Browsing by Author "Akrofi-Quarcoo, S."
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Item A case of double standards? Audience attitudes to professional norms on local and English language radio news programmes in Ghana(Journal of African Media Studies, 2019) Gadzekpo, A.; Yeboah-Banin, A.A.; Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.The proliferation of radio stations across Africa has engendered an increase in local language radio stations and fuelled culturally-rooted practices of news delivery considered by many media professionals as sub-standard. This article explores the reception practices of multi-lingual audiences in Ghana, focusing on their views on the different norms and approaches of local language and English language radio newscasts. Using data from a convenience sample of 1000 radio listeners in five Ghanaian cosmopolitan cities the study finds that audiences prefer more performative modes of news delivery on their local language stations. It was also evident that radio audiences are discerning and make distinctions between what is acceptable on local language versus English language radio. These results call for a reconsideration of western-influenced standards of news delivery and the develop ment of professional standards more accommodating of the inflections of culture.Item A case of double standards? Audience attitudes to professional norms on local and English language radio news programmes in Ghana(Journal of African Media Studies, 2020-03) Gadzekpo, A.; Yeboah-Banin, A.A.; Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.The proliferation of radio stations across Africa has engendered an increase in local language radio stations and fuelled culturally-rooted practices of news delivery considered by many media professionals as sub-standard. This article explores the reception practices of multi-lingual audiences in Ghana, focusing on their views on the different norms and approaches of local language and English language radio newscasts. Using data from a convenience sample of 1000 radio listeners in five Ghanaian cosmopolitan cities the study finds that audiences prefer more performative modes of news delivery on their local language stations. It was also evident that radio audiences are discerning and make distinctions between what is acceptable on local language versus English language radio. These results call for a reconsideration of western-influenced standards of news delivery and the development of professional standards more accommodating of the inflections of cultureItem A Chink in the Charm? A Framing Analysis of Coverage of Chinese Aid in the Ghanaian Media(African Journalism Studies, 2019) Yeboah-Banin, A.A.; Tietaah, G.K.M.; Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.Much recent scholarship focuses on China’s growing global influence. Of note is China’s recent charm offensive on Africa through the soft power of aid and trade. With development assistance being key to asserting global influence, it would seem that by pursuing a no-strings-attached approach to aid, China has propositioned itself to Africans as a benevolent development partner. Yet China’s business activities in Africa may represent a chink in its image. In Ghana, there is a palpable Chinese presence in nearly every facet of life (including energy, construction and trade). Across these spheres, Chinese elements are the object of criticism. For instance, their involvement in illegal mining (“galamsey”) is blamed for the degradation of lands and pollution of water bodies. The question evoked by these cross-purposes of aid and trade is: how is China’s influence in Ghana reflected in its image as a development partner? We argue that the media is key to answering this question, given that they reflect and affect the opinions of citizens on national interest issues. The study thus explores how the local Ghanaian media frame “China in Ghana” to their audience as a means to shape local opinions and discourses on the matter.Item Diversity in the Programming of a Media Conglomerate: A Study of Multimedia Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)(University of Ghana, 2015-07) Thompson, J.N.A.; Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.The changing patterns of media ownership as a result of media liberalization and technological advancements have been globally acknowledged. Of particular interest is the growing phenomenon of media concentration in the hands of a few owners who are becoming conglomerates in the sector and the implications on the development of programming diversity. The study examined the programming patterns of three radio stations Joy FM, Hitz FM and Luv FM owned by an emerging conglomerate, Multimedia Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). Two of the stations, Joy FM and Hitz FM are located in Accra while the third, Luv FM is located in Kumasi. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the extent of diversity in their programming. The other objective was to find out the programming policy of the company. The study was conceptualised within the framework of the media pluralism theory. A mixed method approach of content analysis, documentary analysis and in-depth interview was employed for the study. A total of 199 recorded programmes from the three stations covering an entire week and from the stations‟ advertising block cards, were content analysed. These were augmented with an in-depth interview with the programmes manager of MBC. The study found that while some content was the same for especially Joy FM and Luv FM, Hitz FM was totally different in terms of orientation as it remained a music and entertainment station even after its acquisition. However, data showed diversity in the format, type and pattern of