REVIEW OF NIGERIA MEDIA SCENE AND THE TYPES OF MEDIA CONVERGENCE IN OPERATION

What is convergence? Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, convergence has as many definitions as the number of people who try to define or practice it.
Convergence in the context of media refers to the technology driven unification of different media channels.
Berger (2008:168) identifies seven types of convergence as follows:

1. Corporate convergence (as in joint ventures) between telecom and media companies;
2. The branching out of a traditional print operation into internet publishing or audio/video or mobile;
3. Reverse publishing from the web into print;
4. Production processes, where content is co-ordinate or shared;
5. The convergence of skills set of previously segregated specialist media practitioners ─ whether reporter, news editor, or production personnel;
6. Convergence of media consumer devices: e.g. the camera-cell phone or computers being used to watch video broadcasts; and
7. The coming together of producer and consumer functions─ the audience generating media (content).

Using the various convergence models highlighted above, no Nigeria media falls into the category of corporate convergence, say between telecom and media or between TV and newspaper companies. The country is yet to witness mergers between newspapers and telecommunications companies or between telecommunication companies and electronic media or even between newspapers and electronic companies or with internet companies such as the $US165 billion AOL-Time Warner merger announced in January 2000. It was touted as convergence because analysts and executives saw advantages in combining Time Warner’s content with AOL’s networks.
The second convergence model of branching out of traditional print operation into internet publishing or audio/video or mobile, is the one more prevalent in the Nigeria media landscape.
It’s generally observe that all the newspapers whose website were visited, at listed above, have online presence, which makes them available not only to their local audiences in Nigeria, but also to people all over the world, but also to people all over the world, particularly Nigerians in the Diaspora. The newspapers also have features on their Home Pages, which make it possible for reader to react and/or contribute is issues.

From the journalist’s perspective convergence offers a chance to do better journalism by giving reporters the tools to tell stories in the most appropriate medium. Technology frees them from the limits of individual media. Some print reporters are embracing convergence because appearing on television gives them added visibility—they enjoy being recognized in public places like supermarkets—and convergence skills also make them more marketable.
Digital technology makes convergence possible, but these tools cost money and take time to learn.
Several forces are driving convergence. The key ones are the changing lifestyles of news consumers and consumers in general, fragmentation of audiences (discussed earlier in the business models section) and the subsequent rise in the amount of time people spend with various forms of the media.
With federal government of Nigeria’s consideration of merging the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) the Nigeria landscape is getting ready for convergence regulation that reflects the twenty first century. With the launch of mobile television by MTN and DSTV, it is goodbye to the old other
Newspapers who has online presence are available not only to their audience in Nigeria, but also to people all over the world.
The use of e-mail address of the newspaper and contact pages on the website also makes it easy for Nigerians living abroad to contribute regularly to discuss about various issues in the country.
Most Nigerian newspapers, though conforming to the Berger’s model of convergence, have limited multimedia functions because only feature few text and graphics
There is also convergence with the traditional television and radio stations also having online presence with the internet. Some of the Nigeria electronic media websites also provide text, pictures and graphics in addition to live broadcasts.
Blogging and citizen journalism, which are forms of producer and consumer convergence functions are already prevalent in Nigeria. Similarly, citizen journalism is on the rise with the newspapers donating the citizen to send their contributions
In repositioning for the challenges of managing media convergence Voice Of Nigeria (VON) the external broadcasting station of Nigeria had a one week retreat for its management team each directorate is expected to make presentation on media convergence and how VON can achieve media convergence.
The increasingly competitive environment in the multimedia industry promises tremendous user benefits through increased savings in time, greater choice, and an explosion of innovative services and products. This is the promise, to date, truly interactive services allowing the viewer to descend through a series of levels of information are still at the experimental stage.
The development of multimedia services will not replace judgment value that is provided by the traditional media. Hence, the traditional media will still have a large role to play in the new multimedia world.
Multimedia has the potential to vastly increase the range of services available, and offer its users a larger choice of applications but new technology alone will not ensure success; it is the people who use it who will decide the future of multimedia. The users' wants and needs; how they will manage the flood of options; and, above all, whether or not they will pay for the freedom of choice are what counts.
Convergence: technological and institutional
'Convergence ' has become a cliché of the information age. In its current usage it refers to two distinct though related phenomena:

1. The way that all transmission media become bit-carriers so that different 'network platforms' can carry similar kinds of services and
2. The tendency of the previously separate worlds of broadcasting, film , telecommunication, publishing and computing to become involved in each others business.