The Electronic Media as a Channel for Creating Awareness and Mobilizing Public Support in National Development
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The broad objective of this study is to examine the role of electronic media as a channel for creating awareness and mobilizing public support in national development. Specifically, the study seeks to:
- Investigate if electronic media has plays any role in updating the masses on new development policies.
- Determine how television channel have been creating enough awareness on national development
- To ascertain the extent at which NTA has engaged the public to support national development
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Our focus in this chapter is to critically examine relevant literature that would assist in explaining the research problem and furthermore recognize the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps.
CONCEPTUAL REVIEW
Media
The media, with specific reference to the collective entity of newspapers, radio, television and the Internet, are important in shaping the development process of a country. Development involves changes or advancement in a nation aimed at improving the political, economic and social lives of the people. It is a multidimensional process of action, organization and communication and involves economic, political, social and cultural factors The real influence of the media in national development will depend on the media themselves, the societies in which they operate, and the audience they reach. None of these factors are the same everywhere, at all times, or all conditions. The media in dictatorships, for example, are not likely to exercise the same influence as those in democratic societies. The media‟s crucial role in national development is not in doubt. The role covers the political, economic and social spheres. The media set the public agenda and act as the gatekeeper of public issues. They perform the watchdog role especially in political transparency and fight against corruption. As the fourth estate, the media provide the checks and balances in relation to the three branches of government, as created by the constitution. Media are particularly important in facilitating nation building especially of post-colonial societies and those experiencing ethnic and religious diversities. The media has been variously defined by scholars of mass communication among which media is referred to as a collective means of communication by which general public or populace is kept informed about the day to day happenings in the society. The media is also said to be an aggregation of all communication channels that use techniques of making a lot of direct personal communication between the communicator and the public. While talking of mass media however, the word “mass” means a large number of people or collection of organs of communication and information dissemination that reaches out a large number of people. The information circulation is not only confined within members of the public but the media also serves to coordinate the information flow between government and the public and vice versa.
ELECTRONIC MEDIA
Electronic media use electronics or electromechanical means for the audience to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media), which today are most often created digitally, but do not require electronics to be accessed by the end user in the printed form. The primary electronic media sources familiar to the general public are video recordings, audio recordings, multimedia presentations, slide presentations, CD-ROM and online content. Most new media are in the form of digital media. However, electronic media may be in either analogue electronics data or digital electronic data format. Although the term is usually associated with content recorded on a storage medium, recordings are not required for live broadcasting and online networking. Electronic media is the media that one can share on any electronic device for the audiences viewing, unlike static media (Printing) electronic media is broadcasted to the wider community. Examples of Electronic media are things such as the television the radio, or the wide internet.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, we described the research procedure for this study. A research methodology is a research process adopted or employed to systematically and scientifically present the results of a study to the research audience viz. a vis, the study beneficiaries.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behaviour, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
The broad objective of this study is to examine the role of electronic media as a channel for creating awareness and mobilizing public support in national development using NTA as case study. Staff of NTA form the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the analysis of data derived through the questionnaire and key informant interview administered on the respondents in the study area. The analysis and interpretation were derived from the findings of the study. The data analysis depicts the simple frequency and percentage of the respondents as well as interpretation of the information gathered. A total of thirty-six (36) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which only thirty (30) were returned and validated. This was due to irregular, incomplete and inappropriate responses to some questionnaire. For this study a total of 30 was validated for the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
SUMMARY
The broad objective of this study is to examine the role of electronic media as a channel for creating awareness and mobilizing public support in national development using NTA as case study. It determined avenues through which television channel have been creating enough awareness on national development. It ascertained the extent at which NTA has engaged the public to support national development.
The study adopted a survey research design and with the aid of convenient sampling method, the researcher enrolled 36 participants for the study who are staff in Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) IN Abia State. Well structured questionnaire was issued to the respondent of which a total of 30 responses were received and validated for the study. Data was analyzed in simple percentage using frequencies and tables.
CONCLUSION
Majority of the world’s population engage with the media every day through the radio sets, television sets, newspapers, or online. In this sense, the media is considered a formidable tool which a lot of people can relate to whether through a favourite programme or article that connects them to their immediate environment.
The study established that a greater percentage of Nigerians have one receiving set or another through which they receive media programmes on national development. The power the media possess as an effective channel for achieving rapid transmission is further underscored in the findings of this study which revealed that the Nigeria electronic media are positively deploying their strength to the advantage of the Nigerian populace by bringing to them regularly, relevant and impactful development programmes.
The result of the study further revealed that awareness created for government development projects has be grossly inadequate, else, an overwhelming majority (more than half) ought not to be merely averagely informed much less having people who respond not to be informed at all. Rather, majority ought to be well informed considering the enormous number of media establishments in the country.
Findings from the study revealed from the positive angle that the media has averagely kept Nigerians informed on government development projects but on the negative angle; it has slacked to effectively influence Nigerians to participate in the development process itself.
Conclusively, the media keeps Nigerians averagely informed on government development projects, sways individual convictions of people in such a way that they consider projects given more coverage as truly important in comparison to their previously held beliefs. However, it has not been able to get majority to attach importance to projects given more media attention.
RECOMMENDATION
Base on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were proffered:
Television channels with a reputation of being the closest medium to the rural community must harness its potentials optimally in ensuring that those in remote rural areas of the country do not lack essential information on basic rights and entitlements, public services, public budgets, health, education and working opportunities, agricultural prices and other market information which would enable them to take control of their lives.
The electronic media as agent of change and promoter of national identity should therefore ensure that issues that pose as threat to the national development of Nigeria are tackled and addressed and raise strategies to promote, advocate and mobilize support on government activities in Nigeria.
Government owned television channel should ensure to give prominence to new broadcast on national development issues and as well integrate the masses about new policies as this would require them to give in their support.
Electronic media station and channels should ensure that even at the rural level they go for public interview, host reputable personnel of that locale on TV/Radio call-in and talk shows as this would enable the masses to familiarize with this updates and as well make them give in their support towards national development.
REFERENCE
- Altschull, J. H. (1995) Agents of power: the media and public policy. New York: Longman. Anaeto S.G. and Anaeto M., (2010) Development communication: principles and practice. Ibadan: Stirling-Horden Publishers ltd.
- Asante, E. (1997) Press freedom and development: A research guide and selected bibliography. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc.
- Asian Mass Communication Research & Information Centre. http://hdl.handle.net/10220/341
- Creswell, J. (2009) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. California: Sage Publications, Inc.
- Folarin, B. (2005), Theories of Mass Communication: An Introductory Text, Bakinfol Publication, Nigeria.
- Girard, B. (2003), “Radio and the internet: mixing media to bridge the divide”, In; The one to watch: Radio, new ICTs and interactivity. A Publication of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Page 7, Accessed on September 12, 2010 from; ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/006/ y4721e/y4721e00.pdf.
