Press Release 52/08
Maltese Broadcast Consumer Profile:
An Analytical Assessment 1999-2006
The Broadcasting Authority today launched the second volume in the “Broadcasting Studies Series”. The first volume in the series Maltese Broadcasting Legislation: Salient Documentation was co-authored by the Broadcasting Authority’s Chief Executive, Dr.Kevin Aquilina and by the Authority’s Head of Research and Communications, Mario Axiak.
The second volume deals with a consumer profile of the viewer and listener of television and radio programmes based on data collected and previously published by the Broadcasting Authority during the broadcasting seasons 1999 to 2006, ending September 2007. The publication provides a summarized assessment of radio and television consumption throughout this period thus making it relevant to the Maltese broadcasting landscape not only for all those persons involved in the audio-visual sector, but also from the sociological aspect of local media consumption and influences.
Mario Axiak
Head Research & Communications
3rd July 2008
Press Pack
Maltese Broadcast Consumer Profile:
An Analytical Assessment 1999-2006
The Broadcasting Authority launched its series of publications on local broadcasting media during 2007. The first volume in the series Maltese Broadcasting Legislation: Salient Documentation was co-authored by the Broadcasting Authority’s Chief Executive, Dr. Kevin Aquilina and by the Authority’s Head of Research and Communications, Mario Axiak.
The second publication in the “Broadcasting Studies Series” has just been published by the Broadcasting Authority. Authored by the undersigned, it deals with a consumer profile of the viewer and listener of television and radio programmes based on data collected and previously published by the Broadcasting Authority during the broadcasting seasons 1999 to 2006, ending September 2007. It provides a summarized assessment of radio and television consumption throughout this period thus making it relevant to the Maltese broadcasting landscape; relevant not only for all those persons involved in the audio-visual sector but also from the sociological aspect of local media consumption and influences.
The year 1999 is considered as the year during which there were no more available frequencies that could be licensed by the Broadcasting Authority, and as such, the broadcasting industry reached its stabilizing position following the liberalization of the market that was started in 1991. Thus, the overall objective of this volume was to construct a profile of the local broadcasting media consumer by analyzing all published audience audients and audiences assessments starting from the broadcasting season of 1999 and ending with that of 2006.
The publication starts with a definition of the local broadcasting scenario to make the reader conscious of media developments on this small island state especially due to the recent accession to the European Union. The primary documents taken into consideration for this consumer profile are in themselves quite extensive; however, they preclude other factors that may be recognizable only after the passage of time. The data for radio and television consumption was analyzed separately and treated independently for each media platform. Consumer profiling was made according to demographics and is made both separately and conjointly for both media platforms.
This publication studies fourteen separate television and radio audience surveys carried out on behalf of the Broadcasting Authority. It brings together in a more user friendly and readable fashion the salient conclusions of this wealth of audience ratings gathered during this seven year period. It does so by applying communications’ theories to statistical data and thus underpins the relevance of these theories to actual statistical data. Indeed, the data, once compiled, has to be explained in a logical and coherent manner by applying the theoretical framework contained in chapter 3 of this study.
About the Author
| Mr MarioAxiak, Dip. B.M., B.A. Hons. (Business Management), M.B.A. (Maastricht), M.I.M.
Head Research & Communications, Broadcasting Authority Deputy Editor of the Broadcasting Studies Series |
Following a Diploma in Business Management, Mr Axiak started his working career with the Malta Development Corporation. Two years later, he continued his studies at the University of Malta where in 1983 he was conferred an honours degree in Business Management; during which time he was posted by the Malta Development Corporation at various parastatal industries. In 1999, he joined the Broadcasting Authority as Communications Officer, being appointed soon afterwards as Head of Research and Communications. He was involved in many projects undertaken by the Broadcasting Authority including public seminars; training workshops for broadcasters both locally and at RTÈ, the Irish Public Service Broadcaster; executive producer of the Broadcasting Authority’s Annual Programme Awards, 1999-2003; as well as in various publications of the Broadcasting Authority. Mr Axiak has furthered his studies obtaining a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Maastricht in April 2007. | |
Forward
Mario Axiak’s research is essential to the Broadcasting Authority’s legal obligation to undertake quantitative surveys of audience listenership and viewership in order to comprehend better general trends which have emerged from the various audience surveys carried out during a six year period of audience research. Although the Broadcasting Act obliges the Broadcasting Authority to compile radio and television audience ratings, no study has so far tried to understand the wealth of sociological data which the annual surveys provide. In this context, this study is innovative and a valid contribution to Maltese society as it analyses broadcasting statistical data so far obtained in this seven year span.
