Exposure to broadcast news by audience members is part of human
information processing. Radio is believed to be a major source of news
on many local and national issues for many people in many countries.
But it was uncertain whether the assumption was tenable in Nigeria.
Selectivity plays significant role in audience members’ exposure to
broadcast news. The study set out to investigate which radio station(s)
residents of Uyo residents tune to for news on important local and
national issues. It also studied what factors influence their choice of
radio station for news on socio-political crises in Nigeria. The findings
showed that majority of the respondents prefer foreign radio stations –
Voice of America (VOA) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for
news on socio-political crises in Nigeria. The survey also revealed that
media credibility exerted great influence on audience exposure to
broadcast news and choice of broadcast medium for news. It is the
submission of this work that the continuous presentation of one-sided
point of view, whether in government-controlled media or privatelyowned
ones not only makes the audience hold their news content
suspect but also makes such mass medium to rank low in terms of
perceived credibility. One of the implications of that situation is that
mass mobilization through such media would be difficult to achieve.
Consequently, it is the submission of this research that if broadcast
media in Nigeria are to be reckoned trustworthy and reliable, diverse
and balanced views on all issues in the news should always be
presented.