The document summarizes a presentation on media development and audience habits in Libya. It finds that Libyan young adults are most interested in news about politics, both domestic and international. They consume news primarily to stay informed on current events and to engage in conversations. Television, especially Arabic channels, is the most popular medium. Regional stations are watched to gather general information and opinions, while local TV provides a sense of social interaction.

1. By Mokhtar Elareshi, Ph.D. Student
Media & Communication Dept
16 April 2010
Presented at the
Journey Across Media 2010 Conference
The Audience Spectacular: Who’s Watching and How? Ideas of Audience in Screen Media and Performance

2.  Libyan Media Development
 Research Questions
 Theoretical Framework
 Methodology
 Findings
 Conclusion

3.  Region: North Africa
 Capital: Tripoli
 Population: 6,173,579 m
 Median age: 23 years
 Growth rate: 5.8%
 Language: Arabic, English, Italian, French and others Tuareg and Berber
 Area:1,759,540Km2 (1,093,327sq.mi)
 Political: Independence 1951(The United Kingdom of Libya)
 Revolution: 1969 by Al-Gadhafi
 Economy: In 1957 oil was found.

4. 20
18 18
17
16
14
12
11
Number
10
8
6
4 4 4
3
2 2 2
1 1 1
0
1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s* 2000/09
The Newspapres 1 2 4 4 11
The radio 1 2 2 3 18
Television 1 1 1 3 17
* Source: ( Elfotaysi, 1996)

5. Television Channels from 1968 to 2005
Al-Jamahiriya TV Al-Jamahiriya TV Satellite Channel Al-Manawa TV Satellite Channel Al-Nadi TV Satellite Channel
Television Channels After 2005
Al-Jamahiriya Sport 1 TV
Al-Hedaya TV
9 9 99 TV Satellite Channel Africa Satellite Channel Al-Badeel TV Satellite Satellite Channel
Satellite Channel
Channel
Al-Jamahiriya Sport2 Al-Tawasul TV Libya Educational 1 TV Libya Educational 2 TV Libya Educational 4 TV
TV Satellite Channel Satellite Channel Satellite Channel Satellite Channel Satellite Channel
Libya Al-Shababiya TV Al-Manara TV Satellite Channel Allibiya TV Satellite Channel

6.  RQ1: How the news topics are defined? And which news topics are
most interested?
 RQ2: What uses do young adults make of news and what
gratifications do they derive from it?
 RQ3: Which news sources do young Libyan adults consume?
 RQ4: Which news supplies are the most popular with young Libyans?
 RQ5: Which news services – from the four chosen– are offering
Libyan students information that can gratify their needs for news?

7.  Uses and Gratifications Paradigm
 Motivation for news consumption
* News consumption
* Motivations for news
* News media use among students

8.  Survey Research
*Questionnaire : 32 questions
*The Sample: 400 undergraduate students
*Type of Sample: Stratified sampling
*Time: From 14 Dec 2009 to 08 Jan 2010
*Place: Al-Fateh University, Tripoli, Libya
 Ethics and Confidentiality Issues

9. Al-Jazeera TV Al-Arabiya TV Al-Jamahiriya TV Al-Jamahiriya 2 TV
News 18:00 News 18:00 News 21:30 News 20:00
 Popularity, Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya are the most well-known in the Arab
world
 Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya are professional at providing up-to-date
newscasts
 Locally, there is a kind of competition between the two local TV for gaining
Libyans’ attention
 They also provide news programmes

10. Composition of Respondents by Demographic Variables (400 undergraduate students)
Number Percentage
Gender
Male 180 (42%)
Female 220 (58%)
Median age 21 years old
Number of faculties 14
Religion
Islam 400 (100%)
Ethnicity
Arab 400 (100%)

11. Libya-wide politics 80.2
92.8
Current events in Libya 82.8
90.8
Current events in the Arab world 78.2
89.8
World-wide politics and current events 73.2
89.5
Current local events where I live 81.2
87.5
Politics in the Arab world 73
86.2
Weather news 76.2
85
City, business and financial issues 59.2
RQ1: % Most Interested
84.8
Human interest stories 70.2 RQ1: % Important News
84.7
Crime news 77.7
82.2
Entertainment 64.8
65.2
Sports news 52.6
58.4
Travel news 45.9
55.5
Celebrity behaviour 47
44.2
Others 10.5
14.8
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

12. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
To know what’s going on across the country 97.5 2.5
For information about daily life e.g. travel, health, education 91.7 8.3
To know what’s going on in the world 89.2 10.8
To join in conversations with friends, family, or colleagues 83.3 16.7
To acquire knowledge relevant to my studies or business 83.2 16.8
For personal interest 79 21
To be able to form my own opinions about issues 77.7 22.3
Knowing what is happening in the world makes me feel 72.8 27.2
As a duty or responsibility to keep up-to-date 66.2 33.8
To get a perspective from another country/countries 60.2 39.8
For entertainment 31.3 68.7
Through habit 27.5 72.5
I don’t follow the news 16 84
For other reasons 6 94
Very interested Not interested

13. 100
90
80
70
61.2%
60
51% 50.8%
50
43.2%
40
28.2%
30 25.2%
22.8%
20
10
0
Arabic TV Internet Radio Libyan TV Newspapers News Non-Arabic TV
channels channels magazines channels
% of daily & most days

14. % Daily or most days
18.7
32.1
22.1
27.1
Al-Jamahiriya TV Al-Jamahiriya2 TV
Al-Arabiya TV Al-Jazeera TV

15. Al-Jamahiriya Al-Jamahiriya 2
Al-Arabiya TV Al-Jazeera TV
TV TV
Parasocial Interpersonal General info Opinion
interaction 43% 73% seeking 86% leadership 82%
Surveillance General info Opinion Interpersonal
30% seeking 68% leadership 83% 82%
Opinion Opinion Interpersonal General info
leadership 28% leadership 64% 82% seeking 81%
Interpersonal
Parasocial Surveillance
23% Surveillance
interaction 60% 73%
74%
General info
Parasocial
seeking 20% Surveillance Parasocial
interaction 70%
60% interaction 63%
% saying agree or strongly agree

16.  News consumption !
*Regional TV vs. local TV
*New TV vs. old TV
 Motivations !
*Information =>the country/life/ the world
*Conversation=> talk to friends/ family
 Gratifications !
* Locally=> parasocial/ interpersonal
* Regionally=> general info seeking/ opinion leadership

17. Mokhtar H. Elareshi
me94@le.ac.uk
Media and Communication Department
University of Leicester
Leicester
LE2 7RH
This thesis is supervised by Prof Barrie Gunter and sponsored by Libyan Embassy.