MAGAZINE READING BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN ANAMBRA STATE (A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (TECH) UMUNZE

CHAPTER ONE

1.1     INTRODUCTION

          Magazine is a type of printed publication. It is a periodical publication containing articles and illustrations often on a past and present events aimed and written for a particular readership.

Magazine are usually published weekly, monthly or bi-monthly. It is like the newspaper only that they are well and better packaged, bound together and contains in-depth and well researched news.

According to Nwosu (2005,p.13) Magazine like the newspaper is a popular read. It is ubiquitous, found in all nooks and crannies of any society. It is like the newspapers an institutionalized material which has created excitement and sadness.

According to Alozie (2009,p.102), magazine is a bound printed publication which contains news and other forms of information on a wide range of recent and past events.

Also, according to Owuamalam (2010,p.12) sees magazine as the collection of materials usually text and visuals compiled into a volume as a publication

The inquisitive nature of man has been the basic instinct that has driven him to grace for the intriques of life.

To assuage the thirst for information, education and entertainment, the mass media, an institution channel with the responsibility of detailing the events, of the day in words sound and pictures came as a rescue.

However, the audiences of this great institution (mass media) are known to be discriminatory, responsive and are also selective in choice and perception of mass media messages. They prefer a medium that can report, analyse and interpret events in a colourful package. No other medium can carry out this responsibility objectively and excellently except the magazine.

According to Okunna, (1999,p.34) explained that magazine as a print medium like the newspaper which is bound periodically (not an everyday publication) that contains variety of content written by various contributions.

Furthermore, Haulting and Nelson, (1992,p.100) described it as “A publication which serves as stored house for essays, stories, news, poems and other items to entertain and instruct readers.

Moreso,a magazine is an embodiment of detailed reports ,analysis and interpretation of events combined with literary and artistic works produced periodically for the generally born specific audience .

The audience reacts to the contents of the message presented . Different people utilize different media for different purposes or reasons. The selection of a particular media meswsage depends on expectation or importance of the media to the users value.

Many magazine publish special edition to reach those specialized audience. What may appear to be one nationally distributed magazine is actually several specialized publication under the same cover. For example, time magazine publication both demographic and regional editions. There are three types of magazine, trade, consumer magazine and business magazine. Trade magazine cater to different callings except professions. They discuss, pricings, where to get what product etc. they are principally concerned with merchandising on marketing operations. The circulation is to people involved in the trade for proper information and news. Retailers and distributerso could benefit from the contents.

Consumers magazine, involves very popular type of magazine, the general interest and special interest appeals. In Nigeria, both enjoy sizabale number of readership. The general interest editorial content cuts across a lot of key demographics zones, age, sex, profession, ethnicity etc. this is because the articles are broad affecting everybody in a special way. Also special interest magazine is more restricted and is directed to select people of both sexes an unspecified mature age group.

According to Nwosu (2005.p.21) Business magazine is a publication that is directed at an identified group with some peculiarity would run into the type of industry, business, professions, vacation or occupation. It is educative and should enhance mobility in either status intellectual or in profession after imbibing the subject of discourse.

Also there are variations of magazine based on the frequency of publication. These include weekly monthly and quarterly magazine. The radiation of magazine is one thing, the attitude of the generality of the people towards them is another thing. People tend ot read one type of magazine or the other. This different in choice can be attributed to their different contents, gender, age, educational level, profession and economic status.

While some people red stories relating to national and international news like economy, spors, political, editorial etc, others are interested in reading entertainment materials like cartoon, feminine issues in terms of fashion and cookery as well as crime, accidents and disaster. It is realization of the indispensable and invaluable rote, which the magazine play in keeping the society alive that a loss of question to mind. What constitutes an impediment to the reading or what influences their reading behaviour of these magazine.

Weber and Flaming (1989,pp.142-150)  had conducted a lot o studies on magazine reading behaviour. Their studies have come to prove that male have more positive attitude towards reading of magazine than the female. A major reason for the overall steady growth of magazines has been their ability to adapt with remarkable efficiency to the changing media behaviour of readers and the unpredicatable changes in the economy. In the light of this awareness, the study reflects its search light on “Reading behaviour of students in Institution of Higher Learning in Anambra States (A case study of Federal College of Education (Tech) Umunze.

1.2   STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS

Magazine a division of the print media, known for

disseminating detailed information of events to the public in, 15 role as the information processor, the magazine which is involved in news gathering, editing and dissemination has built, within its structure, devices to ensure the packaging of stories   worthy   of   publication   in   order   to   perform  the enormous function of mass communication. The extent to which the magazine performs the functions referred to the audience perception of the  content.  But the students  of Federal College of Education (Tech) Umunze, a subsection of the public, have different attitudes towards different classes of magazine.

Hence, this research was carried out on the magazine reading behavior of students in Federal College of Education (Tech) Umunze in order to unfold the factors necessitating the choice of magazine. Thus, the study tended to answer the question as to why some students of this school read certain content of the magazine and others. It also examined the question whether time factor, age and year of study affect the magazine reading habit of students.

1.3   OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

This esearch is primarily undertaken to uncover the degree of magazine reading behaviour of students in Federal College of Education (TECH) Umunze

1)     To examining the magazine reading nature of students

2)     Ascertain the frequency of issues affecting students covered by the magazine.

3)     To examine the extent at which the student’s reads the magazine.

4)     To ascertain whether the magazine adequately solve the problems of the students

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To  realize the set objectives of      this study, the following questions are posed;

1. Does the proliferation of magazines determine students
   reading habits of such magazine?
2. To what  extent  do  magazine  contents  influence  the
   students  in  Federal  College  of Education  (Technical)
   Umunze?
3. Docs the frequency of publication   affect  the  reading habits of students in Federal College of Education (Tech] Umunze?

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