2.

3 Electronic Media
Learning Objectives:
• To develop understanding regarding the role of various electronic mass media
in Extension and Communication

Radio
Radio is a non-visual audio medium of communication. It provides one way
communication. It was the most effective medium of mass communication till early
eighties. In the rural and lower strata of urban radio still remained a medium for
information, entertainment and development.
Definition:
Radio is Transmission and Reception of Signals by means of Electronic waves without
the use of connecting wires.
Radio as Mass Medium

• Radio being a convenient form of entertainment caters to large audience. It has

advantages over other mass media like television and newspaper in terms of
being handy, portable and cheap.
• Radio is effective not only in informing the people but also in creating
awareness regarding many social issues and need for social reformation,
developing interest and initiating action.
• Radio as a vehicle of information for masses it is still the fastest as it does not
require shooting team and equipment.
• Radio as mass medium is that it caters to a large rural population which has no
access like television and where there is no power supply.
Advantages of Radio
• Comparison to television, radio programmes are not only simple but also cheap
to produce.
• Elaborated arrangement like materials, facilities setting, costumes, make-up
etc. are not essential.
• Radio is mobile medium, it can be carried within or outside home. It permits
listeners to use it conveniently in kitchen, bedroom, dining room, at workplaces,
and also in farms.
• The message to be transmitted in radio need not be memorised the participants
can use script and read.
• Radio is an effective individual and local medium, best suitable for local retails
advertisement.
• As it is only audio medium the listeners can hear programmes while attending
or performing other activities.

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 • In a country like India where the percentage of illiteracy is high, radio is the best
mass medium. So it removes barrier of literacy.
• Not only installation cost of radio is less but also radio advertising is much less
costly than television and most of other advertising media. Advertiser can reach
a mass or target audience with less budget than is needed for television.
• Like other electronic media radio duplicated one to one communication
thousand of times. Large section of receiver can be communicated quickly
through radio. In case of emergencies e.g. Earthquake, flood etc. can convey
the message with speed and immediacy.

Disadvantage of Radio

• The radio message does not persist long as in the case of printed media like
newspaper and magazines.
• Radio cannot retain audiences to listen commercial radio from the advertiser’s
point message through such medium is a waste.
• Like television, the listener is not attentive at the time of broadcast the listener
may miss it or it is gone forever.
• Programmes are restricted by the time segment.
• Radio is only an audio medium. It is not suitable for all types of radio commercial
and where a product is to be illustrated, demonstrated and the product or
service is to be seen

USE OF RADIO FOR EXTENSION WORK

➢ Various research experiments have proved that radio is an effective medium to

address adequately a particular problem of our society. Radio if used effectively
it help agencies, government and the people in general to solve the problem of
illiteracy in the country.

➢ In India, at present local radio station broadcast development programmes for

rural masses called farm and home programmes are broadcast keeping in mind
the needs of local people. Thus radio becomes one of the powerful medium for
development.

➢ Radio has created for itself an image of being an important source of education
and development. This has been possible because of its history of putting out
programmes related to social and civic problems, agricultural programmes,
health, family planning and nutrition related programmes and on formal and
non-formal education broadcast.

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 ➢ Radio has helped in creating a positive climate for growth and development.
India had a rich tradition of using radio for non-formal education programmes
rural development and also providing various types of learning opportunities
and information to the people.

➢ Community listening scheme was introduced by the government in sixties.

Assessment of this scheme revealed that the discussion in community listening
and deliberation were excellent or good and participant learn a great ideal or
quite a lot, also these farmers developed rapidly in to decision making bodies
capable of spreading up common pursuit of the village.(malhan 134-135)
➢ Vyas(1989) tapped the effectiveness of radio to enhance maternal and child
health care in the rural areas of India, women were organized into listening
groups who met regularly to listen, discuss and decide an actor and the
supervision of trained personnel’s. Thus evaluation and review of programme
revealed that radio promoted services for maternal and child health care and
fostered community participation in the child survival and development
programmes.

