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Author: EKHAYEME GODWIN
Posted to the web: 8/31/2011 8:26:14 AM

1.0. INTRODUCTION

MassMedia refers to any means of information addressed to society members. Variousforms of the media which have the stronger capacity to impart on the societyare radio and television, termed electronic media. Others include the internet,newspapers and billboards.  Theseafore-mentioned media can affect the society negatively and positively.  They have become powerful tools which arecapable of shaping a family's cultural values, which if not used positively,may lead to many undesirable results such as domestic violence, psychologicaldisturbances, juvenile delinquencies and many more.

 It is widely known that the media can teachnorms and values by way of symbolic reward and punishment for different kindsof behaviours. We live in a society that depends on information andcommunication to keep moving in the right direction. Hence the society relieson the media to get the current news (within and outside), facts abouteverything that concerns our lives and also keep us entertained.

Televisionpopularly called 'TeeVee' is the most influential among media distributionchannels. Television broadcasting is the transmission of visual images ofmoving and stationary objects, generally with accompanying sound, aselectromagnetic waves and the reconversion of received waves into visualimages. Naturally, picture sound and colour are such powerful ingredients. Forthis simple reason it has become very easy for people to get attracted totelevised programs and by so doing become addicted.

Accordingto survey, television is a past time for most families in Nigeria. Every homeirrespective of financial and social status has a television set, and has becomea mainstay in many homes. It is mostly used to keep body and soul alive andalso to keep abreast of what is happening locally, nationally and globally.

Todaythere are over two hundred active television stations in Nigeria, and theirprograms and contents cater to every genre and interest group available withinthe wide range of programs that can be seen. These stations provide such showsas comedy, sports, cartoons, home videos, old movies, new movies, soap operas,international shows and local movies.

 Added to these television stations in Nigeriais MultiChoice popularly called DStv, which will be the researcher's focalpoint. MultiChoice is a premium pay television that is connected to many homesin Nigeria through the DStv platform. It has over two hundred channels and avariety of interesting programs that hold viewers spellbound. Consequently,viewers who subscribed to MultiChoice channels can stay glued to theirtelevision sets without considering the damge it will cost them.

Theinfluence of DStv has always been an interesting area debated all over thecountry, the reason being that its contents can affect some people positivelyand could also be the ‘demon’ in some homes.

Froma general angle, researchers and experts have focused on the power oftelevision and how it shapes viewers' perception of culture, religion andcommunication among family members. The dress sense of teenagers these days isalarming; this has been another trend which has been a source of worry to thesociety. This raises the question about musical videos and entertainment-basedprograms, which have been found to be the key source of influence among youths.

THEORETICAL FRAME WORK TOTELEVISION AND FAMILY VALUES.

Televisionhas the power to impact on society members in so many ways and at the same timeit paves the way for people to socialize within a given society. Sociallearning theory (Bandura 1977) argues for imitative behavior and learning fromtelevision of behaviors seen as rewarding and realistic. It uses both imitationand identification to explain how people learn through observation of others intheir environment. What this means is we learn through television how peoplefrom other parts of the world live their lives, and even how some individualsattain greatness in their chosen career. Television often gives such people orindividuals prominence and put them in the spotlight. The tendency to act likethese individual is very high, because naturally people crave to associate withsuccessful individuals.

Thisstudy is highlighting the influence of specific television programs on familyvalues. Wole Soyinka (2006) in a forum, 'The voice of Ethics in internationalaffairs affirmed that the media is a powerful force for shaping a people's wayof life. Television viewing is a kind of interaction between a person and theprogram content. The content could contain elements that can be persuasive in anegative manner. For instance, cigarette adverts are capable of making a minorwant to have a taste of it. Liquor and fast food junks adverts can also bemisleading because most fast food restaurants target their advertising atchildren and students - an important market for them.

      LITERATURE REVIEW

Thischapter reviews some research works on family and television as it has beenacclaimed by some scholars in the field of family, television broadcasting andthe media.

Familiesare often influenced by what the media portray, program that portray women asthe head of the house could definitely affect the perception a family holdsabout family institution in the society. Toyin Falola (2000) says that 'Nigeria is one of the largest and mostimportant countries in Africa; it is rich in traditions and customs, bothindigenous and modern'.

