the Art facilities and
studio. It covers thirteen State of the
Federation.
This early
arrangement market the beginning of dependency of these media stations on
government, which as a result affected their function and independence.
The
management of NTA Channel 8 Enugu, a government owned media and others like it,
till date, still thinks that it is their legitimate function to project and
served as the mouth piece of the government.
This is because as the saying goes that “he who pays the piper-dictates
the tune†NTA Enugu always slick to the dictates of the government in power if
it must survive. Since its concept of
freedom of disseminating information, has been mortgage by the financial
dependency of these media on government it does not broadcast anti-government
news. Rather it is often supportive of
the government initiatives and various mobilization campaigns by sleeting and
emphasizing these campaigns in the news.
At times it goes further to do special reports to highlight problem
areas for government attention.
Apart from
the colonial set-up in the history of ownership, Ownership of Mass Media in the
Federal Republic of Nigeria has been facilitated by the Nigeria constitution. In the
Nigerian constitution, section 36, sub sections 1-3 put it thus “It provide for
everyone the right to establish and operate any opinions, provided that only
government at the federal and state level or other person or body authorized by
the president shall be outfitted to establish or operate a wireless broadcast
medium. And in 1992, the then Military
Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babanigida promulgated a decree
allowing private individual participation in the ownership of electronic media.
The aim
for liberalizing the electronic media were basically for two main reasons.
Firstly, to fin the gaps in government owned reportage and secondly to generate
profit reward for the financiers enterprise.
Privatization gave birth to the following media outfit Minaji Systems
Radio/Lagos/TV. African Independent Television
Ibadan /Lagos degree broadcasting network Murhi
International Television (MITV) Lagos
to mention but a few.
Minaji
System Television (MST) 43 VHF Obosi, MST 41, Lagos/Abuja is the first private
Television Station sited Obosi in the Eastern Regional market with its high
level of commercial and industrial entrepreneurship activities and purchasing
power. Minaji System Television
On VHF 43 is transmitting from a mast height of 345
metres, a kilowatts solid-state transmitter with power amplifier cooling system
it started test transmission in December 1994.
It covers the whole of Anambra, Abia, Imo, Delta, Edo and part of Enugu, Rivers and kogi State. Unlike the NTA Channel 8 Enugu, which is
owned and controlled by the government, Minaji System Television (MST)
operations are independent of government.
The government does not determine the programmers that are carried on
this medium because of this relative freedom.
It is possible for it to comment critically and more objectively on
government matters than the media owned by the government. This forms the basis for the government. This forms the basis for the audience greater
confidence in the privately owned media as a more credible media. There is a higher standard which privately
owned media (Minaji) strive at which is public confidence as a means to
advertising gains.
The NTA
Channel 8 Enugu being a government medium has some effects on its staff
performance due to the following. Lack
of training of staff, most of the staff in NTA Enugu, Enugu has never enjoyed
any kind of training workshop or seminar, according to an anonymous staff it is
done on higher grade level or those that have God Fathers that are allowed to
go, thus omission he says seriously affect the poor performance of staff. Take minaji system for instance due to the
frequent training given to the staff, their performance cannot be compared to
NTA in terms of presentation, maintained of equipment and managerial ability
etc.
Poor
motivation by the employers because of the hazardous nature of the job
performed by broadcasters, it is vital that they should be adequately
motivated, through the new management of the NTA Channel 8 Enugu is trying but
unlike Minaji System Television (MST) who pays their staff attractive
remuneration to up lift their morals, so as to be motivated.
NTA Enugu
fund it difficult to motivated there staff both in prompt payment of salary
promotion etc. We should also note that
the salaries of these working in government media like NTA Enugu is very poor. Constant interference to the objectivity of
the media content since government owned media are not independence, the
objectivity of the media content are always interfered upon by the government
or its agent.
In the
aspect of crisis reporting for example the Odi Crsis in Bayelsa State
when army killed raped and burnt a whole village NTA Channel 8 will try to be
less keen as possible in reporting it while Minaji does better in carrying and
reporting such news. Also most employees
of government media for instance lost their job simple because activities only
to withheld objectives.
