TVT and teledramas

Whether it was to fight against the low quality Indian imported soap operas or the neverending low graded ‘mega’ serial dramas that have endangered the whole teledrama industry and the professions of its artistes, TV Times has been in the forefront in promoting Sri Lankan teledramas as a medium of powerful art.

While it has gained in popularity in the world of teledrama, we talked to a few artistes involved in the teledrama industry to note what they have got to say about the TV Times over the last fourteen years. Experienced teledrama maker Sudath Rohana who is also the President of Tele Makers Guild (TMG), a fifteen years old association comprising producers, directors and tele artistes sharing his ideas about the TV Times said "the service received by the teledrama, an electronic media which does not last long from the TV Times, a print medium is great,".

‘Keeping our audience updated and reminding the people of teledramas and other programmes is a great service for the development of this medium’ Sudath Rohana said. As an organisation started for the development of TV industry fifteen years ago we express our heartfelt gratitude to the TV Times which is stepping into its fifteenth year. ‘Not only TV programmes, the TVT also has been introducing tele artistes to the Sri Lankan audience and thereby it has been greatly appreciated by all the artistes involved in the teledrama industry," he said.

‘This is the very reason why the TVT reigns far ahead of similar magazines in the Sri Lankan newspaper industry. We 'Tele Makers Guild' express our best wishes to the TVT and may it continue to serve our industry for many more years to come," TMG head said. Famous for his unique themes and presentations and well known for his experiments in both television and cinema, director Jayantha Chandrasiri who is also a veteran journalist says, "the period of past few years is a time that brought great changes in the lifestyles of people. And the media, both print and electronic have been trying their best to capture these changes. "As far as I know TV Times with its simple and interesting presentation has tried to this successfully," said the award winning teledrama director.

Sudath Mahadivulwewa award winning teledrama director, TV commercial producer and filmmaker said ‘TV Times has proved that the amount of newspaper space is immaterial to a newspaper that has determination to serve its purpose,". With my own experience as a cinema journalist I know how much a newspaper is important to promote good cinema and art. As independent artistes we believe that art in general whether it is artistic or commercial has to be promoted for its development And in this sphere, TV Times has been doing a commendable service.

Even though TV Times is only a supplement of a main weekend newspaper it has been the practice that we first refer to this little supplement as soon as we get the "Sunday Times". That in itself self has proved its popularity among the readership and I believe that the content of the TV Times directly or indirectly has contributed much to making the Sunday Times a leading Sunday newspaper with the highest circulation.

For Thusitha de Silva, an award winning teledrama director TV Times has been doing a great service to the teledrama field with the its limited space."Though it is small in size we know that it was never small in its content. And whenever we start a good work we make it a point that it goes to our audience through the TVT. With the response we receive we know what a good readership this little magazine is having" Thusitha said.

We know that this is the experience with most other artistes in this field as well."The TVT has an unexplainable attraction among its readership specially those who love teledrama as an art," Thusitha stressed.

"I have been an ardent reader of TV Times for last fourteen years and it has been in the forefront in promoting the teledrama industry, says Nalan Mendis, the producer of a large number of quality teledramas,. And the TV ratings taken, directly from rating agencies and published is very important for those involved in the television media and general audience as well.

"The insights and comments on teledrmas publish in TVT is a service that we have not come across in any other Englsih publications," Mr. Mendis commented.

We have been reading other articles related to travel, music and entertainment that comes in the TV Times with great interest. ‘We wish TVT the best luck in its fifteenth year" said the well known producer.

Dayaratne Ratagedara has been a television producer since the time of the inception of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. In addition to being a producer Ratagedara was well known for his award winning teledramas like 'Dekethi Muwahatha', 'Bogala Soundaris' 'Sitha Niwana Katha', Poya dramas and many more.

"The industry of TV and teledramas totally depend on publicity. And sometime this medium of publicity also become our guidebooks and the exposure we receive through them is definitely a blessing to us. TV Times can be named as one such medium through which we benefited a lot," Ratagedara said with gratitude.

‘We have understood TV Times has taken a genuine interest in our teledrama industry and one positive point we have noticed is that it talks about teledramas with full knowledge," says award winning writer and scriptwriter Sumithra Rahubadda.

It has been promoting teledramas of good quality while serving the educated readership who loves teledrama as a medium of art."By the response we get from its readers whenever a good teledrama is highlighted on TV Times we can understand this point," said Ms. Rahubadda.

And the colourful TV guide which comes with it, gives an easy reference to select what TV programmes its readers should watch, said the script writer of award winning teledramas like 'Bumuthurunu', 'Sura Asura', 'Iti Pahan' and 'Sedona'.