 With television playing a major role in ourlives today, our society is undoubtedly faced with cultural conquest. GraemeBurton (2005; 109) says that the concern about what media do has pushed peopleto adopt particular lifestyles or pattern of behaviour. These portrayalsreflect and reinforce views about the nature of the family in society. Changingsocial norms and television portrayals mean that assessing the impact ofportrayals must be an ongoing effort.

 TELEVISION AND CULTURE.

Culturehas been defined by many scholars as the distinct way of life by a group ofpeople. Thomas Ford Hoult (1969) defines culture as ‘The total, generallyorganized way of life, including values, norms, institutions, and artifacts,that is passed on from generation to generation by learning alone'. Hess et al(1993:50) refers to culture as 'The map for living of a group whose membersshare a territory and language, feel responsible for one another and recognizedtheir shared identity' Looking at culture from this angle, it simply impliesthat it is a unifying factor and it can be internalized through the numerous agentsof socialization.

 The power of television has brought a lot ofchanges, the world has become a global village, and people can travel aroundthe world without stepping out of their houses. This had been made possible bythe power of television. People who are addicted to DStv contents will attestto the fact that, information about events around the world has been brought totheir door steps. There is no doubt that foreign culture has pervaded oursociety and there is the rise of what is called ‘crossculturalism’  Meaning, through televised programs one canbegin to learn about other people's ways of doing things and by so doing getacculturated.

 HISTORY OF TELEVISION BROADCASTING IN NIGERIA

In1959, the Regional Government of Western Nigeria established the firsttelevision station in Nigeria and in Africa. Even though it promoted thestation as a means to educate the people about development and the world, itinitially served as a means for an opposition leader to address the people ofWestern Nigeria. The regional governments of Eastern and Northern Nigeria andthe Federal Government in Lagos followed and started their own TV stations inthe early 1960s. (Soji Alabi: 2010). All four of these stations basicallyexisted to serve partisan political objectives for the various governments.Stations established after these four continued this same political andregionalist heritage. In 1973, a new surge of regional consciousness occurredafter the Gowon military Government allowed the division of the country into 19states. This change, the concurrent oil boom, and the effectiveness andimportance of existing ‘TV’ broadcasting led to a new surge of state owned ‘TVâ'stations. Three years later, the military Government established the NationalTelevision Authority (NTA) to coordinate nationwide coverage. The NTA thenacquired existing ‘TV’ stations. This event slowed the growth of ‘TV’broadcasting until 1979 when General Olusegun Obasanjo handed over power to theGovernment of Shehu Shagari. The five political parties vying for election inthe states revoked the NTA charter and a proliferation of ‘TV’ stationsoccurred. This also happened because the civilian administration wasdisorganized. As regionalization played a role in the broadcasting of politicalpropaganda, so did it play a role in educational programming.

 In 1992, a new chapter opened in the historyof Nigeria broadcasting, the Federal Government under General Babangidaderegulated the broadcast industry by granting licenses to private individualsand organizations to set up television and radio broadcasting stations.

Sufficeto say, that the licenses granted to private individuals and organizations toown radio and television stations opened a new chapter in the programstructuring in broadcasting in Nigeria, their program designs were notinfluenced by the government. Today, there are over a thousand television andradio stations in Nigeria.

  FAMILY STRUCTURE IN NIGERIA.

‘Family’in the traditional Nigerian term is usually made up of people who are relatedby blood, marriage, or adoption. There are two major family types; the nuclearfamily, which is made up of a man, his wife, and their unmarried children. Theextended family is an extension of the nuclear family, relatives, and grandparentsare also a part of the extended family.. Culturally, Nigerians have a greatrespect for family ties, most Nigerian cultural groups practice patrilinealdescent, have patriarchal authority, have patrilocal rule of residence, and aregenerally patricentric in outlook. Children socialize with this arrangement inmind, and female children are consciously socialized to serve and besubordinate to males. This hierarchical structure has sometimes led todissolution of marriages on the grounds of the birth of only or mostly femalechildren.

 Today, there is a change in the way peopledefine family, persons who are not bound biologically can claim to be familywith people with no biological ties. The issue of legally adopting a child isquite new to the Nigerian family system. Extended family is the system that theNigerian family is known for but today the structure is embracing the nucleartype of family structure.

Charitythey say begins at home, a child learns how to speak and internalize the normsand practices of his environment through his family.

