Influence of Online News Listenership on Mainstream Media: A Study of Owerri Metropolis Residents

The paper examined the influence of online news listenership on the mainstream media among residents of Owerri Metropolis. To achieve this, relevant empirical studies by other scholars were reviewed which aided the present study in knowing what was found previously. The paper adopted the source credibility theory and the medium theory, Survey design was adopted for the methodology, the study had a projected population of 560,700^from which a sample size of 384was arrived at using the Wimmer and Dominick online sample size. The multi-stage sampling technique was adopted with the use of questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. The study found out that the majority of the respondents' level of digital media/ICT literacy is moderate at 35%.; a majority of the respondents' level of listenership to online news is high at 3 5%. Result also revealed that, at an average mean of 3.5, the respondents showed a favourable and positive perception about online news contents, although, they view online news contents that they are not so true and factual sometimes. Findings further indicated that, at an average mean of 3.1, online news listenership affects the audience of the mainstream media because the audiences resort to online news due to ease of access and convenience, the study concluded that, the advent of the new media/internet has thoroughly changed the face of journalism and the nature of audience consumption of news in the world today as people nowadays, access the Internet for updated news at any given time irrespective of location'." The paper, recommended that, sources of news contents should always be verified and authenticated before audience's consumption to avoid misleading the audience with fake information. Also, the mainstream media should up their digital presence as people now resort to the internet for online news.