Naturally, Mr. Axiak’s task was not without difficulty. The author had to a certain extent to surmount a methodological quagmire arising out of the diverse methodology used by the Authority’s contractors in the past in compiling such statistics. Indeed, the frequency of data collection has changed several times since 1991: at first the Authority used to carry out research at the rate of an annual one-week survey per year. Subsequently it increased this research to two weekly audience surveys per year, with one survey being carried out in the first six months of the year and the other survey during the next six months, even if the second survey was usually carried out in October. Now, the Authority has decided to compile its statistics on a daily basis throughout the whole year. Not only has the time period for the compilation of the audience ratings been diverse over time but even the method used for the compilation of these statistics has also varied. The same applies for the population surveyed and the questioned asked during the quantitative survey.
As to method, when the audience survey was held once or twice per year, the survey was conducted through a personal interview whilst in the daily research this has changed to a telephone interview. Whilst the former had the advantage of being more in depth in so far as the amount of questions asked and the time allotted for each interview, the Authority decided due to the high costs being incurred that only two weeks per year could be surveyed. On the other hand, whilst the daily audience survey telephone questionnaire is shorter - usually of duration of around ten minutes - the expenses involved are by far lower. This has made it possible to have an ongoing audience survey each and every day of the year and a surveyed population on a yearly basis which is larger than that of previous years.
Undoubtedly each methodological approach has got its advantages and disadvantages and one of the problems of past surveys was that it could never please everybody: for the expectations differed, not least with those who obtained a poor result. The one weekly or two weekly per year audience survey had the problem of the survey’s date being guessed by stations prior to the actual interviews being held so much so that stations used to ask their listeners and viewers to state that they listen or watch their own programmes – this was done through adverts in the press and billboards in the streets – and by and large the survey had been during its the last four years always held in the last week of October, thereby making it very obvious for broadcasters to forecast beforehand the expected dates when the survey was to be carried our. The contractor’s decision to hold the October survey in the same last week did not really contribute at all to the survey’s credibility.
It was no surprise that the Authority decided to do away completely with the one-week or two-week per year quantitative audience surveys and introduces a daily telephone interview survey. In doing so, the Authority sought the advice and assistance of the National Statistics Office (NSO) and indeed the telephone interviews were and are still conducted by this Office with Mr. MarioAxiak compiling the relative report on the basis of raw data provided by the NSO. Even here the Authority, following discussions with the NSO, has made ameliorations to the survey’s population: during the first year five people per day where interviewed. In this current survey, the total audience survey population for October 2006 to September 2007 amounted to 3,615 persons interviewed – a much wider representative population than before. Naturally one might argue that there is more room for improvement – and there is no doubt about that – in so far as the daily number of persons surveyed is concerned.
In the continuous audience survey assessment the Authority has done away with certain questions which have been asked in the past for quite some time such as where is the television most viewed, who decides in a household which television station to view and how many television sets does a household have and where are they located. This information has been left out because the answers given over the years tended to be constant as Mr. Axiak points out in this publication. Moreover, no data is being collected with regard to specific programmes as used to happen in the past but the data is now more focused on the broadcasting stations’ performance rather than on singular programmes. Naturally, in terms of their licence conditions broadcasting stations are obliged to conduct their own surveys and hence the Authority is more interested in having a general snapshot of the broadcasting audience landscape rather than survey at greater depth programme audiences.
