Abstract

The study sought to determine how  TV station executives balance the entertainment needs of their audience and the producers' expectations within a changing digital broadcast environment.There is increasing pressure for the new breed of station managers working within the free to air TV stations in Kenya to remain relevant in programming serial drama fiction in a competitive digitalized setting. The study is anchored on two theories:the uses and gratification theory and the encoding and decoding theory. Using a qualitative approach; in-depth interviews and focused group discussions (FGDs)  were conducted with a total of 73 participants comprising of TV viewers, serial drama fiction producers and station executives.The results indicate that the station executivesare highly regarded by the viewers. Nonetheless, they contextualize the viewers and the serial drama producers as ‘profit vessels’ of their stations. Further, the station executives and the producers operate at cross-purposes. The study recommends bridging this divide by deepening the understanding of each other's unique role. Upskilling the writing and productions aspects of the domestic serial drama fiction producers. Additionally, the government should develop an incentive and reward systemfor the broadcast stations beyond the 60 per cent regulatory requirement. 

Key Words: TV Station Executive, Digital Broadcast, Serial Drama Fiction, Producers, Audience

JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 13, No. 2, October 2021, pp. 72-82

© Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

About the authors

• Collins Auta Wagumba is a lecturer in Broadcast Productions at the Faculty of Media and Communication, Multimedia University of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.

** Michael Mwangi Kamau, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya. He has also taught at the School of Journalism, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology and Kenya Institute of Mass Communication. He is interested in societal transformation and empowerment through Mass Communication, Research, Governance and Democratic processes.

Full Article

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Article Citation

Wagumba, C. A., & Kamau, M. M. (2021). Television executives:  Balancing audiences needs and producers expectations in serial drama programming of the digital era in Kenya. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 13 (2): 72 – 82.