Media Conference Statement by Liew Chin Tong in
Parliament on
Wednesday, 3rd December 2008:
Question to Information Ministry
1) Is RTM halving airtime for Mandarin news
programme?
I call on Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek,
Minister of Information, to clarify whether airtime for Mandarin news
would be halved in RTM’s “rebranding exercise”?
Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek confirmed in Parliament on 18th November 2008
while answering oral question that RTM is undergoing a rebranding
exercise which will be revealed on 1st January 2009.
I have received credible information, subject to clarification by the
Minister, that the weekly airtime of Mandarin news and information will
be reduced from the current 8 hours and 25 minutes to 4 and half hour
from 1st January.
Currently, Mandarin news and information is broadcasted in three slots
daily at 12 noon for half an hour (Mandarin Tengahari), a five-minute
Galeri Perdana Mandarin at 7.55p.m., and Warta Mandarin at 8p.m. for
half an hour. In addition, there is a talk show programme aired on
Sunday evening.
It was rumoured that the rebranding exercise will reschedule evening
Mandarin news from the 8p.m. prime time slot to 11p.m., and the mid-day
news and Galeri Perdana Mandarin cease to exist.
I was also told, subject to clarification by the Minister, that the news
in various Chinese dialects on the RTM’s radio channel will cease to
exist from January 2009.
It is the obligation of the Information Minister to clarify on this
matter.
2) Did the Minister mislead Parliament on What Say You?
Mandarin Talkshow programme “What Say You”, aired on Sunday evening, was
axed in October immediately after DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok appeared
as a guest.
Minister of Information Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek told Dewan Rakyat on 3
November 2008 that
“Kalau dikatakan bahawa What
Say You adalah program yang terlalu hebat, kalau dilihat dari segi
ranking di kalangan program-program yang disebutkan FTA dengan izin
free to air program bagi seluruh TV di negara kita, program yang
percuma yang tidak berbayar, kalau mengikut ranking What Say You dia
duduk di bawah di dalam tangga yang ke-337. Ertinya rankingnya
adalah sangat rendah sekali. Ini dikeluarkan oleh ACNielsen sebuah
syarikat bebas yang membuat ratingnya iaitu hanya sekitar 180 ribu,
190 ribu penonton.
“Pada waktu jam 7:00 waktu prime time, saya rasa itu adalah
merupakan satu ranking ataupun rating yang rendah sekali dan kita
sia-siakan wang rakyat pada waktu yang mahal nilainya sedangkan
penontonnya rendah. Sedangkan kalau siaran langsung RTM di waktu
pagi 10.00 selalounya yang tingginya kartun sahaja tetapi program
serious tidak tinggi dari segi ratingnya. Sebab selalunya sekitar
jam 10.00 itu sekitar 80 ribu, 90 ribu, tetapi program siaran
langsung RTM sudah meningkat kira-kira 200 ribu. 180 ribu hingga 230
ribu. Jam 10.00 pun lebih tinggi daripada What Say You.
I have been exposed to information
that either the Minister had misled the Dewan or he was misled by his
official. Whichever way the excuse (low rating) he gave to Parliament on
3 November 2008 for axing What Say You was inaccurate.
First, of the 34 episodes from March 2008 to 26 October (the final
episode featuring Teresa Kok), 14 episodes attracted more than 200,000
viewers.
Second, I urge the Minister to use the opportunity of the debate on the
budget of Information Ministry to disclose the rating by ACNeilsen for
Selamat Pagi Malaysia, Generasi Y, Info Sukan, Bisnes Malaysia, ISU,
Persepsi, Bersama Menteri, Diskusi and Motivation on 2.
I was made to understand that the above talk show programmes have either
comparable rating or less than that of What Say You. If What Say You was
axed due to low rating, does that mean that all talkshow programme on
RTM should all be terminated?
Instead of skirting around issues and hiding behind false information,
the Ministry should just admit that What Say You was terminated due to
political interference and apologise for that.
* Liew Chin Tong, MP for Bukit Bendera
http://dapmalaysia.org