INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In this modern society, the importance of commutation is too great. It serves as the basis for socio- economics, political and cultural development. Socio-economic political and cultural development. Importantly, the scientific and technological global trends over the years have led to the immense radio intro in science break through especially in information and communication industrialization. This achievement has put the practitioners, investors and communication educations on their toes as everyone struggle to be update and abstract with the trend in information age.
To the industrialized and developed nations, the situations is mere challenge as the resources needed or required to meet the demands are already at their bake and call a situation which has given them added impetus and in a better position to lead this rest.
Thus with the situation the question arises what is the position of the developing countries. This brings to the main predicament of a country like Nigeria as a third world country trying to brace up with the information challenges in the present information age.
The West as well as North have shown a grouping wave and ride for information resolution. The old order has to be stalled and new order given birth. Happily enough the world to Marshal Maduhan has because a global village.
The stage has pass global village and the world through the new communication culture has further been reduced into a new minute particle capable of being held by our hands.
However, improving takes two things, creating and experiences what this studies emphasized are about communication and with people in the within the opportunities time frame. The argument and questions for our critique is not whether African and continent are infact Nigeria has actually shown any evidence of information challenges of broadcast the new information age is emphases in FRCN Enugu as federal government owned station or radio station.
Ideally, when a retrospect is made we easily recall that communication got its name Latin name council, meaning show commonness. This further exchange of idea value thinking orientations among form different geographical, political, economics society cultural religious and even lingual express. The communication and information age date back to shake paren “ACTA Diurma was first hall make of readable and plausible information invention successively and very glaring society is dynamic and so is the communication world. The papers primitive Egyptian technology became the centre as it were out it serve the same purpose ay other model have today. Cultember came abound to the world with letter and printing press. It was an era of a broad catalytic information outreach and development.
Moreso, as society continued grow, more and more horizons were explored and humanity scientists, technologists, availed themselves of the opportunity and them as far as at 1859, revered gentlemen by name theory town after looking for better way to reach the illiterate inferior Nigerian societies established the first newspaper we Iron a paper for the Igbo and Yoruba.
It was non-stop was expansion contained transformation through electronic media channel, television, radio and others. This is an experience that has become stall and far as the people of the developed highly sophisticated technology culture that has not only affected their economy, political life educational advancement, natural integrity and severity. But in a millennium where the internal operations the digital phones, beeping compact systems, cellular mobiles systems, computerized data based information invention, e-mails fax technology take the domain of global information vanguard is not exciting but interesting. T. W. Kang Tokoyo based business constant opines that “the real purpose of the new information technology is to increase efficiency and competitiveness.’ It si really the birth of information duper high ways.
Furthermore, the appraisal of broadcast media under the information millennium is under the hectic and trying situation. In the strict analysis parlance, the question of whether or not we are ready and prepared is to harness the gains as well with the challenges of broadcast media. Also starved and denied of most motivating and reinforcing values, information culture is a day older than media itself and infact communication is suffering an even deadlier saveges than. Alids because of facilities are absent, no opportunities for creativity, skill and experiences, research and other things capable for engineering positions in the information environment are absent in FRCN, Enugu.
Again, our national, political inmates to personnel aspiration and infact misconception of obvious benefits of the new order has blinded government and people who could have been a helping hand in this direction. What more as other people are heading to space to explore ways to further reduce world to the size of their pocket, Nigeria that are going to their respectively villages, stranger is the problem in Nigeria that this study faces one singular problem of funding the preparedness of the FRCN in the face of the challenge that will not only serve to educate, socialized, entertain sensitize and crystallized ideas but the type that waits conscientiously to bring us nearer to ourselves most minute lapse of time given unimaginable distance the scheme of all these considerations even with our law and media environment were serious. Economic, political and cultural climate are verifiable in nature.
History of Radio in Nigeria
As an electronic medium, radio is very pervasive, volatile and sensitive, like television, total for journalism, education, enlightenment, mobilization, cultural propaganda and entertainment, radio also promotes economic nation consciousness and unity. No wonder it was the agenda of the British colonial authorities to lick the colonial territories with Britain, so that radio would serve as propaganda, machinery for ascertaining their alien. Cultural norms, values and philosophies to the colonies. Also it became an agent of political socialization and Europeansation domination and control of the colonial territories. The reception of the crucial medium, radio in Nigeria dates back to the early 1930’s it started inform of wireless cells monitoring and relaying programmes for the British broadcasting cooperation (BBC) for the interest of her colonial servants in the colonies in 1932. This later changed with its growth and development spanning into stages from state of relaying (BBC) programme and development, interested subscribers of BBC programs loudspeakers boxes installed in their houses and linked to the department of post and telecommunication with wire. In order words it was more of “wired radio” where even, BBC was on and the subscribers who paid subscription. And additional] monthly fees, tuned in the received the programme.
