EDUCATIONAL SHOWS STILL RARE ON TV

       Knowledge and science shows make up a scant 1.9 per cent of all programming on the six free television channels, according to a Media Monitor study released yesterday.
       Thai PBS airs eight of such programmes weekly while Modernine TV carries seven and state-run Channel 11 broadcasts five.
       Channels 3, 5 and 7 offer only two such programmes, Media Monitor producer Tham Chuasathapanasiri said yesterday.
       The 26 programmes take up 1,137 minutes per week, or 1.9 per cent of total airtime. Eight of them are produced abroad and do not fit with local viewers completely, due to their foreign context.
       The finding was not much different from an earlier study by the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), which counted 2.9 per cent of weekly airtime for such programmes.
       While imported series, such as "MegaClever", "Sponge" and "Beyond Tomorrow", have proved a hit here, the NSTDA is also turning out local versions.
       Omjai Saimek, a senior NSTDA official, praised "MegaClever" as a pioneering programme, drawing more than 2 million viewers and making the local audience more interested in science and technology-oriented content.
       She said it was not easy to produce such works in Thailand, with limited sponsorship in television broadcasting or funding during production.
       Akkharat Nitiphon, a TV producer, said the production of quality programmes was always a financial risk while most viewers were still interested mainly in dramas or game shows.
       "The competition among producers to compete for prime time is always won by those who make soap operas or game shows," he said.
       But more airtime was being allocated to science programmes and to make them more popular, factual information on science and technology and an interesting presentation were the keys to success, he added.