Title: OPINION SHAPING: SIGNIFICANCE OF FOREIGN TV PROGRAMMES IN COMMUNICATION AMONG THE NIGERIAN "MIDDLE CLASS"
Abstract: Although television is a relatively new medium, it has come to be one of, if not the most effective mass media of communication in Nigeria today. Because of its use of sight and sound, and its capability to report things as they happen, it has the potential of being a tool for effecting change and/ or propagating certain desired behaviours in the society. It has been observed that foreign programmes on television play a very large role in the viewership habits of the Nigerian Middle Class. This research set out to survey ownership of television among the Nigerian middleclass who are largely opinion shapers, the ownership of satellite dishes/ decoders, and their viewing habits. The research also evaluated the preferred sources of information of the middle class. Satellite broadcasts were discovered to be the preferred source of information for the Nigerian middle class. The research found that foreign TV broadcasts are very popular with the Nigerian middle class. Any stakeholder looking to shape the opinion of this very influential segment of the Nigerian society has to take cognisance of this fact. Background Most people today tend to define the world as the television portrays it, and the Nigerian middleclass is the bridge between the elite ruling class and the illiterate masses. It has the power of interpreting world happenings the way the larger masses will accept and react. Television today has become ubiquitous and almost central in the lives of especially the urban-dwelling Nigerian middle class. It is the medium of leisure and entertainment for a very large percentage of the middle class; they also rely on it especially for information about goings on in the world. “If it’s not happening on TV, it’s not happening”,(CNN, 2000), this statement, credited to the late pontiff, Pope John Paul II, aptly sums up the power TV has come to wield in the global psyche and in human existence world-wide. The impact of TV on the socio-political spectrum worldwide has been a focus of unresolved debate. In his argument, against the existence of television, Mander, (1978) pointed out that television organisations keen to present themselves as independent watchdogs, working to ensure that abuses of power do not go unchecked, end up as jury and judges themselves. Most governments are selective in who they give broadcast rights to, being conscious of the power television is able to wield, especially as an organ of propaganda. This explains the existence of regulatory broadcast and communication bodies. In Nigeria, such bodies, though they exist do not wield enough authority when it comes to what people watch in their homes. This is because access to satellite broadcast is easy. One only needs to buy the equipment and set it up, no licence or permit is required. To that effect foreign television broadcast are common place. They broadcast 24/7 as against the local TV stations that close shop early every day. In each country where television exists, there is always a guiding principle of what is expected of it, the purpose it is expected to serve. The appearance of television in 1959 into Nigeria, through the then Western Region, under the auspices of The Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS), was not necessarily part of the national development plan, but a regional impetus. It therefore follows that did not seem like a well thought out plan. (Ladele, Adefela and Lasekan, 1979) Statement of the problem Because of its ability to combine sound and moving pictures, television is becoming more and more the primary source of information and home entertainment in Nigeria. It therefore follows that this source of information will play a great role in shaping opinion. The Public Relations practitioner, who hopes to make an impact on his/her organization’s publics, has to consider this fact in order to achieve desired results. Objectives of study The objective of this study is to determine the primary source of information and entertainment of the Nigerian middle class and also determine the role of foreign TV programmes. The aim This research aims at carrying out a survey of television ownership and viewing habits in terms of information sourcing of the middle class and the place of foreign programmes through satellite receivers.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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