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Abstract
This study examined the assessment of Students’ readership of sports stories in print media. The goal was to ascertain the newspapers that students of the University of Benin, Benin City mostly read, to determine how regular students of the University
of Benin, Benin City read sport stories in the newspapers, to find out the effective strategies for engaging and maintaining the interest of the University of Benin students in sports stories published in newspapers, and to determine the ways through which students of the University of Benin, Benin City, obtain the newspapers they read. To provide a theoretical framework, the study was anchored on Uses and Gratification Theory and Media Dependency Theory: A survey research design was adopted with a sample size of 402, and a questionnaire as the primary instrument of data collection. Findings from the analysis of the data gathered showed that University of Benin students show a clear inclination towards digital means for accessing newspapers. Data generated also indicates awareness of Daily Trust was identified as the most widely read newspaper, reflecting the students’ inclination towards print media. The data indicates that 33.9% of the total population prefers Daily Trust Newspaper over any other publication. Also, there was a significant presence of weekly readership in sports stories, with 43.8% of the student population consistently engaging with sports content. Hence, this study recommends that Sports Journalists should acknowledge the importance of in-depth analysis and quality writing in sustaining interest, especially in sports stories. They should also
prioritize delivering well-crafted, informative, and engaging content to meet the preferences of the student audience. Also, given the importance of timeliness and relevance in sustaining interest, Sports journalists should prioritize delivering up-to- date and contextually relevant information. Regularly update content to align with current events and trends.
of Benin, Benin City read sport stories in the newspapers, to find out the effective strategies for engaging and maintaining the interest of the University of Benin students in sports stories published in newspapers, and to determine the ways through which students of the University of Benin, Benin City, obtain the newspapers they read. To provide a theoretical framework, the study was anchored on Uses and Gratification Theory and Media Dependency Theory: A survey research design was adopted with a sample size of 402, and a questionnaire as the primary instrument of data collection. Findings from the analysis of the data gathered showed that University of Benin students show a clear inclination towards digital means for accessing newspapers. Data generated also indicates awareness of Daily Trust was identified as the most widely read newspaper, reflecting the students’ inclination towards print media. The data indicates that 33.9% of the total population prefers Daily Trust Newspaper over any other publication. Also, there was a significant presence of weekly readership in sports stories, with 43.8% of the student population consistently engaging with sports content. Hence, this study recommends that Sports Journalists should acknowledge the importance of in-depth analysis and quality writing in sustaining interest, especially in sports stories. They should also
prioritize delivering well-crafted, informative, and engaging content to meet the preferences of the student audience. Also, given the importance of timeliness and relevance in sustaining interest, Sports journalists should prioritize delivering up-to- date and contextually relevant information. Regularly update content to align with current events and trends.
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