To Fall or Rise: How Public Service Broadcasting Influence the TV Industry in the UK

University Degree Media Studies

To Fall or Rise: How Public Service Broadcasting Influence the TV Industry in the UK

Shitong Fang

Student ID:1310387

Media Enviroment,Msc Media Management

University of Stirling

Email:[email protected]

Date of Report: Nov 15,2004

Words:2,466

1.Introduction

Nevertheless, the UK is very successful in the developing of television industry with the concept of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB). Many European countries and other part of world are studying the way the UK TV industry goes. Certainly the ideas of PSB subsequently pursued by many broadcasting systems around the world.

Public Service Broadcasting concept is so huge important to the UK television industry in its more than fifty years’ history. However, with the development of television technology, the private good concept is introduced as the way of pay TV or more ways of receiving programmes like satellite and cable. The Concept of Public Service Broadcasting is facing challenge, but with its great impact remains on the future development of the UK television industry.

This essay introduces the history of the UK television broadcasting briefly, and makes some studies on individual television channels of the UK for different public service broadcasting missions. Clarifying the idea of public service broadcasting and showing the evident that the concept is very important to the UK television industry although it is getting less influence on the future of the UK’s television industry.

2. Definition of the concept of public service broadcasting.

Public service broadcasting is the style of broadcasting established by Lord Reith, the first Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Its mission is to "inform, educate and entertain". Some people argued that there is no standard definition of what public service broadcasting is exactly, although a number of official bodies have attempted to pick out the key characteristics. According to the Broadcasting Research Unit, there are eight principles:

geographic universality—everyone should have access to the same services
catering for all interests and tastes
catering for minorities
catering for ‘national identity and community’
detachment from vested interests and government
one broadcasting system to be funded directly from the corpus of uses
competition in good programming rather than for numbers and
guidelines to liberate programme makers and not to restrict them (Negrine.R, 1994: 90)

The roots of public service broadcasting are generally traced to documents prepared in support of the establishment of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) by Royal Charter on 1 January 1927. The conception of the BBC was developed mainly by its first general manager John Reith. To understand Reithian is better to understand the public service television development of the UK.

Reithian

John (later Lord) Reith was born in Stonehaven, Grampian, Scotland, in 1889. Attended Glasgow Academy. Served in World War I as an engineer. He was appointed as the first general manager of BBC in 1922, director-general in the period of 1927-38. Died in 1971.

He was accurately described by the New York Times as "the single most dominating influence on British broadcasting." Reith developed strong ideas about educational and cultural public service responsibilities of a national radio service.

Reith defined public service broadcasting as having four elements:

operation on a public service rather than commercial motive,
national coverage,
centralized control and operation,
high quality standards of programming.

(Reith, 1924). Such a system is what people so called”Reithian”.

John Reith gave the BBC its mission to “inform, educate and entertain”. This statement and the “Reithian” have long been taken as the definition of PSB. Reith thinks the BBC as an independent broadcaster free from political interference and commercial pressures. I will continue study how the UK television industry carries out the principals of ...

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Reith defined public service broadcasting as having four elements:

operation on a public service rather than commercial motive,
national coverage,
centralized control and operation,
high quality standards of programming.

(Reith, 1924). Such a system is what people so called”Reithian”.

3.British Public Service Television Development

In the UK, the public service television started with the BBC, but has now grown to include all the terrestrial broadcasters:

the BBC,
ITV network (properly known as Channel 3),
Channel 4, S4C (in Wales),
Five, A TV-based information service,
and Public Teletext.

In following paragraphs, I will discuss those terrestrial television broadcasters separately and related committees as well to explain how important the concept of public service broadcasting influences in development of the UK television industry.

The BBC: universality of service

The BBC was founded as the British Broadcasting Company in 1922 by a group of wireless manufacturers to transmit radio broadcasts. In 1927, it received its first Royal Charter and became the British Broadcasting Corporation. It began television broadcasts in 1936. The types of programmes the BBC must produce and broadcast are under the principals of public service broadcasting and regulations which are described in various charters. The BBC also should serve all audience in the UK as the directions based upon the concept of PSB.

