Kenyan Television Research Articles

Illusions of Participation in Kenya’s Contemporary Television Broadcastscape

Discourses on active and meaningful participation and inclusion in social and cultural spaces in Kenya are not just of significant scholarly and intellectual value, they are germane in the rebuilding and democratisation of a Kenyan nation-state in the post-2007 election violence that exposed deep and historical “ethnic” fragmentations. I argue that although several contemporary television broadcasters in Kenya continue to create a perception of increasing and robust audience participation in televised content, significant forms of current participation on Kenyan television broadcasts are illusionary and futile as they largely entrench television’s power among media elites. I propose that these forms of participation, which continue to marginalise ordinary people and gate-keep everyday events, are passive and minimalist. Anchoring my conceptual discourses on convergence culture and debates on self-representation, and through a critical textual analysis of prime-time television content sampled from four television broadcasters in Kenya, I conclude that the Kenyan television broadcastscape still extensively manifests traditional approaches of “old media.” Kenyan citizenry is afforded token and peripheral participation in contemporary television workflows in which content is still largely, and in many cases almost exclusively, conceived, shaped, distributed and controlled by media elites—bodies whom they consequently largely benefit.

Regulating broadcast media adult content: A case of Kenya and selected other countries

This study sought to regulate broadcast media adult content in Kenya and selected countries. The study was conducted through desktop research. This includes searches on government websites, academic databases, relevant book and journal literature, online publications, and reviewing primary legislation and regulatory instruments. Five jurisdictions (the US, Canada, South Africa, Britain and Australia) were selected for comparative analysis. The findings demonstrate that Kenya’s mainstream media frequently promotes unrealistic, sexually suggestive behaviour. It was also established that Kenyan television and radio are not adequately regulated. Furthermore, consistency and persistence in monitoring and rating media content prevent ‘ratings creep’ whereby, as earlier explained, content meant for adults is gradually and increasingly included in programs meant for children. A clear and consistent rating system must therefore be developed for Kenya by an independent regulatory authority to avoid ratings creep.

Re-Visiting TV Soap Opera Viewership in a Changing Broadcasting Dispensation in Nairobi

This study rekindles the soap opera audience viewing debate in a digital broadcast environment within the Kenyan television programming context. In a mixed-method approach,415 participants were interviewed on their preferences of 21 regularly scheduled soap operas in 5 leading Free to air TV stations in Kenya, In addition, 57 participants were purposively identified for FGDs. The study employed the uses and gratification framework. The findings are that even with a new broadcast dispensation and a myriad of programming, the selection and viewing of soap operas are still paramount. The viewers select to watch soap operas with storylines and performance they perceive as believable and genuine. The domestic audience is attracted to watch foreign soap operas over the local productions because of their better storytelling skills and characterization. The study recommends scripting workshops for domestic producers and the development of screen acting centers of excellence. There is also a need to tweak the 60% local content quota policy to incorporate creative aspects. Regular promos of the domestic soap operas within the broadcast schedules would also boost their uptake.

Exploring media framing of abortion content on Kenyan television: a qualitative study protocol

BackgroundMedia framing of abortion messages is an emerging field of research. However, little is known about how the news media frames abortion messages aimed at influencing adolescents’ reproductive health choices. This study therefore seeks to investigate the framing of abortion in TV news items on three leading Kenyan TV outlets over a period of 3 years, understand Kenyan journalists’ perceptions and experiences with abortion coverage, and to examine adolescents’ perceptions and experiences with abortion coverage on Kenyan televised news media.MethodsThis qualitative study which will be conducted in two sites-Nairobi and Uasin Gishu counties-in Kenya will purposively sample abortion news items from three leading media outlets aired between January 2016 to December 2019, for content analysis. Additionally, 12 journalists (9 reporters, 3 news editors) will be purposively sampled for Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) on journalist framing of abortion messages. Finally, convenience sampling will be used to select approximately 48 university-going adolescents for four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)-2 female, 2 male- aimed at examining adolescents’ perceptions and experiences with abortion coverage in the broadcast news media. The KIIs and FGDs will be audio-recorded, transcribed and translated. These data will be analyzed thematically.DiscussionThis study moves beyond interrogating only media items to further exploring framing from the perspectives of media consumers and investigations in the process behind production of abortion messages. The study interrogates abortion messages aimed at younger demographics such as adolescents as well as the gendered differences of the effects of these abortion messages, an area barely explored. The study findings will be informative to those who wish to develop media that could be used to promote safe abortion as well as advocate for sexual reproductive health rights, especially among adolescents.

