The Impact Of Religious Television Program Viewing On Indigenous Religion In Madagascar: A Case Study Of Le Club 700

This research is a case study of the impact of religious program viewing on indigenous religion in Madagascar. It focuses on the religious program Le Club 700, a French version of The 700 Club, the longest-running program in broadcast history in the United States. The central problem of the research was to investigate whether and why people who watch a specific religious program like Le Club 700 are prone to leave the practice of the indigenous religion, like the Famadihana(or Exhumation).Consideration of this topic led to(1) the analysis of Le Club 700 viewers’ characteristics,(2) a discussion of a perceived credibility of the program, and(3) factors of viewers’ behavioral change. The survey-questionnaire research method was employed on 113 Malagasy youth(between 15-35 years old), living in the Analamanga Region. The researcher applied both qualitative and quantitative method for the data analysis, and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS20) was used for descriptive statistics.Study results showed that heavy viewers are more influenced by the program than light viewers and non-viewers of the program, which supports the Cultivation theory of Gerbner(1984) saying that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real and valid.Based on the findings, the study concluded that Le Club 700 cultivates fear of indigenous religion practice on viewers; and a heavy viewing of Le Club 700 leads to the rejection of the practice of Famadihana. The more young people watch Le Club 700, the more they perceive credibility of the program-which means credibility of Christian principles and fear of indigenous religion- and the more they are prone to leave the practice of Famadihana.