CHAPTER ONE

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Advertising can be traced down to the origin of man.

Therefore it is a phenomenon that has been with the society for

a very long time.

Although advertising is so popular it is difficult to come

up with a single and an all embracing definition. However some

scholars have proffered some definitions which will be

highlighted in this study.

According to academic’s dictionary of mass communication

compiled by Michael Hoffmann (2007 p.9) “Advertising is a paid

medicated form of communication from an identifiable source

designed to persuade the receiver to take some action now or in the

future”.

Throwing more light on this the dictionary of business and

finance captures it as any form of paid public announcement or

presentation which is aimed at the promotion of the sake of

12

goods and services or at gaining acceptance for any idea or

point of view.

No wonder Okunna (2002 P.99) Jonathan E. Aliede says in

their more recent and widely accepted definition states thus that

advertising is the non – personal communication of information

usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products

(goods and services) or ideas by identified sponsors through

various media. From the above running background it is

obvious that advertising from all indication is usually the easiest

means to reach the target consumer directly. Therefore

advertising enables sponsor to reach a substantial segment of

their target audience through various media especially print and

electronic.

But before casting our research searchlight on the

effectiveness of radio advertisement as one of the media on

family planning programme advertisement it is pertinent that

we focus this research search light on the history of family

13

planning programme because a people without a history is like a

people without a past.

On the other hand the historical development of man’s

desire to control his reproduction is as old as humanity. The

WHO (World Health Organization) definition of family planning

states that it is a way of thinking and living that is adopted

voluntarily based on the knowledge attitudes and responsible

decisions by individuals and couples in order to promotes health

and welfare of the family group and thus; contribute effectively

to the social development of the country. Egyptians as early as

1850 BC described various methods of birth control in scrolls.

Aristotle A Greek Philosopher in the 4

th

century B.C stated that

the state’s best interest would be served by keeping the

population stable.

In the early history of African culture the mother and the

infant were separated from the father for prolonged periods of

time following childbirths; consequently this practice ensured a

14

good nutritional period for the infant and abstinence for the

mother. The above underscores the fact that family planning is

as old as history itself.

In 1797 Jeremy Bentham advocated birth control in

England. Giving credence to what Bentham advocated for

Francis place whose dissertation “Illustrations and proofs of the

Principles of Population” published in 1882 made a remarkable

impact which proposed contraception to reproduction.

Subsequent theories by Thomas Malthins an Englishman who

wrote “An Essay of the Principle of population” in 1798 which

stated that poverty was unavoidable because the means of

production could not increase as quickly as the population also

made an impact.

It is under the above influence that Dr. Aletta Jacobs in

1881 began the first systematic work in contraception in Holland.

She and her medical colleagues gave professional assistance to

birth control advocates in other countries. Consequently their

15

effort saw the light of the day when the first birth control clinic

was opened in England by Marie Stopes and society for

constructive Birth Control in 1921. Margaret Sanger in her little

way in 1916 opened the first family planning clinic which was

closed down 9 days later by the authorities who were against

the consequently was imprisoned. As a result of that she went

on hunger strike for 103 hours. This led the U.S women to

demonstrate and make an appeal to the government. These

actions led to her release and allowed to carry on with her

pioneering work in family planning.

It is from the above background that family planning

is defined as; “the control of reckless breeding of children” by

Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN). The

questions that are still begging for answer is has the adequate

awareness of family planning been made? If yes to what extent

and how has this awareness affected the life of the public in

view? Consequently the above question cannot be adequately

16

addressed without looking into how this awareness is done.

This invites us to stand out and cast a look on how Federal Radio

Corporation of Nigeria Enugu as our study carries out this

awareness task and how effective has been this task? Since the

past is always very important in addressing any problem for a

better promising future it is important to trace how the above

named institution came into existence. For this would give us a

better stand to address the issue at hand.

The FRCN was originally founded in 1933 by the British

colonial government named the Radio Diffusion Service (RDS)

it allowed the public to hear the British Broadcasting

Corporation’s foreign radio service broadcasts in certain public

locations over loudspeakers.

