INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION PROGRAMMES ON AUDIENCE

INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION PROGRAMMES ON AUDIENCE INTRODUCTION Television broadcasting is a medium of communication that has the ability of informing, educating, persuading, entertaining and mobilizing its audience irrespective of how culture and religion or ethics. Television broadcasting combines both visuals and sound which makes it one of the most important means of communication. According to Websters Dictionary, Television was defined as a system of transmitting visual images and sound that are reported on screens, chiefly used to broadcast programmes for the interest of the public or audience. According to World Wide Web (www.ask.com) Television can be defined as the broadcasting of a still or moving image via radiowaves to receives that project a view of the image on a picture tube. In recent time television broadcasting has been revolutionalized in Nigeria, virtually every state of the federation has a television station and some two or more. This revolution has led to competition for audience among the existing television station. Each tries to air programmes that will appeal to these own audience and probably that will at the same time lure more people to watch their programmes like news, talk show, musicals, drama, opera, sports e.t.c. The Nigeria Television Authority is a large station owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria broadcasting network with dozens of stations located across the country with many situated in the state capitals. It is one of Africa’s biggest television networks among its stated goals is to educate, inform and entertain. The network which is also known as N.T.A is a dominant player in Nigeria television medium for a number of years due to the 1977 decree which limited broadcasting television signals until the decrees repeat in 1992, the only competitor it had between 1977 and 1992 was the state owned television stations many of whom were created during the democratic dispensation termed the social republic. The network sustains its identity as a singular unit by broadcasting news shows and documentaries such as the 9’0clock news line and also some children programme such as tales by moonlight and speak out through the intension of the federal government television units in 1976 and the enactment of a monopoly clause in 1977 was to unite the country, promote Nigeria’s culture and positive values. Some critics see it as a means by which the federal government extends its power. Beginning in the early 1980s the network emerged out the oil boom with enough government capitals to convert from a monochrome service into a colour service and to produce more shows with African content leading to the broadcasting of some popular Nigerian dramas. NTA has five major departments which include News and Current Affairs, programmes, Administrative commercial and engineering. However in the programmes department there are over 50 programmes which differs in contents, presentation and duration. One and most popular programme on NTA service is AM Express. AM Express is a three hours magazine programme with varieties of interesting reports, demos (packages), interviews, personality features, cultural dance, views of literatures and artistic works, analysis of news events, weather forecast e.t.c. it is a utility programme which teaches viewers so many things. It is insightive, informative, educative and above all entertaining, it is an award winning programme. The presentation style of AM Express is through experienced presenters, no wonder millions of viewers found it impossible to resist. HISTORY The Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) was established on October 31st 1959 in Ibadan when the Western Nigeria Television Authority (WNTA) beared out the first signal in Africa. Nigeria Television Authority was inaugurated in May 1977 although decree 24 of 1977 was promulgated in March 1977 having effect from April 1976. By that decree the Nigeria Television Authority become the only body empowered to undertake television broadcasting in Nigeria. All existing state television stations were there by taken over and incorporated in NTA, the authority was organized in six zones structure such that each zone consist of three (3) stations except for one (1) which is made of four (4) stations, the production centres exist in each state, 20 contribute programmes to the zonal output. In 1977, when the NTA was inuaguraged there were seven (7) stations with three (3) in their final stages of commissioning the other states had none at all. By December 1979, there were scheduled television broadcast every state capital in the country. The decree establishing the NTA provides for one national board and six (6) zonal boards. The national board has overall responsibility for policy and standards and remains the corporate legal entity with the director –general as chief executive, he is assisted by the head quarter by departmental directors of engineering, news, finance, programmes, legal and manpower resources. The chairman of each zonal board is a member of the central board and the chief executive to the zonal board is the zonal managing director, the zonal management consists essentially of specialist advisers to the zonal managing director, director namely the secretary to the board, programmes coordinator, chief engineer and chief accountant in addition the zonal auditor ensures that proper books are kept in the various production centres. It is the duty of the zone to ensure what the programmes broadcast conform with the national policies and standards of NTA, the production centre which is the thirdtier within the NTA does the actual making of progammes, it is headed by the general manager and staff strength in the oldest station numbers up to 500. NTA has over the years distinguished itself as