ADVERTISING, AS SURVIVAL STRATEGY FOR MEDIA’S DEVELOPMENT. PROBLEMS AND PROSPECT.

ABSTRACT The Research investigated into the role of advertising in the broadcast media in Nigeria with Radio Bayelsa Yenagoa Bayelsa state as my scope of study and which was were the research was conducted. The objective was to find out if advertising is really a means of survival and a means of continuous existence for the broadcast media, and what are the implications attached to this. To investigate into other means the media can use to generate revenue for themselves and to become less dependent on advertising, and focus on other revenue generation streams. The research made use of the survey method so as to cover an heterogenous and quite populated number of people. The simple random sampling technique was adopted to access population with an aggregate of 34. The research made use of the simple probability sampling formula to arrive at 34 as the sample size copies of the questionnaires were personally given to respondents in the field. In the data collection process 28 copies of the questionnaires were retrieved representing 90% percent return rate and they were analyzed using frequency table and simple percentages . Commercial media complex theory and Economic determinism theory guided the work . the study revealed that the media is heavily dependent on revenue generated from advertising for their continuous existence which can even cause unhealthy rivalry among media organization in their struggle for commercials ,also the study reveals that the media are not really putting any effort to generate revenue from other sources. Furthermore the study reveals that the media have other sources but advertising revenue seems to be their main revenue source. Lastly respondents responses proved that revenue generated from advertising will continue to be media main stream of revenue generation and even emerging technologies does not pose any threat to this