Evaluation of the Media Ownership and Control within the Ambit of Digital Age

The history and development of mass media in Nigeria dates back to the establishment of Iwe Irohin in 1859 by Reverend Henry Townsend. And for almost 73 years after the debut of Iwe Irohin, newspaper dominated the Nigerian mass media scene until 1932 when radio broadcasting was introduced as another medium of mass communication in Lagos. Twenty-seven years after establishing the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, the Western Nigeria Television was officially commissioned on October 1959. It is therefore instructive to say that while private individuals pioneered the establishment of newspaper, government pioneered the establishment of radio and television broadcasting in Nigeria.

Ownership and control

The ownership and control of the media particularly the print grew from a missionary/religious press to accommodate businessmen, nationalists, politicians to governments as owners and stakeholders in the industry. Thus, the ownership of the newspaper became a major factor in determining the content. This medium of mass communication became different voice for different owners. Nationalists during their time used newspaper apart from discussing burning national issues; also as a medium to press their demand for the nation’s independence home. On the other hand, politicians found it a veritable medium and platform to express political ideology, etc.

This private control over newspaper industry continued until 1975 when the then military government took over the ownership of Daily Times of Nigeria. The Federal Government went further to establish its presence in the print medium by founding another newspaper called Morning Post in 1961. This move saw various regional governments going into newspaper business as Western Government established The Sketch, Northern Region setting up New Nigeria and others. However, the various governments’ incursion into newspaper business could not be sustained as the current trend indicates private investors playing dominant role in this important medium of mass communication.

Government and Newspaper Control

Government’s move to control the press came with the promulgation of Decree 31 of 1978 that set up the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) to regulate the operations and activities of newspaper industry in the country.  The NPC’s regulatory role and responsibility include but not limited to: enquiring into complaints about the conduct of the press and the conduct of any person or organisation towards the press and exercising in respect of the complaints the powers conferred upon it under this Act; monitoring the activities of the press with a view to ensuring compliance with the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct of the Nigeria Union of Journalists; receiving application from, and documenting the Print Media and monitoring their performance to ensure that owners  and publishers comply with the terms of their mission statements and objectives in liaison with the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria.

While in the newspaper industry, private ownership held bound until 1975 when the Federal Government made its entrance into the business, the FG held bound in the broadcast media until 1994 when private broadcasting station come on stream. Today, it can be said that the FG’s attempt into the print medium of mass communication which initially recorded a huge success is today a fuss particularly as it sent the once must-read Daily Times out of the newsstand.

Government and Broadcast Control

However, August 24, 1992 ushered in a wave of change into the broadcast industry which saw the FG giving up its total control over the broadcast industry by the enactment of deregulation decree setting up Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC). The NBC was saddled with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the broadcast media; receiving, processing and considering applications for ownership of radio and television stations, including cable television services, etc. This single act of government has not only liberalized the broadcast industry, it has as well ushered in many players into the field of radio and television broadcast, giving Nigerians a variety of stations to choose from.

The New Media (Internet-driven)

The new media, which include the social media is internet-driven in nature. It is the emerging press of the 21^st century.  With the application of information communication technology (ICT), dissemination and access information is made much easier. It is another medium of mass communication that is neither limited by space nor time. It has global reach with an unprecedented speed. 

Evaluation of the Media Ownership and Control Within the Ambit of the Digital Age

The print media though largely owned and controlled by the private sector has its activities and operations controlled by the government through the Nigerian Press Council (NPC). While such stakeholders as advertisers, ownership and political interference are indirect controllers of the media – print and broadcast.

Given the deregulation of the broadcast media in 1992 which saw the influx of privately-owned broadcast stations through licenses issued by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission. The NBC exercises supervisory role over the entire broadcast media. However, the above supervisory capacity of the NPC and NBC seems to be exercised more on the privately-owned media as the NPC and NBC seem to be occupied with protecting government’s interest than carrying out their core responsibility of supervision. This they do by ensuring that anti-government programmes are not published or aired through these media.