a force in the field of television broadcasting globally, the programmes have received numerous awards at international competitions and festivals, which include the following: 1st price for drama category at the URTNA competition in Algiers, Senegal e.t.c with Cock Crow at Dawn, Moment of Truth e.t.c 1st price for drama at U.S prized pieces festival with Things Fall Apart 1st price in documentary category with A Labour Honour Lost at the 1988 TAM-TAM International video competition in Italy, among others launds. AM Express is not left out and so many more, NTA is occupied with new state of art digital facilities, which has additionally enhanced its competitive advantage as a major player in the broadcast industry world wide. The entire television landscape was transformed with the promulgation of decree 24 by the then federal military government in may 1977, giving birth to the NTA as we now have it, so the vision that become a reality in Ibadan in 1959 has metamorphosed into a giant network of NTA stations, at the last count, there were twenty eight NTA stations in all, utilizing a huge transmitter network. AM Express is one of the interesting programmes recently rocking over 30million viewers in and across Nigeria. The show is a combination of a variety of programming on NTA and serves as a platform for various network centres of the NTA to feature the cultures lifestyle and places in Nigeria. Real time, the show mode it debut on November 25, 2002 and has since become the flagship of all breakfast programmes in Nigeria. It is broadcast from 6:30am – 9:00am daily. AM express originated in Lagos and for three years was transmitted only from the Lagos network centre of the NTA. A.M Express has a wide range of segments it starts with “food for thought” which is meant to stimulate everyone’s psyche and make one face the day with a positive attitude and healthy mind. BODY OF THE MAIN STUDY Among it programs are panorama, the scale, NTA Tuesday Live, You and Your Health, AM Express and many others. AM Express is an NTA magazine programme with a broadcasting how between 6:30am – 9:00am. It delivers signal to viewers on a daily basis from one single frequently but different studios and different centres. The program is also a segmented package with varieties of event making up the programme. Such event involves personality interviews, vox pop, cultural dance, artistic review, newspaper review, news casting, business and sports e.t.c. also credibility of A.M Express presenters is noticeable, they include, Mania Anazodo, Thelma Obaje, Ajibosin Juma, Yusuf and so on. The program was designed to primarily preserve and transmit the vast cultural endowernment of Nigerian society and to socialize the viewers. Socialization function is important in media message because Deflue (1989), described socialization as a complex long term, and multi dimensional et of communicative exchange between individual preparation for life in socio-cultural environment. However, this exercise wishes to examine the viewership of A.M Express program within the limited student of Public Administration, the survey will be carried on individual respondents of the area in order to ascertain the contribution and impact of the programme to their survival as a member of a group. INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION PROGRAMMES ON AUDIENCE Thomas (2008) points out that television programmes created in isolation, they are not viewed in isolation, viewers encounter programmes in the context of television programming rather than a stand alone segment of information and entertainment. The effectiveness of television is therefore likely to be influence if the audience have positive attitude towards the programme. According to Carter (1984) television programmes present a more complex interaction between television and society. Television generates information and publish information using video and photos to a heterogeneous group of people, in turn influence individuals understanding and interpretation of the information provided while potentially influence unrelated cultural and personal beliefs. The television content is created for the consumption of the audience which provide a strong social and cultural impact on the society. Mashal Mcluhan (2008) television broadcast has a strong amount of control over the content society watches and the time in which it is viewed which has influence people by making them participate in habits of the public for a more diverse political, opinion, religious, social and cultural viewpoints in the country, such as Hausa/Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba, Ebira, Igala including foreigners from Niger Republic Lebanon, Chad and Mali as settlers. BRIEF HISTORY OF PRP, BAKIN RUWA KADUNA The area is characterized by mono religious (Islam) with mosques and Islamic school within the nook and cranies of the area. Everybody in the area goes on their normal businesses irrespective of their ethnic differences. The house structures of the area is modern building which made the environment of the palce aesthetic with all classes of people ranging from adult, youth and of course aged ones among others. Youths of the place involves in different types of accepted business such as tailoring, blocklayer motorcycling, driving, sales of food items, phone accessories and petty traders including technical works such as mechanic and weldering e.t.c while some are working in private and government own organization. In contrast the adult among the inhabitants are well educated, devoted to religious matters and defend their interest in both local and national issues through politics that is why the place was able to provided two chairman of Kaduna South Local Government among which is the current Chairman Alhaji Bala Isah, he was once a member of Kaduna State House of Assembly among other position. The place is not only blessed with politician