Public Service Media Funding

THE ISSUE

Funding is one of the biggest challenges facing public service media (PSM) today. PSM have a duty of inclusivity, to serve the broadest possible audiences. People now expect fast, mobile access to relevant, quality content. Key investment areas for PSM today – technology, infrastructure, digitization, training and archiving – require specific, secure funding if broadcasters are to continue to guarantee the overall service they provide. Public broadcasters need sufficient, sustainable and politically independent funding to honour their remits. In a continent comprising a broad range of economic, socio-political and cultural complexions, there can be no ‘one-size-fits-all’ funding solution. But governments must find ways to provide their broadcasters with the support they need to serve their public properly.

KEY MESSAGES

Broadcasters need specific, sustainable funding
Public broadcasters, like health, education and transport, need a special legal framework that secures their funding. If broadcasters’ entire income is linked to the markets, then they are exposed to market fluctuations or failure. Broadcasters must be able to honour their remits while adapting to new consumer demands and technology. If they are to provide quality, relevant content to the broadest possible audience, then specific, sustainable funding is paramount.

The funding model must fit the context
EBU research has found that the funding model does not have a significant impact on a broadcaster’s performance. What does make the difference is the absolute level of funding. Revenues must be sufficient, long-term guaranteed and shielded from the vagaries of national politics. Legislators must remember that without solid financial foundations, PSM lose their independence and cannot prepare for the future. Media organizations that truly serve the public must be editorially independent and not reliant on political favour or on their appeal to advertisers.

The level of funding must reflect national needs
Public service media organizations operate within unique national contexts, each posing unique financial questions. Countries’ economic, political and social landscapes vary, but common to all PSM is a duty to serve the public. What constitutes sufficient funding differs, depending on such considerations as demographics, multilingualism and population size. However, if a broadcaster cannot fulfil its remit because it is underfunded, then important values that build successful democracies are undermined.