A Future for Public Service Television

by Des Freedman (Editor), Vana Goblot (Editor)

Overview

A guide to the nature, purpose, and place of public service television within a multi-platform, multichannel ecology.

Television is on the verge of both decline and rebirth. Vast technological change has brought about financial uncertainty as well as new creative possibilities for producers, distributors, and viewers. This volume from Goldsmiths Press examines not only the unexpected resilience of TV as cultural pastime and aesthetic practice but also the prospects for public service television in a digital, multichannel ecology.

The proliferation of platforms from Amazon and Netflix to YouTube and the vlogosphere means intense competition for audiences traditionally dominated by legacy broadcasters. Public service broadcasters—whether the BBC, the German ARD, or the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation—are particularly vulnerable to this volatility. Born in the more stable political and cultural conditions of the twentieth century, they face a range of pressures on their revenue, their remits, and indeed their very futures. This book reflects on the issues raised in Lord Puttnam's 2016 Public Service TV Inquiry Report, with contributions from leading broadcasters, academics, and regulators. With resonance for students, professionals, and consumers with a stake in British media, it serves both as historical record and as a look at the future of television in an on-demand age.

Contributors include
Tess Alps, Patrick Barwise, James Bennett, Georgie Born, Natasha Cox, Gunn Enli, Des Freedman, Vana Goblot, David Hendy, Jennifer Holt, Amanda D. Lotz, Sarita Malik, Matthew Powers, Lord Puttnam, Trine Syvertsen, Jon Thoday, Mark Thompson

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781906897819
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	05/04/2018
Series:	Goldsmiths Press
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	984,149
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Des Freedman is Professor of Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is project lead for the Inquiry into a Future for Public Service Television.

Vana Goblot teaches media and communications at Goldsmiths, University of London, and is a research associate on the Inquiry..

Amanda D. Lotz is Professor of Media Studies at the University of Michigan and a Fellow at the Peabody Media Center. She is the author of The Television Will Be Revolutionized, the coauthor of Understanding Media Industries and Television Studies, and the editor of Beyond Prime Time: Programming in the Post-Network Era.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction 1

Foreword Lord Puttnam 3

Introduction: The Long Revolution Des Freedman 5

Part 2 Contexts and Reflections 17

1 Reflection on A Future for Public Service Television Mark Thompson 19

2 Public Service Television and the Crisis of Content Jon Thoday 24

3 TV Advertising for All Seasons Tess Alps 33

4 Inventing Public Service Media Amanda D. Lotz 44

5 Does Public Service Television Really Give Consumers Less Good Value for Money than the Rest of the Market? Patrick Barwise 52

6 The Future of Television in the US Jennifer Holt 65

7 Pressures on Public Service Media: Insights from a Comparative Analysis of 12 Democracies Matthew Powers 75

8 Public Service in Europe: Five Key Points Trine Syvertsen Gunn Enli 83

9 Diversity: Reflection and Review Sarita Malik 91

10 The BBC: A Brief Future History, 2017-2022 David Hendy 102

11 Public Service Algorithms James Bennett 111

Part 3 Principles and Purposes of Public Service Television 121

12 Television and Public Service: A Brief History: Extract from Chapter 1 of the Puttnam Report 123

13 Principles of Public Service for the 21^st Century Georgina Born 130

14 The Purposes of Broadcasting - Revisited Julian Petley 141

15 Back to the Future: The Uses of Television in the Digital Age Michael Bailey 146

16 Television, Quality of Life and the Value of Culture David Hesmondhalgh 151

17 Shouting Toward Each Other: Economics, Ideology and Public Service Television Policy Robert G. Picard 157

18 Everything for Someone: For an Inclusive Definition of Public Service Broadcasting Brett Mills 161

19 Debating 'Distinctiveness': How Useful a Concept is it in Measuring the Value and Impact of the BBC? Peter Goddard 165

20 The BBC: A Radical Rethink Justin Schlosberg 170

21 Ensuring the Future of Public Service Television for the Benefit of Citizens: Voice of the Listener & Viewer 174

22 The Social and Cultural Purposes of Television Today: Equity 176

Part 4 Public Service Television in an On-Demand World

23 Taking the Principles of Public Service Media into the Digital Ecology Georgina Bom 181

24 Television in a Rapidly Changing World: Content, Platforms and Channels: Extract from Chapter 3 of the Puttnam Report 201

