The Impact of International Broadcasting On Africa

Abstract

This study examined the impact of global broadcasting on Africa. The survey research method was applied to collect data with the structured questionnaire as the research instrument. 150 respondents who were purposively selected from Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt were administered the questionnaire online through the surveymonkey.com website. However, 110 respondents properly completed and submitted their questionnaires representing 73 percent response rate. Findings revealed that Cable News Network (CNN) is the preferred global TV news channel of 41 percent of the respondents followed by Al Jezeera (32 percent), China Central Television (18 per cent) and BBC World (9 percent). This is consistent with the 2012 European Media Survey (EMS) report which declared CNN as the undisputed No 1 news brand in Africa. Findings further revealed that global TV news channels carried mostly negative stories about Africa as indicated by 86 percent of the respondents. Furthermore, 60 percent of the respondents indicated that this pattern of coverage not only gave the continent a negative perception but worsened her economic woes. The study concluded that decades after the New World Information and Communication Order debate was rested, negative coverage of the continent persists in the powerful global TV news channels. It then recommended that global TV channels still need to do more to improve on their coverage of Africa by focusing less on negative reports from the continent. It further recommended that stakeholders in the region need to take more practical steps to tell their own stories to the outside world.

Key words Global television    International communication   Coverage   News   channel