The BBC’s PSB channels and services are funded from a licence fee. This raises annual revenues for the BBC of £2.8bn a year (in 2003/04). So the BBC has a duty to serve and to reflect the cultures, needs and interests of all its licence payers. The BBC operates two analogue channels, BBC1: A wide range of programmes with news, current affairs, major documentaries, sport, popular drama, and light entertainment, children’s programmes.BBC2: Presents music, the arts, new talent and ideas, innovative documentaries, sport, international movies, serious drama, forums for debate. It has a further six digital PSB channels which are shown free to-air: BBC3, BBC4, BBC News 24, BBC Parliament and the children’s channels Cbeebies and CBBC. It also has a text information service, Ceefax.

In an average week, 94 per cent of the British population watches television, and 93 per cent watches the BBC (Howard, 2003). The BBC is working for universality of service and “build public value”(BBC Manifesto) through its domestic television channels.

ITV Network: commercialised public service.

The Beveridge report of 1951 criticises the BBC highly. The report accuses that the BBC has” four scandals of monopoly: bureaucracy, complacency, favouritism and inefficiency”. Subsequently, Conservative government introduced commercial television in 1954.

ITV (The Channel 3) was established in 1955. It is a network of 15 separate regional licences, each with its own set of obligations and conditions designed to reflect the particular character of their region.

The Channel 3 network’s PSB channel, ITV1, is advertising-funded. It is licensed under Section 216 of the Communications Act 2003, which sets out its PSB obligations and is regulated by Ofcom (formerly by the Independent Television Commission, ITC). Over 90% of the programmes shown on ITV1 are common across the regional licence areas.

Commercial television broadened the organizational spheres of Public Service Broadcasting. However, the advertising funded programme content was still greatly controlled and governed by PSB attitudes about information and education.

Channel 4:looking for high quality and diverse programming

For the sake of success of commercial television in the UK, especially the success of BBC2, which emergenced in 1960s.Pilkington committee of 1962 has a strong influence on BBC2, thus BBC2 became “a channel for initiation, for large scale departures as well as for tryouts and experiments”(Pilkington Report)

In 1970s,social theories changed so rapidly, it resulted a new channel of the UK’s television. The Annan committee of 1977 suggested that Channel Four would be regulated by the same body as ITV, and operates by advertisers funding.

Channel 4, along with S4C in Wales, then was created by Act of Parliament in 1982.C4C (the Channel 4 Corporation) headed by a board appointed by Ofcom. 1990 Broadcasting Act proposed C4 should be free to sell its own advertising. C4 receives no public funds, being funded from its own advertising revenue and other commercial activities.

Channel 4 is required under the Communications Act 2003 to provide of a broad range of high quality and diverse programming which demonstrates innovation, experimentation and creativity; appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society; includes programmes of an educational nature; and exhibits a distinctive character. It is a commissioning broadcaster, not a producer, purchasing its programming from over 300 independent production companies across the UK.

In terms of the PSB, the introduction of C4 broadened once again that the PSB meant. The idea of alternative sources of revenue was expanded. C4’s programme content success also ensures minority interests and minority groups were represented.

Five：no history, no future?

Peacock committee of 1985/6 established to investigate the funding of the BBC.Peacock committee thinks that the audience is the driving force of broadcasting and it suggests in its report: “British broadcasting should move towards a sophisticated market system based on consumer sovereignty”

Peacock report has an impact on the UK’s television development as the Thatcher government announced its plan for broadcasting in the 1988 Broadcasting Bill. In the Bill, IBA replacement and ITV regional franchises sells to highest bidder are the two main elements, which comes straight from the Peacock report.

In the 1988 white paper, Channel 5 was suggested to emerge, but from its birth, it got no history and no future.Channel 5 (now rebranded as ‘five’) was launched in March 1997. It has restricted coverage, of which the analogue signal reaches around 82% of UK homes. It is shareholder-backed, being majority owned by Bertelsmann/RTL, Pearson and MAI, and funded from sales of advertising airtime. It has very little in-house production, relying mainly on original commissions and acquired programming.

With more than 50 years development in past, the Public Service Broadcasting in the contemporary United Kingdom appears very strong. The public service broadcasting in the UK undoubtedly enjoys a very high level of public support.Under the concept of public service broadcasting, British television got successful in his own track. Moreover, the concept are widely accepted and put into practice in many countries like European countries and some developing countries.