Thefamily institution is responsible for shaping the personality of an individual.No wonder therefore a breakdown in any family leads to a very disastrous futurefor most children. Sulaiman Aledeh, a senior news caster with Channelstelevision, Lagos stressed that the family institutions should be heldresponsible for the existence of 'area boyism' in Lagos metropolis. A lot ofreasons could cause the skirmish in a family set up, the fact still remainsthat the environment a child grows up still affects the way the child relateswith people.

  FAMILY VALUES AND TELEVISION CONTENTS.

TheOxford English Dictionary defines family as a 'group of persons consistingof the parents and their children, whether actually living together ornot.' Martin Luther King jnr once asserted that ''family is the bedrock ofthe society''. A generation ago, it was often considered shameful to have achild outside of wedlock, now it appears to have become the norm. In Nigeria today,a lot of children are born to unmarried mothers.  A child growing up in a one-parent family ismore likely to fail at school, more likely to become a drug addict and have analcohol problem. This is a proof that the lack of a father or mother in a familyhas serious consequences.

 Family reproduces the society. Familybreakdown is often the cause of truancy, violent crimes, area boyism, 419 andmany more. The family system is very unique that a strain can portend anegative sign for the society. Wikipedia defines family as 'a group of peopleaffiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it isthe principal institution for the socialization of children'.

Televisionis one of the most prevalent media influences on family, studies have shownthat television actually expose people to things they would not have imagined.We learn from ‘TV’ whether we even realize it or not. George Rodman (2006:27)feels that the controversy the media creates in today's society exists in aparticular medium. From this angle we can state that addiction to a particulartelevision program can create cultural significance overtime.  At any time of day you can turn on thetelevision and see something that you have never seen before. If you are noteven paying attention you might even catch something subliminally. These days,there are still those who want to do those things because they see them on ‘TV’,but there are also those who want to be movie stars and newscasters. This aloneproves that television has affected society just by the fact that it has createda a lot of jobs. Some people shape their lives around being on and around thetelevision business, while others shape their lives around watching television.Now however television and other mass media allow millions of people to share avariety of identical experiences, through television we can observe howsuccessful people behave and we assume that this is the proper way to behave inthe real world.

Manyyoung people these days do not follow the traditional way of greeting theirelders because they assume that the traditional style of giving greeting is outof place. Their dress sense is even nothing to write home about. Soji Alabi (2010)reiterated that 'most of the foreign soap operas promote values that are aliento Nigerian culture.

Televisioninfluence on family is not only on children alone. Most parents get addicted toparticular programs and by so doing neglect their duties.  A football fanatic will definitely haveproblems with his partner in terms of attention and all the rest.  Women who love watching 'African Magic' achannel on DStv that broadcast Nigerian made films, will easily be influencedby what they watch. These addictions could be corrected when it involvesparents but the basic issue is when kids get addicted to programs thatinfluence their sense of reasoning and the way they relate with people. Whatthis means is, children also learn by imitation, when they see that theirparents are addicted to some programs, they will start nursing the idea thatbeing addicted to some basic programs is accepted and morally justifiable. Thenegative side of this addiction when what they are addicted to have somenegative impacts.  This has raised a lotof concerns because the society is being faced with violent crimes, cultism,truancy and early pregnancy among secondary school girls. Values parents teachthese days are being contradicted by what children see on television programs.Children learn by observation and tend to put aside the conventions they grewup with. This has basically become a big ‘wahala’ to parents, guardians, schoolauthorities and the Government.

 REGULATORY AGENCIES.

InNigeria, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the BroadcastingOrganization of Nigeria (BON) have been empowered by the government to carryout a number of duties, some of which include, licensing, monitoring,regulating and conducting research in broadcasting in Nigeria. Apart fromregulating and controlling the broadcast industry in the country, they alsofunction as promoters of Nigerian indigenous cultures, moral and community lifethrough broadcasting. These agencies were put in place by the government tocontrol broadcasting contents in Nigeria. NBC in particular sanction radio andtelevision stations that go against its rules and regulations, this measurebecame important because broadcasting houses telecast programs that arefinancially beneficial to them but quite damaging to our national interests.

 EMERGENCE OF MULTICHOICE NIGERIA LIMITED.

