Contribution of Radio Musical Broadcasting to National Development in Nigeria: A Media Practitioners and Audience-Based Survey in Delta State, Nigeria

Music is an essential feature of most broadcasting programmes, and research indicates that the appropriate use of music by broadcasting organisations could actuate significant national renaissance and promote development efforts. This study examines the contributions of radio musical broadcasting to national development efforts as perceived by two distinct cohorts comprising media practitioners and media audiences. Anchored on the Uses and Gratification Theory, the study utilises the survey research method and multisampling technique to recruit 500 study participants in two major cities in Delta State. The outcome of the study shows that there is a high level of exposure to radio musical broadcasting on national development-related issues among the two cohorts, and such broadcasting content is widely perceived to contribute to national development efforts in Nigeria by serving as a platform for nationalists to preach the principles of justice, equality, unity, national integration, freedom, democracy, and genuine social change in Nigeria. However, the study also found a significant discrepancy in the rating of the benefits arising from music broadcast between the two cohorts with the media practitioners group tending to overrate the influence of music broadcasting on national development. The study recommends that radio broadcasting stations should regularly conduct audience surveys to understand the actual influence of their content on the audience to ensure better programming.