CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The history of radio news commentary in Nigeria dated back to the 1930’s when what was known as radio receiver was just a wooden box and as amp liter.  The audience has thrilled by these live commentaries run by various pioneer commentators. Ever since the tradition of running radio commentary has remained with radio to this day. In presidential democracy such as ours news commentary whether on the  radio newspaper or television do not only serve as surveyor of public opinion but also serve as a requisite for bridging the credibility gap between government and the governed. Perhaps, it might be necessary to draw a line of distinction between news and news commentary. A news caster presents straight news without additional comment.  While a news talk provides background information to the new. 

Writing on the uses of radio, Richard Aspinall said that: “with limits radio can persuade   and effectively influence large  audience thereby contributing substantially to the thinking of the nation”   in the Nigeria media house today news commentary has become a ferment feature.  Airtime is allowed to news commentary immediately after major news- bulletins perhaps as an attention gaining strategy. The media house not only give air space to commentaries written by its own staff but also uses those written in the additional headlines of various  new papers this giving freedom of expression a chance. Today the media house news- commentary not only interpret the news but sometimes comment on societal problems but what happens to the problems or issues of the society and the views expressed by the news- talk after these Tracie broadcasts as in the media house? Do they influence the attitude and an opinion of the country’s listening public?

Perhaps 50 percent of each radio news commentary listeners who forget to fund their radio during commentary do so are more accustomed to the news paper additional page to which they can easily refer may be and may be not we shall find cut through survey in the subsequent chapters. Owing to the fact that news- commentary are aired to  listeners and are not seen we have therefore taken it upon ourselves to present at least except of two news commentary aired by ESBS  and FRCN Is it not often said that seeing is believing? Indeed sight or vision is an indispensable in learning and retention –vision is said to aid the memory to produce previously retained content.  And for quick remembrance of past new-talks by respondents these excerpts shall serve as basis for our analyses.  We shall present them to our respondents for answers.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

A country like Nigeria with diverse culture and human resource & need radio commentaries or news talk capable of interpreting events bordering global and societal issues. Obviously these news-commentary are staunchly provided to listeners on a daily basis Unfortunately about 80% of radio listeners ignore news- talk once they have listened to actual news broadcast but radio listeners are 100% attentive to sport commentaries. If all radio commentaries are said to interpret events occurring earlier on illuminating the hidden fact (news behind the news) to the layman then it is  to be preferred to actual broadcast. Moreover generally the Nigeria audience seems not to appreciate radio commentaries as their western counterpart who listen to radio and write feedback to their radio stations such as BBC which in turn  offers them a round the clock service.

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To know whether the news commentary ever steer a middle course at times disagreeing with government policy and at the other time selling it.

2. To determine the extent to which suggestions and opinion offered by the news talk as solution to societal problems been adopted in the society.

3. To evaluate the criteria for selecting among others the news talk to be aired.

4. To ascertain whether Nigeria radio news talk influences the attitude and opinions of the listening public.

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.Do the news commentary ever steer a middle course at times disagreeing with government policy and at the other time selling it.

2. To what extent have the suggestions and opinion offered by the news talk as solution to societal problems been adopted in the society.

3. What are the criteria for selecting among others the news talk to be aired? 

4. Does Nigeria radio news talk influence the attitude and opinions of the listening public?

1.5    RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

Hypothesis I

Ho:  Suggestions and opinion offered by the news talk as solution to societal problems are not been adopted in the society.

Hi:   Suggestions and opinion offered by the news talk as solution to societal problems are been adopted in the society.

Hypothesis II

Ho:  Nigeria radio news talk does not influence the attitude and opinions of the listening public.

Hi:  Nigeria radio news talk influences the attitude and opinions of the listening public

1.6     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 

The foregoing objectives apart the present study must be seen to be significance or relevant to mass communication at least on two grounds. First, it focuses on Nigeria media consumer on news- commentaries which is a medium essentially designed for news broadcast and its obligatory effort interpreting new to its listeners through commentaries. The second point or relevance of this study is its typology. Being an audience research this study seeks to emphasis that communication without feedback is incomplete.  We might wrap up this relevance of feedback   in the words of Quall and Brown  “ In any communication system feedback from receivers to a communicator is a necessary ingredient fro maximum efficiency.  Ti is the only true indicator of the effectiveness to reach the people and it provides the only safe basis for alteration of any format”.

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERM

We are obligated to define the conceptual and key operational definitions are given blow:

i.    Commentary

ii.    Listeners

iii.   ESBS and FRCN

iv.   Effectiveness

v.    Method of presentation

CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

i.  Commentary: This offer listener information on current issues or research of current relevance which helps in directing the minds of the entire audience including those in authority and subjects.

ii. Impact:  According tot the oxford paper- back dictionary it means idea in as much as this is valid? Impact here shall be operationally seen to be effective in result of radio news talk.  It provides such detailed and in-depth opinion as would enable the listeners to interpret the significance of news      

iii. Listener: These are the audience of radio news talk.

iv. ESBS and FRCN: ESBS stands for Enugu state broadcasting service and FRCA stands for federal radio corporation of Nigeria

v. Effectiveness:  This means that ESBS /FRCN commentaries are achieving the intended result aims and objective to which it was established

vi. Method of Presentation:  This is the technique to which commentary is delivered to the target audience through radio.

1.8   ASSUMPTION

All the studies of the research work will be passed on survey method. The survey research method will be adopted because in any experimental research the researchers have studied without injecting extraneous variables.  On the other hand the survey research usually involved studying the attitudes of pole, which cannot be predicted. It is therefore believed that at the end of this research work a reliable and depended able result will be achieved.  

1.9    LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

We shall not hesitate to state the inherent factors which we encountered in the course of our research that may likely influence our working sampling result one of these factors is that of all our intended diversified respondents only the ones belonging to the middle class or upper stratum of the society responded positively to listening to news- talk or commentaries.  And this makes the result slanted to only the opinions of this class of people. Another limitation was that of the “ fear syndrome” in Nigeria respondents, some people whom other wise would have been good material for our research we discovered were reluctant to make any comment for fear of being quoted so we are only making use of the available and willing respondents.