TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page - - - - - - - - -i
Certification - - - - - - - - -ii
Dedication - - - - - - - - -iii
Acknowledgments - - - - - - - -iv
Abstract - - - - - - - - -
Table of contents - - - - - - - -
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study - - - - - -
1.2 Statement of Problem - - - - - - -
1.3 Objective of the Study - - - - - -
1.4 Research Questions - - - - - - -
1.4 Significant of Study - - - - - - -
1.6 Scope of the Study - - - - - - -
1.7 Definition of Terms - - - - - - -
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1 Conceptual Review
2.1.1 Concept of Television
2.1.2 Concept of Global Warming
2.1.3 Level of awareness created in Channels Television’s Earth File for public consumption.
2.1.4 Audience perception on the effectiveness of Television programmes on global warming.
2.1.5 Audience perception towards implementation of global warning programme contents Television
2.2 Theoretical Framework
2.2.1 The Agenda Setting
2.2.2 The Social Responsibility
2.3 Empirical Reviews
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design - - - - - - - - -
3.2 Population of the Study- - - - - - - -
3.3 Sample Size- - - - - - - - - -
3.4 Sampling Technique- - - - - - - - -
3.5 Instrument of Data Collection- - - - - - -
3.5.1. Reliability of Instrument - - -- - - - - -
3.6 Procedure for Data Collection -- - - - - -
3.7 Technique of Data Analysis - - - - - - -
3.8 Limitation of the Study- - - - - - - -
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
4.1 Data Presentation - - - - - - - -
4.2 Data Analysis - - - - - - -
4.3 Discussion of Findings - - - - - -
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary - - - - - - - -
5.2 Conclusion - - - - - - - -
5.3 Recommendations - - - - - - -
REFERENCES - - - - - - - -
APPENDIX (Questionnaire) - - - - - -
Abstract
The study assessed audience perception on television programmes focused on “global warming” a study of earth file on channels. The study was aimed to determine the level of awareness created in Channels Television’s Earth File for public consumption, identify the audience perception on the effectiveness of Channels television’s Earth File for global warming and examine the audience perception towards implementation of global warning programme contents of Channels television’s Earth File.The study was anchored on the agenda setting theory and social responsibility theory of mass communication. The study adopted the quantitive research methods where the opinion of 120 respondents were sampled and the sampled opinion were descriptively analysed using mean statistics. Based on the result of the findings, the study concuded that there is significant level of awareness created by the Channel television programme on earth and environment among the public and Channels TV often create awareness on weather patterns and ecosystems, there is significant level of audience perception towards the effectiveness of the television programme on earth and environment as viewers feel that Channels TV has effectively raised awareness about global warming and viewers to take actions against global warming., viewers perceived that they are compelled to take action against global warming and they perceived that the station has contributed to a change in daily habit on climate change. The study recommended that Based on the conclusion of the study, the research therefore provides the followings are recommendations to guide stakeholders identified in the study’s significance, television stations in Nigeria should utilise high-quality, immersive visual and graphics to effectively illustrates the impact of global warming, television stations should incorporate divers perspective such interview stories and feature stories from a wide range of people affected by global warming including scientists, local communities and policy makers.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Television is a kind of mass communication where sound and motion pictures are sent from a source to a receiver, usually a TV set. It provides a venue for disseminating a range of content to a large audience, such as news, entertainment, instruction, and advertising. Television operate by combining radio waves and electronic signals to create visual and aural messages that viewers can see and hear, (Hashizume, 2013). Modern civilization has been significantly impacted by television media, which has grown from a cutting-edge technological marvel to a ubiquitous and powerful mediu, (Eke, Adeyemi & Mbazie, 2024). This media's special capacity to blend audio and visual cues results in an immersive experience that draws viewers in and successfully delivers messages. Ogwezi & Umukoro (2020) asserted that television has a significant influence on education, news distribution, and cross-cultural exchange in addition to being a source of enjoyment. As technology continues to advance, the landscape of television media is constantly evolving, adapting to new viewing habits and integrating with other digital platforms, ensuring its relevance in the digital age, (Ajaero, et al 2016).
Environmental issue of global warming has grown into a concern that threatens the entire world. People, groups, countries, and areas are all experiencing the consequences of global warming. Global warming costs people, homes, and economies in significant ways (Ogwezi, Umukoro & Emetenjor, 2022). Global warming has created and will continue to create national, regional, and worldwide discourse for decades due to its significance and severity. In addition to occupying a central place in social, political, and economic forums, it has also prompted a great deal of summits, conferences, conventions, and declarations, with people, groups, and countries contributing to the conversation. According to Sayne (2017), if climate issues are not resolved, they may cause stressed resources.
