For MPs, there's no life like it
Source : Moncton Times & Transcript
Oct 10, 2001
by Campbell Morrison
[ ... ]
The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting has been watching a lot of TV lately. In response to the CBC's decision earlier this year to replace local supper-hour news programs with a 30-minute version coupled with a 30-minute national program called CBC NOW, the group has been keeping a close eye on the result.
A preliminary finding shows – not too surprising – that Atlantic Canadians are watching a lot more news about Toronto. A public opinion survey done Nov. 13 and 14 found 63 per cent of Atlantic Canadians believed the new format offered inadequate local news.
Using the COMPASS program in Prince Edward Island as a base, the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting compared pre- and post-changed formats. The new format offered less local news, no regional news, and more national and international news.
"Atlantic Canadian viewers got caught up on Toronto's garbage troubles, a Toronto murder and a protest relating to Toronto's education system," says a study issued by the Friends.
Research is continuing and further analysis will be available in early December.
