Displacing the News

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Abstract
On the assumption that public space in contemporary democracies has shifted to the electronic media, this article points to a generic transformation of prime-time, whereby (in an era of increasing live broadcasting, commercialization and competition) the political talkshow may be replacing the news. On Israeli television, at least, the professional discourse of objectivity, unity and control (which characterized prime-time news in the monopolistic era of European-style public broadcasting) is being upstaged by the argument, conflict and sense of chaos that characterize the live political talkshow. These shows seem to vacillate between genuine negotiations among formal and informal representatives of various interest groups and wallowing in the ongoing drama of rhetorical contest at the cost of losing sight of long-term, structural issues. The article concludes with a comparison of the two major political talkshows - the one on the public channel, the other on the commercial channel.