Turkish TV's big business forces state TV to redefine goals.

A few years back, the minister in charge of telecommunications in Turkey shot down a few radio stations in response to complaints of interference. The "I want my radio!" campaign soon hit the political agenda, and Prime Minister Tansu Ciller was quick to capitalize on it. She stated: "My son wants his radio too!" and the radio rush was under way. After all, the cost of setting up a radio operation was as little as $20,000, although some spent a few million dollars for a state-of-the-art setup. The airwaves began singing, and they are singing still.

The monopoly of the state-owned Turkish Radio-Television Corporation (TRT) is history. The somewhat unruly life of broadcasting, already changed by some of the new rules, continues.

The deregulation of the Turkish airwaves hastened the formation of the Supreme Broadcast Commission. The license application process was closed on June 28, 1995; thousands of requests for radio frequencies and a few hundred television applications were filed by existing radio-TV entities and wannabes. At this point the Broadcast Commission has yet to assign frequencies or award licenses, but it has issued a few warnings for gratuitous violence and offensive language. It has also made unpopular decisions to ban stations for primetime displays of nudity in the unedited versions of films 9 1/2 Weeks, The Last Tango in Paris and Eleven Days and Eleven Nights most of which were later struck down in court.

Today there are a number of major TV stations in Turkey that followed the path blazed by Star TV in 1989. Under the partnership of Cem Uzan (of Rumeli Holdings) and Ahmet Ozal (of former Turkish president Turgut Ozal's family) Star TV began broadcasting into Turkey from Germany (not from Turkey, where TRT had a monopoly) via a downlink and terrestrial re-transmission. A few months later, Erol Aksoy launched Show TV. Uzan went ahead with his second channel, Tele On (now KRAL TV, which broadcasts Turkish pop music). Ozal formed Kanal 6, taking most of Star TV's creative and administrative personnel. Then came the Bilge Has family's foray with H.B.B. Soon after, the highly conservative daily newspaper Turkiye and Ihlas Holdings joined forces to introduce T.G.R.T. Cukurova Holding and the formidable Medya Group established Satel, also known by its call letters, ATV. Turkey's only pay-TV entity Cine 5 began operations after a decisive battle in the fall of 1993 in which majority owner Aksoy was the most eager spender; today Cine 5 claims more than 100,000 subscribers, thanks to major league soccer matches. And Turkey's largest financial entity the Koc Group now waits in the wings with pay-TV service EKO.

Kanal D was the last major station to be launched. Although it entered the market with a policy of "highly controlled spending," after disappointing initial results and a series of management shifts and alliances it managed to march into first position. Under the leadership of cineaste Ibrahim Altinsay(*) (formerly program planner for ATV), Kanal D's audience share increased from seven per cent to 18 per cent within six months.

FAST FACTS

Area                               775,000 sq. km.

Population                         63 million

Urban                              43 million
Growth Rate (Population)           2.5%
Growth Rate (Household)            4.0%
Population Under 30                60%

GNP                                $2,050

TV Households                      13.5 million

TV Channels                        TRT 1, TRT 2, TRT 3, TRT 4,
                                   TRT/Gap TV, TRT/INT,
                                   TRT Avrasya, ATV, Kanal D,
                                   Kanal 6, Show TV, Star TV,
                                   H.B.B., T.G.R.T, Samanyolu, KRAL
                                   TV, Number One TV (broadcasts
                                   12 hrs. of MTV Europe)

Number of Cinemas                  351

Avg. Cost of Admission             $1.53

Number of Moviegoers in 1994       10,334,923

VCRs                               1.6 million

Satellite Dishes                   1.1 million

Cable Subscriptions                450,000

Number of Pay-TV Subscriptions     93,000

Annual TV Ad Revenues              $500 million

General Annual Ad Revenues         $1.2 billion

No. Daily TV Commercial Mins.      853 weekdays; 945 weekends

TV Ad Density                      0.018%

TV Program Import Prices

One-Hour Drama                     $3,000-$4,000
MOW                                $7,500-$10,000
Mini-series                        $8,000-$10,000
Half-Hour Children's Anim.         $2,000-$3,000
Feature Films                      $5,000-$100,000

Standard                           PAL

ATV hired Ekrem Catay (former director of Star TV's programming and former head of TRT's drama department) away from troubled Kanal 6. Catay was able to hang on to ATV's audience share through troubled times.

