CHAPTER ONE

1.0       Introduction

1.1       Background to the Study

John Witz, a famous scholar in mass communication described this subject as comprising institution and techniques by which specialized group of people empty technological devices it disseminate symbolic content to a large heterogeneous and widely dispersed audience.

Another school of thought says, it is a process in which communication make use of mechanical media to disseminate information rapidly and continuous to arose intended meaning to a large diverse audience in an attempt to influence them in a variety of ways.

Charles Wright in his own account says, mass communication is a special kind of social communication involving distinctive operative conditions. Primarily among which are; nature of the audience, subject of communication and the experience of the communication” Mass communication, can simply be classified under three (3) categories. We have the T.V and radio production, public relation section and print medium.

But this study basically dealt with radio listenership pattern among market women. Radio is one of the most ubiquitous, the most effective and cheapest medium of mass communication available to man. This provided opportunity for men to understand both his immediate and distant environment. Through radio,

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message or information are received by means of electromagnetic waves hence, the British call it wireless. Music, codes and other communication signals through the waves to any part of the world. With the use of radio, we can communicate across space see and distant points.

Like      any   electronic   media   radio   broadcasting   involves;

PROCESSES: The first is production of programs, the second istransmission and the third stage is reception.

Unlike watching T.V, reading a newspaper, radio listening is usually done by one person alone, it is a personal one-on-one medium and it is also mobile. As a matter of fact, it is generally undisputable that daily and weekly reach of radio exceed other media by market women.

In addition, radio bring sense of intimacy and personal involvement between the presenter and the listeners. The audience of radio are limited only to the elite in the society, it also includes the transporters, the house wives, market women and so on.

As women constitute a reasonable number of the entire populace, their role in sustainable development cannot be over emphasized. Their resources have been properly mobilized and channels in order to achieve the desired goals.

The women are noted for being custodians of the future.

Nowadays different classes of women exist in Nigeria, the position of women determine how they relate to their various environment one cannot compare the contribution of the less privilege women in the society to the privilege ones. Unlike the olden days where women are regarded as cooks, now, women are also in the top position. They as well participate in politics

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they get first-hand information from the mass media by listening to radio watching T.V and reading newspapers and magazines.

Consequently, the rate at which the women listen to radio nowadays cannot be underestimated in which they participate in programs mostly the phone-in programs, which affect topical issues in the society. They also love listening to informative programs.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

This is the study of the effect of broadcast media on the society with particular emphasis on “Radio Listenership Pattern among market women. The rate at which market women listen to radio has been on the decline this is as a result of inefficient way of disseminating information to the market women.

Market women in Ilorin metropolis however, had encountered this problem where their goods and services is not well patronized in a larger market, as a result of ineffective publicity. As it has been observed that broadcast has help in the upliftment if information in a given society. In the course of the study. It will help the public to receive information, write-ups, and presentation and gather facts from the society, people committees and individual at large.

Therefore, the study will look at Radio Listenership pattern among Market Women using Asa Market, Ibadan and OIrepodun women, and Isin as case studies.

1.3       Research Questions

1.   Is broadcast media essential to the market women?

2.   How radio broadcasting served the market women?

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3.