THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE DAILY ROUTINES OF RADIO JOURNALISTS IN ACCRA

ABSTRACT This exploratory study investigated the role of social media in radio journalism at Accra-based radio stations. It was inspired by the steady evolution of radio in Ghana‘s democratic space and the insurgence of social media through increasing internet connectivity in Accra. The study combined both qualitative and quantitative methods. From a sampling frame of 33 radio stations, the study used a healthy combination of random sampling methods; purposive sampling and snowballing for its data collection. In selecting and determining the radio stations that made the cut for the research, primary data was collected from 7 social media platforms. Each social media platform was given particular weighted averages based on the total numbers gathered from each of the radio station‘s social media accounts. The top 3 highest ranking radio stations were selected by virtue of their social media engagement because of the insight they would provide on social media use in radio journalism. Using structured interviews, a total of 10 radio journalists from the top three most engaging Accra-based radio stations were contacted and interviewed. All of the interviews were in-depth and lasted for 20 minutes on a one-on-one basis. It is important to note that though the journalists provided various functions of social media in their jobs, they all acknowledged that its number one role was to provide timely information. This paper concludes with a recommendation for research into radio stations that are yet to join social media or incorporate it into their news reporting.