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Sicilian Culture: News & Views
If Not Bread, Then At Least Circuses
By Uri Ayalon, Ha'aretz English Edition
Monday, January 28, 2002 - - Italian culture has to its credit enviable achievements in many fields, but television is not one of them. Nevertheless, there is a fear that Israel is fast approaching the unsuccessful Italian model. The new commercial channel, Channel 10, which begins broadcasting today, is the first of five new commercial stations scheduled to go on the air during the coming year. The swift increase in the number of niche channels, and the large number of commercial channels, is likely to lead to a situation reminiscent of that existing in Italian television.
Italy's population is about 58 million - 12 million households, 99 percent of which have at least one television set. The Italians, who have 12 Italian-language commercial stations, are considered the most avid television watchers in Europe. The average number of hours they spend in front of the TV increases from year to year, and is today estimated at about four hours a day.
In Israel, far fewer people watch television, and for somewhat less time. After subtracting the Arab population from the general calculation (since for the most part, they don't watch Israeli television, but prefer foreign stations which they receive by means of private dishes), as well as the ultra-Orthodox (who don't watch television), Israel has a television audience of about four million. The Israeli viewer watches television for an average of three hours a day (last December, the average rose to three and a quarter hours).
Freedom of action in Italian television is almost unlimited, and the situation borders on anarchy. For example, the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has his own television network, and exploits it for political purposes. Prof. Sergio Della Pergola, head of the Institute for Contemporary Jewry at Hebrew University, and a native of Italy, terms the process of dividing the Italian television pie into politically-linked factors "lottizzazione" - the division of land into plots.
"In this sense, Israeli television is become increasingly similar to the Italian version," says Prof. Della Pergola. "The existence of niche channels, such as channels for Russians and channels for the religious, is bringing the ideological and political division to Israeli television, too."
Like the old Channel One monopoly - which was broken only at the beginning of the 1990s - Italian television was government controlled until the late 1970s. Three national channels were divided among three parties: the socialists or centrists who were partners in the government and an opposition channel controlled by the Communist party. At the beginning of the 1980s, businessman Silvio Berlusconi broke the monopoly of the Italian broadcasting authority, and established an alternative television network, which included three new channels.
Berlusconi's entry into politics at the start of the 1990s raised a public debate over conflict of interest. This debate had no impact on the television stations he owns, which are very popular, attracting about 40 percent of the television audience in Italy. These channels are full of Italian versions of such programs as "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and "Big Brother."
The Italian channels are controlled by commercial companies, advertisers, politicians and the wealthy, who are more concerned about their commercial interests than about the good of the viewers. The channels are a business, which ostensibly does not require government intervention. Nevertheless, the information transmitted on television is a source of political and cultural power. Italian television excels not only at a one-sided presentation of the political agenda, but at systematic diversion of public attention, by placing the emphasis on entertainment, gossip, games of chance, soap operas, and so on. The most neglected genres on Italian television are documentaries and cultural magazines. When Italians want to see cultural programs, they turn to other European channels.
Dr. Diana Luzzatto of the department of sociology and anthropology at Tel Aviv University, who is a native of Italy, claims that the nature of broadcasts on Italian television is a function of the nature of the Italians.
"Italian television represents the Italians, who are very likable, but superficial, and not interested in dealing with difficulties, or with reality in general. The Italians have lost their connection to their political institutions; they have no ability to influence, and no desire to do so. Therefore, they have developed a mechanism for dealing with reality - they see everything through rose-colored glasses - and have created television that is like opium. Roberto Benigni even managed to present the Holocaust in a positive light, in the film `Life is Beautiful.' Television doesn't examine anything deeply and doesn't deal with reality, either.
"Italian television doesn't relax me, it causes me anxiety, especially in light of the fact that we are becoming like it," says Prof. Luzzatto. "Programs such as `Who Wants to be a Millionaire' are very similar to the spirit of Italian television. Dealing with difficult topics in a light manner is a trend that is becoming popular here as well. Nevertheless, I believe that in any case, we cannot sink to the Italian level, because they don't have a war going on around them. An Israeli taxi driver solves all the country's problems; we have a tradition of political involvement, and a reality that cannot be ignored."
