It is a well known fact that the most unacceptable, awkward and unbearable voices – among others – are chosen to broadcast on our local TV and radio stations without considering how frustrating it is for viewers and listeners – the decent ones at least.

It’s all well and good with political and private stations, which may argue that they owe the public nothing – even if not hundred per cent correct – but not the national stations. These are funded directly and indirectly with taxpayers’ money and for this reason they do owe us a lot.

It is unacceptable that one simply cannot bear to watch the news because of the terribly inadequate and inefficient newscasters or voiceovers. There is only one Joe Dimech unfortunately, and only a couple more can be classified as acceptable. Some are like boxers, another reads loudly word-by-word stressing every single word like in a kindergarten class, others end each and every sentence with emphasis and others with a hiccough-like ending, and yet another one is more suitable for singing lullabies. And now, in the last few months, we have been hearing a voiceover on the national channel that sounds like a little child. The attention of the administration has been drawn to this but to no effect, of course. The e-mail address on the website of TVM either does not exist or any mail received is completely ignored as it is not even acknowledged.

Some argue that TVM is not the BBC. Of course not, but what’s the difference? Do we mean that the Maltese are not as capable as their counterparts around the world? I am sure we are, and maybe even better at many things – and I don’t mean stupidities here. On several occasions we have proved to the world to be of as high a level as any other country so why not in broadcasting? Does one really have to have a PhD to pronounce ‘patrol boat’ and not ‘petrol boat’, ‘personnel’ and not ‘personal’, ‘bowl’ and not ‘bawl,’ ‘Parker Bowles’ and not ‘Parker Bowels’? And NET TV, for heaven’s sake, the ‘army corps’ is not exactly the ‘army corpse;’ there’s a great difference I should think

And why do we have to choose the most unfit, incapable and deficient of voices for this job? How are these people chosen? Who is responsible for their recruitment? How can they be chosen if they don’t even have the basics, that is clarity of voice, good diction, pronunciation, fluency in reading properly and with sense, and appearance where necessary? I don’t think I ever saw an advert calling for such personnel; we simply see new faces and hear new voices and to hell if the public is happy with them or not, what’s important is that those who matter have it their way, at our expense.

Alfred Brincat

BIRKIRKARA