RADIO AND PUBLIC AWARENESS: A STUDY OF BARKA DA HANTSI PROGRAM OF FREEDOM FM KANO

The research attempts to find out the extent to which Barka da Hantsi program of Freedom Radio Kano creates awareness among the general public in Kano. The study’s purpose is to examine how the program addresses important local issues in enhancing public knowledge on relevant topics and to find out if Barka Da Hantsi listeners find the program useful. The methodology used was survey method employing the questionnaire as the instrument of data collection, which makes it most relevant and most appropriate for conducting a study that involves asking some questions from a large section of respondents. However, a personal brief interview with a producer and a presenter of the Barka Da Hantsi program was conducted to enrich the study’s findings. The findings revealed that: majority of the respondent listen to Barka da Hantsi at intervals majority of the respondents indicated social awareness as one of the benefits of Barka da Hantsi. Based on the findings, the research recommends that: Media houses, particularly Freedom Radio should evolve strategies so as to encourage listeners to constantly tune into the programme and give them feedback,