However, public service broadcasting came under attack the in 1980s’ and the 1990s’ for rumours of misused funds and too much importance compared to commercial channels and companies. There has also been the idea that the public service channels are ‘dumbing down’ to compete in the global new market, so that they do not lose their customers to an annual subscription of Sky digital. A great example of this is the recent surge in American programmes that were initially only available on satellite or cable channels but programmes such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer air on BBC2 or Friends on C4, a change from the image they originally set out to maintain. One of the arguments against public service broadcasting is that how can the early intentions of ‘educating and informing the public’ compete with easier notion of high viewing figures when you provide the majority with easy and entertaining programmes.
Public service broadcasting accounts for 80% of television viewing in the United Kingdom. (Statistic from ITC 2002) This goes to show how popular public service channels still are, despite the threat of new and different technology that would allow the public a whole new experience via television and radio. Initially cable was not very popular in the United Kingdom, developed in the United States where an abundance of channels were created. Not really a threat to the good name of public service broadcasting but the arrival of Sky satellite television (BSkyB) in the 1990s’ successfully managed to uphold a subscription service. In this day and age, it is now possibly to receive not just four to five channels but over a hundred channels depending on the technology you have available to you and how affluent you may be to afford the technology, whatever it may be. Nevertheless there is still a great deal of support for public service broadcasting. A great deal of people cannot actually imagine television without channels like BBC1 due to the fact that it has been in existence for over 75 years. Regardless of the apparently ‘dumbed down’ image that public service channels are now proceeding towards, there is still a sense of quality programming that crops up that cannot be seen in commercial channels. And no one can disclaim the high standards of radio broadcasting in the BBC that have various channels to suit the needs of the public, whatever the taste and range may be.
The technology that is available to us at the moment will develop even further to provide us with all forms of entertainment not just television. Something that is in existence at this point in time but is not that popular as a result of it unavailability as such is internet television. Currently, this is not a very important form of the medium however it represents another form of competition against television as time has gone by; the internet has grown to be a formidable mode to ‘inform, educate and entertain.’ There are a vast number of people that use the internet and the means of internet television is readily obtainable. But this is something that the public service broadcasters will have to fight in the future. Presently, the threat of cable and satellite has provided the people with a large quantity, not necessarily quality, of channels catered for people who can watch music videos 24/7 or cookery programs 24/7 if they wish to. The problem is that ‘more persuasive and commonplace the medium, the less influential and significant it seems to be.’ (An Introduction to the History of British Broadcasting – Andrew Crisell) It seems that it is not public service broadcasting that has now become an old fashioned concept but that the choice of so many programmes and channels to watch and listen to has disinterested us, and we are now used to the extreme choice we have. In turn, this means that public service broadcasters have to provide the public with programming that sustains the sense of the high quality it started with. Attempting to cut any corners will not help them but instead convince the public that public service broadcasting is an obsolete idea as it will not be accomplishing the public’s wishes of what they want.
A quite worrying factor for public service broadcasters is that 69% of a people in a survey, taken quite a while back, in 1993 already felt that ‘channels you will have to pay extra to watch will offer good value for money.’ (Television Across the Years – Michael Svennevig) Ten years down the line, almost every house down the street has a visible satellite digital dish or a hidden cable digital box inside the house. These days there many cheap and affordable deals for people who wish to have digital; this does not just affect television but also radio. It may be cheaper to have a licence fee, however the choice that is revealed in how many channels are available in digital television today is phenomenal and this is being reflected in the fact that £10 of every licence fee goes towards digital and internet services. (The Media Student’s Book – Gill Branston & Roy Stafford). Even the licence fee is not being concentrated just on public service broadcasting but on digital services, indicating that even the BBC is worried that if they do not focus their attention and take a part in the new technologies then they might be left behind as part of history.
All these factors indicate to the constant and increasing interest the public has in digital service creates uncertainty when talking about public service broadcasting. It no doubt needs the public’s support to survive despite the changes that have been made and that are slowly being implemented by the Communications Bill. The BBC itself has only until 2006 until its charter renewal. Only time will tell how badly these changes will affect the public service broadcasting and the terrestrial television that we watch everyday. It is not the question of whether or not public service broadcasting is an outdated idea but whether or not public service broadcasting as part of National culture can endure the threat of new technological devices. As time has gone by, public service broadcasting has evolved to become part of our life, allowing us to be entertained and be educated, its outlook is now unsure and we will have to wait and see to see what the future will reveal for public service broadcasting – whether or not it will be able to last.