Television hit Malta in early sixties, initially from the Italian RAI stations and then the local MTV (not to be confused with the later pop MusicTV station). For over two decades this TV station, the two local 'Radju Malta' stations (which took over from Rediffusion in the 70's) and the BFBS radio (which was phased out in 1979 when the last British forces left the Island) were the only sources of local broadcasting in Malta.

Following numerous political debates on the partisan views (or otherwise) of state run TV and radio in the eighties, (at one point the Nationalist Party (PN) felt it necessary to have its own TV station broadcasting from Sicilian soil in order to be able to transmit its views to the Maltese population in general), all this changed in 1991 and the Broadcasting Act was introduced which now permits non-state owned broadcasting. Initially, radio licenses were granted to the two major political parties - Radio 101 (Nationalist Party), Super One Radio (MLP); and the Catholic Church - RTK (Radju ta' Kulhadd). The show has since snowballed and Malta now has one of the largest concentrations of radio stations per population. There are now 11 (yes eleven!) local radio stations in Malta all on FM Radio. Unfortunately, the frequencies are so close that it is often confusing to know which station you are listening to. My personal problem now is that my car stereo does not have enough presettings available to cope with all these stations

Most Maltese radio stations broadcast 24 h a day in order to maintain listening figures and thus the necessary income from advertisements. The political party stations offer a mixture of discussion programmes/ news/ music/ sport. The church run RTK station is based on the traditional 'Rediffusion' type of broadcasting. However, these three stations (despite initial high figures) are now not as popular. Competition is harsh. Smash Radio, which offers nonstop music, has a large younger audience. The English language Island Sound Radio (owned by the real estate magnate Frank Salt) and Bay Radio (run by the Decesare Leisure Group which incidentally also own an 11 screen cinema complex in St George's Bay) are aimed at the more affluent audience. Even Gozo has its own Radio Calypso; Live FM (run by Joe Grima the former MLP member of Parliament) specialises in controversial discussions (the latest is a sex therapist offering advice on the radio); Radju tal-Universita and MAS (Moviment Azzjoni Socjali) radio tend towards more informative and educational programmes. The latest addition is the Community Radio which is sharing its airtime with Radio 99 - the Alternative Democratika political party station. The state run Radju Malta 1 and 2 have struggled to keep their share of the audience.

Yet, many are questioning whether the actual quality of broadcasting has gone up - these stations are run on a very tight budget, with the only income being from selling air-time to promoters, with a capture audience of around a third of a million. Most disc-jockeys are amateurs and part- timers, broadcasting for miserly wages. The University of Malta does now offer a BA in Communication Studies which is supplying several graduates willing to embrace the media profession. What is certain is that all this available air-time is creating ample space for the ordinary Maltese to bring his ideas and opinions to a larger audience and the Broadcasting Authority has a hard time keeping up with it all.

A similar situation is emerging for the TV channels. For the last 4 years, Malta has also had the option of cable TV, which will grant access to most common satellite stations, besides all the Italian private stations we were already receiving. It is hoped that more will opt for cable TV in attempts to do away with the unsightly aerials cluttering our roofs and are such an unsightly landscape feature. Cable TV has also permitted more local TV stations, so now besides the (renamed) TVM, there is also Super One TV and Smash TV. A community and a local Education channel are still in the planning stages.

The Maltese insatiable thirst for making sure that our opinions are heard visually or orally, has also been mirrored in the written context. There are now 3 daily newspapers -The Times, In-Nazzjon Taghna and L-Orizzont; 5 Sunday newspapers - Sunday Times, Malta Independent, Torca, Kulhadd and Mument. Il-Gens and L-Alternativa come out every Friday and there are also two weekly business papers.

Numerous media personalities have been emerged- a few examples - Joe Mifsud (no relation) who went back to Super One after a stint with Bay Radio and is very involved in the political/antidrugs/anticorruption scene; John Bundy, a very popular disc jockey with Radio 101, now confirmed as political candidate with PN in the next elections; Lou Bondi - formerly Radio 101, now mentor of one of the more interesting and controversial discussion programmes on TVM - Pjazza 3; Fr Mark Montebello and Fr Colin Apap on Super One and Live FM radio; Adrian Muscat Inglott - consumer affairs columnist with Sunday Times; the re-emergence of established figures on the local media scene - such as Norman Hamilton and Enzo Guzman.

The present situation thus is that anyone in Malta who has anything to say has several platforms to choose from. Which way forward now - how will the Internet, whenever it becomes more accessible in Malta, affect this situation? Will the local newspapers and TV stations get their act together to produce their own Malta News Home Page- which I know is eagerly awaited by several emigrants?

Well, IMHO, we already have own emergent Maltese media personality on the Maltese Net - our very own Grazio - were would we all be without you?

E-mail to Janet Mifsud de Gray, Ph.D.

May I make some small corrections to your information regarding our station, Bay Radio in St George's Bay.

Bay actually broadcasts in both English and Maltese practically equally. A national survey commissioned by the Broadcasting Authority in March this year confirms that we have increase our daily listeners to around 21,000, an increase of 18.5% over last year.

