Canadians Support Local TV Matters Campaign

TORONTO , Oct. 29 /CNW/ - A Nanos Research study of more than 1,000 Canadians confirms strong support for local television stations securing financial compensation from cable and satellite companies.

An overwhelming majority of Canadians (70% of respondents) support the statement that "local TV stations should receive a portion of the amount that customers pay on their monthly bill for cable or satellite TV."

Asked if "the government should force the cable companies and broadcasters to negotiate payment for local TV signals", 72% agreed. And a clear majority, 57%, agreed that "local TV stations will close if cable companies don't pay for the local TV signals."

"Canadians value local TV. They believe they already pay for it and that the programming they value should be fairly compensated by the TV distributors," says Nik Nanos, President of Nanos Research. "They are concerned about the loss of their local television stations and believe the government should take action to prevent that from happening."

"Canadian consumers get it. They've heard both sides of the argument and clearly support our position that cable and satellite companies must sit down and negotiate," said Paul Sparkes , Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, CTVglobemedia. "We want to continue to deliver trusted local news and community programming, and Canadians are overwhelmingly behind us."

In a media ad blitz launched in September, cable and satellite companies threatened to tax consumers with yet more fee hikes if the government forced them to pay for local TV signals. An alliance of broadcasters set the record straight, explaining that cable companies pocket the money they charge for local TV, but pay nothing to the channels themselves for the right to carry local TV signals.

The random telephone survey of 1,005 Canadians was conducted from October 10 through October 18, 2009 . The margin of accuracy for a sample of 1,005 is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

To view the survey, please visit: http://files.newswire.ca/831/Nanos.pdf.

About Nanos:

Established in 1987, Nanos Research is a full service public opinion research and management consulting firm. Nanos is regularly called upon by corporate, government and para-public clients in Canada and the United States to conduct research and provide strategic advice.

About Local TV Matters:

Local TV Matters is a campaign launched by local Canadian television broadcasters with a focus on the protection and preservation of local television for viewers across Canada . Local TV Matters' members include CTV, 'A', Global, CBC, CHEK NEWS, V and NTV, with thousands of supporters located across the country. The campaign encourages all Canadians to share their voice and support local television by joining the conversation at www.localtvmatters.ca.

For further information: Nanos Research: Name: Nik Nanos, President & CEO of Nanos Research, Phone: [phone] ext. 237, E-mail: [email protected]; Local TV Matters: Name: Bonnie Brownlee, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, CTVglobemedia, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Name: John Douglas, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, Canwest, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Name: Jeff Keay, Head of Media Relations, CBC, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Name: Douglas W. Neal, Senior Vice President, Newfoundland Broadcasting Co. Ltd., Phone: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]; John Pollard, CEO, CHEK Media Group, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Yanick Lecours, Director of Communication, V, Phone: [phone], Email: [email protected]