I was born behind the iron curtain. But being raised in Northern Estonia, where we had a window to the word called Finnish Television. So each evening our family sit in front of TV watching mostly US produced hits series. And besides Finnish language, we all learned English as well. As there where only three channels to watch, there wasn’t much competition as well. Maybe some people watched something from Estonian TV, nobody much there bothered to watch Russian Central Television.
AfterSoviet Union crashed, we where able to put our satellite antennas and early capitalism bring us Cable Company’s distribution of those channels as well.
So, instead Finnish TV, MTV and Discovery took the place in my time while my daughter again was raised watching Scooby-Doo from Cartoon Network.
But since 1993, we had Internet. First I didn’t much bothered to go home at nights because it was much interesting to be in the office and make contacts over the world. But as my family didn’t much like me spending nights in office, I setup the modems that we could use Internet in our house.
And as previously our family where arguing what to watch in TV, now we where starting to argue whose turn is to use Internet.
After we got home Internet in cable, there wasn’t anymore problem with that so even when the TV was on, nobody really watched it.
And as other people turned their free time from TV to Internet, the marketer’s money went there as well. But interestingly TV people didn’t much so far understand the reality. They are still talking about their ratings rather than numbers. And while those ratings are manipulated by research agencies like Ipsos Mori; nothing they claim isn’t true. So, this leaved the TV people living in their dreams outside the reality.
The special case is Government sponsored TV and radio. BBC is fourth biggest employer inUK, right after NHS and two main supermarket chains. What all those people are doing there? The only watchable program – Dr. Who is outsourced to one small production firm, so they have done for other programs. Sure, we do not need so many people to control Independent Production?
Funny was, when I was back to Estonia last winter. So, without a computer, I didn’t have much else to do than listen the radio. And most of the radio programs where repeats. Some from old archives and then they repeated their program three times a day. So, morning program starts again 2PM and midnight!!!
To my surprise, Estonian National Broadcasters demanded a new house!!! Broadcast is one computer file nowadays so setting up a playlist doesn’t need a house? You can do that anywhere with any Internet device. When I had my pirate radio station, it went to air from somebody’s bedroom. And we broadcasted everything straight to air without recording using old analog technology.
When I look to young people, they do not even know what TV or Radio is rather than gathering with a family in front of it. They have personalized their media to their mobile device. And Interactive media have got their attention. Why they have to be passive listeners when they can interact with the characters!!!
So, maybe there is now time to die for Television and especially we should not found any Government broadcasters using public money and build them houses as well. This is definitely the waste of public money nowadays.
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