However, the advent of the internet has provided people all over the world with an inhabitable access to information. The availability or accessibility of internet gives any interested person a platform to express his/herself on this global platform. Users of the medium are entitled to maximum freedom of speech and expression. With internet access, anyone can become an editor of an online publication. Today, we have innumerable websites, blogs, and other social media where people express their views freely without fear or hinder.

At present, Nigerian government is yet to come up with regulatory policy on the online medium.

At the moment for Nigerian online publishers, it is all comers affair.  A free world!

A Visit to Unilag Fm

Unilag FM

Community radio as defined by Wikipedia is a “broadcasting service that offers third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest.” They broadcast content that is popular and relevant to a local, specific audience which is often overlooked by commercial or mass-media broadcasters.

Community radio stations are operated, owned, and influenced by the communities they serve. They are generally nonprofit and provide a mechanism for enabling individuals, groups, and communities to tell their own stories, share experiences, become creators and contributors. A good example of community radio in Nigeria amongst others is University of Lagos FM Radio 103.1. A study visit to this station revealed that Unilag FM was established to primarily serve the university community.  

University of Lagos was granted license to run a community station in February 2002. The frequency of
103.1FM was assigned to the University in July 2003 and the station was officially commissioned on the 14th of December, 2004 by former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Unilag Radio therefore became the first campus station to receive a license and the first campus station to go on
air in Nigeria. The FM station is currently headed by an acting coordinator, Mrs. Bisi King Paul.

Coverage/Audience

The station was originally designed to serve its immediate environment – the university, however, presently, it does not coverage does only serve entire Lagos state but also some part of Ogun State. According to the ag. Coordinator of the station, Mrs. Olabisi Paul-King, two factors made this possible: one is “Unilag FM broadcast to entire Lagos and part of Ogun State, because its antenna was mounted on top the School Senate building, which is obviously the tallest building on Campus. Another factor is the fact that the school is located in the water area, which makes the water waves to help the transmission to reach Epe, Badagry, Iyana Ipaja and other areas in Lagos and part of Ogun State.

Programme Structure

Unilag FM has two Studios: Live studio and production studio. The live studio takes care of live programmes, while the production studio is mainly to air recorded programmes.  Aside the studio, it has a newsroom, technical and commercial departments.

According to the News Editor, Mr. Ojatayo Takuro, the station airs news four times in a day, Monday to Friday and its news broadcast schedule are as follows: 10am, 12noon, 2pm and 5pm., adding that the station opens at 7am and closes by 12 midnight. He further explained that they have several programmes which cut across all disciplines be politics local and international, science, education , finance, music, such as best of jazz, sports, Sunday sermon, Friday jumat, etc.

Language

According to the studio production officer, Mr Segweni Odishika, “the station broadcast in English Language, except in some occasions whereby we deliberately use some local Nigeria languages for particular programmes. For instance, we have programme presented in Yoruba, Ibo, Edo, and Hausa. We invite experts on that particular language to the studio to discuss the issues bordering on that language. We also programmes presented in foreign languages such as French.

Personnel

Being a typical community radio station, it draws its staff strength from its immediate environment – the university community. Students of the institution form a major chunk of its staff, while employed staff includes three people in charge programmes, three studio managers and two technical officers.

Speaking further on this, the News Editor of the station, Mr. Tayo Takuro remarked that “Unilag FM was instituted to serve amongst other purposes as laboratory center to students of Mass Communications but has in recent time included students of English who handles some presentations while Electrical and Electronic Engineering students are involved in the technical services.  

 Funding

In responding to this, Mr. Paul-King said that the station is mainly funded by the University of Lagos authority. Though, it accept a few adverts but this is also censored so as to avoid political adverts, alcohol and tobacco ads, which may badly influence students.