This publication studies fourteen separate television and radio audience surveys carried out on behalf of the Broadcasting Authority. It brings together in a more user friendly and readable fashion the salient conclusions of this wealth of audience ratings gathered during this seven year period. It does so by applying communications’ theories to statistical data and thus underpins the relevance of these theories to actual statistical data. Indeed, the data, once compiled, has to be explained in a logical and coherent manner by applying the theoretical framework contained in chapter 3 of this study. To his credit, Mr. Axiak has done a superb job in this respect. Furthermore, all the data analysed is contained in a compact disk which accompanies this volume and which also contains further interesting insights into radio and television consumer trends.
Of direct relevance to the Broadcasting Authority are the conclusions and recommendations at the end of this volume. Noteworthy is that recommendation in terms of which it is stated that the ‘local consumers at times seem unconscious of their rights to quality programme content’. Perhaps the time has come that the Authority takes on board this suggestion and commissions a study on quality programming and how local programming can achieve a better standard than those currently offered to the Maltese consumer.
Dr. KevinAquilina
Editor
Broadcasting Studies Series
Maltese Broadcast Consumer Profile
The analysis of Radio and Television consumption in the Maltese Islands does not continuously cover all the demographic categories discussed in Chapter 3 (Mass Media Theory) above. While some consumer characteristics as demographic factors and socio-cultural variables are consistent throughout the assessment period under review, other consumer characteristics as geographic features were only researched during 2004-2005; other combinations as psychological characteristics were not even considered.
Radio and Television consumption is primarily considered as being that of entertainment utilization. Use-related characteristics of radio and television were primarily based on the normative value of news and current affairs. However, the commercialization, globalization and fusion of media platforms have brought about not only changes in consumption patterns but also in the use-situation factors. The benefits sought from radio and television consumption include amongst others, information and education besides that of entertainment. However these are often being sacrificed for the commercialization of such services with the result that quality journalistic programmes are being lost to the trivialization of reality. A case in point is the documentary/film Da Vinci Code which is full of inaccurate historical assertions/assumptions and yet it has been “believed” and discussed as being a re-writing of historical facts. And if that is true, then surely St. Paul’s re-visit to the Maltese Islands in today’s broadcasting scenario would make it to the top list of the latest reality shows being broadcast such as Tista’ Tkun Int, followed by incessant discussions/ controversies on Xarabank and Bondi Plus and ending with a make-over on Arani Issa.
General Media Consumption
Media consumption is high.
Although about 20% of the local population do not listen to radio and as much as another 30% are not regular radio consumers, the overall radio consumption spread of the Maltese population is about 75%. Television consumption, on the other hand, is much higher at 97%. These percentages and the number of broadcasting stations on such a small island state corroborate the Medium Theory. The vast diversity, especially in community channels, and the high viewing/listening of the local population point to only one conclusion: local broadcasting channels differ not only in their content but also in the way in which they manage to attract different social categories.
Media consumption slightly varies by yearly season and by medium.
Radio is more followed during the summer months having a 5% increase over previous seasons; while TV viewing only decreases marginally during the same period, but reaching its highest, on average, during the start of the broadcasting season.
Media consumption during Election Periods is high.
Use-related consumption of broadcast media can best be correlated to broadcasts during election periods. While radio consumption during election periods seems to be diminishing with the lowest rating being registered in the first quarter of 2005 (70% during Local Council elections), on the other hand, television consumption during election periods is marginally higher registering its highest during the second quarter of 2003 (99.4% during E.U Referendum and Local Council elections held simultaneously). This conforms to the Dependency Theory but inversely affects both broadcasting media. Although locally both media of radio and TV broadcast on a 24/7 basis, their usage is quite different – with social change in view radio consumers make new medium choice while television viewers become more dependent on the medium.
