When examining the place of mass media in the history of Israel's wars, it is hard not to notice an interesting phenomenon: in the past, it was customary to unite broadcasts of different – and even competing – radio stations in order to make it easier for the public and convey uniform messages to its attention. This was done in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and also in the Gulf War in early 1991, when IDF Radio and the Israel Broadcasting Authority (Kol Yisrael) broadcast together in a "joint studio" format.
True, these were the days before commercial television in Israel, and these were public broadcasting stations, but who can imagine a scenario today in which the presenters of channels 12 and 14, for example, would gather in one studio and broadcast with each other throughout the war?
Beyond the sense of unity of the people at a difficult time, the unification of channels in times of emergency also has economic significance: the move can help broadcasters share the burden of action and expenses. But in our reality, as mentioned, this is an imaginary scenario. Each TV channel deals with the effects of the war on its own, according to its agenda, with its talent and with the economic blessing that swells as the state of emergency prolongs.
Photo: From News 12,
Photo: From News 13,
Never-ending panels. Top to bottom: News 12, News 13 and Channel 14, photo: from Channel 14
On the one hand, TV viewing is in a peak period. Keshet recorded 30% on the evening of October 7, and later stabilized at an average of 24% for its edition. News 14 and 13 ranged from 7 to 9 per cent, and recently a gradual upward trend of 13 has begun, probably at the expense of Kan 11's shrinking viewing numbers.
The loss of viewers in the corporation is originally due to the fact that the channel's news system has always been considered a weak point that does not attract ratings, certainly in relation to the success of the drama department and the special broadcasts. However, although there are no viewers, the corporation, which operates a broadcasting platform in different languages and on a variety of channels and radio stations, is actually in the most stable position - thanks to being a public broadcaster with a government budget.
The drastic increase in television viewing somewhat skipped Channel 14, which failed to strengthen despite the state of emergency. Although it is the only one that broadcasts 24/6 (without Shabbat), even in the third week of the war, it continues to base most of its broadcasts on exhausting panels and opinionated hospitality, and seems to have missed an opportunity to attract new audiences. Compared to its competitors, 14 operated fewer broadcast stations and fewer reporters in the field, and invested in minimal magazine articles.
On the other hand, Channel 12 and Channel 13 are convinced that the war and the way they broadcast it have strengthened and improved their image among a cross-section of viewers who abandoned them in the past.
The commercial channels were the first to realize the scale of the catastrophe on that Black Sabbath. When the residents of the south hid in their homes from the terrorists who were running outside, and no one in the police, army or government answered their distress calls, they called to ask Tamir Steinman and Almog Boker for help, updated Danny Kushmero about their kidnapped family members, and sent WhatsApp locations to Adva Dadon to rescue them from the death party in Re'im.
There isn't a presenter who hasn't shed a tear, cried or choked on air. Television connected, calmed, activated, colored the goals of the operation - and to this day it is careful to keep in mind the issue of returning the abductees home.
The open wave of broadcasts was an opportunity to try out presenting combinations planned even before the war. The situation increased News 12's expenses by NIS 300,13 a day, and News <> also reports an addition of hundreds of thousands of shekels a day to its coverage expenses
1,000 emergency personnel
But how much more can you watch the news? Slowly, television is looking for a return to some kind of routine, subject to developments in the ground maneuvers, the number of fatalities, God forbid, the conflagration on the northern front and other events that cannot be predicted in advance.
Currently, broadcasters are unable to plan the schedule ahead. "We constantly have to provide a response to the current situation, what and how to broadcast today," explains a source on one of the channels. "At the same time, you have to think ahead, and it's complicated, because you can't predict what will happen and what the country will look like in a month's time. And all in a state of economic uncertainty."
For the first two weeks, no commercials were broadcast, which immediately shut down the main tap of revenue. And if that wasn't enough, all the channels switched to a 24/7 news broadcast format that lasted nearly two weeks, until it was reduced to 20 hours of continuous broadcast during the day and night flashes. Everything had to be broadcast live, and in order to accomplish this and take control of the sequence of events, it was necessary to increase means and budgets by millions of shekels. To this end, staff and field personnel were reinforced, reporters, producers and researchers were added, additional broadcasting stations were opened, and additional production assistants, magazine reporters, photographers, editors and more were recruited.
