The Truth About Telly Rubbish

There is a term in Spanish which sums up television programmes that concentrate on the sensationalist and the scandalous. The term is "telebasura", literally telly rubbish. There are various shows on Spanish TV which have been accused of pumping out telly rubbish and there is one channel that is criticised more than any for this type of programming. It is Telecinco.

British television has telly rubbish. Under the Spanish definition, "The Truth About Magalluf" was one such example. In Spain, unlike Britain, telebasura is relatively recent, and Telecinco has been singled out for its development.

This has led to a debate as to what such television represents. In Spanish terms, this has been styled as distortion and even the undermining of democratic and civic values. It is against this background, one that is rather more high-minded (ironic, given the generally poor standards of Spanish broadcasting) than in Britain, that one has to consider the impact of "The Truth About Magalluf" in Mallorca and Spain. And it is having an impact.

The programme will now have been forgotten in Britain. In Spain, however, the programme hasn't been forgotten. Telecinco's Ana Rosa Quintana is just one member of the media who has picked up on it, a condensed version of some of the seamier aspects being packaged together as the basis for an investigation of reactions to the programme.

As part of this, Ana has unearthed her own little truth about Magalluf. Its nickname. Seemingly, she was unaware of Shagalluf and what it meant. This in itself is telling, as it suggests an ignorance about Magalluf. But there shouldn't be such ignorance. Another channel, Cuatro, ran a report on Magalluf last summer. This contained some similar scenes to the BBC documentary. The print media locally in Mallorca often reports on Magalluf's drunkenness, prostitution, balconing and violence.

Two reasons why "The Truth About Magalluf" have been given the prominence locally that it has are that it is indicative of a clash of broadcasting cultures and that there has been a lack of understanding regarding its actual broadcast in Britain. Much was made of its prime-time slot, but it was on BBC3. The programme attracted an audience of less than 3%, while it has to be seen in the context of what else was on that particular Monday evening. There were two, more sophisticated travel shows, but immediately after the BBC3 programme had finished, on Channel 4 there was "What Happens in Kavos". It had a far higher viewing audience, over 10%, while its content - urine-drinking contests, for example - was arguably more unpleasant than Stacey Dooley's.

The broadcasting culture of telebasura in Britain along with a high demand for travel programmes of differing types, a need for ratings and a need to fill so many channels all conspire to mean that one moment it's Magalluf, the next it's Kavos. But because there is so much telebasura in Britain and because the messages can be similar, the messages end up getting lost among the sheer weight of broadcasting noise.

Another aspect of this broadcasting culture clash reveals how naïve and disingenuous people in Mallorca can be. Even the sensible "Hosteltur" travel magazine, in reflecting on the BBC programme, misunderstood it, saying that it overlooked the positives of new developments in Magalluf. Well of course it overlooked them. Just what had people expected? They provided support to a programme without the slightest inkling as to how broadcasting culture now is, without appreciating that telebasura is widespread in Britain and even without, as Ana Rosa suggests, understanding that Magalluf is Shagalluf.

We learn that the mayor of Calvià was interviewed for 50 minutes, yet he featured only briefly. And? I'm sorry, but this is what programmes do. They get a lot of interview and then whittle it right down. It may suit their purposes as to how this edited material is used, but this is how it is. Among the reactions that Ana Rosa's show got was one from the president of the Acotur tourist businesses association who said he "could not understand the attack" on Magalluf. Oh come on, Pepe, it wasn't an attack, and how many of the tourist businesses in Magalluf that you represent contribute to the problems of Magalluf?

The naïveté, the disingenuousness and the lack of understanding of broadcasting culture and as to how programmes are made all deflect from what the real issue is. It is not one that the BBC invented. At least Ana Rosa does seem to get this. Perhaps it's because she is from a channel known for its telebasura. In challenging one of those interviewed in Magalluf, she said: "but the images were real; the truth".


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.

MALLORCA TODAY - Calvià town hall issues formal complaint over The Truth About Magalluf

Calvià town hall has sent a formal complaint to the producer of "The Truth About Magalluf" documentary and to BBC3. The town hall says that it offered its support to the programme and had expected a more positive image of Magalluf to be presented. The town hall and the Mallorca hoteliers federation say that the programme has done the opposite, and have received some support from opposition politicians who suggest that harm could have been done to tourism in Magalluf. But there has also been criticism of the mayor for his "I'm not a magician" statement as well as some support for the programme in highlighting in particular the problem of the prostitutes.

