(Wave) Bands of Gold

The latest comparative Radio and Television Audience Assessment statistics for July to September 2008, and October 2007 to September 2008, have just been published by the Broadcasting Authority - and it goes without saying that they make interesting reading.

For what it's worth, the 'stratified random sample' is based on population distribution by six geographical areas as selected by the National Statistics Office, and was further sub-stratified by age and gender parameters.

Somewhere in between all the numbers lie my own preferences; however, I can only vouch for myself not having lied in order to sway the statistics towards any particular agenda... because I have not got one.

As I always say, statistics are a lamp post - used for support as well as for illumination. Because in any given data, there will always be a margin of error, and also those people who are noncommittal - or liars - and again, this includes those who insist they do not remember what station they watched or listened to (are they all so similar?); those who do not listen to radio (don't these people every take the bus or enter shops that make us listen to Magic or Bay or XFM, whether we want to or not?); and those who do not follow any particular station - which probably means that they are not willing to divulge their preferences.

These people are left out of the aggregate result, and this could sway the outcome.

When I was asked which programmes I listened to or watched, I named a long list of the former but only about 10 of the latter; this left the person who called me nonplussed - I am assuming she had instructions not to comment about what respondents said.

I find radio the ideal medium, since the visuals don't interfere with what is being said.

Besides, there is no category for people who listen to radio or watch television because they have nothing better to do. And indeed, this is another reason why those who come top of the polls must not rest on their laurels, especially in these days of digital radio and cable television, and remote-controlled television and radio sets, where one does not even to get off a chair to change channels.

I never cease to be amused at the way the numbers are crunched by the entities mentioned in the paper itself. Increase or decrease in audience numbers means that advertisers are likely to plump for the ones nearer the top of the list, unless they are friends of friends of the ones near the bottom, in which case nothing much will change in the way the pie is divided.

Moreover, one-off series that would have boosted listenership and viewership mean that the people involved would land a better chance of being commissioned to do another series for the same station in the schedule following; if there be justice.

In Malta, where the crossover from radio to television is par for the course, I wonder why there is not an award instituted for the most popular, or the best, radio personality. As it is, television personalities who are in the public eye for non-media related reasons, or those who have added radio exposure, tend to have an advantage over others who do not have either.

It is interesting to note that these statistics came out just before this evening's Samsung Malta Television Awards. This means that there is no chance of the viewership saying "Ah! This programme won an award - so it must be good... let's see what it's like." However, some people are steadfast and will only watch what they think they ought to - and I mean this statement to have several connotations.

It would be interesting to compare both sets of popularity polls.

Moving on, Int u Jien is the Sunday 10.30 a.m. Radju Malta show that tries to bring listeners closer to one another. We all know that certain presenters like Lilian Maistre, Ivan Portanier, Susan Mulvaney, Alfred Zammit, Manuel Cuschieri, Christine Delicata, and so forth have a mainstay of listeners, some of whom call in on almost every programme, even if they have nothing worthwhile to say.

This programme takes a different tack. By using Skype, Tony Micallef makes contact with Maltese listeners in other countries, and of course locally. The sound comes in loud and clear - much better than in some television and radio programmes where the OBU plays up.

This programme is a delightful pot-pourri of music interviews, readings and features, and is open to feedback, either instant, through calls to the studio, or e-mail.

Meanwhile, since moving over to Calypso 101.8, Twanny Scerri has averaged one interview with an Italian personality per week; Pupo, Luca Barbarossa, Albano, Riccardo Fogli, Tosca and Toni Dallara (why only one female singer?) being the latest.

And finally, I have been monitoring the Favourite infomercials closely; there appears to be a good mix of culture and entertainment waiting to be served up. The station management is asking for potential contributors to apply, and this is always a good sign, because it indicates an even playing field.

I was pleased to see that Norma Saliba, in my opinion one of the most professional newscasters, will be fronting the Favourite news division. From what I can gather there is going to be a move away from the tired old 'DOI said this and the minister did that' format, and there is also room for feedback from viewers.

television@timesofmalta.com