Belgian public radio: proud of its anti-American dance

Ingezonden door LVB op 2005-10-12 13:47

What you see here is an advertisement for the Belgian radio network "Radio 1", operated by the public broadcaster VRT. Its tagline "meteen mee" means "get it right away" or "get it at on(c)e". To illustrate this slogan, the ad shows six pictures of president Bush. On the first one he is smiling, and the caption reads:
2002. When things are not going well on the domestic front, divert attention and start a war abroad. In Iraq for instance.

On pictures two through five Bush looks more and more worried and the captions read:
Iraqi resistance is persistent. There are more victims than we expected. It is costing more than we had budgeted. And then, the levees break and New Orleans is flooded, while the National Guard is in Iraq.

In the last picture Bush is smiling again and saying:
When things are not going well domestically, divert attention and start a war abroad. Maybe in Iran?

Mind you, the purpose of this advertising campaign by the Belgian public broadcasting service is not officially to convince people that president Bush has hideous plans or dishonest intentions. As with any advertising campaign, its first purpose is to catch attention. In addition it intends to convey the message that Radio 1 is reliable and competent, providing its listeners with information and analysis, providing background and perspective, so that you "get it right away". The campaign targets an information-hungry audience of professionals, intellectuals and students.

There are, however, a few problems with this campaign. First, it contains a factual error. Though the pressure on Iraq to give up its weapons of mass destruction was heightened in September 2002, the war did not start until March 2003.

Second, the ad does not convince me of Radio 1's competence. All I see is that the public broadcasting service is taking the same old path of anti-American clichés and Bush-bashing and is so proud of it that it is advertising it.

Third, the ad's reference to Iran is particularly inappropriate in view of the fact that Europe's endless 'negotiations' with Iran about its nuclear program have been a total failure.

The public broadcaster VRT gets more than a quarter billion euros a year from the government and earns some forty million euros from the radio commercials it broadcasts. Consequently at least 85% of this campaign is being paid for by the taxpayer. [hat tip]

Reacties

#17131

pvc

zondag, 15 januari, 2006 - 16:59

 

Het is gewoon gràppig. Het feit dat jullie er zo over zagen maakt het des te geslaagder! Bende azijnpissers...

It's funny. The fact you all keep whining about it make it even more funny. Mission accomplished. Bunch of whiners... Live a little.

#17043

LVB

vrijdag, 13 januari, 2006 - 00:47

 

You may criticize Bush as much as you like. Whether a government-owned broadcaster can do that without giving a voice to the other side of the story, that is another question. In this context however, the heart of the matter is that a radio station is promoting its news service with a text that has factual errors in it.

#17033

Jefke

donderdag, 12 januari, 2006 - 21:09

 

<i>the war did not start until March 2003. </i>
Who cares? Bush invaded and demolished _two_ countries without any reason. I think he deserves some criticism...

#15339

Cogito

donderdag, 27 oktober, 2005 - 22:09

 

I must say that Ivan didn't saw anything, but you Bonna, you sure sawed a lot.

#15298

bonna

woensdag, 26 oktober, 2005 - 12:23

 

:)
Is "Het says" a rare English expression?

@clamo ergo sum: people make mistakes.

Had a good laugh, sorry for bashing :p

#15249

Cogito

dinsdag, 25 oktober, 2005 - 00:37

 

"I must say that at first i didn't saw anything".
Typical mistake by Ivan: double past tense. Het says that he did not use his saw to fell anything, like trees.
"I must say that at first I didn't see anything" is more correct.

#15220

Joe

zondag, 23 oktober, 2005 - 23:06

 

At least in Austin you're not deprived of good beers. White Celis (belgian origin, I suppose you know that) is not the only one that tastes well.

#15219

Barbara

zondag, 23 oktober, 2005 - 22:18

 

Sunday is a dreadful day to listen. Perhaps you were listening to "This American Life" which can be very good or "Selected Shorts" which I find irritating. But it is a matter of taste, and what some of us find interesting in a topic others don't.

As for buttons: oh dear. In Texas, radio buttons are the least of our worries. Between the teenagers, the wildlife and the bicyclists (this is the land of Lance, after all) on these country roads, driving is fraught with danger. Any way, I know what's on at what time of day so I just tune to what I want before I set off.

I live in hope. I'm very fond of good beer (I do hope that's what's on offer!)

