Public Service Broadcasting
Is the idea of Public Service Broadcasting still relevant?
The broadcasting has undergone dramatic change in the past two decades. Facing new technologies (multi-channel, broadband and digital convergence), the future of public service broadcasting is now a crucial global concern. Innovative ways to access audiovisual content over the internet, mobile phone networks or other new media becomes ever more common. Television has moved rapidly from four main stations to hundreds, and it is likely to move to a digital-only environment. In most countries, there exist mixed broadcasting models, with the co-existence of State and commercial as well as public service channels. In this essay, I wish to distinct public service broadcasting (PSB) and define by discussing its fundamental practices and problems it faces. Further on I am going to address the question of the role of PSB in the information society and how it should adjust to the age of the Internet.
To begin with, it is crucial here that the key reason for PSB to exist is that it has purposes that differ from the state-controlled broadcasting model and the profit-oriented commercial one. Thus, the principal is to benefit not any commercial or political interests but the public. Moreover, the goals of PSB are not only different from, but also complementary to, the activities of the private sector, which seems to be driven by only one ambition -targeting the largest possible audiences through the most attractive content with no respect for public interest.
It is worth to note that PSB has so far been a uniquely Western European invention, with a few exceptions in Canada, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. TV stations in Central and Eastern European countries were understood as state information agencies and are currently still undergoing transformation of government owned into dual systems, combining public service and commercial organisations.
Although there are 9 varying models of PSB, there are shared
The broadcasting has undergone dramatic change in the past two decades. Facing new technologies (multi-channel, broadband and digital convergence), the future of public service broadcasting is now a crucial global concern. Innovative ways to access audiovisual content over the internet, mobile phone networks or other new media becomes ever more common. Television has moved rapidly from four main stations to hundreds, and it is likely to move to a digital-only environment. In most countries, there exist mixed broadcasting models, with the co-existence of State and commercial as well as public service channels. In this essay, I wish to distinct public service broadcasting (PSB) and define by discussing its fundamental practices and problems it faces. Further on I am going to address the question of the role of PSB in the information society and how it should adjust to the age of the Internet.
To begin with, it is crucial here that the key reason for PSB to exist is that it has purposes that differ from the state-controlled broadcasting model and the profit-oriented commercial one. Thus, the principal is to benefit not any commercial or political interests but the public. Moreover, the goals of PSB are not only different from, but also complementary to, the activities of the private sector, which seems to be driven by only one ambition -targeting the largest possible audiences through the most attractive content with no respect for public interest.
It is worth to note that PSB has so far been a uniquely Western European invention, with a few exceptions in Canada, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. TV stations in Central and Eastern European countries were understood as state information agencies and are currently still undergoing transformation of government owned into dual systems, combining public service and commercial organisations.
Although there are 9 varying models of PSB, there are shared
References: 1. Blumler, J. G. (1992) (ed.) Television and the Public Interest. Vulnerable Values in West European Broadcasting 2. Indrajit, B. and Kalinga, S. (2005) (ed.) Public Service Broadcasting: A best practices sourcebook. AMIC 3 4. Cottle, S. (1998) ‘Making Ethnic Minority Programmes inside the BBC: Professional Pragmatics and Cultural Containment ', in Media, Culture and Society 20 (2) pp 295-317. 5. Morley, D. (1992) Television, Audiences and Cultural Studies. London and New York, Routledge. 6. Jakubowicz, K (1999) ‘Public Service Broadcasting in the Information Society ' in Media Development 2/1999 pp. 45-49. 7. Jakubowicz, K (2006) Public Service Broadcasting: The Beginning of the end or a new beginning in the 21st century? Available at http://www.yle.fi/ripe/Keynotes/Jakubowicz_KeynoteSlides.pdf. accessed on 27/10/ 2007 8 9. Curran, J. and Morley, D. (ed.) (2006) Media And Cultural Theory. London, Routledge 10 11. Couldry, N. and Curran, J. (ed.) (2003) Contesting Media Power Alternative Media In a Network World. Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto,Oxford, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.