Likely to sink
Like Italy, Israel is in the midst of an accelerated process in which television channels are changing from a limited resource under state supervision into a multi-channel enterprise dominated by market forces. The five commercial channels to be added will significantly affect the broadcasts we are now familiar with. A channel for Russians, a channel for Arabs, a music channel for youth, a news channel and an additional general channel (Channel 10, which begins broadcasting today) are perhaps only a hint of what is to come after the change to a policy of franchises. The policy being initiated by Communications Minister Reuven Rivlin will make it possible to grant any interested party who fulfills the minimum requirements a license to run a commercial channel, and will guarantee the benefit of limited supervision by the state.
One has to see what a plethora of channels has brought about in Italy in order to understand the depths to which Israeli television is likely to sink. The large number of commercial channels increased the number of programs in Italian, but brought down the level of the broadcasts, and has turned Italian television into a symbol of all that is vulgar and shallow in the medium.
Israel's new commercial channel will also significantly increase the number of Hebrew-language programs during prime time. But despite declarations about "a quality alternative to Channel Two," its broadcast schedule - which includes telenovellas and original entertainment and gossip programs - testifies to the direction in which commercial TV is headed. The competition for viewers and advertising between the franchise-holders of Channel Two and those of the new channel, will lower the level of programming to the broadest common denominator. According to statements by the Channel Two franchisees, the near future will not see any more Israeli drama series like "The Bourgeoisie" and "Basic Training" (which are relatively expensive to produce). Instead, there will be an unavoidable decline in the quality of all the programs broadcast on the channel.
The inflation in the number of channels on Italian television has been halted in recent years. After 24 entertainment channels, nine sports channels, shopping, lifestyle and pornographic channels, and local channels for every town and village - the market was saturated. In a sense it has also calmed down somewhat. About four years ago, in reaction to the murder of a 9-year-old boy, and to the exposure of incidents of sexual abuse of children in Italy, the television stations made an unprecedented decision to stop broadcasting episodes showing sex and violence in commercials and programs aired before 10:30 P.M. Today Italy is the only one of the five major European countries whose residents watch fewer than 100 cable or satellite channels. Even Israel has already surpassed Italy in the number of niche channels, with the start of satellite broadcasts a year and a half ago.
The age of commercial television began at the end of 1993, when Channel Two went on the air, but it is going to accelerate significantly only in the coming year. Until now, the Channel Two franchisees competed among themselves under close supervision of the Second Authority for Television and Radio, which was strict about the percentage of original productions, drama programs and documentaries in the broadcast program. The head of the department of communications at Haifa University, Prof. Gabi Weiman, claims that the root of the evil in Israel television is the Peled commission, which recommended an "open skies" policy. "Anyone who wants `open skies' is not familiar with Italian television," says Weiman. "[Education Minister] Limor Livnat, who was then communications minister, said that as a result of the policy `1,000 flowers will blossom.' But the Peled commission did not consider the possibility that poisonous plants could grow as well. Now we are beginning to pay the price and to approach the situation in Italy - with a large number of unrestrained channels, on the verge of a unsupervised television jungle. It's still a nightmare that could come true in Israel too. If the transition to a policy of franchises for anyone who is interested, and without supervision, is realized, that is definitely the direction in which Israel is heading."
The chair of the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), Nahman Shai, who served as director-general of the Second Authority from its inception until 1998, is opposed to the new commercial channel because of the unique nature of Israeli society. The channel, initiated by his replacement at the Second Authority, Shmuel Shem-Tov, will, in his opinion, harm all the broadcasting bodies, and beyond that - Israeli society.
"The introduction of the new commercial channel is a social and cultural mistake," he says. "We are an amazingly divided country. In such a country, there has to be a cultural core that connects us to one another. The new channel will break up the audience into groups of 5 percent at each channel, without a common denominator or a tribal campfire around which to gather. I don't want people to dance every night around one campfire, but there has to be a sense of proportion in breaking something up. I am in favor of smart competition that serves the audience. An examination of the broadcast schedule of Channel 10 reveals that they are not making any contribution to the viewer; they have simply thrown another broadcasting system into the air, which will only cause a decline in the standard."
Ha'aretz - Article
www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=122486&contrassID=2&subContrassID=11&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y&itemNo=122486
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