Perspectives on Community Media and Rural Development in Nigeria (Published)
This paper takes a look on perspectives on community media and rural development in Nigeria. It espouses the view that community media are well appreciated by the people because they are well ‘bonded’ with them. Anchored on the agenda setting and agenda building theories, the paper articulates the view that community media are well suited to the needs and aspirations of the communities they serve, thereby promoting development in various aspects. In achieving their objectives, community media are constrained by financial inadequacy, political interference, illiteracy and low patronage, among others. In order to ameliorate some of the difficulties, it is recommended that prospective investors come together and invest in community media; community media should and endeavour to effectively cover their areas while ensuring that they are run professionally. Government, it was also suggested, should intervene in the economic affairs of the rural dwellers so as to empower them for greater participation in the affairs of their environment.
Keywords: Community Media, Development, Development Communication