Ghost of a flea: Advertisers boned by the CBC

August 19, 2005

Advertisers boned by the CBC

Canadians, yearning for public broadcasting and finding only the CBC, struggle on as the management riot reaches a sordid fifth day. Defying all logic, doubling the public's ration of Coronation Street and substituting CBC news gruel for BBC news great has somehow contrived to reduce audience numbers. Mandarins at the space fortress reply by throwing a bone to increasingly fidgety ad-buyers.

Media buyers said marketers may actually benefit from the labour dispute. That's because the CBC is making up for lost eyeballs by offering the extra spots, while other networks may post stronger-than-anticipated viewership numbers.

Still, most observers think any gains by other networks would be marginal, because the CBC represents such a small percentage of television ad revenue.

As Sun Tzu observed, best not to let media buyers remember their ad dollars are limited to the tax-payer subsidized "public" broadcaster or "private" broadcasters sheltered by regulations ostensibly meant to safe-guard state culture. The mandate of heaven smiles upon British and American reruns but for how long in a nation bereft of Wendy Mesley?

Posted by Ghost of a flea at August 19, 2005 08:11 AM

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