the programming of Joy FM and Luv FM. It was observed that Joy FM had a wider range and variety of programmes than the other two stations. The study also found that all three stations devoted more time to programming than to advertising.Item Indigenizing radio in Ghana(Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, 2020) Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.; Gadzekpo, A.Radio is hailed as Africa’s medium of choice in the global communication age. Introduced as a colonial tool of information, education and entertainment in the early 1930s, radio broadcasting was mainly in colonial languages as colonial administrators perceived local language broadcasting a threat to their empire building and ‘civilization’ agendas. The fortunes of local language broadcasting did not dramatically change in the independence era when broadcast media were in the firm control of the state. From the beginning of the twenty-first century, however, mostly resulting from a more liberalized media environment, local language broadcasting has undergone unprecedented growth. Drawing on written archival material, including internal communication among policy-makers, audi ence letters, key informant interviews and findings from a recent audience study, this article charts the progressive development of local language radio broadcast ing in Ghana, and engages with the role played by early audiences and broadcast ers in indigenizing broadcast content.Item Journalism Aid: Country of Origin and Influences on Beneficiary Perceptions and Practices(African Journalism Studies, 2018-08) Tietaah, G.K.M.; Yeboah-Banin, A.A.; Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.; Sesenu, F.Y.A sub-text in the discourse on international development assistance is the argument that aid is not necessarily a beneficent, or sustainable, solution to the development needs of African countries. This argument raises a conceptual conundrum with respect to the many training programmes and fellowships designed to address the skills deficits of journalists and media in Africa. While the necessity and value of such interventions may be taken for granted, a counterintuitive question arises about the extent to which beneficiaries are able nonetheless to act independently. This study sought to find out the extent to which capacity-building assistance to journalists in Ghana may have fostered or inhibited their independent practice. Individual interviews were conducted with 24 journalists to ascertain their experiences with such programmes and their subsequent dispositions towards the host country or agency. The findings showed that underlying the manifest objectives of building the capacities of beneficiaries was the implicit intent of the aid country of origin to use the media as agents of economic and cultural diplomacy. The consequent prospect of compromising the journalistic autonomy of beneficiaries of training aid brings into question their capacity to contribute to sustainable development in Ghana.Item Journalism Aid: Country of Origin and Influences on Beneficiary Perceptions and Practices(African Journalism Studies, 2018) Tietaah, G.K.M.; Yeboah-Banin, A.A.; Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.; Sesenu, F.Y.A sub-text in the discourse on international development assistance is the argument that aid is not necessarily a beneficent, or sustainable, solution to the development needs of African countries. This argument raises a conceptual conundrum with respect to the many training programmes and fellowships designed to address the skills deficits of journalists and media in Africa. While the necessity and value of such interventions may be taken for granted, a counterintuitive question arises about the extent to which beneficiaries are able nonetheless to act independently. This study sought to find out the extent to which capacity-building assistance to journalists in Ghana may have fostered or inhibited their independent practice. Individual interviews were conducted with 24 journalists to ascertain their experiences with such programmes and their subsequent dispositions towards the host country or agency. The findings showed that underlying the manifest objectives of building the capacities of beneficiaries was the implicit intent of the aid country of origin to use the media as agents of economic and cultural diplomacy. The consequent prospect of compromising the journalistic autonomy of beneficiaries of training aid brings into question their capacity to contribute to sustainable development in Ghana.Item Social Media Addiction among Students of the University of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2015-10) Otu, A.A.; Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.; University of Ghana, College of Education, Department of Information and Communication StudiesThis study is a quantitative analysis of the level of social media addiction among students of the University of Ghana. Using the Uses and Gratification theory and Media Systems Dependency theory as the theoretical framework, the study investigated the level of addiction to the various social media platforms among a sample of Students of the University of Ghana. The objective of the study was to see whether social media addiction existed among students and the extent to which they were addicted if in fact the phenomenon existed. Two hundred students from the four colleges of the University of Ghana were sampled for this study. