ABSTRACT
This study sought to find out the profile of readers of Grnphic Showbiz, an arts and entertainment newspaper, especially as it relates to students and workers.
Mass media audiences comprise individuals who select the media among other available sources to satisfy specific needs. For this reason one area of media studies, which has had a great deal of attention, is newspaper readership.
Owing to the large number of subject areas that newspapers cover, it can be understood that readership will be similarly segmeflted. Segmentation is based on subject areas that a newspaper covers as well as along other lines such as age, socio-economic status, level of education and gender.
Newspaper readership surveys in Ghana have tended to examine readership
patterns as they relate to a selection of general news newspapers instead of
specialised or one-subject newspapers.This study took a different approach ’in an attempt to find out the profile of readership of a single newspaper, Graphic Showbiz, which specialises in arts and entertainment news. It also attempted to find out why people patronised this particular newspaper.
The research method used in this study was the survey method using self-
administered questionnaires for 150 respondents.
Two specific independent variables — students and workers — were compared to find out which of the two patronised Graphic Showbiz more. It was the researcher’s position that given the large amount of music and entertainment related news that Graphic Showf›iz published, it was more likely to attract students than workers.
The findings of this study, however, indicated that the reverse was true. From the findings of the study the number of workers of various categories who patronised Graphic ShowbU amounted to approximately thrice the number of students. Thus, the largely music and entertainment content of the paper provided no special attraction to students as it did workers.