News 12, for example, has nearly 30,400 staff working in the emergency format, and the envelope has expanded by more than 12 per cent. For ongoing operation, the company purchased equipment for about NIS <>,<>, including investment in protecting field personnel with vests and helmets, and purchasing shields for about NIS <> million for the studios and broadcasting stations. Every day, Channel <> News operates between five and ten different broadcasting stations, with a reporter, field producer and photographer.
The bottom line: The cost of operating a full day of broadcasts during the war increased News 12's expenses by NIS 300,<> a day. In order to try to reduce the burden of the news company, content and production people from Keshet also help at work - among them, for example: Niv Raskin, Yoav Limor, Nasli Barda, Erez Tal, Avri Gilad, Nadav Eyal, Ohad Hamo and the entire "Ovda" editorial board.
The open wave of broadcasts was an opportunity to try out presenting combinations planned even before the war. For example, Amalia Duek and Ofer Hadad, who serve together at lunchtime, or Nadav Eyal and Ohad Hamo, who received a joint program. The obvious connection between Erez Tal and Avri Gilad was almost cosmic, and their nightly program provides Keshet with public interest and ratings.
Channel 13 News also reports an addition of hundreds of thousands of shekels a day to the expenses of covering the war. Dozens of employees are recruited for multiple positions, daily operation of five to ten field stations, accommodation of staff in hotels throughout the country, and even funding accommodation in a hotel in Neve Ilan for those who work around the clock. In addition, Channel 13 News invested in building new protection for its studios in Neve Ilan, employing security guards and buying protective equipment.
Reshet 13 planned to launch after the holidays the Friday night strip with Netali Shem Tov, who defected from Channel 12. The war was an opportunity to examine the new alternative to the "Friday Studio" of competitors Keshet, but the network preferred to entrust Shem Tov with two hours a day in the afternoon - both to fill holes in the programming schedule, and out of confidence that it could maintain a live broadcast and interview in a sensitive and critical manner. This will build, according to the channel, the initial connection between it and the viewers.
Other adjustments made on the 13th: Raviv Drucker rolled back into the pre-edition slot and Guy Lehrer returned to the night hours. In the late-night segment, they tried to connect Zvika Hadar with Eliad Nahum, who came up without a pilot and without understanding what they should do. The crowd didn't quite show up. "We launch trial balloons and see on the fly what works and what doesn't," explains everyone who is currently talking to him in the industry.
TV producer Yoav Gross analyzes: "This wait, for something that might happen soon, creates an ongoing state of uncertainty. The entertainment industry is always the first to mobilize for the emergency situation – and also the last to emerge from it. Today, the artist market and the television market are at zero activity. Artists perform for free in all sorts of places, and most productions have stopped.
"The platforms are beginning to understand and prepare for the situation, and to understand that you can't broadcast news all day. The reporters are already physically collapsing, and are no longer able to sustain a broadcast. The public also doesn't want it anymore. You see the decline in viewer numbers. People want to consume other content as well."
According to industry estimates, the commercial channels have lost tens of millions of shekels since the outbreak of the war (the profit figure is 50 million). There has never been a situation in which all advertising activity in Israel, which accounts for the largest share of the channels' revenue stream, was halted for two weeks. Side sources of income, such as niche programs based on addicted content marketing items (the "Daily Report," for example), have also gone off the air, and work on them has come to a halt.
"There is an economic hole that is growing day by day, and there is no horizon. There is no work plan for what to do in such a situation, because we have never been in something similar before," a senior source on one of the channels said. "You also don't know how to gauge the intensity of the trauma this left among Israelis. What content will be suitable for broadcast in a few weeks or months, and what will not. In the near future it will be mostly soft current affairs, or good-time escapism."
Will we rake in votes like Ukraine?
It is clear to everyone that not everything can be broadcast, and that not everything can continue as usual. Two days after the murderous attack by Hamas, Kan 11 was supposed to air the drama series "The Pier," which tells the story of an IDF post in the Yom Kippur War who is captured by the Egyptians. It is not certain that an Israeli audience will be able to digest such content in the coming year without experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Post-trauma viewers. "The Pier" at Kan 11, photo: PR
For the same reason, HOT decided to halt the continuation of the violent action series "Border Patrol" in the middle of the season. The broadcast of the episodes was halted for two weeks, and is returning this week.
The same dilemma exists at the offices of Network 13, which planned to air a season of "Lost" this month, which follows Scout Grant in her search for missing people in the war in Ukraine. The docu-reality series "The Criminalists," which documents lawyers representing high-ranking criminals, has since been swallowed into a black hole. The sitcom "Yaniv" went off the air, and the launch of the invested reality show "Peking Express" was frozen, which is already prepared and ready for broadcast - but there are no plans to broadcast it anytime soon.
