SSRG International Journal of Communication and Media Science Volume 8 Issue 2, 15-22, May-Aug, 2021 ISSN: 2349 – 641X /doi:10.14445/2349641X/IJCMS-V8I2P103 ©2021 Seventh Sense Research Group® Effectiveness of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) Radio News on Teaching and Learning (a case study of Awka based Students) Okechukwu Christopher Onuegbu Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Received Date: 10 June 2021 Revised Date: 15 July 2021 Accepted Date: 25 July 2021 ABSTRACT (radio, television, and internet). This work sought to find out the effectiveness of Anambra Asemah and Yaroson (2008), cited in Onuegbu (2016), Broadcasting Service (ABS) Radio news on teaching and described mass communication as “The grand and extension learning. The study focused mainly on listeners of ABS radio of the human communication process; it is human news broadcast in Awka, the capital of Anambra State, communication on a massive scale, incorporating all the Nigeria. Its objectives were to find out; if Awka based elements of communication-source, encoder, message, students are exposed to ABS radio; to discover the ABS channels, decoder, and the receiver, with the seventh radio program students favorite; the need gratification that element, the feedback. It involves the simultaneous transfer drives students to listen to ABS radio news; the or sending of messages to people in both near and distant contributions of radio news to students teaching and places through the use of mass media.” learning; and effectiveness of ABS radio news on teaching Asemah (2009) enumerates the functions of mass and learning in Awka. The population of Awka students is media as a binding influence, entertainment sources, 198,868. This is also the population of the study. But a surveillance, persuasion, correlation, the transmission of sample size of 400 was chosen and administered with cultural heritage, selling, and agenda-setting. He further questionnaires. The study was hinged on the uses and maintains that through the media of mass communication, gratification theory. It adopted a survey research design. community members could be bound together, entertained, The data gathered was analyzed using simple percentages and induced to accept or buy a particular product or idea. and frequency of tables. The study revealed that news is very Radio is a widely used mass communication medium as effective in teaching and learning. It was concluded that well as the most effective in dissemination of information, news is the best instructional media to be employed in providing education lesson contents, and others to a diverse teaching and learning. Among other things, it was audience across different geographical locations (Kamat, recommended that teachers and students should listen to and 2012; United School World, 2020). Experts found that its make judicious use of news for academic purposes. signals cover almost the entire population. They believed that about 97 percent of the world population is reached by the Keywords: ABS, Learning, Radio news, Teaching radio. The radio uses both hardware and software technology for mass production and wide dissemination, which among I. INTRODUCTION other things, make it go beyond the immediate proximity of The word ‘communication’ was derived from the Latin word the sender. It inculcates basic knowledge and morality into communicate, which translates to common or shared its audience through interpretation of the messages presented understanding. This involves both verbal and non-verbal about the environment, prescriptions on what to do about it, processes of sharing information or ideas between oneself or and attempts to influence such interpretations, attitudes, and between one person and another person or group of persons. conducts through programs (Onuegbu 2016; Hanxy and Thus, it could be said that human communication occurs at Maxcy, 1996). various levels or forms such as intrapersonal, interpersonal, There is no gainsaying the facts that it performs these group, public, and mass communication. functions through its diverse programs like news and current The most prominent among these forms of affairs, commentary, documentary, phone-in (which requires communication is mass communication. It is the process of the audience to share their opinions/experiences on-air while disseminating information or messages to large, anonymous, the program lasts), plays/drama (e.g., Short story), magazines and scattered heterogeneous audiences via the instrument of program, commentary, special reports, etc. Thus, Habre & mass media, namely, print (newspapers, magazines, journals, Lockwood (2020) state that “In both urban and rural areas, books, and other periodicals), and electronics/broadcast This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Okechukwu Christopher Onuegbu / IJCMS, 8(2), 15-22, 2021 battery-operated radios broadcast information to entire contribute as literature material to scholars and students of households. As cheap as $5, radio is less energy-intensive mass communication, media studies, and journalism. than television and can be shared more easily than a smartphone. The infrastructure was already there. All that II. A. Theoretical Framework educators needed was to adapt content.” This study adopted the uses and gratification theory (UGT). UGT seeks to understand why and how people actively seek A. Statement of Problem out specific media content to satisfy specific needs. It is also The importance of teaching and learning cannot be seen as an audience-centered approach to understanding overemphasized since education is believed to be the bedrock mass communication. It was used in this research because of every society. It is an exercise that could be carried out in researchers, who use this theory, assume that audience formal school settings, at homes, offices, religious and other members are aware of the impact of media and can articulate gatherings. With technological advancement, it could also be their reasons for consuming various media content. conducted online (Internet) or through other mass media like Historically, the Uses and Gratification theory was radio, televisions, etc. Radio specifically has various propounded in the 1940s, when researchers became programs like news and current affairs, drama, audience interested in why people engaged in various forms of media participatory/phone-in-programs, and others. How effective behavior, such as radio listening or newspaper reading. is radio news in teaching and learning? These early studies were primarily descriptive, seeking to classify the responses of audience members into meaningful B. Objectives of the Study categories. For instance, Herzog (1944) identified three types The objectives of this study which shall be converted to five of gratification associated with listening to radio soap operas research questions, are; to include emotional release, wishful thinking, and obtaining 1. This is to find out if Awka based students are advice. exposed to Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) In the mass communication process, the uses and radio. gratifications approach puts the function of linking need 2. To discover the ABS radio program Awka based gratifications and media choice clearly on the side of students favorite. audience members. It suggests that people’s needs influence 3. To find the need gratification that drives Awka what media they would choose, how they use certain media, based students to listen to ABS radio news. and what gratifications the media give them. 4. To find out the contributions of radio news to Ideally, several needs and gratification for people are students teaching and learning. categorized into five. These include Cognitive needs (use of 5. To find out the effectiveness of ABS radio news media for acquiring knowledge, news update, information, on teaching and learning in Awka. among other intellectual needs, e.g., quiz programs on radio and television stations), Affective needs (use of media for the C. Research Questions satisfaction of all kinds of emotions, pleasure, and other 1. Are Awka based students exposed to the ABS moods), Personal Integrative needs (use of media to realize radio? self-esteem like status, gain credibility and stabilize), Social 2. Which ABS radio program do Awka based Integrative needs (to socialize with family, friends, and students expose to? relations in the society) and Tension free needs (use of the 3. What needs gratification drives Awka based media as a means of escapism and to relieve from tension) students to listen to ABS radio news? (Anunike and Onuegbu, 2020). 4. What are the contributions of radio news to students teaching and learning? B. Review of Related Empirical Studies 5. Is ABS radio news effective in teaching and Empirical researchers have over time focused on the impact learning in Awka? of the media (radio news) and its role among students as a learning resource. This section reviews the works of these D. Significance of Study researchers and their findings. This study will inspire educators to amend their academic United World Schools (UWS), a UK registered charity curriculums in a way that they could easily be included or organization, on June 2020, conducted what it called Impact broadcast in radio news format. It will also enable journalists assessment: radio education program (Nepal). The study in the broadcast stations, especially the news writers and focused on the radio education