Jesus said
"The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath"
Mark 2 v 27
Time to look back and press on. John Roberts looks back on his many years of service as
director of Day One.
Many years ago, Lord Rees Mogg uttered some very provoking words:
'Language appeals to reason. Images appeal to emotion. TV has made the world a less rational place.'
While television and radio have brought the events of the world to our living room and educated and widened our
horizons in a way our great grandparents would never have thought possible, and which have resulted in great benefits over the last seventy years, the media has made the world a more godless place.
I wonder how John Logie Baird, Scottish engineer and inventor of the world's first television system, would react if
he saw the state of the media today. Standards are usually determined by those in authority, but can eventually affect those who are under authority. In 1936, a statement was issued by the Programme Controller of the BBC. It related to the Lord's Day and read:
'We feel that Sunday is observed in this country of ours as a special day, and for broadcasting not to regard this would distress a very large section of the British public.'
That statement was made when Sir John Reith (later Lord Reith) was the Director General of the BBC.
Lord Reith was a Christian man, and his influence in the BBC meant that Sunday was respected and the standard of programmes was relatively high.
The following is from an inscription in the entrance hall at BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Square, London.
‘TO ALMIGHTY GOD This shrine of the arts, music and literature is dedicated by the first Governors in the year of our Lord 1931, John Reith being Director General. It is their prayer that good seed sown will produce a good harvest,
that everything offensive to decency and hostile to peace will be expelled, and that the nation will incline its ear to those things which are lovely, pure and of good report and thus pursue the path of wisdom and virtue’.
I recommend that the present directors of the BBC take a good look at that inscription and then a good look at themselves. Hopefully it may remind them of their obligation to the British public.
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL
The change began in 1940, when Sunday programmes were changed owing to alleged wartime demands for sport; it
then soon escalated and broadened out into other areas.
In 1952, Sir William Haley, the Director General at that time, said, 'Strict rules have now been abandoned.' On Sundays today, or even weekdays, it is hard to find anything with good Christian content that will edify. Things have certainly changed as far as the media is concerned. We can look back with nostalgia at how things used to be, or how we would wish them to be, but we have to face the situation as we find it with honesty and a sense of reality.
1. The Presence of the Media
The media is with us whether we approve of it or not. At one time, every programme was centralised, but now it is
regionalised. Everything relates to our local situation. Local people have become more involved with the media. It's here
in a big way, and it won't go away.
2. The Popularity of the Media
It is not only here, but it is popular. Well over 90% of homes have a television, and many
homes have more than one. Similarly, 98% have a radio. Satellite TV is becoming increasingly popular; cable TV is
available in our towns and cities; and within a few years everyone with a television will become digital and it won't stop there. The average viewing time is over twenty-five hours a week and increasing. On average, we are being entertained nearly four hours a day. I heard recently that on average, a father spends fewer than five minutes a day talking with his
children. Both parents and children have been hypnotised by the TV. A minister told me some time ago that the TV and
dishwasher are destroyers of conversation.
3.The Personalities of the Media
You only have to be slightly knowledgeable about media matters to discover the kind of people who pull the strings in
the media. I can assure you that there is no-one of the calibre of Lord Reith. The controllers of programmes have power, but many lack principles. Today bad language, blasphemy and crudity are commonplace and our children see it and hear it. The kind of programmes we watch today would not have been remotely considered by past generations. Even professing Christians are entertained with issues that Christ Jesus died to save them from.
4.The Potential of the Media
I have so far looked at the discouraging side of the media. Now I want to consider the opportunities which are
available, few though they may be. There are dangers, but I will return to those. However, I do encourage ministers and other leaders to become involved with the media. In one interview you can be reaching up to five million people, and sometimes even more. Compare that to the number reached through public meetings in one year. Please allow me some personal references here. During the past thirty-six years, I have had the opportunity of being involved in well over 300 radio and television interviews of different kinds. This has included five forms of interviews.
1. Monologue-talk to a camera in a room by yourself. This is cold and rather lacking in emotion. 2. Interview-one-to-one. This gives the best opportunity for stating your views. 3. Debate-panel with interviewer. You need to be reasonably
forceful to get your message across, even interrupting occasionally if necessary. 4. Audience participation-this is
usually live and can be lively. 5. Phone-in-usually on radio, but sometimes on TV-a great opportunity.
Whichever aspect you are involved in, it is important to be polite, but always firm. However, there are dangers. The
biggest is making a fool of yourself. This can happen with a programme that is pre-recorded. The media are experts at taking extracts from pre-recorded programmes. They can make you say the opposite of what you said. Care needs to be taken with every sentence spoken. If it's a live broadcast, you can't go back and start again. As Bernard said to Sir Humphrey in the programme 'Yes, Minister', 'What you have said may be off the record, but it is on the tape.' Whether 'live' or 'pre-recorded', complete concentration is vital. When a programme is over, I feel absolutely shattered.
In any interview, I am always pleased to be the underdog. I often am, but it is the best way of gaining support.
5. The Pervasive Influence of the Media
The media does influence people's minds. The eye is vulnerable to what it sees. Ask advertisers who will spend
millions for even just a brief slot. In the Garden of Eden, Eve saw, desired and then took. Parents look after your children's minds. If you don't, they will be led into dangerous places. The Christian should take every opportunity to influence others. We should do it from the pulpit, through literature, in conversation and by making use of the influence of the media. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have something good to share with as many as possible.
We should use the media to convey a life-changing message to a nation in deep spiritual poverty. The people must hear our message.