At Show TV, Faruk Bayhan (previously of TRT-TV and the production entity Ulusal TV), kept his calm and his much admired intuition by continuing to experiment successfully with new programming formats with the full support of boss Aksoy.

The long dormant Kanal 6, some $90 million in the red after its purchase by Ozal, hired Adem Gurses (formerly of Kanal D, H.B.B., and TRT) as programming director. With fresh financial sources and the involvement of a major advertising entity, Kanal 6's future looks quite promising.

With all this competition, private TV broadcasting in Turkey has been deep in a ratings war since the new season began in the middle of August. The four principal stations ATV - Kanal D, Show TV and Star TV - and the revitalized Kanal 6 are on the offensive, seeking to gain a ratings point or two with expensive local shows, beefed-up news departments, soccer matches and imported films.

Initially the big Hollywood movies were found to be the best ratings-getters; sometimes they still score big. U.S. soap operas such as The Young and The Restless have a large following, but Latin soap operas aren't as hot as they once were. The imported sitcoms haven't worked well, and weekly series other than Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place have fared little better. Only TRT now has mini-series on its schedule. Game shows like Wheel of Fortune usually post big ratings and then settle somewhat, although Jeopardy did have a long successful run on TRT 1. Variety shows, while strong on their own, score higher when mixed with game shows. Turkish films, especially ones directed by Kemal Sunal, easily beat out imported product, with the exception of blockbusters like Rocky and The Terminator. Programs that do seem to work well are the local reality shows, which draw straight from the streets or delve deep into the private lives of politicians, starlet personalities especially if touched by corruption or sin. The local dramatic series such as Bizimkiler (Our Folks), Hastane (Hospital) and Super Baba (Super Dad) have always brought a return on the broadcasters' investment and have made the principal actors rich, but they are becoming too expensive to produce or buy.

In this new environment, program directors and acquisition executives are more careful and multimillion-dollar deals are a thing of the past. Television executives travel in and out of Turkey in search of new shows more often, but with little result: the local distributors, in touch with the needs of the broadcaster, seem to offer healthier results. The major players are still ready to spend large amounts to acquire needed programs and big stars. The wisest ones seem to be those who invest in Turkish films or produce series with semi-famous actors, securing them early on for in-house productions. The big dollar figures are also spent in shaping up news departments, which often get a station into the top 10.

The goal, of course, is the same all over: to get a bigger share of a growing TV advertising pie. The dynamics of the developing Turkish market offer to broadcasters the possibility of doubling or even tripling ad revenues. The feeling of "the worst is yet to come" has diminished somewhat, and there is a growing sense of confidence in the economic situation.

As TRT seems to beat around the bush, the rest are all "number one." Indeed, each of the four major commercial stations has had reason to claim to be number one, since each can boost its ratings with local product, big stars or a major soccer match.

In Ankara, though, TRT is attempting to redefine its role in the new picture. The existing seven public TV channels are now specialized: while TRT 1 attempts to reach the general population with news and entertainment, TRT 2 tries to serve educated urbanites with classic films and music documentaries, TRT 3 attempts to reach young viewers and sports fans and TRT 4 (which may be transferred to a different private or state corporation) is used as an educational channel. TRT also broadcasts its in-house productions from Western Europe to China through TRT-INT, Avrasya TV (its seventh channel for rural Turkey) and TRT-GAP. The investment TRT makes in running its television and radio operations (it has a staff of nearly 8,000, compared with the few hundred of private channels) leaves very little for production or acquisition. But all this may soon change. The Broadcast Commission may allocate less money to TRT-TV, forcing it to sell some of its networks.

