MULTIMEDIA CONVERGENCE IN BROADCASTING IN NIGERIA’S DIGITAL ECONOMY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CHANNELS AND ARISE NEWS

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MULTIMEDIA CONVERGENCE IN BROADCASTING IN NIGERIA’S DIGITAL ECONOMY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CHANNELS AND ARISE NEWS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Homo sapiens do communicate to meet needs and maintain relationships (Baran, 2012; Biagi, 2012; Dominicks, 2015). They have, over time, devised various means to sustain this activity (Sambe, 2005; Gbam, 2017; Turow, 2017). Information dissemination has gone through seven phases since the discovery of the Egyptian papyrus at Mesopotamia in 3000 BC. These are the invention of language, typing/printing, the radio, television, computers, information/communication technologies (ICTs), and the internet (Emwinromwankhoe, 2018a; Turow, 2017).

Peter, 2018). For instance, it was a common sight to find scores gather in a house to watch the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Network News at 9:00 p.m. or listen to the 7:00 a.m. news on the network service of Radio Nigeria.

When major sports competitions such as the World Cup or Olympics were on, it was common to see persons converge on strategic locations to catch the sights and sounds of the games.

Suffice it to say that going by the ephemeral nature of these media, the audience found it an incredibly impossible task to record the disseminated messages for future use. It was such that if one missed the 9:00 p.m. NTA Network News, then one had missed a whole lot as there were very slim chances of watching it in future – except the station, for some reason, decided to air it again. The dictum – ‘the radio only speaks once’ – was famous at the time. The content of these traditional media was mostly linear and unidirectional as the audiences became dumping grounds for news and reports. In recent times, however, the status quo has changed. With the introduction of new media technologies such as the internet, laptops, smartphones, tablets, iPhones, iPods, Xbox, to name a few, as well as the proliferation of digital devices, there have been tremendous disruptions in the nature, structure, and landscape of broadcasting across the globe (Pavlik, 2005; Pavlik, 2015; Kalamar, 2016; Kipkirui, 2016). The old (or traditional) broadcast media and the new media have fused, giving birth to what is technically known as media convergence. As a consequence, the audiences of broadcast messages are no more dormant and have become citizen journalists or broadcast news ‘produsers’ (Erdal, 2007; Chao-Chen, 2013; Kalamar, 2016).

Today, there are no clear distinctions between private (telecommunication) and public (broadcasting) communication, nor are there distinctions between the character of the message or the equipment used to produce, transmit or receive the message (OECD, 2013). This development exists because such devices as the smartphone, an iPhone, or tablet are capable and available to record, edit, package, and disseminate a broadcast content.

Broadcast audiences also do not have to stay close to the “box” (radio set) in order to receive radio messages anymore, neither do they need to stay glued to their television sets in order to watch television programs (Adeyeye et al., 2020) With just a click on a device such as a smartphone, they can live stream the broadcast program online – even when they are miles away from their houses. The dictum that “the radio only speaks once” has been demystified as the news consumer can simultaneously listen to and record a broadcast, or download it and reuse it. The consumer in question can also visit YouTube weeks, months, or even years later, to access the uploaded content.

This multimedia information superhighway, as Agba (2002) describes it, has completely revolutionized the entire process of producing and distributing broadcast content. The internet’s capability of distributing information usable for broadcast programs is awe-inspiring (Owuamalam, 2008; Mathew, Ogedebe & Abaya, 2013). Taylor (2015), the Secretary-

General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization, sums it up this way:

The internet today has become a viable delivery mechanism for audio and video broadcast services, whether it is live programs, social media, or ondemand services … It provides consumers today with unprecedented opportunities – to choose how they watch the programs – either through traditional ‘linear’ broadcast of a news bulletin or by instant access to individual news items as may be determined by the user rather than the news editor. (p. 14)

The internet, therefore, has made convergence possible. It has blurred the differences that exist between the old broadcast media and the new broadcast media and created a meeting point or an alignment for them. Thus, we not only have traditional radio and traditional television stations, but we also have internet radio and internet television. With convergence, local, national and international broadcast stations not only engage in traditional linear broadcasting but also have links through which their audiences can access their broadcast messages online. Convergence has also triggered significant changes in the way and manner in which broadcast audiences consume content with the availability of new platforms and portable devices. Nowadays, broadcast messages can be provided on multiple platforms such as analog or digital terrestrial broadcasts, satellite, cable or Internet Protocol (IP), and Overthe-Top (OTT) television (Olley, 2009; OECD, 2013; Kipkirui, 2016). With convergence, the definition of broadcasting is rapidly changing (Erdal, 2007; Obaje, 2018).

