Audience Participation and Perception of Media Programmes : Implications for National Development

Abstract

Nigeria is a country with a great potential in terms of human and natural resources but the ability to convert the potentials into meaningful socio-economic development is perceived to be grossly deficient. The shift in paradigms from the top-down approaches that emerged in the 1950s and 60s, to the participatory/bottom-up approaches of the 1980s and 1990s, has created more curiosity among scholars concerning the ability of the media to influence development. This challenge motivated the study to evaluate audience perception of media programmes by examining audience perception and participation as well as the impact in the attainment of national development. The development media theory provided a theoretical background for this study while the survey research method was adopted in the collection of quantitative data. Abuja and Lagos were purposively selected because of the concentration of mass media and composition of rural and urban population. A sample size of 1500 respondents was chosen using the random sampling technique. Data were obtained from primary and secondary sources. Data were analysed using a combination of frequency count and simple percentage. Results revealed that 71.4% had access to development programmes through radio and television, while 36% preferred radio as the medium for access. Radio remained a popular medium for disseminating development messages in Nigeria. In addition, majority of the respondents indicated that media programmes encourage participation in national development. It concluded that the media have been effective in supporting the national objectives. It is recommended that radio be more effectively used in disseminating messages that will impact positively on national development.