ABSTRACT

        Rural development of any kind in any place can only be meaningfully achieved through a well – planned and executed complex interaction of many economic and non economic variables.

        In the course of this study, the press here has faced with the obligation of bettering the lives of the rural communities through the packaging of information on how to do something which their in exposure hinders them from acquiring basic knowledge.

        The major aim of this study is to highlight and examine problem and issue that need to be understood and tackled to achieve rural development or implore the quality of life for the rural dwellers, using the press.

        It would also help to maintain the much needed regular two way communication between the poor or marginalized rural dwellers and the urban cities especially the government or those hold political power.                                                            

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

        this study, the role of broadcasting in the rural development is however concerned with an attempt to examine how; rural development programmes can be effectively organized and implemented at the local government or grass root levels in any communities in Enugu State and Nigeria generally using Enugu state media as a case study.

        However, an in-depth research reveals that within Enugu state media there is an intensive use of amplitude modulation and frequency modulation station of Enugu state broadcasting service to create awareness ——— numerable opportunities available to them. They still flourish in the previous delusion and dogmatic belief that cannot contemporaries in the urban setting.

        The press here are faced with the obligation of battering the lives of rural communities through the packaging of information on how to do something which their in exposure hinders them from acquiring basic knowledge. Educating them through programmes, which can sharpen their intellect, providing job opportunities forever increasing population explosion in the rural set up and re orientation of our rural dwellers through sensitization enlightenment, mobilization, emancipation and motivation.

        Rural development of any kind in any place can only be meaningfully achieved through a well – planned and executed complex interaction of many economic and non economic variables. The major role of press (Enugu state media) is usually to highlight and examine problem and issue that need to be understood and tackled to achieve rural development or improve the quality of life for the rural dwellers. The Enugu state media should also help to maintain the much needed regular two way communications between the poor or marginalized rural dwellers and the urban cities especially the government or those who hold political power.

        It is no longer contestable that when media is properly approved, communication can work together with a nexus of other social variables to facilitate social charge that include rural development experts or practitioners in Africa, Asia, Latin America and other developing areas have long been engaged in the search for method approaches, device, techniques and of course strategies which help them to put communication to the fullest and most effectively use in achieving their various development objectives.

        The crucial area that engaged the attention of these experts in the area of preparing the necessary and tantamount information, education and communication materials that can be usually utilized for the effective application of communication in rural development.

        Enugu state media’s news, features and so on have so long be recognized as efficacious packages for rural development especially when they are well prepared and the press writers should know how to prepare them. The press should focus more specially on how we can better develop and use rural (RADIO) for development and for the mobilization of the much neglected and discard rural dwellers in the primitive and interior part of Enugu state.

        We are convince that it will be quite unreasonable for us to expect to achieve any meaningful, realistic and actualized rural development in this Mgbidi communities without careful and systematic mobilization and participation of the rural dwellers, which of course can be achieved through the press using the Enugu state media as a case of study.

1.2    PROBLEM STATEMENT

        In stating the problem statement of this role of press in mgbidi, using Enugu state media as a case of study, we observe very unfortunately that many problems exist.

        However, in a case of many change agents, rural development officers, public relations officers, information officers and other officers that are involved in preparing news, or officials and features for mgbidi dwellers are participant in rural development project, do not do them well enough to achieve the required and desired result.

        Besides, the problem is ignorance, but most of the time the problem is either lack of insufficient orientation or sensitization of those officers to the special philosophies, needs, techniques and approaches for preparing news, articles and features towards achieving rural development objectives.

        Furthermore, the other problems of the role of press is achieving its aim in rural development mgbidi is because of the high illiterates factors among the rural dwellers and the problems of overcoming geographical and language barriers.

        Again, the rural dwellers major weakness to develop arises from two – readership due to the low literacy rate of the rural targeted audience of course, the rural dwellers inability to read and understand the rural newspapers has cautioned not to allowed them develop spite of the role of press in Enugu state.

1.3    OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objective of this research is to find out the means through which press can develop the rural dwellers in the communities in Enugu state, using Mgbidi media as a case study.

        Therefore, press should indulge in its traditional communication style through which it must, for instance be preceded by an extensive research effort that will, among many other things, identifying the information of the rural dwellers, their social – cultural economic characteristics, literacy level, historical religion biases and readership patterns.

        More so, the press of the rural dwellers must also be preceded by the formulation of a clan cut, additional policy that is dominantly guided by a sound ruralist philosophy with a broad look.

        Meanwhile, for the press to achieve its objective of the developing the rural communities, it is good that it adopt what is called ruralism concentric circle philosophy (RCCP).

        This is a journalistic model that stresses, among other things the problem of a rural community ideas, balanced and development cultural integrity, self reliance conscrenfigetion, unity and generally improved quality of life for the rural dwellers in Enugu state.

        Additionally, in objective of this study is evaluated for how far the press, Enugu state media have gone to maintaining lesson communication between the rural communities and the state govt.

1.4    SIGNIFICATION OF THE STUDY

The significant of this research is to provide a reliable panacea through which the press, Enugu state media should ensure in alleviating about 80% rural dwellers that have been seriously neglected in the government affairs.

The project will also be very important to the researcher’s academics and also to Enugu state Broadcasting service and rural dwellers.

It will be helpful guiding the press in retting connecting such issues as health, agriculture, education, culture, family planning, government, transportation and religion.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. Do the Mgbidi people gone to ESBS Radio?
2. Do the ESBS radio relay broadcast programme as it touches Mgbidi people?
3. Do the ESBS radio rural development programmes mobilize the Mgbidi people?
4. Did Mgbidi community developed based on the roles of the ESBS radio rural programmes?
5. Do Mgbidi community developed based on the roles of the ESBS radio rural programmes?

1.6    RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H1:  Mgbidi people tune to ESBS radio?

H2:  ESBS radio relay rural broadcast programme that affect Mgbidi community.

H3:  ESBS radio development programmes mobilized Mgbidi people for development.

H4:  Mgbidi community had witnessed development due to the ESBS radio rural programme conceptual and operational plead.

1.7    DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. PRESS;      it includes the print and electric media tools such as the radio, newspapers, television, magazine and periodical usually done by the journalist.
2. DEVELOPMENT;  it means developing or being developed. The process of encouraging new mentions and industries to create jobs and jobs for the people.
3. CASE; it means the instance or example of occurrence of something. The actual state of occurrence of situation.
4. STUDY;      process of gaining knowledge of a subject a subject that needs investigation.
5. MEDIA;      the means of communication such as television, newspaper, magazine and radio.

1.8    LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This research certainly has some limitation or handicaps due its nature. It is not likely that I can cover the scope of the study because of time factor; I limit my work to Enugu state media which is star printing and publishing company and Enugu state Broadcasting service (ESBS) and also among the dwellers at Anike village and Ezinaise town and Enugu state. There are encounters in this cause of carrying out the work.