Instead, protests and newspaper articles raised concerns that behind possible changes to scheduling lurk conflicts of interest, with directors doling out airtime unfairly to certain groups.

As a consumer, I don't know for sure what we can anticipate or how this fuss will end. I was surprised to hear, though, that among the programmes rumoured to be bumped off the air is "Kob Nok Kala" ("Think Outside the Box"), which is produced by TV Burapa Co Ltd, responsible for the famous "Khon Khon Khon".

With TV channels dominated these days by game shows and celeb interviews, "Kob Nok Kala" has attracted a fair-sized audience interested in something less mainstream. There are two episodes that stick out in my mind: One that dealt with the life of the buffalo in an increasingly mechanised rural scene, and one about the transport of apples from China to Thailand.

In the first, presenters visited villages where buffalo are still used to harvest fields. In the second, the hosts travelled to the northern border to trace the journey of apples across the Kingdom.

Just ask yourself how many other programmes go to such lengths to give viewers something they rarely see on free TV channels. If this programme is to be taken off air, I can only think of one reason: MCOT's board of directors has obviously never watched Modernine TV, writing it off completely because its former president was a close aide to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

What a shame!

Getting 'Inside'

For the next two months the National Geographic Channel is showing "Inside", a series of fly-on-the-wall programmes every Monday at 8pm. The shows will take viewers behind the scenes of the world's recent mega-events, revealing what it's really like to be on the inside.

This Monday, we got a coach's-eye view of the electrifying FIFA Club Championship Toyota Cup.

Next up are a peek inside a Russian space mission to follow American entrepreneur Greg Olsen as he becomes only the third private citizen to go into space; a journey deep into the mysteries of the largest palace on Earth - Beijing's Forbidden City; and a visit to the "Winemaker of the Year" at London's Guildhall to discover the real science behind one of the world's most famous elixirs.

Watch "Inside" from November 13 to December 31, and log on to www.ngcasia.com for answers to your questions and a chance to win free trips to Washington DC.

by e-nang