MultiChoiceexistence in Nigeria started after the broadcast industry was deregulated bythe Ibrahim Babangida Administration in 1992. It started in Lagos in 1994 andhas expanded its operations overtime in other major geo-political zones in thecountry, with offices in Abuja, Enugu, Ibadam, Jos, Kano, Port Harcourt, andits head office is Lagos. MultiChoice Nigeria offers premium services in DStv,consisting of general entertainment, news and information, sport and educationchannels, and exposes subscribers to the exciting world of multi-channeltelevision, with a collection in excess of fifty of the international and localtelevision and audio channels along with innovations such as enhancedtelevision services.

TheDStv pay television across Africa is transmitted over four differentsatellites; Intelsat 7, Intelsat 10, Eutelsat W4 and SESAT W2.

 DStv BOUQUETS.

MultiChoicetelevision has over five bouquets; these bouquets vary according to thefinancial and social status of subscribers. The five major ones are as follows:

DStvPREMIUM- combines the best entertainment programming available from across theglobe with superior technological innovation to provide an unforgettabletelevision viewing experience. With a glittering menu of world-class televisionchannels and quality audio channels, DStv Premium offers the richest core ofon-screen entertainment available in Africa.From thrilling live sport coverage,the latest news from around the globe, award-winning documentaries, non-stopmovies, gripping series, and kids edutainment to vibrant music programming -DStv Premium prides itself on the quality and range of choice they offersubscribers. The monthly subscription for this bouquet costs N9.500 monthly. Ithas over eighty channels.

DStvCOMPACT PLUS.

WithDStv Compact you will have access to hundreds of programs and thousands ofstars. Included in this fantastic bouquet are premium entertainment channels,animal and nature channels as well as a sampling of sport. There are alsolifestyle, news, music, religion and interactive channels available.Subscription for this bouquet cost N6.800 monthly and it has over sixtychannels.

DStvCOMPACT.

DStvCompact PLUS is made up of over 47 news, lifestyle and entertainment channelsand now with the DStv Compact PLUS option there will be a total of six sportschannels namely SuperSport 7, SuperSport 9, SuperSport Blitz, SuperSport 10,ESPN and ESPN Classic. This line up increases the range of sport available andnow includes football coverage of up to 90% of the English Premier League, theFrench League, Bundesliga, PSL, Spanish La Liga as well as rugby, golf, tennis,athletics, boxing and motorsport. Making sure there is something available forall sports lovers on the DStv Compact PLUS bouquet. subcription for a month isN4.500, it has over sixty channels.

DStvFAMILY.

DStvFamily offers subscribers an affordable sample of the DStv services for them toenjoy sport, movies, religion, children, documentaries, news and commerce. Ithas over 40 channels and the monthly subscription is N2.500.

DStvACCESS.

DStvAccess offers 25 quality channels of family entertainment at the lowest cost inthe market. Subscribers have an extensive choice of family entertainment,combining general entertainment, movies, documentaries, news, childrenâ'sprogramming, music, religion and sport. Among other channels, DStv Accessfeatures BBC World, Aljazeera, National Geographic Wild, Fashion TV, MagicWorld and CNBC Africa, monthly access is N1.500 and has about thirty sevenchannels.

DStvalso has audio services, they include; BBC, VOA, Channel Islam international,Ray Power FM, Rhythm FM, Star FM amongst others.

 MULTICHOICE CONTENTS: A PLATFORM FOR CULTURECONTACTS.

DStvchannels are so numerous that one cannot help watching them. In other words,there are specific channels that people are drawn to which have turned out toinfluence their entire lives. Hence they have been tagged 'star channels' thesechannels air programs that engage people, serve as past time and also as a meansto run from all life worries. These channels help society members to learnabout other peoples’ cultural life styles. Examples of such channels are;

       I.           CHANNEL124. It is called the E channel.It is a foreign entertainment channel that delves into celebrity lifestyles;wealth, divorce, crime, dress sense and so on. This channel has in no smallways color the pictures of many young lives in Nigeria. The percentage of youngchildren who watch E channel is alarming. Apart from delving into celebritylifestyles, the E channel also has a program called Dr.90210, on this programviewers are shown men and women who alter their private parts. Another notableprogram on this channel is a reality program titled 'Keeping up with theKardashians'. This program directs people on how they should live a carefreelife, a situation where a certain family decides to live their livesirrespective of how people see them or regard them. The truth is theirlifestyles are quite offensive to our norms and ethics. But younger people are copythese traits.

