One of the roles of the mainstream media is agenda setting, apart from educating, informing and entertaining. Radio and TV not only teaches good ethics, but also tells people what to think about. The audience believes in almost everything that is aired by these media. Since not all of the public can gain access to TV set top boxes, following the recent analog to digital migration, they are left with the alternative of listening to the radio for the trending and breaking news. And by relying on these media, especially the radio, the audience is blindly dragged into a ditch of poverty.
In reality, most individuals who engage in these activities are those living below the poverty line.
Play and win
The ‘try your luck’ games are rampant in the media today. These are games which calls the audience to participate by sending a given amount of money to a specified pay bill number. The assurance is, the more you participate, the more your chances of winning. Some of them last for a few months. The audience therefore invests fully on them hoping to win. But before they do, the games are pronounced over, and the only reward the hearer get is “thanks for participating”.
Betting
There are hundreds of betting sites in the globe today. The radio is on the frontline in promoting these sites.
The journalists themselves give their listener fabricated information that they too are participating in the said programs. The betting sites have totally sucked the audience and paralyzed them. At the end of the day, the audience ends up furthering the media and the sponsors. Critically, there are so many people taking part in this ploys.
Even though there those who win, it takes time for them to succeed. The won amount doesn’t come from the company itself, but from the contributions made by the people.
Free messaging and promotions
Nowadays, most of the programs aired on radio are geared towards profit making. For instance, the listener is asked to send messages free of charge.
The truth is, the messaging is not free. The audience incurs some additional costs. Promotions too are on the upsurge. The audience is called upon to join or use a given product.
#IfMatiangiWasPresident #Lotto #ShindaWashinde #TeguaChapa would be illegal. .... Anyway they should be declared so
— #MLwrence (@LMwihrury) December 1, 2016
Subscription
Subscriptions to breaking news, inspirational quotes, love quotes, and jobs updates among others are of no use to the audience. They are only meant to raise revenues for the victims.
Time for action
It is time people woke up from their chloroformed slumber and started saving. The amount spent daily in these gold digging activities can be transformed into something beneficial. If I had the authority to block this information from reaching the ears of the listener, I wouldn't hesitate doing so. We certainly fail because we are waiting for other people to set goals for us.
