The mass media are tools used by educated individuals to disseminate information to an heterogenous and selectively attending audience in simultaneously. The information so communicated by the mass media are mainly crafted into the following programmes:
1) Entertaining
2) Educative
Generally the mass media (Television, Radio, Newspapers and lately the Internet and Social Media) involve in content development which is aimed at directing, shaping and guarding the views of individuals as well as their reactions towards issues of national and international standards this is where the mass media involves in development communication, the art and process of enhancing, uplifting and uniting a hitherto disintegrated people, culture and views, by mobilizing and arousing them, consciousness in issues of developmental transformative nature. That is why human resource personnel work round the clock to ensure that the (message content, verbal or written) is not wrongly disseminated to the target audience.
Not withstanding the most fundamental purpose of involving the mass media in any human affairs is to inform, which by extension covers knowledge and enlightenment.
According to Tom Stoppard in Okunna (1998:107): “Information is light, information on anything is light”
The above underscores the main reason the mass media cannot be overlooked in our everyday lives.
Similarly, the news content is not only the part that informs in the mass media, entertainment is also highly informative. For instance, an episode of a soap opera or a satuation comedy goes a long way in telling us much more about a peoples’ cultural, social or religious standing about world views.
The information function of the mass media is all embracing and indispensible for the meaning existence of the members of the society. Via their various contents, the mass media collect, shore process and disseminate date, opinions, messages and comments which members of the public require to act knowledgeably on: personal, national environmental and international conditions. (McBride et al 1981:14).
In doing the above, the mass media raise issues, create awareness on various topics of local, national or global interest. Hence Stuart (1978:11) states:
“The mass media have the marvelous ability to reach millions, to raise issues, to create awareness on topics and to disseminate information with great efficiency”
Additionally, the entertainment aspect/function of the mass media is one of the biggest, especially via the television. The entertainment function from this medium (television) is so compelling. The more reason viewers can glue their eyes for two or more hours on a feature film, soap opera, etc.
In most cases, the objective could be to provide diversion and escape from the harsh realities of life; offering relief from the tedium of our daily existence so as to reduce stress emanating from a rapidly changing world.
Educationally, the mass media play an important role in educating members of the society. Educative aspect of the media comprises intellectual, development, acquisition of skills and capabilities and character formation. The mass media are involved in the transmission of the knowledge necessary to achieve all three aspects of education: The formal, informal or incidental.
A lot of incidental learning/skill acquisition occurs in the aspect of exposing one-self to mass media messages which mighty not be primarily educational. Media experts tell us that a lot of learning is involved in the process of exposure to television entertainment for instance, Sandman et al (1976:301-302):
Western, Soap Operas and the rest of television entertainment teach us things and the values and information in television entertainment often serve the public ———- every time. A television soap opera features a Cancer case, thousands of viewers go for check up and dozens of cancers are diagnosed and treated.
That is why here in Nosakhare Model Education Centre (NOMEC), the media have been positioned and empowered to showcase the activities: Educational and extra-curricular, of the school rightly. The executive director, Mrs. M. O. Omobude, the visioner of this unit, has given us the right and enabling environment to function. The school has an equipped media unit with standard and up to date equipment, in taking charge of our programmes aimed at disseminating educative/enlighting information, capable of enhancing the well-being of the citizenry.
The book titled “DIGNITY OF WOMANHOOD” written by divine inspiration by Mrs. M. O. Omobude was acted in a thirteen episode television serial. The aims and objectives of the theme DIGNITY OF WOMANHOOD is to bring to the public awareness; the atrocities towards the girl-child, helpless women, children, as well as finding solution to them via well woven dramatic stories with experienced actors, interpreting it out, to equip the Nigerians and the world at large with basic information of female marginalization in our society as well as the molestation they are forced to face by traditional laws that only favors the men. Basically, this differs in terms of cultural backgrounds.
The sole aim is to address the issue and more as well as to curb its excesses. The second edition of this book has been successfully completed and the second thirteen serial episodes production is successfully on-going.