MEDIA CONTENTS IN NIGERIA: X-RAYING THE ENDOGENOUS AND EXOGENOUS INFLUENCES

Abstract

Ownership and funding have remained a thought-provoking issue in understanding their influence on media content among contemporary research.  Various studies show that ownership influence has a big bearing on what finds space on media channels. The said influence takes various forms including direct censorship and intimidation of editorial staff. This study, therefore, examines the subject of ownership and funding as critical influencers of media contents in the Nigerian socio-political milieu. In specificity, the study was designed to find out areas where ownership influence interferes with the overall editorial contents and programmes of individual media organs, as well as identifying various revenue generation sources available to the contemporary media and how they influence editorial independence of operators and professionals. Using the descriptive research design based on academic literature, discursive analysis was done using secondary data. Finding indicates there is an overwhelming view that the Nigeria media have fallen below standard in some areas, and at the centre of this is owners’ interests. Also, there is sufficient empirical evidence in academic literature that suggest that ownership and funding factors are threats to the professionalism of the media, particularly the contents. The researcher concludes that the subject of ownership and funding will remain relevant in academic discourse as a reflection of the dynamic nature of mass media operation. Ownership will continue to influence media contents as no entrepreneur would abandon vital decisions on his business interest to an employee. Among other things, it was recommended that the operators of the media, should as a matter of urgency should raise the bar by shedding off the influence of owners in their operations. This they can do by establishing small scale businesses that can support their economic survival, without having to sing-praise the media owner and bend to their whims and caprices