ABSTRACT
This study sought to find out the perception of viewers on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes of the Uzairue network of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), in Edo State, its impacts, its degree of communication with the host communities and some mitigating factors hindering the success of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. Anchored on the Social Responsibility and Developmental Media theories, the study adopted the survey design method, with the use of questionnaire as instrument, which was administered to 400 respondents, purposively sampled across the six (6) local government areas of the Edo North Senatorial District of the State. Findings revealed that the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes of NTA Uzairue, have, to a large extent, impacted the lives of members of the host communities, and the impacts have been felt politically, socially, financially, economically and others. It also revealed that the shortcomings hindering the success of the programmes include lack of proper consultation, conflict with host communities, excess request/needs of host communities, poor maintenance culture, communication gap, alteration of projects by communities, damage of previous projects and others. The study therefore, recommends that the media house should consult the host communities, not only during project execution, but also initiation, to avoid alteration of the project, and in ensuring the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes align with their needs. It also recommends that more efforts should be employed to ensure that the programmes reach and impact the larger population in the communication process, by utilising media such as town criers, billboards, community gatherings, social gatherings in reaching them; and the shortcomings hindering the success of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, should be given utmost attention.
