BROADCAST DEREGULATION AND EFFICIENT INFORMATION DISSEMINATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract
Deregulation has been a blessing to all Nigerians because it makes private investors to establish their own television station in Nigeria. This project examines “Broadcast Deregulation and Efficient Information Dissemination in Nigeria. (A Study of NTA and ITV Benin). Four research questions were for formulated for this study, A total number of 371,106 was the population of Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State. The purposive sampling procedure was used to select the respondents by the researcher to the get the sampling size which is 150. Findings of the study reveal that, Deregulation of Broadcast Media Station has increased and make news readily available to all the people of Ikpoba Okha. The recommended among others, that government should encourage deregulation to promote efficient information.

Background of the Study
The broadcast media is made up of radio and television. They are both medium for education, entertainment and advertisement.
According to Oroh cited chester et al (1971,p:4) defined broadcast as the transmission of signal capable of being received frequencies, usually or visually or both by the general public.
However, Radio broadcast came through the British Empire service from Daventry England. Soon after that year, the Lagos station began to experiment with rediffusion service in 1932. The Nigeria posts and telegraphs department was given the distribution of programmes to subscribers in Lagos, Kano and Ibadan. This was to operate in conjunction with the Empire Broadcast Service.
In 1936, Radio finally made its debute when the first Radio distribution service (rediffusion) was opened in Lagos as a means of distributing programmes originating from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London as part of its overseas service.
Television came into this country through regional initiative, according to okunna citing okenwa (1993)
The politics of Nigeria just before independence place
more emphasis On developing in regions, the innovation
that was to enhance the pace of Region development.

Over the years, Nigeria television broadcasting industry was in the hand of government control.
However, upon deregulation of television broadcast in Nigeria media have risen so far, have chosen to a line that is similar to that of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), quality is generally poor, perhaps with the singular inception of AIT (African Independent Television is also boring and of course, no serious plan is made in the area of developing contents.)
A major boost for the growth and development of broadcasting in Nigeria was the deregulation of Broadcast media landscape, via the promulgation of decree No. 38 of 1992 (now act of parliament) establishing the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
Television broadcasting began in Nigeria in October in 1959 through the government of then western region. It was known as Western Nigeria Television (WNT) ibadan for both Nigerians and African as a whole. Eventually, all other regions started their television broadcasting station there after.
However, the federal Government at a stage look over the control of television broadcast in Nigeria and the name was changed from a regional name to the Nigeria Television Authority with full powers. Deregulation has been a blessing to all Nigerians because it makes private investors to establish their own television station in Nigeria. Deregulation of broadcast media could be said to have begun in 1992 when Nigerian Broadcasting commission (NBC) was set up. This brought to an end to government (state and federal monopoly). Since then Nigerian Broadcasting gave license to many private Radio and television Station.
The major reasons for government control of broadcast according to Okunna (2006).

Is based on the fact that the air waves (Electro Magnetic spectrum) are scarce public resource which can only be controlled and best suitable for serving the public good.

Through the years, the broadcast media has been controlled solely by the federal government, even though the introduction of television was made possible through regional government. Due to the populace, the then military government of president Ibrahim Babamose Babagida (IBB) granted and approved license for private broadcast media in Nigeria with the establishment of Nigeria broadcasting council (NBC) via decree 38 of 1992. Since then, many private broadcasting houses sprang up. Some of these private media include, ITV, AIT, MINAJ, GALAXY etc .This is to ensure that information is well disseminated effectively to the society. The issue now is how has this been achieved? Could it be said that after some years of deregulation, that the society still avail for more information from the public in spite of deregulation? This is what the study will like to find out.