Introduction
British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC] has played its role as a Public Service Broadcasting [PSB] in England since 1926. It was set up on Baron Reith’s hands as an educative media building public’s character by establishing and socializing cultural value to the society via its programs. Hitherto, BBC’s work focuses on the cultural connection among the society and plays a role as its guardian rather than pays attention to the diversity among them (Curran & Seaton, 2003). However, some critiques about its existence started raising in the end of 1980s as the appearance of the Sky Media commercial-satellite television company which gave larger opportunity for public to choose what they want to see. Recently, one of the most significant critiques came from Elizabeth Jacka (2003) who was apathetic on the future PSB worldwide since she thought that it did no longer match the characteristic of nowadays plural society who play more active role as audience. This essay tries to evaluate her opinion along with other arguments that support her. Having found that government via the regulation still play a big role in delimiting the multiplicity of the society, this essay maintained that PSB would still be able to live on.
Public Service Broadcasting, Government, and the Market
Though PSB can be manifest as both government-funded and commercial organisations, PSB has a strong relationship with government as its operation involves some “privilege”, “obligation”, and “control” from the government (Syvertsen, 2003, p…). As it is usually established as a form of government’s responsibility to fulfil public’s right to gain information, government grant PSB some honoured few such as the license fee, fund, and regulation that may supp...
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‘Liveness’ is a unique quality that has almost always been exclusive to the medium of television, only ever really being shared with radio, and more recently the internet. When it comes to televisions ‘liveness’ its clear to see that it has been its distinguishing feature amongst other visual mediums. However, Marriot stated that By the end of the twentieth century most television transmission on most channels were no longer live.” (Marriot, 2007) thus suggesting that televisions once key feature of ‘liveness’ is perhaps no longer an important or defining feature. Despite the apparent lack of live television today “liveness’ was one of the features that cause television to overtake the likes of radio, cinema, and theatre across the globe.
Taras examines the commitments and values of CBC with the Canadian government and the citizens. He looked at a particular case of when CBC clashed with the government, and how CBC struggled to keep their TV programs running (Taras, pp.4-5). Next he talked about how the media industry is being taken controlled by powerful corporation and claims that PSB have the responsibility to protect the minorities (Taras, p.6). Subsequently, Taras discussed the ups and downs CBC had gone through until this day. Lastly, Taras explores the complex and intimate relationship between public broadcasters and the government; how they take advantage of each other to accomplish their goals. Ultimately, Taras believes that PSB will continue to have an impact in society despite living in a generation of digital media.
From the 1920s most of Britain’s territory was covered by the signal and radio program of BBC which was providing quality informative and educational programs in accordance with Reithian principles. “...under the control of Lord Reith, the programmes shied away from being too popularist. Lord Reith felt that, whilst the public wanted popular entertainment, it was not necessarily what was good for them.”
Through the efforts of globalization, television has grown to be more than just a source for the facts. Presently, television cable channel stations seem to be more interested in capturing viewers interest and ratings than reporting the most significant events of the day. More than likely, without thinking about it, viewers fail to recall that cable network stations are in the business of making money first, then attempting to keep the public “infotained”. In other words, keeping you well informed with quality news broadcasting while simultaneously entertaining you at the same time.
Over the centuries, the media has played a significant role in the shaping of societies across the globe. This is especially true of developed nations where media access is readily available to the average citizen. The media has contributed to the creation of ideologies and ideals within a society. The media has such an effect on social life, that a simple as a news story has the power to shake a nation. Because of this, governments around the world have made it their duty to be active in the regulation and control of media access in their countries. The media however, has quickly become dominated by major mega companies who own numerous television, radio and movie companies both nationally and internationally. The aim of these companies is to generate revenue and in order to do this they create and air shows that cater to popular demand. In doing so, they sometimes compromise on the quality of their content. This is where public broadcasters come into perspective.