Instead of reality - alarms. "Peking Express" on Reshet 13, photo: Ariel Plischuk
The filming of "Chef's Games" stopped in the middle, and work on "Star Academy" (a singing reality show hosted by Noa Kirel), which was slated to air on Channel 13 in about six months, has also been put on hold for the time being.
Survivor was supposed to begin filming a season in December, but it's expected to be postponed. The implications of the war on television can be seen from the fact that two competitors who auditioned for the current season, and who were candidates to participate in it, are no longer alive.
"Come Eat With Me" (Kan 11) had to cancel the filming of the Southern Week of the upcoming season, which was scheduled for this month, and had to reschedule the schedule. The same thing happened in the filming of "The Commander" at the corporation, and in other dramas.
Keshet stopped the filming of "Master Chef", "The Silver Taxi", "VIP Winning Kitchen" and Hanoch Daum's new series, as well as other productions in development and permanent tracks such as Galit and Ilanit, Guy Pines and more.
On the shelf of series ready for broadcast, Keshet holds the new reality show "The Traitors", a social game hosted by Assi Ezer and Rotem Sela, and the drama series "The Head" (sold to Netflix), starring Yehuda Levy as the head of the Shin Bet who deals with traitors within the Israeli intelligence organization. Both are not necessarily suitable for the situation, and their airing has been postponed to better times.
On the other hand, according to the channel, they are constantly thinking about ways to produce content adapted to post-October 7 Israel. Various projects are on the agenda and are reviewed daily. For example, after filming a skit with Yuval Samo as the taxi driver who transports reservists, and seeing that the test balloon was received positively, it was decided to broadcast this week a special program of "Wonderful Land" adapted to the situation.
Adjust the content to the mood. "Wonderful country" in arc 12,
But not everything can be postponed to other times - there are plans with a pressing deadline. By March, we must choose who will represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Sweden in May 2024. Based on the precedent of the war in Ukraine, which ensured the Ukrainians victory a year and a half ago, Israel is currently ranked first in the betting tables - even before all the songs have been chosen. Such an opportunity should not be passed up.
This year's representative is supposed to be chosen through the reality show "The Next Star for Eurovision". Since in the near future it will not be possible to broadcast a regular reality show, in recent days the people of Keshet and Teddy Productions have tried to crack a format that would suit the national mood. It is possible that within the next two weeks, such a trial program will be broadcast, in a limited and less entertainment format, and according to the viewers' response, adjustments and decisions will be made regarding the rest of the season.
At the beginning of the week, the Public Broadcasting Corporation held a fundraising day, which ended with an elaborate musical performance with the participation of artists and the collection of NIS 8.5 million for the benefit of the southern communities. In addition, here they put on a program presented by Omri Assenheim, used Kobi Meidan and Shai Stern, filmed special "Real Time" programs and brought back the "That's it!" group.
Producer Yoav Gross: "The situation has multiple implications for the industry. We are now trying to cast actors for a series about Druze, and it is impossible today to cast Arab actors. They regularly receive threats not to take roles in Israeli series."
Next week, the satire program "What You Say" will return, whose return was brought forward on the occasion of the situation; And on Saturday night "Guetta is on the way" will be broadcast - half an hour of Yigal Guetta meeting with people during wartime, trying to solve problems for them and visiting the heroes of the week. At the same time, the corporation put to work documentary projects related to the war.
Increase in children's content
Like the news, there is another television genre that is gaining strength during this period – children's programming.
Due to the situation, there is an increased demand for content that will occupy children in front of screens, as a result of which here educationally broadcast a daily studio every morning, and at the same time organized Zoom meetings with the stars of the programs. On Hop! Produce early childhood content that addresses the situation.
"Our best way to help right now is to provide the children with a little respite during the fighting," says Omer Manor, director of Kan Education. "This week we staged a new season of 'Shelly the Conqueror.' All other series are currently being edited, to be ready to air on time. We continue with live studio broadcasts for children who do not have a school framework. We have also allowed cable, satellite and streaming companies to make free use of selected channel content during this time."
Yes also emphasized children's content. They reorganized children's VOD categories, opened up popular movies for free (Harry Potter, for example) and increased the selection of content tailored for family viewing.
