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| Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, former PL leader |
Those were fun, visionary and exciting times. Today, I don't have the same view on Radio 101. Or Super One Radio & TV and NET TV for that matter.
The original vision was based on the hopeful dream that politically-owned stations would follow the RAI model. Like Rai Uno, Due and Tre, Radio 101 and Super One Radio would have their political orientation but would also fully respect the truth and their listeners.
Twenty years ago, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, the leader of the Partit Laburista, was scathingly critical of this vision. He argued that the only reason for a party to own a station was to transmit its political message. Stations were bound to become propaganda machines.
Today, 20 years later, I admit that Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici was right and I was wrong. The original dream has turned into the nightmare he predicted. Political stations have become extensions of their owners and are showing little respect either for the truth or to their viewers and listeners. I go a step further. I lay the blame for the lingering bit of dysfunctionality of our democracy at the front steps of political stations.
Can we hope that after the next election the parties take a concerted decision to close them down?
9 comments:
well Yes you were wrong because NetTV, Radio101 ... had to start re-balancing the political radio frequency scenario after the 1996 election..
KMB was also right about local councils and money squandering. But he was wrong about the EU and AIDS :P
Nowadays they provide employment to a lot of people; why not a commitment to sell them rather than close down?
We should not attribute democratic motives to a politician who was essentially autocratic.
One of the things KMB shared with Mintoff was an aversion to free speech and what vexed him about the liberalisation of the air-waves was that the state would no longer have tight control over broadcasting.
He was certainly not worried about any possible radicalisation of the political climate; he himself pursued a policy of divisiveness after all.
On the other hand, the PN was certainly influenced by its experience of having had to resort to clandestine broadcasts during the dark Mintoff-KMB years.
The political radio stations may seem superfluous or even harmful at the moment but they will prove their worth should we ever be subjected to another 'regime'.
Let us not forget that, during the 22 months of Sant's government, Radio 101 was not allowed to use Telemalta's transmitter and had to set up its own radio mast. As far as the MLP was concerned, Radio 101 might well have been shut down.
Lou, you're wrong in thinking that you were wrong, and hence in suggesting to close down TV and Radio stations. Here's why:
1) The importance of TV and Radio diminishes. So the importance of closing them down for the reasons that you mention also diminishes. If you were right, then we should perhaps also close the Internet?
2) To some demographies, TV and radio are a key source of information. So you close that source and you hinder democracy. True, your point is about the quality of that information, but (A) bad information can also be transmitted via the internet, and (B) biased information is arguably better than no information.
3) One should aim to control the abusers and not just taking away some of their tools, especially the ones diminishing in importance, or the ones more important to certain demographies.
So the solution lies in better regulation.
Nice try :) You're a smart one!
I always thought that the Radio and TV station is the political extended arm of the parties. If the original concept was different, it is clear that things change drastically. Now it is not clear if these changed came due to the political hot Arena or due to administrative changes within the party’s strictures. Whether or not the partied will opt to close the aforementioned media tools, is a question with a straightforward answer - NO they will not. Political parties will keep using media to get their message and philosophy across the board. Media is the only tool that the parties have to pass their political agenda to Tom, Dick and Harry. I would like to remind you what happened in the 80`s. The Xandir Malta was the voice of the Government or let say the voice of the Party in power. Both parties cannot and will not allow such thing again thus NO PARTY will shut down and tool available.
Lou, would you be in favour of a Rai Uno, Rai Due, Rai Tre format for PBS where one of the stations has a Pro PN news editor and head of programmes and the other a Pro PL one?
Do you think that would be feasible and fair and would make political party stations redundant?
@ Matt - You propose an interesting idea which should certainly be considered. I have a vague impression that there are some European countries which have put it in practice. The cardinal principle however should be that all stations need to be faithful to facts and respect their viewers' intelligence.
I prefer ridiculous radio and TV stations by having a pluralistic media, then going back to the ugly days of one state owned TV and radio station completely controlled by who is in government.
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