EVOLUTION OF THE PRINT MEDIA
Ownership and control.
In December 1859, Townsend established a printing press on
which Iwe
Irohin, Yoruba Africa’s first vernacular newspaper was
printed.
The full name of Townsend’s newspaper was “Iwe Irohin Fun
Awon
Ara Egba Ati Yoruba” translated into English language means
“Newspaper in Yoruba for the Egba and Yoruba people.”
Reverend Townsend is reported to have said at the beginning
of the
maiden edition of Iwe Irohin that …… “my objective is to
Beget the
habit of seeking information by reading ……(newspapers)……
I have set on foot a Yoruba newspaper” Also, note that it
was on
Reverend Townsend’s printing press that the first Bible in
Yoruba
language was printed in 1862.
It was a political newspaper exercising great restraint from
colonial politics. It
was a great critic of both the slave trade and the 1800. Iwe
Irohin advocated for morality, and continuous humanism.In January 1866, Iwe
Irohin for the first time started publishing two different editions-one in
Yoruba language and the other entirely in
English language. It continued with the demise of the
uprising.”
The Anglo-African was the second newspaper in the country.
Strictly
speaking, the history of Nigeria’s indigenous press began in
1863 when
Robert Campbell founded the Anglo-African, which he
abandoned two
years later. However, judging by dominant principles upon which
it was
conducted, it cannot be said to have formed part of
newspaper
movement, which began in 1880’s by providing cheap and
accessible
material, which would educate, inform and entertain its
readers.
According to Fred Omu, “in November, 1937 Nnamdi Azikwe
started
the West African Pilot, which immediately became the major
forum of
the increased nationalist consciousness which had been
awaiting a
potent outlet and stimulus.
The Nigerian Tribune newspaper belonged to the Action Group
party of Chief Obafemi
Awolowo. He was also the proprietor of the newspaper. He
launched the
newspaper on November 1949, through its publisher, the
African Press
Limited. The vernacular associate of the paper, Iwe Irohin
Yoruba had
been earlier set up in 1945 through the efforts of Awolowo’s
deputy in
the Action Group party founded in 1951.
Evolution of the
broadcast media.
Ownership and control.
Radio
Radio broadcasting in Nigeria began in 1932 with the
introduction of
wired broadcasting popularly known as Radio Distribution
Service,
(RDS). Under this form of broadcasting, programmes were
relayed or
distributed using wires connected to loud speakers installed
in the homes
of subscribers who had paid a small subscription fee for
this system and
were also provided with a make shift and home apparatus
(Uche,1989).
The increasing popularity of the Radio Distribution Service
in Nigeria made it to
expand to other stations outside Lagos. This method of
broadcasting
known as “wired broadcasting” by “wired wireless” differed
from the
“wireless broadcasting” which is the transmission of
programmes
through radio waves (Electro-magnetic waves).
The need for radio stations in the colonial countries was
necessitated by
the desire of Britain to expand the services of the BBC,
which
coordinated the activities of radio broadcasting in the
British empire.
The British government had given approval for the establishment
of
broadcasting services in the colonial countries with the
objective of
making them a more effective instrument for promoting both
local and
imperial interests Ikime, 1979).
Tv
When Awolowo requested for an equal airtime,he was not
obliged. However,
its greatest effect was the establishment of regional
broadcasting as
evidence in the setting up of the WNBC, which had a twin
product - The
Western Nigerian Television (WNTV) in 1959 and the Western
Nigeria
Broadcasting Service (WNBS) in 1960.
The WNBC had immediately gone into alliance with Overseas
Rediffussion Limited which was to offer both radio and
television
services. Its television, WNTV already mentioned was
commissioned on
31st October, 1959. It was the first television station in
black Africa.
The radio-broadcasting arm of the Western Nigerian
Radio-Vision
Service which controlled both television and radio
broadcasting was
commissioned in May, 1960.
The Eastern regional government of Dr. Michael Okpara
simultaneously
engaged the same overseas Rediffusion Company that set up
the WNBS
for the Western region to build for it the Eastern Nigerian
Broadcasting
Service (ENBS) and Eastern Nigerian Television (ENTV) in
Enugu.
Federal Government did not initially see the establishment
of a television station as a priority. It was for this purpose that it conceded
the allocation of two standard
frequencies on Band One to the WBTV, Ibadan.The same Federal
Government was however embarrassed at the speed with which WNTV and ENTV were
set up by the Western and Eastern regional governments.
