1

CHOICE AND FUNCTIONAL APPROACH OF RADIO STATIONS

PREFERRED BY THE LISTENERS IN GENERAL SANTOS CITY

A Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of the Communication Arts Program
RAMON MAGSAYSAY MEMORIAL COLLEGES
General Santos City

In Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements in Thesis Writing 2
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts

ESTEFAN CARL RONOLO

May 2023
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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

Radio is now the most generally available mode of communication in all

regions. It also functions as a mass communication route in the community,

promoting awareness of such important events. As with any other mass media,

the purpose of growing radio as a mass medium is to educate, inform, and

socialize people. The emphasis is mostly on raising awareness, environmental

monitoring, and cultural legacy transfer (Mcquil, 1998). It may also assist

individuals by providing reward, realization, and stress relaxation, making it

simpler for people to deal with real-life situations and society to prevent

breakdown (Mendelson, 1996).

Radio has an established societal influence, influencing attitudes and

behavior. Radio is still the most reliable source of news and enlightenment in

most sections of general santos city due to its unique character in terms of

simplicity, larger coverage, introducing the world to people who cannot read,

immediacy, transmission in numerous local languages, and contribution to the

growth of a nation. As a result, radio became one of the most acceptable modes

of communication in every civilization, overcoming literacy hurdles (Mendelson,

1998).

Currently, radio is one of several modes of communication in general

santos city. It acts as a means of disseminating information about major events in

the community. Furthermore, with the advent of FM stations, the radio has
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evolved into a source of enjoyment for listeners, as it broadcasts a wide range of

music. A radio broadcast consists of two key components: discourse and music.

Listeners like a certain station mostly because of the programs it broadcasts.

Most youths choose to listen to musical programs, educational programs,

entertainment, and news, while some prefer interactive programs.

With the following facts stated above, the researcher aimed to determine

the preferences and functional approach preferred by the listeners towards FM

and AM radio stations in General Santos City and would also like to identify the

implication that can be drawn based on the result of this study. There was no

such study same as this conducted here and this could help the radio

administrators to adjust to the preferences of the listeners. This may also serve

as a basis of the radio anchors and disk jockeys as to what programs to have as

well as approach for the listeners. This may also help the listeners realize the

very reason why they wanted to listen to a radio program.

Research Objectives

This study aimed to determine the preferences and functional approach

preferred by the listeners towards FM and AM radio stations in General Santos

City.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following objectives:

1. To determine the most chosen radio station in General Santos City in

terms of:

1.1 AM

1.2 PM
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2. To identify the level of functional approach of radio stations preferred by

the listeners when group according to radio stations.

3. What implication can be drawn based on the result of the study?

Review of Related Literature

This part presents and discusses the related literature and researches that

could be useful for the present study.

Radio is one of the modes of communication. Traditionally, television and

newspapers have been the main alternative forms of communication (Onabajo,

2019). However, the development in Information Technology has altered the

landscape significantly given that social media and related forms of

communication have emerged to play an essential role in communication.

McKenzie (2017) argued that Radio is one of the most popular and widespread

tools of communication in the rural areas where most of the population lives. This

is because it is the most accessible and affordable mass media and it can

disseminate important information to rural audiences through it they get

entertained, receive the latest news and enjoy listening to various programs.

Sakwa (2018) says that radio has a wide coverage with a higher

persuasion and influence compared to other media of communication. These

studies help to show that radio can be used in educating society on various

issues important issues like health, development, and family. The dynamic nature

of radio ensures its relevance in the competition with other forms of media

communication. It has faced competition but has found its way out. The dynamic

nature of radio has been facilitated by internet which has made content local,
 5

available and accessible. The internet has offered opportunities for growth

through its audio content to radio users. This reflects the ideas proposed

possibilities of the internet proposed in the 1990. People who listen to the radio

today enjoy the efficiency of the internet and radio content without need for

aerial. Marketing professional have found internet radio profitable.

