INFLUENCE OF PLANET FM PROGRAMMING SCHEDULES ON UYO CITY POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS’ RADIO PROGRAMME CONSUMPTION OPTIONS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Radio is one of the media communication used to transmit audio signals in the form of waves to a largely disperse, heterogonous 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: p. 10). 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: p. 33) in Chinyere and Kate (2012: p. 105). Notwithstanding, Okigbo (1990: p. 57) in Chinyere and Kate (2010: p. 105) 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 portably and can be used by both the educated and illiterate. At the state level some radio stations broadcast more than 80 percent of their programmes in vernacular language.
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 audience 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 nooks and crannies of the country.
Here in Akwa Ibom State, there are about five radio stations operating with exciting broadcast radio programme 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 audience as well as “competitions from other rural 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 culminate the researcher’s curiosity to venture into a research of this magnitude in order to critically examine what influence planet fm programming schedules.
Radio programmes have remained a source of entertainment and inspiration to most radio audience who avail themselves to some of the radio programmes that most appeal or interest them. However, most of the radio programmes varies in terms of purpose and station’s aims. Above all, for competition from other rival stations, it must be able to come up with varieties of radio programmes that has the capacity to arrest and capture the attention as well as the interest of the audiences, notwithstanding, some of these radio programmes include: sport, music, drama, magazine, religious, news, commentaries call in programmes and so many other mind-blowing programmes too numerous to mention.
However, in spite of these programmes so designed to satisfy and capture the interest of the radio audiences, there are still some cases or problems in radio programmes consumption options of student’s massive competition, incompatibility of programmes, lack of audience patronage and participation in most of the radio programmes, poor programmes quality in terms of sound and production as well as lack of qualified and experience presenters to anchor respective radio 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 programmes as well as critically and analytically examining the influence of planet F. M programming schedules on Uyo City Polytechnic students’ radio programme consumption options.
In this study, researcher seeks to:
- examine the varied radio programmes available in planet F. M.
- examine what influences planet F.M programming schedule.
- find out if Uyo City Polytechnic students are comfortable with radio programming schedules.
- examine which of the radio programmes Uyo City Polytechnic students usually listen to on planet F.M
For accuracy and consistency to prevail on this research study, the researcher however carved out the following research questions from the objectives of the study. These are:
- What are the various radio programmes available in planet F.M?
- What influences planet F.M programming schedule?
- Are Uyo City Polytechnic students comfortable with radio programme schedule?
- Which of the radio programmes Uyo City Polytechnic students usually listen to on planet F.M
- Significance of the Study
At the end of this study, findings made in this study will be useful to the planet F.M as it will assist them to improve upon their radio programmes, and programming production. The study will also be used as a source of reference materials to Uyo City Polytechnic students and others who might wish to conduct a research on related topic of the study. All in one, the study will be beneficial to the general public as it will go a long way to expand and broaden their knowledge on the influence of planet F.M programming schedules and radio programmes consumption options.
