News • 08 December 2002

Mintoff’s soapbox meetings will no longer feature on Smash TV

TARXIEN - Dom Mintoff’s roaring homages to neutrality’s days will no longer feature live on Smash TV. Late last week, the estranged patriarch of the Malta Labour Party was supposed to have been in Mellieha to preach his message of neutrality. Although his meeting was cancelled due to the bad weather, it was public knowledge that his meetings would no longer be accompanied by Smash TV’s outside broadcasting unit.

MaltaToday contacted Smash Productions director Joseph Baldacchino, asking him if there was any particular reason for the abrupt end to the live broadcasts of Mr Mintoff’s meetings.

MaltaToday also asked Mr Baldacchino whether the live broadcasts had been stopped due to pressure by the MLP to have less airtime given to Mr Mintoff. Mr Baldacchino denied that he had had any pressure into stopping the transmissions.

Mr Baldacchino told this newspaper that the arrangement the TV company had with Mr Mintoff was to broadcast three live programmes only.

"The arrangement was for three live programmes. We already have a packed programme schedule.

"We had to temporarily suspend time that had been allocated to the Campaign for National Independence. The CNI are now waiting for their programmes to be reinstated. There was also the problem of having to provide an OBU for every meeting."

The Smash TV-Mintoff partnership, whereby the erstwhile Prime Minister granted the fledgling cable network station exclusive rights to broadcast live, had initially caused a spat over the exclusivity of the rights. This happened at the perit’s first meeting at Zejtun when Smash TV’s director and the producers of another TV programme could not come to agree over which one of them had the rights to the broadcast.

A brusque Dom Mintoff was unyielding in his refusal not to concede any comment to MaltaToday. Contacted twice by this newspaper, the perit replied that he did not give any interviews over the phone and was quick to hang up the telephone before any further questions could be made.

Other Front Maltin Inqumu acolytes told MaltaToday they were unaware of any reasons which could have prompted the end of the live transmissions.