Kuewumi (2019) observed that radio was a companion to listeners

because it advocates or appeals to them individually apart from reaching many

people simultaneously. The 9 position is supported by the fact that some radio

programs discuss matters that affect listeners either directly or indirectly. Radio is

interactive in nature. The radio gives feedback to the listener on communication

made through Face book, texts, calls, twitter, Instagram, email alongside other

channels of mass communication. This enables communication flow among

members of public keeping them in touch (McLeish, 2015).

Radio listenership is adequate perception on information from the radio

(Oyelade, 2016). This allows reception of information by the audience. Radio

listening increases moral and intellectual knowledge in students. Majority of radio

audience need others to hear their voice but poor in listening. They spend more

time criticizing other people‘s views either mentally or indirectly than listening to

what is being said (Sekouri, 2020). Careful listeners obtain, interpret and analyze

information while at the same time developing relationships with the

presenters/listeners.

Korzenny (2018) says that people all over the globe listen to radio for

information and entertainment. Radio has become like a routine for most people
 6

who interact with the presenters and other listeners to discuss issues that may

affect them in their day to day lives. Paul (2017) indicated that most households

in the US (42%) use radio to access information despite the decline in regular

radio listenership in the country. It was further indicated that majority of the

Americans (53%) listened to radio via the computer of mobile phones showing

that technological advancement has created better avenues and chances to

listen to radio.

Edwardson (2018) reported that radio listening was popular in Canada

during the Second World War because the country was fighting and people

wanted to hear news about the war. It was also popular during the great

depression in the 1930‘s, which a time of great stress it was. During these times

radio listening achieved the status of a universal household commodity. Ismaila

(2018) says that most of the members of the rural population listen to radio

regularly with majority tuning to their preferred radio station and program for a

long time compared to other stations.

According to the Radio Advertising Bureau (2019), 99% of the people

listen to the radio on their own while undertaking their routine chores. Radio has

promoted local content and raised awareness amongst community members on

nurturing native knowledge. Radio has stimulated development in the rural areas

by 10 providing information on starting a business and accessing loans through

different programs relating to agriculture and self-help groups. Radio has also

come up with programs that have improved morality in the rural areas while at

the same time providing news to the rural people hence keeping them informed
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on the current issues. Health education programs on radio have raised public

knowledge on health issues.

This has led to community development. In Kenya especially rural areas

where there is more population than in urban areas it is worth noting that radio is

the greatest channel for information dissemination (Simiyu, 2015), argued that

Radio listenership is usually at its peak in Western and Nyanza counties due to

the keen interest taken by women in the community to listen to their favorite

programs. The findings of this study indicates that some of the women do carry

their radio sets to the farms and they work as they listen to the programs,

journalists cannot be delinked from the process of influencing content generation

over the airwaves.

Eribo (2019) argues that this influence is shaping agenda setting role of

radio and its outcome in the society is evident. There is a lot of evidence on the

positive impact of radio however, there are still lingering pending issues over

radios developmental impact and some of the issues are questions about how it

has ensured that women are well represented for example in achieving equal

representation in parliament. The use of radio just like all ICTs is not gender

balanced because of a patriarchal society.

According to (Myers, 2018), her research findings in her publication

indicated ownership levels among adults in East Africa to be between 70%-95%,

with Kenya being in the first position with 93% while Tanzania and Burundi with

the least 68%. However in the African states such as in the Maghreb region in

the North, the trends are different where TV viewership is in the lead being
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closely followed by radio. The same study indicated radios daily usage at 69% to

91% in Africa with Kenya among the countries registering heavy listening weekly

of radio being at 92% followed by TV. KARF audience surveys (Q4 2013)

confirmed the above by indicating that daily listenership of radio is at 90%. The

growth of radio has also been rapid compared to other mass media; according to

CCK by the year 2007 there were more that 170 radio stations and 56 TV

stations in Kenya. Radio programs will attract large listenership from the

audience if well produced, this will also depend on the content, format or style,

and presentation, this means that radio producers and programmers should work

simultaneously.

