"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."
=================================================
Thanks to Prof. Filippo Sabetti at McGill University-Canada

IF NOT BREAD, THEN AT LEAST CIRCUSES 

Ha'aretz-English Edition
By Uri Ayalon 
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."