Challenges Kenyan Television Journalists Face in Spotting Fake News

A fake news story can travel half way across the world as the truth puts on its socks. There are myriads of challenges facing journalists in spotting fake news hence its wide proliferation. Fake news has become a prominent subject of enquiry especially following its alleged influence of the 2016 general elections in US. Unfortunately, research on fake news has focused on social media, politics, elections, and economies. Few studies have focused on the challenges that TV journalists face in spotting fake news prompting this study. The specific research question was; what are the challenges facing television journalists in spotting fake news in Kenya? The study adapted a relativist-constructivist/interpretivist ontology and epistemology, qualitative approach and multiple case study methodology. Data was generated through in-depth interviews, direct observation and documents review. The study used purposive sampling to generate data from 16 journalists. Data was then analysed in themes and presented in narrative form. Key findings were that in spotting fake news, journalists faced challenges like; loss of viewers, lack of authoritative contacts, sources who gave fake news for personal, business, political, and economic benefits, ability of fake news to camouflage real news, speed of fake news, typologies of fake news, live reporting, inexperienced correspondents and interns, and social media. The study concludes that the challenges facing journalists in spotting fake news were majorly based on sources, technology, education, skills and training, and its typology. The study therefore recommends that editorial boards invest in experts to train journalists on styles, architecture, propagation and use of fake news, inoculation of journalists and audiences, raising fake news literacy levels, and use of technology based approaches like reverse search and fact checking sites.
 Key words: Fake news, journalists, spotting, challenges, television, Kenya

Kenyan Television Stand-up Comedy as a Reflection of Societal Mentality

The held mantra for comedy is laughing at ourselves, meaning that the jokes and situations highlighted by a stand-up comedian are a reflection of societal values and norms that may in turn be idiotic in nature but still held dear by the society. The norms maybe like a ritual that though at times ineffectual and at times detrimental is still held as a part of the societal code and cannot be discarded easily. Indeed the traditional venue of a typical stand-up comedian has been the pub, performing to an audience that is inebriated, but with the increased popularity of stand-up comedy in Kenyan television the audience has increased tenfold but the substance of the jokes is yet to be analysed in detail. This paper tries to look at the performances of different stand-up comedians in the Kenyan television while analysing the nature of their jokes in relations to the idiosyncrasies in society.

Inventing Women: Female Voice in Kenyan Television Drama

ABSTRACTThis article examines contemporary women's voices mediated through Kenyan television drama while focusing on Mother-in-law and Tabasamu. It investigates how female characters’ revelation of self transforms their silence into visibility and action, in the process, showing how they move from the periphery to the centre of action. The theoretical framework combines Womanist and Interactionist theories. Womanist theory allows us to interrogate the female character's self while Interactionist theory gives us a chance to link women's interactions with processes of meaning construction and invention. A textual exegesis of purposively selected disparate episodes of the selected TV dramas was conducted with thematic content analysis used in interpreting findings. The findings show that local television drama not only attempts to define the nature of the contemporary Kenyan female voice but also invents women through distinctive choices of characters, language, conflict and union. The findings further show that women are at the vanguard in reconfiguring subjectivities and social complexities of sexuality in contemporary Kenya. Consequently, this article concludes that artistic sensibilities in local television drama crystallise in the characterisation of women as being at the forefront of and integral to the reconfiguration and visibilisation of emergent practices of feminine power and agency in Kenyan society.

