COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BROADCAST MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTION IN BORNO STATE

This study examined the coverage of the 2023 general elections by Borno Radio Television (BRTV) and Al-Ansar Radio in Borno State, with a focus on comparing the nature of coverage, editorial practices, challenges faced, audience engagement, and overall performance of the two broadcast stations. A total of 100 media personnel constituted the study population, and a census sampling technique was adopted. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that both stations provided significant airtime for election coverage and prioritized political news, but their timeliness and editorial collaboration were only moderate. Editorial independence remained a major challenge due to political interference, resulting in limited objectivity and imbalance in coverage. Respondents identified major obstacles such as inadequate resources, insecurity, technical issues, and understaffing. Audience engagement was moderate, with social media being the most utilized platform, although audience feedback had minimal influence on editorial decisions. Overall, coverage contributed to voter awareness and democratic participation but did not fully meet professional standards. The study recommends improvement in resource allocation, strengthening of editorial independence, enhancement of staff training, better security collaboration, increased use of social media, and stricter regulation to curb political influence on media content.