25 New Sources of Public Service Content: Extract from Chapter 7 of the Puttnam Report 201

26 Designing a New Model of Public Service Television (PST) Robin Foster 209

27 Public Service Broadcasting as a Digital Commons Graham Murdock 214

28 'Public Service' in a Globalised Digital Landscape Ingrid Volkmer 219

29 Video-on-Demand as Public Service Television Catherine Johnson 223

30 Do We Still Need Public Service Television? Luke Hyams 229

Part 5 Representing Britain on TV 231

31 Television and Diversity: Extract from Chapter 8 of the Puttnam Report 233

32 Public Service Television in the Nations and Regions: Extract from Chapter 9 of the Puttnam Report 245

33 Are You Being Heard? Lenny Henry 258

34 Skills and Training Investment Vital to the Success of Public Service Broadcasting Creative Skillset 261

35 The Media Cannot Reflect Society if Society is Not Reflected in the Media Creative Access 265

36 Does Television Represent Us? Ken Loach 268

37 Public Service Television in Wales Caitriona Noonan Sian Powell 272

38 Public Service Broadcasting: A View from Scotland Robert Beveridge 275

Part 6 Content Diversity

39 Content Diversity: Extract from Chapter 10 of the Puttnam Report 281

40 Children and Public Service Broadcasting Sonia Livingstone Claire Local 290

41 Public Service Television and Sports Rights Paul Smith Tom Evens 298

42 Securing the Future for Arts Broadcasting Caitriona Noonan Amy Genders 305

43 Public Service Television and Civic Engagement Daniel Jackson 309

44 Tunnel Vision: The Tendency for BBC Economic and Business News to Follow Elite Opinion and Exclude Other Credible Perspectives Gary James Merrill 314

Part 7 Recommendations and Afterword 321

45 How to Strengthen Public Service Television Chris Tryhorn 323

46 Recommendations of the Puttnam Report: Extract from Chapter 12 of the Puttnam Report 328

Afterword Vana Goblot Natasha Cox 335

Contributors 340

List of Illustrations 344

Index 345

What People are Saying About This

Endorsement

Read this book to understand the value of public service television and why we should care about it. More than the usual pessimistic account of the 'challenges' facing its future, these illuminating voices around the Puttnam Inquiry dispense passionate pleas as well as concrete and brilliant ideas. Whilst it is clear that we are all still watching TV, the important question is whether the right people are truly listening to the debate. At a moment when public trust is faltering, this book matters now more than ever.

—Helen Wood, Professor of Media and Communication, University of Leicester

From the Publisher

The public service project is more, not less, essential in the digital twenty-first century, and this collection begins to undertake the work necessary for a renewing and reimagining of its possibilities and resources.

—Charlotte Brunsdon, Professor of Film and Television Studies, University of Warwick

This is an ideal text for those who wish to drill down into the diversity issues that beset our media.

—Lenny Henry, writer, actor and comedian

If you want to know what is at stake for the future of television, this is the absolute go-to book. With chapters from an incredible lineup of commentators, it is highly engaging and challenging. It asks us to think in many different ways about what it means to be a public, to be a citizen, to live in an informed democracy. If we do not see television as a public good rather than a consumer choice, what are we left with?

—Bev Skeggs, Director of the Atlantic Fellows programme, London School of Economics and Political Science

Anyone who cares about democracy, and about the vital place of media in it, should read this fantastic book. It provides a vividly engaged and engaging account of the principles, practices and problems of public service television.

—John Street, Professor of Politics, University of East Anglia

Read this book to understand the value of public service television and why we should care about it. More than the usual pessimistic account of the 'challenges' facing its future, these illuminating voices around the Puttnam Inquiry dispense passionate pleas as well as concrete and brilliant ideas. Whilst it is clear that we are all still watching TV, the important question is whether the right people are truly listening to the debate. At a moment when public trust is faltering, this book matters now more than ever.

—Helen Wood, Professor of Media and Communication, University of Leicester