TOP 10 PROGRAMS

July 1 to 31, 1995

Rank   Title                   Genre             Channel     Rating

1      Bizim Aile              Turkish Film      Show        9.6
2      Boyle Gitmez            Reality Show      Kanal D     9.2
3      Gulermisin Aglarmi      Turkish Film      Show        8.7
4      My Girl                 Foreign Film      Kanal D     8.7
5      Avrupa Kupalarl         Sports News       Show        8.5
6      Aykiri Bir Yurek        Documentary       Kanal D     8.3
7      Soz Fatoda              Reality Show      Kanal D     8.2
8      Tatli Dillim            Turkish Film      Show        8.2
9      Nereden Cikti Bu...     Turkish Film      Show        8.1
10     Girgiriyede Senlik      Turkish Film      ATV         8.1

RELATED ARTICLE: TV STATIONS IN TURKEY

ATV

Ekrem Catay Basin Ekpres Yolu Medya Plaza Guunesli 34540 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

CINE 5

Osman Erk Burriyet Media Towers Gunesli 34540 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

HBB TV

Bulent Ozturkem Buyukdere Caddesi 187 Levent, Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

INTERSTAR

Basin Ekspres Yolu, Star Sokak 2 Gunesli, 34540 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

KANAL 6

Mehmet T. Akkoprulu 4. Levent, Sanayi Carsisi Imam Cesme Caddesi 48 Sok. 12 Seyrantepe, Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

KANAL D

Ibrahim Altinsay Ortaklar Caddesi 17 Mecidiyekoy 80290 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

NUMBER ONE TV

Omer Karacan Orug Reis Sokak 10 Yenisbosna, 34540 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

SAMANYOLU TV 

Ferah Mahallesi Rasat Bey Caddesi 12 Uskudar 81180 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

SHOW TV

Faruk Bayhan Hurriyet Nedya Towers Gunesli 34540 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

TGRT 

Yeni Sanayi Caddesi 17 Yenibosni 34540 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

TRT

Beyhan Karadag P.O. Box 98 Kazialy, Ankara Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

FILM-TV DISTRIBUTORS

ABC 

Murat Kucuk Eski Maslak Yolu 25 Sisli 80670 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

FILMA

Guner Sarioglu Levent Caddesi, Guvercin Sok. 31 Levent 80620 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

I.F.R.

Fugen Sokak 5 Levent 80620 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

ISTANBUL FILM

Gazeteci Erol Dernek Sokak Hanif Han 11/5 Beyoglu, Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

MAG TV

Mehmet Karaca Inonu Caddesi 51/10 Gumussuyu Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

MEDYAVIZYON

Fatih Oflaz Bayildim Caddessi 14/9 Macka Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

PEGASUS

Ziya D. Temeltas Muhittin Ustundag Caddesi 11 Kosuyolu 81020 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

POGEP

Unal Kupeli Sujunju Sokak 3/2 Levent 80620 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

SERA

Aydan Okyar Karyagdi Sokak 8/2 Asagi Ayranci 06690 Ankara Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

TEXITAL

Halaskargazi Caddesi Metin, #300 Sisli 80220 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

TMC 

IMB 6. Blok No. 6404 Unkapani, Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

UMIT ATAY

Cevdet Pasa Cadessi 120/3 Bebek 80810 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

UMUT SANAT URUNLERI

Ustaun Karabol Halaskargazi Caddesi 214/7 Sisli 80220 Istanbul Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

U.S.-Based Distributors

ANS INTERNATIONAL

Apo Oguz 35 East 21 Street New York, NY 10010 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

PEGASUS COMMUNICATIONS

Ates Temeltas P.O. Box 5776 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

SPI 

Loni Fahri 928 Broadway Suite 304 New York, NY 10010 Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]