CURRENT AFFAIRS PROGRAMMMES AS PUBLIC RELATIONS TOOL: A STUDY OF EBONYI BROADCASTING CORPORATION (EBBC), ABAKALIKI

The current affairs programmes of broadcast stations are considered as effective public relations tool. They bridge the gap between the government and the governed. They also attract goodwill and patronage for the station. This study focused on how effective current affairs programmes are used in Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation (EBBC) to foist good image on the station. The survey method was used to get analyzable response from the station’s audience. The study examined the potentials of current affairs as a broadcast programme and how it can be used as a tool of public relations. It specifically sought to determine if current affairs programmes have any effect on the relationship between the audience and any particular broadcast organization; identify the problems that affect the production of current affairs programmes as a public relations tool, and proffer solutions to ineffective current affairs programmes production. It further found out that good current affairs programmes affect station-audience relationship. This is not only because good current affairs programmes induce respect for, interest in and familiarity with the station, but they, more importantly, raise the popularity of the station. Thus these are invaluable resources which every organization craves for as they are also at the root of every good public relations campaign. The study, moreover, discovered that educated adults, mostly civil servants and business men and women listen to EBBC current affairs programmes regularly to know the activities in government (their chief employer and policy maker) and in the society at large. The study however found out that lack of requisite skills, lack of programme materials and lack of touch with station’s environment and needs, and inadequate training of staff are chief among the problems affecting current affair programmes. It therefore recommended among others that broadcast establishments should be professional in their conduct to sustain and retain audience. These they can do by employing professionals in the field as well as carrying out regular training of staff to keep pace with the ever changing trend of audience appeal