Implications of Radio Talk Show Presenters and Content on Media Practice in Kenya: A Study of Selected FM Radio Stations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to interrogate radio talk show content, particularly the concern of whether the presenters adhered to professional standards as outlined in the code of conduct for practice of journalism in Kenya. Its objectives were to examine how radio talk show presenters handled content against the MCK’s laid down professional and ethical standards, determine whether gaps existed in Kenyan journalism training that were filled by other professionals, and explore audience preferences that influenced the nature of radio talk show content in Kenya. Descriptive research design was used and the target population of the study was ten leading FM radio stations in Nairobi that aired morning talk shows. Purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of three FM radio stations. Structured in-depth interviews were used in data collection, and data analysis was done using SPSS software version 20. Findings of the study revealed that the regulatory bodies such as the MCK and the Communication Authority of Kenya were leading efforts to regulate content in the interests of decency. The limitations of the MCK as a media regulatory body were lack of capacity to monitor radio stations, resulting in poor enforcement of the journalists’ code of ethics. It lacked the capacity to ensure that only trained radio broadcast journalists were hired by media houses. Although the MCK had developed a curriculum for middle level journalism training institutions, its impact in standardising training had been negligible. This study did not assess the efficacy of the CA’s programming code as it was launched in July 2016, after the conclusion of the fieldwork for this research. Among the recommendations of the study were improvement of the journalism curriculum as well as embracing of the MCK curriculum by middle level colleges.