‘No’ voice given significantly more airtime over campaign

RESEARCH has revealed that opponents of the Annan plan were given double the TV airtime of those who supported it.

According to a study conducted by the Cyprus Broadcasting Authority between March 24 and April 20, the four TV channels CyBC, Mega, Ant1 and Sigma dedicated 100 hours of broadcasting time to ‘no’ supporters to air their views and only 66 hours for those who highlighted the positive points of the Annan plan.

The channel that displayed the greatest imbalance was state broadcaster CyBC. Of the 70 hours that the channel devoted to discussions of the plan, 43 hours were given to advocates of a ‘no’, compared to a mere 26 for ‘yes’ supporters – 68 per cent more time for the ‘no’ camp.

Private TV channels Ant1 and Sigma were slightly more diplomatic when it came to dividing their airtime between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigners, though still weighted towards the ‘no’. Sigma gave 32 per cent and Ant1 36 per cent more time to the ‘no’ camp.

Ironically, however, the individual politicians who topped the air time were all from the ‘yes’ camp, led by former government spokesman Michalis Papapetrou, who clocked up six hours and 44 minutes. Former Attorney-general Alecos Markides came a close second with six hours and eight minutes, Averoff Neophytou was third and Disy leader Nicos Anastassiades with five hours 58 minutes.

However the remaining politicians who spoke for over three hours were mostly from the ‘no’ camp, , including Prodromos Prodromou, George Lillikas and Nicos Pittokopitis.

On average the four channels dedicated approximately six hours a day to debates on the Annan plan. CyBC devoted the most time of all to the plan with an average 2.5 hours a day over the period, followed by Ant1 with 1.5 hours and Mega and Sigma with one hour a day.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.