For several days already the regular participants and audience of the 'Reaction' talk show of the famous Georgian journalist Inga Grigolia are meeting near the Imedi (Hope) TV company. They are protesting against the management's decision to close the channel's program after the start of the new TV season.
No one doubts that 'Reaction' was closed by the TV station's owners – the family of the late businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili. Their solution seems strange at first glance. Inga Grigolia – whether someone likes her aggressive style of hosting the talk show or not – is very popular. 'Reaction' was constantly watched, even by those who later expressed outrage at the "aggression and hatred" and that the host intentionally invited not just political rivals to the studio, but characters who oppose each other irreconcilably and fanatically, to transform the political talk show into an arena of battle, to the joy of a certain category of viewers.
But this category turned out to be a majority in Georgian society. Otherwise it is difficult to explain why this program was watched. However, the social psychologist warned that this is not so simple and unambiguous. The discussions, which turned into aggression, mutual insults, screams and even fights, has nothing to do with normal polemics on political issues. The viewers don't watch them because they want to understand the positions of the sides, but to get their adrenaline pumping.
If Inga Grigolia hosted a more academic program it would not be so popular, only a narrow circle of people who are really interested in politics would watch it and, therefore, the rating would be low, and the revenue from advertisers too.
In addition, the adrenaline received by the audience during the TV fights turns into a drug that prevents thinking. This is a problem of television in general, not just Imedi. The whole world is trying to fix this problem and no one can suggest the recipe.
But the story of 'Reaction' is another aspect. Why did the heirs of Badri Patarkatsishvili decide to close the program, although it has brought considerable revenue from advertising? I don't think it was because of concerns about the cultivation of taste in TV programs and to reduce aggression in society.
To understand the reason, it is necessary to recall the developments around Imedi during the rule of Mikheil Saakashvili. The Interior Ministry special forces stormed the Imedi TV company and smashed it up on November 7th 2007 during mass unrest in Tbilisi. The authorities accused the broadcaster of promoting a coup. Patarkatsishvili emigrated to Britain, where he died of a heart attack. Imedi was confiscated in favor of "domesticated" businessmen, and only as a result of the defeat of Mikheil Saakashvili's team in the parliamentary elections in 2012 , that is, the change of power in the country, did Imedi return to its rightful owners – the family of the late businessman, his widow and sisters.
They have inherited not only Imedi, but also a significant part of Badri Patarkatsishvili's business, including its Georgian part. Accordingly, the destabilization of the current government is very disadvantageous to them, because the team headed by the governor of Odessa, who does not hide his readiness to return to Georgia, is the only alternative to it.
The program 'Reaction' of Inga Grigolia objectively played into Saakashvili's team's hand, discrediting the authorities and undermining their confidence. So no phone calls from high offices were needed: the owners of Imedi protected themselves and their multimillion-dollar business.