Toepista (2018), on her study on impact of radio on agriculture argued that

there is need to integrate extension services with radio agriculture programming

in order to effectively serve rural farming communities. It is very important for

agriculture institutions and radio stations to form partnerships to overcome

challenges that both sides experience. She also argued that Radio producers

and stations need to find sustainable ways of packaging innovative programs;

partnerships with agricultural institutions in producing programs would be more

sustainable compared to donor funded programs and this will boost development

in the country because agriculture is the main economic activity in Kenya. The

adoption of multiple programming formats in many radio stations in the world

today together with the integration of other ICTs has created richer, more

interesting and more interactive radio programs.

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A study conducted by MEAS (2014) shows that the inclusion of farmer‘s

perspectives and their voices is particularly important, thus radio stations need to

invest more in the participation of farmers in the programs if they are to be

effective and sustain listenership as intended that is they should ensure that

more often they invite experienced farmers to their talk shows to exchange their

views with the fellow farmers . The researcher also recommends that station

managers invest in agriculture programming and should consider building

partnerships with organizations in the agricultural sector for both technical and

financial support for sustainability.

The findings of Toepista (2014) indicates that the production team that

produces “Mali Shambani” an agricultural program that airs on KBC Radio Taifa

said they try to ensure relevance the of program content by seeking guidance

from agriculture experts. They also involve agriculture officers when they are

preparing the program schedule. This was initially done and facilitated by the

program funders in meetings with content providers and later on the production

team would liaise with the officers on phone. It is worth noting that radio

programmers should also work closely with its audience when coming up with

their schedule because this will help them reach more listenership.

Research by (Media Council of Kenya, 2012). Indicates public

participation in development projects has been made possible by airing of

programs in local language that are encouraging such, thus vernacular radio

stations should produce more informative programs using vernacular language.

This will also help in supporting local talent and our heritage. Radio has offered
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its listeners both active and passive programming. Passive listeners are those

who listen to music purely for entertainment or relaxation purposes and active

listeners are those who listen to talk based programs mostly to be informed

(Denevan 2014).

With the emergence of mobile phones such talks shows are more

interactive 14 because those in the studio do usually engage their listeners by

giving them an opportunity to call or text their opinions or views on the subject

being discuss. The desire of any radio broadcaster, announcer, or owner, is the

sustainability of their potential listeners that is how they can make their audience

to tune in to that particular radio station on a more regular basis. This

sustainability can be achieved by asking oneself whether your potential audience

is listening to radio, time they listen to radio more, how are they listening, how

often are they listening and why are they listening? This study or questions can

guided by Herzog's uses and gratifications theory, which states that audience or

people interact with particular media messages and use the media for different

purposes, radio, or any other media, is actively chosen by its audience and is

done so with certain motives that underline its consumption.

According to (Stafford & Stafford, 1996), audience do use a particular

channel as a way to pass time, as a habit they have adopted, for companionship

when feeling lonely, for excitement to feel happy, for relaxing after a hard day‘s

work, as an escape or diversion, for entertainment, as a social interaction, for

information, news or current affairs, and for specific content such as personal

relationships. These can be categorised as personal wants or needs, and the

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uses and gratifications theory assumes that people have certain needs that can

be satisfied by media or particular channel. If radio programmers understand

these needs then they will be able to sustain their audience by scheduling

content that will satisfy their listeners.

Radio can also boost development by highlighting human Interest stories,

development stories needs to be very encouraging and also inspirational,

therefore radio producers can give these stories impact by putting people in them

because in the end, development is about changing lives for the better and that is

what listeners relate to (Simiyu 2010).

This means that by media highlighting a successful story it will influence

another person to desire to be successful too. Radio can play a great role of

promoting social justice in the society (Myers 2008), she argues that radio as the

common channel is very crucial in informing the rest of the world about important

issues within developing nations.

