CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

In Nigeria, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed the entire news production sector. The information revolution has an impact on both print and broadcast media in one way and another. The broadcast industry's primary intake as well as final product is information. It gathers unstructured data and transforms it into categorised, specified, and valuable data.

As a result, it is not an exaggeration to suggest that the profound changes brought about by the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) transformation in the arena of information would have a greater impact on radio broadcast stations than on any other business. In order to obtain a competitive benefit, the newspaper industry is adopting and absorbing Information and Communication Technologies by bringing efficiency in all functional wings, covering news and current affairs, production, editorial, and advertising (Indo American Print summit 2008:153).

In Nigeria, reporters and editors are constantly using information and communication technology, not simply by the press. Its advantages are being recognised at every step of the newspaper producing process. It is impossible to overestimate the role of information and communication technology on every area of news collecting, product development, marketing, and dissemination in Nigeria.

 According to Chris (2001:7), The printing process was enhanced, and the operation time of editing desks was decreased, thanks to technological advancements and absorption in the newspaper sector. Because of the widespread usage of online content and services, the many-to-many model of information collection has surpassed the one-to-many approach. Individuals or departments responsible with gathering information and news (Journalists) could gather information according to their own and others' preferences.

The wide range of editing, page creation, databases, photo imaging, and mixing software supplied cutting-edge facilities to news gathering companies, allowing them to streamline and combine intra-wings tasks within a broadcast media. Telefax, websites, online databases, web-based information sites, and online readers and newsmakers made the once-difficult task of collecting and sharing information easier than ever before.

Emails, blog sites, and online forums have further broadened the canvas of information by allowing news from the most remote locations to be kept inside deadlines. The presence of information systems was felt in all corners of the newsroom. It had an influence not only on the operation of media houses and other departments, but it also gave rise to a new avatar, the epaper.

Limitations in print editions, reach and accessibility, and the cost of newsprint, aided by the unfathomable vision of the Internet, prompted Nigerian media companies to develop electronic editions. As a result, ICTs enabled information to be accessed with a single mouse click from anywhere at any time. The e-paper, on the other hand, is not a replacement for the print version, but rather a supplement to it. There has been a significant shift from the days when reporters would produce reports that had to be cleared and reviewed by a team of sub-editors, followed by a final check of the piece by the editor and an army of experienced proof readers.

Currently, reports are filed online or on a local area network, and they are read, cross-checked, and modified digitally, saving time and money. People from all walks of life required assistance in understanding the world around them, which led to the development of mass media. Media houses have excelled in gathering, recording, and disseminating information at many various levels and geographic locations throughout history.

Newspapers must reaffirm their mission as they evolve in response to technological change. In fact, determining what constitutes news is more important than ever. And the key to broadcasting survival is their ability to do so in the context of new technology.

 Writing in a recent New York Times Magazine column, veteran journalist Frankel (2005:38) prognosticates: The media companies that thrive in the twenty-first century will be those who provide the best journalism, grasp the subjects on which they write, and develop the skill and expertise to assess and explain a wide range of events. The burgeoning computer sector can be trusted to improve the technology that will eventually replace their presses and delivery vehicles.

They'll need talent to thrive in the digital age, such as gifted editors, writers, and picture painters who can make sense of the oncoming information overload. Today, advanced commercial printing machinery has enabled the media industry to print copies with very well properties, capable of producing high-precision graphic prints, as well as other direct mail printing. Today's electronic printing machines can print up to 30 thousand copies per hour, compared to 3000 to 4000 copies per hour for old printing presses..

According to Tony (2004:4), The inclusion of digital inkjet checking and colour managing has allowed media houses to manufacture goods using scattered printing facilities while avoiding the risk of colour loss and poor print quality. The emergence of insertion and distribution technologies that help newspapers personalise and manufacture targeted products has given decentralised printing distribution a boost. Traditional newspapers could only convey stories using text and photos in the past, but with the emergence of new media technologies, reporters can now tell stories using various channels. This improves the story's credibility.

It also lets people (readers) to participate actively in the development of knowledge. To put it another way, it transforms users from passive recipients of information to active producers of data. Online news services, based on the medium strengths and weaknesses barometer above, appear to be more multifunctional and flexible than other older styles of news media (Craig, 2005:13). This is also due to the fact that internet services provide all of the features present in traditional news media. It's mostly because online media sources can provide a triple play (video, text, and audio), which are something that other information media channels can only do in isolation.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

As a consequence, and for other reasons, the innovative technical era has increasingly paved the way and generated influence in the communication world. As a result, and for other reasons, great focus should be placed on buying digitalized equipment, regardless of cost. As a result, this move will aid in increasing the quality of information and news items.

As a result, new technologies are unable to address the issues of news content and staleness in the media, especially in the print form.

The new information technology has been met with apprehension as a relatively new and broad field. It has sparked discussions about its innate potentials and dangers.

Ukonu (2006:98). Third-world country like Nigeria have also joined the search for the best ways to put the new information technology's capabilities to the greatest possible use. The issue is that lack of knowledge about journalists' abilities can impair their use and adaption in today's media industries. Media practise cannot rely just on adaptability.

The study of journalistic behaviour (fear of job safety, carrier substitution) towards ICT since their advent in their work places has become important to confirm if the fear of job loss and potential dangers associated with ICT are real or imagined as a significant barrier to the adoption of technology for news reporting and Gathering

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The major purpose of this study is to examine the impact of ict on news gathering and reporting in broad cast media in Nigeria. Other general objectives of the study are:

1 To outline the types of ICT gadgets used in news gathering and broadcast in WAZOBIA fm

2 to examine the impact of information communication technology on news gathering and broadcasting in Nigeria

3 to examine information communication technology and news gathering, news reporting and news dissemination in the broad cast media

4 To examine the challenges experienced in the use of ICT in news gathering and reporting in WAZOBIA fm.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1 What are the types of ICT gadgets used in news gathering and broadcast in WAZOBIA fm?

2 what is the impact of information communication technology on news gathering and broadcasting in Nigeria?

3 what are the components of information communication technology and news gathering, news reporting and news dissemination in the broad cast media?

4 what are the challenges experienced in the use of ICT in news gathering and reporting in WAZOBIA fm?

1.5 HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY

HYPOTHESIS 1

HO: There is no significant Impact of Ict on News Gathering in Broad Cast Media in Nigeria

H1: There is a significant Impact Of Ict On News Gathering In Broadcast Media In Nigeria

Hypothesis 2

HO: There is no significant Impact of Ict on News Reporting in Broad Cast Media in Nigeria

H1: There is a significant Impact of Ict on News Reporting in Broad Cast Media in Nigeria

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

 The findings as a result of this stud are expected to provide information that would help radio broadcasting improve with the use of ICTs as well as provide insight to WAZOBIA management. it will also help the team make necessary amends in the positive direction where they are found to be lacking behind and equally provide model for researchers and institutions of higher learning which will serve as reference point

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 

The study would cover influence of internet on effective broadcasting in Nigeria ( a case study of splash fm 105.5fm)

1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The researcher was faced with the following constraints in carrying out this study:

Time: The time within the researcher is too short to carry on the detail study on this topic.

Resources: Another constraint of the researcher is financial resources to carry on the detail study of this topic. Data: Another limitation to this study will be lack of data to make valid study on the research problem.

1.9 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

INTERNET: The Internet is a vast network that connects computers all over the world. Through the Internet, people can share information and communicate from anywhere with an Internet connection.

BROADCASTING: Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model

INFLUENCE: "to affect or change someone or something in an indirect but usually important way."