"Summer is coming!" she says, as the rain buckets down, and she bemoans the fact that her mosquito nets are tattered and useless.

This cricket-type, home-maker's friend tells her from where to purchase new ones, and the problem is solved, albeit until the next time she needs to advertise the services of this particular company.

This is just one of the many incongruous advertisements to which we have to listen, day in day, out, simply because the agency or establishment responsible cannot be bothered to create a more seasonally suitable one.

Then we have all those advertisements for cosmetics and toiletries that feature models whose physiogamies are not Caucasian. In Malta, this does not make sense.

Incidentally, why is it that people who have a very poor command of English think they can speak the language on air, whether in advertisements or as presenters or newscasters?

And why are brochures for television stations and production companies written solely in English? Is it so difficult to find someone who can write perfect Maltese?

A similar approach to this type of promotion is sometimes extant in the bumphs for forthcoming radio or television programmes. Producers and presenters appear to think that one clip will do them justice throughout a whole schedule - listeners and viewers sometimes find the repetition so boring that they zap to another station immediately. By and large, the Radju Malta retains a few islands of interest in a sea of gloop.

The question begs itself - why is it that some programmes get an infinite number of promos, whereas others are hardly ever mentioned? It is true that some presenters do not need these - but I would have thought that branding a station involves equal rights, which puts the ball fairly at the feet of the management. Speaking of which, it would be interesting to find out whether the point made by Helena Dalli early last year - that new producers were being put at a disadvantage by the status quo at PBS - holds true now that the new television schedule has been divulged.

Then there is the 'dating' issue. If a programme promises to attract a higher audience than usual, the date of the programme, and perhaps the name of the programme's guest, is included in the promotion. Depending upon the whims of the presentation officer, this promotion goes out again and again, including on the day itself.

So, we are told that, "on Sunday, September 28..." even when that date is today's. Analogous to this is the tendency of newsrooms to use the same clips for radio and television, so that "here you see..." is heard several times on the radio.

Making two clips, I am told, would use up precious human resources, and so professionalism flies out of the window. They use the excuse that even Rai and BBC do it. Just as they tell us, "this morning..." when they obviously mean "yesterday..." But two negatives make a positive only in mathematics.

This is different from a trope seen in a series, where the writers actually want the set-up and principle to be present in listeners' and viewers' expectations. One of my favourites is the scene in Cold Case.

The series revolves around Lilly Rush, the Philadelphia homicide squad detective who is assigned 'cold cases' - jargon for crimes that have been committed years before. Her mission is to envisage and reconstruct how things might have gone, and liaise with the people involved in the crimes. Inevitably, she gets her man - or her woman.

In Cold Case, the dénouement involves a flash vision of the victim - as he had been at the time of the murder - nodding at her in appreciation and gratitude.

This, of course, is fiction. The facts - as in what happened to Wara l-Każ, specifically - are different.

Up until Thursday evening, the restrictions still held. These were imposed upon the company by the attorney general regarding access to records that would have enabled more thorough research behind an event portrayed in the series. Brainbox, the company in question, is insisting this decision is arbitrary and abusive.

I say that the Data Protection Act transmogrifies into a malleable excuse to muzzle the freedom of the press, as well as the right of the public to be informed. If we are bold enough to stick a piece of paper over the "not to be seen by the patient" direction on hospital files, why cannot such a simple request be acceded to?

How many journalists come out, guns blazing, whenever something like this happens?

On to more general news - Keith Demicoli will be hosting the new weekly EU affairs programme on TVM in collaboration with the EP offices in Valletta.

As is fitting, the first programme will feature the last few hours of Joseph Muscat as MEP and the launch of Europarliament TV. This half-hour programme will air on Tuesdays; at 6.15 p.m. Repeats on TVM and/or E22 are as yet unconfirmed.

From Saturday, Sejjaħtli will yet again go out live on One Television, every Saturday at 6.15 p.m.

Gadgets is a Net Television programme which will also be commencing on October 4. It's the televised version of Toys for the Boys (and girls), and it will feature local personalities flaunting their thingamajigs as an added attraction.

I wish someone would tell one particular person who presents children's programmes that the word she uses to express surprise, delight, and admiration is but a euphemism for the name of God in Maltese.

The culture and audiovisual unit of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport informed interested parties that there is only one month till the October 24 application deadline of the Film Fund Support Scheme.

To this end, an information day will be held on Wednesday in the studio room, St James Cavalier, Valletta, from 9.30 a.m. till 5 p.m. To book your individual time slot, e-mail film fund@gov.mt or call 2291 5046.

television@timesofmalta.com