In the Beyond Borders textbook on pages 60-74 Michael Parenti’s article “Mass Media: For the Many, by the Few” goes into great detail of the few corporations that control the media and the costs of this practice. Let us first discuss what classifies as media. We have newspapers, magazines, radio, films, television, etc. Television and radio are the most dominated forms of media that are in the hands of four giant networks, which are, ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX. These media corporations not only own television networks but other forms of media, such as; cable companies, book publishing houses, movie studios, satellite television, etc. Since the broadcast industry has failed to provide adequate regulation policies the competition has decreased, and this has caused a large economic influence. The competition was supposed to lower prices, instead there has been an increase in cable rates and phone rates. In addition, media owners don’t hesitate to exercise control over news content. They frequently kill stories they dislike and in other ways inject their own preferences. In other words, they determine which person, which facts, which version of the facts, and which ideas shall reach the public. The media can also have a political influence. “Progressive candidates are not only competing against well-financed opponents but also against the media’s many frivolous distractions. It is nearly impossible for these candidates to try and run a meaningful campaign because the media will withhold their media coverage .” The few corporations can spin the media any which way. In sum, the media is ne...
“Nowadays in the modern world, society if affected by more things we can think of. Society is affected by movies, TV shows, TV reality shows, magazines, and books. A report was recorded over a six-month period about Television shows and daily news broadcasts. From September 1, 1999 through February 29, 2000; The Grand Rapid Institute recorded and viewed a few programs and at the end of the month the Institute tallied up the number of letters sent after a recorded program and it showed how unfair the programs were and how people became a democracy to let them know” (TV News 1).
Television has given each of us a podium to voice our ideas on all sorts of social and political issues and share information with one another. It has brought out stress-free ways of communication and provided us with simply accessible means to reach out to people in numerous parts of the world. Thanks to technological development, we have been capable to achieve a podium that allows us to present ourselves to the rest of the world. The negative influences of television that are a result of an overexposure to it, are most often talked about. It is accurate to a certain degree that television has affected the society in a negative manner. But, unquestionably, television has proved being an enjoyment.
Showing the cause and effects of the growth in the use of the television is the purpose of this piece. Individuals do not grasp the full extent of the different areas that the TV has the ability to reach and even manipulate. These “dirty” our sources of truth by perfectly formed propaganda that is absorbed into every area of our lives as a “true” sense of reality or what life should look like.
... small media reforms (like public journalism) will be enough to reduce the commercial and corporate imperatives driving our existing media systems (Hackett and Zhao, 1998, p. 235). Instead, a fundamental reform of the entire system is needed, together with a wider institutional reform of the very structures the media systems work within, our democracies. This will be a difficult task, due to powerful vested interests benefiting from the status quo, including media, political and economic elites. Reforms will need to be driven by campaigns mobilising public support across the political spectrum, to enable the citizens of the world to have a media system that works to strengthen democratic principles as opposed to undermining them. This task is challenging, but it will become easier once people begin to understand the media’s role in policymaking within our democracies.
Nightingale, V & Dwyer, T 2006 ‘The audience politics of ‘enhanced’ television formats’, International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, vol. 2, no.1, pp. 25-42
on television: a call for theory and programmatic research. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 106-123.
In recent years, the importance of news broadcasts has increased. More people need to access the news to stay in touch with the rest of the world’s affairs. More TV channels have developed to give viewers more news. Both commercial and government networks are used to present the news to the general public. However, because of the different fundings and target audiences, different networks will focus on different aspects of the news, to make as many people of their target audience watch their particular broadcast. Therefore the separate channels can bring in a far larger audience, and take away another channels audience, therefore reducing competition.
The power of the mass media has once become so powerful that its undoubtedly significant role in the world today stays beyond any questions. It is so strong that even politics uses it as a means of governing in any country around the world. The mass media has not only political meaning but also it conveys wide knowledge concerning all possible aspects of human beings’ lives and, what is utterly true, influences on people’s points of view and their attitude to the surrounding environment. It is completely agreeable about what kind of virtues the mass media is supposed to accent. Nevertheless, it is not frequent at all that the media provides societies with such a content, which is doubtful in terms of the role consigned to it. Presenting violence and intolerance as well as shaping and manipulating public are only a few examples of how the role of mass media is misunderstood by those who define themselves as leading media makers.