This text aims to bring about a dialog with authors for whom the means of communications represent the proeminent variable, maybe the very one which explains the process by which a community constructs its self identity. It focus on the role of the state, with its capacity to influence on the process of identity building of any given society. The text covers a historical period depicting deliberate choices of public policy made by different governors in the state of Bahia. In parallel, the text also focus on how televisive narratives impact on how a society interprets itself. The text is based on a historical descriptive approach. This is a slightly modified version of a text previously presented by the author at INTERCOM, Manaus, 2000.