Listening behaviour of Phule Krishi Vahini radio listeners

Introduction

Agriculture is a highly knowledge-intensive sector that requires a continuous flow of information to enhance productivity, ensure food security, and reduce poverty and malnutrition. Efficient agricultural extension, education, and communication services are therefore essential for sustaining agricultural growth. Recent advancements in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have transformed agricultural extension by introducing diverse communication tools such as community radio, television, the internet, and mobile phones. Among the major mass media used in agricultural extension radio, television, and print media the radio occupies a prominent position due to its wide reach, affordability, and effectiveness. To considering the need of transfer of university technologies among the need of farming community, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidhyapeeth stared Phule Krishi Vahini 90.8 FM on 18 October, 2023. Approved by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidhyapeeth, Rahuri was the first Agricultural University in Maharashtra who stared the Radio Station at main campus. Phule Krishi Vahini 90.8 FM broadcasts creative, community-oriented programmes such as Krishi Jagat Dnyandata, Gaurav Maharashtracha Itihas Jillyacha, Arogyam Dhansampada, and Manus ani Malmatta, offering diverse content through participatory formats. Programmes are locally conceptualized and produced, with radio jockeys selected from the local community. Weekly broadcasts focus on farmers while addressing health, education, rural development, and culture, reaching farmers, students, women, labourers, and agri-entrepreneurs. Special programmes highlight innovative technologies, women's contributions, agripreneurship, seasonal practices, and agrometeorological advisories. The station operates with modern studios, transmission facilities, and dedicated technical staff.

Objective

To study the listening behaviour of Phule Krishi Vahini radio listeners.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra State, which was purposively selected due to the effective broadcast coverage of Phule Krishi Vahini Radio, operated from Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth (MPKV), Rahuri. Based on the coverage area of the radio station, four tahsils, namely Rahuri, Rahata, Shrirampur, and Nevasa, were selected for the study. From each selected tahsil, two villages were purposively chosen considering adequate radio signal availability, resulting in a total of eight villages. From each village, twenty respondents were selected using the simple random sampling technique, forming a total sample size of 160 respondents. An ex-post facto research design was adopted, as the variables under study had already occurred and could not be manipulated by the investigator. Primary data were collected using a structured and pre-tested interview schedule, administered through the personal interview method. The interview schedule was developed in line with the objectives of the study and refined after pre-testing to ensure clarity, reliability, and validity of the data collected.

Result and Discussion Listening Behaviour of Phule Krishi Vahini Radio Listeners

Listening behaviour of the respondents was analysed in terms of place, duration, media, regularity, and level of attention towards Phule Krishi Vahini radio programmes.

Listening behaviour was measured by considering the setting of listening, how often individuals listened, the amount of attention they devoted, and the length of time they spent listening to community radio programmes. Among the 160 participants, the largest group (66.87%) exhibited medium listening behaviour. Those indicating high listening behaviour, accounted for 23.75%, while only 9.38% showed low listening behaviour. The average listening behaviour was 9.35, with a standard deviation of 2.76, reflecting a moderate level of variation. These findings are in line with the observations of Pattanashetti (2010) [5] , Shinde (2017) [7] .

Place of Listening of the Programme

This refers to the location where respondents give time to listen the CRS programme.

Duration of Radio Listening

Duration defined in terms of the amount of time respondents chose to listen to the farm broadcast. As shown in Table 3, smallest proportion of community radio listeners was 11.26% who reported listening to the programmes for up to 1 hour. This was followed by 16.87% who listened for 1 to 2 hours, and 17.50% who listened for 2 to 3 hours. The largest group, 54.37%, reported listening for 4 hours and above. These results shows that a majority of respondents engage with the radio for extended periods, while fewer listen for shorter durations.

Media of Listening Radio

Media of Listening to Radio refers to the different devices or platforms through which people access and listen to radio broadcasts. Out of 160 respondents, 11.25% indicates low awareness (score up to 16), 71.25% had medium awareness (score between 17 and 19), and 17.50% showed high awareness (score 20 and above). The mean awareness was 18, with a standard deviation of 2, indicating that most radio listeners had a moderate level of awareness about the programmes.

Listeners Preference to the Phule Krishi Vahini Radio Programmes

Listeners' Preference to the Phule Krishi Vahini Radio Programmes refers to how much the audience favors or chooses these specific radio programmes over others.

References

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