Exciting surprises from other TV cultures

FOR one full week earlier this month, we stayed in a different country—and unlike our usual practice, didn’t get to watch our local TV programs at all. For the inveterate couch kamote  that we are, that experience was quite unique.

Initially, we suffered from withdrawal pains—but all too soon, the pain became a delight, a sweet relief that made us realize how negatively some local TV shows and personalities had been affecting us of late. What? No posturing, preening newscasters with their helium-inflated, stratospheric estimation of their wit and beauty? Oh frabjous joy!

We were also gratified to belatedly discover the programming riches of some countries’ TV cultures that aren’t brought to the attention of our local viewers, even on cable television.

In particular, we were impressed with the English-language or -subtitled programs of the Japanese network, NHK, which went in for a lot of art and nature shows—precisely the sort of enlightened coverage that we sorely miss on local TV.

View of reality

Also quite impressive were the subtitled shows of some European countries, which presented a view of reality that was quite different from the American TV fare we usually watch. To be sure, some of the European channels also went in for inane patter and gimmickry, but they made it a point to balance their coverage with some provocative programs that invited viewers to think, instead of just passively accepting the medium’s shallower and more diversionary tactics.

The biggest programming surprise came from Australian television. One after another, the Aussie channel we watched regaled us with a great variety of topical and edgy think pieces that made for provocative entertainment, education and cogitation.

A standout program showcased new inventions, making viewers realize that if they use their creativity, they too could make the world a better place to live in.

Another show tackled the issue of the effects of advertising—TV commercials in particular—on viewers’ deeply subliminal psyches. The telecast backed up the opinions of its panel of experts with many examples of good and execrable advertising, indicating that its production people had put a lot of time and thought into their work.

More provocative

Even more provocative was a program on the inner workings of the human brain, which has now been “mapped” to reliably prompt neurons to help completely disable people walk, hold objects, and even see.

Given these great programming possibilities as actualized in other countries’ TV cultures, we feel sad that local TV takes woefully limited advantage of the medium’s great gifts—and local viewers are decidedly the poorer for it.

We urge our more enlightened TV workers and people from other disciplines to initiate programs for the thinking and not just the shallow, touchy-feely side of our viewers—so we can catch up with the rest of the TV-producing and televiewing world!