PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE BROADCASTING

Media and Politics: The Strengths and Weaknesses of Public-Service Broadcasting

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Local media & democracy4

Localism in broadcast history4

Digital Convergence and its importance5

Different media broadcasting models6

Whistle-Blowing: another key advantage of public service broadcasting7

Effect of public service broadcasting on the public8

Origins of public service broadcasting and their significance10

The strengths and weaknesses of public-service broadcasting10

Advantages10

Advantage 1: Share information with everyone11

Advantage 2: Create autonomy through boundaries11

Advantage 3: Replace old hierarchy with self-managed teams11

Disadvantages12

Case 1: The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)12

Case 2: Norwegian broadcasting, 1920-4013

Discussion of both cases14

Advantage of public broadcasting: exponential reach using the internet15

Conclusion16

Bibliography18

Media and Politics: The Strengths and Weaknesses of Public-Service Broadcasting

Introduction

Public Service Broadcasting is a phenomenon that came forth when the radio was discovered and people learnt how to transmit signals over the air. With the development of the radio, this service was used for more than just governmental purposes. This gave rise to the concept of public service messages where messages were broadcasted for the public, sometimes by the government, sometimes by non-government bodies and sometimes by anti-government bodies. However, one thing is certain. Such service messages have long influenced the way history has shaped itself. After the revolutionary invention of the radio came television. Television has changed its form and shape as well its content from the time it was created to what it has become today. During the time of the World War 2, television served as a communication medium and a medium to inform the masses of what was happening on the fields. It is a medium that is used for political awareness, transmitting sports and other such updates and as a medium for leisure activities. In this paper, we discuss the importance, significance, history, advantages as well as disadvantages of public service message broadcasting. Additionally, we consider the different aspects of public service broadcasting and their significance in the context. Not all public service messages are political in nature but in this paper, we shall consider them from a political point of view.

Local media & democracy

In a democracy, the media functions as a check on government power by investigating and informing the public on political matters. Within the media arena, local media enables “enhanced political participation and better informed political decision making” by informing citizens on political matters in their locality. For this reason, it is crucial that media companies “stake a claim in the communities where they operate,”. “The media contribute to the vitality of local democratic politics by shedding light on important issues that private citizens do not have the time, inclination, or expertise to uncover or understand on their own. In the process, local media can provide a forum from which dissenting voices reach the public, and also help to mediate disputes between self-interested groups”. In this way, local media are different in purpose from national media: a local broadcaster or newspaper covers the issues of a citizen's immediate surroundings. If informed on these issues, one is more likely to take part in political action with visible effects in familiar ...