Defining Public Broadcasting
The primary mission of public broadcasting that of public service, speaking to and engaging as a citizen. The British model has been widely accepted as a universal definition. The model embodies the following principles:
- universal accessibility (geographic)
- universal appeal (general tastes and interests)
- particular attention to minorities
- contribution to sense of national identity and community
- distance from vested interests
- direct funding and universality of payment
- competition in good programming rather than numbers
- guidelines that liberate rather than restrict programme-makers
While application of certain principles may be straightforward, as in the case of accessibility, some of the principles may be poorly defined or difficult to implement. In the context of a shifting national identity, the role of public broadcasting may be unclear. Likewise, the subjective nature of good programming may raise the question of individual or public taste.
Within public broadcasting there are two different views regarding commercial activity. One is that public broadcasting is incompatible with commercial objectives. The other is that public broadcasting can and should compete in the marketplace with commercial broadcasters. This dichotomy is highlighted by the public service aspects of traditional commercial broadcasters.
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