Television news programmes on which well-known personalities read newspapers to viewers are taking some flak. Blame the coup if you're a fan of this sort of presentation. The media's reaction to breaking-news crises may see a shift back to content-oriented broadcasts - and away from celebrity presenters.

Lately there have been more complaints about the time "wasted" watching TV when all you're seeing is the newspapers being read aloud to you.

"TV is supposed to be faster than the newspapers," grumbles Adisak Limprungpatanakij, president of Nation Broadcasting, a sister company of The Nation. "If you want to have a news channel, you have to do more than just read newspaper headlines.

"And where's the breaking news?"

Adisak admits that his company had its own morning "headlines show" when it was a cable-news station, but never "overdid it" and never considered the approach for the main broadcast.

He says he foresaw a drop in quality for news-talk programming, but has recently introduced news-talk for the free TV channels - including "Siam Chao Nee" ("Thailand This Morning") - with anchors presenting the news and people like Thepchai Yong and Nitipoom Navaratna analysing it.

TV news, Adisak says, involves more than recruiting a colourful anchorperson to read aloud text that's been prepared by others. "You have to work on it and produce investigative pieces."

Deputy Director Maj Gen Perasant Ratanakul Serireongrith of Channel 5 says reading newspaper headlines on TV "lacks dignity". He prefers progressive, analytical commentary on or discussion of the news.

"It needs more than just chit-chat between the presenters. Knowledge, trustworthiness and ethics are essential."

Pirongrong Ramasoota Rananand, who lectures in journalism at Chulalongkorn University, weighs up television's ability "to maximise the economic value of a product".

News clips become valuable once in the archives, she says, but where is the value in TV footage of a newspaper report being "recycled"?

News-talk shows came to Thailand about 20 years ago when Somkiat Onwimon, a former senator, started analysing the news on Channel 9. Soon after, Suthichai Yoon was doing the same on the Nation Channel.

The news "talked" loudly during the October 1976 political uprising, when radio-news anchors, barred from producing their own accounts, were forced to read the facts from the newspapers.

From radio to TV, there was no evolution. Presenters read out selected items for easier public digestion. "Are we that dumb?" Adisak exclaims.

Scientist Supaporn Puntheeranurak spends most of her day in the lab - there's little time to read a newspaper - so she tunes into television news talk. It may be "news lite", but it keeps her up to date.

"It helps make my life easier," she says, adding that she likes the new Channel 3 presenter, ML Nattakorn Devakul, for his ability to digest and explain to her the financial news.

But many viewers are worried that the news anchors, by merely recycling the newspapers' content, are disregarding their own responsibility to ensure balance and accuracy. They're only "reciting their lines", after all.

A perceived decline in neutrality seems to be the stumbling point for many observers. Pirongrong recalls Kanok Ratwongsakul telling his TV audience to wear combat boots if they planned to attend a crime re-enactment involving an alleged rapist. His remark bordered on incitement.

"You're the media," she says. "Your job is to convey the message, not lead viewers' opinions."

Just the same, Pirongrong acknowledges the popularity of such shows. Thousands of viewers tune in every day because they like the presenters' styles. Content is sometimes secondary.

Office worker Nujaree Sriwanayos is impressed with neither of these shows, preferring to get her news directly from the newspapers as well as radio and TV. There's been too much news talk, she says, ever since Sorrayuth Suthasanajinda scored huge ratings with "Ruang Lao Chao Nee" ("The Story of This Morning") on Channel 3.

"I hear the same piece of news three times a day!" she says, and the content gets lighter by the week.

Nujaree knows why she's hearing the same "news" several times a day - it's because there's only one edition of the newspapers each day. The morning, noon and evening telecasts have to feed off the same source.

"When are they going to stop this copycatting?"

Nujaree wants to see the TV programmes include more investigative reporting and analyses. She enjoys Channel 7's "Jamook Mod", which she says may feature light lifestyle news, but is informative about it.

Only a few news-talk shows get good ratings, says Narong Tresuchon, general manager of OMD Thailand, a media buyer, and only Sorrayuth's programme can pull in more viewers than the soap operas.

He's waiting to see what formatting changes the new year might bring in the news-talk shows, but Adisak gets the final word on saleability.

"You need a plot to make a good soap," he says, "but you don't need a plot to make news - it's a plot in itself."

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

The Nation