Thanks to a few major channels, both public and private, which understand the importance of their roles, Brazilian television works to raise the consciousness of its people and give them a sense of place and knowledge. With a 12% illiteracy rate and 30% of children not enrolled in school, the Brazilian people have used the power of the media to help overcome and abolish the barrier that hinders their ability to receive information. While Brazil prints one daily newspaper per twenty inhabitants, there is one TV set for every three Brazilians.

The news is of course the vehicle for information. But it is not the only one: widely watched, both at home and abroad, the novelas (soap operas) do more than satisfy the voyeuristic impulses of their viewership. Characters in the soap operas lead lives similar to those of many average Brazilian people. Thus, the novelas can sometimes provide good role models or at least something to which the viewing public can connect to.

Globo, the most important Brazilian channel, which commands 80% of the market, is also most famous for its novelas. Its latest novelas, such as �O Clone� and the very recent �Mulheres Apaixonadas,� have been sold in America, in both Spanish and English, as well as in South America and Europe, including Russia. So, what is so special about these TV shows?

�O Clone� was responsible for teaching its audiences about the new discoveries in biotechnology, especially cloning, within a simple framework that allowed them to demonstrate many different points of view clearly and concretely. �O Clone� also depicted the disintegrating impact of drugs on a person�s personality and family, as well as how drug dealing is ultimately contaminated by violence. This topic is also touched on in �Mulheres Apaixonadas.� This current novela aids women in teaching them how to check for breast cancer, and when and where to get a mammography. For adolescents, the novela shows them how people their age confront the realities of love, pregnancy and homosexuality. Other themes include adultery, alcoholism and different types of abuse.

During commercial breaks, Globo airs famous actors giving out health tips, teaching its audiences how to spell difficult words, and instructing them as to how to cook the cheapest, quickest recipes in between anti-drug and anti-pollution commercials.

Other programs aired on television like �TV ESCOLA� are made to train teachers and school children all over Brazil. Television also broadcasts major events such as sports games (especially soccer), carnival, and both religious and folk concerts. In so doing, TV has contributed to the development of a Brazilian identity that has generated much patriotic zeal.

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