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The Duties of TV Stations
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by Dale Matthews
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Television stations have a duty to serve the public interest. Most of us heed that dictum and agree holeheartedly. It is interesting, however, to note how that responsibility often falls on deaf ears in other corners of the media world. For example, in the celebrity news magazine market, lurid headlines and unflattering, candid photographs are the norm. Are such magazines admonished to serve the public interest? Yet these fellow members of the mass media remain wildly popular – and enormously profitable. So why is it that television is pushed to assume the stately responsibility of parent, educator, moral leader – and your very best friend?
WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU
A good friend will tell you the truth, even if you don’t always want to hear it. But what did we do to deserve the responsibility for such an often thankless task? Other purveyors of popular information simply seek to entertain – and laugh all the way to the bank. And we’re stuck as the dependable authoritarian. Some of us didn’t want to grow up to be exact copies of our parents. In 1963, Gerhard Maletzke, a scientist in the field of mass communications, drew up what he declared to be media’s five obligations to its audience: Is Maletzke right? Is it our responsibility to herd people toward meeting the goals of a 5-year plan, while dutifully handing out directives, and interpreting world events for them? It certainly will ease the tension of the workers if we provide a little light entertainment. Perhaps happy factory workers lustily singing about the virtues of their government leaders. Imagine Maletzke’s 1963 Germany and you’ll get the picture. Viewers of the world unite Palestinian writer and media critic Abdel Baset Khalaf sees merit in Maletzke’s world view: “The small screen doesn’t satisfy its responsibilities towards its audience, thus failing to convince us that it performs its tasks according to Maletzke’s principles. As a result, the 1990s marked an important transitional phase in the history of Arab broadcasting. The industry witnessed a rebellion by viewers against watching state-run stations – in favor of new satellite stations.” Khalaf strongly believes that since state-run communications ministries have mostly given up on the goal of imposing the
government’s will through the television screen:“The Arab broadcasting industry has a unique chance to reintroduce itself as a superpower able to lead its audience to places were governments failed for years and years.” Khalaf sees the region’s viewers throwing off the yoke of TV oppression as “a result of the viewer’s quest for better programs and the desire to be liberated from the informational siege imposed by local and governmental channels. As an alternative, foreign and other private satellite channels provided tempting programs of high technical and artistic qualities, regardless of content quality.” The quality of that “foreign content” is what concerns Abdel Khalaf most, as he is convinced that “superficial programs” are
destroying our culture’s youth. Indeed, he sees a grander role for television’s psychosocial leadership in “becoming a real savior when it concentrates on the problems facing its people.”
A young Arab audience The audience of satellite channels in the Arab world is young, mainly under the age of 25. And recent research reveals a strong relationship between the political awareness of young viewers and their level of exposure to satellite channels. According to a study conducted by Cairo University media professors Dr. Mona Al-Hadeidi and Dr. Attif Al-Abed, almost 100% of Arab youth watch satellite stations. Though the results were not very specific, the Cairo study reported that 57% of viewers who watch regularly are “highly influenced” by television, 32% of occasional viewers were “moderately influenced,” and 11% were “slightly influenced.” But just what are those “influences”? Aroused emotions Abdul Aziz Al-Maqaleh, head of Sana’ University, is also a writer and poet. He insists that he knows all about such influences: “Many Arab TV satellite channels are a tool for excitement, wasting time, and arousing emotions and lust.” Ittaf Al-Shamari, another journalist who writes as a media critic, says “these channels are mushrooming without any real need, and many lack the most basic ethical and technical standards. These channels lack identities and broadcast similar aimless content.” Even more ominously, Al-Shamari believes that “the Arab home is no longer considered an oasis of stability and security. As soon as people arrive home after a long day of work, they begin watching TV programs which creates tension and anxiety, and adds to their worries.” Certainly, this should sound the alarm for Maletzke-ites, who prescribe television as a soothing and mollifying influence on the masses: “enticing people toward preset goals, interpreting world events for them, and easing tensions in the audience.” Idle enjoyment In a televised interview, Dr. Najm Abdul-Karim, a Kuwaiti broadcaster who harshly critiques Arab television, says the industry is “failing to meet its cultural and educational responsibilities by spreading superficial and mediocre content.” Abdul-Karim, a British citizen originally from Iraq, adds: “TV has greatly participated in disseminating superficial, trivial culture.” Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Maqaleh argues that “many viewers have become accustomed to watching shows regardless of the quality of their content. This dilemma calls for broadcasters’ immediate attention, especially after realizing some of the negative effects associated.” A further dilemma for such predictors of doom is that for every “professional media critic,” there are more than a million “amateur media critics” – the audience – and they consistently, democratically, and overwhelmingly vote for fun and slightly frivolous mass entertainment. Faced with a choice between a very educational documentary about the details of city cement production – and Superstar – you know how they will vote. The great leader According to Khalaf, “Purposeless entertainment and superficial programs are not enough anymore. Arab audiences expect local media to listen to their needs carefully; otherwise. They will migrate to foreign stations.” He has in mind “programs aimed at promoting development, supporting educational programs, and broadcasting vital information about medicine, agriculture, and science.” But are audiences clamoring for these subjects? Mahmoud Khlouf, a Palestinian media specialist and a PhD candidate at the Cairo Institute for Media Studies and Research, told the MEB Journal recently: “The elite in the Arab world concentrate on news, but they seem to neglect their major responsibility: the need to pressure stations [toward] a constant educational role.” Then he added, “If that is the elite’s contribution, what should we expect from the ordinary audience – the half- or semieducated – or even the illiterate?”
The final arbiter
Our audience probably does not consider themselves as dunces. And we may argue that our broadcast programs are more than merely superficial and purposeless. However, it can be argued that, due to its direct influence on Arab youth, the role of the TV screen in education and raising cultural awareness today is nearly as important as schools and universities. Some critics strongly believe that the current state of the Arab broadcasting industry would dramatically improve if Arab television invested in more and better “edutainment” programs, combining education and entertainment If the African proverb is correct, and “it takes a village to raise a child,” perhaps we can do a better job for our “extended family.” As Dr. Al-Maqaleh says, “Successful stations who can survive this critical transitional phase are those who will meet or exceed their audience’s expectations. The level
of audience expectations today – especially among younger viewers – is rapidly rising.”
The bottom line
Television in our region of the world is about more than bottom line profit its. In fact, if that’s all that mattered, many broadcasters would simply fold up shop and find a more lucrative business model. But it is rewarding – in
many ways. The world is changing, and when we welcome information from all over the globe, that is going to affect our perceptions, our viewpoints, and our lives. And, yes, some TV stations are losing their audiences to eager broadcasters from outside the region. That’s because these foreign competitors see an increasingly sophisticated consumer base and huge new markets. And if we allow them to outpace us, they’ll eat our lunch. How we meet this challenge, how we respond to our critics – how we make use of this opportunity – is what the MEB Association and the MEB Journal is all about. We all share responsibility for the well-being of our families, our businesses, and our community. Become part of the solution. Join our concerned universities, broadcasters, and leaders. As our Middle East Broadcasters say, “It’s the most exciting – and important
– cooperative effort we’ve ever seen.”
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