PBS – anything but independent

The popular discussion programme Times Talk produced by the Times of Malta newsroom has been axed, as was the cultural programme Madwarna presented by Salvu Mallia. Peppi Azzopardi’s Xarabank was doomed to the same fate, but the decision was reversed at the last minute. An interest expressed by The Malta Independent, headed by succesful television producer Pierre Portelli,was once again brushed aside.

Definitely not in the public interest

We can see this news from at least two perspectives. The first one is the purely commercial or business perspective: the national TV station in Malta is, under the present model, expected to be a partly self-sustaining operation. In TV business logic, the administrator is forced to give room to programmes that attract audi- ences and directly or indirectly advertising revenue for the station.

From the commercial perspective we should not therefore blame PBS for axing Times Talk and Madwarna, were these programmes be faring badly with viewers. But is this the case? Not really. A look at the latest broadcasting survey available online reveals that Times Talk had over 26,000 viewers – basically the biggest viewership in that slot over the whole week, apart from Fridays. Madwarna was also doing very well, with consistently high viewership.

But above commercial reasons, which could forsake quality and simply encourage junk television just for the sake of higher revenues, we should consider whether this decision is based on reasons that serve the public interest. As taxpayers, we indeed expect that the national station acts in the public interest and strives to present us with programmes that not only entertain but also educate and serve a wider public service – including the duty of promoting a wider democratic debate together with the promotion of our culture, heritage and history. It is pertinent to note here that Times Talk did indeed tick that box of providing a platform for different views in a wider democratic debate and likewise Madwarna was particularly effective in informing people about their heritage and history in a fun and creative way. And without any shred of doubt, The Malta Independent would have used the television skills of Pierre Portelli and Rachel Attard to produce good quality television.

Muzzling the press

So the rationale behind the axing of these programmes could not have been based on public service interest. In all sincerity, I can find no valid reason other than that the government, which already controls the PBS newsroom, is getting back at – and silencing – those others who did their duty and investigated and spoke about the corruption scandals of this government. Sadly the exclusion by PBS of some of its top programmes and other proposals with high quality potential is nothing but a confirmation that the national station, financed by taxpayers’ money, is being manoeuvred by Castille as a partisan propaganda tool. As such, it is an attack on the free media and free speech.

They won’t shut us up

Slowly but surely, many people are realising what a 36, 000 majority for Labour meant for the democratic credentials and the good governance of this country. It is high time that Labour realises that the times are changing and, as Salvu Mallia would have it, “they won’t shut us up”.