First, the television station was supposed to be unplugged. But it continued to broadcast, only to learn that the government is turning it into a public TV channel.

This infuriated both the editorial staff and producers, given that a public station cannot broadcast advertisements and its programmes must be structured to benefit society as a whole.

They have a valid argument: until TITV can stand on its own feet, why do we say no to commercials and instead inject Bt1.7 billion of tax money into the channel?

The target of the producers' attack is Somkiat Tangkitvanich, a researcher at the Thailand Development Research Centre who suggested that the most practical choice was for TITV to be transformed into a public TV channel.

Too bad for the producers, Somkiat's comments won approval from the PM's Office, which oversees the TV channel.

Somkiat was undeterred by the uproar and vowed to pursue the plan. In June, representatives of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) will arrive in Thailand for a joint meeting. The government must want to adopt the business formula of both foreign channels.

Hmm, it took years before the BBC rose to its current status, and during those years it consumed a huge amount of tax money. How will there be a shortcut for Thailand? Especially as Thai taxpayers are not that rich and we still have to finance Channel 11.

The business of sound

Studies in America have shown that the tempo of background music affects the pace at which shoppers move and diners eat.

Fast music in a restaurant speeds up the flow of diners. Slow music leads shoppers to spend more time in stores, so that they are more likely to buy something. Julian Treasure, author of "Sound Business", a book on how sounds affect consumer behaviour, is a fan of "generative music", which relies on computer algorithms and is faintly hypnotic.

BAA, the British airport operator, recently tested a "soundscape" made up of generative music, birdsong and crashing waves at its Glasgow terminal, alternating it daily over a period of eight weeks with silence. When the soundtrack was playing, sales in the terminal's shops went up by as much as 10 per cent.

All these examples appear in the latest edition of The Economist, in an article that highlights how sound could be used by business enterprises.

This should remind Thai shoppers of those electronic boxes consumer-product companies have installed on supermarket shelves. Whenever a shopper walks past, the box erupt in images and sound, playing a commercial to attract their attraction.

The boxes were introduced here a few years ago. While not new and sales results are not known, the boxes are effective in jolting shoppers whenever they walk past.

achara_d@nationgroup.com