The Federal Executive Council finally approved the
establishment of a Federal Government owned television station to be located in
Lagos. The project became
realistic in April, 1962 with the take off of the Nigerian
Television
Service (NTS), Channel 10 at Victoria Island, Lagos. NTS was
set up
under agreement by management with an American network-owned
NBC-International, which built the station. It was jointly
owned by the
Federal Government and NBC International, which signed a
five-year
management contract with the provision that Nigerians would
take over
full management of NTS at the expiration of the contract
during which
the American company would also sell all its shares to the
Federal
Government. At the expiration of this agreement in 1962, the
NTS
became a full-fledged Nigerian station under the Nigerian
Broadcasting
Corporation (NBC).
The Era of Private Television Stations
This fourth phase in the development of television
broadcasting in
Nigeria started with the 1992 promulgation of Decree No. 38,
which
authorised that National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
should issue
licences for private radio and television broadcasting in
Nigeria that saw
the establishment of NTA stations in each of the 36 states
of the
federation.
Private t<i>elevision broadcasting started in Nigeria
in 1993 and there are at
present nearly a score of private television stations in
different parts of
the country. With Decree No. 38 of 1992, the National
Broadcasting
Commission, which was empowered to regulate all kinds of
broadcasting in the country, removed the exclusive right to</i> own and
run a television station from the government.
The government controls and regulates television
broadcasting in Nigeria to ensure orderliness in the allocation of airwaves to
the various interest groups in radio and television transmission. The NBC,
which is the vehicle for this control, also has the right to withdraw licence
from any of the private and public radio and television stations found guilty
of flouting the law that brought it into existence.
THE NEW MEDIA.
The Internet has created whole new platforms for the
dissemination of news and information within minutes. With the click of a
button, news and information can be posted on Facebook, twitter, You Tube, a
blog or website and the world can become aware of this recent development
instantaneously. This new media makes use of videos, audios, and pictures and
can disseminate information faster than any newspaper or television house .
Things are no longer the same for traditional forms of media in the world and Nigeria
since global attention is now on Internet reportage of news and events.
All over the world, people want to see or read the news on
the Internet. The Internet has consolidated itself as a very powerful platform
that has changed the way the world communicates. No other communication medium,
has given a “Globalized” dimension to the world like the Internet. It is the
Universal source of information for millions of people, at home, at school, and
at work, and it is actually the most democratic of all the mass media. With a
very low investment, anyone can have a web page on the Internet; almost anybody
can reach a very large audience directly, fast and economically, no matter the
size or location.
Today, a media organization without an online presence is a
huge local champion. The popularity of social networking sites among Nigerians,
both young and old has made it necessary for media organizations to make their
presence felt on the Internet or they may soon be wiped out by competing
brands. It is not surprising that nearly all the major media houses in Nigeria
have created flamboyant websites with social networking sites to complement
them. Smarter media organizations are also making use of blogs, You Tubes and
many other tools to make their presence more pronounced. Today, it is possible
to read an entire Nigerian newspaper online. In some cases, Internet
advertising revenue is competing favorably with traditional adverts placements.
The Internet has given room to a new form of media freedom
in information dissemination that has not been seen some few years ago.
Nigerians are able to post information faster than an average journalist could
send an article for production. The recent mass protests of the oil subsidy
removal had many users of twitters sharing pictures of dead or dying
protesters. Many Nigerians entered into meaningful discussions on the subjects
of corruption, police brutality, comparing figures and statistics on Facebook
and posting comments. The impacts of the new media have never been felt like
this before.
Nigerians no longer
rely on government owned media such as the National Television Authority, NTA
that often broadcasts content that favour the sitting government. Today,
Nigerians post their own videos on You Tube and inform friends on Facebook,
Twitter or Skype.
Far from being a tool for mere social networking, Facebook
and twitter are increasingly competing with traditional media in the
dissemination of news and information. Although, some Nigerian journalists
still regard social networking sites as a place to make friends and meet
people, many are using such sites for professional networking in the practice
of journalism. In many countries of the world where press freedom is lacking
new media has come to the rescue since it often cannot be silenced by draconian
government decrees. Journalists have embraced blogging, preferring to upload
their stories and pictures online. Many have become their own editor and sub
editor, creating a robust online presence that often attract readers and
advertisers alike.
Global news reporting have been made easier with the use of
new media tools since journalists network faster than ever before from one part
of the world to another. It is easier for journalists to get information, quotes
and interviews through twitter, Facebook or Skype.
EVALUATION
However, social media can spread false information about
government and individuals as well. False Messages can circulate; often feeding
a rumor that can be completely untrue. Hackers have been reported to hack
government websites, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
(EFCC) Social media will continue to play a major role in news and discussions,
despite low incomes, as Nigeria has the continent’s top mobile phone market and
the largest online audience in Africa.