Also the government or those in authority will have to implement policies

which are based on the common good of the people since radio acts as a

watchdog to ensure that this is being done. These decisions may be highly

unpopular but they have to be taken, and a hostile press can hold back

governments progress while a supportive press can help the government push

these policies ahead. A journalist reporting on development has the duty to report

stories without being biased straight in the face of the common person, if a

project has not turned out the way it is expected in order to benefit the citizens

then they need to be informed, for instance if the funds allocated to a certain
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project were not well utilized, development journalists should ensure that they to

keep the government on its toes (Myers, 2018),.

They should strive to ensure that they indicate the disparities between

plans and actual accomplishments and include comparisons with how

development is progressing in other countries and regions. It also should provide

contextual and background information about the development process, discuss

the impact of plans, projects, policies, problems, and issues on people, and

speculate about the future of development. Development news should mainly

highlight to what the people need in order to improve the society, this usually

varies from country to country or from region to region, but of great importance is

18 the primary needs, such as food, clothing, sanitary, housing, employment;

secondary needs such as transportation, energy sources and electricity; Tertiary

needs such as cultural diversity, recognition and dignity

Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on the gratification’s theory that has been linked to

the perceived demise of radio; A study by Ayyad (2001) notes that radio is no

longer satisfying its audience, thus making its listeners to seek these satisfaction

elsewhere, like Internet. Users of media are aware of their needs and thus they

select the most appropriate media to satisfy those needs. For instance if

someone wants some local contents will the radio or the Internet satisfy this

need? If the user wants entertainment, will he or she get it from radio, internet or

any other source? This is a concern that traditional broadcasters are coping with,

however the Internet broadcasters hope is that as audience migrate from

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traditional radio to Internet radio they may be forming new habits with Internet

radio as they to use it for entertainment. If this habit‘s foundation is collaborated

with the other gratifications, then it might lead to the demise of traditional radio.

However, according to Sundar & Limperos (2013) they argue that there is

a higher possibility that the satisfaction that is obtained from using new

communication technologies such as the Internet, internet radio among others

have not been fully documented. However,Ruggiero (2000) brings in another

dimension on this matter a more realistic view of traditional radio vs. Internet

radio through uses and gratifications is that it is individualistic, meaning that it is

possible that different gratifications maybe satisfied by different media, thus

making it quite impossible to rule out a single winner or loser in the media battle.

It is worth noting that The Telecommunications Act of 1996 in combination with

current music options, listening options, content options and availability options

has adversely affected radio's future.

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of the study illustrates the independent variable

and dependent variable of the study. The independent variable is the preferences

of the respondents while the dependent variable is the functional approach

preferred by them. The arrow line signifies between two variables.

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Input Process Output

Preferred Radio
Station
Functional
Survey Form Implication
Approah of Radio
Stations Preferred
by Listeners

Figure1. Conceptual Framework of the Study

Significance of the Study

This study will be beneficial to the following entities:

Radio Station Administrators. The result of this study will enlighten them

about the preferences of their listeners. This could be their basis in formulating

tactics that could attract more listeners.

FM/AM Radio Listeners. The result of this study would make them

realize about the factors that have an impact on their preferences and attitudes

towards FM radio stations.

Future researchers. The result of this study can serve as their basis or

reference in the study that they will conduct in the future which could be related

to this topic.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined operationally for better understanding of

the readers.
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Preferences. Refers to the factors that affect the choices of the

respondents in choosing an Fm radio to listen to.

FM radio stations. Refers to the companies that own ad create frequency

modulation (FM) bases here in General Santos City, like Yes FM, Love radio,

Brigada news fm, and etc.

Chapter 2

METHOD
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This chapter discusses the methods that will be used in conducting this

study. This includes the research design, research locale, population and

sample, research instrument, data collection, statistical treatment, and ethical

consideration.

