News Management at Radio Thailand

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study 1) the conditions and status of news management at Radio Thailand; 2) factors that affect the process of news management at Radio Thailand; and 3) problems or obstacles that affect the process of news management at Radio Thailand.

            This was a qualitative research. Data were obtained from documents and in-depth interviews. For the interviews, the key informants were 12 high-level administrators, operating managers and operations-level news staff at Radio Thailand, chosen through purposive sampling. The documentary source of data was full versions of the Public Relations Department’s 2020-2037 operations plan and the 3-year plan for 2020-2022 and related documents. The research tools were 3 semi-structured interview forms and a document analysis form. Data were analyzed deductively.

            The results showed that 1) The news management at Radio Thailand was structured in the bureaucratic system because the station supports government public relations following the government policy and has the mission of creating a good understanding between the government and the people. The news management policy emphasizes truth, accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness in order to maintain public confidence. The news management process starts with a meeting in the Public Relation Department’s news room where news staff of national and regional radio and TV stations join to discuss on the direction of news issues for mutual understanding before delegating assignments to their reporters. 2) Factors that affected Radio Thailand’s news management process included internal factors, such as the bureaucratic system, administrators’ policies, lack of experiences of the staff and personnel shortages; and external factors such as changes in the media landscape, technological advancements, market competition and the need to make revenue. 3) Problems or obstacles affecting the process of news management at Radio Thailand were the personnel management structure in the government bureaucracy, brain drain because talented people felt working at Radio Thailand was not secure enough, personnel shortages, some government red tape that did not facilitate nimble work operations, and a lack of sufficient materials and modern equipment.