Health
Technological or Ideological Convergence?
How the Concepts of Market and Technological Convergence are Displacing Public Service Commitment in the New Communications and Broadcast Public Policy of the UK
Tony Sampson University of East London Jairo Lugo Liverpool John Moores University Presented at the RIPE@2002 Conference, 17-19.1.02, Finland “In the age of the Internet and digital, it’s certainly striking how durable our oldest types of television have turned out to be […] public service broadcasting is a battle standard we no longer need to relay to - a redundant piece of voodoo”. Michael Jackson, Chief Executive, Channel 4 (UK) Introduction: In this paper we explore the use of the concept of technological convergence as a justification for media deregulation and privatisation in the context of a neo-liberal discourse by the current Labour government in the United Kingdom. In our view this is part of a strategy to restrain the commitment and participation of the British State in broadcasting and telecommunications. Throughout this paper we intend to argue that there is a clear ideological discourse which, under the assumption of technological determinism, aims to undermine the State commitment to Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) in order to open up spaces for private interests and profit-making participation. In our view this is the result of a pre-electoral political compromise between the current Labour party leadership and several media conglomerates that operate inside and outside of the United Kingdom.
This paper argues that technological convergence is not, as the party line would have us believe, a new phenomenon. Furthermore, we suggest that the current use of this concept in the British political debate transcends the technological level and is part of a neo-liberal ideology. Therefore,
we contend that technological convergence should not be the defining element of the media future in the UK.
The Labour government and corporate media lobby groups
How the Concepts of Market and Technological Convergence are Displacing Public Service Commitment in the New Communications and Broadcast Public Policy of the UK
Tony Sampson University of East London Jairo Lugo Liverpool John Moores University Presented at the RIPE@2002 Conference, 17-19.1.02, Finland “In the age of the Internet and digital, it’s certainly striking how durable our oldest types of television have turned out to be […] public service broadcasting is a battle standard we no longer need to relay to - a redundant piece of voodoo”. Michael Jackson, Chief Executive, Channel 4 (UK) Introduction: In this paper we explore the use of the concept of technological convergence as a justification for media deregulation and privatisation in the context of a neo-liberal discourse by the current Labour government in the United Kingdom. In our view this is part of a strategy to restrain the commitment and participation of the British State in broadcasting and telecommunications. Throughout this paper we intend to argue that there is a clear ideological discourse which, under the assumption of technological determinism, aims to undermine the State commitment to Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) in order to open up spaces for private interests and profit-making participation. In our view this is the result of a pre-electoral political compromise between the current Labour party leadership and several media conglomerates that operate inside and outside of the United Kingdom.
This paper argues that technological convergence is not, as the party line would have us believe, a new phenomenon. Furthermore, we suggest that the current use of this concept in the British political debate transcends the technological level and is part of a neo-liberal ideology. Therefore,
we contend that technological convergence should not be the defining element of the media future in the UK.
The Labour government and corporate media lobby groups