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires which was made up of 13 items from the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) which was developed by Dr Kimberly Young to measure the level of addiction to social media by students. The uses and gratifications and media Systems Dependency theories underpinned the study. Findings show that while scores from almost 19% of the respondents are not within the social media addiction bracket, only 1% of the respondents is severely addicted. Scores from the remaining 80% of the respondents established that they are moderately and mildly addicted to social media. Findings from the study also revealed that the most subscribed to and most used social media platform by students is WhatsApp and also a majority of the students use their social media accounts for entertainment.Item The Use of Social Media Among Senior High School Students in Ghana: A Study of Armed Forces Senior High/Technical School(University of Ghana, 2015-10) Mahama, B.; Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Communication StudiesTo find out the various reasons senior high school students in Ghana use social media, a survey was conducted with 120 respondents from Armed Forces Senior High/Technical School. The Uses and Gratifications theory underpinned this study. Findings show that majority of the respondents use social media to communicate with family and friends, for entertainment and for academic work. The study found that social media benefit students by helping them in the area of citizenship engagement, by updating them with global and national news, and by improving their social lives. Another finding is that a high number of students visit social media platforms daily. Facebook is the favourite social media platform for both male and female students as 98 respondents use Facebook. The study further confirmed the phenomenon of high use of social media among the youth. Findings of this study show that the highest social media users fall within the ages of 17-19. Most of the respondents (67.3%) are on only one social media platform. The main device with which respondents access social media is the mobile phone. Some challenges faced by the respondents in using social media are network failure, power fluctuation, and money issues. Pornography is the main issue of concern for the students. In the aspect of gender and social media use, findings show that males use social media more than females. However, gender does not have an influence on the choice of social media as the study found that both genders use and prefer the same platforms.Item Women, Media and ICTs in Ghana(Technical Paper Prepared for Netright for the United Nations Status of Women Report, 2006) Gadzekpo, A.; Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.Item Women’s Engagement with Radio Broadcasting in Post-Colonial Ghana, 1960-1975(University of Ghana, 2015-06) Akrofi-Quarcoo, S.; Perbi, A.; Gadzekpo, A.; Amoah-Boampong, C.; University of Ghana, College of Humanities, School of Arts, Department of HistoryWhat did Ghanaian Women do with Radio, for what purposes and to what ends? Combining scholarship from gender and colonialism with media theories, archival research (written and audio), and oral history, this study on Women’s Radio history explores Ghanaian Women’s relationships with Radio, “an important Imperialist asset” involved in the mission of “civilising” primitive Africans and empire-building. The overarching theoretical foundation for the study is modernisation, packaged as Victorian styled “domesticity” a framework for British cultural imperialism. The study argues that women across various levels of social and cultural power, appropriated Radio and transformed it into a resource to contest their subordination, to expand their communication space and to negotiate new and more equitable gendered relationship within a predominantly patriarchal domestic space. In support of the thesis, the study examines three areas of women’s relationship with radio. Firstly, it explores the employment trajectory of women in radio careers focusing on the pioneers and key personalities and their contribution to the development of radio in Ghana. Secondly, it unearths the neglected history of Women’s Radio Programmes and shows how post-colonial Ghanaian women used the programme space to subvert colonial and neo-colonial agenda of promoting Victorian-styled domesticity and separate women’s sphere. Thirdly, the study examines the history of women’s listening relationship with radio. Findings from the study indicate that by taking up careers in radio, Ghanaian women transcended historical prejudices against women in the exclusively male-defined economic space of Radio Broadcasting to contribute to the development of radio. In their roles as programme producers, journalists, and programme makers, Ghanaian women were agents in the early construction of national unity and the grander agenda of African Unity. The study also found that Ghanaian women had a strong voice on radio using the Women’s Radio Magazine spaces strategically to advocate women’s rights; to educate women on many issues peculiar to their sex and on national issues of health, hygiene, economics, science, sports and patriotism. As radio listeners, post-colonial Ghanaian women were not passive to radio programmes but selective of the programmes they listened to and engaged with content to facilitate their “personal modernity” and integration into “modern society.” This study presents new evidence that aside propaganda, radio was a primary tool of domesticity from the early 1930s. It also addresses critical historical issues regarding the use of radio to propagate Victorian domesticity in post-colonial Ghana particularly after independence. The study rejects the notion that domesticity was a negative feature of post-colonial Ghanaian women’s life and argues that post-colonial Ghanaian women appropriated radio, a domestic technology and a tool of domesticity and transformed it into a resource to foster their integration into “modern society.”