PROLIFERATION AND IMPACT OF FM RADIO IN NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

FM radio is the most powerful mass communication tool in the media landscape of Ghana. Besides its profit seeking interest and funded advertising, it disseminates information to the rural communities for development purposes. There have been growing number of FM radio stations in the Tamale Metropolis since 1995. The paper set out a platform to identify the motivation behind the rising number of FM radio stations in the Metropolis, their programme content and impact on the people, type of audiences and the limitation of FM radio stations in the Tamale Metropolis of Northern Ghana. An interview was conducted with 40 respondents purposively selected. These sampled respondents include opinion leaders, religious clergy, chiefs, and media professionals all drawn from Tamale Metropolis of Northern Ghana. The paper concludes that FM radio is an important tool for information dissemination to be relied on. The paper recommended that since FM radio is more popular among the audiences in both urban and rural areas is proper to employ experienced hands in their programmes and, more refined language should be used to transmit information to target audiences.