By Chelsea McLean The Shows Aussies Watch on Television	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
テレビの人気番組は… オーストラリアのテレビ番組は、半分はアメリカのTVドラマやコメデイー、半分がオーストラリアで作られた番組です。人気があるのはアメリカもので、"Melrose Place" のようなメロドラマは特に好評です。ほかにオーストラリア人が好んで見るテレビ番組は...

Watching television occupies more leisure time than any other activity for the average Australian, who spends at least two hours a day in front of "the box." The box is our nickname for the television set ― our friend and faithful companion. Not only does it help us relax and keep us informed, but it's also a great distraction ― especially for students who have homework to do.

So what do Aussies watch on TV? Well, Australians love American TV shows, especially "Melrose Place." It is extremely popular among both sexes, from high school and university students to 30-year-olds and even 40-year-olds. I think the storyline is too far-fetched, but my parents and friends never miss an episode.

Other popular American programs are "Seinfeld," "The X Files," "Mad About You," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Party of Five," "The Simpsons," "NYPD Blue," "The Nanny" and "Baywatch," to name a few. The popular American comedy series "Friends" and "Partners" have just started their run in Australia and are gaining a huge following, especially among young people.

A quick calculation from my weekly TV guide revealed that around 50 percent of the programs broadcast on Australian commercial networks are produced in Australia, and the other 50 percent are from America. This is in line with the regulation that all stations must broadcast at least 50 percent Australian content to encourage the development of local television production and ensure Australians don't become slaves to American cultural imperialism.

But most Australians prefer watching American shows because Americans' lives seem more exciting than ours. American soap operas are popular among many middle-aged and elderly Australian women who never miss an episode of "The Bold and the Beautiful," "The Young and the Restless" or "Days of Our Lives."

"Neighbours" and "Home and Away" are the most popular Australian soap operas and are shown in the prime-time slots of 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Their storylines reflect every-day family life in the Australian suburbs, so it is not surprising that they are also very popular in the U.K.

The Aussie sense of humor is what makes variety shows like "Australia's Funniest Home Video Show," "Just Kidding" and "Who Dares Wins" so popular. Australians love having a laugh at their own expense over home bloopers, mischievous set-ups and silly dares. And like the Americans, we love watching ourselves on TV. There's even a new game show called "I Do, I Do" where the winning couple's marriage ceremony is broadcast around the country.

Many Australian customs are centered around the television set. Every night my family watches the news during our evening meal to keep up-to-date with current affairs. In fact, we rely more heavily on the TV for information than we do on newspapers or radio.

Watching sports on the weekend is almost an Australian tradition, especially for men. Rugby League and Rugby Union football games attract the most viewers, and tennis, cricket, basketball, surfing and motor sports also feature on weekend sports programs.

Saturday and Sunday mornings would not be complete without cartoons and music videos. Even though cartoons are given a (C) rating, meaning they are aimed at children, university students like myself also admit to enjoying the occasional cartoon with our cereal.

Every channel must adhere to the TV classification system used to indicate which programs are suitable for different age groups. Each program has its own rating to show whether it's aimed at children, families, or mature audiences. Special codes are also shown to warn viewers if programs contain violence, sex, nudity, coarse language, horror, drug references or adult themes.

Australia has three main commercial free-to-air TV channels, as well as the government-operated Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) and Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) stations. The ABC and SBS broadcast cultural and educational programs from countries all around the world. Most Australians also have two other local or community networks to choose from. That makes a total of about seven channels that we don't have to pay for.

The introduction of pay TV to Australia in January last year means some Australians who live in metropolitan areas now have a much wider range of programs to choose from. Almost 400,000 Australian households subscribe to pay TV, mostly via cable but some via satellite. My family tried satellite pay TV for a couple of months, but we didn't watch enough TV to warrant the subscription fee of around ¥2,600 (A$30) a month. We found there is enough variety on the three commercial free-to-air stations.

With so many programs broadcast 24 hours a day, it's no wonder homework sometimes never gets done and so many Australians have square eyes from watching their friend ― the box.

Shukan ST: Oct. 11, 1996

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