Students and Watching Specialized Satellite Channels (Applied Study on a Sample of University of Baghdad’s Students

Abstract

This research is one of the public research aimed at identifying the communication habits and the implications of the content on the communication process, especially as the audience of specialized media is often characterized by effectiveness, depth and active in tracking the media message and interaction with its content. It means such audience is a positive, very active, dynamic, and very alert audience driven by his interests and psychological needs to watch specific programs meet his desires.

This satisfaction can only be achieved through the use of specialized media capable of producing programs that will communicate and interact between the ideas you present and this audience.

The phenomenon of specialized satellite TV is a new phenomenon in the media. It has emerged and spread rabidly and branched in various fields of knowledge and life activities as a reflection of the necessities of social, economic, cultural and technical aspects.

So, this research, which examines the phenomenon of students' exposure to these satellite channels, aims to identify the importance of those satellite channels for their lives and communication habits in receiving those channels. Moreover, the research gets to know the ability of these satellite channels to satisfy the different desires and interests: scientific, literary, artistic and in all life activities to reach their capability to attract the public. Then, the study tries to know what is distinguished in these satellite channels that differentiates them form the public or non-specialized satellite channels.

Search results showed that channels with more fun, entertainment and entertainment have higher viewership than others. This can be seen by the high percentage of viewership of singing and music channels, especially if we add them as well as the rates of drama, children and cooking channels, while the percentage of viewership of channels with serious topics such as educational and cultural channels. These results are consistent with the levels of viewing shown by listeners and viewers' research that have shown that both educated and more educated people rely on television for entertainment and have a limited desire to adjust television programs to other features of more informative and educational recipes.

The results also revealed the diversity of the interests of the majority of the students surveyed and their needs to be satisfied from different subjects at the same time. These results reveal the lack of specialized interests among students with a single subject of knowledge.

But, what drives students to watch specialized satellite channels? Research has shown that the majority of respondents are looking at these channels for specific programs that match their interests and desires.

It was also found that the students, according to the degree of preference first, prefer in their views of specialized satellite TV types, including the most important: satellite channels specialized in sports, next specialized in drama, after that the news channels, then the music ones, after that the religious channels, then, the documentary channels, followed by the specialized in children's films and programs, and finally the channels specialized in women's affairs. The longest time spent by more than half of the students surveyed in front of specialized channels screens is one to two hours.

The results also showed that most of the students are of the irregular type to watch, but to follow specialized satellite channels according to mood and leisure time depending on the psychological state and mood more than they tend to follow them regularly. This is considered as a difference that reveals the weakness of the students' selective exposure to subjects offered by satellite channels.

The research showed that more than half of the students surveyed did not pre-select programs chosen in specialized channels. Rather, they leave the choice to the factors of chance in what shows them remote control programs and choose what suits them.

The results, also, showed that the most important needs or desires saturated or met by watching specialized satellite channels in the students are concentrated in satisfying the need for specific information eager to know the details and follow the latest developments. In the second place, the respondents mentioned that the media coverage of the satellite channels provides them with opportunities to follow topics they are interested in. The satisfaction of the need for information or knowledge and skills useful in the development of a scientific or professional discipline that works or cares for students has come at the bottom of the concerns of the respondents.

As for the negative or positive viewers towards what they receive or are exposed to specialized satellite TV programs, most of the respondents stated that they are engaged in an internal dialogue with oneself about the ideas, opinions, and topics raised by the programs of these satellite channels, while it was found that few respondents, unlike the first case, stated that they, absolutely, recognize it. The research also revealed that more than half of the respondents discuss some of the content of the programs they watch with colleagues in the profession, study or family member, while a third of them just watch or enjoy what they see calmly and relaxed.