AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF COMMERCIAL TELECAST DURING NTA NETWORK NEWS PROGRAMME

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Without any shred of doubt, I will say that is very important and wise to set a good example and produce good things than set or produce bad one.

Thus it is very vital t note that one important function in business to thrive and succeed is getting and keeping customers.  This extends in making the business to be aware that it should not base itself merely as a producer of goods and service, but also as a buyer of customers and as a dear of those key ad important things which makes people want to involve interact and deal with it.  In this kind of free enterprise economy such as Nigeria where business and commerce are run or conducted with less involvement or minimum of government involvement, inference or intervention anybody who have the means or resources, be it small scale business or a big capitalist can set up business.  This is as a result of many product and services organization of various kinds.

In other words I will say that market is customers and the process of winning and retaining them is quite noted to pass through stiff measure in order to retain and keep their customers form competitors.  You will agree with me that without customer’s patronage, a business will likely collapse.  For patronage to be maintained and ensured advertising is massively and extensively used or put in place by advertisers or business organizations.  At this we must look at the key work advertising, which plays a key and vital role in television commercial.  For the fact that advertising play a key role in making people be aware of things (products), this directs us towards the view of Boye E/Aress of et al 1929 “which says advertising is the non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about product and services.  In broadcasting, advertisement can really play a great role inherent in programme transmission.  This also goes to let us know that advertisement has come a long way, that its origin can be traced to the struggle of men to have means of livelihood.

In order to endure and survive, revenue from advertisement which comes from the sale of time and programmes has become the broadcast industry in Nigeria.

Advertising is defined by the American Marketing Association (AMA, 1976:63)) as a controlled, identifiable information and persuasion by means of mass communication media.  One of the effective and efficient mass media is television.  Television carries advertising messages or commercials.  Most of the television commercials are testimonials whereby a celebrity of expert is used to tell story, the analogy and predicament.

The television transmits news and it also carried commercials.  The network news programme at 9.00 p.m. daily has always been a strictly news programme, but until recently when the nation witnessed an innovation, the NTA stateion started inserting commercials in the network news programmes at 9.00 p.m.

It is for this cause that advertisers who buy television generally scale to have their commercial messages appear in programme that reach the largest audience at a particular time through a channel.

And it is only by the purchase of a network time would and advertiser hope to reach a very large audience who are exposed to an advertiser’s message.

Advertisers therefore are interested in knowing the demographic information (such as age, sex, and education) and psychological information as attitude, beliefs and opinion of the audience in order to improve the effectiveness of an advertisement message.

The media to this effect sponsor research to find out from time to time who is attending to the message of their client.  The advertisers and media buyers on their side made absolute use of time to bring their varied products and services to the awareness of television – with the aim of reading the greatest number of their targeted audience.

Network television advertising, for example can reach all the parts of the country, hence NTA stations are situated in almost every state of the federation.

Therefore, advertisers exploit this medium to their different customers and prospective customers’ names and products and services to the constant awareness of the people.

Network television advertising, for example can reach all the parts of the country, thus for the fact that NTA stations are virtually in almost all part of the country.  It has really helped in bringing to the knowledge of the people or the customers latest information and awareness of products and services to the people or audience.

In other words the audience perception of commercial telecast during NTA news programmes is the researchers point of study.

1.2   STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

This research study is focused on television commercials.  The increasing abundance of advertising messages telecast during Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Network News programme is a thing of much concern to the researcher.

This study therefore, maintains that undue advantage is being taken of the network news as an endless way of commercials beamed with the network news.

1.3   OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The ultimate objective of this study is to examine the perception of audience of NTA New programmes who equally are exposed to watching commercials during the News telecast, this study will show areas where there is need for improvement, it will equally help to indicate the ways through which improvement could be accomplished.

Moreso, this study will not be complete without considering the effect and perception of news audience towards the placement and positioning of the commercial during this time segments.

