Assessment of Electronic Media Accessibility over Print Media in Ghana: A Study of the Daily Statesman Newspaper.

Abstract

Unlike some three decades ago when people had to wait for the news until the next day, today in less than five seconds, people can get access to the news. Ghana's public domain is no exception as it has seen an increase in media presence, which has improved information dissemination to people. The study explored the Daily Statesman, a private-owned newspaper to access electronic media use over print media in Ghana and how it has affected purchase and sales as well as some strategies newspaper organizations have employed to stay relevant. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to carry out this study. The questionnaire was distributed using convenience sampling to respondents while the interview guide focused on two departments of the Daily Statesman newspaper. These departments are the Editorial Department and the Marketing and Account Department. Findings indicated that the proliferation of electronic media had resulted in a drop in newspaper purchases and sales. This is due to the electronic media industry's ability to give news and information on a timely basis as well as a shift in reading habits among other issues. The study also found that having access to electronic media does not mean that people will stop buying newspapers; however, the more people have access to the internet radio, and television, the less they will buy newspapers. These notwithstanding, the study revealed that the Daily Statesman had put in place measures to address these issues and safeguard the expansion and survival of newspapers. Some of the measures were e-paper, equipping their staff as well as improving the appearance of the paper. The study recommended that future studies should examine more than one private newspaper in Ghana to find out the extent to which new media technologies have affected the larger newspaper industry. It is further recommended that the Daily Statesman must take full advantage of the internet technologies in all phases of newspaper production.