ABSTRACT
This study appraised
the impact of deregulation and privatization of broadcasting media on the
people of Osun state following the deregulation of broadcast
sector in 1992 by the Babangida regime. Hitherto, broadcasting was an exclusive
central government preserve so that the entry of private players in the
industry necessitates an appraisal with a view towards ascertaining the
benefits that had accrued since the liberalization of the sector. In this sense
an assessment of the performance of private broadcast stations was done, taking
into cognizance their viability with regards to their advert base to determine
if the private stations have been able to wrest control of the industry from
public stations. The result reveals a very competitive industry environment
with indicators suggesting that the private stations are giving the public
stations a run for their money in terms of acceptability through quality
programming leading to increased patronage and attraction of adverts. Private
media provides platform for not only objective and timely political
developments within the polity but also reveals a clear departure from the
hitherto placid nature of news and political coverage during the era of sole
government domination of the industry. Survey research method was adopted and
questionnaires were administered to the selected respondents residing in Osun
State.
