Hope of the poor? Hindi rin.

Photo taken from Manila Bulletin

Willie Revillame, revered game show host of the Philippines, is in the midst of controversy yet again, this time for allowing a 6-year old boy to do a "macho dance" multiple times in his new show, Willing Willie. While I do feel strongly about what happened, a lot of people have already expressed their views on it and I don't think that I can add anything more substantial than what has already been said. What I am more disturbed about, however, is how people still continue to support the show and the embattled host.

Going against the overwhelming number of people denouncing Revillame for what happened on the show, fans of Revillame continue to staunchly defend their hero, saying he gives hope to the masses, that through the show he gets to help the poor by giving away huge prizes. What's sad is these people don't seem to have any idea of how TV shows like Willing Willie work.

Money and TV


First, we have to understand the broadcasting industry, particularly TV. Shows produced by TV networks need a lot of money. From the talents to the production equipment to the actual broadcasting of the shows to homes: it takes a whole lot of money to do. Now, they don't really charge viewers for enjoying these shows, even though they receive the benefit of watching TV. So who pays for everything? Advertisers. That's why there are a lot of commercials in local networks.

Now, how do TV networks attract advertisers to pay for airtime? The answer is ratings. Ratings are measurements of how many people tune in to a particular network at a particular time. Basically, higher ratings=higher demand for airtime=higher prices. These prices can go as low as tens of thousands of pesos, especially for early morning shows like Umagang Kay Ganda or Unang Hirit, or as high as close to a million for primetime shows like Willing Willie. Hence, networks are always battling for higher ratings, especially during primetime (around 6:30-9:00 PM), where they can demand higher prices.

The real reason


From there, we go back to Willing Willie. If anyone thinks that the goal of Willing Willie's existence is to give hope and uplift the lives of the poor, you are sadly mistaken. Just like any other show, the goal of Willing Willie is to gain the highest rating possible at its timeslot, so they can gain more advertisers. If Willing Willie genuinely wants to help the poor, then Revillame should just give away money to whoever needs it. But who would watch that? The show's goal is to get higher ratings by capturing a larger audience. Hence, they make their contestants do embarrassing things, people would laugh, and people would tune in.

Hope of the poor? I think not. First of all, how many people do these shows actually help, relative to the general population? Not that many, I would guess. Very few from the provinces I assume, and poverty is definitely worse there. And since we touched on the topic, does the money even go to who deserves it the most? Does it go to the poorest contestant, or even the one that has the biggest problems? Of course not. Then how can this show ever be called hope of the poor?

The sad reality


In the end, it's all about ratings. Using the poor as makeshift entertainers, so more people would tune in, and more advertising income for the network and the people who work there.

I am not against game shows, and I don't dispute the entertainment value of these shows. They definitely are fun to watch, and I guess to a certain extent, they do help the poor. But don't think for one second that these networks genuinely want to help. It's all theatrics. They give away big prizes and make a big show, not for the poor, but for the advertisers who pay for everything. In the end, it's just another way of making more money for the network. Do you think TV5 would continue airing Willing Willie if it got poor ratings? They'd probably replace it with another show, something that would bring in larger audiences.

I'm not saying game shows should go off the air. What I'm saying is that Filipinos shouldn't defend the shows on the basis of "it gives hope to the poor." All it is really, is a show that's meant to be entertaining, so more people would watch, and more advertisers reeled in. If you want to help the poor, look for a charity that doesn't need theatrics to alleviate poverty.