- Different broadcasting mediums have different uses
On average, 37% of radio listeners spend up to one hour of radio listening; 20% spend up to two hours; 12% spend up to three hours; while 31% spend four hours or more. While 19% of radio listeners do so from 6:00 to 9:00, 25% of radio consumption is done between 9:00 and noon; and another 24% between noon and 5:00p.m. On the other hand, 16% of consumers spend up to one hour of television viewing; 31% spend up to two hours; 24% spend up to three hours; while 29% spend four hours or more. Only 6% of consumers view TV productions before noon. Afternoon TV programmes up till 7:00pm attract another 17%, while for the news bulletins 27% of the population reach for their TV-set controls. Programmes broadcast after 8:30pm to 10:00pm attract 36%. The rest, 14% watch TV programmes after 10:00pm and throughout night broadcasts.
Personal Radio vs. Communal Television.
Radio consumption is mostly done at home (74%), while 32% of radio listening is done in the car travelling from home to work and back, while 18% of radio listening is done at work. TV consumption is mostly done at home – only 1.2% of the population follows TV programmes outside the home – and the most preferred place is the sitting room (48.7%), followed by the bedroom (25.5%), the kitchen (20.4%) and the dining room (4.3%). Radio listening has become a “personal” activity – the scenes from Orson Wells’ reproduction of “The War of the Worlds” in 1938 with a group of listeners grouped to a single radio-set is past.
Television gate-keeping is decreasing.
A third of TV programme consumers have no difficulty in deciding on which broadcasting channel their TV-set is tuned on when viewing programmes with their family. For the rest of the consumers, the husbands (31%) and boys (7%) have a larger say over their counterparts – the wives (20%) and girls (5%). This decision process within each family also hints at the use-related characteristic of TV consumption – during election periods more family members exert pressure on the other members on which channel their TV-set is tuned, and following such periods, the percentage of those who have no difficulty in channel choice increases dramatically.
The Spiral of Silence is reversing.
The informative characteristic of both media platforms is evident from the preferred source of news of those interviewed. The most preferred source (78%) is TV productions, followed by Radio at 11%. Print media in the form of newspapers is the most next preferred source for 7% of the population, while another 3% prefer second-hand sources. Broadcast media, both personal and communal, far exceeds the print media locally. Considering that both media can be consumed at leisure and at will, with channel-hopping fast becoming the norm, the indications are that there is a reversal of silence in local culture.
6.2 Programme Popularity Index
Different media have different outlooks to society.
For Radio programmes, three generic preference bands have been identified: “below 30%”, “from 30% to 70%”, and “70% plus” preference brackets. With regard to TV programme genres, four preference bands have been identified: “below 30%”, “from 30% to 50%”, from “50% to 80%”, and “80% plus”. The benefits sought by media consumers are identifiable in the programme popularity index – the more the numbers of identifiable bands of programme content the higher the conformity of consumers. And the higher the conformity of a programme genre, the greater the amount of regulation exerted – Effects theory.
Political stability has a high influence on programme preferences.
Although programme choice depends on many personal demographic factors, the overall ranking of each programme genre also reflects consumers’ use-related benefits derived at the moment of choice. Although Music programmes are the first preferred choice for Radio programmes, this choice became second to News and Current Affairs programmes during times of Elections.
Principal-ingredients-mix effects a programme’s popularity index.
Three generic use-related characteristics are identifiable in the programme preference index: Entertainment, Information, and Educational characteristics. Entertainment and Information rank highest in the preference index for Radio through Music and News programmes. A combination of either two or all of these characteristics is also identifiable in the programme genres index resulting in three other combination characteristics of:
Infotainment – information and entertainment;
Info-edutainment – information, education, and entertainment; and
Edutainment – education and entertainment.
The more characteristics are identifiable in each programme, the higher the ranking of that programme genre in the general preference index. Discussion programmes, which usually have incorporated all the three basic characteristics of entertainment, information and education, rank higher than Current Affairs Programmes whose entertainment portion of programme content is generally lower.
Broadcast media as an educational platform is sparse.
Educational content seems to be the least use-related characteristic that is sought by media consumers of both radio and television. In both media platforms, this characteristic is usually attributed to Children’s programmes. In both instances Children’s programmes rank lowest with Business and Finance Programmes which are not so much as “young age-group” programme preference.