Research Design

A descriptive quantitative research design was used in undertaking this

study. This design describes a phenomenon that is in existence based on

attitudes, behavior, perceptions, or values (Orodho, 2003). This made the design

suitable for this research as the researcher sought to describe radio listenership

(existing phenomenon) by asking about the attitudes of the respondents and their

radio listening habits. According to Kombo and Tromp (2006), descriptive survey

design enables the researcher to collect data for the purposes of describing and

measuring the characteristics of a population which is too large to be observed

directly.

Based on the result of the gathered data, the researcher will; give a

possible implication as to the factors that affect the preferences and functional

approach preferred by the listeners towards FM and AM radio stations.

Research Locale

This study was conducted in Barangay Conel, General Santos City. It was

located in the island of Mindanao and within the province of South Cotabato.

Population and Sample

This study utilized the random sampling, stratified through clusters from

the different Puroks of Barangay Conel, General Santos City.

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Specifically, with the use of Slovin’s formula, 346 respondents were

identified in the said barangay.

Research Instrument

The main instrument that was used in this study was the questionnaire

which was adapted by the researcher and been validated by three (3) experts to

assure that it could address the stated objectives of the study.

Data Collection

The researcher observed the following procedures in gathering the data:

The researcher secured a letter noted by the adviser requesting the

authority from the LGU and Barangay officials to conduct the study. The

researcher forwarded the approved letter to the respondents to ask for their

cooperation. Upon the approval, the researcher then distributed the

questionnaire to the respondents. Upon the completion of the respondents in

answering the questionnaire, the researcher immediately collected or retrieved

the questionnaires. The data was then tallied and sent to the statistician for

interpretation.

Statistical Treatment

The researcher used the following statistical tools in the interpretation of

the data:

Frequency and Percentage was used to answer the most preferred AM and

FM radio stations in General Santos City.

Weighted Mean was employed to identify the level of functional approach of

radio stations preferred by the listeners when group according to their type.
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Ethical Consideration

This study was guided by important ethical considerations. These include

safeguarding the privacy of participants and providing transparency throughout

the research process.

Informed consent- The participants were completely aware that an

assessment would be conducted. The purpose and process of the research were

also explained to the participants.

Confidentiality- The identities of interviewees and workshop participants

were not included in the field research section of the thesis to protect

respondents' privacy. Without permission, names were not utilized in the final

paper or any of the report-back materials.

Transparency- All data and material provided by the different institutions

involved in this thesis had been referenced. The researcher would provide the

study's findings in an accurate and transparent manner.

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Chapter 3

RESULTS

This chapter deals with the presentation, analysis, and interpretation of the

data gathered in the study. The various results were presented in the succeeding

tables with corresponding discussion and explanations, it also answered the

specific problems stated in the previous chapter.

Table 1.1 Preferred FM Radio Stations of the Respondents

FM Radio Stations Frequency (f) Percentage (%)

1. Love Radio 167 30.93 %

2. Easy Rock 1 0.19 %

3. Barangay FM 102.3 151 27.96 %

4. Magic 106.3 0 0%

5. Wild FM 46 8.52 %

6. iFM 47 8.70 %

7. Brigada News Fm 68 12.59 %

8. Pacman Radio 30 5.56 %

9. Big Radio Gensan 8 1.48 %

10. Energy FM 3 0.56 %

11. YES! FM 11 2.04 %

12. Infinite Radio 1 0.19 %

13. Gold FM 2 0.37 %

14. K101 Love Radio 3 0.56 %

15. DWIZ 98.3 MHz 2 0.37 %

Total: 540 100 %

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Table 1.1 presents the preferred FM stations of the respondents. It

revealed that love radio was the most listened to with a frequency of 167,

followed by Barangay FM with a frequency of 151, wild Fm with 76, Brigada

News FM with 68, and iFM with 47. Among the least listened FM radio stations

were: Magic 106.3 with 0 listener, easy rock and infinite radio which both had 1

listener, and Gold Fm and DWIZ with both 2 listeners.