4.Future of public service television in the UK

Technological change has certainly played an important role in challenging the public service broadcasting in the world. Satellite transmission, cable, and Web-casting all challenge the principles of public service broadcasting’s funding not from government and programmes diversity. In 1985, the floodgates of new television choice opened upon Britain because of satellite television introduced. Anybody who put up a dish and can watch whatever satellite channels on pay-TV (MacCabe & Olivia Stewart, 1986:74). There is not only more opportunity to choose between broadcasting services, diversity in programmes, but also between different channels and television service providers. So, the UK TV audiences have characteristically moved away from public service broadcasting. The age-old concept of public service broadcasting is under siege.

As the Davies report into the future funding of the BBC observed in 1999, "When we each tried to define public service broadcasting.... we decided that we may not be able to offer a tight new definition of public service broadcasting, but we nevertheless each felt that we knew it when we saw it."(Davies,1999)

The value for money debate is only just beginning. There is a clear recognition that the broadcasting market is changing rapidly and there is no guarantee that ITV, Channel 4 and Five will be able to deliver their current public service broadcasting commitments in the future.

Although the public service broadcasting may continuously face the challenge of new channels, formats and delivery systems as well as the emerging new media, it will continue have a place in the broadcasting environment of the 21st century. This means that we need regulated public service broadcasting with a redefinition of public service broadcasting centred on principles of citizenship, universality and quality in relation to services and output. However, the new one should both are clearly accountable to the publics it serves and independent of government. An evolving concept of ‘public service broadcasting’ will not reject commercially funded channels, but will ensure that the regulation which restrains them is powerful and backed up by dynamic support for a diverse system.

5.Conclusion

Put together, the UK television industry history shows that the importance of the PSB influencing for its development. The ownership, the fundings, the programming, the regulations, everything is under the theory of the PSB, although it is dynamic, it is redefined and broadened by many reports and reforms and new channels introduced.

As while as we discussing about “ market failure” and digital impact, social value and merit good, deregulation and lack of competition, the concept of public service broadcasting in Britain is facing the challenge. But the PSB will continue influence the UK television industry as well as we think of those words: information, education, extension of horizons, impartiality, independence, universal access, inclusiveness, service of minorities, lack of commercial motivation etc. (Davies, 1999)

In fact, the audience need influence the concept of public service broadcasting in Britain. What the concept of public service broadcasting is rooted in a wish of “better life”. Consumer driven or audience need is increasingly important as we are going to redefine and reform the concept of PSB.

In summarised, the public service broadcasting is vital important for the UK’s television industry. We need to push this industry with a better idea on the concept. We need to study the concept more and in depth and make it refresh, make it work well for the UK’s television industry development in new era.

References

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Competition Commission. (2003). Carlton Communications plc and Granada plc: a report on the proposed merger. Cm 5952.

Curran, James & Seaton, Jean (1997) Power without Responsibility London and New York: Routledge

Davies, Gavyn (chairman). (1999). The future funding of the BBC. Report of the Independent Review Panel to Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Elstein, David (chairman). (2004). Beyond the Charter: The BBC after 2006. Broadcasting Policy Group.

Howard, Anthony, (2003). BROADCASTING IN BRITAIN: A DELICATE BALANCE, cited at website: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~mem/10_biz/p06_broadcst.html

ITC (2001): Public Service Broadcasting what Viewers want. London: Independent Television Commission On:

ITC [Independent Television Commission] (2002): Television Audience Share Figures. 14.2.2002. On:

MacCabe C. and Stewart, Olivia (eds), （1986）The BBC and public service broadcasting Manchester, Manchester University Press,

Negrine, Ralph (1994) Politics and The Mass Media In Britain London and New York: Routledge

Ofcom. 2004. Review of public service television broadcasting.

Parliament (1990) Broadcasting Act 1990. London: HMSO.

Peacock, Alan (chairman). (1986). Report of the Committee on Financing the BBC.Home Office. Cmnd 9824.

Peacock, Alan. 2000. Market failure and government failure in broadcasting. Institute of Economic Affairs.

Qiu, Yuanyuan, (2004), Public service broadcasting has no place in the broadcasting environment of the 21st century, unpublished paper. Cited from website at www.zijin.net

Reith, John (1924) Broadcast over Britain. London: Hodder and Stoughton

The Stationary Office. (2003). The Communications Act 2003.

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(cited from website of museum.tv of biography at http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/R/htmlR/reithjohnc/reithjohnc.htm )