A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FIRST AND SECOND TIME NEWSPAPER READERS’ EXPOSURE PATTERN AND CONTENT PREFERENCE

Abstract

This study is a comparative study of first and second time newspaper readers’ exposure pattern and content preference. The survey method of study was employed while one-on-one interview was used as technique for data collection.

Here, the first time reader refers to the person who buys the paper from the vendor while the second time reader is the person who borrows the newspaper from the first time reader. The focus of study was Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), COOU chapter.

Members of this union constituted the first time readers while the second time readers comprised of the relations and friends of the ASUU members who pick the newspapers from them to read.The study aimed at finding out the exposure patterns and the content preferences of both the first and the second time readers.

Uses and gratification theory was employed in the study where 76 respondents were purposively and conveniently selected in a survey method of study, using in-depth interview as a technique for gathering data. It was found that income, age, gender and occupation determined who was a first or second time reader, including newspaper content preference.

The study concludes that the first time readers devote less time to newspaper reading than the second time readers due to the nature of their occupations; first time readers are more interested in political stories and feature stories while the second time readers are interested in sports, fashion and soft sell stories such as love tips.

Chinenye Nwabueze (Ph.D)

Department of Mass Communication

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University

Igbariam Campus

Casmir Obiakor

Department of Mass Communication

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University

Igbariam Campus

Keywords: Readership, Exposure pattern, Content preference, First time reader, second time reader, Newspaper

(Source: Maidugury Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 2016)