CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
The mass media perform a number of functions in every society. In
performing its functions they do not
work in isolation of their own but work hand in hand with other social institutions like family, religions
institutions, educational institutions, economic institutions and cultural institutions. This work is on the
role that Imo Broadcasting Corporation (Television) play in the educational development of
Emekuku in Imo State.
The Mass Media beyond being a socializing agency, Umechukwu,
(200,p.21) made us to understand that
the mass media with their incalculable potentials, derived fundamentally
from their transitional roles of
education, entertainment, cultural transmission and surveillance of the society.
Okunna (1999, p.108) in her reflections on the social functions of
the mass media maintains that mass media
as a socializing, agency work closely with other socializing agencies like family, church, school and the peer
groups through the process of socialization, the individual is made aware of the value, norms,
and acceptable behavioural patterns of the society, they provide a common body of knowledge, the
internization of which enables people to operate as effective members of the society.
The invention of television had a very good influence as a medium
towards information, dissemination,
education and entertainment; that is why scholars like Gebner (2000, p.21)
went into intense study to find out its
effect on the viewers, Murrow, (1998, p. 90) states that this instrument can teach, it can illuminate, it
can even inspire, but to the extent that human beings are determined to use it to those ends
otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box, this tells us that though television is powerful, we can
only harness its powers through effective use.
Another role which the television play especially in rural
development is on influencing and
shaping our behavioural patterns. Virtually no aspect of our habits, desires
and relationships both as individuals
and as groups escape examinations in our public media, getting along with neighbours, personal problems and our taste
in popular music, social and religious tensions, athletics and trends in fashion among others
are constantly reported and discussed in the press, book, television and radio programmes.
It is known that rural communication in Nigeria have always been a
beacon of hope throughout history in
Nigeria and has always sustained the urban communities but yet the hope of the rural communities is yet increasing
everyday as regard to Emekuku, in Owerri, Imo state, 80% of people in Emekuku uses television and
this constitutes more to rural educational
development.
In spite of this, the contribution of rural communities have not
received the adequate attention which
they deserve although the government is doing everything within its power to
see that this situation is uplifted,
government has also realized that it has not been making effective use of the television as a means of reaching
out to the rural community education development even with regards to Emekuku, in Owerri, Imo
State.
This has invariably constituted a serious impediment to systematic
development in the nation because rural
education development remains the spring board for state and national development in the education sector.
Again, Nwosu (1990, p.2) maintain that communication is central to
rural and national development and that
is a catalytic effect to the development of other sectors of the economy
and it should never be neglected, this
means that Imo Broadcasting Corporation Television (IBC TV) should be concerned with the education
development of the people of Emekuku rural community and should realize the ubiquities nature of
communication media of the television and employ
them all in their Television educational programmes both during
conception, planning and execution and
they should involve the community concerned.
It is important therefore to investigate the affairs of the Imo
Broadcasting Corporation Television (IBC
TV) and the role it plays in enhancing the educational development of the people in Emekuku, Owerri, Imo State.