Conversely,
the objective of profit making seriously limit the chances of all kind of news
going on screen since the organization tries to achieve credibility among its
audience for commercial profit. While
sanctions on the privately owned media for over critical reportage comes inform
of revocation of license and closure of the media or total suspension of the
manager of news (Editor) reports or the general manager.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
It has
always been claimed by people in government and private that both government
and private owner do not interfere with the activities of the media, yet
non-conformity to the policies of the owners have always resulted in the
immediate dismissed of journalist from their duties.
How true
is the observation that the attitudes of those journalist of ten conflict with
those of the executives who delegates the job to gather and write news for them
the big problem now is how the owners policies influence the performance of the
mass media practitioners. Thus assertion
is going to be resolved after proper analysis of the research data to find out
the truth.
1.3
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
In the
researchers decided to embark on this study on my personal observations from
the mass media contents especially here in Nigerian. In this study, I shall look into the problem
of ownership that is government and privately owned media.
This study
therefore aims at finding out the influence of ownership of the media on the
rate of professionalism in the media operations.
In the
study also, my emphasis would be on the government and privately owned media
these are Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Channel 8 Enugu and Minaji System
Television (MST) on (VHF) 43 Obosi, though, the two serve are the same
political master.
1.4
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The importance of the study is
very important to the society because the mass media influence and motivate
attitude change as well as the formation of individual attitude in the
society. The society will benefit from
the study in selecting the information that are worth while from those that are
not.
The
importance of this study also centers around the benefits to the society as
well as to the media through which the information came to them, they have a
different reaction to the story compared to when they do not know the report of
this study will place them at such a height from where they can distinguish
between objectivity and slanting of news items.
1.5
STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH QUESTION
1.
Does ownership affect the performance of the media
practitioners?
2.
Privately owned media fill the information gap skipped
by the government owned media?
3.
Does the policy of a particular medium determine the
mediums and its practitioner out put?
4.
Can the interest of a medium influence the medium and
its practitioner’s style of reporting.
1.6
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES AND NULL
H1 Ownership
affects the performance of the media practitioners.
Ho Ownership
does not affect the performance of the media practitioners.
H2 Privately
owned media fill the information gap skipped by the
Government
owned media.
Ho Privately
owned media do not fill the information gap skipped by the
Government
owned media.
H3. The policy of a particular medium will determine
that mediums and its practitioner out put.
Ho. The policy of a particular medium cannot
determine that mediums and its practitioner out put.
H3. The interest of a media owner can influence
the media’s and its practitioner’s style of reporting.
Ho. The interest of a media owner cannot
influence the media’s and its practitioner style of reporting.
1.7
CONCEPTUAL DEFINTION OF THE VARIABLES MEDIA
OWNERSHIP
Right of
possession especially by law for somebody or body of persons who own a channel
(Radio, Television and News Paper) thought which information is transmitted.
MEDIA POLICY
Media
policy means a plan of action of the media.
REPORTING STYLE
This
means the manner of reporting of the media.
PERFORMANCE
This is
conceptually defined as the act of performing.
OPERATIONAL DEFINTION OF THE VARIABLE MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Government
owned: This includes all news
organization owned and controlled by the government e.g. NTA Enugu, F.R.C.N
ESBS Enugu.
Privately
owned: This includes those news
organization owned and controlled by private individual e.g. Minaji System
Television/Radio, Dengue Broadcasting Network (DBN) African Independent
Television, Ray Power, Murhu International Television.
MEDIA POLICY
This is
the various aims and ideals of media made by its owners.
REPORTING STYLE
Reporting
style is the various kinds of accepted ways of reporting events.
PERFORMANCE
This is
various kinds of output of the media by its practitioners.
1.8
ASSUMPTION
Let assume that government need
publicity and to achieve this, they
report to establishing their own medium of communication
so as to enable them voice out their feelings.
It is also
assume that some private owners of the media establish them to make profit and
to promote self and to some extent render public services.
And also
assumed that government want to suppress the voices of opposition altogether.
Assumed
also, is the fact that politician establish their own media to sell their
political ideologies, while use theirs to support political parties.
1.9 LIMITATION
OF THE STUDY
The number
of media houses to be sampled for this study may not be enough to give the true
picture of media activities in Nigerian.
Time
factor is another problem that hundred us and because of it we could not go
further for more facts.
Another
problem I investigated was that of people giving the questionnaires they were
biased in supplying answers and in sincere.
And lastly
because of financial constraints more media, house and practitioner could not
be sampled.
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