The Role of the Broadcast in Amultilingual Community: a Study of Edo Broadcasting Service Radio and Television Indigenous Programmes

ROLE OF THE BROADCAST MEDIA IN A MULTILINGUAL COMMUNITY:
A STUDY OF EDO BROADCASTING SERVICE TELEVISION AND RADIO INDIGENOUS PROGRAMMES

BY

ORIFAH SAMSON OBADUN

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR LAC 724
(APPLIED COMMUNICATION SEMINAR)

CO-ORDINATORS: Dr. B.A. LANINHUN Dr. N.M. CHRISTOPHER Dr. O.O. OYEWO

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

JUNE 19, 2012 ABSTRACT The use of indigenous languages by the media generally cannot be over-emphasized in an era tagged information and communication age. The roles of the broadcast media, to a large extent, depend on the socio-cultural context. Those of monolingual community might in practice differ from those of a multilingual context. The roles of the broadcast media in such an environment coupled with the low literacy level and the drive towards communication for all-round development far outweighs those of the print media. This work aims at looking at the roles of the broadcast media-radio and television- in a multilingual, and by implication, a multicultural, context by investigating the languages of Edo state and those indigenous programmes designating such languages, the issues covered by such programmes and time allotted them plus the factors impeding the broadcast of such indigenous programmes. This was done through survey, interview, observation and analysis submitting that more efforts need be intensified in the use of indigenous languages and cultures by the broadcast media in a multilingual community in our quest for socio-cultural, scientific, economic, political and information and communication development drive.
Key Words: Role, Broadcast media, indigenous programmes and multilingualism

INTRODUCTION Studies have really shown that Canada in 1979 through its OMNI 1 & 2 radio/TV programmes

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