In April 1950 the RDS became the Nigerian Broadcasting

Service and introduced ration stations in Lagos Kaduna Enugu

Ibadan and Kano. This service was reorganized into the

Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) on April 1 1957 by

17

act of parliament. Its mission was to provide as a public service

independent and important broadcasting services. By 1962 the

NBC had expanded its broadcast stations into Sokoto

Maiduguri Ilorin Zaria Jos and Katsina in the North; Port

Harcourt Calabar and Onitsha in the East; and Abeokuta Warri

and Ijebu-Ode in the West. Each of these stations was

considered a subsidiary station of a regional station.

The subsidiary stations broadcast local interest programs

during part of the days and then relayed programming from

their regional stations during the rest of the broadcast day.

National programs were broadcast from two short wave

transmitters and one medium wave transmitter located in Sogun

le near Lagos.

In late 1960 the Federal parliament amended the NBC

Ordinance to allow the sale of commercial advertisements. The

first ads ran on October 31 1961 and were broadcast from

Lagos. By 1962 regional and provincial broadcasters began

18

selling ads to local businesses. The goal of allowing radio

advertisements was to help provide additional funding to NBC

stations beyond that received from the government. The Federal

parliament approved the creation of the Voice of Nigeria (VON)

external shortwave service in 1961. Broadcasting began on

January 1 1961 from Lagos. Its initial operations were limited to

two hours a day to West Africa but by 1963 VON had expanded

both its coverage and transmission times with the addition of

five additional transmitters.

In April 1961 with financial assistance from the Ford

Foundation and technical assistance from the British

Broadcasting Corporation NBC began the National School

Broadcasting Service in April 1961. The NBC schools unit

broadcast lessons in various school subjects for primary and

secondary schools as well as special programs for teacher

training colleges. The schools unit was based in Ibadan. The

NBC and the Broadcasting Corporation of Northern Nigeria

19

(BCNN) were merged together in 1978 to become the Federal

Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN). Medium wave

transmitters previously owned by the NBC were transferred to

the individual state governments where the transmitters were

located. At the same time the states transferred short wave

transmitters to the FRCN. In 1996 VON installed three power

transmitters at its Ikorodu transmitter site allowing worldwide

transmissions for the first time.

FRCN’s medium wave service Radio Nigeria has 25

stations located throughout the country and together with voice

of Nigeria considers itself to have the largest radio network in

Africa. In 2007 FRCN began introducing FM transmitters in

some locations and plans to begin upgrading and modernizing

its shortwave and medium wave transmitters in the coming

years. The FRCN is Nigeria’s publicly funded radio

broadcasting organization. Among its subsidiaries are the

20

domestic radio network known as Radio Nigeria and the Voice

of Nigeria International Radio Service.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

For a very long time Nigerians have been indifferent to

family planning. In some cultures people’s dignity prestige

and power were reflected on the number of wives and children

they had. Nigerian government in the past was also

unconcerned about family planning as their basic amenities for

their citizenry.

According to Nwankwo (1999 P.15). The major factor

resulting in rapid population growth is the fact that many

couples who would have wanted to limit the size of their family

were discouraged by religious or cultural constraints. There are

some religious beliefs that discourage any physical or material

interference with the laws of nature or God as children are

believed to be gift from God.

21

Furthermore culturally Nigerians often say that “it is only

God that knows the child that will succeed one”. This saying

was as a result of the precarious nature of the health facilities in

the past. Then infant mortality rate was high so in order not to

lose the few children one has to measles cholera kwashiorkor

and other health hazards prevalent then they resulted to having

many children thereby throwing the social and economic

implication over board. This belief is still in existence till now.

1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research study is prompted by many factors. Some of

these are the continuing interest in and awareness of family

planning by Nigerians and also the establishment of more family

planning units by the government.

The study will also help to determine the extent of

knowledge of family planning among radio audience and

likewise their attitude towards this programme.

22

Also the research should help to ascertain the importance

of electronic media especially the radio as a media of bringing

about people’s awareness of innovations. It will give indications

of which medium is most effective in carrying out the

advertisement messages. The research will also determine the

various social economic and cultural factors which may

influence people’s attitudes towards family planning.

As a result of this study the researcher hopes to enlighten

the Nigerian public more on the benefits one stands to gain from

a well planned family. Such benefits includes: increase in

standard of living of the whole family; safeguarding of the good

health of mother and child and limiting the size of the family to

the one they can conveniently cater for. It will assist the

government to find possible ways of improving on the family

planning policy.

