IGWEBUIKE: African Journal of Arts and Humanities

Flooding ranks among the most destructive natural disasters facing North-East Nigeria, a region already stretched thin by conflict, displacement, and weak infrastructure. Broadcast media are widely seen as central to disaster risk communication, yet a persistent gap between what gets broadcast and what audiences take in raises questions about how well that engagement works. This study examines how audiences in Borno, Adamawa, and Bauchi States perceive broadcast media's role in flood awareness and prevention messaging, focusing on audience involvement and the barriers to effective delivery. Drawing on a review of empirical and theoretical literature alongside a survey of 583 respondents across three states, the study applies Agenda Setting Theory and Framing Theory as analytical lenses. The findings show that audiences generally view broadcast media as credible and useful for flood awareness but see their actual involvement in prevention work as thin. More than half of the respondents rated media involvement as low or exceptionally low, and broadcasters lean toward reactive coverage once flooding hits rather than proactive education beforehand. Infrastructure gaps, political interference, tight budgets, and a shortage of trained staff undercut messaging effectiveness and audience trust, with political interference standing out as the most damaging factor. Better flood risk communication requires varied programming, real infrastructure investment, reduced political interference, and stronger training for media professionals. The study offers a regionally grounded account of the gap between what broadcast media could contribute to disaster communication and what audiences perceive as actually delivering.

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