Tailor Messages To Target Audience, Broadcasters Urged

A visually impaired lecturer of information and communication technology with the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), Prof. Jacob Agba, has charged broadcasters to tailor their messages to their target audience, if they are interested in creating effective broadcast programmes that will cause viewers to remain glued to their stations.

Agba gave the charge while answering questions from LEADERSHIP shortly after the presentation of the inaugural lecture at the main campus of the University of Cross River (UNICROSS) during the weekend.

“The ultimate goal of broadcasting is to bring about change and transformation,” Agba stated.

The professor of communication technology urged broadcasters to conduct thorough background research on their audience before framing programmes and going on air.

Speaking on the theme, “From Analogue to Digital Broadcasting: Uncorking the Lacuna in Audience Attention in the Search for Disambiguated Development,” Agba stated that carrying thorough background research on the broadcast audience would help the broadcaster achieve the purpose of broadcast.

“For the broadcaster, study your audience… We create programmes probably because we want to catch up with technology.

“We hardly examine what is the motivation behind a particular programme,” Agba added.

He advised broadcasters to conduct ongoing audience research to assess the effectiveness of their programmes and identify areas for improvement.

Agba emphasised that the television medium is a “cold medium” that requires broadcasters to leave a gap for the audience to fill, enabling them to achieve their communication objectives.

“Understanding the audience is crucial for achieving the purpose of broadcasting. Constant audience research is necessary to determine programme effectiveness and identify areas for improvement,” he emphasised.

Agba’s lecture was motivated by his observation that some people watch programmes and lose interest, while others are fully engaged, and he aims to explore the factors that contribute to this disparity and identify ways to make programmes more engaging and effective.