#15212

Joe

zondag, 23 oktober, 2005 - 16:48

 

@ Barbara: first, I like the name of this Austin radio station. So I will give it a try!

The point I made was: for Radio1 I almost don't need buttons, it has it all and it always interesting and never irritates. In the US I always have to use buttons in my car, especially in the South, where on the same station you can have a fantastic Allman Brothers song followed by a horrible Michael Bolton type of jerk who sings that we have to follow Jesus. And using radio-buttons too often increases the risk for accidents.

While writing this I have been listening to this KUT station, and according to what I heard (a dreadful monologue accompanied by polynesian-sounding voices), I would use the Dutch expression: "nou dit is hardstikke kut", but I'm in a mild sunny afternoon mood, so I won't judge too quick! Hence there's still hope for your bak beer.

#15209

Barbara

zondag, 23 oktober, 2005 - 14:41

 

@Joe: KUT in Austin, Texas (http://www.publicbroadcasti...). It's a great radio station with your idea of "the perfect mix" of programming. I listen to it more than any other but I break it up in the middle of the day with doses of Laura Ingraham and Rush Limbaugh. See, here in the US we have radio stations that are aimed niche markets so they often have monotonous programing. But I have buttons on my radio, so when I want news, I go here, when I want classical music, I go there, when I want business reports, politics, folk music, interviews, etc., I go someplace else.

It's called "choice." I like having a choice. I also like the fact that everyone has their own taste and I don't have to pay so that someone else can listen to Tejano music or hip hop. And no one else is paying so that I can listen to BBC World News.

(BTW, it's English, not english and you owe me nen bak beer)

#15203

Joe

zondag, 23 oktober, 2005 - 11:44

 

(This english blog section looks more and more like an english class for flemish pupils)
All I can say is, I'm just back from the US and I cannot say how happy I am to be able to listen again to Radio 1, after all the crap I heard on the American radios. Such a qualitive channel with the perfect mix of objective, broad and interesting information, with good music that is never cheesy, and with the right dose of good humour. Refer me to another foreign radiostation with the same quality and I give you nen bak beer.

#14971

ivan

vrijdag, 14 oktober, 2005 - 15:15

 

"That's marketing"

If only....

#14969

Sul

vrijdag, 14 oktober, 2005 - 14:50

 

That's marketing. Without shocking, no attention. And it did catch your attention. Weeping about it won't help.
I don't like Flanders' policy towards developping countries neither (although this department is fully payed by me, the 'taxpayer'); the same with the last advertising campaign of NMBS (also partly sponsored by me). I think organizing a society would be impossible if every 'taxpayer' should agree about every euro spend by the government.

#14959

ivan

donderdag, 13 oktober, 2005 - 22:10

 

Clear Channel?

#14948

Briggs - Smokey Bear

donderdag, 13 oktober, 2005 - 15:23

 

VRT also has a commercial whereby it makes fun off Bush...Bush is boring. We need our own channel...

#14946

ivan

donderdag, 13 oktober, 2005 - 14:28

 

I must say that at first i didn't saw anything really wrong with this, apart from some misplaced populism. (But which isn't really odd for an advertising campaign.) Bush-bashing is bound to be popular with major parts of the population, especiallly VRT-watchers and listeners. But it's not alone about Bush-bashing. Don't forget there is also a commercial where VRT is making fun with Martin Luther King (I have a...what do i have?)

But looking more closely to the commerical, i'm not so sure anymore. The line between a parody and just ordinary anti-Americanism is really thin here. One can easily imagine that journalists from Radio 1, who are supposed to independend, provided the necessary background for this. It's very unlikely that this is only the result of work from a advertising company; there has to be input from the VRT (and probably the liked what they were doing). And then the fact that they can't get their facts straight is really depressing. Reliable, my ass.

#14933

Nickonomics

woensdag, 12 oktober, 2005 - 23:42

 

Unfortunetaly these cases of anti-americanism are widespread in Belgium. The advertising people of the VRT will may be say that they only give the people what they want, because anti-Bush advertisement is very popular with a population that is very anti-Bush.

But this argumentation does not make sense because it is just because the media only publishes and broadcasts anti-american propaganda that many Belgians are anti-american.

By advertising with anti-Bush material, they are trying to influence their public again.

Say no to propaganda of the so-called neutral public broadcaster