Role of Interpersonal Communication in Agenda Setting Analysis of Obtrusive Versus Non-Obtrusive Issues

Abstract

The study was meant to tap the role and impact for interpersonal communication in agenda setting effects among viewers of cable channels on obtrusive and non-obtrusive issues by using mix method strategy. For content analysis, two elite cable channels; Express and Geo News were selected to check the coverage patterns of the media. By using random sampling techniques, the data was further delimited to news bulletins of 9.00 p.m. and talk shows of 10.00 p.m. for one year. 500 viewers based in Islamabad were asked to rank the most to least discussed issues of the country from a given list of seven issues. Energy crisis, corruption, law and order, were obtrusive issues while memo gate, democratic process, National Reconciliation Ordinance and Pak-US relations were unobtrusive issues. The results reveal that interpersonal communications do have a premier place for reinforcement and furthering the media agenda. The strong impact has been observed to reinforce the people in discussing the obtrusive issues irrespective of the coverage patterns of the media. The more discussed issue was energy crisis while it was fourth and sixth, in terms of coverage, on Geo and Express News respectively. Law and order was remained as second most discussed issue. Third most discussed issue was corruption among seven issues. Results show that all the three obtrusive issues were remained in top three among seven issues while democratic process in spite of maximum coverage remained at place fifth in terms of most discussed issues. Theory of agenda setting was applied to verify the assumptions of the study.