Abstract
Ghana’s public sphere has witnessed a growing media presence which has enhanced the relay of information to the citizenry. By this, society is given a full spectrum of alternatives to access media. Amid this atmosphere is a platform labeled the “Newspaper Review Show” which appears to have generated some sort of contention since its inception among newspaper publishers on one hand and broadcast stations on the other. Using an exploratory qualitative approach, this study has shown that review of newspaper content is pervasive in the landscape and the selective style of review of major agenda has affected readership, revenue of newspaper outlets, and reading culture, among others. However, the article also contended that falling readership is attributed to some factors other than only review of newspaper content.
Highlights
The airwaves liberalization that swept across the continent of Africa in the 1990s made substantial impact on the broadcast media in Ghana for both radio and television, and propelled their vibrancy in a number of ways which tackle social issues
The study showed that review of newspaper content by broadcast media stations affects circulation/ sale of newspapers, affects advertising exposure, and demotivates reading culture, among others
This work explored the extent to which “newspaper review show” by broadcast stations has impacted the print media industry in Ghana and showed that the practice is pervasive within the landscape
Summary
The airwaves liberalization that swept across the continent of Africa in the 1990s made substantial impact on the broadcast media in Ghana for both radio and television, and propelled their vibrancy in a number of ways which tackle social issues. This encouraged societal participation through phone-in programs to ensure pluralism. Showing how strategic timing is in newspaper production, Busa (2013) wrote, They operate essentially on a 24-hour news cycle They are printed once a day, typically at night, and once the paper has gone to the press, a story must wait for the issue to come out, and must compete with all the other new stories. This makes readers anxious to know about the latest events rely on radio, television and the Internet, which are designed to break news faster than newspapers. (p. 26)
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