Table 1.2 Preferred AM Radio Stations of the Respondents

AM Radio Stations Frequency (f) Percentage (%)

1. Bombo Radyo 161 30.43 %

2. Brigada News 182 34.40 %

3. RMN 80 15.12 %

4. DZRH 32 6.05 %

5. DXMD 61 11.53 %

6. Radyo Mo Nationwide 2 0.38 %

7. Radyo Ronda 3 0.57 %

8. Radyo Asenso 1 0.19 %

9. Radyo Alerto 0 0%

10. Radyo Totoo 6 1.13 %

11. Sunshine Radio 1 0.19 %

Total 529 100 %

The table 1.2 above shows that Brigada News was the most listened to Am radio

stations with a frequency of 182, followed by Bombo radio with 161 listeners,
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RMN with 80 listeners, DXMDD with 61, and DZRH with 32 listeners. As to the

least listened AM radio stations, Radyo Alerto got 0, Radyo Asenso and

Sunshine Radio bot got 1, Radyo Mo Nationwide with 2 listeners, and Radyo

Ronda with 3 listeners.

Table 2.1 Functional Approach of FM Radio Stations Preferred by Listeners

Variables Mean Interpretation

A. Information (Surveillance)
1. The announcer provides regular update on breaking 3.54 Always
news to inform the listeners of the current situation.
2. The newscast is arranged based on its significance to 3.36 Always
the listeners.
3. I learn more about what’s going on in the locality, the 3.56 Always
country and the World.
4. I like how they monitor the reliability of the sources of 3.41 Always
their news.
5. The announcer’s fairly deliver news presenting both 3.39 Always
sides of the issue.
Overall 3.45 Always
B. Correlation
1. The announcers are open-minded on issues discussed 3.34 Always
on air and listens to the opinions of others.
2. I learn something from the issues being discussed on air. 3.54 Always
3. The announcers demonstrate knowledge about the issue 3.40 Always
since their opinions are well-said.
4. I am enlightened through the way they explain and 3.41 Always
interpret the news.
5. The announcers are objective in treating controversial 2.42 Seldom
issues.
Overall 3.22 Often
C. Continuity (Cultural Transmission)
1. I like how they accommodate the views, reactions, and 3.60 Always
opinions of the listeners.
2. I am encouraged to be prouder of being a Filipino. 3.34 Always
3. I like how they relate the issues with our daily life. 3.35 Always
4. I like the way the station observes gender 3.55 Always
equality/sensitivity
5. I have observed that they are fair with their opinions. 3.18 Often
Overall 3.40 Always
D. Entertainment
1. I like the music they are playing in the station. 3.72 Always
2. I am entertained because of the jokes inserted between 3.58 Always
breaks.
3. I like to listen to the program because of the wit and 3.55 Always
humor of the DJ.
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4. I find the program entertaining because of the banter 3.49 Always

between the DJs and the callers/ listeners.
5. I enjoy participating in their promos on-air. 3.42 Always
Overall 3.55 Always
E. Mobilization
1. I am mobilized to act on pressing issues. 3.28 Always
2. I am reminded of my spiritual obligations. 3.57 Always
3. I am encouraged to contribute positive changes in our 3.03 Often
area.
4. I am motivated to participate in the civic activities. 3.41 Always
5. I am encouraged to participate and share my ideas on 3.45 Always
social issues discussed on air.
Overall 3.35 Always
F. Imposition
1. It’s the radio station that my family listens to. 3.03 Often
2. I have no choice because it’s the only station available in 2.67 Often
our area.
3. It’s the only radio station that I know of. 2.27 Seldom
4. I do not own the radio. 3.12 Often
5. I cannot choose my own radio program because my 2.18 Seldom
parents imposed on me to listen to a specific radio
station.
Overall 2.65 Often
G. Word Usage
1. I can easily understand the program since it uses the 3.71 Always
vernacular.
2. I observe that DJ’s use some indecent language but still 2.86 Often
listen because I find them funny.
3. I tend to imitate the expressions they use. (ex. Salad 2.97 Often
oh.init pa)
4. The announcer’s use words loaded with sexual 3.01 Often
implications to entertain listeners.
5. I like the announcers use of colored language and words 3.03 Often
with double meaning. (ex. Tugsngyaw)
Overall 3.12 Often
Grand Total 3.25 Always

