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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background to the study

Radio is a medium of communication which enables the broadcaster to transmit spoken words, music, codes and other communication signals through the waves to any part within its transmission reach. Through radio messages, information are received by means of communication signals through the waves. The radio is an audio medium, but with visual impact. The visual nature of the impact is in picturization of the audio experience in the mental realm. It means that words used paint pictures in the receiver’s mind as product of interpretations and meanings (Emman-Owums, 2007). According to Ottah (2015), Radio is a medium of communication that appeals to the sense of sound only. Through the medium, the listening audiences hear progammes and use the “eye” of their imagination to “see” what is said, thereby bringing a sense of intimacy between the presenter and the listener.

Radio provides listeners with the instinct to know about events taking place around them and at distant lands, with its aims of having its impression on the cultural outlook of the societies. It is known as one of the most valuable channels of information as it provides opportunity to understand both the immediate and distant environment. On the importance of radio, Edegoh, Asemah & Nwammuo (2013, p. 21) argue that radio is “an indispensable medium of communication for achieving development in the rural areas, as issues of development are aired to audience in the form of various programmes and individuals are exposed to happenings in and around their society, through listening to these programmes.”  

It is a known fact that since women constitute the bulk of the populace, their role in sustainable development cannot be overlooked. Their resources have been properly mobilized and channeled in order to achieve or aim at desired goals. The women are noted for being custodians of the future.

Depending on what parameters you use, there are different classes of women in Nigeria. While some belong to the working class, a substantial population belongs to the business group; while other are caged in the homes to cater for the family.The position and status of women determines how they relate to their various environments. One cannot compare the contribution of the less privileged women in society to the privileged. Today, women’s aspirations and status are just as diverse as that of men, as they participate in politics, they get firsthand information from the mass media by listening to radio, watching television, reading newspapers and magazines. They give a signal to the world that women are taking important positions in contributing to the world social and economic development with the notion “What a man can do, a woman can do better.”  Because of the numerous potentials of radio in ensuring rural development, it is answerable to determine how people, especially women, who are the recipients of radio messages react to radio programmes, their radio listening habit and how often they expose themselves to radio programmes.

Ilorin is one of the commercial nerve centres in Kwara State in Nigeria. Majority of the women in the area engage in one form of business or the other. With the establishment of Kogi State University in 1999, the community became more expanded in terms of population and attraction of government presence, hence more business opportunities for the people.

1.2  Statement of the Problem

Radio broadcasting has grown tremendously in Nigeria. Currently, there is no state in Nigeria that does not have a radio station. It is also important to note that the deregulation of the broadcasting industry in 1992 through the instrument of Decree Number 38 (later amended to decree number 55 in 1999) has further increased the number of the radio stations in the country with the establishment of private radio stations.

In Ilorin metropolis, broadcast signals from different radio stations can be received. The fact that radio is popular among people today does not mean that people listen to it in the same pattern, as it is with other media of mass communication. Audiences listen to radio for different purposes and in different ways. Therefore, there is always the tendency that people will prefer one station to the other or a certain radio programme to others. Invariably, there are various factors that influence how, when, and why individuals listen to radio broadcasts or attend to mass media generally. All these bother on listening behaviour and how it affects the socio-economic life of the people. There is the need to study the extent to which the radio transmissions received in Ilorin metropolis benefit the people who are business-oriented. The question here is, what is the radio listening behaviour among the people in Ilorin metropolis? Being a penetrative broadcast medium, there is the need to ascertain the influence radio has on the life and activities of the people. The lack of adequate studies on this subject matter is the research problem which we seek to address. 

The focus of the study was to trace the pattern of radio listening and its usage among the people in Ilorin metropolis, especially with regard to the exposure, place of access, purpose of use and perceived benefits. The study also attempted to find out the variations in the pattern of usage of radio among the people of different demographic characteristics especially with regard to frequency and approximate time spent on radio.

 1.3 Objectives of the Study

1.       To determine the radio listening behaviour among people in Ilorin metropolis.

2.       To ascertain the people’s level of preference of radio to other media of mass communication.

3.       To investigate their level of exposure to radio messages.

4.       To ascertain the choice of radio stations and programmes by the people.

5.       To examine the impact of radio message on the people.

1.4  Research Questions

1.       What is the radio listening behaviour among people?

2.       What is the people’s level of preference of radio to other media of mass communication?

3.       What is the level of people’s exposure to radio messages?

4.       What is the choice of radio stations and programmes by the people?

5.       What are the impacts of radio messages on the people?