Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Public Service – Public Good
Public Service Broadcasting is, I believe passionately, critical for the development and extension of a modern democracy. It’s that simple.
Nations without this valuable commodity at the heart of its culture and politics fail to engage effectively with its people and itself.
In the United Kingdom, the battle lines have been drawn and the very future of the BBC is under scrutiny. Every ten years or so, there is a renewal of its Royal Charter, in effect, its licence to broadcast.
This Charter is the result of several years of negotiations between the BBC and the government of the day. Each side will seek responses from other interested bodies; not least the viewer and listener.
The Charter round also confirms the level of the BBC’s licence fee for the coming years.
Last year at Tihany, and earlier at Pecs, I made a call for more “public value broadcasting”. I said at the time there must be a greater connection to the communities we seek to serve; and a continuing commitment to producing quality programmes that viewers and listeners demand.
“Public value” is a central tenet to the BBC’s current negotiations.
The licence fee has served the BBC – and the UK – very well. It has helped retain the independence of the BBC from governments and politics and underpinned its “ownership” by the people.
But this should be the final agreement on a licence fee of this kind. At the next Charter renewal round, beginning in around six or seven years from now, the core funding of the BBC should be reviewed and this form of taxation replaced.
A new formula should therefore be found to publicly fund the BBC.
At the heart of Public Service Broadcasting is universality: available to all.
So, what are the options?
Subscription. No. That is elitist and takes away universality
Indirect taxation. On utilities for example – rather like your electricity bill in France; or your phone bill in Switzerland
Direct taxation. A tax at source – with caveats and bandings for people on low income and benefits
Or perhaps look once again at introducing commercials on the BBC
In Britain, the BBC is advertising-free. Across radio, television and online services, there are no commercials.
But there are commercials on the BBC Prime and BBC World channels broadcast around the world. Currently, there is also a survey underway, asking regular users of the BBC’s online services if they would object to the introduction of advertising.
That survey is only targeted at users outside the UK; if the responses are positive, it opens the possibility of another income stream for the BBC, and one that could bring in considerable revenues to the organisation.
However, the BBC has no stomach to consider advertising on its radio, television or online services in Britain. As part of its argument for the retention of the licence fee, the BBC made the case that to introduce commercials on its outlets would have a detrimental effect on the commercial broadcasters as it would reduce their market.
The commercial broadcasters in Britain regularly complain about the BBC getting the licence fee. But you would be hard-pressed to find a senior executive in any of those companies to agree with any policy that allowed the BBC to take advertising.
Let’s get closer to home: work has begun on another new Media Law for Hungary.
How much of that will focus on the values of having a strong, independent public service television and radio service?
We can hope this will be the route map that will take PSB forward. At the very least, it must provide the pathway to real reform.
The fear is that we will need to wait for yet another generation before the broadcasters and the politicians realise that the public want good programmes that entertain and inform.
Here is a critical reality check: The public is as disinterested in petty politicking as those in the media and politics itself are mesmerised by it.
Public Service can serve Public Good if it distances itself from the state it is in now, both in Hungary and in our neighbouring lands including Croatia, Romania and Slovakia.
It won’t be easy, particularly when there are diehards who can be found on all corridors continuing their chant that “nothing will change”.
This is a vital opportunity for the Media Law to embrace and action change, not a short-term fix, but a wider approach.
It is also critical for the broadcasters to demand the changes and set in motion a set of policies that enable democratic development of the television and the radio.
For the Public Service to be Public Good, it must evolve to:
• Remain relevant
• Become more relevant
• Be valued and valuable
• Be free from political intervention and interference
• Be free from internal intrigue
• Be free from point-scoring and politicking
• Be run by professionals for the public good
Public Service Broadcasting under the model of the BBC, is critically charged with upholding democratic values, not least through delivering trusted and impartial news and information.
Through its cultural and creative programming, the BBC helps to enrich and further value Britain’s diverse cultural lifestyles.
The BBC has a range of learning skills programmes on radio, television and online. It is currently offering a range of focussed “bite size” factual education programmes to help youngsters with their exam revision.
Part of the definition of Public Service delivering on Public Good, is a need for it to undertake a role of responsibility in helping to build greater understanding, tolerance and social cohesion.
That is a key requirement of a modern public broadcaster; to do more to earn, build and maintain the trust of the audience and to ask the awkward questions on its behalf.
The public broadcaster has a crucial role in the demanding digital age. Public Service needs to reach out to become Public Good. But it must have the courage to step forward, claim its place, and show its public value.
