TORONTO – Canadians object to the purchase of Astral Media by Bell Canada, when told the resulting company would control 38% of the TV market and 29% of the country’s radio market, according to a poll released Friday and posted on the 'Say No To Bell' website.
In a sampling of public opinion taken this week by the Forum Poll, 6-in-10 (60%) of respondents 18 years of age and older said that they disapprove of the deal. That disapproval was highest among Ontario residents (64%), as well as federal Bloc and NDP supporters (78% and 65%, respectively). Males were more likely to approve of this merger than were females.
"Media concentration might appear to be wonkery, but it is clear that Canadians have their own opinions about who should own the national airwaves," said Forum Research president, Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, in the release, the latest in a series of press releases denouncing the purchase, many of which have been put out by the Quebecor-Cogeco-EastLink backed 'Say No To Bell' campaign.
The poll was conducted by Forum Research on August 22 with the results based on an interactive voice response telephone survey of 1,720 randomly selected residents of Canada aged 18 or older.
In related news, Montreal-based consumer advocacy organization Option consommateurs has joined the 'Say No To Bell' coalition, saying that consumers will “ultimately pay the price” of the proposed acquisition. "With so few players in the market, what options will consumers have if they are not satisfied with their service provider?", said executive director Robert Cazelais, in a statement.
