Lecture Eight

Public Media. 

*continue on from previous weeks lecture...

*this blog is a summary of lecture and powerpoint by Dr Bruce Redman

‘The difference between commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting is the difference between consumers and citizens’

Nigel Milan (former Managing Director of SBS)

• What is Public Media?

Profit-driven media production

Not government funded (or license funded)

It survives or fails on business success

Its business is generating ‘audiences’

Audiences generate profit through selling advertising

• What is Public Media’s role in a democratic society?

Public Media should have 'Public Value'. 

According to BBC, 'Public Value' is: 

1. Embedding a ‘public service ethos’

2. Value for licencefee money

3. ‘Weighing public value against

market impact’

4. Public consultation

• Who are the major players?

Examples of major players: BBC, ABC, SBS

• What do they make?

What does ABC make? 

ABC

ABC Kids

ABC News

ABC 2 

ABC 3

ABC Local Radio

ABC Radio National

ABC Classic FM

Triple J

ABC Radio Australia 

Movies 

TV series

• The various functions of P.M.

If we continue on with ABC being the example, we can see how it helps to build up a nation by sharing and creating national conversations, sharing national heritage and discovering national identity.

Another key mechanism of Public Media is news. 

- CAFF41% of Australians get their news from the ABC

- Each week 12.6 million Australians watch ABC TV.

- Only source of radio news analysis and ‘current affairs’ (an explanation and analysis of current events and issues, including material dealing with political or industrial controversy or with public policy).

- Only source of lengthy interviews with politicians and nations leaders in the media other than talkback.

• Challenges for Public Media

Although different in orientation –both commercial and public media need audiences.

A simple matter of competition then? –surely the bread and butter of commercial media

Well, not really……..

According to Murdoch. Government regulation of commercial media and big public media:

penalise the poor. (constrain choice, BBC licence fee, Government allocated funding

promote inefficient infrastructure (duplication and waste)

build inaccessible institutions (ABC, BBC, ARD, RHTK)

threaten the growth of independent news and investment in new forms of journalism (How?)

stunt the growth of the creative industries dampens innovation (How?)

• The Future of Public Media?

‘an expanded vision for “public media 2.0” that places engaged publics at its core … educating, informing, and mobilizing its users. … an essential feature of truly democratic public life … media both for and by the public. …’

http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/resources/publications/public_media_2_0

_dynamic_engaged_publics/#execsum

All in all, we gained an understanding of what Public Media is in comparison to Commercial Media. But what effect does Public Media have on Journalism? According to Robert Richter, Public Media is important because is the last bastion of long-form investigative journalism.It “is such a special vehicle for voices to be heard … [for] visions and viewpoints … ignored by commercial media.”

http://beyondthebox.org/vol.23/BTBSF04_1.html

Robert Richter: independent producer who has made more than four dozen docosfor PBS, CBS, ABC, NBC, Discovery Channel