4.2 TELEVISION
Television, a new technology is a mass medium of communication having a distinct
element of video or visual characteristics in combination of audio or sound and motion
or action. Today television enjoys world over as an unrivalled status as a medium of
mass communication.It is a theater of home and a glamour of family media possessing
as it does the immediacy of radio with the mobility of cine camera.

CHARATERTICS OF TELIVISION AS MASS MEDIUM

• FLEXIBILITY

It is a flexible medium. It serves both as national medium as well as regional

medium. It is elastic and adaptable to various situations and flexible to time,
market and copy. So that the advertiser can reach out mass audience through
network but also target audience in special market. Thus it is a national and
regional medium.

• FAMILY MEDIUM

Receiving television set is glamour of family medium. All the members of the
family view the sales messages of the product or services. It is not only viewed
by the household members, but also viewed simultaneously by many other. No

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 other medium can compare with television for its capacity of great penetration
of the market.

• JUST WATCHING

Print media like newspapers, magazines are hard to eyes to read and
understand. The problem of illiteracy is also associated. The readers have to
put lots of efforts on reading, understanding the message. In case of television
broadcasting it is just enough if the viewer keeps his or her eyes open.
Commercials are broadcast only during breaks and cuts are usually only for a
few seconds require no efforts to view.
• SOUND,ACTION,SIGHT

It combines the element of sound, sight, and action and has power to influence
greatly to attract their interest and attention.
• EVALUATION

Permits to evaluate audience coverage and audience data with the help of
evaluation technique and mass research.
• NO PAYMENT

It is only with television commercials channel, possible to provide programmes.

The viewer is not paid for this out of his license fee.
• ENTERTAINMENT AND INFORMATION

It is an entertainment and information mass medium possessing all qualities,

essentials for a mass medium.
• TIME

In case of television broadcasting media, time is sold for advertising of product

of service. It may be mentioned that advertising part of broadcasting is
commercial television.

ADVANTAGES OF TELEVISION

1. Television has the intimacy of radio and believability of personal

participation. It has intimate approach due to which it becomes more
appealing and attracts the attention and interest of the people. As it
combines the entire element namely sight, sound and motion, it becomes
possible to show variety on indoor and outdoor situation, scene and places
effectively. Thus it is very effective in stimulating and inspiring new insights,
discoveries and inventions.

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 2. Television breaks the barriers of illiteracy as due to its combination of sight,
sound and motion, understanding of the message become easier. It
provides entertainment, informs, educates and persuades and thus informs
all functions of mass media.
3. It makes news releases and features action oriented and colorful for greater
impact. The visual experience of watching television is more dynamic and
meaningful due to the movement and sound associated with it.
4. Television can bring the live programmes right into the living room of the
audience. This provides the vicarious experience of participating in the
event.

LIMITATIONS OF TELEVISION
1. Television requires a fully developed television network and electrical supply
for broadcasting the programmes. In, India people living in remote as well as
rural areas are not able to take advantages of television due to lack or absence
of electrical supply.
2. Television is an expensive mass medium compared to others mass media
because not only the television sets are expensive but both production of
television programmes and their utilization are expensive unless they are used
extensively.
3. Moreover television programmes production requires trained personnel's.
4. There is a need to learn about beneficial and harmful effects of television
exploit, it positive potential and prevent the damage it can do to the various
group of people.

ROLE OF TELEVISION IN HOME SCIENCE EXTENSION

Television is the mass media that takes millions of persons each day to faraway
places. It is the 20th century creation of the technological revolution that has
transformed much of the world for the past two centuries and their impact on our social,
political and cultural life. Television brings our cultural heritage in art, music, drama,
and literature to all.
Television has important role to play in our home extension the students can
teach through television to rural people.
1. Television impact has been so powerful that illiterate adults and young school
dropouts are able to absorbs complex educational contents which otherwise
could have appealed to them.

