University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TECHNOLOGY AND NEWS PRODUCTION: THE CASE OF GHANA TELEVISION AND TV3 LIMITED BY KPELLE GUBA ISAAC 10550882 THIS THESIS IS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE (MPHIL) IN THEATRE ARTS (MEDIA STUDIES OPTION) JULY, 2017 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh DECLARATION I declare that except for references to other people’s work that have been duly acknowledged, this thesis is the result of my research conducted at the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ghana, Legon. I take sole responsibility for any shortcomings that the work may have. …………………………………… Isaac Kpelle Guba (Student) Date……………………………. …………………………………… …………………………………… Dr. Samuel Benagr Dr. Joyce Osei Owusu (Supervisor) (Supervisor) Date……………………………. Date……………………………. i University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ABSTRACT The invention of new media technologies is always a catalyst for change in the broadcast industry. This change facilitates and enhances the creation, processing, sharing and dissemination of information in the industry. With the introduction of new technologies such as the internet, satellite cable system and fibre optics in broadcasting, media practice across national boundaries has taken a turn for the better. The advancement in technology has radically changed and transformed the delivery of news footage to the newsroom in terms of immediacy and timeliness of news for broadcast. This study employs a comparative and phenomenological qualitative research methods with participatory observation and in-depth interview of respondents of two television stations in Ghana - GTV and TV3 to ascertain how they are responding to the advantages of this era of digital technology using diffusion of innovation theory. The study concludes that whereas TV3 is adopting quite a considerable number of new media technologies to ensure news footage is transmitted fast to the news room, GTV, even though is also using some of the new technology, sometimes, experience delays in their news delivery as a result of human factors. More so, lack of logistics like inadequate funds, infrastructure, unstable internet connectivity, consistent training and ability to manage large- sized data are some of the challenges that confronts both television stations thereby limiting their effective and efficient use of the new technology. ii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my utmost appreciation to the Almighty God, the one who has seen me through this work. It is His Everlasting Mercies and Abundance Grace that has sustained me till now. I am indebted to my first supervisor, Dr. Samuel Benagr and second supervisor, Dr. Joyce Osei Owusu for all the pains they went through to see that this work is a success. My sincere gratitude goes to my spiritual father Bishop Charles Agyinasare, the founder of Perez Chapel International and Chancellor of Perez University College for his spiritual, financial and moral support. I also appreciate Dr. Gilbert Tietaar for his scholarly advice, encouragement and contributions to this thesis. My word to them is that God will bless and prosper the works of their hands. I will not fail to appreciate a friend Ebenezer Asime, especially for his sleepless nights to proof reads the manuscript. God bless him and meet him at the point of his needs. I am grateful to the management and staff of Ghana Television and TV3 Network Company Limited for granting me access to their newsrooms and willingly providing all the relevant information needed for this study. My gratitude also goes to my wife, Abigail and children: Jotham, Joshua and Joycelyn for being there for me. God bless them all. iii University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION ................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ .ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................. iii TABLE OF CONTENT ....................................................................................................... iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................................ v DEFINITION OF TERMS ................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. xii CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background and Rationale of the Study ....................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Importance of News ..................................................................................................... 2 1.1.2 The Advent of Film used for Newsreels ........................................................................ 3 1.1.3 The Introduction of the Video Camera and Expansion of News channels ...................... 3 1.1.4 The Commercialization of Television ........................................................................... 4 1.2 Statement of Interest .................................................................................................... 8 1.3 Objectives .................................................................................................................... 9 1.4 Research Questions ...................................................................................................... 9 1.5 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................... 10 1.6 Scope of Study ........................................................................................................... 10 1.7 Organization of the Study .......................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................ 13 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............. 13 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 13 2.1.1 Definition of News According to Experts ................................................................... 13 2.1.2 News Editors’ Definition of News .............................................................................. 14 2.1.3 Historical Developments in Technology and Media Production .................................. 15 2.1.4 Digital Technology and News..................................................................................... 16 2.1.5 News and its Relevance .............................................................................................. 17 2.1.6 Timeliness of News .................................................................................................... 18 2.1.7 Medium Specificity: Television News and the Importance of Visuals ......................... 19 2.1.8 Trends in Technology use in Advanced Media Industries ........................................... 20 iv University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh 2.1.9 The Role of Developments in Technology on News Production in Ghana and West Africa ........................................................................................................................................... 26 2.1.10 Television News Production and Equipment ............................................................. 31 2.2 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................. 35 2.2.1 Diffusion of Innovation Theory .................................................................................. 36 2.2.2 Diffusion of Innovation Theory and Digital News Production (DNP) ......................... 37 2.2.3 An illustration of diffusion with relation to Digital News Production .......................... 38 CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................. 41 METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................................. 41 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 41 3.1.1 Pretest Survey ............................................................................................................ 41 3.1.2 Qualitative Research Method ...................................................................................... 45 3.2 Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 46 3.2.1 Primary Sources ......................................................................................................... 46 3.2.2. In-Depth Interviews ................................................................................................... 47 3.2.3 Participant Observation .............................................................................................. 48 3.2.4 Secondary Sources ....................................................................................................