Election TV proved a big turn-off

Fully 40 per cent of the electorate turned off or turned over when any coverage of the general election appeared on television, a new survey has found.

And while 56 per cent of viewers told the Independent Television Commission that they had got what they wanted from the TV's election coverage, many still felt there was too much of it.

Those most likely to be unhappy with the coverage were women and first- time voters. Almost a third of respondents wanted to see more ordinary people and less of the party leaders.

Almost 60 per cent of those surveyed thought the reporting of poll results was unimportant while over 51 per cent thought analysis by political correspondents or pundits was irrelevant.

The ITC report also confirms that the BBC's Nine O'Clock News, extended for the duration of the election, lost 20 per cent of its viewers, while News at Ten on ITV lost 7 per cent.