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Editorials
Thursday, February 17, 2000Subsidy for TV series
may be worth doingWhen the producers of "Baywatch" first broached the idea of doing the television series in Hawaii, the show was riding high and the benefits for the state seemed unquestionable. Now, after its first year in the islands, "Baywatch Hawaii" is facing a big deficit -- revenues from foreign distributors have dropped sharply -- and the producers are asking the state for a bailout.The issue: The television series "Baywatch Hawaii" is experiencing a big operating deficit and its producers are asking the state for a subsidy.
Initially the state agreed to contribute $3.1 million to bring the show to Hawaii -- $1.35 million in cash and $1.75 million in capital improvements. Now a bill has been introduced in the Legislature to create a fund to assist television series to film here -- $5 million a year for three years to attract and promote new television series plus $2 million for two years for television production infrastructure.
The measure would benefit not only "Baywatch Hawaii" but also "Pacific Blue," another series that may film here.
Subsidizing private business is not a practice we generally support. Certainly in this case there is no legal or moral obligation to do so. Nor should it be a matter of charity or sentiment. The issue should be considered in strictly practical terms. The request for more money is disappointing, but cannot be dismissed summarily.
The justification for state support of a television series -- or for that matter of sports events such as the Pro Bowl -- must be that the economic benefits are believed to outweigh the cost. These benefits come from the exposure of Hawaii to millions of television viewers, some of whom might decide to visit Hawaii.
Tourism is a highly competitive business. Other visitor destinations are spending big money on promotion, and Hawaii can't afford not to. Similarly, there is competition among cities for the right to host high-rated television series, competition that the producers exploit.
The question is how much money the state can reasonably spend in this effort, and how it should be spent.
Greg Bonann, executive producer of "Baywatch Hawaii," said there is no chance that the series will return for a second season in Hawaii unless the state comes to the rescue.
" 'Baywatch' will be out of business for good, forever," he warned. But how much is it worth to the state to ensure the show's return?
The legislative proposal includes specific provisions to protect Hawaii's economic interests, which is important. The state Legislature's decision should take those provisions into consideration as well as the effect on tourism of losing television series to other locations. With these factors in mind, the answer to the proposal should be a reluctant yes.
Internet obsession
offset by benefitsFASCINATION with the Internet is taking its toll. Americans most enamored by the World Wide Web and electronic communication spend less time with friends and family and more time working at home after hours, according to a new study. Authors of the study suggest that reduction in personal contact will lead to isolation and loneliness, but they fail to acknowledge the large benefits of moderate Internet usage.
The study found evidence that the Internet was allowing the workplace to invade the home. One quarter of regular Internet users who were employed at least part time said the Internet had increased the time they spent working at home without reducing time spent at work.
The study concluded that 55 percent of Americans have Internet access at home or work and that 43 percent of households were online. Of those with Internet access, 36 percent said they were online at least five hours a week. Norman Nie, a political scientist at Stanford University who was the co-author of and principal investigator for the study, says that was the group looked at most closely in assessing the psychological and emotional effects of the Internet.
The researchers found that e-mail was the most common Internet activity, but Nie says that form of communication can hardly replace human contact. "If I go home at 6:30 in the evening and spend the whole night sending e-mail and wake up the next morning, I still haven't talked to my wife or kids or friends," says Nie. "When you spend your time on the Internet, you don't hear a human voice and you never get a hug."
That seems like an extreme case, even among the 14 percent of Internet users who spend more than 10 hours a week online. Most people have plenty of time in their day to include considerable Internet usage and ample hugging.
Nor should e-mail correspondence be discounted as impersonal. After all, those are human beings at the other end.
"People do form very strong relations over the Internet, and many of them are relations that they could not find any other way, says Amatai Etzioni, a sociologist at George Washington University.
Just as television caused withdrawal and isolation among couch potatoes, the Internet is creating its share of obsession. The resulting loneliness and reduction in human contact by those few is more than offset by the enormous potential of the Internet for information, entertainment, commerce and, yes, correspondence among the millions of moderate users.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