The Eden Leisure Group owns and operates the following entertainment centres all in St. George's Bay;

Bay Radio

The 4 star 125 room Eden Beach Hotel,

A 15 screen cineplex with dolby digital sound, stadium seating, The Eden Century.

20 lane conputerised bowling centre, the Eden Super Bowl.

Euphoria Night Club with 2 laser systems, state of the art sound and lighting effects with capacity of some 1600 people.

Cynergi health and fitness Club, opened in March 1996. The gym has the latest American cardiovascular and weight machines. Tennis, squash, sauna, whirlpool, heated swimming pool, massage is also available.

The above makes St George's Bay Malta's premier entertainment centre.

We also own a small number of luxury properties which are rented for long and short lets.

Once again many thanks for your input which is extremely interesting. Should you need any further information, don't hesitate to contact me.

regards

Ian DeCesare
Managing Director

Hi Janet,

I've just read your new contribution, the one about media. Very informative, Although you left out a bit of editorializing that would lead to the kind of discussion that you seek. I liked the piece it was balanced and fair. But it raised some interesting questions which your article did not answer. You mention that John Bundy is now a political candidate for the PN. Does this mean he will have to quit his job on radio 101? If not, does his job as a disc jockey not give him an unfairly loud voice not available to the other candidates? Or is this offset by the other parties having their own radio Stations? What about the state owned media? Are they just parrots of the Party in power? Granted, there is no longer the stifling of a voice that MTVexperienced under Mintoff's and KMB's regimes, but has the media become fairer? and what about Smash radio and Smash tv? I assume these are run by the same group. Are there laws prohibiting the concentration of media in the hands of the few (like Italy's Berlusconi media empire. Now that's an example of how media and politics should not mix). You hint at times being difficult for the radio stations. Have any stations come and gone already? How much money is the state pumping into the state Media?

Television of course is the great medium of the late 20th century. Witness how the entire world has been spellbound by the OJ Simpson trial. 20 or even 10 years ago, this trial would not have been followed as closely and intensely As it is now, and this trend is likely to continue. What is the public's perception of tv? Are there lines drawn between where tv cameras belong and where they don't?

Etc etc. These are questions i'm interested in seeing answered/discussed.

Victor Debattista New Jersey E-mail

I should like to compliment and thank you for the depth and quality of information you presented within your article "Media in Malta". I have to admit that the opening certainly brought back many fond memories of my own childhood on the island. Although my family was not fortunate enough to have Rediffusion service in our home, we had several neighbors who did and as the custom always was, they didn't mind sharing.

In an age and place where transistor radios were practically unheard of, Rediffusion was often the only means of entertainment and information, even as late as the early sixties. I full well recall tea-time and sipping hot Lions tea, dunking hard "krustini" before we pulled out the Rosary for evening prayer. Those were simpler, yet satisfying times.

It was closer to the late sixties that my parents could afford their first television, although my grandfather had the dubious honor of owning one of the first sets in our town! I say "dubious" because it often attracted more than just family to his living room, which he always gladly shared. As you correctly noted, only RAI was available at first and later MTV transmitted for about four hours in the evening. Years later, residents in southern Malta could also pick up some Arab transmissions (probably from Tunis/Tripoli).

Sadly enough, you are also quite correct about the partisan views and debates concerning political content of broadcasts throughout the years. Both parties were guilty of "hogging" the airwaves, depending on which one was in power at the time, although I think that it was worst in the seventies and early eighties. It was most evident to me when I visited back in 1981.After only a short absence from the islands, I clearly noticed the heavy pro-government bias. I am glad reform finally hit in 1991 and that political speech is no longer stifled.

In the bigger US cities, the sheer number of radio stations face stiff competition and have to get the "edge" on their rivals. They employ a number of tactics including contests, free giveaways, slick television, remote transmissions from malls, corporate sponsors, special interest group affiliation etc. Lately there has been a resurgence of the AM dial in the US, with talkshows sprouting all over the place, partly thanks to one host, Rush Limbaugh, who hosts a three hour daily show. His success swept in a tide of station format changes all over the country. Advertising is exhorbitant during his prime time and in some cases carries the station for the rest of the day. I would imagine that neither politically backed station in Malta has to worry much about funding though! As I recall, there never seemed to be an end to liquidity when it came to "the cause" (whichever it may have been).

You mention the fact that many disc-jockeys are amateurs and part-timers, but that's not surprising. In fact, in the city of Corpus Christi (approximate same size and population as Malta), several D-J's hold jobs unrelated to their radio stations, while some even work for competing stations under assumed names. It does not seem to deter from the quality of their performance and frankly, not many of them have any related education background to speak of. A DJ is unique position where education takes a back seat to charisma and natural talent.

During my last visit to Malta in 1993, I did happen to come across a few stations on the dial and the quality of music was fairly good, with the notable exception of Maltese music, namely because there was NONE! I was very disappointed to say the least. I also wonder if our folkloric music (l-Ghanja) even survives these days, beyond the horse and pony shows put on for tourists? Back in early sixties it was still quite popular and the annual L-Imnarja festival at Buskett brought out some of the best to compete (and guzzle wine!:-) You mentioned the wide array of stations available nowadays, but I wonder if "spirit" of Rediffusion survives. Has the RTK (or other station) retained classical music within its format?

