Flanders in the Spell of Commercial Television

This article reports the results of one year of commercial television in Flanders and its consequences for the public broadcasting system. In an initial reaction of panic, the public broadcasting system has imitated the success formulae of the new commercial channel. This has led to a programming policy that began to lay ever-greater emphasis on entertainment. At this early stage commercial television has apparently dragged the public broadcasting system along in its `down-market' strategy.