Receiving television messages: An ethnographic study of women in a Nigerian context

The study was concerned with the way in which television messages are received. It was an exploration into the actual processes of production and reception of television messages. A detailed description of these processes is presented. There are basically two parts of the study. The introduction explains the rationale for the study. It also describes the research design. Part I begins with a history of the television industry with emphasis on the evolution of the present structure and how this directs the service. It reviews the processes of production and scheduling of television programmes. From this part, we can begin to understand the philosophy, objectives and constraints underlying the messages which the viewers receive. Part II, which is the larger of the two parts, is the report of the observation of viewing parctices in the 12 selected locations. Each location has been treated as a separate case, with a day-by-day report. There are many fascinating and stimulating details in these reports. The discussion which follows is only an overview of the highlights in each location. The concluding chapter - The making of Meaning - presents the findings of the study in a nutshell. It covers the significant contribution which this study purposes to make to the body of knowledge. It highlights the striking images which viewers had taken from the screen, but more importantly, it re-examines the otherwise mundane act of viewing itself. On the whole, the study made a case for i) the appropriate methodology for understanding the role television society ii) raised issues which research should be concerned about, and iii) those which programmers need to be mindful of