A media analyst has challenged Information Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek’s claim that poor ratings had prompted the decision to take Mandarin-language talk-show 'What Say You' off the air temporarily.

Based on AC Nielsen data, too, the programme had better ratings than a direct competitor and comparative talk-shows in other languages.

what say you tv show teresa kok 051108 02 The Chinese press had reported speculation that the state-run TV2 station had axed the programme because DAP politician Teresa Kok took part in its Oct 26 show, and had spoken on issues such as corruption and judicial and police reform.

Ahmad Shabery had denied in Parliament that this was a factor, and claimed that the programme is being restructured due to poor ratings, especially when it had occupied a “prime slot” at 7pm on Sundays.

Two Malay-language talk-shows are being reviewed as well, he said.

talk show viewership based on ac nielsen ratings 061108 "If we look at the ratings for free-to-air programmes in this country, (‘What Say You’) had a very poor rating, with only 180,000-190,000 viewers. So we felt it was a waste of money when it was in a prime-time slot,” Bernama had quoted him as saying

He also said that, among 400 free-to-air television programmes, 'What Say You' was ranked at 337.

However, AC Nielsen ratings provided by an advertising agency showed otherwise.

'What Say You' had typically registered 180,000-210,000 viewers per episode this year.

It hit a peak of 300,000 viewers on March 9, when the topic focused on the March 8 general election result.

The analyst, who requested anonymity, suggested that the best way to evaluate ratings is to compare the programme with talk-shows in other languages.

Malay-language 'Selamat Pagi Malaysia', aired daily at 7.45am, has generally attracted 80,000-150,000 viewers. The highest was 230,000 viewes.

Tamil-language 'Diskusi', aired on Saturdays at 6pm, has about 90,000 viewers, with the highest being 140,000 viewers.

mahathir interview 050308 'What Say You' - which recorded better response than these - also enjoyed an advantage over its sole competitor, 'Talking Issues' on the subscription-based Astro AEC station.

The latter has 100,000-150,000 viewers, with a high of 330,000 on May 24 when the episode was on the resignation of former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad from the party.

Social responsibility

The media analyst rebutted Ahmad Shabery's claim that it was waste of money for the programme to be retained in a prime-time slot.

She said talk-shows should not compared to entertainment programmes that are also aired on prime time.

"The rating for a drama series, for example, will always higher than for current-affairs programmes. Does it mean that there is no need for news programmes?"she asked.

She stressed that a state-run television station has a responsibility to cater for social and cultural needs, and not make decisions purely from a commercial point of view.

“If the rating is really considered poor and if using a prime-time slot is deemed a waste, the station could still have adjusted the broadcast time,” she pointed out.

The analyst added that, in any case, the 7-8pm slot is no longer a prime-time one because lifestyles have changed, particularly in urban areas. Most people tend to return home only after 8pm, even on weekends.