blocktimer

n. an independent journalist or producer who buys airtime in order to broadcast programs on radio or television. Subjects: English, Philippines, Media, Television

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Citations: 1985 David Briscoe (AP) (Aug. 4) “More Than Dozen Journalists Killed In Philippines In Year”: Abangan is a “blocktimer,” radio announcers who pay for their own time on the air and sell advertising time. 1996 Anna Leah Sarabia @ Philippines Contemporary Women’s Issues (68) “Women’s Experiences in Media”: Those independent producers who are now thriving are directly the same people who already had control of media outlets under the Marcos government, or are allied by kinship or partnership to network owners, advertising agencies, government agencies or powerful religious organizations. Even available airtime is controlled by a kind of “blocktimers mafia.” 2003 Mars W. Mosqueda Jr. Manila Bulletin (Philippines) (June 14) “Task force formed to probe shooting of Cebu broadcaster”: Greg Sanchez pledged assistance to Cortes, even as he clarified the broadcaster is not a regular employe[e] of the station but a blocktimer, who buys airtime. 2004 Nonie C. Dolor Manila Times (Philippines) (Aug. 21) “Why they kill local journalists”: Most of these hard-hitting journalists—print or broadcast—are independent, free-lancers, or in our broadcast parlance, “blocktimers.”

Posted 23 Aug 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

Arief v Celeador [2004] EWHC 1277 (Ch) at No 71: “However, as even an active production company can be a block-timer, it was far from clear to me that the term"block-timer” indicated sufficiently clearly to Celador that Arief (as I am here assuming) was an entity that would have little or nothing to do with production.”

by cs 08 Jan 07, 0337 GMT