Young Audience's Satisfaction of Selected FM Radio Stations: FM Addis 97.1 , Fana FM 98.1 and Sheger FM 102.1 in Focus
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Date
2010-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The major concern of this study was to discover the young audiences' satisfactions of
three FM radios in Addis Ababa. So, the research dealt with issues including young
listeners' station and program preferences, motives and nstening habits. An attempt was
made to review and bring in assorted resources that have strong relations with the
central themes of th e study. Uses and gratifications theory was taken as a hub for the
study. In order to address the research questions like whether the programs are
matching the needs and expectations of the young listeners as well as if the programs
on these media impact the needs of the young listeners, focus group
discussions(FGOs) and in-depth interviews(IOls) were employed. Three FGOs with
active young FM listeners as wel l as lOis with ten radio audiences were conducted to
gather data that depict the expectations, feel ings and needs of young audiences in
Addis Ababa . Based on the active listening ro utines of the young, purposive and
snowball sampling were employed. The samples included taxi drivers, member stud ents
of mini-media in Kokebe Tsibah School, undergraduate students of FJC at AAU and
active FM listeners in Kazanchis area. Observation of young audience also helped to
check and balance informants' real acts and word s. lOis were conducted with three
media informants from FM 97.1, FM 98.1 and FM 102. 1. Thus, the study attested a
range of issues that enabled the researcher to examine uses and gratifications theory
from the young audiences' perspective. The study showed the young listen to FM radios
for enterta inment, education and information as uses and gratifications theory also
stresses that audience use media sources to gain pleasure through fulfilling their needs.
The theory conceives audience as active, even if activity level varies from individual to
ind ividual. One of the major findings of the research is that each station has its own
distinctive quality that makes it inimitable. As an instance, FM 97.1 is the best for the
young for its reproductive health and HIV/AIOS coverage. FM 98.1 is the finest for its
entertainment chiefly Ethiopica Link and serial dramas as Sheger FM is favored for its
b music selection and news presentation. The study also found out that to some degree
peer pressure is one of the factors that encourage the young to listen to programs on
FM rad ios. Listeners also commented FM radios to resolve the troubles that arise from
cla shing similar gist programs that are aired at once. Most respondents reflected that
they got satisfaction from listening to FM radios saying if there were no FM radios,
narrow entertainment options would make life tastes hard for them.
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Keywords
FM Radio Stations FM Addis