The Use of State Broadcast Media as Propaganda Machinery by State Government
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Sycophancy flattery and praise singing have been promoted to higher disturbing levels, more especially in political broadcasting ……. State owned broadcast media stations have perfected the crude and irritating art of praise singing for governors and their officials (Umechukwu, 2000:13).
Infact, a sycophant journalist is a source of irritation to media audiences who often see them through the falseness of the media content packaged by the unethical singer. Sycophancy, in every ramification, kills the spirit of investigative journalism, especially among young reporters, who meet praise-singing and see it as the mainstream in journalism practice.
Based on this seemingly observation, the objectives of this study includes.
- To determine whether ESBS is involved in sycophantic formalism.
- To find out whether its audiences have ever risen to attack its premises and stations for unethical reporting.
- To determine the level of government censorship of the broadcast media outputs.
- To find out how friendly is the station to state ruling political party’s opposition groups.
- To determine the pattern of recruitment of journalists into the organization.
CHAPTER TWO
SOURCES OF LITERATURE
Literature for this study was sourced from books and materials, including reports of earlier studies done in this area. Books on research methodology, political sciences, mass communication, government and humanities were consulted and reviewed.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ENUGU STATE BROAD CASTING SERVICE, (ESBS).
What is today known as Enugu State Broadcasting Service, (ESBS) was first opened on October 1, 1960, when it was called Eastern Nigeria Broadcasting corporation, (ENBC) and located in the African Cooperative Bank, (ACB) Building at No 1 Ogui Road, Enugu. Since that time till now, the broadcasting station has undergone “a great deal of metamorphosis” (ESBS publication, 1992:10). Such changes witness various chief executives serving under numerous state rulerships in form of state military administrators and civilian governors. Between 1967 till date, the geographical location referred to Enugu state, with capital in Enugu has been governed by eighteen different rulers; two, under the name East Central state; seven under Anambra state and nine under Enugu state. Also, sixteen different Chief executives have headed ENBC/ABS/ESBS: eight under civilian administrations and eight under military regimes (ESBS, planning, research and statistics unit, 2008).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
THE RESEARCH DESIGN
The approach adopted in the execution of the study was a survey design. The researcher chose survey design as it is one method where a group of people is studied by collecting information from them. Moreso, this type of design specified how the researcher’s data were collected and analyzed. So, the design was specified to use questionnaire and oral interview. This survey was used by the researcher to source for his primary data.
AREA OF STUDY
As the title of the study suggests, the study was done in Enugu state of Nigeria. Attention was paid on equal and even spread of the researchers questionnaire to the three geo-political zones of Enugu East, Enugu West, and Enugu North: while oral interview was heavily reserved for the staff of ESBS, Scattered at Enugu and 9th mile corner Ngwo, the transmitter area of the stations radio and television.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
The target population of the study was two hundred and fifty people; distributed in this ratio:
ESBS staff – 70
Enugu East zone 60
Enugu West zone 60
Enugu North zone 60
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS.
In presenting primary data generated in the field in this study, the researcher chooses to apply simple percentage tabular presentation mode. This is for convenient, clearity, easy, and better understanding. For want of time, the researcher cannot present all responses as demanded from the ten questionnaire items and responses thereafter.
In all, ten questionnaire item (questions) were developed from the five research questions framed to guide the researcher solicit appropriate answer towards finding solution to her identified problem. A total of 250 copies of questionnaire were produced and distributed to the researcher’s target population. In the questionnaire distribution, effort was made to ensure that the three sensational zones in the state were adequately covered so as to get balanced responses. other relevant segments in the society, such as public service, civil service, and private service workers, businessmen and women students of polytechniques and universities within the study area were randomly sampled and supplied with questionnaire copies.
But, regrettably, not all the 250 copies of the questionnaire were recovered during the collection time, as some of the students who received copies were reported to have traveled outside their campuses or out of the school premises. And some other people, for reasons best known to them refused to return their own copies. Therefore, 30 copies got lost (1.2%) while 220 (98.8%) were duly returned. But presentation and analysis were based on 220 copies of questionnaire responses.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONSLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER STUDIES
SUMMARY
The use of state broadcasting media as propaganda machinery by state government, the Enugu state Broadcasting Service (ESBS) as a case study is a genuine and original study aimed at ascertaining how far the Enugu State Government uses its Broadcasting Media Stations as Propaganda Machinery. The study was carried out by the researcher herself to avoid generating false data. The results of the survey (study) call for serious attention in order to put ESBS, and indeed, similar state government owned broadcast media stations on better footing to face the challenges of modern broadcasting, especially digital broadcasting already approved in Nigeria by the federal government. The study was purely for academic purposes only.
CONCLUSION
The role of broadcasting and particularly state government owned broadcasting, cannot be ignored in the effective management of state affairs. Mass media assist governments at all levels to govern well, provided they are not abused or misused. Mass media shape how the public thinks about the government of the day. They constitute the principal source of political information and often have direct influence on the public by reinforcing partisan predispositions or effect of media – based information on governance and political choice, makes it imperative for every state government to own and run a viable broadcast medium (Media) stations.
The important of state government owned broadcast media station(s) calls for constant study of these vital components in good governance, especially when allegation of misuse or abuse is preserved. ESBS radio and television stations are vital to the state government and their management cannot be compromised with for any reason.
Therefore, we conclude that this study is needed at this time as it’s findings have revealed a lot of insightful information necessary for serious consideration. Our purpose in the study has not been to ridicule the ESBS radio or television, rather our purpose was to call the attention of all the stakeholders in these all important media outfits, and to make them face their respective challenges and perform their rightful duties.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES
- Every state Government, especially Enugu state government must pay adequate attention to it’s media stations as that are the only channels it can use to relate with the people it governs.
- Adequate funding of state broadcasting media stations is seriously advocated for maximal and effective performance and service delivery.
- On staff recruitment, merit should be allowed to play prominent role in order to recruit, qualified personnel that can take the media stations to a greater height and to another level.
- Journalists working in state government owned media stations should realize that they are serving the public and not the state chief executive alone, and so must pay adequate attention to social responsibility principle of the press.
- ESBS management should recruit its programme in order to fish out those that are sycophantic in nature and application, and do something about them for a balanced and unbiased programme presentation.
- Scholars and students of Mass Communication should constantly embark on researchers. In order to fill any identified yawing gaps in the areas of ownership, operation and management of media organizations, either print or broadcast.
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