As a result of the enormous transformations that convergence has brought to broadcasting, the attention of media scholars across the globe has increasingly been drawn to the influence of convergence on broadcasting practice (Pavlik, 2005; Khan, Shalid& Ahmad, 2014). The debate is two-sided. Some scholars (Adoni Nossek, 2001; Menezes & Carvalho, 2009; Chao-Chen, 2013; Turow, 2014; Taylor, 2015; Uba,

2017) argue that convergence has a positive influence on broadcasting practice. The premise of their argument is that convergence has led to more fabulous markets and higher profits for broadcast operators. Some other scholars (Deuze, 2003; Pavlik, 2005; Khan, Shalid & Ahmad, 2014; Kalamar, 2016; Kipkirui, 2016; McEwan, 2017), however, think that the influence convergence is negative. They contend that factors such as hypercompetition and increased consumer choices have led to a continuous decline in the profits of broadcast operators as a result of convergence. To this end, this study sought to investigate the influence of convergence on broadcasting practice in Edo State, one of Nigeria’s 36 states.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Convergence has triggered tremendous changes in the business and practice of broadcasting across the world, and Nigeria is not an exception. Its influence can be seen and felt in every facet: newsgathering, news writing and reporting, news packaging and design, and news dissemination. For instance, in a study carried out on Brila 88.9 FM, a Sports Radio in Kaduna State, Ogwuche (2017) discovered that convergence has tremendously influenced how programs are packaged and disseminated in the station. The broadcasting practice in Edo State of Nigeria is an archetype of these developments. For some scholars (Adoni & Nossek, 2001; Menezes & Carvalho, 2009; Chao-Chen, 2013; Turow, 2014; Taylor, 2015; Uba, 2017; Ogwuche, 2017), the influence of convergence on broadcasting practice is positive as broadcast operators now have access to wider audiences and profits. Other scholars (Deuze, 2003; Pavlik, 2005; Khan, Shalid & Ahmad, 2014; Kalamar, 2016; Kipkirui, 2016; McEwan, 2017) hold tenaciously to the view that the profits of broadcast operators keep plummeting, pointing to convergence as the primary cause of the problem. An investigation on the trends in Edo State of Nigeria presented an opportunity to explore further the context of convergence on broadcasting practice.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1) To understand the influence of convergence on broadcasting practice in Edo State of Nigeria?

2) To know if convergence promote the distribution of more broadcast content by practitioners in Edo State of Nigeria?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following are the research questions that guided the study:

1) What is the influence of convergence on broadcasting practice in Edo State of Nigeria?

2) Does convergence promote the distribution of more broadcast content by practitioners in Edo State of Nigeria?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is vital to broadcast practice in Edo State, the academia and the indigenes of Edo State. For broadcast practitioners, it will help them be in the know of the influence of convergence on broadcasting practice in Edo State. The knowledge gained on the subject could empower these broadcast practitioners to adequately adjust to the significant changes triggered by convergence and ultimately harness the potentials for seamless and improved broadcasting.

For academia, the study would update available literature, including the empirical studies carried out on the topic. It also would help keep Edo State indigenes abreast of the influence of convergence on broadcasting practice. If they are knowledgeable about the influence of convergence, they would be able to make informed decisions on how to access broadcast messages on different platforms.

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0: Multimedia convergence have a strong and significant impact in broadcasting in Nigeria’s digital economy

H1: There is no relationship between Multimedia convergence and broadcasting in Nigeria’s digital economy

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