Korean Job Discussion Forums

[4 months left]

World Cup Profiteering Hijacks the Airwaves

Korea�s three terrestrial networks KBS, MBC and SBS have devoted between a quarter and nearly half of their broadcasting hours to the World Cup since it started, according to a survey. Grand National Party lawmaker Jung Jong-bok on Tuesday said World Cup programming from June 9 to 23 made up 25.5 percent and 38.5 percent of KBS 1 and 2 schedules, 43.3 percent at MBC TV and 46.4 percent at SBS. That does not include World Cup �features� that have shunted regular programming aside. .

During the same period, World Cup host Germany�s public broadcaster ZDF reportedly devoted no more than 19.62 percent of broadcasting to the championship. Corresponding rates were 14.06 percent for Japan's public NHK and 9.35 percent for the private Fuji TV. In short, no other broadcasters in the world indulge in covering the World Cup like ours.

What's more, analysis of the three networks� main evening news between June 1 and 19 by the Korean Broadcasting Institute reveals that 774 or 46.8 percent of a total of 1,651 items involved the World Cup. MBC�s "News Desk� broadcast 303 World Cup-related items, accounting for 51.3 percent of the total; SBS� "8 O'clock News" 54 percent (293 items) and KBS� "9 O'clock News" 34.4 percent (178 items). The public broadcasters� mandate to provide balanced coverage of multiple aspects of society went out of the window, and World Cup babble took over.

What was even more irritating for viewers was the networks� overlapping live coverage of matches. The three competed with each other in simultaneous live relays not only of our national team's three games but also of other major matches like Czechoslovakia vs. Italy and Portugal vs. Mexico, as well as some matches in the group of 16. Again, in host country Germany, three terrestrial channels -- ARD, ZDF and RTL took turns to cover the matches, while Japan's NHK broadcast major games alternately with private channels. In Korea, networks blinded by advertising revenues ride roughshod over viewers' right to choice.

The three stations have so far made W61 billion (US$61 million) from World Cup advertising alone, blatantly abusing public frequencies in their scramble for profit. It will be a plum deal even after the $25 million in broadcast fees to FIFA and W50 billion (US$1=\958) production costs and other expenses are deducted. Yet the Korean Broadcasting Commission, which is in charge of monitoring the networks, has done nothing except send them a piece of paper asking them to refrain from too much World Cup programming. That is clear dereliction of duty on the part of a body whose main duty is to ensure �the public benefit of broadcasting.� Are we just going to watch, as it were, while the commission cozies up to the networks?
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200606/200606270027.html

[huffdaddy]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

No one makes us watch TV. I just don't this month.

Ken:>

[RACETRAITOR]

It's still less invasive than the Olympics.

[4 months left]

[4 months left]