It is clearly evident that the combination of the three principal attributes in each programme genre has a direct effect on each genre with regard to its overall ranking.
6.3 Media Consumption by Gender
Media consumption is gender sensitive – although there is near parity in volume, media platform and location.
Males only marginally exceed females for the number of hours spent in media consumption – from one to two hours of media consumption every day in both radio and TV; while females exceed males in all the other number of hours spent. With regard to radio, males are more apt to have a preferred radio station than females while there is no gender difference which regard to location of radio listening: both genders have the same preference ranking: at home, in the car, and at work. The most preferred location for TV programme consumption is the sitting room for both genders; however the second overall preference for males is the bedroom especially during the second quarter of the year (April to June); while the second overall preference for females is the kitchen and for the same quarter. There is equal preference between gender for TV consumption in the dining room but males far exceed females for the consumption of TV outside the household.
Perceptions to gender equality in media usage differ between gender.
TV-channel selection by any person within the household has been steadily decreasing over time and this is attributed to the increase in media platforms and media within each household. However, during election periods the husband’s choice in programme selection is higher than at other periods. Analyzing each category’s replies about other persons’ TV-channel choice within the household, each gender (the husband and the wife) believe that they have more power of channel choice over that of the other gender. Similarly, both genders also believe that their “similar gender siblings” have more power in TV-channel choice over the other siblings.
Programme content is gender sensitive.
The overall Radio programmes preference index is closely followed within the broad benchmarks by both genders with only a few exceptions:
the preference for Sports by females rank with the lowest benchmark of <30% while the ranking for Sports for males is in the middle benchmark of >30%-<70%;
Novels & Plays have gained preference by males where the genre’s ranking was increased by one benchmark;
Health/Beauty/Home/Law rank with the highest benchmark of 70%< for females.
Programme Preference Index differs between genders.
The overall TV programmes preference index is also closely followed within the four broad benchmarks by both genders. However, males have less preferred programme genres than females; while “gender sensitive” programme genres as Sports and Serials/Soap Operas have the same ranking pattern as for radio: Sport programmes are more preferred by males than by females while Serials/Soap Operas are more preferred by females than by males.
Depending on social stability, different media have different gender preferences.
Although both genders have high preferences for News and Current Affairs programmes, television as the preferred source of news has increased more for males than for females. During election periods, females prefer more radio news than males.
6.4 Media Consumption by Age Group
Media consumption increase with age.
The older the age group, the more consumers are willing to spend hours of radio listening with each age group’s highest average being that of 2 hours of radio consumption. All age groups attain their highest average for TV consumption at 2-clock hours of viewing and like radio, the higher the age group, the more consumers are willing to spend hours of TV-viewing; however not to the same extent as radio. 18-30 year-olds lead in the first four clock-hours; while the 65 plus lead in six of the clock-hours from 6-hours to 20-hours of TV consumption.
- Radio programme genre preferences increases with age.
Preference for radio programmes increases with age. The only exception being for music programmes where preference for this genre decreases with age. 12-17 year-olds have the least number of preferred programmes but have the highest ranking for Music programmes; while the 65plus year-olds have the most preferred programme genres. And like Radio, the preference for different programme genres on television also increases with the higher age groups.
- Mobility impairment increases media consumption.
12-17 year-olds and those over 65 years prefer radio listening at home; while those in the 18-30 and 31-50 year-old brackets consume radio mostly while travelling to work in their car. The overall ranking of preferred location of TV-viewing (Sitting room; Bedroom; Dining room; Kitchen; Other place) is persistent amongst all the age groups. While the preference for Kitchen and Bedroom viewing by the different age groups is nearly equal for all the groups, 18-30 year-olds and 65 plus year-olds prefer more Bedroom TV-viewing than the rest of the age groups.
