Radio Management Practices: A Study Of Selected Private Radio Stations In Sekondi-Takoradi

Abstract

Located in the Political Economy Tradition of the Media, this study explored the management practices of selected radio stations in Sekondi-Takoradi (Radio Maxx, Aseda FM, Spice FM, Empire FM and Kyzz FM) as proxy for understanding how normative management practices in Ghana are enacted vis-a-vis the economic considerations that characterise the industry. The study combined in-depth interviews, document analysis and observation to explore the management practices of the radio stations pertaining to the areas of programming, human resource management, financial management and audience management. The findings of the study showed that the stations did not contribute much to Sekondi-Takoradi's creative economy because, for the most part, the stations expend resources on buying content from Accra-based radio stations. This practice denies the local economy any form of patronage that could have resulted from the local production of programmes in Sekondi-Takoradi. Additionally, the stations rely on talents from outside the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, which indicates that the stations do not have any viable talent grooming programmes that benefit local talents in Sekondi-Takoradi. The study also found that the radio stations did little or no formative research to guide their programming decisions. The implication of their failure to investigate their audiences’ needs, is homogenised competition among the stations; where all five stations air very similar programmes with very few variations. The study also sought to discover what constitutes the management structures of the radio stations, and how the management structures impact management practices. The study found that three out of the five stations do not have Human Resource Departments, which indicates problematic HR practices in the radio stations. The study ultimately concluded that even though private radio stations operate to maximise profits, there are a number of factors that condition the market model upon which these stations are set up and operated.