Commercial-free television

France is planning an advertising ban after 8 pm starting 2009, and commercial-free public television starting 2011. The daily Latvijas Avize finds the idea exemplary: "Even if the way President Nicolas Sarkozy implements his ideas is not to everyone's liking, hardly anyone will question the need for a change of direction. In Europe the conviction is growing that it is a negative development for such central institutions as public television to be subject to the logic of the market and for them to wind up dependent on soap ads. You might just as well have national central banks compete with commercial banks, or have the police compete with private security firms. Of course there is no ideal model, but the risk of manipulation decreases as we viewers become aware of the dangers."

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