CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Programmes are essential elements of television broadcasting. Programmes are largely responsible for a television station’s rating and revenue. Eastman, Ferguson, & Klein, (2013) indicate that programmes help stations to stay aoat in the midst of stiff competition. In the same light, Pongiannan (2012)assert that programming when poorly handled leads to a loss of audience. Eastmanet al., (2013) submit that the simultaneous loss in revenue generation can be the death of a television station.In television stations globally, the department responsible for arranging programmes ‘is the place where power lies’ (Ihlebaek, Syvertsen, &Ytreberg, 2014). This is premised on Pringle & Starr, (2006) submission that of all the factors that determine the financial success of a radio or television station, none is more important than programming. Programmes are therefore, key in the management of a television station as they are capable of changing the fortunes of the stations.Although how and what kind of programmes a station produces or presents is determined by four influencers: audience, advertiser, regulator and the broadcaster (Pringle & Starr, 2006), the audience is key among these factors. Pringle & Starr, (2006,) establish that success in television programming rests heavily on the ‘ability to produce or buy programmes with audience appeal, air them at times when they can be seen by the audience to which they appeal, and build individual programmes into a schedule that encourages viewers to tune to the station and remain with it from one programme to another’. Thus, Eastman & Ferguson, (2012) summits that, only successful programming win large audience to television.Television programmes are produced by programme producers and television station managers to satisfy audience which is the core objective of every television station. The deregulation and digitalisation of television stations in Nigeria has given birth to so many private and public owned television stations whose challenge is to capture a big share of the viewing audience (Ugande, 2013;Asekun-Olarinmoye, Uwom, Chioma, & Olatunbosun, 2014). Nigerians are now exposed to numerous public and private television stations including Channels TV, Africa Independent Television (AIT), Nigerian Television Authority(NTA), Galaxy TV, Silver Bird TV, to mention but a few (Akinwalere, 2013; Chioma, 2014). Alhassan & Kwakwa, (2013) recognizes that the implication of growth in the number of television stations is tight competition among the stations for viewership.According to Udende, Abdulraheem & Oyewo (2014), the competition among television stations is higher when the television stations have similar programming objectives and television scheduling strategies. For instance, AIT, Channels TV and NTA have similar programmes during the same time of the day, especially at peak time. Obono & Madu, (2014) asserts that the deregulation of television in Nigeria has opened for competitive content, stations offering the same kind of programme at same time with similar strategies making tougher for audience to choose among the available. This has given rise to competition amongst the television stations as each station desire to earn higher audience rating. Most television stations provide news programmes in the morning, entertainment and news in the evening. Eastmanet al., (2013) submits that Audience has been the king whom all the television stations want to serve and the only way to achieve this objective is through effective programming.

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