SOURCE:

Faculty: Social Sciences
Department: Mass Communication

CONTRIBUTORS:

Morah D. Ngozi
Ekwenchi C. Ogochukwu

ABSTRACT:

This work investigates patterns in the use of new media technologies in the newsrooms of nine broadcasting stations - Dream FM, Enugu; Hot FM, Owerri; Imo Broadcasting Corporation; Anambra Broadcasting Service; Enugu State Broadcasting Service; Madonna FM, Okija; Rhema FM, Aba; Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation; and Broadcasting Corporation Abia - located in the South East region of Nigeria. The investigation becomes imperative in view of the challenges media houses face, including the absence of data on the extent of use of these technologies, the attitude of practitioners to the use, factors militating against the use, and lack of newsroom policy specific to the tools of journalism practice, amongst others. The research adopted the mixed methods, anchored on the framework of technology acceptance model and diffusion of innovation theory to determine how the deployment of the new media technology has contributed to the broadcast media news production. Findings show that the use of the new media technologies is generally incipient, with differentials spread across the nine stations. Contrary to popular expectation, social media contents are not used as sources of news by reporters while some stations combine the old and new media technologies as a means of getting round the workplace challenges. The study recommends new media literacy training and proactive retraining of broadcasters, editors and other professionals to shape their values with regard to the use of new media technologies in news production and management. The Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) can speed this up by inserting a clause in its provisions that make an appreciable level of new media literacy and full digitization of broadcast operation conditions for granting broadcast licences. These recommendations are captured by a model created at the intersection of media sociology and ecology.