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ABSTRACT
This research was carried out to measure the viewship of RSTV, channel 22, Port – Harcourt with the aim of determine if a greater number of youth in Port-Harcourt watch RSTV, Port-Harcourt. In the same vein, the research was also geared towards establishing the reason(s) for poor viewing, if there was any. The study used questionnaire and library review methods. A sample of two hundred (200) viewers was studied, but the response rate was seventy percent (70%). The study revealed that RSTV is a popular television station in Port-Harcourt. It was evaluated as the most popular by viewers (59.3%) because of programme excellence. Informative programmes were rated first as compared to educational and entertainment programmes. A number of recommendations were made for RSTV, Port-Harcourt based on the above findings. It was fact recommended that programmes which do not command sizeable viewers should be replaced with more popular programmes.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The introduction of television in Nigeria co-incited with the beginning of a remarkable period of change in the country’s history. Historically, television seemed a particular appropriate symbol or machinery to grapple with the combination of uncertainties of the newly won past colonial era.
Television transmission began in Western Nigeria on October 31, 1959. This service which was initiated by a regional government, was not only the first in Nigeria but remains today the oldest in Africa. The birth could be termed purely accidental, because it was born out of political dissension.
The western regional government sought to establish its own mass medium, so it could voice its opinion independent of the Federal Authority when access was denied its political leader and leader of the opposition in the federal house of Parliament in 1956.
In one incident, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his party walked out of the parliament in protest of a constitutional debate at the era of Nigeria independent. All the radio stations then denied the opposition leader the facility to reply to certain accusations. Thus, instead of establishing a radio station alone, to offer unrepressed “vote” in national affairs, the Western region commenced television transmission.
While the aims of this expensive venture as delineated by the government may not have been seriously in dispute, the Nal motives might actually have been a matter of “regional pride and prestige”. Perhaps the whole action was calculated to spite the political opponents. Nevertheless, this also points towards the symbolic relationship between the mass media and politics.
With this in view, other regional governments in Nigeria Television industry thus, western Nigeria television became a protype to all other television stations in the country, particularly in its organization and structure. The western Nigeria television including other regional stations was government corporations i.e. government owned.
In 1960, broadcasting history was made in Enugu, the then Eastern regional capital. It was called Eastern Nigeria Television with a call signal “SECOND TO NONE”. Two years later, March, 1962, Radio Television Kaduna was set up to provide services to the Northern Region of Nigeria. The NBC-TV Lagos was also established and started its maiden telecasting in April, 1962.
In April, 1976, the federal military Government of Nigeria took over all television stations in the country. The NBC-TV and other state-owned television stations became part of the Nigeria Television Authority.
The most remarkable development in television broadcasting in Nigeria is the inclusion of the electronic media under concurrent list of federal constitution with singular gesture.
With the forty years of television broadcasting in Nigeria, the pattern of ownership in the industry has undergone three significant changes. First, we had the establishment mutually independent television stations by both federal and state governments. This was followed by the centralization of ownership by the federal government, state government and individual entrepreneurs as specified by the 1998 constitution of Nigeria which states under section 36 sub-section 2:
…without prejudice to the generality of sub-section (1) of this section, every person, shall be entitled to own, establish, operate any medium for the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions provided that no person, other than the Government of the federation or a state or any other person or body authorized by the president shall own, establish or operate a television or wireless broadcasting station for any purpose whatsoever.
The issue of ownership of a broadcast media has always been a controversial one in Nigeria. Between 1959 and 1967 there were four television stations in the country. Three of them were located in Ibadan (West), Enugu (East) and Kaduna (North) and were owned by then regional governments. The fourth, which was federal government owned, operated only in Lagos.
By 1976, the Federal Military Government took over all television stations which had increased to six (6) in numbers by March, 1977 when the centralization of ownership came into effect. There were ten television stations in operation in Nigeria. They all evolved local programmes in the states which they operated.
The NTA Decree of 1977 (now NTA ACT) gave an exclusive right of regulation of all television stations to the NTA the decree stipulated that:
NTA shall, take exclusive of any other broadcasting authority or any person in Nigeria, be responsible for television broadcasting in Nigeria.
In general, the different broadcasting laws establishing the stations empowered each to maintain and operate transmitting and receiving stations, with all that was necessary for effective programming.
At this point, it would not be out of place to determine the impact television has created as a communication medium. Television has taken over from many other media of information as the foremost and most up-to-date source of news or development in politics. This is the information or enlightening aspects of the television.
Television acts as the most effective form of mass education. In so many countries, the field of instructional television is now very important and is being harnessed for proper education of their masses.
The Federal Government has allocated UHF bands to states and privates entrepreneurs who have requested for such channels. It was anticipated that by 2004, there will be over a hundred television stations in the country.
A casual assessment of programs on Nigerian television indicates that taste is primarily geared towards the elites. This feature is characterized by the near dominance of foreign programmes. One reason that can be given for this is that, the Nigerians who have access to, and control over the mass media have appreciation for, and have in fact imbibed those aspects of foreign cultures that now take a greater percentage of our television broadcast time. These elites are those who have access to and also control television programming thereby influencing what comes on air. Therefore, one is not surprised that these foreign programmes could have adverse cultural and social effects on Nigerians. As a result, television falls short of achieving the laudable goals and objectives for which it was established.
Nevertheless, television stations have made efforts to increase the local content of their programmes, but then, few of these programmes are geared towards mobilizing the people since a greater percentage of airtime is devoted to entertainment and sensational movies with greater Western orientation.
