Private television stations

Abstract

A year after private television stations began broadcasting in Portugal, the author outlines the answers to three basic questions: what is the future hold for the «public stations», what is the effect of competition on the content of the programmes and how economically viable are the four rival channels? Using foreign stations as examples, he describes the political and financial presuppositions which governed the creation of the private stations and the tendency towards control which is systematically characteristic of relations between the political powers and such a performative media as television. He also develops the model of «neo-television», generalistic and relational, eminently appealing and inclined towards the requirements of the «general public». Compared to «creators' television» this model can be seen above all in the private stations. It can, however, also be seen in the public stations, who giving priority to competition, take on the characteristics of «state commercial television». He also looks at the financial difficulties faced by radio and television in Portugal, caused by the limited size of the internal advertising market and aggravated by the international crisis which has particularly affected television.