CHAPTER ONE

1.0              INTRODUCTION.

1.1       BACKGROUND OF STUDY.

            The introduction of broadcast media in Nigeria was dated back to 1930’s starting with the Radio.

            Radio broadcasting in Nigeria started with the colonial policy, which demanded sharing of information between colony and the colonial Lords, in 1932 as British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

            The system used them was wired wireless connected to the rediftusion boxes (loud speakers) in subscribers hones. This system was called, Radio Distribution service (RDS)

            This era led to the establishment of Nigerian Broadcasting service (NBS) in 1951, that Nigerialization of radio program news reflected the environmental pattern/ culture of the people. It was renamed in 1957 as Nigerian Broadcast Corporation (NBC).

            Although the scope of the NBC was designed to cover the regions, radio stations were simulfeneously established by the Eastern and Western regions to   cater for the mass communication needs of their respective region.

            The Eastern region established the tasters Nigerian Broadcasting service (ENBS) IN 1963.

            The radio was set up not only to supplement NBC’s efforts, but also provided a team of spirit of competition and electivity which are to have tremendous impact on the quality/ quantity of their programmers.

            To further ensure effective broadcast performance, the NBC established zonal station to Lagos, to provide impartial broadcast service to the country.

            Television transmission in Nigeria also began in Western Nigeria on October 31st 1959. The service which was initiated by the regional government of the west was not only the first in Nigeria, but the oldest in Africa’s continent as a whole, (Egbon, 1985: 34). The birth of television in Nigeria was accidental having been born out of political motivations. Hitherto, Radio broadcasting in Nigeria was solely provided by the NBC and entirely financed by the government sought to establish its mass media, which it could control and through w2hich it could voice out its opinion independence of the federal Authority.

            The new WNBC was set up to provide television and sound broadcasting services, which includes education, i8nformation and entertainment programmers.

            These tasters Nigeria Television (ENTV) now NTA Enugu was established in 1963 while others came later. The federal government of Nigeria in 1975 took over all the old regional Television stations.