From Public Service Broadcasting to Public Service Communication

Article

The contributions in this book present a positive debate about the potential for public service communication to thrive and take on new functions in the digital environment, rather than a negative debate about protecting the priveleges that PSBs have come to enjoy. The preface is by Mark Thompson, Channel 4

Public service broadcasting must change if it is to survive. The licensing and funding arrangements that support it are challenged by long-term technical and market changes including the proliferation of channels and services, the rise of new interactive services, and the shift away from mass access to niche services and alternative platforms for content delivery. Although in the short term UK public service broadcasters are in a state of rude health, they neglect these longer-term challenges at their peril.

'We are beginning a debate on the future of the BBC prior to charter renewal in 2006. But the debate involves much more than just the BBC. It is one which will fundamentally shape the future of public culture in this country. This publication sets its terms of reference. It is wide ranging and provocative and it should be widely and intelligently read.' - Prof Roger Silverstone, Director of Media, London School of Economics

'We have an exciting but daunting agenda for broadcasting ... I am sure that the contributions in this book will provide many of the tools and much of the evidence we need to master that agenda and ... perhaps even begin to come up with the answers.' - from the preface by Mark Thompson, Chief Executive Channel 4

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