Reference is made to the advert titled “Broadcasting Authority Survey – April-June 2007” (TMIS, 12 August, page 25).

The Broadcasting Authority did not issue this advert even though one might get the impression that such was the case when reading it. In fact, it is a very misleading advert as it distorts the Broadcasting Authority’s audience survey results for the months April to June 2007.

This advert seems to indicate that it was either compiled by the Broadcasting Authority or prepared by someone on the basis of information supplied by the Broadcasting Authority. Furthermore, there are several inaccuracies in this advert.

The Broadcasting Authority’s Audience Assessment does not measure programme audience shares but broadcasting stations’ viewing averaged over a period of three months. The Audience Assessment does not mention any programme by name – instead it refers to half-hourly slots by station for all the weekdays under review. The half-hourly slots are not intended to gauge programme audiences but broadcasting station viewing by consumers.

The questions put to respondents refer to broadcasting station following by consumers and not programme consumption. Indeed, as can be seen from Table 1 and Figure 1, the Broadcasting Authority audience survey measures “TV Weekday Peak Audiences” while Table 2 and Figure 2 provide data for total daily average audience for television stations.

The programme percentages listed in the advert are not correct because most of the programmes advertised have more than a half-hour slot, while the advertiser chose to discriminate against certain programmes. In some cases the percentage published in the advert is that of the first half-hour slot of the programme; in other cases the highest half-hour slot for the whole programme is published while in another case the mid-point audience slot was published. In his exercise, the advertiser did not follow uniform and constant parameters.

The programmes listed in this advert do not fall under the same programme genre and as such, it is very misleading to compare programmes without also considering the targeted audience for each programme that may range from 12-year-olds to people in their nineties. Let alone such other factors as broadcast time, weekday and gender – all factors considered in the Audience Assessment done by the Broadcasting Authority.

The list of programmes given in the advert is also misleading. Between the period April to June 2007, Arani Issa was last on air on 9 April, L-Ispjun was last aired on 16 May, Gizelle was last on air on 22 May, while Dejjem Tieghek Becky was last aired on 17 June. Besides, while the percentages given in the advert for these programmes are taken from the averages of particular weekdays, the percentages taken for TVM News and One News are taken from the averages of the whole period April to June 2007. On the other hand, the last programme to be aired from those mentioned in the list of programmes in the advert was Tista’ Tkun Int.

In addition, the bar chart at the lower part of this advert was not compiled, nor does it figure anywhere, in the Audience Assessment April-June 2007 published by the Broadcasting Authority. The Audience Assessment did not and was never intended to make available any data on programme audience share.

The Authority does not accept responsibility for the data and chart in this advert and totally disassociates itself from its contents, which it considers to be untruthful, incorrect and entirely misleading. The Authority also considers the advert to be deceitful as it gives the impression that this advert was placed by the Broadcasting Authority and not by an anonymous person or entity. The Authority’s name and reputation were abused for unethical commercial interests. Nor was it stated that the advert was a paid advert, thus giving the impression that the page in question was faithfully reporting on the Broadcasting Authority’s Audience Assessment for the months April-June 2007.

For the above reasons, it is therefore appropriate that your readers are informed of the incorrect data published in last week’s edition of The Malta Independent on Sunday. The correct data and audience assessment report are available free of charge for viewing and downloading from the Broadcasting Authority’s website at www.ba-malta.org.

Kevin Aquilina

Chief Executive

Broadcasting Authority Malta