Minimal impact on public, survey finds'Totally meaningless' poll, union official says
SUE BAILEYCANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA—Most people didn't notice the on-air disruption caused when 5,500 CBC workers were locked out of studios across Canada, a poll indicates.
Ten per cent of respondents to the Decima survey said the labour dispute at the public broadcaster is "a major inconvenience" while 27 per cent called it "a minor inconvenience."
Sixty-one per cent reported no impact at all.
Just over 1,000 Canadians were surveyed by phone from Aug. 18 to 21 — just after the lockout began Aug. 15 during the drowsy height of summer.
Decima Research CEO Bruce Anderson says muted public reaction suggests the CBC isn't facing a large market-share loss just yet.
"This is likely somewhat related to timing; people will not be consuming as much news during the latter part of the summer."
That could change as vacation season ends and more CBC fans tune in to a vastly changed roster of radio and TV schedules, he said.
About one in four people said they were watching or listening to CBC less since the dispute began, says the survey, which is considered accurate to within 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Those who said they were most inconvenienced by the lockout tended to be Liberal and NDP voters or older people, the poll found. Most other respondents said they had not been affected.
Union spokesman Arnold Amber, CBC branch president of the Canadian Media Guild, helped frame and analyse political polls years ago when the public broadcaster did its own surveys.
He dismissed the Decima results as premature and "totally meaningless."
"They're polling the entire population rather than the population that actually cares and listens (consistently) to the CBC," he said in an interview.
"It is the equivalent of asking a bunch of people who only drive cars whether or not the bus service in their area is better or worse."
In fact, thousands of Canadians have sent e-mails or signed petitions urging a fair settlement, Amber said.
Another telling gauge is the drop in ratings measured by the CBC itself, he added. After the lockout, CBC-TV's nightly news program The National was replaced with world news from the British Broadcasting Corporation. Viewers dropped to between 308,000 and 515,000 from about 800,000.
Both CTV News and Global National News reported related audience boosts.
The labour crisis is entering its third week. A major issue is the broadcaster's move to fill more jobs through temporary contracts. No plans have been made to resume talks, said Amber.
SUE BAILEYCANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA—Most people didn't notice the on-air disruption caused when 5,500 CBC workers were locked out of studios across Canada, a poll indicates.
Ten per cent of respondents to the Decima survey said the labour dispute at the public broadcaster is "a major inconvenience" while 27 per cent called it "a minor inconvenience."
Sixty-one per cent reported no impact at all.
Just over 1,000 Canadians were surveyed by phone from Aug. 18 to 21 — just after the lockout began Aug. 15 during the drowsy height of summer.
Decima Research CEO Bruce Anderson says muted public reaction suggests the CBC isn't facing a large market-share loss just yet.
"This is likely somewhat related to timing; people will not be consuming as much news during the latter part of the summer."
That could change as vacation season ends and more CBC fans tune in to a vastly changed roster of radio and TV schedules, he said.
About one in four people said they were watching or listening to CBC less since the dispute began, says the survey, which is considered accurate to within 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Those who said they were most inconvenienced by the lockout tended to be Liberal and NDP voters or older people, the poll found. Most other respondents said they had not been affected.
Union spokesman Arnold Amber, CBC branch president of the Canadian Media Guild, helped frame and analyse political polls years ago when the public broadcaster did its own surveys.
He dismissed the Decima results as premature and "totally meaningless."
"They're polling the entire population rather than the population that actually cares and listens (consistently) to the CBC," he said in an interview.
"It is the equivalent of asking a bunch of people who only drive cars whether or not the bus service in their area is better or worse."
In fact, thousands of Canadians have sent e-mails or signed petitions urging a fair settlement, Amber said.
Another telling gauge is the drop in ratings measured by the CBC itself, he added. After the lockout, CBC-TV's nightly news program The National was replaced with world news from the British Broadcasting Corporation. Viewers dropped to between 308,000 and 515,000 from about 800,000.
Both CTV News and Global National News reported related audience boosts.
The labour crisis is entering its third week. A major issue is the broadcaster's move to fill more jobs through temporary contracts. No plans have been made to resume talks, said Amber.
No comments:
Post a Comment