The people's broadcasters

Q4 Social Sciences IPPR Progressive Review Pub Date : 2022-05-27 DOI:10.1111/newe.12298
Christopher Day
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The same could be said about <i>Derry Girls</i>, 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 <i>The Simpsons</i>), 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?</p><p>We could talk about many other programmes that needed our PSBs to be made – the BBC's <i>Hollow Crown</i> series of Shakespeare history plays, for example, or <i>It's A Sin</i>, 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.</p><p>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, <i>for</i> 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>PSBs represent the <i>entirety</i> 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. 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引用次数: 0

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.

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人们使用psb的方式各不相同,有些人看电视(直播或点播),有些人听广播和播客,还有一些人依赖BBC的网站和社交媒体更新。我们以越来越个性化和碎片化的方式消费媒体,因此,一些人认为公共服务广播的时代已经结束。现在将其与2020年在BBC一台首播的系列电影《小斧头》(Small Axe)进行比较,这部电影的重点是西印度移民到伦敦,牢牢地将其置于特定的时间和地点。它告诉我们一些关于我们自己的国家,以及生活在这里的人们的事情。通过观看它,我们对我们的同胞有了更多的了解。第四频道的情景喜剧《德里女孩》(Derry Girls)也是如此,它唤起了北爱尔兰天主教社区最后几年的动乱。现在已经是第三季了,它受到公众和评论家的欢迎(它甚至在《辛普森一家》中得到了令人垂涎的引用),它向新观众介绍了一场复杂的历史冲突,这种冲突在今天仍然具有政治共鸣。任何一家没有公共服务职责的广播公司,会敢于拍摄一个关于英国历史上一段至今仍极具争议的时期的节目吗?我们可以谈论许多其他需要我们制作psb的节目,例如BBC的莎士比亚历史剧《空心王冠》系列,或者《这是一种罪过》,它自2021年初播出以来赢得了无数奖项,在被第四频道委托之前被几家广播公司拒绝。psb的一个功能是制作其他广播公司不会制作的有关英国的内容;他们能够承担风险,这意味着接受一些可能会失败的项目,但却能让其他项目取得圆满成功。在更广泛的广播渠道内,PSB生态系统的建立方式鼓励制作尽可能最好的节目。正如BBC的官方历史学家David Hendy所言,“公共广播服务从最根本的角度来说,始终是为我们服务的”这不是为了股东,也不是为了实现利润最大化。这是关于为观众和听众提供最好的节目,这意味着节目在文化上与众不同,并培养英国人对他们所生活的社会的理解。只有公共储蓄银行为这些反映英国的项目提供有意义的投资。2019年,他们在英国原创电视内容上花费了28亿英镑,而英国的商业提供商(如天空电视台)和流媒体服务则花费了7.27亿英镑每年,psb播放大约32000小时的英国原创内容;相比之下,2019年美国流媒体的类似内容只有182小时。如果没有psb节目提供的了解我们自己社会的窗口,我们对我们国家的理解和我们共同的社区意识就会减弱。除了播放我们聚集在一起的体育赛事外,psb也是我们最重要的新闻提供者。政治两极分化是我们这个时代的主要趋势之一。在社交媒体上,人们分裂成自己的回音室,倾听他们已经同意的观点,有时当他们听到相反的观点时,他们拒绝文明地回应。公共广播服务通过向每个人提供公正的新闻和时事节目来帮助解决这一问题。我们公共广播电台的节目面向所有人,确保人们不会被排除在他们对英国及其公民的看法之外。例如,第四频道的职责是“迎合多元文化社会的品味和兴趣”,它的目标之一是“激发公民意识,激发观众之间的辩论”正是我们的公共广播把我们暴露给我们的同胞,让我们了解我们所有的共同点。与许多以伦敦为中心或外资所有的媒体不同,psb代表了整个英国。现任政府不断提及其“升级”议程,其减少伦敦与全国其他地区之间不平等的目标令人钦佩。更大的地区平等将有助于建立一个社会,在这个社会中,人们感到他们与该国其他地方的同胞有更多的共同点,而公共服务部门往往主动地走在这一议程的前列。
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IPPR Progressive Review
IPPR Progressive Review Social Sciences-Political Science and International Relations
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期刊介绍: The permafrost of no alternatives has cracked; the horizon of political possibilities is expanding. IPPR Progressive Review is a pluralistic space to debate where next for progressives, examine the opportunities and challenges confronting us and ask the big questions facing our politics: transforming a failed economic model, renewing a frayed social contract, building a new relationship with Europe. Publishing the best writing in economics, politics and culture, IPPR Progressive Review explores how we can best build a more equal, humane and prosperous society.
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