Audience Assessment of Broadcast Media Coverage of Environmental and Climate Change Issues in Adamawa State, Nigeria
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Abstract
Broadcast media remains the most accessible channel through which rural and semi-urban populations in northern Nigeria learn about environmental risk, yet little empirical work has examined how television and radio in Adamawa State actually cover environmental and climate change issues, or how that coverage shapes public understanding and behaviour. This study addresses that gap through a survey of 379 residents of Adamawa State, selected using a multistage sampling procedure, and complemented by interview material drawn from broadcast journalists in Yola, Mubi, and Numan. The results show that coverage is widely perceived as moderate rather than extensive, concentrated heavily on deforestation and pollution while global warming and renewable energy receive comparatively little airtime. Despite these gaps, broadcast media exerts a measurable influence on public awareness and behaviour, with a majority of respondents reporting that coverage has shaped their environmental practices. Funding shortages, limited airtime, audience disinterest, political interference, and inadequate journalist training emerge as the principal constraints on more comprehensive reporting. The study argues, through the lens of framing and agenda-setting theory, that resourcing and editorial priorities not public indifference are the binding constraints on effective climate communication in the state, and it offers targeted recommendations for broadcasters, policymakers, and media development partners.
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