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Published on January 16, 2008

While the Public Relations Department took control of the station that night, the Finance Ministry followed its cue by hiking excise duties on cigarettes and alcoholic drinks to raise funds for the public station which from now on will run on public money, not advertising revenue.

Some smokers and drinkers told me they were a bit confused.

Partly, they are glad that they can contribute something to society. From now on, though, their consumption is considered "sinful" and their "sin taxes' are going to finance the production of programmes that the public truly wants.

Yet they also wonder how long this financing will continue. They all know that the Public Health Ministry has been fiercely campaigning against drinking and smoking. Yet they should be glad to know that a recent survey show a higher percentage of drinkers and smokers among Thai youth. This guarantees that public TV will have sufficient financing for a long time.

Indeed, these sinful consumers should be more concerned about the ways the government is using their sin taxes.

Recently, Vietnam announced a three-year Bt38.5-billion education programme to better serve the nation's development. Suffering from limited resources, wouldn't Thailand would be better off letting a self-reliant enterprise support itself and channel scarce resources to the needy? Yes, I'm talking about a TV station which had so far been able to support itself as well as the handicapped and many poor children who lack tuition fees.

And what is the benchmark in determining whether a TV station is a public one?

In financial terms, TPBS is public TV, as tax money - which could have been diverted to the needy - will be allocated to the station. It's unclear, though, if its TV programmes will really represent the public.

What does the public want? Judging from the ratings of Channel 7, can we say that soap operas are what they most need? But if someone says they're not, soaps still enjoy enormous popularity because the public has few choices. Then who would have the final say?

If it's not too late, I suggest the government privatise TPBS and sell shares to people who want to see their favourite programmes on the channel. Then they can freely vote for the programmes that they want at a shareholders' meeting. Without government financing, the TPBS board would not need to testify before Parliament. Only then would it be truly public TV.

achara_d@nationgroup.com

The Nation