Comment: Calvià town hall must have been stupid to think they would be getting something other than they did. One wonders whether the formal complaint is because the mayor came out of the broadcast as poorly as he did.

See more: Diario de Mallorca

The Truth About Magalluf Is That We Already Know

So, on Monday, the truth is going to be revealed about Magalluf. It will be the truth according to the BBC and the BBC's Stacey Dooley in particular. I hadn't heard of Ms. Dooley prior to the publicity being given to "The Truth About Magalluf" (BBC3, 9pm), but it appears that she specialises (or someone has created the wherewithal for her to specialise) in getting to the heart of the matter on such issues as kids with machetes (child soldiers) and tourism. She has previously revealed that all-inclusive hotels in Kenya don't exactly contribute a great deal to the local economy or benefit local people. Which is a revelation that does need making, and it isn't one that is exclusive to Kenya.

Not being familiar with Ms. Dooley's oeuvre, I shall reserve judgement until the truth has been revealed about Magalluf, but the advance publicity leaves little doubt as to what this truth entails; it's what everyone knows to be the problems that Magalluf faces, and as such, they hardly need repeating. But of what the programme is to show, explicit sex antics have already been done by "Geordie Shore", balcony-diving has been done to death (literally in some cases) and been the subject of a widely publicised campaign involving Tom Daley, heavy drinking has been a facet of Magalluf tourism life for tourism time immemorial, violence has been around since as long as British tourists murdered a taxi driver (and before). So what is really going to be new? The violence and muggings by prostitutes might be, where some viewers are concerned, but these aren't new where people in Magalluf are concerned.

The local Spanish press is giving the programme ample pre-publicity. Anything that comes with the BBC attached to it normally is, even if the programme isn't on one of the main channels. It is a mark of the influence of the BBC that when its reporters come calling, a Spanish readership gets to know about them. Paul Mason's "The Great Spanish Crash", the one that the Spanish Government have taken exception to, was afforded a good deal of publicity when it was being made. The reason why was because it was the BBC. A further reason why was that questions were raised as to why Spanish television and reporters weren't allowed to do something similar or weren't able to.

Mason has, in some quarters, been criticised for a sensationalist style of presentation not in keeping with the BBC's traditions, which is a load of bollocks. The BBC, as with other broadcasters, has adapted to the demands of the times. The result may not be Richard Dimbleby, but then he's been dead for donkey's years. Doubtless, Ms. Dooley will be accused of similar sensationalism, but the sensationalism is not so much how a programme is made as the subject matter. If it's there, if it happens to exist and to reflect a situation, then it isn't sensationalist as such. It can become so if it exaggerates a situation and fails to reflect the lighter side of Magalluf and not only its "dark side" (and the Spanish press is making it clear that the dark side is what is going to be reflected).

The fact is, however, that the BBC is not the first. Spanish TV has also had a look at Magalluf, and the reaction was pretty negative where Magalluf business owners were concerned, as it was for the showing of the "Geordie Shore" Magalluf special on MTV Spain. But ultimately, what impact does such a programme have? It may make parents concerned about where their youngsters are off to for their holiday initiations, but I don't know that it has much impact on the youngsters themselves. And which youngsters are these? They are mainly British. Magalluf, you might be surprised to know, isn't that well known by some other nationalities; the Germans, for example, as their Magalluf is Arenal. The Russians had never heard of Magalluf until very recently, and they are being herded into the brand spanking new developments in the resort.

I was in Magalluf yesterday. These developments are striking. The Wave House, Nikki Beach, they look very good, and there is more to come. The programme probably won't dwell on these developments, and why should it? It's not a travelogue. But this will be the reaction of some who will complain of a lack of balance and look to attack the BBC yet again. It's an absurd reaction. A point I have made before and will continue to make is that journalism is not about balance. A programme is made, an article is written with a purpose not with a requirement for everything to be weighed equally.

The programme will cause some bluster and some outrage, but it will be quickly forgotten, unless people are inclined to keep banging on about it. But it will be hugely hypocritical if the reaction implies bias. As far as I can make out, nothing that is in this programme is unknown; all of it is known, and it is known because the local media talks about it and because local people and local business owners complain about it.


QUIZ: Yesterday - Grace Kelly and Mika.

Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.