Too Little Too Late, RTM.
From Monday, RTM will increase the daily air-time for Tamil and Mandarin programmes on TV2. Deputy Information Minister Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye said Thursday Tamil programmes would be screened from 5.30pm to 7pm and followed by Mandarin or Cantonese programmes from 7pm to 8.30pm.
He said the change would mean an air-time increase of Tamil programmes on TV2 to 12.8 per cent from the present 10.72 per cent while it would be an increase to 23.07 per cent from 17.17 per cent for Mandarin broadcast. "The objective is to enhance viewer satisfaction," he told reporters after launching a Mandarin drama entitled "Brothers of the Sea", which is a cooperative effort of RTM and Singapore's Media Corp.
Chia said several consumer studies were carried out before the programme restructuring and he was confident the public reaction to the change would be positive.
**** My first question is does deputy minister Chia himself seriously believe that this longer air-time concession by RTM is going to make an iota of difference to the speakers of the languages concerned? Secondly why now when no one in both communities watch RTM anymore? Is it because of a sudden realisation that they have been hopelessly neglected in terms of air-time or because of the dwindling income from advertisements?
Whatever the reason, justified or not, the simple truth is that Astro has intruded into our lives and provided us badly needed entertainment that was sadly missing from RTM throughout the past decades. There was a time when we were following the maxim that beggars cannot be choosers and watched whatever RTM would dish out. Then VCRs, followed by VCDs and DVDs provided the main source of our viewing pleasure. Astro (although they are bloody crooks as far as I'm concerned) then revolutionised our tv viewing habits and RTM slipped into oblivion for many Malaysians. I don't think that by increasing air-time by an hour many Malaysians are going to readily switch back to RTM. I for one switch to their channels only on rainy days when the damned Astro reception goes phut. So RTM, sorry, thanks but no thanks, it's too little too late kawan.
He said the change would mean an air-time increase of Tamil programmes on TV2 to 12.8 per cent from the present 10.72 per cent while it would be an increase to 23.07 per cent from 17.17 per cent for Mandarin broadcast. "The objective is to enhance viewer satisfaction," he told reporters after launching a Mandarin drama entitled "Brothers of the Sea", which is a cooperative effort of RTM and Singapore's Media Corp.
Chia said several consumer studies were carried out before the programme restructuring and he was confident the public reaction to the change would be positive.
**** My first question is does deputy minister Chia himself seriously believe that this longer air-time concession by RTM is going to make an iota of difference to the speakers of the languages concerned? Secondly why now when no one in both communities watch RTM anymore? Is it because of a sudden realisation that they have been hopelessly neglected in terms of air-time or because of the dwindling income from advertisements?
Whatever the reason, justified or not, the simple truth is that Astro has intruded into our lives and provided us badly needed entertainment that was sadly missing from RTM throughout the past decades. There was a time when we were following the maxim that beggars cannot be choosers and watched whatever RTM would dish out. Then VCRs, followed by VCDs and DVDs provided the main source of our viewing pleasure. Astro (although they are bloody crooks as far as I'm concerned) then revolutionised our tv viewing habits and RTM slipped into oblivion for many Malaysians. I don't think that by increasing air-time by an hour many Malaysians are going to readily switch back to RTM. I for one switch to their channels only on rainy days when the damned Astro reception goes phut. So RTM, sorry, thanks but no thanks, it's too little too late kawan.
posted by The Malaysian. at 8/10/2006 09:24:00 PM
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