The media vote is dissemination information on government programmes to the adult population, as well as entertainment, has fallen short of expectation since the cultural foundations of most of such programmes are not only foreign – oriented, but also geared towards the satisfaction of the minority elite-population. In the past, only the elites took interest when programmes were being evaluated for television. There is no remarkable difference till date except in very few cases.
Moreover, the elites are also the sole respondents to questionnaires sent out by media houses. This has resulted in the media taking their cue from the minority of the population. But the majority in the society as indicated, have very little to say in the formulation of the study in on the audiences viewing pattern towards Rivers State Television (RSTV), Port Harcourt.
1.1.1 BRIEF HISTORY OF RSTV AND ITS OBJECTIVES
RSTV is a state owned organization charged with responsibility for Television broadcast in Rivers State. This responsibility is carried out through the production and broadcasting information which are vital to the state.
The inauguration of the RSTV can be traced back to the creation of Rivers State in 1964 by the Gowon’s administration, Rivers State established its own Radio and television known as the Rivers State Broadcasting corporation (RSBC) and Rivers State Television (RSTV) which Mr. Gabriel Okara was the first General Manager of the station at Choba. It started its first transmission on the 31st December, 1974.
In 1976, the Federal Military Government tool over all existing television station. In 1977, a decree number 24 was promulgated to establish and coordinate the activities of television station nationwide. The body was named Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). This development led to the lost of all property of RSTV to the present day NTA Port Harcourt.
In 1979 Chief Melford Okoloo Governor of the Old Rivers State on a one kilowatt transmitter at number 3 Olumeni Street old GRA premises and later went off in 31st December that same year when the Buhari appointed a committee to work out modalities and recommend the establishment of a television station in the state. The station was set under the supervisory of the Rivers State broadcasting corporation with Mr. Albert Alale as General Manager. The contract to construct and install the station was awarded in 1982 to Triax engineering limited with Prince Author Eze as group managing director. In May, 1983 the station started test transmission government took over the Shehu Shagari’s Government. Mr. Fidelis Oyakhilome after his appointment as Governor of the state ordered an enquiry into the circumstances that led to the shutdown of the station with Mr. comish Ekiye as chairman. Based on the recommendations of the committee, RSTV was reactivated an expatriate supervisor Mr. Philips of Kings engineering staff.
The state government established full television on the 28th June, 1985 with Mr. Comish Ekiye as acting general manager.
In 1991 the channel was changed from 55UHF to 22UHF differentiating with a thirty kilo-watts transmitter. Mr. Bernar Graham-Douglas became the first substantive General Manager of the station.
With the transfer of Mr. Graham-Douglas to Nigerian Tide, Mr. Victor Madume became the General Manager in 1993. Mr. Madume was succeeded by Mrs. Sienne Razak Lawal. Mr. Comish Ekiye was reappointed acting General Manager in November, 1996 and was replaced again by Mrs. Florence Ekiye in 1998.
The station fully moved over to its permanent site at Elelenwu on the 22nd of May 1996.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The aim of television broadcasting includes information, educating and entertaining the public. The fulfillment of three aims is through effective programming and audience participation.
Viewship is effective if programmes satisfy audience’s interest, needs and convenience. One of the ways of ascertaining this is through a clear analysis of the pattern of audience attitudes towards the programs offered. Therefore, the premise of this problem is predicated on the vacuum created by the absence of a feedback loop in electronic media transaction. This is being done with a view to ascertaining RSTV viewing patterns and programme preference of youths residing in the Port-Harcourt Metropolis.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
- To find out the kinds of RSTV Port-Harcourt.
- To streamline the patterns of youth in Port-Harcourt with a view to providing an empirical date on RSTV youths viewing habits.
- To find out the popularity of RSTV among youths in Port-Harcourt.
- In determine audience (youths) preferences in terms of the kinds of programmes they watch.
- Basd on findings, to make recommendations that would improve television viewing for RSTV audience.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The essence of this research is to provide answers to the following pertinent questions:
- Does a quarter segments of youths in Port-Harcourt watch RSTV, channel 22?
- What are the viewing patterns and the attitude of youths towards television programmes on RSTV channel 22?
- How does youths in the study area rate RSTV, channel 22?
- Does RSTV channel 22 offer programmes that attract audiences?
- What steps can be taken to improve television view ship of RSTV channel 22.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Television is a major instrument of mass communication. Normally, it success depends on effective programming and the attitudes people shows towards such programs. Of in times past, public views in newspaper, magazine and even at seminars indicated that all is not well with television in Nigeria. some of these views are based mostly on public dissatisfaction with the programmes both in content and quality. It is the belief of this research that, the failure of television is a reflection of the general problem of the society.
Apart from generally providing data and current information on television viewing in Nigeria, this study will form the basis, using RSTV, P. H. as a reference point, for serious reorganizations in the programme presentation departments of some television stations, for the problems highlighted here would provide motivations on how to improve audience viewing needs.
Furthermore, such organization would encourage quality programmes, whereby audiences’ interest would eventually be saved.
On the other hand, if the problem that precipitated this study was ignored for too long, the great expectations of television as a mass medium of information, education and entertainment in Nigeria would have probably remained dormant or oblivious.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY/DELIMITATIONS
Very few studies have been done on this topic; hence, it has not been easy to obtain similar researchers.
In view of this, this study has been limited to RSTV, channel 22, Port-Harcourt as well as the youths in Port-Harcourt municipality which serves as the stations area of dominant influence. This will no doubt from the basis for generalization.