Abstract:

The power of the mass media to influence public opinion enables them to facilitate positive change and development in the society. However, there has been an extensive intellectual criticism of the discriminatory disposition of broadcasting authorities in Nigeria towards majority of the population resident in the rural areas. The broadcast communication management in the country leaves the rural dwellers almost completely isolated from the national government and their urban counterparts. Hence, for communication scholars, one viable way Nigeria can achieve meaningful national development is through the integration of its peoples by the establishment of mass media at the grassroots. This is premised on the rationale that community development will, in the long run, to translate into national development.  Of all the channels of mass communication, radio is widely acknowledged as the most suitable for community development. This study therefore used Orisun FM, a local community radio station located in Ile-Ife, Osun state as case study. The aim was to find out how much the station is contributing to the development of Ile Ife community. Questionnaire was designed for data collection. The result of the study showed that the government owned rural radio station is meeting the development needs of the people, in the areas of education, agriculture, economy and health. However, the community members do not have free access to the station, because they see it as government property, which hinders quality participation. The study therefore recommends, among others, that government should modify the radio communication management so as to encourage rural communities to have their own radio stations. The government can achieve this by either helping communities to set up their radio stations and leave them to take full responsibility for such stations, or let licences be issued free of charge or reduced to an amount that will be affordable for the rural people.