Masters Degrees (Journalism)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Journalism) by Subject "Advertising -- Media planning -- South Africa"

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    The long tail model and niche journalism in South Africa: A case study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03 ) Goff, Edward Vincent; Rabe, Lizette; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Journalism.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: news media’s shift from print to digital media has made the use of news websites increasingly significant. One theory that has been applied to news websites is the long tail theory, which has been credited for the success of retail websites such as Amazon.com. The concept of the long tail phenomenon challenges the traditional approach to business by suggesting that niche products or news content could become more profitable than the popular products if people are able to easily find them. There is still a lack of research in terms of the long tail phenomenon in South Africa. Thus, the aim for this study was to examine the possible presence of the long tail phenomenon in South African online news media by analysing three South African news websites, namely, news24.com, iol.co.za, and timeslive.co.za. Data was collected by examining the navigational menus of each website as well as through the online software programme Ubersuggest. The results of the study demonstrated that the traffic generated by niche news content was inconsistent across the websites, lacking any conclusive trend towards a long tail. In some instances, it emerged that general news topics generated more traffic and potentially more profit than niche news content. The study also took into consideration engagement theory to contextualise the way people interact with websites and news media. Although inconclusive results emerged from the study, several limitations were identified, which could be addressed by future research such as larger data sets or more websites.