ABSTRACT:

This paper draws attention to the emerging patterns of media entrepreneurship in Nigeria, which call for new research perspectives. For data on the demographic identity of the new entrepreneurs across all media, the study examined official records, media websites and publication information provided in the print media while data supporting new orientations and coping strategies were collected from a focus group of professionals and scholars. Results indicate that ownership of national daily newspapers is now 100% private as against the situation in 1980 when the Federal Government owned the two truly national dailies in the country. State governments still own some regional newspapers but magazine titles have grown to over 154 from about 22 in 1990. All 13 news magazines and 141 specialized magazines in circulation are owned by private entrepreneurs and Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs). For the broadcast media, data indicate that the nation has moved from 100% government ownership, as was the case in 1990, to about 34% private/community ownership in 2011. Findings also indicate that majority of the new entrepreneurs are journalists. Based on these findings, this paper calls for a sort of paradigm shift in media discourse. It therefore recommends for a concerted research efforts to focus on audience satisfaction, audience feedback and feed forward.