    II.           AFRICAN MAGIC is on channel 114. This isa truly Nigerian channel, Nigerian and African movies called 'Home videos areaired everyday of the week including weekends. Though they depict Africantradition but sometimes mislead viewers.

 III.           SUPERSPORTS are on channel 203, 204,205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 213. All kinds of sports are telecast on thesechannels but emphasis is on football. These channels distract familycommunications a great deal. Parents who love football or lawn tennis do notattend to anything else when these programs are aired.

IV.           MNET SERIES: channels 103 to 110. Theseare movies that talked about family love, reunion and in some cases familyseparation.

   V.           NEWS CHANNELS: CNN is on 401, BBC WorldNews is on 400. Channels television is on 132. Sky News is on 402, ALJAZEERA,EURO NEWS. These news channels give us stories from around the world. Most ofthese news items are telecast hourly.

VI.           MUSICAL CHANNELS are Channel.0, MTVBase, Trace, SoundCity, MTV and many more. These musical channels broadcastmusic contents that are offensive and typically foreign. These musical channelshave greatly influenced people's dress sense. The Nigerian music industry sceneis the worst hit because of obscene musical videos which have taken another turn.Any musical video you watch today has semi-naked people and nude features.

Thereare other channels like 'Discovery', National Geographic Channel, Zone Realitychannel, History channel, Crime Investigation channel. From the religiouslevel, the two major religions in Nigeria were given their places. For theChristians, there are channels like TBN, DAYSTAR, ONEG. Islamic channelsinclude IQRAA, CHANNEL ISLAM.

Kidsare not left out in this entertainment circle, there are channels like CartoonNetwork, Disney world and KIDSCO. The most capturing is BBC Ceebees.CBeebies, afun and learning through games for children under seven years.

Havinghighlighted these star channels on DStv, it proper to bring to mind what theword CULTURE means, this will give a clearer picture of what the researchertries to explain about man and his environment. The term “culture” refers to the complex collection of knowledge,folklore, language, rules, rituals, habits, lifestyles, attitudes, beliefs, andcustoms that link and give a common identity to a particular group of people ata specific point in time. The most rich and complex cultures are those that areassociated with a society or a nation, and the term “culture” is most commonlyused to refer to these characteristics, including language and language-usagepatterns, rituals, rules, and customs. A societal or national culture alsoincludes such elements as significant historical events and characters,philosophies of government, social customs, family practices, religion,economic philosophies and practices, belief and value systems, and concepts andsystems of law.

Ageis greatly respected in Nigeria. In an area where the average life expectancyis not very high, those who live into their senior years are seen as having earnedspecial rights of respect and admiration. This is true of both men and women.

Socially,greetings are of the utmost importance. A handshake and a long list of wellwishes for a counterpart's family and good health are expected when meetingsomeone. This is often true even if you have seen that person a short timeearlier. Whether you are talking to a bank teller or visiting a friend, it isconsidered rude not to engage in a proper greeting before getting down tobusiness.

Shakinghands, eating, or passing things with the left hand are unacceptable. The lefthand is reserved for personal toiletries and is considered dirty.

Languageplays an important role in communication. In the Nigerian context, how you lookat a person and your choice of words are very vital. It would be offensive ifyou pass a compliment and look away or you greet an elderly like you do yourpeers. The societies do not joke with these values whether at home or abroad.

Patternof dressing in Nigeria is taken from a different angle. Here, people regardpeople from what they wear. A young lady who wears a spaghetti strap would beseen as a woman who has no regard for anybody but in the real sense, it doesnot tell the mind construction of the dresser.

Thereare also other things that are not acceptable; a woman who drinks and smokes isbeen regarded as an outlaw but on the real sense, it does not tell anything.

Onegospel truth is that these Nigerian cultural values have prevented people fromindulging in vices that could disrupt their lives. Even if they decide toindulge in these vices they conceal them because they knew that the societyfrowns at such illicit deeds.

Mrs.Francesca Yetunde Emmanuel, Macmillanâ's Director in an event organized byMacmillan at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, where selectedschools in Lagos presented nursery rhymes and dance drama reflecting thenationâ's cultural system, stressed that the program was intended not only tosensitize the Nigerian youth with its rich cultural values, but to also orientatethem on how to cherish the culture and tradition of their heritage and regainthe lost values, which, according to her, would be done through traditional andmodern nursery rhymes in both English and local Nigerian languages.

