Top News • October 27 2003

Producers air juicy subjects during ‘secret’ BA survey

Kurt Sansone
The Broadcasting Authority survey to determine TV and radio audience levels was held this week, MaltaToday can reveal. The survey coincided with the airing of juicy subjects in some leading TV programmes. Telephone calls were made asking televiewers, which programmes they watched the day before.
Investigations by journalists posing as concerned respondents were carried out with Telepage Ltd, confirming that the October survey was held this week.
The secretary of the Broadcasting Authority board, Edgar Cassar, contacted yesterday by MaltaToday, said that he knew nothing of the survey.
Asked whether the BA would be investigating the possibility that the dates of the survey were internally leaked to some people, Mr Cassar said that the BA would investigate the issue if the leaks did actually take place.
"But I know nothing of such leaks," Mr Cassar reiterated.
When asked whether the BA received any complaints from TV producers about the leaked information, Mr Cassar said that the BA received "no official complaint."
MaltaToday knows of at least one TV producer, who lodged an unofficial complaint in person on Friday morning.

The audience survey coincides beautifully with some bumper TV programmes that were heavily advertised in the media for over a week.
On Tuesday Bondiplus came out with an audience tickler, Satanism, which featured what the producers claim is an undercover filming of a black mass. The discussion on Satanism is expected to continue this Tuesday.
On Wednesday, joegrimalive had Dom Mintoff and Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici making history by stepping foot for the first time in the PN headquarters. This programme had an unorthodox repeat on Friday at 9pm. It could possibly offer TVM’s Xarabank a good run for its money in survey week.
On Friday, perennial audience favourite, Xarabank went on air with a mini-big brother show featuring popular personalities. This particular show also had a huge build up with fliers being distributed to a large number of households around the island, newspaper adverts and incessant publicity spots featured throughout the week on TVM.
The continuation of this show is also expected to take place this Friday.
MaltaToday can confirm that there were occasions in the past when some producers knew when the audience survey was to be held.
With television and radio stations dependent on advertising income for their survival, the Broadcasting Authority survey offers a marketing platform to attract potential advertisers.
In the past the BA survey has come under attack for its failure to portray a real picture of television viewer-ship.
kurt@maltamag.com