The twentieth century has seen a transformation inthenature of communication. Much of it now is mediatedthrough electronic technology, bought and sold in amarket system, and produced in institutions markedbya complex division of labour (Curran; 2000:19).Researchers begin inquiring into the effects oftelevision almost as soon as these strange andmarvellous new devices started to appear in livingrooms across the land in the late 1950s.Researchers in mass communications were interestedinknowing how specific messages, channels and sourcescould produce changes in attitudes or behaviours.Thiswas the natural outgrowth of the way masscommunication research had developed from the 1920s,fuelled by public fear of power of the media, alongwith anxious politicians, eager advertisers,crusadingsocial engineers, and others itching to see themassive reach of the media to get "their messageacross"quickly and efficiently. Government, militaryand corporate funding sources played an importantrolein the decision of those working within the field totake this direction. The goal was to determine whatkinds of persuasive messages could be used mosteffectively in campaigns of various kinds-political,advertising, public, health, educational, militaryandso on (Shanahan & Morgan; 1999:10).
In excess of750 million T.V sets in more than 160countries are watched by 2.5 billion people perday(Kellner:1990:1).Given television's penetrationinto every day life,the controversy sorrounding itisnot surprising.The controversy intensifies in thelight of debates over its social and politicalfuntions.There are of course voracious readers,moviefanatics ,web surfers, magazine devotees and thosewhonever turn off the radio.But for many peopletelevision dominates the media diet.For almost everyone ,television viewing begins before we develop thetastes and selective patterns of consumption that weapply to other media, usage patterns for other mediaare informed by the fact of being born intohouseholdswhere television is virtually a member of thefamily.
Unlike the print media, television does not requireliteracy. Unlike theatrical movies, television runsalmost continuously and can be watched withoutleavingone's own home and without payment on a programmebasis. Unlike radio, television can show as well astell. Unlike Internet, television does not requirecomputer skills. Most of all Gabner and Gross arguedthat television is different from other media in itscentralised mass-production and ritualistic use of acoherent set of images and messages produced toappealto virtually the entire population (Shanahan&Morgan;1999:21)
Despite the growth of new technologies and explosionof channels since 1920s, television remains thedominant purveyor of stories and messages sharedacross lines of, class, gender, race, age, religion,geography, ethnicity and so on. Televisionincreasingly operates not only in a national,politically bounded space, but within the economicstructures of global market place (Stokes &Readings;1999:248)
Recent changes to the technologies of television,andin particular the emergence satellite and cable modeof transmission, have already begun to fragmenttelevision audiences and transform the relationshipbetween television and the nation. The capacity ofcable and satellite signals to cross nationalboundaries has redrawn the lines of television andtheways it imagines and addresses the audience (1bid:248).
Therefore the utilisation of the television indemocracy is very crucial, because democracyrequiredvital and well-informed public, eager to participatein debates and struggles concerning political issuesof common interest.
Television can serve as a check on excessive statepower, but it also provides government with anincredibly powerful instrument of governance andsocial control. Television provides the Presidentwiththe power to address millions of people whenever heorhe wishes (Kellner; 1990:105). Television mobilisesimages, forms, styles and ideas to presentideologicalpositions. It draws on the process of socialexperience, uses familiar generic codes and forms,andemploys rhetorical and persuasive devices to attemptto induce consent to certain positions andpractices.Yet this process of ideological productionand transmission is not one-dimensional process ofindoctrination,but rather,is an active process ofnegotiation that can be resisted or transformed byaudiences according to their own ends andinterest(ibid:18-19).
It should be understood that Its through excessiveutilisation of the television that 3rd worldcountriesand Nigeria in particular were deceived into westernmodel of democratic governance which is detrimentaltothem and resulted in cultural imperialism and theexportation of American television.having realisedthis danger, developing countries fought in thenations and elsewhere for a "new world informationorder"that would permit them to control theinformation and entertainment flowing in theircoutries.The United States ,however fought for"freedom of information" encouraging and supportingcommercial television enterprises throughout theworldthat would be open to U.S programming andadvertising.
During the 1980s,U.S domination of the worldtelevision market dramatically increased, In 1984U.Sprogrammes accounted for 75 percent of the $400million international market place. By the end ofthedecade, U.S television programme distribution weretaking in more than $1.3 billion from programmesales;and by 1992 U.S distributors were taking more than$3.6 billion with $2.7 billion coming from westernEurope.There was also increased investments by theU.Snetworks in foreign television systems and thebeginning of foreign co-productions (Kellner;1990:81-82).
The television in Nigeria whether in the federal,State or those privately owned should try andexplorethe interest of the public. This version of thepublicinterest requires equal access to education,information and the media of public debate. Insteadofpresenting programmes that are more favourable tothegovernment, more avenues should be created for thepublic to air their views on how they are governed.Inthis regard a high degree of responsibility isrequired, where both the ruling and the ruled will