“Ourcultural values are hidden in rhymes. When our children are given theopportunity to present rhymes in their indigenous languages or in English withthe Nigerian cultural content, they will get to understand more and cherish thenationâ's culture and tradition. This will go a long way in regaining the lostglory of our value system. We must live to nurture and cherish our culturalvalues,” Mrs. Emmanuel stressed. “It will also promote writing, reading andvalue system for desirable and sustainable development of youths in particularand the nation in general,” she added.

Fromthis angle one would understand that music plays an important role in shapingand bringing people together.

Ithas been asserted that all organizations and institutions within societyfacilitate communication, and in that way, they all contribute to the creation,spread, and evolution of culture. However, communication media such astelevision, film, radio, newspapers, and the internet play a particularlyimportant role.  Media extend humancapacities for creating, duplicating, transmitting, and storing messages, and alsoextend and amplify culture-building activities.

 By means of such communication technology,messages are transmitted across time and space, stored, and later retrieved andused. Television programs, films, websites, video games, are created throughhuman activity—and therefore reflect and further extend the culturalperspectives of their creators. They come to take on a life of their own, quitedistinct and separate from their creators, as they are transmitted and sharedaround the increasingly global community.

Familieswho enjoy MultiChoice contents get carried away with what they are exposed to,for instance, if you watch a foreign movie or soap, the first shock you get isthe way the society is portrayed. Societies where people are free to dowhatever please them and the environment has all the beautiful things in life.Here, we cannot deny that foreign movies we watch influence our mental imagesand our anticipations.

 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.

Twomajor kinds of methods have been applied. The first one is the breakdown ofsome MultiChoice program contents. And the second part is the assessment ofinformants' responses which include personal interviews and phone surveys.

POPULATION.

Lagoscommands the largest market share of radio and television audience in thecountry. Its media audiences are the most influential in policy and decisionmaking apparatus in the country.

SUB POPULATION.

Ikejalocal government area has ten administrative wards, they are; Oregun, Akiode,Opebi,Alausa, Ojodu, Agidingbi,Ikeja, Ogba and Maryland. These are the targetpopulation for this study.

SURVEY INSTRUMENT.

Therespondents were given a self administered questionnaire which was designed toevaluate the influence of television viewing and MultiChoice channels in theireveryday life. The questionnaire asked the respondents about their age, sex,marital status, social status, employment status, and most watched programs,cultural environment, and birth order amongst others. The questionnaire wastested with 220 people from around the Ikeja axis, which is the target area ofthis study.

PERSONAL INTERVIEWS.

Theresearcher conducted a personal interview with notable people in the mediaindustry. Mr. Sulai Aledeh, a senior newscaster with Channels Television Lagosopined that Multichoice contents have positively influenced him and his family.His favorite channels are BBC World news and the CNN Network. He claimed thatthey have helped him in his news casting and his children can pronounce Englishwords correctly.

Anotherinterviewee was Kamal Salau, manager programs, CITY105.1 Lagos. Kamal statedthat MultiChoice contents have influenced his taste of doing things generally.

Mrs.Khadijat Aledeh, a mother of two and a teacher of Mass Communication at theUniversity of Lagos threw more lights on the effects MultiChoice contents haveon family, she pointed out that these programs shape the lives of people in termsof how to handle domestic issues. She went further to state that people whohave been influenced by these contents negatively are to be blamed.

AuntyVicky as she is being called by her pupils told the researcher she noticed thatchildren whose parents have DStv show signs of improvement and pay attentionmore than others. When asked how she knew those who have DStv. She simplysmiled and said 'I do home teaching'

Gbenga,an ever smiling young man who operates a viewing centre where people watchfootball matches like the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Serie A, andChampions League matches, responded by saying MultiChoice has made it possiblefor him to feed his family because people pay as much as a hundred naira (N100)to watch a match, and as many as 50 people come there every weekend. He alsostated that, the viewing centre serves as a relaxation spot for many youngmen. 

 In order to identify specific televisionprograms that have significant influence on family other than individuals alone,the researcher asked questions like 'which program do you watch with yourfamily or friends' and 'which program do you discuss with friends'. A lot ofresponses were received. The next chapter explains the types of MultiChoiceprograms people watch daily. Suffice to say that, programs that are captivatingcan easily affect an individual, a family.