23

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of this study is to:

1. Identify the implications of escalating population on the

entire nation both socially and economically.

2. Formulate population policy to check the situation by the

government.

3. Find out the perception of the various family planning

advertisements on the radio by its audience.

The decision to use the radio is as result of the fact that it is a

strong and effective medium employed to make people be aware

of innovations and the programmes aired and it does not attract

any unit cost to the consumer. Once you posses a portable radio

you can tune into any programme at anytime at extra charge.

What’s more little effort is needed in getting access to the

radio as consumers do not need to walk or drive about looking

for radio programmes. In addition radio is omnipresent or

ubiquitous that is it can be found everywhere meaning it has a

24

wider coverage than the other media as radio can easily be

afforded by an average citizen.

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This research study is set to find answers to the following

research questions.

1. Does the Christian religious doctrines on procreation a

factor on the residents of Enugu Metropolis no to see

reason or understand what family planning is?

2. Does the culture and belief of the Ibos on marriage and

child bearing the cause of their difference on family

planning advertisement?

3. Is inadequate message content on family planning

advertisement the reason from the apathy of family

planning by the residents of Enugu Metropolis?

4. To what extent do advertisements on radio influence the

public in adopting family planning.

25

1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

H

1:

The Christian religious doctrine on procreation is a factor

on the residents of Enugu Metropolis not to see reason or

understand what family planning is.

H

0

: The Christian religious doctrine on procreation is not a

factor on the residents of Enugu Metropolis not to see

reason or understand what family planning is.

H

1

: The culture and belief of the Ibos on marriage and child

bearing is the cause of their indifference on family planning

advertisement.

H

0

: The culture and belief of the Ibos on marriage and child

bearing is not the cause of their indifference on family

planning advertisement.

H

1

: Inadequate message content on family planning

advertisement is the reason for the apathy on family

planning by the residents of Enugu Metropolis.

26

H

0

: Inadequate message content on family planning

advertisement is not the reason for the apathy on family

planning by the residents of Enugu Metropolis.

H

1

: Advertisements on radios influence the public in adopting

family planning.

H

0

: Advertisements on radios do not influence the public in

adopting family planning.

1.7 CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

OF TERMS

- Media: The various means of mass communication

considered a whole including television radio magazines

and newspapers together with the people involved in their

production.

- Mortality: The state of being human and not living

forever.

27

- Audience: The group of people who have gathered to

watch or listen to something e.g a play concert somebody

speaking etc.

- Population: All the people living in a particular country

area or place.

- Ubiquitous/Omnipresent: Seeming to be in all places.

- Agency: A business or an organization that provides a

particular service especially on behalf of other business or

organizations.

- Family Planning: The use of birth control methods to

choose the number and timing of children born into a

family.

- Evaluation: The act of considering or examining

something in order to judge its value quality importance

extent or condition.

28

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

- Media: Advertising channels such as TV Radio

Newspapers and Magazines.

- Mortality: The number of deaths within a particular

society and within a particular period of time.

- Agency: Establishments that serve advertisers through the

production and placement of advertisements in the media.

- Audience: Radio listeners

- Population: The totality of items or persons from whom

data necessary to study are collected.

- Ubiquitous/Omnipresent: Something that is very where.

- Family Planning: The use of contraception to control how

many children you have and when you have them.

1.8 ASSUMPTIONS:

Assumption of the study includes the following:

1. It assumed that the radio audience will now look up to

family planning advertisement programmes to show then a

better way of planning their families.

29

2. Secondly the study will enable the people to know the

importance of radio advertisement.

1.9 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

In the course of conducting this research some hindrances

were encountered. The first problem was finance. Since radio

audience are scattered across the country the researcher had to

go from place to place in order to get different views and

opinions. The traveling was capital intensive.

Some of the audience were conservatives and did want to

talk about family planning saying that children are not mean to

be countered. Also some were too busy to grant the researcher

audience and fill out the questionnaires.

But despite these problems the researcher still managed to

gathers the required data and analyzed them accordingly

without altering the authenticity of the information and quality

of the research work.

30