ABSTRACT
In
the 52 years since the introduction of Television in Nigeria, concern over the
influence and role of television on the people’s culture has taken a national
dimension. In spite of the great advantages of television, concerns have been
on its role in re-shaping the people’s culture. This research “Promoting Igbo
Cultural Heritage: An Audience Evaluation of ABS Television Channels 24 &
27 programming in Anambra State”, is meant to investigate the contributions of
ABS in promoting Igbo culture through its programmes from the standpoint ofits
audience. This study investigated the programming of ABS Television Channels 24
& 27 in promoting Igbo Cultural Heritage. The heoretical perspective of the
study was anchored on the Cultural Norm Theory. This study was designed as a
survey and the multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a total of 350
respondents drawn from the four major towns in Anambra State namely Awka,
Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia. The chi-square (Goodness of Fit) test was used to
test the three hypotheses formulated for the study. The findings show that the
people are exposed to ABS Television programming and that ABS Television
Channels 24 & 27 have programmes geared towards the promotion of Igbo
culture. It was also found that ABS Television Channels 24 & 27 do not give
enough time to Igbo programmes. Based on these findings, the study concluded
that ABS Television promotes Igbo Culture through its channels 24 & 27
located at Awka and Onitsha respectively. The study recommended the introduction
of more Igbo programmes and allocation of more time to Igbo programming. It
also recommended that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) assist in
re-directing our stations to this task of promoting the people’s culture.
