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Published on July 27, 2007

Prime Minister's Office Minister Khunying Dhipava-dee Meksawan yesterday expressed confidence that new television ratings would be implemented by the end of the year.

This is in spite of continued protests from television companies about the new system's associated air-time restrictions. Dhipavadee was speaking after she chaired a seminar on the rating guidelines.

The event attracted many high-profile television executives, soap-opera producers and organisations.

"All information in the seminar will be submitted to the committee developing the new system," Dhipavadee said.

She said the panel would then have a clearer picture of what everybody wanted and how to find proper guidelines that best responded to the needs of all.

The minister has stood by the intention to restrict sex, violence and bad grammar. She also endorsed the idea of promoting "cognitive thinking, academic knowledge, life skills, ethics and morality".

The new ratings come with air-time restrictions for programmes with sex, violence and bad grammar.

"We should be able to work toward appropriate guidelines," Dhipavadee said.

She remains optimistic despite the fact many television people are opposed to restrictions.

"I hereby affirm that I won't accept air-time restrictions," said Witawat Suntornwineth, producer of the popular "At Ten" variety show.

He was unhappy that academics were still talking about air-time restrictions at the seminar. "Before I came to this seminar, I was told it would try to promote understanding among all parties," Witawat said, adding that talk about air-time restrictions wasted his time.

Jamnan Siritan, president of a television production company, encouraged the authorities to find guidelines acceptable to all. "It's better to win our willingness to follow the guidelines because it will lead to more efficiency," she said.

She explained that love scenes and jealousy were something common in human lives. To her, if the government wanted to promote good television, it should provide the funds to do so.

Amnuay Sunthornchote, who chairs a group supporting good values, complained that soap operas focused too much on the bad things in society.

"It's true that bad things happen, but so do many good things. Why don't producers think about the brighter side of life?" he said.

Soap-opera producer Pongpat Vachirabanjong said he had tried to produce a "good" television programme, but ended up incurring a Bt7-million loss.

He argued that soap operas were not filled with bad things. There were also many other elements that explained why stories evolved this or that way.

Mayuree

Sukyingcharoenwong

The Nation