Table 2.1 presents the attitudes of the respondents as to the FM stations

in General Santos City. In terms of Information, indicator 3 stating that “I learn

more about what is going on in the locality, the country and the world” got the

highest mean of 3.56 interpreted as Always, followed by indicator 1 “The

announcer provides regular update on breaking news to inform the listeners of

 23

the current situation” with a mean of 3.54 and was also interpreted as Always.

Overall, Information or surveillance had a mean of 3.45 and was interpreted as

always.

When it comes to correlation, indicator 2 “I learn something from the

issues being discussed on air” got the highest mean of 3.54 as was interpreted

as Always. It was then followed by indicator 4 “I am enlightened through the way

they explain and interpret the news” with an average of 3.41 and was interpreted

as Always. In general, correlation was considered by the respondents as often

with an overall mean of 3.22.

As to continuity or cultural transmission, indicator 1 got the highest mean

and was interpreted as always, followed by indicators 3 and 4 with the same

average of 3.55 and both were interpreted as always. Indicator 2 received an

average of 3.34 and was also interpreted as always. Only indicator 5 was

considered often with the mean of 3.18.

In terms of entertainment, it had an overall mean of 3.55 which was

interpreted as always. Indicator 1 got a mean of 3.72, followed by indicator 2 with

a mean of 3.58, indicator 3 with 3.55, indicator 4 got 3.49, and lastly, indicator 5

with am mean of 3.42. all these indicators were interpreted as always.

As to mobilization, indicator 2 (3.57), indicator 5 (3.45), indicator 4 (3.41),

and indicator 1 (3.28) were interpreted as always, while only indicator 3 was

interpreted as often with a mean of 3.03. overall, entertainment was interpreted

as always.
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In terms of imposition, it had an overall mean of 2.65 which was the

reason why it was interpreted as Often. Indicator 1 (3.03), indicator 2 (2.67),

indicator 4 (3.12) were all interpreted as often while indicator 3 (2.27) and

indicator 5 (2.18) were interpreted as seldom.

When it comes to word usage, only indicator 1 (3.71) was interpreted as

always, indicators 2 (2.86), 3 (2.97), 4 (3.01), and 5 (3.03) were all interpreted as

often. Overall, word usage got a mean of 3.12 which was interpreted as often.

Table 2.2 Functional Approach of AM Radio Stations Preferred by Listeners

Variables Mean Description

A. Information (Surveillance)
1. The announcer provides regular update on breaking news 3.54 Always
to inform the listeners of the current situation.
2. The newscast is arranged based on its significance to the 3.21 Always
listeners.
3. I learn more about what’s going on in the locality, the 3.28 Always
country and the World.
4. I like how they monitor the reliability of the sources of their 3.58 Always
news.
5. The announcer’s fairly deliver news presenting both sides 3.33 Always
of the issue.
Overall 3.39 Always
B. Correlation
1. The announcers are open-minded on issues discussed on 3.53 Always
air and listens to the opinions of others.
2. I learn something from the issues being discussed on air. 3.52 Always
3. The announcers demonstrate knowledge about the issue 3.50 Always
since their opinions are well-said.
4. I am enlightened through the way they explain and 2.93 Always
interpret the news.
5. The announcers are objective in treating controversial 3.21 Seldom
issues.
Overall 3.34 Often
C. Continuity (Cultural Transmission)
1. I like how they accommodate the views, reactions, and 3.66 Always
opinions of the listeners.
2. I am encouraged to be prouder of being a Filipino. 3.36 Always
3. I like how they relate the issues with our daily life. 3.82 Always
4. I like the way the station observes gender 3.06 Always
equality/sensitivity
 25

