ECREA16-Abstract

137

Thursday, November 10

1 4 : 3 0 – 1 6 : 0 0

CLP03

Public ServiceMedia in the Digital Age

PP 138

Public Service Media Governance in Europe and Overseas. A Comparison of Remit, Funding, and Offer in 18 Media Systems

C. Schweizer

, M. Puppis

London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Media and Communications, London, United Kingdom

Unviersity of Fribourg, Department of Communication Science and Media Research, Fribourg, Switzerland

In a digital media ecology, the concept of Public Service Media is under scrutiny. In times of new modes of communication and changing media markets,

their role, place and shape is currently being re-evaluated.While PSM organisations try to react to changing user practices and fragmented audience groups,

policy makers have to decide whether and how to adapt the regulatory framework. Even though the transition from PSB to PSM (Lowe/Bardoel 2008) was

generally approved by including online services into the remit, the debate about the details of online regulation, about the appropriate funding models

and about the right accountability measures is still going on in many countries. The fact that all Public Service Media face the same challenges associated

with the digital media ecology makes them an ideal object for comparative research (Raats & Pauwels 2011). By the means of comparison, we can find

similarities and differences, we can detect trends and innovations in policy making, and we can develop typologies (e.g. Kleinsteuber 2003, Thomass 2007).

In the suggested paper we therefore offer a comparison of PSM in western countries that addresses some of the main issues that policy makers and PSM

officials are facing in this decade.To be more specific, we will first give an overview on the definition of the PSM remit. Aside of the classical list of genres that

follows the BBC’s first general director’s famous credo “to inform, to educate, to entertain”, a special focus is given to the regulation of the online services.

Furthermore, we also investigate the process of evaluating the remit, which includes accountability measures and license renewal procedures. Second, we

investigate the regulation of funding of PSM. In the light of digitisation, many authors suggested replacing the traditional license fee linked to a radio or TV

set by another funding model, e.g. a household levy (e.g. Herzog/Karppinen 2014; Lowe/Berg 2013; Nissen 2006; Bron 2010). Aside of the model of public

funding, we also offer a comparison of the regulation and amount of commercial funding. Third, we give an overview on the service offered by PSM organ‑

isations. This includes the number and the genres of radio and TV-channels, but also their online services. Finally, we also compare the reach these services

have in audience markets. In sum, this contribution asks the following research question: What are the similarities and differences between PSM in western

and overseas media systems according to their remit, their funding, and their services offered? To answer this question, we draw upon the findings from

a research project that we conducted in 2015, comparing PSM in 18 western European and overseas media systems.The mainmethod used was a qualitative

analysis of documents (Karppinen/Moe 2012, Mason 2002, Mayring 2002). Furthermore, we worked with country experts who validated and complement‑

ed our findings and provided an overview on current policy debates in their countries.

PP 139

Contribution to Society: A Citizen Oriented Approach to Public Service Media Accountability

R. Suárez Candel

, D. Fernández Quijada

European Broadcasting Union, Media Intelligence Service, Geneva, Switzerland

In the current context of increasing competition, internationalization and fragmentation, public service media face new challenges to remain relevant,

prominent and findable. Society and its citizens are changing, and so are their needs and expectations of media. Their consumption habits are evolving

beyond traditional television viewing and radio listening as they rapidly embrace new media. In parallel, the ongoing economic crisis and the waning trust

in public institutions across Europe have reinforced those contesting the remit, role and legitimacy of PSM and demanding a review of their activities and

budgets. In response to this, in January 2015 the EBU launched the PSM Contribution to Society project, which brought together the EBU, its Members and

academia during an entire year and with a common goal: Defining a conceptual and operational framework that enables EBU Members to assess their

contribution to society and communicate about it.The contribution to society concept includes not only PSM output and reach but also their impact on other

areas of activity as well as the benefits for the citizens. The paper will present the results of the project, which will provide academic scholars with a very

updated and realistic perspective of how public service media organizations perceive and face their challenges regarding accountability and reporting on

their activities. First of all, the main vectors of change on the media market and the resulting challenges for EBU Members are identified. Following that

contextualization, an analysis of the current issues surrounding the legitimacy of public service in the media sector is carried out. This is directly related to

the assessment and perception of the value and benefits delivered by PSM organizations. Secondly, potential methodologies and tools for evaluating PSM

performance have been identified, going beyond the traditional measurement and reporting approaches already applied. In that sense, there is a special

focus on impact assessment, mapping the areas where PSM can deliver significant value, including the economy, technology, culture and democracy. In

addition, the need for PSM to improve relations with their stakeholders along with their public communication techniques is addressed. In this connection,

practical recommendations about how to build new convincing and meaningful narratives about the value of public service media and their contribution

to society are provided. Overall, this paper defines a new mindset as well as a methodological framework – including tools, guidelines and best practices

– that will help public service media design and implement their own strategies for assessing and communicating their contribution to society. This is

a crucial step in maintaining the legitimacy of PSM and reinforcing their social, market and political support, in other words, for them to remain relevant

with a secure future.