The people's broadcasters

Abstract

People use the PSBs in different ways, with some watching television (either live or on demand), others listening to radio and podcasts, and still others relying on the BBC's website and social media feed for updates. We consume media in increasingly personalised and fragmented ways and, as a result, some have argued that the era of public service broadcasting is over.2

Now compare this with Small Axe, a series of films that premiered on BBC One in 2020 and whose focus on West Indian immigrants to London firmly places it within a particular time and location. It tells us something about our own country, and the people who live here. We gain a greater understanding of our fellow citizens from watching it. The same could be said about Derry Girls, Channel 4's sitcom evoking the final years of the Troubles in a Catholic community in Northern Ireland. Now on its third series and popular with the public and critics alike (it even received a coveted reference in The Simpsons), it has introduced new audiences to a complex historical conflict that has continuing political resonances today. Would any broadcaster without a public service remit have dared to take on a programme about a period in British history that is still so highly contentious?

We could talk about many other programmes that needed our PSBs to be made – the BBC's Hollow Crown series of Shakespeare history plays, for example, or It's A Sin, which has won numerous awards since it was broadcast in early 2021 and was rejected by several broadcasters before being commissioned by Channel 4. One function of PSBs is to produce the content about Britain that other broadcasters won't; they are able to take risks, which means accepting some programmes will be failures but enables others to succeed wonderfully.

The PSB ecosystem, within the wider range of broadcasting outlets, is set up in a way that incentivises producing the best possible programmes. As David Hendy, the official historian of the BBC, puts it, “public service broadcasting is always, in the most fundamental way, for us”.3 It is not for shareholders and it is not about maximising profits. It is about delivering the best for viewers and listeners, and that means programmes that are culturally distinctive and develop Britons’ understanding of the society in which they live.

Only PSBs provide meaningful investment in these programmes that reflect Britain. In 2019, they spent £2.8 billion on original UK TV content, compared with £727 million by UK-based commercial providers (such as Sky) and streaming services.4 Each year, PSBs show around 32,000 hours of first-run original UK content; this compares with the paltry 182 hours of similar content from the US-based streamers in 2019.5 Without the windows into our own society provided by PSBs programming, our understanding of our country and our shared sense of community would be diminished.

As well as broadcasting the sporting events around which we gather, PSBs are also our most prominent news providers. Political polarisation is one of the major trends of our time. On social media, people split into their own echo chambers, listening to opinions they already agree with and sometimes refusing to respond civilly when they do hear opposing views. Public service broadcasting helps counter this by providing everyone with impartial news and current affairs programmes.

Programmes on our PSBs are for everybody, making sure that people are not excluded from their vision of Britain and its citizens. Channel 4, for example, has a remit “to appeal to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society” and one of its goals is to “inspire citizenship and stimulate debate among viewers”.13 It is our PSBs that expose us to our fellow citizens, and allow us to understand all that we have in common.

PSBs represent the entirety of Britain, unlike many other media outlets that are London-focused or foreign-owned. The current government constantly refers to its ‘levelling up’ agenda, and its goal of reducing inequality between London and other parts of the country is admirable. Greater regional equality would help foster a society in which people felt they had more in common with fellow citizens elsewhere in the country and PSBs, often using their own initiative, are at the forefront of this agenda.