Abstract

This study entitled “A Comparative Study of the Adoption of Internet Tools by African Independent Television-AIT and Nigerian Television Authority-NTA Network Service was carried out as qualitative and quantitative survey research aimed at exploring the adoption of internet tools in newsgathering and transmission in modern day mass media broadcast field with the view of assessing the extent of its adoption and effectiveness in the selected television stations. The research adopted the census survey research design for a population of the study which comprised of mostly ICT inclined journalists in NTA Network, Abuja which has a total number of 110 ICT inclined journalists and AIT, Abuja which has a total number of 74 journalists totaling 184. The close-ended and open-ended questionnaire and interview questions guide were used as instruments of data collection. From the analysis of the information and data collected it was found that Internet broadcast Technologies like IPTV Probe, Mware, Netup TV, U-Stream, and Skype are used for webcasting, streaming and Voice-Over-the Internet-VOIP for newsgathering and transmission via the online platforms by both stations, although there is more of such usage by AIT than NTA. The study also found that the adoption of Internet Protocol Television-IPTV in the two television stations namely AIT and NTA were considered significantly effective although both stations are faced with challenges of poor broadband services and IT skills of reporters, paucity of funding and erratic nature of power supply. Based on this findings, the study recommends that the stations should have better broadband facilities and infrastructure as well as employ, train and retrain media workers with new multitasking skills relevant to modern day newsgathering and transmission practices. Furthermore, the use of VoIP’s like Skype and Google+, Facebook, video call, to mention a few would not only provide for the immediacy of reach to news sources but also make interview and needed actualities on topical discourse most timely and more exclusive. Thus, the study concludes that the adoption of this technology for newsgathering and transmission capacity and capability of the two Nigerian television stations is seen as a welcome development since global and continental broadcast television stations have already adopted these technologies, the country must not be seen to be lagging behind.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.2       Background to the Study

The term „internet‟ covers the interconnected and networked technological

infrastructure that supports the Worldwide-Web and the many ways in which digitally

mediated communication has become domesticated and pervasive within the everyday

communication usage. Internet in-road into broadcasting is seen as a new approach which

recognizes that digital technologies within the broadcast environments are convergent. When

technologies converge they take on and share the capacities and characteristics of other

technologies alongside the core technology, this contrasts with everyday goods from pre-

digital life had separate functions and separate technical characteristics. In the early days,

television could not be used as a radio; a telephone could not work as a camera (Dominick,

2009).

The advent of the internet and its dynamic application that cut across almost all the

field of human endeavor has brought about a more flexible, efficient and reliable way of

doing things and this has also affected television stations programming, newsgathering, and

transmission processes (Quinn, 2008). Keeping up-to-date with events in the news industry,

tracking new stories as they emerge, interaction with stations and other journalists round the

clock according to (Randall, 2005), are what made the Internet‟s capacity and capability

acceptable in Television stations‟ content development, programming, newsgathering and

transmission.

The invention of the internet has revolutionized the way things are done all over the

world. The coming of the internet not only brought improvement, but also quality and speed in

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the way people communicate around the globe. The application of the internet can be seen in

almost every aspect of human endeavor. Virtually all the technologies of newsgathering and

transmission are computerized or computer based as modern broadcast outfits adopt the

technology not only for their speed, reliability and flexibility but majority for assisted

journalism or reporting. The capability of the internet as explained by Cox (2000:4), is that it

also enables Computer-Assisted Reporting (CAR) which allows the Television stations‟

newsgathering technologies with the use of computer linked with the internet protocol in the

newsgathering and transmission process. With the introduction of personal computers, laptops

and palmtops with internet access, the reporter can afford to carry out his beat anywhere,

anytime even from the remotest part of the globe (Cox, 2000).

Furthermore, the shifting trend to internet broadcasting could be said to have been

advanced by Multimedia technology. Multimedia technology used in broadcast is the

development of contents consisting of the combination of different media like text, audio and

video, and often the multimedia services include user interactivity. This has opened for the

possibility of providing multimedia content over the Internet, making the Internet a serious

competitor to the good old TV and video player. As the popularity of video streaming services

is growing, people from all over the world are able to distribute their own personal media

content on online web services (Cantoni and Tardini, 2006).

The growing trend of multimedia streaming on the Internet has also reached the

television companies and the online news providers. To be able to maintain customer

satisfaction and to stay competitive in the market, these companies have invested a lot in

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