A historical perspective on the evolution and presentations of the ideal in children’s television: A study of Kenyan television from 1989 to 2012

This paper aims at offering a brief history of children’s television in Kenya since 1989 when Voice of Kenya (VoK) was rebranded Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). The year 1989 is unique in the sense that broadcasting hours were increased, giving room for more programmes for children. This paper tries to provide a historical progression of Kenyan children’s television programmes, while analysing their portrayal of the world to the child. The paper will also look at notable opinions by Kenyan scholars on what children television ought to be vis-à-vis what it is. This paper concludes that although the Kenyan society (and to a great extent, television stations) still habours the idea that children are innocent individuals being natured to join the society by controlling the content they watch, we may be misleading ourselves. It must be accepted that currently children have multiple venues in which they can access various media with varied content. The paper accepts that children have varied intellect, experiences, interests and come from different backgrounds with different expectations of what is entertaining and what is boring. Although the paper does accept that television is a useful tool for culture transmission, it challenges the idea that children are a homogeneous group that can do with a standard offering.

The Impact of Locally Generated Television Programmes on the Kenyan Television Viewers: A Case Study of Citizen Television

The Impact of Locally Generated Television Programmes on the Kenyan Television Viewers: A Case Study of Citizen Television

Innovation in the Language of Coca Cola Television Advertisements

Recent technological advancements have led to great innovations in language use in electronic mass media. Innovation is one way of transforming the resources of an enterprise through the creativity of people into new resources and wealth. Advertisements on television are a rich site for data on language, innovations and scientific development. Language in television advertisements uses verbal and visual modes of signification to craft the advertisement message. This poses challenges to viewers because in multimodal discourses, viewers are faced with the changing phenomenon in which language per se is being displaced by sound and image, taking over tasks associated with the role of language. This paper investigates the synergy across semiotic modalities in one Coca Cola advertisement that appeared on Kenyan television channels in the years 2011-2012. The objectives of this study are: to examine the modes of signification in the Coca Cola advertisement, to determine how the language of the Coca Cola advertisement appeals to viewers and to explain the innovations in language use in the Coca Cola advertisement. This paper uses Kress and Van Leeuwen’s theory of Multimodal Discourse Analysis to examine the modes of signification in the Coca Cola advertisement in relation to consumer reactions to the advertisement. Findings reveal that modes of signification include color, distance, face-work, gestures, graphics and music, all of which work in complementarity to craft the advertisement discourse. In this paper we posit that television advertisements create meaning through the careful manipulation of verbal and visual modes of signification so as to craft the desired interpretations that are advantageous to the advertisers. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s2p375

Reimagining the Kenyan television broadcasting scape: Active user-generated content (AUGC) as an emancipating platform

A critical historical reading of the Kenyan broadcasting space irradiates a recurring motif in which the political and economic elites repeatedly stifle national discourse, imposing a monolithic enunciatory space. This has relegated significant sections of the citizenry at the periphery to remain passive participants in the national narrative, and victims of broadcasting platforms and instruments which are national resources. The article is framed on Billig's (1995) thoughts on ‘banal nationalism’ and draws insight from the tenets of Bhabha's ‘cultural difference’ theory. The argument here is that the Kenyan broadcasting space has, since colonial times, been an antithesis of Billig's and Bhabha's propositions to the narrative of the nation. Premised on these debates, the use of active user-generated content (AUGC) as a potential intervention to ‘opening up’ the Kenyan broadcasting space, is proposed.

The political economic history of the introduction of television in Kenya

This article explores the factors surrounding the introduction of television broadcasting in Kenya, and those issues that have historically instigated how television producers in Kenyan television conceptualise audiences. It highlights that the political economic legacy of the beginnings of broadcasting in Kenya continues to influence the processes involved in the production of television programmes, and therefore how producers view the audiences of these programmes.

