TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title page - - - - - - - - i
Approval page - - - - - - - ii
Dedication - - - - - - - iii
Acknowledgements - - - - - - iv
Table of contents - - - - - v
Abstract - - - - - - - - vi
CHAPTER
ONE
Introduction
1.1 Background of the study - - - - - 1
1.2
Statement of the research problems - - 20
1.3
Objectives of the study - - - - 22
1.4
Significance of the study - - - 23
1.5
Research Questions- - - - - - 24
1.6
Research Hypotheses - - - - - 25
1.7
Conceptual and Operational Definition of Terms 27
1.8 Assumptions
of the study - - - - 29
1.9
Limitation of the study - - - - - 30
References - - - - - - 32
CHAPTER
TWO
REVIEW OF
THE LITERATURE
2.1
Sources of literature - - - - - 33
2.2
Review of relevant literature - - - 34
2.2.1 Definition
and meaning of Broadcasting - - 34
2.2.2
Characteristics of Broadcasting - - - 40
2.2.3 Kinds
of Broadcasting - - - - - 44
2.2.4 Roles of Broadcasting - - - - 46
2.2.5
Factors affecting he quality of Broadcasting - 49
2.3 Theoretical Framework - - - 55
2.4 Summary
of literature- - - - - - 57
References - - - - - - 58
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.1
Research Design - - - - - - 59
3.2
Area of study - - - - - 60
3.3. Population
of the study - - - - 60
3.4
Research sample and sampling Technique - - 61
3.5 Instruments
for data collection - - 61
3.6 Validity
of the Instrument - - - - 63
3,7
Method of Data Collection - - - - 63
3.8 Method
of Data Analysis - - - 64
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References - - - - - - 65
CHAPTER
FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
4.1
Data
presentation and Analysis - - - 66
4.2
Hypotheses
Testing - - - - - 78
4.3
Discussion
on Findings - - - - 84
Reference - - - - - - 89
CHAPTER
FIVE
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
5.1
Summary - - - - - - 90
5.2
Conclusion
- - - - - 92
5.3
Recommendations - - - - - 93
Bibliography - - - - - - - 96
Appendixes - - - - - - - 99
ABSTRACT
This
research is on “Factors Affecting the Quality of Family Forum-A Programme of
Anambra Broadcasting Service, Awka”. The desire for this study was informed of
the need for better family planning and moral upbringing of the children, now
difficulties are abound and mortality is steadily in the decline. Therefore,
the researcher decided to evaluate this ABS radio programme to find out its
contributions towards solving the identified social problem. To execute the
job, survey research design was used since the study was to solicit people’s
opinion of the performance of this radio programme. Questionnaire copies were prepared
and distributed to the sample population (respondents) and data generated
showed a lot of things. Among the findings was that language used in presenting
the programme has hindered better understanding of the intention of the
programme by the audience. So, for effective understandable message delivery,
the researcher made a lot of suggestions which include use of indigenous
language in the presentation of the programme.
This research work is on the factors
that affect ‘family forum’ a programme of ABS Awka.
The research during her research found
out some problems that affect radio
programme. She also proffered solutions or made recommendation to the
problems
Researches were made from textbook,
libraries, internet etc. observations,
questionnaire and simple random sampling method
were used here.
questionnaire were shared to the staff
of ABS, Awka who are respondents and whose answers facilitated this work.
The response of the respondents were
analyse and this helped to the conclusion of the study.
NB- The should be only a paragraph
on this page.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
“The lesson to be learned is that the future
belongs to the station to the extent that the station that produces and
controls programming well will be successful”. Fepper (1995).
Programming as the bedrock and mainstay of
broadcasting involves a long-term calculated planned policy expressed in
predetermined executable action, which if appropriately implemented and
executed as individual programme operations, wins maximum success for station.
Dunu (2002). Furthermore, according to Dunu (2002), programme is also defined
as the strategic selection of programme materials appropriate or suitable to a
particular segment of pre-defined target audience.
It is undoubtful that effective programme is
synonymous with a successful broadcast station. Broadcast programming involves
a series of inter-dependent processes which are expected to satisfy some
specific needs of the listening and viewing audience.
A programme is a broadcast material created
to meet certain specific needs or attain some set objectives and transmitted to
some predetermined target audience.
Programming in radio involves the task of
choosing programmes and scheduling them in meaningful order and evaluating
their degree of success and or failure. Indeed, programming is constrained by
time. It makes use of daily schedule for the day’s transmission or master
schedule for 13, 26, 39, 52 weeks as the case may be. Programming plays a dual
role between the broadcaster who views it as a means of income and society
which views it as entertainment and public service.
Programming for specific audience is one of
the areas of great problem to Nigerian broadcasters. The problem seems to arise
primarily from lack of knowledge about the specified audience, the potentials
of the radio, communication theory and the objective of broadcasting in the first instance.
In order to increase rating and attain
success, broadcast stations employ programming strategies which according to
Eastman (1993) are compatibility, habit formation, audience flow control,
programme resource conservation, and breath of appeal.
Radio programming poses most challenges which
include making the programme clear, logical, meaningful and easy to understand
. According to Robert Hillard, Radio may represent a character in one setting
and in a twinkling transport him - and the audience - to an entirely different
one. This is done through the use of narration, sound effects and dialogue.
Consequently, it is important to note that
certain indices exist that undermine the quality of broadcast programmes
specifically radio programmes in Nigeria .
It has been discovered that government
censorship and financial control of
most broadcast stations affect the quality of programmes aired. A case in point
is where incumbent government insists that airtimes be utilized in sychophany
and praise singing broadcast of the government in power. Post
and pre-censorship of programmes are in too.
