(Department of Mass Communication, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria., 2017) Agnes Joe SHAIBU
Popularity of Internetnews sources continues to raise concerns over its impact on traditional
news sources across the globe, as it is a widely investigated topic in academic researches.
Internet use is a global phenomenon, hence this study sought to find out how much of the
assertions of Internet use displacing or complementing traditional media apply to Nigerians.
The study investigated the extent to which uptake of Internet news had affected use of
Television news and the extent of complementarity. The study was premised upon the uses
and gratifications and media complementarity theories. 345 respondents purposively
sampled were surveyed in Zaria and Kaduna, Nigeria. Findings showed that use ofInternet
news complemented respondents’ uptake of mainstream Television news and that Internet
news has affected their television news consumption to a minimal extent. The study
concluded that Internet news usage was unlikely to displace Television news viewing among
sampled respondents. The study recommended that traditional media who were online
upload different contents from their offline version.