Management of Broadcast Newsrooms in the Era of Digital Media in Nigeria

This study examines the management practices and organisational adaptations of broadcast newsrooms in Nigeria's major television stations as they respond to the challenges of digital media competition. Broadcast television newsrooms are under pressure from multiple directions simultaneously: declining advertising revenue, audience fragmentation across digital platforms, competition from online video streaming, and the need to produce content for multiple platforms including television, YouTube, and social media simultaneously. This study uses a qualitative case study approach, conducting interviews with 24 news directors, assignment editors, and digital producers at NTA, Channels Television, AIT, and TVC News. Newsroom observation periods supplement interview data. Topics covered include digital content strategy, convergent journalism practices, staff retraining, content repurposing workflows, and management of the tension between broadcast broadcast speed and social media immediacy. Findings reveal that Channels Television is the most advanced in convergent newsroom operations, having invested significantly in integrated digital production infrastructure. State-owned NTA shows the greatest resource constraints and slowest digital adaptation, hampered by bureaucratic management structures. Smaller commercial stations struggle with staff retention for digital roles. Content repurposing from broadcast to digital platforms is widely practiced but rarely involves original digital-native formats. The speed-accuracy tension is identified as the most acute daily newsroom management challenge in the social media era. The study concludes that Nigerian broadcast newsrooms require both structural redesign and continuous professional development to manage digital transition effectively.

Keywords: broadcast newsroom management, digital media, convergent journalism, Nigeria, television news.