Technology and News Production: The Case of Ghana Television and Tv3 Limited

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.