The Role of Internal Communication in a Media Organization: A Case of Royal Media Services

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of internal communication in media organizations with particular focus on Royal Media Services (RMS). The objectives were to investigate the role of internal communication in RMS, analyse the current internal communication tools and their impact on the communication strategies, critically analyse the impact of the internal communication processes, and analyse how RMS could effectively communicate with its internal publics. The study was grounded on the excellence theory. It adopted a mixed study design and the target population was 820 permanent and long contracted employees of RMS from which a sample size of 96 respondents were selected through stratified and purposive sampling techniques. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect primary data which was analysed by use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Findings indicated that internal communication enabled RMS to have clear feedback mechanism, increased efficiency in the organization and consequently enabled the organization to meet its targets, objectives and goals. The findings further established that internal communication increased productivity, cemented relationships and led to improved team work at RMS. Based on the study findings, it was clear that RMS used mostly the message/discussion design strategies to communicate which includedadoption of an inclusive communication approach, ensuring proper flow of information within the media organization to enhance internal communication and enhancing RMS brand through building staff engagement. The study recommends that RMS strengthen its internal communication function with the head of corporate communication being positioned at the executive level.