6.5 Media consumption by Socio-Economic Group
For the Audience Audits 1999-2003 the status of the respondent or of the respondent’s Head of Household where applicable such as when interviewing children, house persons, etc. who were not head of household, was measured by the interviewee on a 4-point conventional scale of AB, C1, C2, and DE.
The Knowledge Gap effects media consumption.
For both radio and TV, the number of hours consumed when analysed by the socio-economic groups is similar to the patterns found under the previous classifications. However, the lower the social-economic class held by the respondent, the more they were willing to spend more hours listening and viewing their radio/TV reception sets. While the “AB” and “C1” classes ranked first and second respectively for the “one hour” and “two hours” of radio listening, the social-economic classes “C2” and “DE” ranked first and second in the rest of the clock-hours.
Radio consumption is mostly preferred at home by the “DE”, in the car by the “AB” and at work by the “C2”. With regard to location of TV consumption, the higher the social-economic class the lower the preference for each location (i.e. sitting room, bedroom, kitchen, dining room, and other); and the more stable their location of TV consumption.
With regard to preferred programme genres, the higher the social-economic class held by the respondent or head of household, the lesser the amount of preferred programme genres – and this holds true for both radio and television consumption.
Media perception by consumers depends on social standing – Reception Theory.
With regard to the preferred source of news, the higher the social-economic position of the respondent, the lesser that radio and television are preferred as their main source of news while newspapers are the most preferred by the higher socio-economic groups.
6.6 Media Consumption by Economic Status
For the Continuous Audience Assessment 2004-2005, the above 4-point conventional scale of AB, C1, C2 and DE was replaced by a 7-point classification based on the respondent’s occupation. For the Continuous Audience Assessment 2006-2007 such a classification of respondents was not done.
The classification by Economic Status did away with the need of reclassifying certain members of the local community as “house persons” and “students” by the occupation of the Head of household in which they were living. This classification is more qualified to the location-related characteristics of media consumption – location vis-à-vis the consumer rather than to the location of media receiving equipment.
- Cross-Cultural Consumer Characteristics – 4C’s?
With regard to radio consumption, “House persons”, “pensioners” and those “unable to work due to sickness” have the highest preferences for more programme genres than the rest of this demographic classification. Under Young and Rubicam’s classification these would be the “Mainstream, Resigned, and Struggler” consumers of media – or those which are security seekers while avoiding risk. “Students”, or “Explorers” have the least preference for most programme genres. Those who are “employed” [“Succeedors”], “self-employed” [“Aspirers”] and those “unemployed” [“Reformers”] follow the general programme preference index (<30%; >30% - <70%; >70%).
With regard to TV consumption, the same for radio applies with the exception of “pensioners” [“Resigned”] whose programme preference index is similar to the general preference index by the number of preferred programmes in each index group. The three industrial categories of “self/un/and employed” [“Aspirers/Reformers/Succeedors”], however, have less programme preferences than the general preference index but not to the extent as the preferences of “students” [“Explorers”] whose highest preference attain the second group of the preference index (>50% - <80%).
6.7 Media Consumption by Educational Level
Edutainment or education designed to educate as well as to amuse, is one of the use-related characteristics of media as it seeks either to tutor or to change behaviour by stimulating specific socio-cultural attitudes. Although this has long existed in the form of parables and fables, perhaps the most influential present-day practice that was started in the 1970’s, is the use of telenovelas/soap operas to promote pro-health educational messages, family planning and literacy (or the effects of their negative realization).
The educational level attained by respondents as compared to their preferences of programme genres may well be an indication of either the effectiveness of edutainment in local productions, and/or the level of demand for edutainment by the different categories under this demographic grouping. Such a classification was done for the Continuous Audience Assessment of 2004/5 but was discontinued during 2006-2007.
The higher the educational level attained the more specific are consumers’ programme genre preferences.