This lasted till 11957, when the ordinance establishing the Nigeria was necessitated when the opposition becomes more restive of what they regarded as the undue partism usage of the station. The legislative assembly hard pressured for this law which made corporation a legal entry and tailed to the pattern of the BBC. The NBC has stations in Lagos, Kaduna, Ibadan and Enugu. The audience had these responsibilities given to the corporation.
However the BBC seemed not to be in any sort of competition with regional stations for one it stayed out of commercial undertaking and by not featuring advertisement, it allowed the local radio station to stay alive.
In 11976, the Murtal Mohommed administration through decree No. 8 acquired all the formal regional then state owned station, in order to “:restructure’ them. This resulted in the establishment of the Federal Radio Corporation Nigeria (FRCN), interestingly the operational guideline of the Decree NO. 8 did not much differ from the spirit of the ordinance which saw the emergency of the NBC in 1957.
However, the FRCN enabling that would be based on national objective and aspirations, it among others, demanded that the corporations should be seen as a medium, which would promote orderly and meaningful development to broadcasting in Nigeria through;
Perhaps the most innovative development in the broadcast sector in a country occurred in 1992 the decree establishing the national broadcasting commission, charged with licensing, monitoring and regulating broadcasting station including private ones in the country. This gave rise to such private station, like Ray power 100 Lagos, Minach in Obosi, among other. To further embrace the performance for the FRCN, the Obsanjo administration went into the establishment of more stations in some of 46 states of the Federation without some. This time FM station are more than one in some station, it is a direct means of democracy. This is an addition to the fact that virtually all the 36 states are in possession of their own radio stations making radio easily the medium of the widest audience in Nigeria, with it wide appeal, reach portability and availability. The mechines behavior and introduction of new ideas, innovation with its ability to serve both the interact and the illiterate unlike the print media, radio ha played major roles in greasing the wheel of the country economy through advertisement as well as sustaining itself via adequate income generation.
This is beside its massive outreach. The feature place radio in position to make its unbeatable contribution to the enhancement of the country’s political growth as exemplified in its country’s political education, enlightenment, awareness, consciousness and provision of a discussion debates and presentation. The performance of those functions was maximized during campaigns towards the 2003 general election and another attempt to civilian to civilian democracy in Nigeria. Jingles and commercial of diverse manner and quality are monotonously hard marketing projecting and position political aspirations to the electorates for the purpose of capturing their votes during the elections. It therefore, provided the electorate the opportunity to know, understand, and programmes with a view to eventually making rational responsible and natured choice during its election and by so doing uplifting nations political fortunes.
In addition it is in view of these opined that interest researcher to assess the challenges facing broadcasting FRCN in the new information age through scientific approach.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
The world is dynamic and so it everything inside professor Rosoce found with the above example it is primarily clear that globally information, culture is change and not statics. This change has created ascend for improvement, perfection and sophistication of man’s effort towards technological success has equally been unfriendly in some considerations. The race formed such that no-one individual group or society can readily afford to miss it. The understanding of the premise and its appreciation brings the problem of this study to focus. This study has the first and most obvious problem of x-raying the position of the verge of the new global millennium. Nigeria broadcast media is at vantage point and hence, the task of evaluating and critically assessing the stations. It condition preparedness or otherwise her seeming larity and irresolution over the global question will be an interesting problem which will be a challenge for the study.
Therefore, the journey in the present century is the climax of resolution n all aspect of life in the society and as it concerns its culture, language, politics, philosophy economy, science, religion, technology vis-avis the social dynamism. The problem in this new millennium and marrying global communication in this new millennium and merging it with a critical review of the Nigeria experience communication and infact our information culture is sulk. Also, the equipment we have is power, there is no incentive mediocrity has replaced education and excellence him professionalism in our media, instead of improving to the net and web, system, Nigeria is heading back to primitive days of oral media, the status quo is.
Further, media silk by draconian law put together by harmonious politicians in attempt to muzzle freedom of expression.
Finally, all these fact, necessitate the study on the appraisal o the challenge of broadcast media “FRCN in the new information age in their operational activities.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The significance of this study is without doubt enormous. It is better described as a revolutionary study into a entirely new age to information, dissemination which has also been baptized communication revolution cum millennium. Importantly, to students and future researchers in the field, this study will serve as a harvest knowledge and a discovery for some hidden and silent ideas about the new communication culture into their environment that equally give support incentive and motivation towards the sustainability of this eventful idea and exactingly global information.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
H1
: High illiteracy rate in the FRCN possess a problem to adoption of new information technology.H0
: High illiteracy rate in the FRCN possess a problem to adoption of new information technology.H 0
H 0
H 0
H 3
1.8 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This scope of the study is limited to the challenges of broadcasting media in the new information age a study of the federal radio corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Enugu.
1.9 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
In the course of this study, the research was limited by cost, time and lack of adequate research materials. Also geographical and environmental factor pose a serious constraint to the study.
Finally, the study is on the challenges to broadcast media in the new information age. It limit FRCN Enugu ad does not involved other stations of FRCN.