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Early on
in broadcasting, before television and even before a practical
means to achieve it was available, the idea of sharing
programmes between countries was considered an important one.
The
improvement in international relations that would come about
from showing the populace of one country how different - and
how similar - a neighbouring state's citizenry was had become
something of a talisman for those who had lived through the
Great War. That the programmes resulting were cheap -
free, often - for the receiving broadcaster was a secondary
consideration after the lofty ideal of world peace.
Whilst a
subsequent conflict - far larger whilst also managing to kill
fewer soldiers but more civilians - proved that sharing radio
programmes alone would not be enough to bring about the peace
so longed for, the notion of sharing programming did not die.
With the
coming of popular mass television in the late 1950s, the
western European countries, under the aegis of the EBU, had
banded together to exchange programmes under the name
'Eurovision'.
Public
service networks like the UK's Rediffusion and America's PBS-forerunner
NET had chosen the name 'Intertel'.
And the
eastern European nations, under the firm guiding hand of OIRT,
chose the brand name 'Intervision'. A typical display of
'anything you can do', much seen at the time between west and
east, but also a fully-functional technical system for the
exchange of programmes, and with similar ideals to those of
the pioneers.
Just like
Eurovision, Intervision hoped that promoting the differences
and similarities in each Communist country would help
international relations. It may also have helped
distract the viewer from longing for other cultures not so
readily approved by the Politburo, on the other side of the
Curtain.
One of
the features of Communism's ideology - usually - was the
concept of worldwide revolution. As Communism was the
most perfect - allegedly - system, so all countries would one
day fall to it. And, just as the state under Communism
would wither, so would nation states.
Therefore, Intervision can actually be seen on a number of
levels. It was an answer to Eurovision. It was a
method of improving international relations. It was a
distraction from the brighter lights of the West. It was
a tool of propaganda. It was the very root activity of
Communism.
And, it
must be said, it was stultifying boring. Military
parades, factory tours, military parades - you name it,
Intervision rarely had it. But that was also the essence
of Communism - and, too often, the essence of Eurovision, for
that matter. |
