Abstract

The study was focused on readership habit of female staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi. The survey research method was adopted, and the researcher obtained a sample of 288 from the population of the study from whom data were obtained and analyzed. Data collected were presented in table and analyzed in simple percentage findings revealed that, most female staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, read newspaper occasionally. The researcher concludes based on the findings that the newspaper reading habit of the respondents is low. The researcher recommends that the management of the institution should endeavour to expand the subscription for national newspapers.

CHAPTER ONE

1.1   BACKGROUD OF THE STUDY

Newspaper readership studies do perhaps seem to be confined to an observe corner of extent literatures. This probably many be as a result of the assumption that almost everybody reads newspapers for clear reasons;  therefore, doing a newspapers readership study to ascertain how frequently, newspapers are read, why they are read and preference for a particular newspapers to the other appear rather to easy to deal with. However most researchers seem to concern themselves with matters of newspapers coverage of events in the society. As elementary as newspapers readership studies may appear to be, their centrality as forming sound foundation upon which further studies are built cannot be exaggerated (Layefa et al, 2016).

        Readership studies, besides being the hub of further studies function as a key marketing tools. Advertisers probably would prefer a newspapers of wider coverage with a wider readership reach. Evidently, newspapers readership tends to indirectly influence the what and why of coverage of news events; for reporters, editors give space for events they know would be of interest to the readers. Oloruntola cited in Morka & Orukamayan, (2015) states that news should not only be in an absolute sense of being news, it should be the sort of news that the reader of the paper will likely want to read, a newspapers that satisfies the curiosity or readers is mot likely to be preferred to others.

        There are plethora of newspapers researches; a greater percent bordering on newspapers coverage, ownership influence, and editorial readership. But none of those studies ever touched on newspapers reading habit among female civil servant. Therefore this study is different from existing ones in that it centers on newspapers reading habit among female staff in Tertiary institution.

1.2      STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Newspapers are known for the provision of up-to-date information on local, state, national and international events. Newspapers often contain current and interesting information  meant for the reading pleasure of the vast majority readers in all walks of life. As an important print medium of mass communication, newspapers provide the most current analysis, debate and criticism of socio-political, economic health and a host of other issue as information, education and entertainment of the readers. The newspapers is no doubt, one of the most widely-read periodicals available and accessible to all on daily basis in print and electronic versions.

However evidence from large body of empirical literature suggest that newspapers readership is on the decline. Dominick (2002, P.14) notes that newspapers readership has been declining over the last couple of years. Udie (2002,p.100) also reports that the frequencies of newspapers readership among Nigerian youth is less then 50%. Biag. (2003,p.83) states that since the 1970s the overall number of newspapers has declined due to non readership.

        Therefore, the problem of this study is to ascertain newspapers readership habit of female staff of tertiary institutions, with particular focus on Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital-Nnewi; Anambra State.