Television, like language can be a

Television, like language can be a cultural challenge for better or worse, and this is what it is in many of its activities, whether voluntarily or, on occasion involuntarily. Although it may sometimes be soothing, television is often provocative in the sense that it gives information and arouses interest. That being said, the new means of broadcasting and communicating throughout the world increases the complexity of television even further.
An important question is what television is there to do and to say. In actual fact, however, the issue does not seem to have been put in this way by all governments and their official, nor by private television companies.
Since the primary aim is to get an audience (and who would want to make programmers nobody looked at?), programmers are becoming more and more standardized. The cultural challenge represented by television must not turn into challenge to culture. At all events, television carries messages which influence, and will increasingly influence, trends in our cultures one way or another. Either television will contribute to enriching our cultures or it will contribute to eroding them or to enabling some of these cultures to dominate other.
Undoubtedly there are outstanding events, such as broadcasts of major occasion , but the out-of-the –ordinary nature of a cultural message soon become part of life, part f the very air breathed by those to whom the messages are sent. Living in the world of painting, literature and music is a very different thing from the stardom of composers, writers or performers. While the heads of television channels sometimes display boldness, they do not seem to find it necessary to do so when it comes to music (with the occasional exception), because they themselves are not convinced of the emotional impact of music on television. And yet, in spite of all obstacles, music is a challenge through its daily presence. This presents a victory for whom? Pure music – that is to say, soberly presented through the playing of the performers- goes down very well on the small screen. Its presence on television, make it part of everyday life.
Let us be optimistic and hope that those in charge of television of whatever kind are aware of the importance of their function over and above audience surveys and ratings and that they will call primarily on the talents of cultural people and give them priority over the salesman.