Well, I sincerely hope that the newly developed "public forum" is used well by the Maltese in order to better educate themselves about each other and to expand the arena of ideas rather than just a medium for some to air dirty laundry (as is often the case in the US). The younger generation would do well to remember that it wasn't long ago that others risked life and limb or suffered consequences to ensure their point of view got across.Now that they have this opportunity, its best to use it wisely. BTW, I did not realize that the Malta Broadcasting Authority survived the 1991 reform. Does it still maintain the powers of censorship as it once had?

You mention the more common use of cable service for TV viewing. May your words be heard and wish granted with regards to antennas! You know, aside from the island looking like a giant construction project, that is probably my biggest peeve! It will be nice if cable providers help curtail some of the clutter. Hopefully, the Parliament will allow (if they don't already) real-time transmission of sessions, similar to what C-Span does in the US. With more public scrutiny, politicians will also be more accountable and maybe some of the alleged corruption can be nipped in the bud.

With regards to news papers, there is nothing more pleasing to see than the eruption of newsprint since the days when there were two views available, the government's or the opposition's! I was impressed by the quality of the Malta Independent in 1993, a bit short on depth, but certainly wide in scope.

And talking about personalities, you really know how to get to this man's heart! Having spent my teenage years listening to the 'Wolfman Jack" of the Maltese islands, I am certainly pleased to hear that Norman Hamilton is still pushing buttons, and Enzo Guzman never grows old...he just grows on you! Two terrific personalities that have withstood the test of time. I did see some new faces on MTV during my last visit, one of which was a school chum of mine, Paul Azzopardi. I wonder what happened to another school acquaintance, Marika Micallef (no relation), that worked with MTV back in the seventies. Does that name sound familiar?

Your comment on the future and what Internet will bring to the islands is very appealing to me. Having spent some years involved with networks, I can assure you that it will be the advent of the information superhighway (as our politicians are so fond of calling it) that brings the world to the Malta's doorstep. But whether that information will actually flood in or seep slowly in will depend a lot on the actions of younger Maltese and their eagerness to expand their sight beyond physical shores. There will be thresholds to overcome of course, as since some (especially in the political realm) who will not be too keen on turning on the switch (so to speak) for everyone to see, but rather try to slowly ease into it, thereby missing out on windows of opportunity.

I see Malta as a microcosm of larger nations (such as the US), where minute shifts in socio-economic policies can create wild fluctuations, often undesirebably. The US government languished for the past decades, while the information superhighway was being built, only to find out that a tremendously large portion of the population isn't even computer literate, let alone capable of absorbing the meaning of the whole phenomenon. Funds to buy equipment and teach its use was sadly lacking the and until recently, computer labs were non-existent in the rural communities. Private schools are also guilty of not having enough foresight to anticipate the need and thus are further behind than public schools. Everyone here is playing catch-up. Just yesterday President Clinton announced funding of $2.5 billion dollars over a period of FIVE years so that public schools can buy equipment and train teachers. Too little too late! By the time those funds are siphoned off into Administrative limbo (and benefits), the kids will be short changed once more.

My opinion has always been to learn from others' mistakes and Malta would do good to avoid our troubles and jump in with hands and feet into the information superhighway. The department of education should try to get an Internet connection installed in every school by this years end On a local level, the cost of stringing up a network would be nominal (after all Telemalta is a para-statal company) and computer equipment is quite reasonable these days. The biggest cost (MHO) will be the training of instructors and their availability, although local businesses could be contracted to do the instructions.

Oh yes, and I hope that well before the end of this year, some more local newspapers like the Independent and The Times will be on-line. Quite frankly, they would probably be able to sell more subscriptions to ex-pats on-line than via snail-mail ...after all, who wants to read two to three week old newspapers! (that's if they arrive in one piece). My sincere thanks goes to Martin Debattista and Angelo Cachia for making publications and local news available here on Grazio Falzon excellent home page.

In the matter that Victor Debattista raised, regarding John Bundy, I too wondered if he will leave his position at the radio station. Anything short of that would at best be unethical I think. If there is no electoral rule concerning such an issue, John Bundy could be setting legal precedent here. Recently of my favorite local radio talk show hosts resigned because he opted to run for a local office this November, but since the primaries are in March, he was compelled to resign until at least after the primaries. Also, Mr. Debattista is quite right in saying that Television, is the great medium of the 20th century, but I think its days as a political tool are numbered (at least in the US), given the cynicism developed over the past decade and the increasing numbers of savvy voters who can see past the sound-byte lies and negative advertising. Have local political sharks made use of these tactics in their campaigns? Is negative campaigning effective in Malta as it used to be in the US? Also, is the Maltese public becoming hooked to "shock/soap" TV as Americans obviously are? I noticed that casual TV talk was mainly about soaps.

Well, better let someone else get a word in edgewise here!