I read where members of the local television industry are hoping that the Trinidad & Tobago Telecommunications Authority will “put a hand” to help save the FTA (free to air) television industry, citing the number of streaming boxes as the main culprit.
The real question here should be why are so many people using boxes rather than viewing FTA TV?
For years the local television industry has done little to uplift the quality and standard of local productions or their content in general. In the days of plenty, many programmes were “thrown” together without much thought and in-depth research; and advertisers, who themselves should share some of the blame, just advertised without questioning its content.
News programmes were dealt with like a public relations exercise without any substance, and while all this was happening their audiences were being exposed to real news coverage and programming via the cable channels.
Over the years there was little or no training taking place for employees to keep them up to date on new techniques in the television industry; and had this happened they would have seen the writing on the wall, but instead, the industry was left to self-regulate. It was simply a case of “put something on the air” and it was sponsored regardless of cost as money was no problem.
Many local production companies actually went out of business, for their productions were given little thought or help to really have them aired; and now in “hard times” and before these “television experts” examine the truth and see where the blame lies, they are looking to have streaming boxes outlawed.
Another reality is that FTA television has been on the decline for more than two years and still nothing was being done to try and save the local industry. So now that the chickens have come home to roost, the most they can do is blame streaming boxes.
Should things turn around and money starts to flow again, they will go right back to same ole same ole. So to outlaw streaming boxes will not save the day. What is required is a serious look at the industry and hard decisions made and only then they may be able to save FTA, but I won’t put much hope in that.
Clarke Peters, via email
