Gratifications Sought and Obtained by Visually Impaired Audience Omanis form Listening to Radio: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach

Abstract

This study aims to identify how the visually impaired audience in Oman use radio to obtain specific gratifications (GO). The overlap between the gratifications obtained (GO) by this population and the gratification they seek to have (GS) is also tested. The study also tests the correlation between these GS and GO and the time the respondents spend listening to radio. A sample of 103 visually impaired members of Alnoor Association for the Blind in Oman has been interviewed from Feb. 1st through Feb. 28th, 2020 to answer the research questions.

The results showed that, on average, the visually impaired respondents tune in to the radio in four days of an average week. Out of eleven favored media channels, radio was ranked fourth. The respondents have reported that they spend on average 2.5 hours listening to radio on the day they tune in. Furthermore, most of the sample agreed that having other competing media platforms was the main reason they use radio less frequently. They mainly listen to radio broadcasting via their smartphone platforms, followed by their DRM receivers. Most of the sample prefer to listen to radio alone, but they did not have a preferred time period for listening. They also prefer local broadcasting stations over international ones. Their favored broadcasting stations are, in a descending order, AlShabab, AlWisal and Holy Quran Radio. News was the top preferred programming.

The results also show the relationship between the sought and obtained cognitive needs is significantly, positively correlated with the frequency of listening to radio. This shows that that listening to radio gratifies particularly cognitive needs for the respondents.

More importantly, the results show that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between the feeling of both social isolation and psychological loneliness and the frequency of listening to the radio.