Almost 90 percent of the public believe local broadcasters are providing enough — or even too much — coverage of the 2004 elections, according to a poll sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters.

Results of the poll, conducted for NAB by Wirthlin Worldwide, were released Friday. The poll found that 42 percent of adults believe local radio and TV stations have been spending too much time covering the elections, while 47 percent said the amount of time was about right.

In addition, 48 percent of the respondents cited local broadcast coverage as the most helpful medium for their selection of candidates, compared with 24 percent who picked cable TV news coverage, 9 percent who cited newspapers, and 1 percent citing broadcast advertising. The survey also found that that the public opposes mandatory free airtime for political candidates, 69 percent to 28 percent.

“We encourage local stations to freely provide comprehensive campaign coverage, and this poll demonstrates that Americans believe that broadcasters are doing just that,” said NAB President and CEO Eddie Fritts.

The nationwide poll of 1,001 Americans was conducted Oct. 22 to 25. The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percent.