Public Service Broadcasting
in the United Kingdom
Jason Phillips
CMTCOM 220 Media and Community Building
Professor Walter Wright
July 5, 2008
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Question
Is there still a place for Public Service
Broadcasting in today's increasingly competitive
media environment?
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Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) Goals
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To provide specified amounts or certain genres of
programs that are likely to appeal to the broadest
spectrum of viewers
To ensure a continuing tradition of providing a variety
of quality programs
To broadcast with impartiality over a universal,
affordable medium
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PSB Definition
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''PSB refers to
broadcasting intended for
the public benefit rather
than for purely commercial
concerns'' (Wikipedia)
Dictionary.com defines
''serve'' as ''to contribute
to; promote''
''Public'' is defined as
''concerning all the people
of a country or community''
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BBC Television Centre
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History
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In 1922, the BBC is created as
the first PSB, adopting the
mission to "inform, educate
and entertain"
First commercial broadcaster,
ITV, is launched in 1955
In 1981, the government
created Channel 4 and S4C to
provide different forms of PSB
Five was launched in 1997
and given a number of public
service requirements
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Quality
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The Sykes Committee (1923) laid down rules due to
''potential power over public opinion and the life of the nation''
These rules stated that the BBC must provide a stipulated
amount of news, films, childen's programs, etc. and have
changed little over time
When independent television began broadcasting in 1955,
they were subject to similar regulations, but were also
forbidden to allow advertisers to unduly influence
programming
The essence of these regulations was to reinforce the idea
that the broadcaster's top priority was the production and
distribution of quality programs
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The Antithesis:
Satellite and Cable
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Main concern is making
money
Modus operandi is to buy
the cheapest programs
and compromise on quality
Audience is fragmented,
creating less revenue for
the station
Result is a vast choice of
channels with nothing to
watch
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Universality
Public Service broadcasters aim for universality
in three areas:
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Geography
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Payment

Appeal
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Geography
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Transmissions should be
received across entire
nation
Transmitters have to be
placed in the required
locations regardless of
expense to the
broadcasting company
Channel 5 is yet to achieve
this, but the four other
channels have complied
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Payment
Universality of payment is achieved by:
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A license fee for the BBC
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Advertising for the remaining channels
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Appeal
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Broadcasters strive to
achieve universal appeal
within various genres
Ratings are measured
through BARB
(Broadcasters’ Audience
Research Board)
By monitoring the ratings,
broadcasters are able to
ascertain which programs
should be axed and which
should be followed up or
repeated
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Tradition
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BBC World Service celebrates its
75th anniversary in 2007
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The BBC has been in
existence for threequarters of a century and
has become a British
institution
There is a high comfort
level with the traditional
format of the BBC and
commercial television
These channels do not
have the 'American' feel
that satellite and cable
channels exude
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Variety
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The variety of programs is an essential part of
the mission of the PSB to please the majority of
its audience, as much as possible
Often, the most interesting program of an
evening is one that the viewer did not plan to
watch
If a person were watching a cable or satellite
channel devoted entirely to history, he/she
might not discover a program of interest in
another area
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Impartiality
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Regulations require PSB's to
be impartial
Because the audiences are
vast and the revenue is
constant, PSB's are able to
deliver in-depth analysis of
current affairs, and keep the
public informed of issues that
concern the nation as a
whole
Satellite and cable
companies entertain their
viewers with sensationalized
or 'dumbed-down' news
items
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Affordability
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At approximately £360 per year,
satellite and cable channels are
considered an unaffordable luxury
by many
Terrestrial television costs are
considerably less at approximately
£85 per year
99% of people in Britain have a
television, but without PSB, this
number would be drastically
reduced
Because the least affluent people
can still afford television; the
government, advertisers and
broadcasters can reach most of the
population
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Conclusion
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Public Service Broadcasters
should not be allowed to
merge with cable and
satellite channels
Public Service Broadcasters
should be:

Working together to
provide five stations with
genuine choice
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Strengthening their
unique position
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Securing the future of this
valuable national asset
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Works Cited
Hood, Stuart and Thalia Tabary-Peterssen. On Television. London: Pluto
Press, 1987.
Public Service Broadcasting in the United Kingdom. 19 June 2008.
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 5 July
2008,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_service_broadcasting_in_the
_United_Kingdom
serve. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). 5 July 2008,
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/serve.
Welcome to the BARB Website. (n.d.). Broadcasters' Audience
Research Board. 5 July 2008,
http://www.barb.co.uk/index1.cfm?flag=home.
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