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 2. Television has the great potential for change and development among the
largely illiterate and semi-literate masses of India both for basic and continuing
education.
3. It can also uplift the cultural taste of people gradually and serve as a pure form
of modern ideas and useful information.
4. Television has the great potential for change and development among the
masses. Being a mass media the experts can reach large numbers of people
at the group such as farm women, school dropouts, adolescent girls, pregnant
women.
5. Distance education uses television and video tapes as their prime
communication media.
6. Education is most effective when materials are prepared for specific group of
similar education, experiences and interest level of specific topics.
7. Television is an excellent media for home female education in home science
extension; whole client is women and adolescent girls.
8. Television reaches a large segment of the population. They can convince that
audience to participate in rural development process.
9. They can not only convince the audience but also motivate them to participate
in achieving the rural development.

FILM

FILM AS MASS MEDIUM

❖ Film as a means of creative expression. It performs the function of mass media
such as information, education entertainment and transmission of culture.
❖ Film leave long lasting impression of the message for example, film like mother
India have their message still fresh in the minds of the people.
❖ The film generates popular culture and creates culture waves such as fashion
style and mannerisms. Moreover by revolving the film stories and character
around the traditional ideas and role stereotypes they foster the role
stereotypes in the society in general.
❖ Films can prove to be the most effective mass medium in a country like India
where literacy level is low and people cannot afford other media such as print
or television due to economic reasons.
❖ It is powerful audio visual medium, social cultural political, communal problem s
can be projected well before the masses have remained the most popular
medium of entertainment for the masses which is a basic necessity.
❖ Film can work as a social monitor. Film have been effective in projecting social
evils for example for the film ‘’yeh aag kab bujhegi’’ were presented the evils of
dowry.

ADVANTAGES OF FILM

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 ❖ Films as mass medium have similar advantages as television as far as motion
and manipulation of time are concerned. Motion is essential for
comprehending certain concepts and messages. For example, science
experiments. Operation of machines or industrial plants scan is shown
effectively with motion. Both the media show few hours long events in few
minutes.
❖ The emotional impact left by films in shaping personal attitudes. They present
the situation in a dramatic, recreation forms which bring reality also and
assures the involvement of the viewer and leaves emotional impact.
❖ A film is a versatile medium. It lends itself to instructional use in both large and
small groups and for individual study.
❖ A film provides viewing of phenomena at extremely close range or form a vast
distance which is not possible in television.
❖ Films can be used for variety of purpose such as entertainment education,
persuasion changing motivation and opinions. The messages conveyed
through films are retained better due to its reality element.

LIMITATIONS
❖ The main limitations of the films is its fixed pace. They move at a fixed pace,
some viewers are likely to fall behind, if they are unable to keep pace with pace
of the film.
❖ The commercial films are made with the audience preference in minds, but
there is hardly any feedback mechanism.
❖ The production of film or a replication of film are costly and require huge amount
of finance. It requires highly sophisticated equipments for production as well as
projection.
❖ Film production also requires trained personnel such as director, photographer,
sound effect expert, musician, editor etc. Once the film production is complete
it is very expensive to make any change in the film.
❖ Each film requires individual distribution networks, which requires investment
of large amount of money and time.

ROLE OF FILMS IN EXTENSION

❖ Films help to influences the attitude of person. Development of positive attitude
and elimination of negative ones is very important for a democracy society.
Films are an excellent media for this kind of learning as they depict situation
most correctly and authentically- films on famine, victims of child labor, women
and animals, working women, small and large families etc.
❖ Films helps in understanding abstract and difficult ideas- films on care of new
born babies, family planning, emotions, mental processor, spread of cancer in
a body etc.

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 ❖ Film help to arouse and sustain the attention of learners on less, interesting
topics – child development, solar cookers.
❖ Films help to retain knowledge for longer period of time.
❖ Films helps to control time factor – a film on growth of fetus which takes nine
months can be shown within 30 minutes, a film on the uses of improved manure
for better agricultural products can be shown in 15 minutes, while the actual
process may take 3 to 4 months.
❖ Films help to bring the past and the present closer film on changes in dress,
architecture, food, manner, health, family life, education.
❖ Development of science and technology in relation to the home through
centuries.
❖ Film help to develop a common platform for learning.
❖ Several topics of all five areas of home science can be taught effectively
through films.
❖ Films can help in developing useful habits such as independent thinking,
teamwork and cooperation – film on japans, village improvement through
community action etc.

Unit- 2 EXC 1202 CO2 Communication Media for Development