The tender to launch the “Moreshet” religious television channel in Israel is underway, the Srugim dati leumi news website reports. At least four companies are vying for the rights to the station, which IBA’s (Israel Broadcasting Authority) Moti Sclar feels may not be a profitable venture.
The new station will become an integral part of the basic plan offered subscribers of the nation’s cable TV (HOT) and satellite TV (Yes) without additional monthly charge. The Ministry of Communications tender compels the winner of the tender to broadcast five days weekly, at least 12 hours daily, of which 8 hours must be original content, not reruns. As is the case with the Russian language Channel 9, the channel will have to support itself with advertisement revenue.
The report concludes that while the tender was announced, there are many problems and much uncertainty surrounding the “channel with a kipa” and at present, one cannot know if the new station will be broadcasting by the end of next year, 2013.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
They will have an interesting challenge to produce programs that can compete commercially while still being frum (even by modern orthodox standards). Germara shiurim and a boys’ choir won’t bring the advertising revenue to pay for a commercial station.
May they enjoy great success!
This sounds to me like a very scary idea. On one end chilonim who already watch TV might get inspired by this channel. That is a good thing. However, on the other end this is a foothold of the yetzer hara in the religious camp. This channel will loosen the walls of not watching TV by the religious camps because now there is an option for them. If they come to watch “frum TV” it is very easy to fall into all TV, and that’s scary!
Wait, I thought television is assur, medi’oraisa yehareg v’al ya’avor!
Most people that have a tv are not going to look at religious channels
Reply to No. 3: If watching a rerun of a shiur with some alte rebbe droning on about “shor shenagach shor” challenges your yetzer horah, than perhaps you have more fundamental issues to deal with.
Reply to No. 5: While you are probably right about their rating among the chiloni demographic, it still might attract a small enough audience who would be drawn closer to torah and yiddeshkeit so that alone might make this concept worthwhile.
Isn’t “hidobroit” a charaidy t.v. station???
this should be clearly used as a kiruv tool and nothing else. It should have the same standards as “Chareidi” radio stations and as Gedolim paskened – it is assur!
There is already a charedi kiruv TV station – Hidabrot.
Content can be made for such a channel, but not sure if it will make money – religious people already with TV’s won’t watch this station much, and people without TVs won’t buy one just because of this channel. Good luck to them though – If more people learn torah that’s a good thing.
If they start producing “kosher” dramas, comedies, science fiction, cartoons, etc. — it might have an impact worldwide. There have been some frum dramatic programs produced on CDs or DVDs.