SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND THE CHALLENGES ON BROADCAST STATIONS IN SELECT STATES OF NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the Study

The concerns of the usage of social media platforms in broadcasting stations has emerged as social media continues to dominate human lives. For instance, researchers have looked at how listeners interact with radio presenters and the radio stations' Facebook pages. They concluded that computer, internet and communication technologies such as social networking sites offered audience a more active identity and helped the radio world achieve tremendous developments (Emine&Guzin, 2011). The differences between advertising, public and communal radio stations were studied in Canada (Bonin, 2016). Bonin (2016) used a face-to-face interview of four managers and thirteen journalists to fully comprehend the reasons social media are being used. In another study,Bonini(2014) attempted to answer the current issue of the changes that radio has undergone since it started to operate alongside social media. Bonini concentrated particularly on Facebook among the other social media platforms already in use. In Germany, researchers looked into how much radio broadcasters affect how much involvement or off-air contact music radio stations have with their listeners. The results showed that the bond between a radio station and its listeners is not only determined by the frequency and duration of the listeners tuning into the station, but also by the number of listeners active participation off air (Spangardt, Ruth, & Schramm, 2016).

Many researchers focus at radio stations' use of social media in regular broadcasting as well as their plans for creating and sustaining online communities. Findings from different nations and cultures tend to indicate that radio stations don't have a set strategy and instead experiment. When it comes to social media, a lot of metrics can be tracked. Likes and comments, shares and retweets. But just because it can be measured, doesn’t mean it’s important. The important thing is that they generate revenue for the media firm. The most important data metric to track when reviewing social media efforts is found in your google analytics. The number of visitors that come to the website from social media. You can break it down by social networks to establish which one has the biggest impact on the strategy. You can get a lot of likes on Instagram but if that donot drive people to the media institution, you would not generate any revenue from it. Mass media technologies shape the way the society uses them to meet its communication needs (Albaran 2009; Baran and Davis 2006; MacQuail, 2005). Mass media technologieshave a long history and have been evolving over time with each new media threatening to phase out the previous one (DeFleurand Dennis 2002; MacQuail 2005).

Historically, Akpan (2004:76) notes that before the advent of digital technology, analogue system of broadcasting has already been saturated in terms of audience and spectrum available to broadcasters. Akpan adds that the evolution of transmissions and the ability of broadcasters to improve broadcast frequency may have reached a ceiling.

Without a doubt, Nigeria's current broadcast sector is experiencing intense rivalry as a result of private broadcast stations' efforts to successfully compete with public owned or government-controlled stations using cutting-edge digital broadcasting technology (Spangardt et al., 2016). In order to meet the problems of contemporary broadcasting, driven by new media technology, the government stations have begun to take the initiative by digitalizing their stations to modern world standards. Also, it supports the position taken by the National Broadcasting Commission, which mandates that by 2012, the entire country's analogue broadcasting infrastructure must be phased down. This may be due to the regulatory body's desire to ensure that Nigerians are given the best possible use of the potential that new media technologies have, as well as the constraints they pose to the country's broadcasting business. It is however not known how Africa Independent Television, Abuja and Radio Benue, Makurdi use this platforms and the challenges they encounter. Based on this background, the present research is aimed at examining social media platforms and the challenges on broadcast stations in Nigeria.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Even though the developments in social media are amazing, the extent of use of social media by broadcasting agencies in Nigeria arealimited as they have not perfected the use and gotten a hang of how theyare being operated effectively. The recorded advancements in socialmedia can only be said to be achieving the desired ends when they readily and continuously influence positively the broadcast media operations. Apparently, what this means is that, the accomplishments from using all socialmedia platforms can only be effectively measured by the extent which they bring about increased productivity through accuracy, timeliness, speed, proximity and transfer of messages and how they redefine the concept of broadcasting to an enviable depth.

