The decision to unceremoniously axe Xarabank, Malta’s most popular TV programme, came as no major surprise. There have been rumblings in the last few years that the programme had long run past its sell-by date, its populist, tabloid formula often undermining the very themes it was tackling.
Several programmes served only to drive a wedge through an already deeply polarised society.
It also gave too many armchair critics their five minutes of fame for all the wrong reasons, fuelling prejudices against the vulnerable and the minorities that the same programme sought to help.
For many critics, the programme had become such a notorious institution that they had coined the term ‘Xarabankisation’ to describe a section of Maltese society which opts to shout each other down to put its message across rather than expressing informed opinion.
But love it or hate it, it is universally acknowledged that Xarabank was at the forefront in tackling head on the biggest taboo subjects in the country, from LGBTIQ issues to prison amnesties to exorcism.
It gave a microphone to people and lobbies that had long been elbowed out of public discourse because they presented an inconvenient truth. Many were the episodes that even sparked much-needed change in society, especially in aid of the vulnerable.
In the beginning, especially, the programme was way ahead of its time, thanks especially to Peppi Azzopardi’s shameless liberal and progressive agenda.
Over 23 years, it upset the party in government, the opposition, the church, the magnates… you name it, but Azzopardi and his team soldiered on, persisting in drawing attention to the plight of refugees, the disabled, the vulnerable.
Since last Friday, many have celebrated the programme’s demise while others are still trying to come to terms with the fact that it will no longer be their staple Friday night ‘out’.
The state broadcaster is not bound to explain its decision, but any programme which becomes an institution and remains the most watched on the island deserves to know why it has been axed. And so do its tens of thousands of followers.
Until we get that explanation, there is reason to believe it is the trademark of a station which has often sought to placate its political master rather than the audience it is duty bound to serve. The state broadcaster continues to fuel government propaganda and provides a platform for inept presenters.
The suspicion is that Xarabank was not removed for reasons of quality but rather for ‘political’ reasons.
If that is the case, the decision is scandalous.
Before he became prime minister, Robert Abela had indirectly mentioned the need for reform at PBS, citing one particular programme that had clogged the airwaves for 23 years. Of course, he has denied any interference in the decision.
When the likes of Manuel Cuschieri, One Radio presenter and former Labour president, says TVM news “is next” with the excuse that the country needs an “impartial state broadcaster” then we have every reason to worry.
Sadly, history keeps repeating itself. In 2016, Times of Malta’s Times Talk, which had topped viewership figures for its segment, was booted out without explanation. Possibly, it had put the spotlight on the Panama Papers scandal too many times. Other programmes fell to the same fate.
The people at the helm need to realise that the national broadcaster is not a tool to serve their political agendas. Small wonder so many are switching off.