Thischapter attempts to portray that the Nigerian television program contents istied to the apron strings of the western media. Programs are now developed tofit into the western style of television broadcasting. The reason being thatthe Nigerian society had been brainwashed by MultiChoice contents which are toowestern in nature. For this reason, numbers of parents have argued that thepositive side of television viewing is not enough to erode the negativeinfluence. There are those who argue that it is solely the responsibility offamilies to raise their children in the right manner and not the programcontents on television. Television has become an important tool ofentertainment and education for children and parents. Television cultivatesbeliefs in people such as 'women are happiest at home raisingchildren' and 'men are born with more ambition than women'(Signorielli 1990). This goes to show that depictions do have consequences. Forexample, those who watch more television than average, particularly children,tend to hold more traditional notions of the way children should relate withtheir parents, their style of dressing and how their homes should look like. Toascertain the influence DStv  has onfamily institution in Nigeria, a total of two hundred and twenty questionnaireswere given out.

 MULTICHOICE DStv SUBSCRIBERS

MultiChoice has over a millionactive subscribers in Nigeria and Lagos has the highest number of subscriberswith over twenty thousand active subscribers.

In order to increase itssubscribers’ base and to stay on top, in April 2008, Nigeria became one of thefirst African countries to benefit from revolutionary mobile televisiontechnology with the launch of DStv Mobile, a partnership between cellularoperator MTN and Details Nigeria. DStv Mobile allows for the digitalterrestrial broadcast of a specially compiled package of live televisionchannels to a mobile phone.

 AN ANALYSIS OF HOW DStv INFLUENCE FAMILYINSTITUTION IN NIGERIA.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STUDYPOPULATION.

Outof the 220 respondents, students ( 50 ), married women ( 75 ), married men ( 25), single ladies ( 40 ), single men ( 30 ).

Threetypes of MultiChoice programs were highlighted by the researcher; they are;

Entertainment(movies, sitcoms, home videos, reality shows, musicals),

 Sports (football, tennis, boxing, wrestling,cricket, car racing) and

 News (news, documentary, current affairs, talkshows, business, debates).

DStvSUBSCRIBERS

Table4.2.3 this table indicates that all respondents are active DStv subscribers.

 Program contents preference

Thistable shows that people watch foreign entertainment programs more.

Watchingwith family members.

 shows that younger people watch DStv channelswithout their parents’ supervision.

 The negative influence of watching DStvprograms

showsthat respondents think DStv contents do not have negative implications.

Positiveimpact of DStv on family values.

showsthat the respondents totally agree that DStv contents do not have negativeeffects on family institution.

FINDINGS ON THE INFLUENCES OFMULTICHOICE PROGRAMS ON FAMILY VALUES.  

Whenwe talk about family values, it is simply the ideologies, moral and socialvalues traditionally maintained and affirmed within a family. There areactually many different ethnic groups to be found in Nigeria, and each grouphas its own unique cultural style. In this regard, more than 250 separatelanguages are reported to exist within the borders of Nigeria. The Yoruba, theHausa and the Ibo are just some of the larger social groups to be found in thenation. In addition to having a unique language, each of these groups has itsown unique approach to matters of tradition. Despite this fact, however, a greatdeal of similarity also exists between these different groups. This isespecially true regarding the traditional functions of the family. Today peoplelive in a world where values such as compassion and honesty are less importantthan the materialistic needs and money. Times are changing, things are takingdifferent turns.

 Families use values as a guide to theirchildren's lives. Due to economic demands parents no longer spend quality timewith their children. This has also been the reason children turn to thetelevision for parental support and guidance.

 Generally people use television as their pasttime, that is to say people love watching television but people do not justwatch any telecast program instead they watch programs that capture their interests.It is from this angle that we look at MultiChoice contents, apart from the factthat you have variety of programs to watch at your disposal, the contentsmatter the most. From the survey carried out and based on the researcher'sobservations, it is open to reason that MultiChoice contents direct the day today activities of the Nigerian society. The survey has shown that more thanhalf of the sampled populations watch entertainment programs. Programs like'Keeping up with the Kardashians', 'African Magic' 'Fashion TV’, ‘MTV Base’,‘Trace Channel’ ‘Clean House’, ‘Cartoon Network’,  ‘Super Sports’ amongst others  impart on the way people perceive reality.People stay glued to their television sets because of these notable programs.

 Television, when appropriately managed andsupervised, can be a positive influence in people's lives, especially children.

  POSITIVE INFLUENCES:

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