The bright and dark skies of prime ministers' TV shows

The content was solid. Abhisit was telling his audience how the emergency economic measures for the poor and needy would be meted out. But one could have mistaken it for a speech by the opposition leader, minus the usual rhetorical heat in Parliament.

In fact, the new premier will need practice to become more "prime ministerial". Perhaps it was the programme's format that accounted for the somewhat dry performance. No, it wasn't the lack of good and timely quotes. Abhisit managed to defend his Bt2,000-per-head "helicopter money drop" scheme with a colourful statement: "When the house is on fire, we can't afford to be too economical with the water necessary to douse it."

Despite the unexciting beginning to his weekly television show, there is hardly any concern that the new premier cannot put up a more stylish performance on air. He has the promise to add colour and variety to the show. The set will change from week to week. Television anchors may be invited to question him. People representing various professions will be on the show to pose live questions.

 In the end, however, it's the substance and the execution of his economic package that will prove to be the deciding factor.

But there is no escaping the comparison between Abhisit's weekly media appearance, those of Thaksin Shinawatra, and those of the two premiers in between them.

Thaksin was unquestionably shrewd at using the media for his political marketing. In fact, it was his clever manipulation of the state and private media that catapulted him into almost unprecedented political popularity.

Thaksin started his "Saturday fireside chat" on the radio. He then expanded it to television as well. But his appearances on TV weren't impressive enough. He then changed the format on TV - his still pictures plus footage of his grassroots activities to support his chatty monologue.

The marketing impact was palpable. Thaksin slowly built up a personality cult through his "big talk about big money". His media exposure convinced at least the rural populace that he was a "knight on the white horse" handing out cash wherever he went. No doubt, the weekly television and radio shows played a crucial part in raising his populist personality to a new high.

When General Surayud Chulanont succeeded him after the coup, the show continued. But the interim premier's image was of a reserved, almost reluctant public figure. Surayud changed the format to let television anchors take turns to interview him from the Government House. There was apparently no attempt on his part to influence the public's perception of him. The Sunday show, for him, was only part of the premier's routine activity.

Samak Sundaravej turned the programme upside down. A TV host himself, Samak used his Sunday programme to hit out at his critics with unparalleled vehemence, and apparently with great relish.

The way he exploited the state-owned station for his personal political campaign backfired. While the weekend TV and radio programme significantly boosted Thaksin's fortunes, it effectively undermined Samak's standing. He was, in more ways than one, toppled by his own echo.

Somchai Wongsawat, who succeeded Samak, of course never even made it to Government House. There weren't enough days in office for Thaksin's brother-in-law to even contemplate a single, well-planned television interview.

Now, the onus is on Abhisit to make good and proper use of state media to communicate with the public and build a vital emotional bond with working Thais.

He has promised not to use his weekly television programme for political attacks against his foes.

Can he make government "cool" again? Can he make good use of the programme to navigate the treacherous political waters safely?

Even his first Sunday television show has come under scrutiny because the one thing he cannot expect is a 100-day honeymoon period. Nor can Abhisit tell the country "But these are early days".

Hopes are incredibly high. And everything that this government does will have to address the crucial question of how to accumulate and preserve enough political capital to see the job through.

(Check my latest political analyses in text, audio and video formats in my blogs: http://blog.nationmulti|media.com/ThaiTalk and www.suthichaiyoon.blogspot.com.)