Charles Fletcher
charles.fletcher@caledoniamedia.com
Public Service Broadcasting is, I believe passionately, critical for the development and extension of a modern democracy. It’s that simple.
Nations without this valuable commodity at the heart of its culture and politics fail to engage effectively with its people and itself.
In the United Kingdom, the battle lines have been drawn and the very future of the BBC is under scrutiny. Every ten years or so, there is a renewal of its Royal Charter, in effect, its licence to broadcast.
This Charter is the result of several years of negotiations between the BBC and the government of the day. Each side will seek responses from other interested bodies; not least the viewer and listener.
The Charter round also confirms the level of the BBC’s licence fee for the coming years.
Last year at Tihany, and earlier at Pecs, I made a call for more “public value broadcasting”. I said at the time there must be a greater connection to the communities we seek to serve; and a continuing commitment to producing quality programmes that viewers and listeners demand.
“Public value” is a central tenet to the BBC’s current negotiations.
The licence fee has served the BBC – and the UK – very well. It has helped retain the independence of the BBC from governments and politics and underpinned its “ownership” by the people.
But this should be the final agreement on a licence fee of this kind. At the next Charter renewal round, beginning in around six or seven years from now, the core funding of the BBC should be reviewed and this form of taxation replaced.
A new formula should therefore be found to publicly fund the BBC.
At the heart of Public Service Broadcasting is universality: available to all.
So, what are the options?
Subscription. No. That is elitist and takes away universality
Indirect taxation. On utilities for example – rather like your electricity bill in France; or your phone bill in Switzerland
Direct taxation. A tax at source – with caveats and bandings for people on low income and benefits
Or perhaps look once again at introducing commercials on the BBC
In Britain, the BBC is advertising-free. Across radio, television and online services, there are no commercials.
But there are commercials on the BBC Prime and BBC World channels broadcast around the world. Currently, there is also a survey underway, asking regular users of the BBC’s online services if they would object to the introduction of advertising.
That survey is only targeted at users outside the UK; if the responses are positive, it opens the possibility of another income stream for the BBC, and one that could bring in considerable revenues to the organisation.
However, the BBC has no stomach to consider advertising on its radio, television or online services in Britain. As part of its argument for the retention of the licence fee, the BBC made the case that to introduce commercials on its outlets would have a detrimental effect on the commercial broadcasters as it would reduce their market.
The commercial broadcasters in Britain regularly complain about the BBC getting the licence fee. But you would be hard-pressed to find a senior executive in any of those companies to agree with any policy that allowed the BBC to take advertising.
Let’s get closer to home: work has begun on another new Media Law for Hungary.
How much of that will focus on the values of having a strong, independent public service television and radio service?
We can hope this will be the route map that will take PSB forward. At the very least, it must provide the pathway to real reform.
The fear is that we will need to wait for yet another generation before the broadcasters and the politicians realise that the public want good programmes that entertain and inform.
Here is a critical reality check: The public is as disinterested in petty politicking as those in the media and politics itself are mesmerised by it.
Public Service can serve Public Good if it distances itself from the state it is in now, both in Hungary and in our neighbouring lands including Croatia, Romania and Slovakia.
It won’t be easy, particularly when there are diehards who can be found on all corridors continuing their chant that “nothing will change”.
This is a vital opportunity for the Media Law to embrace and action change, not a short-term fix, but a wider approach.
It is also critical for the broadcasters to demand the changes and set in motion a set of policies that enable democratic development of the television and the radio.
For the Public Service to be Public Good, it must evolve to:
• Remain relevant
• Become more relevant
• Be valued and valuable
• Be free from political intervention and interference
• Be free from internal intrigue
• Be free from point-scoring and politicking
• Be run by professionals for the public good
Public Service Broadcasting under the model of the BBC, is critically charged with upholding democratic values, not least through delivering trusted and impartial news and information.
Through its cultural and creative programming, the BBC helps to enrich and further value Britain’s diverse cultural lifestyles.
The BBC has a range of learning skills programmes on radio, television and online. It is currently offering a range of focussed “bite size” factual education programmes to help youngsters with their exam revision.
Part of the definition of Public Service delivering on Public Good, is a need for it to undertake a role of responsibility in helping to build greater understanding, tolerance and social cohesion.
That is a key requirement of a modern public broadcaster; to do more to earn, build and maintain the trust of the audience and to ask the awkward questions on its behalf.
The public broadcaster has a crucial role in the demanding digital age. Public Service needs to reach out to become Public Good. But it must have the courage to step forward, claim its place, and show its public value.
Charles Fletcher
charles.fletcher@caledoniamedia.com
# posted by scotcast @ 8:59 pm 
