Effects of Social Media on Content of Local Television Programs in Kenya: a Case Study of Citizen Tv's Gospel Sunday Show

Abstract

The dream of every media house is to make profits and have as many viewers and listeners as possible. This can only be achieved when they tailor their programs to be more engaging hence get more viewers and listeners. Social media is fast growing and its effects can no longer be ignored. With this growth of social media, audience needs' are changing and people are looking for faster, cheaper, more engaging and efficient ways of receiving information and interacting with television programs, the hosts, the casts and other viewers all over the world. The general objective for this study therefore was to find out if social media, through feedback from the audience, has played a part in determining how television programs are made. Direct interviews and questionnaires were administered to respondents who were the viewers of Citizen TV's Gospel Sunday Show and the Royal media persorinel who work on' the Sunday morning show. The study sought to find out if there has been programming changes made in the programme since its inception that can directly be attributed to viewers through their interaction with the programme through social media feedback. The study found out that social media, to a greater extent affects the way local television programmes are tailored. The feedback given by the audience in form of song requests and suggestions if granted by the programme hosts, is an indication that social media affects the final product. With reference to the findings of this study, it is recommended that television programmers and the media fraternity at large should embrace the use of social media as a means of acquiring feedback from their audience. This is in the wake of widespread use of social media that cuts across all generations. This will help them tap into the part of their aud ience that is movmg.