When TV Is Deadly: A New Channel Comes to German Television - Page 2

Think, too, of the possibilities for the do-it-yourself brigade. How to build your own coffin, choose a cemetery, practice little-known rites for the dead, and how to boost performance in your favorite hearse.

Wolf Tilmann Schneider, the founder of this new channel, was right when he pointed out that Germany had 150,000 more deaths in 2006 than births. Even here in Latin America where birth rates remain strong, the death rates are not going to drop precipitously. This is the time, Mr. and Mrs. Entrepreneur, to invest heavily in the coming boom in death. You can hardly go wrong.

I know how hard it is to be serious about such a diverting subject, but Growth House is a real reference to a helping agency for those dealing with death. They provide a “... portal ... international gateway to resources for life-threatening illness and end of life care. Our primary mission is to improve the quality of compassionate care for people who are dying through public education and global professional collaboration. Our search engine gives you access to the Internet's most comprehensive collection of reviewed resources for end-of-life care.”

There are serious issues in the most serious of subjects. I would not be surprised if a TV channel that offered high-quality programming about this once-taboo subject would not both succeed and offer people information and assistance on the difficult chore of being left behind. It remains to be seen what will emerge in a world of vastly different levels of programming.

Some years ago crossing by ship from Miami, I met a woman who worked in a hospice (a non-hospital, supportive environment for helping people on the final leg of the journey). I was impressed enough at the fact of offering one’s life to that kind of work. Then she told me she had given a massage to someone while they died. What a selfless thing to do! TV has never been noted for its selflessness but maybe a TV channel will help some grieving people between the ads and infomercials.

Schneider is actively searching for partners in his network in both Europe and the United States. He reported that the response has been “lively”.

Article Author: Howard Dratch

Howard writes on science, books, movies and news for Blogcritics and on his own blogs from the border of North and Central America.

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