APPRAISAL OF RHYTHM 93.7FM AND THE POLITICAL EDUCATION OF PORT HARCOURT RESIDENTS

Abstract

The study was aimed at investigating the role of Rhythm 93.7fm’s political education of residents of Port Harcourt metropolis with a view to finding out its effect on the political consciousness of the people. The objectives of the study among other things were to examine how Rhythm 93.7fm designed political education programs in Port Harcourt, ascertain the extent to which such programmes have affected the political participation among residents and examine prevailing challenges affecting the radio in carrying out political education. The study utilized the agenda setting theory and adopted quota sampling methods where Port Harcourt metropolis was grouped into five zones according to their listening rate. The findings were that Rhythm 93.7FM designed news features and discussion programmes in order to educate the people politically, but such programmes had minimal effect on the political participation of the people. The study further found that the challenges facing the radio were competing programmes from other stations, time of airing the programmes and commercialization of political news. And the study therefore, recommended that the management of Rhythm 93.7Fm should seek out the right timing for political education programmes, repackage the programmes for maximum impact and that radio stations should collaborate in educating the people instead of dividing the audience.