Television Broadcasting and the Democratization Process in Nigeria: The Successful and Unsuccessful Story

Jude Terna Kur,Endwell Onyinye Nyekwere

doi:10.29333/ojcmt/2529

Abstract

This article assesses the performances and challenges of television broadcasting in the democratization process in Nigeria. The historical discourse identifies both successes and challenges of both the military and civilian governments in the management of television broadcasting for the facilitation of democratization process. The successes achieved by the military governments centre on expansion of the industry while those recorded by the civilian governments had to do with consolidation of the expansion. The challenging aspect of television broadcasting under the military largely had to do with restricted access and operation along sectional lines. The civilian governments on the other hand politicized and introduced negative commercialization of television broadcasting. Also, under the civilian governments, television broadcasting is heavily involved in unethical practices. To use television broadcasting to contribute meaningfully to the democratization process in Nigeria, the paper recommends the strengthening of regulatory framework, making television broadcasting wholly an affair of the private sector, introducing the community television broadcasting project, and encouraging the civil societies and professional associations to advocate for best practices in the industry.

Highlights

The role of television, as a mass medium, in the democratization process is understood within the context of public sphere, defined by Habermas (1989, p. 49) as “organs of information and political debates such as newspapers, journals as well as institutions of political discussion such as parliament, political clubs, literary salons, public assemblies, pubs, coffee houses, meeting halls and other public space where socio-political discussion took place.” Television, just like other media of mass communication, is intended in a democratic setting to provide a space that mediates between civil society and the realm of power
How has television broadcasting in the emerging democratic Nigeria society operated along the principles of the democratic participant media theory? Discourse of this paper provides answer to this question
Television broadcasting, as a form of mass communication, has a responsibility to discharge in the democratization process of societies

Summary

Introduction

The role of television, as a mass medium, in the democratization process is understood within the context of public sphere, defined by Habermas (1989, p. 49) as “organs of information and political debates such as newspapers, journals as well as institutions of political discussion such as parliament, political clubs, literary salons, public assemblies, pubs, coffee houses, meeting halls and other public space where socio-political discussion took place.” Television, just like other media of mass communication, is intended in a democratic setting to provide a space that mediates between civil society and the realm of power. The examination explores the performances of television broadcasting under military and civilian governments, pointing out the areas of success and challenge, as well as suggesting a way forward in an attempt to have television broadcasting contribute meaningfully to the democratization process in Nigeria. Television broadcasting under the military administration of General Babangida contributed to threaten the unity of Nigeria, following the June 12, 1993 political impasse.

Results

Conclusion