THE EFFECT OF MEDIA PROGRAMME ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT

ABSTRACT

            This study is aimed at critically examine the effects mass- media on rural development.  The work also includes the origin of the programme, Literature review, a statement of the research problem, the hypothesis and the research methodology of the study.  Equally included are the data analysis, data interpretation, results, discussion as well as bibliography.

            The research problem is “The effectiveness of ESBS (radio) rural enlighten programme “ONU OHA”.

            The result of the study shows that the programme “ONU OHA” is very useful considering its lectureship and the effectiveness of the message.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In this regards, successive governments in Enugu State through Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) continually grape through multitude programmer, through endless permutations of strategies to fathom human predicaments and redeem man from such chaos and disorders.  The process spawns what planners call “Programme, project and targets” in government administrative parlance, as the linkage factor between policy articulation and its implementation.  The crisis point in this beautifully linkage is the target whether as objectives manifesting on the ground, or as end users of the policy objectives.

            The ability to convince and persuade, has also been institutionalized in some of the media programme.  The programme “ONU OHA” which is composed to enlighten the rural dwellers on what is going on in the government of Enugu State is a production in Igbo unit ESBS radio Enugu.  The programme, which lasts for is minutes, is started this year and aired once in a week every Sunday.

            It establishes a direct contact with the listening audience of Enugu State and makes them to know what is happening in the government and then sends their own contribution through planning the programme seeks to create awareness on the people of Enugu State about the importance or rural development through collective and individual contribution of ideas of the rural people.

             On the effectiveness of this programme, the producer, Chukwuma Ogbonna told us that the programmes have been achieving its objectives.  This according to the producer is ascertained through the acknowledgement letters gotten from the rural dwellers.  According to Dr. Frank Ogboaja, one would not loose sight of the low literacy rate in our society, a factor capable of impeding the understanding and the interpretation of mass-media messages.  Thus in trying to bridge the knowledge gap in the communication of development issues. Nigeria mass media have resorted to increasing use of vernacular language.  The use of ESBS Radio for this programme has become necessary considering the mass local audience covered and the fact that out of the whole mass media of communication available, radio is the most accessible to the people of Enugu State especially Nsukka Zone.

            Being Igbo programme, it will go a long way to making the people understand the purpose and need for rural dwellers participation in formulating the policies of Enugu State Government.

            According to lazars field and co:

            “Many are alarmed by the ubiquity and the potential power of mass media especially radio, comprise a powerful instrument which may be used for good”.

            In this research therefore, we would critically look for and possibly find out whether ESBS rural development programmer “ONU OHA”, actually has any impact on the people of Nsukka Zone, Nay the Society.

STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM

            The research problem, which we want to find out, is the effectiveness of ESBS (radio) enlightens or developments programme “ONU OHA” on development effort of people in rural areas.  This research topic is deemed a problem because it is arguable in various to stimulate rural dwellers to embark on rural development by sending their ideas to the government of Enugu State.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

            The objective of this study is to conically examine or analyze the effects of mass media programme on rural development.  We are primarily attracted to this problem because of the much emphasis being laid both by government, groups and individuals in enlightening the rural dwellers on what is going on in the government for the purpose of government helping in their development.

            Series of effort will be made to find out from the selected subjects the extent of attention they pay to various media house.  The things will be accomplished by going to the subjects and ascertaining on how far they listen to radio and Television Broadcasting in Enugu Broadcasting Service (ESBS).  No defined agreement among communication experts on the reaction towards the mass media message.  If this is the case, with what degree of certainty can it be said that the attitude of the target audience will considerably come as a result of media message influence.

            Bernad Berelson, for instance believes that:

            “Some kinds of communication on some kinds people kinds of effect”.

            Besides, air ran et al said that mass – communication does not ordinary serve as a necessary and sufficient cause audience effects but rather functions through a connections series of mediating factors:

            Invariably what their postulations indicated is that the influence of the media message is fundamentally relative.  We hope that the findings of this research would be of immense help to future researchers in related areas. 

The result of this study would go a long way to convincing people that the mass media are capable of effecting an appreciable change on people.  It would also be of great advantage to the government to assess the effectiveness of the programme in realizing its objective or rural development.

            Moreover, the result of this research would be of enormous value to the media authority to improve on the programme or in sustaining if not dropping it entirely.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

            The information for this study will be obtained from the subjects in the rural areas who will complete copies of questionnaires in addition to being interviewed.  The subjects will be systematically and randomly selected from rural populace.

Since the inception of ESBS radio programme “ONU OHA” there has not been any in depth study to ascertain its effectiveness in terms of achieving objectives for which it was meant.  Thus this study will go a long way in setting the pace for any researcher who would wish to carry out a study in area of radio and its usefulness in the process of enlighten.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.      Do people in Nsukka Zone find ESBS Igbo programmer “ONU OHA” useful for expressing their views to the government?

Do the listeners in Nsukka Zone find the time of the broadcast of “ONU OHA” suitable?

Do the people in Nsukka Zone often listen to ESBS (radio)  programmer “ONU OHA”?

Do the people in Nsukka Zone listen to the programmer because they are being rewarded by the government?

RESEARCH AND NULL HYPOTHESIS

H1   Rural dwellers in Nsukka Zone find ESBS (radio) programme ”ONU

       OHA” useful in seeking development from the government.

HO   Rural dwellers in Nsukka Zone do not find ESBS (radio) programme “

            “ONU OHA” useful in seeking development from the government.

H2   Listeners in Nsukka Zone find the time of broadcast of “ONU OHA”

        Suitable. 

H3   Listeners in Nsukka Zone find the programme enjoyable.

HO  Listeners in Nsukka Zone do not find the programme enjoyable.

CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL DEFINTIONS CONCEPTUAL DEFINITIONS

LISTENERSHIP:  The act of paying attention to a given broadcast programme.

USEFULNESS:  Means ability to help or produce good results.

BROADCAST TIME:  It is the time or hour of the day during which an event occurs.

SUITABILITY:  Right for the purpose or occasion

EFFECT:  Result or outcome.

PROGRAMME:   List of items or results

RURAL DEVELOPMENT:  Any kind of effort by people or interest groups to bring changes in the countryside.

OPERATIONAL DEFINTIONS

LISTERNSHIP:   The number of times that inhabitants of Nsukka Zone pay attention to ESBS (radio) Programme “ONU OHA”.

USEFULNESS:  Total score or desirability or importance attached to ESBS (radio) programme “ONU OHA”.

BROADCAST TIME:  Total number of times that the ESBS programme is on air.

SUITABILITY:  Means scope of responses to the airtime.

EFFECT:  The average score of programme influences on people.

PROGRAMME:  The ESBS development programme “ONU OHA”.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT:  The total score of reactions from the government to the rural dwellers.

ASSUMPTIONS

As usual with a study of this nature, we hereby make the following assumption:

            With the advancement of technology in the field of mass communication, there tends to be growing awareness among societies.  Therefore, there is a general belief that people perceptions and understanding of media message are considerably high.

            It was also an assumption that people attach importance to messages from the media especially radio.  So, the transmission of enlightenment programme through radio on a regular basis has chances of making impact on its audience.

            It is also assumed that most rural dwellers in Enugu State speak and hear Igbo Language in which the ESBS radio programme “ONU OHA” is produced.