Among all channels of mass communication globally, radio has a unique characteristic compared to other media outfit. This is due to its flexibility, affordability, availability, and its ability to reach and disseminate information across large population of both literate and illiterate living in a given community even beyond. 
What the above portends is that the nature of radio broadcast has allowed it to create nexus with the social system among the people in the society its operate from.
Findings showed that the cost-effectiveness and seamlessness of setting up a radio station had activated its proliferation across States. In Ogun State alone, the at which radio stations sprouted in the last five years was alarming and unprecedented. As a matter of fact, over seventeen (17) radio stations: one each for State and Federal government; 11 radio stations were launched by private initiative for commercial enterprise and 4 were established within universities as campus radio stations.
It is surprising that ten out of the seventeen of these stations were set up within Abeokuta, the State Capital and six of them were birthed within the last five years. The puzzle therefore is why and suddenly how Abeokuta became the destination of choice for private radio enterprise.
A media expert disclosed that, proliferation of mass media in any society is a hallmark of civilization and increase in commercial activities through the provision of infrastructural amenities that will continue to improve the wellbeing of the people, just as what is being experienced in Abeokuta metropolis.
However, the ripple effects of media presence, messages and operation should be of greater concern to development agents than talking about why and how radio outfit is proliferating particular area. And indeed, such identified impact should be the central theme motivating the current assessment especially as we celebrate the World Radio Day.
It is time we reassess the radio phenomenon at ensuring that its output is coterminous with our social development agenda. Beaming a search light on retrospect performance of radio broadcast over the years in our nation, showed that radio broadcast being a dependable tool for social and cultural re-engineering reflecting on the past , can radio broadcast professionals says that they have played their part well in building a united and peaceful nation? And taking a wide look around, we can also question the impacts of radio messages and programming on the people who trust and listen to it for education and information. Has radio programming been more retrogressive, especially in this era when our society is heavily populated with the teeming digitally-oriented youth?
How is radio broadcast impacting the youths?
As expected, and with all sincerity, there are numerous records of areas where radio has influenced the audience in relation with awareness creation, orientation, attitudinal change, education, mobilization, persuasion, surveillance and warning. From the far-right academics radio has been standing programme to the candid and pragmatic professionals tutorial, sincerely there are enough eulogies for radio performance in promoting social stability.
And true to this, radio stands out as an effective mass medium of education, acting as a classroom in the public sphere, and dosing out educational programmes and expanding the knowledge frontiers of the audience especially the youths. This means that young audience usually learn a lot from radio educational programmes on methods and technic of achieving their life pursuit particularly in academic environment.
In religion, to a large extent, radio programmes have appealed to the conscience of the young audience through spiritual messages that will boost their psychology, social values, ethics and scriptural lives.
Culturally, radio is a “cultural instrument that shapes the cultural experience of many people in the modern world. Radio through indigenous broadcast has preserved our cultural values and contributed in no small measure to national development, while in politics, radio programmes have always echo the principles behind political theories where citizens voluntarily participate public issues, share information as well as form their opinions about public affairs, politics.
No doubt, the voices of the people are easily heard in 21st century through numerous radio phone-in programmes contributing their quotas to the national interest.
In terms of public health, radio broadcast has a measurable impact. It has been instrumental to enlightening people about birth control in local languages, creating community awareness on security, values and sense of belonging. It has given a very sensational coverage against child abuse and domestic violence, encouraging deep concern for victims, and making the public sensitive to the actual risk.
In its surveillance function, radio broadcast has helped minimize flood damages. In the context of flood management, radio occupy an intermediate position between decision-makers and the population, a position that confers upon it the essential but delicate responsibility of bridging and linking the leaders and the led.
Though, radio has truly been a major communication tool for improving the quality of people’s lives, bringing to their doorstep news, entertainment, and education through its programmes, but there is an urgent need to call for rededication towards the national project.
This is in view of the on-going hyper dramatization the broadcast industry where radio stations are fixing every social issue in the frame of entertainment, so as to attract a wider listenership and create pleasure. Though it is important to entertain the audience while educating them at the same time is key, but when it goes out of hand and what is left is ridiculing the essence of what mass media stands for, then there is need for rededication.
The idea of focusing on 85 percent radio programme of entertainment needs of the audience, is a seamless avenue of deviating from the main goal of using radio programme to educate and mobilize people for social development: and if caution is not applied, the movement may be from the profound to the profane. One of the new trend common on radio today is unusual adlibbing being hurled during news review especially in local language such as street talks and normalization of slangs in news review. This reflects poorly on our image as public educator and cultural repository.
Some social experts are posing whether radio broadcast is behind the idea of setting the agenda for trivial talks and slangs, or is it helping to spread what was only found and heard among a small category of people in a society?
As a kind of fallout from the immoderate subscription to entertainment content was also westernization or what some people called “deculturalization”. This happens through uncontrolled appetite for foreign music and local hip hops. It is time to remind broadcast professionals and producers the need to reintroduce indigenous music with complete local lyrics, not necessarily to appeal to adult listeners but to remold the minds of the young ones in native intelligence and promote the long-held morals of integrity, diligence and love of our forebears. This will help repositioning the social system and impact positively on the cultural consciousness of our young ones rather than continuous consumption of western mode entertainment, that has done us no good.
As we celebrate The World Radio Day, it is also time we reflect on the great vision and ideology of people like Late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo who established radio and TV broadcasting to advance human knowledge and skills. First of its kind in Africa, among others great broadcast gurus who had for long sustain the ethic of the profession,we should not allow the financial gain and job pressure to jeopardize our noble cause, neither should it killour spirit of social responsibility.
Oduntan, Is of Ministry of Information & Strategy, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
08067341021
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