The term "public perception" describes how a society or a group of individuals feel about a certain problem, person, entity, or occurrence as a whole. It is influenced by a number of things, such as how it is portrayed in the media, societal values, individual experiences, and interpersonal relationships. Social norms, values, and trends have the power to shape public opinion, which in turn shapes public discourse and behaviour, (Ajaero et al., 2016). Television is still a major mass communication tool that shapes culture, public opinion, and everyday life. In particular, broadcast media play a crucial role as major players in climate change mitigation. Yadav and Rani (2019) emphasized that the media can highlight the root causes of environmental issues in addition to their detrimental effects on humankind as part of their campaign against climate change. The general public can be educated about global warming through the mass media as well. They can also report on issues like acid rain, greenhouse gas effects, ozone layer thinning, global warming, and the green peace movement. The mainstream media can continue to highlight the need for people to use natural resources with moderation.
Additionally, television can play a crucial role in reporting climate-related disasters. As well as provide factual and unbiased reports before, during, and after a disaster, all with the goal of easing tensions and lessening the negative effects of such events. Woldemichael (2020) notes that the media is a powerful force that can convey to people what is happening on a daily basis throughout the world. They also have an impact on public opinion regarding environmental protection and climate change. Additionally, Ogwezi and Umukoro (2020) assert that local and international efforts to mitigate climate change are significantly influenced by the way the media portrays global warming in Nigeria and abroad.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
It is yet unknown whether the media has an impact on behavior connected to climate change. According to studies, media consumption has an impact on people's information-seeking behavior; individuals who use media and gain knowledge from it are more likely to look up more information about climate change later on (Zhao, 2019). However, only a few minor media impacts have been discovered in relation to climate-related behavior and action, and they almost always relate to behavioral intentions rather than actual behavior (Schmidt et al., 2014, Schäfer et al., 2014, Arlt et al., 2019).
Compared to the analyses of media representations of climate change themselves – which are often justified with their alleged effects on people’s issue awareness, knowledge, or behavior perception have received less scholarly attention (Taddicken, 2013). In addition, the results of the few existing studies paint an unclear, incoherent, and sometimes contradictory picture of public perception towards specific television programme like the Channel “Earth File. The absence of existing studies in this regards prompted this study.
Even while the media has been covering climate change issues, the media (television) has not done enough to hold politicians accountable, push for more nuanced talks, or give the issues adequate attention or better reporting (Woldemichael, 2020). Ogwezi and Umukoro (2020) contended that although the media has raised environmental awareness in newsrooms, environmental problems related to climate change have not gotten the necessary or desired attention.
Hence, the essence of this study is to critically close knowledge gap with focus to specific objectives.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objectives of the study is to assess audience perception on television programmes focused on global warming in Nigeria. To achieve this objectives, there are three specific objectives formulated below to guide the study.
- To determine the level of awareness created in Channels Television’s Earth File for public consumption.
- To identify the audience perception on the effectiveness of Channels television’s Earth File for global warming.
- To examine the audience perception towards implementation of global warning programme contents of Channels television’s Earth File.
1.4 Research Questions
This study will attempt to provide answers to the following research questions.
- What is the level of awareness created in Channels Television’s Earth File for public consumption?
- What is the audience perception on the effectiveness of Channels television’s Earth File for global warming implementation?
- What is audience perception towards implementation of global warning programme contents of Channels television’s Earth File?
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study is relevant in today’s environmental issues and addressing this issue of global warming, this study will benefits the general public and the media practitioners. And contribute to academic knowledge. First, the public will gain significant knowledge on how the media can set agenda on climate change in order to change behavioural actions and perception towards becoming more responsibility on sustainable development goal and environmental health and safety. Secondly, the study outcome will help the media to understand the attitude of the people built from their perception from the media programmes relating to global warming. This will help producers of television station create insightful programmes on global warming to increase implementation in line with Sustainable Development Goal. (SDGs). Finally, the study will add to existing studies on climate change and closing gap in knowledge and serving as reference materials to future researchers.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The study is limited to the assessment of audience perception on television programmes that focused on global warming. The Channels television Earth File programmes is selected in this study and the one year’s programmes will be selected for this study.
1.7 Definition of Terms
Global Warming: Global warming refers to the long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O).
Television: Television is a communication medium that transmits moving images and sound from a source to a receiver, typically in the form of a TV set. It serves as a platform for broadcasting a variety of content, including news, entertainment, education, and advertising, to a broad audience.
Television Programmes: A television program, also known as a television show, is a segment of content intended for broadcast on television.
Audience Perception: Audience perception refers to the way individuals or groups interpret, understand, and react to a particular message, medium, or content.