5. I have observed that they are fair with their opinions. 3.04 Often
Overall 3.39 Always
D. Entertainment
1. I like the music they are playing in the station. 3.37 Always
2. I am entertained because of the jokes inserted between 3.63 Always
breaks.
3. I like to listen to the program because of the wit and humor 3.33 Always
of the DJ.
4. I find the program entertaining because of the banter 3.04 Always
between the DJs and the callers/ listeners.
5. I enjoy participating in their promos on-air. 3.09 Always
Overall 3.29 Always
E. Mobilization
1. I am mobilized to act on pressing issues. 3.35 Always
2. I am reminded of my spiritual obligations. 3.57 Always
3. I am encouraged to contribute positive changes in our 1.94 Often
area.
4. I am motivated to participate in the civic activities. 3.18 Always
5. I am encouraged to participate and share my ideas on 3.03 Always
social issues discussed on air.
Overall 3.01 Always
F. Imposition
1. It’s the radio station that my family listens to. 3.04 Often
2. I have no choice because it’s the only station available in 2.94 Often
our area.
3. It’s the only radio station that I know of. 2.93 Seldom
4. I do not own the radio. 3.20 Often
5. I cannot choose my own radio program because my 2.76 Seldom
parents imposed on me to listen to a specific radio station.
Overall 2.97 Often
G. Word Usage
1. I can easily understand the program since it uses the 3.61 Always
vernacular.
2. I observe that DJ’s use some indecent language but still 3.04 Often
listen because I find them funny.
3. I tend to imitate the expressions they use. (ex. Salad 3.01 Often
oh.init pa)
4. The announcer’s use words loaded with sexual 3.35 Often
implications to entertain listeners.
5. I like the announcers use of colored language and words 3.17 Often
with double meaning. (ex. Tugsngyaw)
Overall 3.24 Often
Grand Total 3.23 Often
 26

Implication of the Study

Based on the findings of the study, it can be implied that most of the

listeners preferred those radio stations that had a good DJ or announcers

because they cannot only gain news, but they could also be entertained by them.

They love to listen to Djs or announcers with enthusiasm and good choice of

songs. Based on this result, the owners of the radio stations should make sure to

hire djs and announcers who could entertain the listeners since this is one of the

greatest factors that they consider as a basis in choosing a radio station to listen

to. The currently hired DJs and announcers should develop and improve their

way of delivering their program to their listeners to gather and encourage more

listeners.
 27

CHAPTER 4
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION
This chapter presents the summary of the findings, conclusions and
recommendations based on the results of the gathered data pertaining of the
study.
Summary of Findings
This study aimed to determine the preferences and functional approach

preferred by the listeners towards FM and AM radio stations in General Santos

City.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

4. What is the preferred FM and AM radio stations of the respondents?

5. What is their functional approach preferred by the listeners towards FM

and AM radio stations.

6. What implication can be drawn based on the result of the study?

It maximized the quantitative research design to interpret the result of the

study. It had 346 respondents who were residents of Barangay Conel, General

Santos City.

Conclusions

Based on the result of the study, the researcher concluded the following:

1. As to the FM radio stations, Love radio was considered as the most

preferred radio station, while in AM, Brigada news was considered the

most preferred radio station.

2. In terms of the functional approach preferred by the listeners, in general,

out of the 7 variables such as Word Usage, Imposition, Mobilization,

 28

Entertainment, Continuity, Correlation, and Information, 4 were considered

as always and the other 3 as often in both AM and FM radio Stations.

3. The respondents or listeners were impacted by the information,

entertainment, mobility, and continuity always, while they impacted often

by correlation, imposition, and word usage.

Recommendations

The following were recommended by the researcher.

1. The radio station administrator should focus on the variables that

influenced the attitudes of the listeners to make sure that they can

increase their number of listeners.

2. The proponent is advised to give a copy of the result of this study to the

radio stations so that they may know what to improve in their programs.

3. Future researchers may use this study as a basis or reference to future

studies that they are to conduct. They may further deepen this study by

digging more information about it.