and educated elite but also businessmen and women who made it through businesses. Due to the nature of the inhabitants, PRP is always very peaceful and come with no much anti social behaviours or activities by the inhabitants. In addition, most of the women who resides there are house wife who are oblige to look after the house as their primary responsibility. BROADCAST MEDIA AS A TOOL TO ENLIGHTEN THE SOCIETY The term enlightenemtn means airing, dissemination or broadcasting of a programme aimed at shading more light on some issues that are ambigious to the general public. Thus, enlightenment program are primarily broadcast to promote awareness to the society on cricual issues affecting them. Therefore, dissemination of enlightment programmes contributes largely in reducing ignorance that is affecting the society. According to Paulu (1981) enlightenment as it relate to broadcasting is the process of routing dissemination of programme (message) that shade more light to the audience such as programme on NTA breakfast show A.M Express. However, a careful look at aforementioned statement by Paulu underscore the importance of broadcast enlightenment programmes towards nation building the reason is that, the enlightenment programmes makes people to shun away from social vices such as cultism, violence, robbery, fraud, rape, political thuggery, murder, bribery and corruption and even make us know more about our culture and tradition. NIGERIA TELEVISION AUTHORITY (NTA) PUBLIC ENLIGHTMENT PROGRAMME As one of the major broadcast station that provide services to a large heterogenous area with the widest coverage. The management of NTA Nigeria has different types of enlightenment programmes like A. M express, this is a general magazine progamme which airs to enlighten, inform, educate, and as well entertain the general public. A. M Express as the name implies it a morning show aired between 6:30am – 9:00am, it takes people back to the ways of life and the programme is range from social, political, economical, religious and traditions and customs and it package in different segment such as discussion, interview, vox pop and even talk show e.t.c. the programme is traditionally focused on one issue at a time, it usually enlightens the audience on specific issue and other peoples tradition and how where food is being cooked, human angle matters education politics and other specific issue that will enable the general public to be enlighten and even the government use the media to enlighten its public about the decision and politics in a timely and comprehensive manner so as to bridge the gap between the government and its people. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION Methodology is a system or technique use to solve different problem within the scope of a particular discipline, such as interview, questionnaire, survey, observation, experimentation and content analysis. Globally, interview is acknowledged as most effective tools of making finding especially in social science and has been adopted by many theorist, philosophers and academicians, in most case or issues to deal directly or indirectly with humanity and natural phenomenon. However, in this research work, interview is being adopted as the technique which is most effective and appropriate for the collection of findings (data) relating to the topic (impact of NTA network A. M Express among student of Public Administration). This is because the essence of research to be precise cannot be underscored. As according to James A. Gubrium (1995) the active interview which he defined as the art of meeting people and asking them questions with a view to eliciting information. Therefore the primary purpose of interview is to get first hand information on issues at stake. Wikipedia free encyclopedia defines interview as a conversation between two or more individuals where questions are being asked by the interviewer to elicit facts or statements from the interviewee. Interview is a standard part of journalism and media reporting, but is also employed in many other situations, including qualitative research. The qualitative research seek to describer and having meanings to a central theme in the live world of the subject. The main task in interview is to understand the meaning of what interviewees say. This system or method of data (facts) collection is considered as a method for conducting qualitative research when information is required about an important issue in discussion, such as this research work which is a pre-requisite for the award of National Diploma. In addition, the importance of interview is obvious in digging out facts about issues in social science and other field of study. Interview allows greater knowledge of topics, or subject in discussion having the greater ability to clearly understand and avoiding complications making it easier to explore highly complex or abstract topics. In addition, motivation interviewee more likely to take questions serious, most people will rather talk than write, additional information; allow the evaluation of inter personal skill, non verbal and paralinguistic behaviour, emotional tone, behaviour under stress consistency of interviewees answer. Question, another significant of which is question, people who cannot write responses, oral responses from this individual will contain much more information that would be their responses. Another advantage of interview method is that actual result in a higher responses rate than does the questionnaire. Many people who would ignore a questionnaire are willing to talk with an interviewer who is obviously interested in what they have to say. In conclusion, the research after examine the students of public administration prepare some questions relating back to the topic of research (Impact of NTA A.M express on students of Public Administration) the responses gathered will be presented under data presentation.