Lister &Dovey(2003),reported that the positive and negative sides and as well as the tangible implications of socialmedia platforms, saying that some of the earlier works on socialmedia researches were culpable of technological determinism in that the effects of media were determined by the technology themselves, instead of tracing the complex social networks which governed the development, funding, implementation, application and future growth of socialmedia. Perhaps, there is every need to say at this moment, that there is still a very high level of misconception as to what really constitute socialmedia, especially amongst media practitioners and communication professionals worldwide (Reich,2011). The difficulties of using social networking sites in the broadcasting domain cannot be overstated, despite the fact that many professionals still do not comprehend the platforms and their enormous contributions to broadcasting operations. This image is essentially visible in the broadcasting sector particularly in Nigeria as well as in other developing nations of the world.

It is impossible to overstate the difficulties posed by new technology generally and in the broadcasting industry. This study therefore seeks to investigate social media platforms and the difficulties on broadcast stations in Nigeria specifically in north central NigeriausingAIT, Abuja and Radio Benue, Makurdi.

1. Objectives of the Study

This study is an investigation of social media and the difficulties facing broadcast stations in Nigeria, particularly in north central Nigeria, with emphasis on AIT, Abuja and Radio Benue, Makurdi. Other goals of the research are to:

1. Find out if AIT, Abuja and Radio Benue broadcast stations use  social media platforms.
2. Find out how these social media platforms are used in AIT, Abuja and Radio Benue broadcast stations
3. Determinethe extent which AIT, Abuja and Radio Benue broadcast stations use social media platforms.
4. Find out the aspect of social media that is most effective in AIT, Abuja and Radio Benue broadcast stations
5. Find out the challenges AIT Abuja and Radio Benue, Makurdiface in using these platforms.

Research Questions

The following questions were derived from the objectives to give direction to the study;

1. Does AIT, Abuja and Radio Benue broadcast stations use the different social media platforms?
2. How are of thesesocial media platforms are used in AIT, Abuja and Radio Benue broadcast stations?
3. To what extent does AIT, Abuja and Radio Benue broadcast stations use social media platforms?
4. What is the aspect of social media platforms that is most effective in AIT, Abuja and Radio Benue broadcast stations?
5. What are the challenges AIT Abuja and Radio Benue, Makurdiface in using these platforms?
   1. Significance of the Study

Specifically, the findings of this study stand to greatly benefit the media practitioners and broadcast industries, socialmedia researchers, students, online and offline content creators, as well as the general public.

For the media practitioners and broadcast industries, the study will practically stimulate future research on socialmedia platforms as they affect the broadcasting or media industry in Nigeria and beyond. The study benefited the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) with full effective information in its pursuit for the phasing out of analogue broadcasting equipment.

For socialmedia researchers, this study gave direction on how to gradually and accurately transform from the present analogue state of broadcasting in Nigeria and clinch a broadcasting environment that is driven by modern media platforms as obtainable in western countries for rapid growth and development.

For students, this study serve as a firsthand material to carry out further research and learning to improved and broaden socialmedia knowledge for the purpose of promoting social media as an indispensable factor in the academic profession individually and collectively.

For the general public, this study will also be of greater benefits to them, in that it would add to the body of academic literatures on socialmedia in Nigeria and beyond.

It provided guidance on how to gradually move away from Nigeria's current analogue broadcasting environment and adopt a broadcasting environment driven by cutting-edge information and communication technologies available in western nations..

It stimulate further research on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and social media as they affect the broadcasting or media industry in Nigeria.

 It would add to the body of academic literatures on New Media and Information and Communication Technologies in Nigeria.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This study is on the social media and the Challenges on Broadcast Stations in select States of North Central Nigeria; using AIT Abuja, and Radio Benue Makurdi as a case study. However, this study will cover practicing journalist, anchors, producers, engineers, editors from the two media organizations, this is due to the fact that, they are the target audience who could provide the much-needed insights on the knowledge of socialmedia challenges on broadcast stations especially at the north central zone of the country, Nigeria