SECTOR 3 services routinely receive editorial directives from federal, state and ruling party officials. ‘[State] press officers go as far as writing editorials and commentaries that radio stations must air without questioning,’ said one panellist. ‘In some cases, even political allies and relatives of state authorities use their connections in the State House (official residence of the state governor) to influence state media coverage.’ Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: Score of previous years: ✓✓ ✓✓✓ ✓ ✓✓ ✓✓✓ 1.6 2008: n/a; 2011: n/a; 2015: 2.1 3.6 The state/public broadcaster is adequately funded in a manner that protects it from political interference through its budget and from commercial pressure The NTA is now partially commercialised to enable it to raise funds through advertising to supplement the government subsidies it receives. Panellists said this arrangement has put pressure on the NTA to monetise almost all content, including news coverage. One panellist familiar with the practice within the NTA said a “let them pay” practice had cemented within the organisation. ‘News can be bought and sold,’ he said. ‘Sources are literally being billed for news coverage.’ With its new commercial vocation, the NTA has also set up several profit-making ventures (NTA Enterprises and NTA Properties) to expand its revenue sources. However, multiple revenue streams have not shielded the NTA from political influence and it has remained under the control of the authorities, who have the power to hire and fire executives. On the other hand, the FRCN, VON and state broadcasting services rely almost entirely on government funding (FRCN and other state media also offer commercial services). Subsidies cover operational costs, including staff salaries. Sometimes, they get special allocations to cover major national events such as elections and sports tournaments. However, subsidies are not enough to guarantee quality and independent productions. This has left these broadcasting services, which are frequently inundated by free advertising from state entities, more vulnerable to political influence than the NTA. 41 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER NIGERIA 2019