Too many ‘teleseryes’

“BE CAREFUL With My Heart” has been running for almost two years now.

Balanced programming is one of the hallmarks that TV channels pledge to deliver when they apply for telecasting franchises. Especially for young viewers, it’s very important that TV programs develop the whole person and persona, with a diverse mix and blend of entertainment, information and inspirational shows focusing on different aspects of the well-rounded individual’s growth, development and formation.

Unfortunately, for the past decade or so, Philippine TV programming has been run over by teleseryes. They started telecasting in the afternoon, but became so popular that they ended up dominating the evening prime time programming slot as well.

Twelve hours

These days, teleseryes are telecast before the evening news, then right after up to around 10:30 p.m., when the late-night newscasts start.

Teleseryes have become so popular that they have invaded the late-morning slot as well. “Be Careful With My Heart” has been running for almost two years now.

Thus, when you look at the country’s TV programming schedule, you find teleseryes starting at 11 a.m. or so, followed by the noontime variety shows. Then local TV goes back to drama mode in the afternoon, interrupted only by the evening newscasts, then back to the really big prime time dramas to end the long day on a huge, melodramatic high—all told, practically 10 or even 12 hours of teleseryes, almost back-to-back!

TV producers may say that they’re only giving televiewers what they avidly and even rabidly crave, but in the all-important context of balanced programming, this simply won’t do!

Government and industry bodies charged with upholding the welfare and viewing “health” of TV audiences must do their job and vigorously act to mitigate the huge cul-de-sac and dead end that the local TV industry has profitably painted itself and its millions of viewers into, which is unacceptable.

Parents and teachers should weigh in on this all-important issue, which negatively affects their children and young wards’ views of life and the world as a repetitive series of misery, violence and revenge, from morning till night, ad absurdum.

There’s much more to life than people getting oppressed and then avenging themselves on their vile oppressors, and our young people need to be shown those alternative options and prospects by the TV programs they view.

Hugely profitable

Yes, the production and telecasting of teleseryes is hugely profitable, as witness the seemingly endless commercials they oh so “generously” run, but the official government franchise that TV outfits need in order to operate require them to service the entire makeup of the Filipino viewers as a person, not just his escapist and masochistic-vindicative quirks.

In fact, TV channels are supposed to use the money they make from their commercial shows, like teleseryez, to produce alternative, public service, educational and niche-audience shows to encourage young viewers to develop all of their aspects and capabilities.