Impact of News Commercialization on the Development and Sustainability of Rave Fm, Osogbo

Abstract
This research study was carried out to examine the Impact of News Commercialization on the Development and Sustainability of Rave Fm, Osogbo, Osun State. The objectives of the study are; to examine the extent at which news commercialization contribute to the development and sustainability of broadcast stations in Nigeria, to determine how news commercialization affect the level of confidence the audience have in Rave Fm News packages among others. Research questions formulated for this study are; To what extent does news commercialization contribute to the development and sustainability of Rave Fm, Osogbo, How does news commercialization affect the level of confidence the audience have in Rave Fm News package. Relevance literature were review and the study premises on two theories which are Social Responsibility Theory and Agenda Setting theory. Survey method was employed in carrying out this research, 150 questionnaires were distributed and successfully completed and returned. Analysis was done with the use of simple percentage. Findings in the research revealed that news commercialization is unacceptable because it interferes with professional news judgment. The study reveals that news commercialization contributed negatively to the development and sustainability of broadcast stations in Nigeria. It is however recommended that journalist and management of the various media organizations must, at all times, uphold the ethics of their profession which states that it is the responsibility of the professional journalist to determine the content of news and its treatment. Such a situation enhances the prestige of the professional journalist, while de-emphasizing or even totally eliminating the practice of news commercialization.