Topless Feminists Celebrate Pope’s Resignation

Ukrainian feminists

Topless members of a Ukrainian feminist group have taken to Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral in celebration at the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation.

Eight members of the feminist group, Femen, demonstrated in the centre of Paris, in celebration that Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation yesterday.The members of the group, who have demonstrated for feminist and gay rights against the Pope in the past, shouted: “Pope no more!”, “No more homophobe” and “Bye bye Benedict!”.

One passer-by commented: “This is a sacred place, you can’t strip here.”

The group were removed by security at the cathedral, but reportedly remained outside for some time shouting: ”in gay we trust” and “Get out homophobe.”

The women’s group, Femen, has been performing topless feminist, pro-democracy and anti-corruption protests in Russia, Ukraine and Britain. Femen updated its Facebook page to say: “NO MORE POPE!

“FEMEN France sextremists played a funeral march by ringing bells of the citadel of Catholicism Notre Dame de Paris for the Pope. The fight between activists and grieving popephiles and the security took place during the action. The museum decided to switch off the light to obstruct the work of journalists. FEMEN France noted the final hour of the homophobic Pope.

“FEMEN is congratulating the whole progressive world with the resignation of fascist Benedict XVI from the place of the head of the Catholic mafia. It’s symbolic that today is the day of the voting of law of same-sex marriage in France. The ex-Pope was a fierce opponent of gay marriages. FEMEN applaud the complete capitulation of the middle age homophobia! Pope go to the devil! Viva common sense! Viva freedom!”

The group previously demonstrated topless at St Peter’s Square for gay rights, as Pope Benedict XVI gave his weekly prayer. Four women from the group stripped off to display the words “Shut up!”, on their fronts, and “in gay we trust” on their backs. The activists also shouted “Homophobic shut up!”, during the Pope’s weekly Angelus prayer on Sunday. The protest took place by the Christmas tree in the centre of St Peter’s square.

Ukrainian feminists

Following the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI, who said gays were “intrinsically disordered”, is to resign at the end of this month newscornerallrounder brought you some of his most anti-gay moments, and some of the best reactions to them.

In a message for World Day of Peace 2013, the Pope described same-sex marriage as a threat to justice and peace, adding that it will spark harm for society. He was also pictured giving a blessing to Rebecca Kadaga, the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, who unsuccessfully promised to pass the country’s notorious Anti-Homosexuality Bill as a “Christmas gift”.

Pope Benedict XVI Resigns

Pope Benedict XVI has resigned, saying that at his age he cannot carry out all his tasks adequately and is losing strength in body and mind. His brother Georg suggested he was finding it difficult to walk and had been advised to stop making transatlantic journeys.

The pope will step down on 28 February. A papal conclave will follow to elect his successor, who will be in place by the end of March, and perhaps in time for holy week on 24 March.

Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson, Nigeria’s Cardinal Francis Arinze, Canada’s Cardinal Marc Ouellet, and Italy’s Angelo Scola emerged as some of the leading candidates to succeed Benedict.  

http://twitter.com/CatholicNewsSvc/status/301004485134786560/photo/1

Benedict says he wishes to continue to serve the Catholic church "through a life dedicated to prayer".

He will revert to his former title of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger upon his resignation, the Catholic church in England said.

There was “absolute silence” this morning when the pope told cardinals the news, according to Mexican prelate Monsignor Oscar Sanchez, who witnessed his resignation.The pope made his decision over the last few months, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said, and it took all his closest aides by surprise. He will honour his commitments until he steps down.  Lombardi said this was Benedict's own personal decision. Upon resigning, he will go to the papal summer residence near Rome, and then will move to a secluded residence in the Vatican.

The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, the head of the Anglican church, said he had learned of the pope's resignation with a "heavy heart but complete understanding".

The last pope to resign was Gregory XII, in 1415.

Child abuse victims in Ireland and the US criticised Benedict for not having done more to deal with the scandals of paedophile priests in the Catholic church.