Sounds Familiar?

In a recent article, “Our God – Ratings,” the German weekly Die Zeit examined the policies of the two German nation-wide public broadcasters, the ARD and ZDF, both federations of Länder – organizations. In it the paper argues that they were on the way to abolishing themselves by copying the model of the private broadcasters.

Of the many points made, only those are listed here that are relevant to the Canadian situation.

• The average German has his television set on for four hours a day. Every speech made by a politician who addresses matters related to culture and education should therefore deal with the problems facing public broadcasting. They rarely do.
• “Difficult” subjects are avoided in favour of programs designed for viewers who prefer relaxing entertainments. Prime time is given only to wars that are not immediately threatening.
• The history of ARD is a history of missed opportunities. It missed the chance to acquire the quiz program Who Will Become a Millionaire?, which has become a major success on the private RTL network.
• Public broadcasters should use the current financial crisis, while the private competition is suffering from reduced advertising revenues, to show courage and take initiatives.
• “Ratings are addictive,” producer O.B. states. Whenever one of his films is shown, he arranges to be woken up at three a.m. or whenever the ratings become available. If they are bad, he suffers for years.
• The greatest threats are the politicians. They demand higher quality in public, but whenever a worthy program fails to attract big numbers they complain in the newspapers why public money should be wasted on second-rate shows. However, program directors are hypocritical if they tell you that they insist on high ratings because the politicians demand them.
• The ZDF, with its 3,600 employees, is the largest television service on the continent and commissions more programs than any other broadcaster. No producer or writer dares to criticize it. Its directors have the power to change the ending of a play and to turn apples into bananas.
• Producers and writers won’t criticize management in the studios. They shoot their darts only while under cover in nearby bars and taverns.
• Difficult or depressing economic subjects are often flattened into questions of consumer protection.
• In 1999 the ARD program Brennpunkt devoted 32 out of 72 programs to the war in Kosovo. Since the collapse of the Lehman Bank last September, Brennpunkt carried only one episode about the financial crisis. The program is about to dissolve into thin air.
• Why don’t the politicians complain? Because they are more concerned with the question whether more guests from the CDU are invited than from the SPD.
• A film-maker spends months and overcomes innumerable obstacles making a documentary about Bundeswehr units in Afghanistan. It is carried at eleven thirty p.m. and is seen only by insomniacs. Moving it to a better time would have required the consent of at least five Länder-broadcasters.
• Still, one has to ask: does French, Italian or Spanish television offer more challenging fare? No. Leaving aside the BBC, one would have to work hard to find broadcasters in Europe who, in spite of these defects, offer more or better political magazines and documentaries than ARD and ZDF.