There is a common saying in regard to mass media control in Nigeria and
elsewhere which has become a cliche that “he who pays the piper dictates
the tune”. This means that the owner of a mass media channel controls what the
medium broadcast and how it broadcasts it as the case of Anambra broadcasting
service Awka. Surely control through ownership is a fact of life in every
society, but then the nature of this control usually varies greatly depending
upon the political system, the orientation of political leaders in control of
government and the political climate prevailing
the caliber of Journalists and
other professionals communicators.
These forces exert control over the broadcast
media in the sense that their individual
or combine influences could shape the content, activities and orientation of
the broadcasting media quite
considerably, depending upon the magnitude of influences and these affect the quality of the programmes.
The broadcasters, before giving information considers if the “piper” likes it
or not. They shave out the parts that will not be pleasant to the “Piper” and
not considering what the public (audience) needs to hear. This is a major
problem that affects the quality of ‘events from government house’, a radio
programme in ABS, Awka. Any information that is not accepted by the government
who is the ‘Piper’ cannot be disseminated to the public.
Aside from this, it has also been discovered
that lack of qualified staff and use of obsolete equipment has become a
huge stumbling block and hindrance to
effective quality programmes. Effective
programming requires well talented and
trained staff with the right orientation and sound judgment in the intricacies
of broadcast productions. These include writers, directors, producers, presenters,
engineers, maintenance staff, announcers, etc. Programming involves putting the
right peg in the right hole. Therefore, the personnel required for programming
affects it to a large extent . Thus when the staff lack talent or are not
creative, programmes lose their integrity and attraction. It takes a creative
mind to put out a fantastic performance. When a mind is creative, it has the
ability of putting together research findings.
The radio station of Anambra broadcasting
service (ABS) Awka, is an example of one of the
most broadcasting stations where
untrained staff and analog or obsolete
equipment are still much in use rather than the recent digital and
computerized system. It is also plagued with the absence of quality transmitters that makes radio broadcasting
programmes epileptic.
Oftentimes most of the content of programmes
being aired are not entertaining,
educative and informative. Programmes
aired by radio broadcast should basically
focus on development, that is such transmissions that can spur people to
greater individual and national development. It should also focus on how to
sustain the attention of their listening and viewing audience. It should
include hooks, suspense and other attention-getting device. Programme for broadcast is meant to be
supplement to formal school offering but it is not so in Nigerian
context. However, the recent Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) guideline
stipulating 60% local content of any programming effort though good is
adversely affecting the quality of most indigenous programmes.
Misuse of the broadcast media for political
purpose has always constituted a serious problem in the country.
Government and private broadcast media
sometimes disregard the started objectives of their organisatiosn by allowing
their channels to be used for political selfish ends by political lackeys.
The ABS radio station is sometimes being
hampered by lack of significant
independence in programming because the
prime viewing time has been taken over by network programmes which the
ABS radio station is meant to hook onto. The scheduling of some of these radio
station broadcast programmes does not coincide with audience activity. This is
evident in the time scheduling to some programmes which does not suit with the
timing of the listeners. For instance, ABS, Awka airs the radio programme
‘Events from Government House’ at 5.30am. This time is not convenient for its
audience as they might not be awake by that time and so wrong audience who now
listen to it may not understand the quality of such programmes. Lack of
continuity of such programmes and
effective feedback and lack of proper research on the subject matter are also cankerworms that have
hindered the production of quality radio programmes. Most times, radio
programmes are haphazardly done, and because of this, quality programmes will
never be the end product.
The feedback system through
phone–in-facilities has become the lazy way out of programme production.
Producers are no longer keen in searching for qualitative artists to discuss
programmes on radio. Instead they allow unguarded or uncontrolled outbursts
from listeners who are privileged to have telephone in their homes but do not
know what to do with them.
Years ago, listeners where encouraged to
write letters to producers of programmes
and such letters have been constructive and of tremendous help in improving the
quality of broadcast programmes. It is difficult to explain why a developing
country like Nigeria
will issue licenses to broadcast operators just to play music. This is true,
but sad development. Broadcast Media should be channel towards development
efforts and this pre-supposes the fact that recipients of broadcast messages
should be part of programmes conceptualization and implementation. Every radio
programme in Nigeria
should be backed up by researchers.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF RADIO
BROADCASTING IN NIGERIA
Over the decades,
broadcasting in Nigeria
has served as the channel for government propaganda.
Radio has been found to be very useful, because it is popular
with the rural population and also enjoys the intimacy which other media of communication
lack. In developed world, radio has been used for development purposes. Programmes
that are meant to achieve these development purposes have been conceived and
executed at the various levels of the society. In Nigeria , however, radio has been
seen as a one-way communication channel in which the government communicates to
the governed without an appropriate feed-back
system.
Radio, according to
Microsoft Encarta Premium (2009) is a
system of communication employing electromagnetic waves propagated
through space.
It has been acknowledge
universally as a very important means of
disseminating information of all the
modern means of communication in the world,
radio is the most popular
because the majority by of the members of the public have access
to it. Moreover, radio has the capability of achieving its programmes for both
literates and illiterates. This is particularly true in a developing country
like Nigeria
with its high illiteracy level. Newspapers, Magazines, posters and books which
are the print media can hardly reach the illiterates. Radio can, because it
employs the oral vernacular as well as
television. Launery (1962) observed
and said:
“Africa
will in large measure own their freedom and newly found place in the world to
two singular technological developments. The dry cell battery powered portable
offer leaders of Africa’s newly independent countries that only practical means
of reaching much of their people most of the time”.