"Of course, in the beginning the emphasis was on the children," says Yaki Jacques, editor-in-chief of Yes and director of Programming. "We made sure to clean the screen, adjust the recommended content on VOD and channels, hide or download movies and action series that could trigger.
"We opened the 'Yes Together' channel, which broadcasts tribute shows and Israeli culture. People prefer escapism from the worlds of goodness, romantic content, etc. All our productions continue to be filmed as usual, because they have less to do with the situation – except for 'The Goldsteins', a docu-reality that accompanies Nikki Goldstein and who continued to follow him when he went to celebrate soldiers and wounded. It's all about timing, knowing when the time is right to broadcast everything."
The war, as mentioned, caused an increase in viewing rates for news broadcasters, but at the same time VOD viewing figures of various content providers recorded a significant drop in usage. For example, Bezeq reported a 24% drop in Netflix consumption among its customers this month.
"There will be a lot of documentaries"
What will the TV look like the day after the shock? As of now, there is no one willing to prophesy. It will undergo some evolution, that's for sure, and many workers in the industry will have to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and the horrific events and stories they experienced on the job.
There are those who try to rush to treat. Channel 12 News built a mental health support package for all of the company's employees, and hired psychologists in the Neve Ilan and Tel Aviv systems, who are available around the clock for anyone who feels in need of mental health help. At 13, they brought in a mentor who is fully available and assists employees, and an external professional provides employees with group and individual Zoom calls as needed.
Almog Boker, the southern correspondent for Channel 13 News, wrote on Facebook: "Every night I fall apart. Nightmare. Falling asleep for an hour, then waking up with a terrible panic attack. I get up sweating, terrified. I went back to talk to a professional, and it does wonders. Don't be shy, it saves lives. Go to therapy."
While the news departments work unabated, there are various types of talent that have not yet returned to the screen, and it has not yet been decided how to use them - Guy Pines, Paula and Leon, Galit and Ilanit, Assi and Rotem, Eyal Berkowitz, Liron Weizman, Guy Zu-Eretz, Tiltil and many others.
While reporter Chen Zander returned to full work at Channel 13 News immediately after getting up from shiva for her sister, Noa, who was murdered in the massacre, the channels tell of talents who actually wanted to stay away from the screen, because they do not feel they can broadcast at this time.
Uri Tsror, owner of a PR and influencer firm, testifies to daily communication with the channels: "I have representatives who were supposed to host and participate in the reality show, and at the moment everything is in doubt. We need now mainly shows that will bring a message of encouragement and hope, but in the end escapism and reality will also return. It will happen soon."
The market freeze has led to outside production companies choosing to put their employees on unpaid leave, at least until things return to normal. How long will it take? In the industry, some estimate that projects are likely to be delayed by about three months, if not more.
"There are contracts, and you have to keep working," says Shula Spiegel of Dana & Shula Productions, producer of series, films and special projects. "Almost immediately we found employees and volunteers, and we went back to normal work, because there is a commitment. Each project is examined individually in the reality of an anomaly. For example, as usual, we continue to edit the third season of Tehran, in order to finish it on time.
We continue to prepare for next season. "Tehran", photo: PR Kan 11
"There will be many series and documentaries soon. The corporation's first tender has already been issued for projects related to events. Our job as creators is to express that. We have an obligation to express what is happening around us. Our perspective at the moment is limited. In six months and a year, the testimonies will be different. We'll be there telling the story."
Producer Yoav Gross reveals that he lost hundreds of thousands of shekels because he was forced to stop filming the season of "The Jews Are Coming," whose future is now hanging in the air. "I froze all my productions except one," he says. "I have nine days left to shoot 'That '90s, and the whole set is already built and working. Stopping and disassembling everything would cost too much, so I preferred to buy a shield just so I could finish this shoot on time and safely.
"The situation has multiple implications for the industry. For example, we are now trying to cast actors in a series about Druze created by Roy Idan, and it is impossible today to cast Arabs in series. It's impossible. Arab actors regularly receive death threats so they won't take roles in Israeli series.
"This is a phenomenon that began even before the war. For example, I found it very difficult to cast Arab actors in Red Sky. They don't want to. Amir Khoury, a young man who was born in Haifa, received messages from BDS saying 'we will slaughter you.' That's why most of them are afraid to get into it.
"I've been in the industry for 30 years, and the current situation, partly because of the uncertainty that accompanies it, is by far the most extreme situation I've ever experienced. And that includes the coronavirus. Television today is in its most difficult situation ever."
nirw@israelhayom.co.il
shirz@israelhayom.co.il
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