Slide 1: Public Service Media in the Digital Age
Annenberg Research Network for International Communications April 11, 2008
Slide 2: Public Media in the US Built on Broadcasting Model
• CPB, PBS, NPR established 1967-1970 • Still retain high level of public trust • But audience for public TV declining
– and aging
• Like commercial broadcasters, pubcasters slow to adapt to new media environment
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Slide 3: Old and New Media Environment
For-Profit Vertical (aka old media) Broadcast TV, radio Cable, satellite TV Most newspapers and magazines Telco TV Public/Nonprofit CPB PBS - 355 stations NPR - 860 stations
YouTube Horizontal Flickr (aka new Huffington Post media) Current TV MySpace, Facebook
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Low Power FM Public Access TV Many blogs Wikipedia, Wikinews
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Slide 4: How Does New Media Differ from Old?
• Participation by “the people formerly known as the audience”
– – – – User generated content (UGC) Collaborative production and filtering Digital, peer-to-peer distribution Many-to-many communication
• Abundance of content, both good and bad • More narrowly focused media channels that serve distinct communities (?)
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Slide 5: Pubcasters Face Difficult Transition
• Broadcast culture wants centralized control
– Seeks UGC while still retaining editorial filters – Uncomfortable with participatory production and distribution models
• Need to form alliances with new partners • Need strategies to cope with constant change • Public funding makes risk-taking difficult
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Slide 6: Innovations by US Pubcasters
• • • • • • • Podcasts from NPR and member stations NPR Mobile Web and Voice (beta) PRX - Public Radio Exchange Vocalo - Chicago Public Radio Digital Distribution Consortium (radio) PBS KIDS Online PBS content distribution via BitTorrent
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Slide 7: UK Public Service Media Evolution
• BBC moving into new media across many fronts
– iPlayer provides on-demand access to BBC TV content – Mobile browser service to news, sports, weather sites – Staff of >1000 in Future Media & Technology Group
• But participatory content models slow to take hold
– “Our DNA remains one-to-many” (Richard Sambrook, Director, BBC Global News, March 2008)
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Slide 8: UK Plan for Public Service Publishers On Hold
• UK Regulator (Ofcom) proposed PSPs in 2004
– Commission and/or create participatory content for digital distribution – Provide local services using new media – Bring new competition to BBC
• PSP concept shelved in March 2008 due to “unheralded diversity of interactive media”
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Slide 9: Where’s the Public Interest in Public Media Evolution?
• What priorities for US public media in the new environment?
– – – – In-depth news and other content? Serving the underserved? Education or other “public service” applications? Support for participatory democratic processes and values?
• Rely on existing entities or build new ones? • What public resources are required?
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Slide 10: Placeholder for Sasha’s Section
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Slide 11: Principles of Public New Media
• Participatory
– – – – User generated content (UGC) Collaborative production and filtering Digital, peer-to-peer distribution Many-to-many communication
• Free and open content, formats, infrastructure • Content distributed across multiple platforms
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Slide 12: Prospective Case Study Examples for New Public Media
• • • • • • • PRX Denver Open Media Vocalo Community-based, low power fm Archive.org Global Voices Examples from UK, Korea, other countries
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