MEDIA EFFECTIVENESS ON PRODUCT ADVERTISING (A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PIONEER NEWSPAPER AND NTA CHANNEL 12 UYO.)
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.1 Introduction
Communication is a vital tool for human survival such that without efficient information services, no society, organization, club, institution, etc can function properly because they all depend on communication for their existence. And to cope with rapid changes in the world, communication has continued to change the society. This has ensured a constant exchange of knowledge and ideas to improve our ability to receive and assimilate information about our surroundings.
Today, advancement in science and information technology have given rise to more complex means of communication whereby information and events are simultaneously disseminated to widely dispersed audiences.
This development has reduced independently functional societies to a “mass unit” otherwise referred to as a global village. Thus the term mass media has become a house hold world. Mass media however, refer to the organs of mass communication usually categorized into the print and electronic media. The electronic media comprises among others. Cumatogrpahy, radio and television. the television which forms the focus of this study is defined by Fucker (1968) as:
The art of instantaneously producing at a distance a transient visible image of an actual or recorded scene by means of an electronic system of telecommunication.
The ability of this medium is to combine sound, vision and motion, makes it a more influential tool of social changes as opposed to the radio and the printed word. Because of these appeals, planning and packaging of television programmes therefore become a process of careful manipulation and segmentation of broadcast time to suit and cater for its diverse viewers taste and convenience. Among these various programmes are those designed to cater for the social of youths. Some youth programmes however, may not fully achieve their desired objectives because of any, or a combination of the problems faced by Nigerian television operators. These problems range from lack of fund, technical know-how, adequate production-facilities, and skilled manpower to shallow ideas and content. But these problems not with standing, youth programmes should aim at inculcating in youths, those social, cultural and moral values that will enable them function as effective members of their societies. As MAC bride et al (1980) note.
Television has a powerful socializing
effect that it could tell its audience how
to think and behave .It has the capacity
not only to reflect but also to shape opinion
and to play a part in forming attitudes.
It is this reasoning that promoted the decision to study youth corner program of the Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC) channel 45 with a view to ascertaining the extent to which its helps in shaping the character of youths in Uyo metropolis to conform with societal approved ways of behaivour. According to Mboho (1986:102);
Television in Nigeria is expected to aim at
presenting the types of programme that
would help create awareness especially in
youths, and promote expression and mastery
of skills
This view must have stemmed from an understanding of the importance of youths in any given society and the need to direct their affairs in a way that will be beneficial to society. This is because, as John Dewey rightly states in vol. 33 of Johnalism educator.
In directing the activities of the youth, society
determines its own future…since the youth at
the given time will at some later date composes
the society of that period. This then means that youth
programmes should be such that are capable of
shaping youths into responsible and patriotic leaders
who can steer the affairs of their societies in the
right direction.
The television as a socializing tool of mass commucnaiton cannot be itself bring people to think and behave according to society’s. Dictates unless such mediating factors as selective exposure and credibility of communication are taken cognizance of. Therefore, in order that the television can play a role in shaping the characters of youth to conform with laid down moral behaviors and other values in society, television operators have to understand the make-up of the societies in which they find themselves as well as the specific needs of youths in that society. This will help them know how to go about satisfying those needs through the careful designing and packaging of youth programmes. In order words, television youth programmes need not to be designed or package in a hurry or produce as a routine everyday practice rater, they should involve deep-rooted research and analysis of the sociological and psychological demands of the youths. What society expects of them and how society goes about satisfying their needs.
In designing and packaging these youth programmes, producers are constrained to follow what is legally acceptable entrenched in the constitution as well as other socio-cultural and ethical behavioral norms that guide the people within their culture.
but much as youth programmes try to inculcate moral and ethnical values in youths, the should be equally entertaining so as to sustain the interest of youths, but often, it does appear as the youth programmes are merely entertainment oriented. And at other times, they tend to be merely informative tools. One them wonders are the provision of entertainment and information is in themselves sufficient assistance towards the moulding of youth’s characters. Given therefore, the inherent objectives of television youth programmes as an attempt at moulding their characters to conform with societal approved ways of behavior, this study poses the question: to what extent have youth corner program helped to shape the characters of youth in uyo metropolis to conform with acceptable behavioral pattern?
The purpose of this study was to:
- determine the extent to which youth corner program is accepted by youth in uyo metropolis.
- determine the extent to which the program have helped in culcation of moral in youth in uyo.
- ascertain the extent to which the program under study have helped to promote our culture norms and values among youths in uyo.
- know the extent to which youth corner program encourage good social relationship in youths in uyo metropolis
- determine whether program is geared towards character moulding.
- To what extent is youth corner program accepted by youth in Uyo metropolis?
- To what extent have youth corner program helped in the inculcation of good moral behavior in youths in Uyo?
- To what extents does this program promote our culture, norms and values among youths in Uyo
- To what extent does the program under study encourage good social relationship among youth in Uyo metropolis?
- Is the program geared toward youth character moulding?
1.4 Significance of the study
Youths constitute a significant proportion of society and this probably accounts for why their interests are considered worth satisfying by the mass media of commucnaiton. and bearing in mind that today’s youths are leaders of tomorrow, it becomes necessary that the mass media should provide adequate forum where they could be informed, educated and infact moulded into acceptable members of society.
Inspite of all these, television youth programmes with particular reference to the one under study have been unable to fully help surmount this growing challenge of grooming capable future leaders. This researcher however, hopes that by carefully researching into the program and them providing feed back to the producer of youth corner program, improvements geared towards attaining greater success will be effected.
1.5 Delimitation of the study
For wider applications of the result of this study, it would have been worthwhile to extend the study to other states. But due to costs, the study is limited to the literate youths in Uyo metropolis. The choice of only the literate youths stems from the fact that youth corner program is broadcast in English language. This makes the non-literate youth unable to comprehend fully, the intellectual contents of this program.
1.6 Definition of terms
Meaning of words often depends on their contextual usage. Based on this, the definition of some recurring words and phrases in this work will be under taken thus:
Youth: Young people between the ages of fourteen and thirty (14-30years)
Tool: Helper or a means to an aid.
Character Moulding: Inculcating in youths, acceptable moral behavior and other socio-cultural norms to enable them function effectively in a given social system.
