Television and Radio Media
by Yehiel Limor
The field of electronic communications in Israel
is undergoing a process of vigorous development. If the government
carries out its planned reforms, a variety of new broadcast outlets
will be added to those operating, which currently include two
national television channels, a network of regional TV cable
stations, two national radio stations, and 15 regional ones.
Background
Radio, the oldest of the broadcast media, began to
operate under the British
Mandate (1922-48), which established the "Voice of
Jerusalem" for various reasons: an awareness of the educational
value of broadcasting and its political influence, as well as the
intention of keeping an eye on the burgeoning broadcasting potential
of the small Jewish community. The official radio station came on the
air for the first time on March 30, 1936 and was to serve the Jewish
and Arab populations, as well as British administration officials.
News bulletins reflected topics of interest to the British, and the
station was in effect an organ of British Mandatory policy.
With the establishment of the State of Israel, the
name of the radio station was changed to Kol Yisrael (the
Voice of Israel), and the military radio station Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio)
was opened. For many years, these two stations constituted the
country's entire broadcasting system - monolithic and
government-controlled.
In 1965, Israel became the first country in the
world to have educational TV before general-purpose TV. Educational
television was approved by the government, which realized the
importance of the small screen for educational purposes, and the
Rothschild Foundation provided funding. Later, educational TV was
transferred from the responsibility of the Rothschild Foundation to
the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Culture, and it is
a unit of the ministry to this day.
In 1965, the status of the state radio also
underwent a major change. Kol Yisrael, by then broadcasting
on two wavelengths, became an autonomous body, the Israel
Broadcasting Authority. Three years later, when Israel Television was
established, it also became part of the Authority.
Development of
broadcasting in the eighties and nineties
Israel currently has two television channels as
well as a network of cable-television stations, and regional radio
stations have been added to Kol Israel and Galei Tzahal.
The quick transition from a monopoly to multiple
channels was not unique to Israel. In many ways, it imitated
processes seen in the seventies and eighties in Western Europe.
By the second half of the nineties, broadcasting
in Israel comprised:
The Israel Broadcasting
Authority
Set up along the lines of the BBC, it is
responsible for radio (Kol Yisrael) and television (ITV),
and is funded mainly by license fees on TV sets. About 20% of its
revenue is from advertising.
Radio (Kol Yisrael)
The station operates several channels, geared to
various audiences. Reshet Alef (first network) broadcasts
discussions on cultural and general events, as well as children's
programs. Reshet Bet (second network) provides news and
discussion of current events. Reshet Gimmel (third network)
offers light music. Kol Hamusica plays classical music, Kol
Haderech intersperses traffic reports with music, and Reka is designated for new immigrants and broadcasts mainly in Russian and
Amharic. Kol Zion Lagola is beamed to Jewish communities
abroad and Kol Yisrael in Arabic is broadcast for Israeli
Arabs and listeners in Arab countries.
Israel Television (ITV)
Established in 1968, ITV operates two channels.
Channel One, its main channel, broadcasts news, original productions,
children's and entertainment programs and films. An hour and a half
of each evening's broadcasts are devoted to programs in Arabic. ITV's
other channel, broadcasting by satellite, was established in the
early nineties.
The Second Television
and Radio Authority
Established by law in 1993, it is responsible for
the Second Television Channel and the regional radio stations. The
authority, a public body, authorizes and supervises licensees who are
selected by tender. Licenses are limited to a 4-6 year period.
Funding for these stations is from advertisements.
The Second TV Channel
Operated by three licensees, each broadcasting two
days a week, with Saturday broadcasts done by rotation, the Second
Channel provides a great deal of entertainment and films. It has its
own news division, shared by the licensees.
Regional Radio
In the mid-nineties, the Second Authority set up
16 regional radio stations, to be operated by private licensees. Two
of the stations are intended for specific audiences: Radio 2000 for
the Arabs of Northern Israel, and Kol Hay in central Israel for
Jewish religious listeners.
Educational Television
Established in 1965, ETV today provides not only
educational programming but also enrichment programs and broadcasts
on current events. It broadcasts on Channels One and Two, as well as
on cable TV. Funding is provided by the Ministry of Education and
Culture.
Galei Tzahal
Galei Tzahal, the military radio station set up in
1950, broadcasts on two channels and enjoys great popularity. The
first channel provides news and talk shows and the second channel
offers music and traffic reports. Although funded by the army, its
listeners today are mainly civilians.
Cable TV
Cable TV, which began broadcasting in the late
eighties, today reaches 65% of all households. The law governing
cable TV divided the country into license areas, with one licensee
per area and funding provided by user fees. The cable networks offer
30-40 channels, many of them foreign, picked up by satellite. These
include MTV, SKY NEWS, CNN and BBC as well as channels from Egypt,
France, Germany, India, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Spain, Russia and
Turkey.
Unlicensed (Pirate)
Radio Stations
An unusual phenomenon in Israel is the
proliferation of radio stations operating without a license. The
first such station, the Voice of Peace, started broadcasting in 1973
in imitation of similar stations in Europe. Today, many more such
stations operate around the country. Although they are illegal, the
authorities tend to be lenient. Some are amateur, others provide
ethnic music or religious programs, and some are commercial, funded
by advertisements.
Privatization of
broadcasting
The government which took office in 1996 declared
its intention to privatize public broadcasting, as part of a general
policy of privatization. Two public committees were set up to survey
the future of broadcasting, sparking a public debate similar to that
held in other Western countries. Supporters of public radio and TV
argue that these should be kept free of commercial constraints in
order to guarantee freedom of speech in a democratic society.
Sources: Israeli
Foreign Ministry |