Abstract:
Purpose: The purposes of this study are as follows : (1) To study which kind of programs the people in five provinces Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Satun and Narathiwat - are interested in and need. (2) To compare the interest of the people in five southern provinces in the programs produced by channel 10 Haadyai and the ones produced by Malaysian television stations. (3) To find out some trends in using television as a medium to create a good understanding and a good relationship between the government and the people in various local areas, particularly those who are Thai Muslims. Procedure: Two hundred people in the metropolitan areas of Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Satun and Narathiwat were randomly selected to be the sample. In each province, according to six levels of education, twenty Thai Buddhists and twenty Thai Muslims between 15-16 years of age were asked to answer a questionnaire, regardless of their sex or profession. The collected data were analysed in terms of percentage, mean and standard deviation and then presented in the form of tables and profiles. Results: 1. The types of programs needed and the interests of the people. 1.1 The quality of pictures and sound, including the quantity and types of advertisements, should be improved. There should also be better announcers and narrator-translators. 1.2 In terms of news presentation, the audience needs newsreels from real situations. The type of program demanded most is local news. 1.3 The educational programs needed by the audience are those which give knowledge. The type of program demanded most is one concerning health problems. 1.4 In viewing entertainment programs, music, as well as Thai and western movies are much preferred; the most preferred sports program is football. 2. A comparison of the interests of the people in the programs produced by Channel 10 Haadyai and Malaysian television stations. 2.1 On week-days, the audience prefers the programs televised by Channel 10 Haadyai; whereas on week-ends and holidays, from 06:00-10.00 p.m., they prefer those Malaysian television stations. 2.2 The percentage of the sampled audience watching Channel 10 Haadyai programs everyday is 56.69. Conversely, the percentage of those watching Malaysian television programs everyday is 19.25. 2.3 In selecting the programs for viewing, 66.85 percent of the audience uses the daily program announcements of the studio while 31.02 percent view Malaysian television programs when there are special live programs. 2.4 In the opinion of the audience, the entertainment and advertising programs of Malaysian television are more interesting. On the other hand, the audience prefers the educational programs of Channel 10 Haadyai to those of Malaysian televisions. 3. Some trends in using television as a medium to create better understanding and relationships between the government and the people in local areas. 3.1 The audience wants to know how to contact the government organizations and know what duties each of them are carrying on. 3.2 In the opinion of the audience, Channel 10 Haadyai ought to present more programs concerned with local areas. Moreover, the programs should be arranged to meet the audiences needs; for instance, programs dealing with law. Furthermore, when there are important events, the public should be informed for better understanding. Suggestions: The types and quantity of advertising, as well as the technical quality of both the pictures and sound and also the personalities of the announcers and the narrator-translators, should be improved. In addition, the quality of the programs, especially those on week-ends and holidays, needs improvement.