Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to examine how students at the University of Education,
Winneba perceive Talking Point, a talk show programme on Ghana Television
(GTV). Factors that motivate students at University of Education, Winneba to watch
Talking Point; students’ perception of Talking Point host, guests, and topics; and how
Talking Point affects the students were all investigated. Participants for the study
were twenty-five students who had been selected using the purposive and snowball
sampling procedures. Data was gathered through in-depth qualitative interviews and
focus group discussions and analysed using thematic analysis. The Perception theory
and the Uses and Gratification theory provided a broad framework for the study. This
study found that education and information are factors that motivate students at
University of Education, Winneba to watch Talking Point. This finding is contrary to
assertions in the literature that entertainment is the primary motive for which people
watch talk shows. Although it was found that government exerts some level of
influence on Talking Point programme, respondents generally considered panelists
and host of the programme to be intelligent and objective. Finally, the study revealed
that Talking Point has helped in shaping the thoughts, knowledge base and aspects of
respondents’ social life.
Description:
A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA
STUDIES, FACULTY OF LANGUAGES, SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF
GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN
PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY (COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES)
DEGREE.
AUGUST, 2015