News Release – Canadian Idol Voting Details

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Toronto, ON (June 13, 2005) – In what promises to be another tightly-fought and unpredictable “campaign” – the race is on to elect Canada’s next Canadian Idol. With voting lines opening for the first time starting tomorrow night, CTV announced today details on how viewers can vote for their favourite Canadian Idol performers.

Last year, Canadians cast over 32 million votes for their favourite Canadian Idol competitors over the course of the season. Now, starting
this Tuesday, June 14 and continuing for the next 14 weeks, voting begins as Canadians make their voices heard for their choice of Canada’s next Canadian Idol. Voting will occur following the conclusion of Tuesday night “performance shows” with the results being announced live (tape delayed in the West) on Wednesday nights on CTV (schedule subject to change).

Voting is restricted to one, two-hour voting window in each region of broadcast (east of the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border from 9-11 p.m. ET
and west of the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border from 9-11 p.m. PT). Viewers watching a feed on satellite or digital cable that is earlier or later than the regularly scheduled broadcast in their region (8 p.m. ET/PT) will not be able to vote; instead, they will hear a “fast busy” signal. The voting window is fixed and is open for two hours, starting immediately after each “performance” episode concludes.

A detailed FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document on how to vote can be
found on the Canadian Idol Web site at www.idol.ctv.ca. A summary can be
found below:

How to Vote by Toll-Free Telephone:

*Each competitor will be assigned his or her own toll-free number (e.g. 1-866-9-IDOL-01 or 1-866-9-4365-01 for Competitor #1) that will appear on screen and be announced during Tuesday’s performance show. Only after the broadcast is over, viewers can cast their vote by dialing
the phone number of the competitor for whom they wish to vote. Viewers can vote from a landline, cell phone or pay phone from within Canada. The
phone lines remain open for two hours following the broadcast.

*After viewers vote, they will hear a pre-recorded message thanking them for voting for their chosen competitor. After the voting window, no more votes will be accepted and lines will play out a ‘fast busy’ signal.

*Voting is toll-free from landlines including pay phones. If a wireless phone is used to vote, airtime and applicable roaming charges may apply.

CTV also announced today a series of “Voting Tips” to enable more successful voting opportunities:

Voting Tips:

*Call during non-peak periods.

Lines are open for two hours following each broadcast. The highest call volumes are experienced within the first 30 minutes after the show ends. People calling during the first few minutes are most likely to get a busy
signal or no dial tone altogether. Waiting for non-peak times before calling increases the chances of a successful vote being cast.

*Wait for dial tone before dialing.

Calls can only be processed if a dial tone is heard. Viewers should not begin to dial until after a dial tone is heard. If dial tone is not
heard within 15 seconds, hang up and try again after a few minutes. Do NOT hang up and try again immediately. Waiting up to 15 seconds keeps the line ready for the next available dial tone.

*Do not use automatic re-dialers.

Do not use the “re-dial” button as most automatic re-dialers are not sophisticated enough to wait for a dial tone. A dial tone is required to process the vote.

*Use a cell phone to call.

In most cases, cell phone transmissions are fed along a dedicated trunk line that is separate from a regular land line. Therefore, viewers may
encounter less line congestion if they call from a cell phone.

Credit: CTV