News Viewing Preferences of Audiences in The Federal Capital Territory Nigeria; NTA And AIT as Case Studies

ABSTRACT

Prior to the deregulation of the broadcast industry in Nigeria in 1992, the broadcast landscape was one characterized by monopoly and lack of space for showcasing news that will enable audience to choose according to their preferences. Indeed what was obtainable then was a situation where every state established and controlled its own broadcast outfit in such a manner that the audience was left with no alternative. The establishment of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission by the Babangida Administration in 1992 ushered in a new vista in the broadcasting sphere in Nigeria where private broadcasters emerged to provide information to the public. This has seen the establishment of many privately owned broadcast outfits put at over eighty four (84) today. This research specifically examines the preferences of television viewers in Nigeria using NTA and AlT. !t also implies the examination of ownership and control and how they affect news viewing preference of television audience. The study showed that television viewership in the FCT is high. It also established that television audience attach so much importance to objectivity, wide coverage of events, clear signals of a station, in-depth treatment of issues and professionalism to news viewing decisions. Based on these parameters, the AIT is adjudged to have higher news viewership than the NTA owing mostly to the fact that the former is a privately owned and thus free to be more objective than the latter which is government owned and may not be free to do same. This information is elicited from the public through the use of questionnaire as the primary source of data. Books, journals, the internet newspapers and magazines also provided information as secondary sources of data. The study therefore suggests that the plurality of television stations is good for the audience and thus need to be sustained. It also advocates v that unless NTA does something about its perceived lack of objectivity, it will soon have a lot of problems sustaining its viewers. While the NTA has wider coverage of events and clear signals, AITon the other hand needs to improve on tbese areas.