Sustainability of Facebook-radio convergence for content distribution in Nigeria: Computational content and stakeholders’ perspectives analyses

Abstract

Media convergence is not a new concept in journalism studies, though available evidence indicates that convergence studies have been explored more in the global north than the global south. This study, contextualised in Nigeria, joins the media convergence conversation by exploring the sustainability of Facebook-radio convergence for distributing broadcast programmes by seventeen (17) licenced radio stations in Oyo State, Nigeria. As a computational content analysis study, researchers analysed 85 purposively selected programmes of the stations as broadcast live on their Facebook pages alongside the 9527 likes, 10,314 shares, 7007 comments and 170,681 views the programmes generated. Stakeholders’ interviews were also conducted for a broadcasting expert, presenters of some of the stations, together with audience of the selected stations. The main finding shows that programmes that focussed more on socioeconomic problems and opportunities, and were broadcast in the afternoon, evening and at night received more digital engagement than other programmes’ formats and time belts. Although high cost of Internet data subscription in the country, absence of Internet-enabled mobile phones among many adherents of radio programmes (both in rural and urban areas), epileptic power supply that sometimes leave many people with unpowered mobile phones as well as weak Internet broadband connectivity common to many locations in Nigeria threaten the sustainability of Facebook-radio broadcasting in Oyo State. Deployment of 5G network, installation of more network masts with strong bandwidth and training of radio presenters and radio stations' social media handlers on innovative and audience-participatory programme production are recommended.