INFLUENCE OF PLANET FM BROADCASTS ON MASS COMMUNICATION STUDENTS’ PROGRAMME OPTIONS IN UYO CITY POLYTECHNIC
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Problem
Radio is one of the media communication used t o transmit audio signals in the form of waves to a largely disperse, heterogeneous and homogenous audience simultaneously. According to Chinyere and Kate (2012 P.103) radio is “an audio medium. As a mass medium, it has the capacity to cut through the barriers of illiteracy and poor infrastructural facilities which limit the ability of the print media to reach large audiences. Similarly, radio has other peculiarities which make it the true mass medium, in terms of reaching a mass audience in the developing world.
Radio is relatively cheap and can operate without electricity; it is therefore available within the reach of Third World populations than televisions which can also transcend such barriers as illiteracy and infrastructural facilities, radio is portable, and transistor radio sets are widely owned all over the Third World countries even in remote rural areas. In most developing countries, radio is by far the most widely-used mass medium.
In Nigeria for instance, research has it that the use of radio as a medium of information is truly widespread, even among rural populations (Okigbo, 1990: p10). Radio has therefore, been identified as the best mass medium at the country’s level of development for the education of rural dwellers (Moemeka, 1981: p33) in Chinyere and Kate (2012: p105).
Notwithstanding, Okigbo (1990:p.57) in Chinyere and Kate (2010: p105) brings out some advantages of radio as thus:
The attraction radio has for rural dwellers are derived from its cheap price and cost of operation again; they (radio sets) are easily portable and can be use by both the educated and illiterate. At the state level, some radio stations broadcast more than 80 percent of their programmes in vernacular languages.
Subsequently, due to radio’s ability to transcend barriers of illiteracy and infrastructural facilities, government, co-operate organizations, non-governmental organizations and individuals having seeing the significance of radio, has established, operate and owned several radio stations with the view to satisfy the numerous radio audiences with various radio programmes that are mind-blowing, appealing and entertaining in native and contents. In Nigeria today, there are so many state, rural, and private owned radio stations in nearly all the nukes and crannies of the country.
Here in Akwa Ibom State, there are about four radio stations operating with exciting broadcast radio programmes which brings the audience into a web of connection with other parts of the world based on the news and information they receive about other places around the world from their radio sets. Notwithstanding, due to the largeness and homogeneity of the radio audiences as well as competition from other rival radio stations those radio stations, now packaged programmes that would enable them to win more audience patronage of their respective stations. Basically, it is at this juncture or aperture of phenomenal disparity and influence of most of the radio programmes that culminates the researcher’s curiosity to venture in to a research of this magnitude in order to critically examine what constitutes influence of planet FM broadcast on mass communication students’ programme options in Uyo City Polytechnic.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Radio programmes has remained a source of entertainment and inspiration to most radio audiences who avail themselves to some of the radio broadcast programmes that most appeal or interest them. However, most of the broadcast programmes varies interms of purpose and station’s aims. Above all, for any radio station to thrive in the midst of competition from other rival stations, it must be able to come up with varieties of radio broadcast programmes that has the capacity to arrest and capture the attention as well as the interest of the audiences. Notwithstanding, some of these radio broadcast programmes includes; music, sport, magazine, drama, news, religious, commentaries call in programmes and so many others mind-blowing programmes too numerous to mention.
However, inspite of these programmes so designed to satisfy and capture the interest of the radio audiences, there are still some case or problem in radio broadcast programmes options of student’, massive competition, incompatibility of programmes, lack of audience patronage and participation in most of the radio broadcast programmes, poor programme quality in terms of sound and production as well as lack of qualified and experience presenters and broadcasters to anchor respective radio broadcast programmes. It is as a result of these and many more that aroused the researcher’s curiosity and inquisitiveness to seek to know the factors that constitute the phenomenal problems in radio broadcast programmes as well as critically and analytically examining the influence of Planet FM broadcasts on mass communication students’ programme as well as critically and analytically examining the influence of Planet FM broadcasts on mass communication student’s programme options in Uyo City Polytechnic.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
In this study, researcher seeks to:
- Examine what constitutes influence of Planet FM broadcasts on mass communication student’s programme options in Uyo City Polytechnic;
- Ascertain the extent to which mass communication students’ in Uyo City Polytechnic avail themselves with radio broadcast programmes;
- Examine the varies radio broadcast programmes available in Planet FM; and
- Examine which of the radio broadcast programmes mass communication student’s usually listen to on Planet FM.
1.4 Research Question
For accuracy and consistency to prevail in this research study, the researcher however carved out the following research questions from the objectives of the study. These are:
- What constitutes influence of Planet fm broadcast on mass communications students’ programme options in Uyo City Polytechnic?
- Can it be said that, mass communication students’ in Uyo City Polytechnic avail themselves with radio broadcast programmes?
- What radio broadcast programmes does mass communication students’ usually listen to on Planet FM.
- What the various radio programme available in Planet FM?
1.5 Significance of the Study
At the end of the study, findings made the study will be usefully to the Planet FM as it will assist them to improve upon their radio broadcast programmes and production. the study will also be used as a source of reference materials to communication students and others, who might wish to conduct a research in related topic of the study. All in one, the study will be benefit to the general public as it will go along way to expand and broaden their knowledge on the influence of Planet FM broadcast programmes on mass communication student’s programme options in Uyo City Polytechnic.
1.6 Limitation / Delimitation of the study
In carrying out this research study, the researcher encountered some challenges in the areas of financial constraint, transportation cost, difficulties in obtaining students and difficulty in coding and presentation of the data gathered from the research instrument (questionnaire). The researcher, confined the study to a group of final year HND Mass Communication students’ estimated at 200 students’ this was done in order to enable the researcher enough data and to create room for critical observation and examination of the phenomena or variables that form the basis of this study.
1.7 Definition of Terms
The terms used in this study by the researcher to make postulation and camparism is defined as follows:
- Influence: this is an effect or impact either positive or negative in which something or a person has on something or a person which can equally cause a thing or a person to act in consonance with the intended purpose of the action.
- Broadcast: This is the process of transmitting audio-visual signals through the used of electronic sound and visual-oriented machines to send information, message and ideas either through the radio or television to the audience.
- Mass communication students’: This is a group of individual who are studying together in order to become professional broadcasters, and writers in the future.
- Programmes: This is the communication of sound, visual and all the elements together which produced electronically as sound or audio-visual for the listening or viewing pleasure of the audience.
Programme Options: This are the choices made by the students’ about which particular radio programme they need to listen to
