Saturday, 19 December 2015

Compare And Contrast Nigerian Newspaper, Radio,Television Websites And Foreign Websites

Compare And Contrast Nigerian Newspaper, Radio,Television Websites And Foreign Websites Nigerian newspaper websites features politics,business news,sport,entertainment, life &Style and travel while the foreign websites also doesthe same. Nigerian websites does not add the time news is posted but the foreign websites add the time news is posted. The Nigerian websites always features advert while the foreign websites does the same. Most foreign television websites uploads videos of their programmes e.g. Soap Opera, while the Nigerian websites does not. Foreign websites includes articles while Nigerian websites does not include. Nigerian websites includes pictures and videos to tell stories while foreign websites does the same.

Analysis of the Nigerian media scene

Analysis of the Nigerian media scene (newspapers,radio,TV,internet,telecommunications) The Nigerian media scene has developed from a small entity which served an urban based educated elite to a behemoth of channels and options catering to a wide and diverse audience. The beginnings of the media industry in Nigeria started with the first newspaper, Iwe Irohin first published in 1859 by Henry Townsend, a missionary, his paper served as a means to disseminate the Christian gospel in the local Yoruba language. Other publications developed as the colonial influence and government spread, in Lagos the weekly record was the newspaper through which the colonial government disseminated information. The development of print media i.e. newspapers, magazines and pamphlets, was only accessible to a small educated elite but the ideas and messages the media put out could be spread further through word of mouth to the larger public. The development of the anti-colonial struggle was an opportunity for the media to be utilized towards spreading the message of the need for independence. Herbert Macaulay utilized the effectiveness of the media when he set up the daily news in 1925, this paper served as a mouth piece through anti-colonial and pro-independence messages were spread. Nnamdi Azikiwe set up his own newspaper, the West African Pilot, which was also a strong voice in the anti-colonial fight for independence. These development stimulated the need for education amongst the local populace and increased political awareness. The growth of the print media was steady but limited because a large majority of the population was illiterate, this created a need for a more penetrative media service. This need with the establishment of the Radio Distribution System (RDS) in the year 1933 by the British colonial government and this service was operated as a unit under the department of Post and Telegraphs. The development of radio broadcasts further increased the spread and accessibility of media services and content to a larger audience. Developments in the electronic media space was further enhanced with the setting up of the Western Nigeria Television (WNTV) in 1958 by the premier Obafemi Awolowo, this was a major development for the Nigerian media scene, being the first TV station in Africa and an expression of the possibilities towards progressive growth in the Nigerian media scene. The military regimes of the 70s and 80s stifled the growth of the media industry in Nigeria, instances like the closure of newspaper houses, decree 8, jailing and assassination of journalist were some of the methods employed by the military regimesto clamp down on dissent. In the year 1993 the government decided to liberalize the media industry in the country, this allowed for the establishment of private media firms, this broadened the market and expanded the reach of the media platforms in the country. The rise of the internet further expanded the media scene, web based media platforms (saharareporters.com, premiumtimes.com, naij.com) were established, privately managed blogs have also risen to prominence (lindikeji.com, bellanaija.com) and have been able to compete and strive in the media scene. The telecoms providers have not been left out of this market as their networks have become platforms for the dissemination of news broadcast messages, eye witness reports, pictures etc. The Nigerian media scene has developed from its humble beginnings from a means to spread the gospel to the mouthpiece for the independence struggle, a platform to express dissent towards the military regimes to its current form, an expression of the wishes, hopes, needs, ideology, character, and desires of every Nigerian. The Nigerian media industryis large, diverse and very competitive, different interest play a part in deciding what will gain circulation and primetime. These interests decide what content gets to be aired, and these interests are as diverse from private individuals owning media houses to government backed media outlets. The need for convergence in the Nigerian media industry is indeed essential, not only as an administrative mechanism towards more improved services but also as a catalyst for the coming together of ideas, through which a guiding principle can be upheld. Media organisations must come together to share ideas, evaluate one another and express commendation for each other. These platforms do exist in the Nigerian media industry, an example is the newspaper proprietors of Nigeria, and this organisation exists to protect the interest of newspaper houses especially if their rights are being infringed upon. Convergence in the media industry has led to the development of media firms that offer content on a wide range of platforms, i.e. radio, televisions, print and online, another example is the Aim Corporation, which owns and operates cool FM, Wazobia FM, Nigeria info FM, Cool TV and Wazobia TV. The need for Organisational convergence is of interest to media houses that seek to project a central message through all available platforms from which their content can be accessed. The media industry being a progressively dynamic entity needs to operate by a set of guiding principles which serves as a measure of integrity, a convergence of ideas and methods will led to the formulation of a set of ethics which media organisations are expected to adhere to. The integrity and respect for Nigerian media content can be enhanced when media organisations come together to discuss their challenges, shared ideas and collectively seek growth while maintaining an environment for healthy competition. A dissenting media organisation can create an erosion of integrity towards the media, since criticism would be expressed towards the entire media not just a single media outlet. This situation is very evident amongst internet based media outlets. Improper regulation and a lack of a set of ethics has eroded trust and confidence in online media outlets in the country, making them to be perceived as originators of rumours. The Nigerian media industry has seen a convergence towards developing a set of principles by media originations are expected to adhere to and also media organisations have also converged to create an efficient administrative setup which is able to properly disseminate content on diverse platforms to wide audience.