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Without any shred of doubt, it’s very important in any work you are carrying out to make sure that you carry out a proper research on the work you are carrying out.  This research will go a long way in helping you to discover ways and lasting solution to a problem.

In other words, having in mind that this work or study will tend to discover the underlying factors of commercials.  This study will also enhance and broaden and as well play a vital sole and also help the programme planners and advertiser’s product and services in their placement and positioning of their commercials during NTA’s network news programme.  This study will enable the enlighten the massive set of audience or people in terms of making them be aware of what importance commercials.  Thus it is very vital to know the significance of any work or project one is carrying out because it will go a long way in helping so the success of that work. 

1.5     RESEARCH QUESTION

This study aimed at providing answers to the following probing questions:

(1)               Does commercial telecast during NTA network news programme make news uninteresting?

(2)               Can commercial telecast during NTA network news programme possibly influence audience ability to recall items advertised?

(3)               Do audience receive the commercial telecast during NTA Network News programme favourably or unfavourably.

(4)               What do audience suggest NTA Network News planners should do to address the problem?

1.6     RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

H1:   Commercial telecast during NTA Network News programme make news contents interesting.

H0:   Telecast on commercials during NTA network news programme does not make news contents interesting

H2:   Commercial telecast influences audience ability go recall to mind advert messages.

H0:   Commercial telecast has no effect on the ability of the audience to recall advertisement messages.

H3:   Audience perceive the commercial telecast during NTA network news programme to be favourable.

H0:   Audience perceive the commercial telecast during NTA network news programme to be unfavourable.

H4:   Audience suggest that NTA advertisements should be curtailed a little bit.

H0:   The viewing audience of NTA has no suggestion of any sort.

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERMS

Audience:         This refers to those members of the audience viewing a particular programme on television.

Perception:       This is a mental and neutral state of readiness organized through experience exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual’s response to all subjects and situation with which it is related.

Commercials:    Commercial, contain two elements such as the audio parts made up of spoken words, music and other sounds and the video parts of the visual representation like pictures.

It usually lasts 60, 50, 14 and 5, seconds, as the case may be, and are inserted at intervals within, before or after programmes in order to promote goods and services and ideas of identified advertisers who had paid for a fixed time.

Network:          This is defined in the communication act as the simultaneous broadcasting of an identical by two or more connected situations.

Telecast:          It means to broadcast by television.

Target Audience:      It refers to expected users, or consumers of an advertised products.

Programme Sponsor: This pertains to a situation whereby an advertiser decides to buy or pays for a specific air time within which a given programme is telecast.

NTA:                 Nigerian Television Authority.  It is an electronic broadcast media owned by the federal government, charged with the responsibility of television broadcast.

News:               This is the news information of what has most recently happened, that is disseminated to people through the NTA network news audience.

Exposure:         This is the means score of the respondents that have access to NTA network news bulletin.

Irritation:         This is the mean score of respondents that are repelled by insertion of commercials in the NTA network news.

Onitsha Metropolis:  This refers to areas within the Onitsha Township, which comprises the communities in the town.

1.7.1 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

Audience: In this case, this particular one is very important.  Because it deals with the masses.  This refers to the members of the public that views a particular programme on television.  The audience play a vital role in assessing programme.

Perception:       This can be said to be mental and neutral state of readiness and judgment organized through experience exertion a directive of dynamic influence upon individual’s response to all subjects and situation with which it is related to network programme.

News programme:     This is a means of bringing news to the audience.  This pertains to a means of situation whereby an advertiser decides to buy or pay for a specific air time within which a given programme is telecast.

1.8     ASSUMPTIONS

The assumption of this study is to examine the audience perception of commercial telecast of NTA network news programme.

This study will show area where there is need for improvement, it will equally help to indicate the ways through which improvements could be accomplished.

Moreso, this study will not be complete without considering the effect and perception of news audience towards the placement and positioning of the commercial during this time segments.

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