From time to time the Broadcasting Authority publishes surveys showing what listeners and viewers think about the various radio and TV stations on the island.

Year after year, Public Broadcasting Services’ TV and radio stations were voted the best in Malta… much better than Net and One TV put together!

I have little idea if this is correct or not since I scarcely ever watch or listen to PBS programmes except occasionally the 12 o’clock news on Radio Malta. However, I do think that news coverage by PBS has become so full of technical hitches as to be a real disgrace.

Since the change of government and consequently the change of PBS head of news, I have noticed that news coverage has gone from bad to worse. And as an example of this I take the noonday news bulletin on Radio Malta on August 24.

We waited patiently for the bulletin to start but instead we had to endure 15 minutes of music by Kenny Lynch.

Not a single word was uttered; not a single apology. Nothing. Then Brian Micallef’s programme started.

When I decided to phone PBS to inquire what had happened they answered back with the usual blah blah blah; technical fault… same old story! But was it really a technical fault? I have my doubts. The least one would have expected was a short announcement apologising not for being late but for skipping the 12 o’clock news altogether!

Shame on whoever was responsible.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.