Have public affairs shows gone ‘showbiz’?

Show business and people in entertainment are no doubt the most abused on the surface of the earth. When the conservatives among us feel like moralizing, they pounce on the supposedly immoral showbiz population and the sex films they churn out. When the government is short of funds, it turns the entertainment industry into a moneybag and milks its members dry through onerous taxes. During election time, politicians bank on movie stars to lure crowds to their political rallies. And now, even the President herself, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is openly using big-name stars as an air-freshener to deodorize whatever is stinking in her government.

On television, public affairs programs turn to show business when their ratings need a boost. That’s the kind of abuse show business gets from society’s various sectors.

Last week, a lot of newspaper columnists (this one included) reacted to the sensational treatment of media (specifically television) of Rico Yan’s death. In fact, I called it "The Rico Yan Overkill" because that was what it was.

The entertainment programs S-Files on Channel 7 and The Buzz on ABS-CBN devoted their respective Easter Sunday episodes on the death of the young star and I thought that was perfectly all right because Rico Yan was a bona fide member of the entertainment profession.

But I felt something was wrong with this world when even the news programs devoted more than half of their airtime daily to covering the wake at La Salle Greenhills and dishing out feature after feature on the late actor. A segment on the wake would have been sufficient. But no, the people behind the news turned it into a "Rico Yan Special" – and this was every single day the actor lay in state.

And just when everyone has had enough, the news department’s sister shows – the public affairs programs – also started cashing in on the death of Rico Yan. And so we had Rico Yan night after night after night. I do not mean to desecrate the memory of the late actor. The news and public affairs programs already did a good job at that when they turned the actor’s death into a carnival.

Philippine television wasn’t always this insensitive. I hope my memory isn’t failing me yet, but I don’t remember Newswatch and other pre-EDSA I news programs making money by covering the funeral of Julie Vega, who was a much bigger star than Rico Yan ever was. Julie Vega died in May 1985 and there was already Viewpoint that time on Channel 7. However, I don’t remember its host, lawyer Dong Puno tackling the young actress’ death in this public affairs program.

But I do remember one early episode of Viewpoint when Dong Puno had a one-on-one interview with Martin Nievera and I recall somehow that it got the flak from some of its regular viewers. No, it wasn’t Martin’s fault. The problem was that Viewpoint was the most fearless TV show that time (it was during the last leg of the Marcos dictatorship) and there were other more important issues to tackle other than Martin Nievera’s career.

After EDSA I, most public affairs programs stuck to their formats since there was so much happening in the Cory government. (The local movie industry was starting its descent around this time).

When Showbiz Lingo came around in 1992, this ABS-CBN program and the other showbiz-oriented program that time, Movie Magazine on Channel 7, had a monopoly of everything happening in the world of entertainment. Jullie Daza’s Tell the People would occasionally tackle showbiz issues and Teddy Benigno’s Firing Line would sometimes have one-on-one interviews with filmdom’s superstars (Vilma Santos, Sharon Cuneta, etc.), but deaths and scandals in the movies were basically discussed and threshed out in showbiz programs. And whether or not they admit it, the people from the news and public affairs programs that time looked at movie stars with condescension.

The set-up is quite different in today’s TV scenario. A showbiz issue breaks out early in the week and you can expect the news and public affairs programs to feast on it relentlessly until only the carcass is left. By the time the weekend comes around, the three legitimate showbiz programs on TV today are left fighting over the crumbs.

I’m not frothing in the mouth over this issue just because my territory (being the host of a movie talk show, Startalk) is threatened. Yes, it’s true that we in Startalk, S-Files and probably The Buzz (although I cannot really speak for them) feel – and we feel bad about it – that news and public affairs programs eat into our audience each time these programs that should really focus more on socio-political issues feature showbiz stories instead.

But this is not just about defending territorial rights. It’s not just about drawing boundary lines and trespassing. It’s about putting sense and order into the world of television.

In this business of television – or even in other aspects of life – we all have our own roles to play. The job of the movie talk shows is to dish out entertainment news and other issues in the world of show business. It is not a very gratifying task, believe me. For who would want to be known as a dispenser of gossip? But it’s a job some of us have to do. Never mind if we are often perceived to be lightweight and less intelligent than our brothers in the broadcasting field. On the part of the news programs and their anchors, their role is to chronicle the day’s events – nothing more, nothing less. If they get a scoop – for as long as its veracity has been checked, then well and good.

People from the public affairs department have the most difficult task in the broadcasting arena. For it is their duty to uncover anomalies in government and other ills in the various sectors of society. And in their reportage, they should be comprehensive, fair and balanced and factual and accurate. Quite a tall order. But that’s the only way to do it if they want to do it right.

In the course of their work, however, they can derive a sense of fulfillment in being able to help others and in putting in order in this world. Unfortunately, they’ve been passing up the chance to help the country and its people by sticking mostly to sex and entertainment stories.

Meanwhile, this nation is starting to breed a nation of gossip-mongers, while crooks in the government continue to rob us blind.

If only the public affairs on local TV were more vigilant. And if only they stick to the role they are assigned to play in this side of the universe.