AUDIENCE ASSESSMENT OF BROADCAST MEDIA SURVEILLANCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA

Amongst the many functions of the media, the surveillance function is no doubt, a very fundamental role. This function places a demand on the media to scan the environment and report dangers, especially impending dangers, which largely contribute to the insecurity of lives and property. In line with the sensitive nature of this function and the current insecurity situation in Nigeria, it becomes pertinent to assess how far the Nigeria’s broadcast industry has fared in fulfilling the surveillance function and how the industry’s audiences perceive its performance. The residents of six selected cities from the six geo-political zones of Nigeria were sampled. Questionnaire served as the measuring instrument. Using survey research method, we found out, amongst others, that the broadcast media are not effective in the discharge of their surveillance function. In line with the findings, the paper recommends amongst others that the Nigerian broadcast media must, as a matter of necessity, contribute to the security of the country by effectively playing the surveillance role.KEY WORDS: Surveillance function, Security, Broadcast media, Audience, Assessment, Nigeri

The Use of Strategic Silence in Interpersonal Communication

For over a century now, the attention of communication scholars has shifted from strategic communication to strategic silence with an open invitation for experts to investigate the potency of the latter in the line of communication. As an honour to this invitation, this study investigates the use of strategic silence in interpersonal communication among residents of Enugu Metropolis in Enugu State Nigeria. In conducting this survey, explanatory mixed method research design was used to generate both qualitative and quantitative data using questionnaire and interview. After a thorough analysis, both quantitative and qualitative data revealed that residents of Enugu metropolis use strategic silence in interpersonal communication. Finding also revealed that the respondents use strategic silence both negatively and positively to influence others in the line of communication. Based on these findings, it is recommended that users of strategic silence should always deploy it for positive reasons