AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF POLITICAL DIARY, A PUBLIC AWARENESS PROGRAMME ON ALBARKA FM: A STUDY OF YELWA COMMUNITY

This study investigated audience perception of the Political Diary programme on Albarka FM among residents of Yelwa Community, Bauchi. It focused on content and presentation, understanding and interpretation of political messages, socio-cultural and contextual influences, and the programme’s impact on civic attitudes, political awareness, and community participation. The study adopted a quantitative survey design, distributed 385 structured questionnaires and analyzed 200 valid responses using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Findings show that listeners generally perceive the programme positively: 85 percent agreed that topics are relevant and language is clear, while 80 percent considered the presenters professional and objective. Bilingual delivery and educational background significantly influenced understanding, whereas cultural norms and community values had moderate effects. The programme increased political knowledge (82.5 percent), stimulated interest in civic matters (77.5 percent), and motivated participation in political and community activities (72.5 percent). Some respondents noted inconvenient timing and perceived political bias (67.5 percent), indicating areas for improvement. The study concludes that Political Diary effectively informs, engages, and encourages civic participation. It recommends enhancing neutrality, maintaining bilingual content, adjusting broadcast timing, and introducing interactive segments to strengthen audience engagement and programme impact.