For the Continuous Audience Assessment 2004-2005, the educational level attained by respondents was categorized under 5-point scale of those having attained “Primary level”, “Secondary Level”, “Post-Secondary Level”, “Tertiary Education”, and those who had no schooling whatsoever. With regard to both radio and TV programmes, it is evident that the higher the educational level attained by the respondents the less their preferences by programme genres. Although the programme genres at the top of each preference index are popular throughout the 5-point scale, the amount of programmes in the lower groups of each preference index goes up with the increase in the levels attained by the respondents.
6.8 Media Consumption by District
Geographic divide, or rather the phenomenon of cultural differences arising out of divergence in reactions, responses and perceptions of people exposed to multi-cultural situations, has lately assumed particular significance especially in the context of globalization and the dismantling of geographical barriers. Although the island state of Malta only has a surface area of 316 km2 it has a geographic divide of a 5km sea-channel between Malta and Gozo. Cultural divides arising out of geographic distances are evident in other European countries. Some divides was expected but not in the extent that was found in such an analysis of a small island state.
Geographic divide and the level of urbanization effects Media consumption.
For the Continuous Audience Assessment 2004-2005, respondents were classified by six distinct districts, one of which constitutes the two smaller islands of Gozo and Comino; and this was particularly done to research the effect of community radio stations the rise of which was discussed in section 5.3 above. The preference for community radio stations was highest during the second quarter of the year (April-June) when such stations would be launching their summer schedules; while the preference for community radio consumption ranked third in the overall ranking for radio consumption. But above all, the two smaller islands of Gozo and Comino had the highest preference for Community Radio stations far exceeding those of the other districts.
The preference for different radio and TV programme genres classified by district in general follow the overall General Preference Index with the exception of the Southern Harbour Area and Gozo & Comino. Those living in the Southern Harbour Area have a higher preference in all the programme genres both radio and TV; while those living in Gozo & Comino have shown greater preference for radio Children’s programmes but have greatly reduced preference for radio Sport programmes than the other districts.
6.9 Conclusion and Recommendations
The local consumers at times seem unconscious of their rights to quality programme content – reality shows, soap operas and serials broadcast are based and consumed for their sensationalism aspects rather than for their educational improvement and updating to social situations.
The Broadcasting Authority’s decision, ensuing out of financial constraints, to restructure its data collection methods and data analysis with regard to audience assessment, were considered as a “turnaround” by some media analysts, but proved a godsend: improper extrapolation by producers for advertising purposes was eliminated; station managers could employ the continuous audience assessment to promote continued quality programming, and those who did so maintained their programme ratings; while this also proves that it is not necessary to “re-invent the wheel” but it is more important to modify the use of economic factors for more effective purposes. The analysis done with regard to data comparison between the two methods do not prove otherwise.
In view of the above the following recommendations are being made:
- The Broadcasting Authority should place more emphasis on Quality Programming.
The Broadcasting Authority should commission a study to survey the current quality content of programmes, to establish criteria how to gauge quality and to produce a manual for broadcasters and producers on how to improve quality programming in all programme genres.
- Media officials, whatever their rank and/or their service area should be more responsibly held for their actions.
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics which are a systematic method for getting the wrong conclusion with 95% confidence. Manipulation of data by the mass media is very dangerous. Nations have lost wars and opinions were swayed to extremes: during the Gulf War researchers have found that heavy TV watchers were more likely to support the war but then they were more likely to know less about its causes and consequences. The Gulf War Syndrome is such a case in point.
- Media education is a must.
Access and training to media is empowerment. Media should create positive change in the lives of individuals, communities, groups and organisations. Media literacy is locally lacking: daily programmes all follow the same routines – a breakfast show followed by three hours of teleshopping, with programme repeats in the afternoon after prime-time. Consumer whistle-blowing and media consumer groups are unheard of locally. The local consumers’ choice is channel hopping which is quite evident from the multitude of foreign broadcasts consumed.
- Media research and assessments should be constant and more extensive.
The focus of audience audits and audience assessments has always been that of broadcasting stations and their market share. Although this is important in itself for both broadcast producers and the economic community, quite often consumers’ rights to quality programme content is put on a side-stream and quite forgotten, resulting in mediocre programme content.