THE CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF A CAMPUS RADIO (FM) STATION: WHAT IT SHOULD BE AND WHAT IT IS; (A CASE STUDY OF VOA (VOICE OF ASCOM) RADIO, ERUWA)

ABSTRACT

It is not just good enough to obtain license, establish and start running a community radio station. The success of any organization is hinged on the fulfillment of the objectives of that organization. It is based on this premise that this research work is carried out to examine the present operational nature of The Voice of Ascom (VOA) Radio of The Polytechnic Ibadan, Adeseun Ogundoyin Campus, Eruwa, Oyo State,  in comparison with the Objectives of its establishment, trying to find out the challenges (if any) and prospects of the radio station in the process with the hope that it will be useful to the polytechnic management and the Department of Mass Communication on issues concerning the operation of the radio station, policy adjustments, funding and equipping.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The personal and unique character of radio makes it one of the most appealing and universal mass media for participatory communication and development (Teer-Tomaselli & De Villiers, 1998, p.147). Various researches aver that radio has the capacity to reach large audiences, both young and old, including those in remote, underdeveloped and impoverished areas of the developing world.

According to Bosch (2007), in the absence of other forms of media such as television and newspapers, radio has proven to be a powerful and vital means of entertainment and communication that guarantees community involvement in the communication process. Further researches show that radio is renowned for providing communities with up-to-date local and international information in their own languages accompanied by various music genres that are compatible with diverse cultural inclinations (Mmusi, 2002, p.3; National Community Radio Forum, 1993, p.10).
The development of digital radio and its capacity to integrate or network with various Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), through convergence, has arguably placed radio as the world’s most successful ICT to date that reaches millions of listeners everyday (National Community Radio Forum, 1993, p6). While the traditional functions of national radio, especially Public Broadcasting Service, cannot be underestimated, community radio serves as a “niche” of the media landscape that serves as a primary source of reliable information for the entire population (Dunaway, 2002, p.4). As such, the sector has continued to provide news and information relevant to the needs of community members in the form of a medium which empowers them politically, socially and economically, through locally produced and oriented media content (Wigston, 2001; Fraser & Estrada, 2001). This is evident in the kind of programming that reflects people’s needs with regard to education, information, and entertainment to all language and cultural groups in the country (Mmusi, 2002;Teer-Tomaselli, 1995).

Although radio is not a new phenomenon, private ownership, control of programming, content and operation is relatively a recent phenomenon. It has been gaining strength throughout the world in recent years most especially in developing countries. As a result, private FM and community radio has attracted the attention of many international development organizations as an optimal resource to be developed in the struggle for democracy, the fight against disease, and the preservation of local language and culture (Blackson, 2005).

Furthermore, radio is scholarly proven to be the perfect medium for mass communication. If we compare radio to other mass media, it’s consistently ranks as the most popular means of information dissemination, regardless of the continent. The interactive appeal of radio has distinguished it as an effective medium above other tools of mass media. What makes radio particularly appealing is its interactive
ty, its capacity to provoke dialogue and solicit the participation of local populations (Baran, 2003).

 

1.1.2   BRIEF HISTORY OF RADIO IN NIGERIA

Historically, radio broadcasting began in Nigeria in 1933 as a redistribution of service by the Post and Telegraph Department, which received and relayed BBC news through what was called RADIFUSSION (Radio Diffusion). Eight years later in 1951 the Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS) was established, marking the birth of true broadcasting in the country. Along the line, NBS transformed to Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in 1956, which was position to have an external service called (Voice of Nigeria) in 1961. NBC is now the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria  (FRCN), restricted to domestic broadcasting , VON was excised from FRCN in 1990, given full autonomy and exclusive power to broadcast externally by radio from Nigeria (Okpanachi,2008; Ebuna 2009).

In 1939, a station was opened in Ibadan, Kano station was commissioned in 1949 while between 1945 to 1949 stations had been opened in towns like Kaduna, Enugu, Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode, Jos, Zaria, Calabar and port-Harcourt as relay stations..... 

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Item Type: Project Material  |  Attribute: 68 pages  |  Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word  |  Price: N3,000  |  Delivery: Within 30Mins.
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