NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES AND THEIR CHALLENGES TO BROADCASTING IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

In the wake of the 21st century, the modern societies became hungrier for information as more ways of communicating this information were formulated and adopted. One of these new adopted means of communication is broadcasting. The broadcasting environment which started in an analogue form has been greatly transformed with the improvement in the media of communication which is now known in the media parlance as new media. The advent of broadcasting in Nigeria in the early 1930s brought a new lease of life to the communication sphere in Nigeria as it ushered in a new medium of expression and communication for the people of Nigeria. As the world expands, the need for development in the media of communication arose with a view to accommodating the expanding communication boundaries. With the introduction of new media technologies came more opportunities to the broadcasting sector in the area of media convergence. The challenges brought by these new media are so immense that no part of the world could afford to be left out in the turn of events. It therefore becomes expedient for the Nigerian broadcast sector to avail itself of the opportunities which new media technologies herald. This study therefore was designed to find out the challenges which these new media technologies pose to the industry. The study adopted the survey method of research in its methodology with a sample of four (4) broadcasting stations made up of radio and television stations in Delta and Edo state. A total of 250 questionnaires were used in the study. Data collected were collated and analysed with the aid of simple percentage data analysis and presented with the aid of tables. Part of the research findings includes; Many broadcasting stations in Nigeria are presently equipped with new media facilities which are capable of placing them in the same pedestal as their counterparts in Africa and other developing countries of the world, that the new media technologies have not come to replace the old media.  Instead, the new media would work alongside the old media. Broadcasters are quite satisfied with the use of new media technologies in broadcasting. Some broadcast stations in Nigeria are still transmitting on analogue broadcast equipment and this is in complete contrast to the National Broadcasting Commission’s objective of phasing out analogue broadcasting equipment from the country come 2012. Suggestions for further research were made at the end of the study based on the findings of the research.