Public Media

Public Media Notes

Public media:

• not so much taxpayer support media but media that serves the general public
• media whose mission is to serve or engage a public. 
• publicly-funded broadcasters and networks
• distribution mechanisms- Internet, podcasting, blogging. 

Public Media Players
SBS
SBS radio
TripleJ
ABC: Local Radio
ABC: Radio National
ABC: Classic FM
ABC 2
ABC
ABC 3
ABC 24 news
SBS 2

International Public Media
BBC -  UK funded by a license fee
PBS - US
NHK- Japan
4 - UK Public media
NPR - US
ARTE- France
DR - Danish
TVNZ -New Zealand
HK - Hong Kong
CBC- Canada

Public Media

• Lots of journalists start careers in local media
• For example: 4zzz - Four Triple Z - Triple Z
• Public medias role in terms of democracy is to support the public in democratic decisions.
• Public media needs to have public value.

In 1985 the Broadcasting Research Unit defined public service broadcasting as involving:-Geographical universality. Broadcast programmesshould be available to the whole population.
-Universality of appeal. Broadcast programmesshould cater for all tastes and interests.
-There should be special provision for minorities,especially disadvantaged minorities.
-Broadcasters should recognisetheir special relationship to the sense of national identity and community.
-Broadcasting should be distanced from all vested interests, and in particular from those of the government of the day.
-Universality of payment. One main instrument of broadcasting should be directly funded by the corpus of users.
-Broadcasting should be structured so as to encourage competition in good programming rather than competition for numbers.
-The public guidelines for broadcasting should liberate rather than restrictbroadcasters.

ABC programs
- Rake
- Australian Story
- Hungry Beast
- Angry Boys
- Catalyst
- Compass
- ABC news
- Radio Australia
- Dig music
- The Chasers War on Everything
- The Gruen Transfer

SBS programs (Hybrid model of funding)
- Wilfred
- Fat Pizza
- World News
- Insight
- The World Game
- Rock Wiz
- Living Black

Function of public media include ; nation building, national identity, national, conversations and national heritage.

Style and Aims of Public Media

• Serious
• 'broadsheet' style
• importance over interest
• considered, not quick and unchecked

To produce quality –while the budget might be tight PM need to produce programming that people want to watch (less commercial imperative)
To make themselves relevant (do they have a role to produce programs that mass audiences want to watch (ratings and audiences numbers?)
To engage with the democratic process (to provide programs that give voice and access to the political process, both mainstream and niche)
To Inform the public (hard and soft programming, accurate and balanced, reflective of the nation.)
To be independent (regulators and independence of funders government)

Challenges
The media is not owned by the government but is funded by it. This can cause tension between the government and the public media that acts as a watchdog.

The government exercise indirect control in two ways:
Legislation: stipulates what the ABC / SBS can and can’t do. Places guidelines on program content. Prevents advertising (though some on SBS).

Funding: Both, how much funding, and what the funding can be used for. Funding is increasingly not ‘block’ but for individual and specified programs like rural media or commissioning independent work.

There is always pressure to maintain independence.
Funding is always an issue.