The Influence of Kenyan Presidential Debate on Voter’s Choice: A Case Study of 2013 General Election

One of the main functions of the mass media is to inform and educate citizenry about all aspects of human undertaking which includes their political life. Hence, in most democracies, political communication, which utilizes the media, has become indisputably relevant. In Kenya also, where the mass media is used in creating political awareness among electorate, politicians continually use it for similar purpose. For the first time in history, Kenya staged two live televised presidential debates on 11 th and 25 th of February 2013. On this basis, the study sought to establish the impact of Kenyan presidential debates during 2013 election on voter’s choice. The significant concern of this research was that the Kenyan television news, including the presidential debate, had not been sufficiently objective and balanced in dissemination of election information, which contributed to poor voting decisions. The study aimed at describing the role played by the Kenyan Presidential debates in changing voter’s choice. The study targeted media consumers who are also registered voters consisting of individuals drawn from Nairobi County. The researcher used multi-stage sampling in selecting the respondents. Telephone-based interview was used as a data collection tool. Quantitative data was analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics. The study findings revealed that Kenyan Presidential debate played a role by changing the voter’s choice and that the presidential debate served as a source of civic education. Concerning the results of the first and second presidential debates, the research concluded that voters already had predetermined choices and most of them believed their preferred candidates had won the debate.

Political Strictures and Latex Caricatures in Kenya: Buttressing <em>Mzee</em> Masculinity in <em>The XYZ Show</em>

The Kenyan television program The XYZ Show satirically scrutinizes controversies that surround contemporary political leaders. Through diverse parodies, caricatured puppets engage in humorous scenarios designed to challenge the authority of politicians. This article discusses how XYZ utilizes elements of Kenyan society that are already marginalized to critique the legitimacy of male political leaders. The discussion focuses on the show’s representation of the politician as hip hop artist, wife, and homosexual and how these portrayals attack the politicians’ masculinity and are a central tactic in questioning their authority and aptitude. Postcolonial discourses of political power have coalesced around the constructed figure of the mzee , or male elder, and the show depends on these historical formations to challenge male leaders. By yoking concepts that are already socially othered, like rap artists and feminized males, these critiques paradoxically reinforce elder masculinity as a normative attribute of political leadership.

Development and delivery of evidence-based messages to reduce the risk of zoonoses in Nairobi, Kenya

This paper describes a trans-disciplinary process of co-generating and disseminating evidence-based messages for reducing the risk from cryptosporidiosis and other zoonoses in an urban community in Nairobi. Research findings about disease prevalence, risk factors and observed risky and risk-mitigating practices were analysed by a team comprising researchers, community members and local policy- and decision-makers. Using participatory planning, multiple strategies were developed for disseminating key information. We identified five vulnerable groups at higher risk of exposure to cryptosporidiosis and other cattle zoonoses with similar transmission pathways (women, children, elderly people, immunosuppressed people and male farm workers). For each group, targeted messages were developed. Good practices already in use, as were also practices as practices to improve environmental conditions. These messages were disseminated through printed material, in a workshop, through community campaigners and also an edutainment soap opera episode broadcast on Kenyan television. In conclusion, a participatory and trans-disciplinary process can help transform the findings of research into messages that are targeted, attractive and understandable.

Social media for a social cause

Julie Gichuru is an awardwinning Kenyan television journalist rated by Forbes business magazine in 2011 as one of the “20 youngest powerful women in Africa.” Ms. Gichuru has a reputation as an engaging TV host, stirring up her audience against corruption and sometimes poking fun at the vagaries of life.

Gender roles portrayed in Kenyan television commercials

A content analysis of 105 television advertisements aired on Kenya's television networks (KBC and KTN) during an 8-week period (July and August) was carried out. Commercials were coded according to the sex of the central character, spokesperson, the nature of products/services presented, setting, and occupation of the central character. There were no significant differences in the proportion of women and men serving as central characters in commercials. However, both men and women were depicted in traditional roles. Significant gender differences were apparent in relation to the products and services presented, preferred spokesperson, commercial settings, and occupational cues. Generally, the stereotyped nature of Kenyan commercials is consistent with findings obtained in developed countries. The results are discussed in relation to the prevailing cultural milieu.