New Quality Criteria for TV Channels and TV Narrative

Abstract

Why we need a Children’s TV channel in Chile and Latin America? This question seems idle in its apparent obviousness. Nevertheless, several responses have been offered, depending first on how child is considered. So, who is the child? Most often, children appear to be the subject of adult actions; these actions are intended to reinforce children’s curricular learning and cognitive development in school, using television to ensure their cultural integration with the country, or to convey to them the idea that they are the recipients of public policy benefits. Others see the child audience as consumer of commercial products and thus a target for advertising in audio-visual programs. The second question to answer is what quality TV for children is? Quality TV is a very ambiguous expression. In this article, I discuss that quality TV for the specific children audience can be described with some new quality indicators afforded by child neuroscience and child epigenetic development; there is a reappreciation of the ludic and emotional genetic abilities of child brain to enjoy and comprehend ludic narrative fiction. But also, from a systemic view of the TV communication process; quality on children’s TV depends not only on the program content but on the broadcast and on the reception. A review of children's TV channels, and a few dozen of the new programs broadcast, allows us to find several new criteria regarding the quality of children's TV and audio-visual content.