Broadcasting Board of Governors

Ukrainians’ political attitudes diverge by region despite the majority of the country turning to only a handful of top TV outlets for news, according to new survey results by the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

The research shows Crimea as having a very different news market; in 2012, the top five news sources were Ukrainian, whereas now all five are Russia-based TV channels and social media.

People in the west, north, and center regions of Ukraine are more likely to hold a favorable view of the role played by US in the crisis than those in the east, south, and Crimea. On the other hand, respondents in the east, south, and Crimea are more likely to see Russia as playing a mostly positive role. Support for economic reform, joining the EU, and NATO integration are similarly divided by region.

“The only consensus point across the country is that the vast majority of Ukrainians are opposed to foreign involvement in decisions about the country’s future,” said Neli Esipova, director of research, global migration and regional director for Gallup. The crisis has taken a toll on the media environment in Ukraine, resulting in the cessation of broadcasts by some TV channels. However, these changes have not significantly affected Ukrainians’ sources for news.

“Only one in five Crimeans say the cessation of some Ukrainian TV channels in Crimea has changed their newsgathering habits, and only one in 10 Ukrainians outside Crimea say that the cessation in broadcasting of some Russian TV channels has changed their newsgathering habits,” said Sarah Glacel, senior audience research specialist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

While a vast divide remains between “media rich” and “media poor” Nigerians, household mobile ownership has surpassed that of radio and TV in Nigeria, and the use of Internet is trending upward, according to new findings on Nigerian media consumption habits presented by the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

The data, which comes from a national media survey conducted by Gallup in early 2014, shows that 87% of Nigerian adults have a mobile phone in their household. Personal mobile phone ownership has grown across all demographics, including women, Hausa speakers, and older Nigerians.

While use of new technologies is on the rise, radio remains the dominant news platform in Nigeria, with 77.4% overall and more than seven in 10 across all major demographic groups saying they listen to the radio for news at least weekly.

Nigerians are active consumers of news, with two-thirds (66.6%) saying they access news at least once a day. At the same time, Gallup World Poll data from July 2013 found a sharp decline in perceptions of media freedom in Nigeria, particularly in the north.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors announced an agreement with Channels Television, one of the 13 independent Nigerian TV stations. For the first time, Voice of America correspondents will report on events as they happen from around the world for the Channels evening newscasts.

“We are excited to deepen our innovative and interactive relationship with Channels TV,” said BBG Governor Matt Armstrong, who signed the agreement at an Association of International Broadcasters conference in London. ”We will work together collaboratively to cover local and global events, from Lagos, Washington, DC, and around the world based on VOA’s trusted news and information and the journalists at Channels TV. ”

VOA’s English-language reports will air on the Channels prime-time evening programs “The World Today” at 5:30 pm and ”News at Ten” at 10:00 pm local time. Channels TV is popular with English-speaking Nigerians and has approximately a 15 percent audience share of adults over age 15.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors has condemned a recent decision by Russian authorities to cut off all remaining radio transmissions by US international media in Russia.

In a one-sentence letter dated March 21, Dmitry Kiselev, the director of the information agency Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today), stated that “we are not going to cooperate” with the BBG’s request to continue a long-standing contract for broadcasting on Russian soil.

Effective at the end of March, this decision removes the last vestige of Voice of America programming -- including news in Russian and English-language lessons -- from a local frequency in Moscow (810 AM). “Moscow has chosen to do the wrong thing and restrict free speech,” said BBG Chairman Jeff Shell. “This is a fundamental value shared by many countries around the world. The BBG will continue to reach audiences in Russia through digital platforms and via satellite transmissions.”

Despite the political changes that have occurred in Egypt over the past several years, the media sources upon which people are relying for news and information have not changed significantly, according to media research data released by the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

“Television is king in Egypt. It remains by far the most important source of news and information for Egyptians,” said Diana Turecek, director of audience research for the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN).

Nearly all (98.8%) Egyptians have a working television in their home, and 94% use it weekly for news. However, only 59.6% of Egyptians are somewhat or very satisfied with the information available on television about political developments in Egypt.