Examining the linkages between readership and online news content in Kenya: a case of the nation media group
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Date
2016-11Author
Rukanga, Basillioh M
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
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The study examines the linkages between readership and online news content in Kenya. Using the
Nation Media Group, the study sought to examine the type of content the Nation Media Group
websites—the Daily Nation and the Nairobi News—serve to their targeted audiences and the
resultant consumption dynamics. The objectives of the study were to assess readers’ consumption
patterns based on content subject, to determine the contribution of multimedia text to readership
consumption, explore the relationship between proximity of issues and choice of content and
examine the link between consumption of a story and its placement on the website. The study
stemmed from the perceived challenges of Kenyan websites serving the “right” content to the
diverse online audiences through various digital technology channels. The research employed a
netnographic method — a study of online communities — to gather data. Observation, interviews
with consumers, website editors and producers, as well as analysis of web consumption analytics
were used in the research. The study found out that politics is the most dominant subject consumed
by Daily Nation audiences, followed by crime. For Nairobi News, the subject matter was not a big
consideration compared with the content’s style and tone. Currency and resonance was also found
to be important elements influencing consumption of content. Human-interest stories were found
to be popular with the audiences. Evidence revealed that content placement had impact on the
consumption of content, both positively and negatively. The study recommends restyling of
content on the Daily Nation website in a manner that is more attractive to new audiences. Besides,
publishing of more niche content is proposed, as well as more human-interest stories focusing on
individual experiences.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
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