TWO YEARS AGO the Spectator described the opera- tion of
commercial television as 'a monument to fraud.' Examining the programmes in the week of its third birthday, I see nothing to alter that opinion. Indeed, the position is now even worse than it was then. In the early stages of commer- cial television, when revenue .was hard to come by and at least one of the companies was making very heavy losses, there was some semblance of an excuse for the contracting companies' deter- mination to go all out for mass audiences. But when they took serious programmes off their schedules, or relegated them to the off-peak hours, it was argued that this was only a temporary ex- pedient to tide them through their difficulties— that as soon as they were well established they would be able to live up to their earlier promises and cater properly for minority audiences. The contracting companies are now making huge profits: but they are doing little or nothing to improve the quality of programmes. * .*
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