Hot Topic - Public Broadcasting / Mission, Finance and Politics
The appeal of streaming video services has not slowed. Despite boisterous declarations of critics the big providers have not collapsed from post-coronavirus user retreat. OK, some are reviewing their spreadsheets, cutting expenses, either raising rates, embracing advertising or both. Investors understand the workings of money, crypto bros notwithstanding, and weigh subscription rates with leveraged production costs. It’s a tough business, but aren’t they all.
These are not gentle times in the media world. Turbulence is everywhere and, quite expectedly, media is in the thick of it. Change isn’t just in the air, it is the air. Every wave, literally and figuratively, is disturbed. Humans are deeply affected. This is no revelation.
Top executive compensation is always a subject of public interest. Big pay packages, complimented with eye-watering perks, are commonly viewed as excessive but just part of the game in the private sector. To fit in with the rich and famous, a chief executive must look the part. Boards of directors, themselves usually in that strata, understand this. After all, the primary roles of the chief executive are rubbing shoulders with investors and looking good at annual meetings. This is not exactly how it works in the public sector.
Upheaval is an established condition for the media sphere. Publishers were in furore for decades after the appearance of radio and television and particularly incensed by public broadcasting thereafter. Everybody has been aghast at the various phases of digital media. The public, however, seems to takes all the changes in stride. There’s a lesson here. They like what they know and know what they like.
When under certain stress public servants in this post-modern age turn to television. Reliably reaching great numbers of people television is quite important. Being on TV is one factor. Controlling what TV shows to that big audience is another, arguably more important. Among certain observers, this is called state capture, very sinister. Unfortunately for those seeking such control, the audience controls the volume.
Big media centers evolve over time, similar to automotive and tech centers. People drive this more than any other aspect. Genial competition is seen as a benefit, skills are shared, enhanced and qualified. Specialized support is abundant. Everybody has a fun time, growing and learning. So it comes as a surprise - or not - that certain external elements want to break it all down.
Broadcast news has - and continues to have - astounding moments. And that is the defining characteristic: moments, often live. Newspapers never had that, just part of the reason publishers always hated broadcasting. Now publishers have their own Tik-Kok feeds, perhaps leveling the field a bit. Expectations remain, however, that broadcast news brings immediacy to news the public wants and needs.
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Public Broadcasting - Arguments, Battles and Changes
Public broadcasters have - mostly - thrown off the musty stain of State broadcasting. And audiences for public channels are growing. But arguments and battles with politicians, publishers and commercial broadcasters threatens more changes. The ftm Knowledge file examines all sides. 168 pages PDF (March 2014)
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The BBC
Few pure media brands transcend borders and boundries to acheive the iconic status of the BBC. The institution has come to define public service broadcasting. Yet missteps, errors and judgment questions fuel critics. The BBC battles those critics and competitors and, sometimes, itself. 155 pages PDF (August 2015)
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Media in Spain - Diverse and Challenged – new
Media in Spain is steeped in tradition. yet challenged by diversity. Publishers hold great influence, broadcasters competing. New media has been slow to rise and business models for all are under stress. Rich in language and culture, Spain's media is reaching into the future and finding more than expected. 123 pages, PDF. January 2018
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The Campaign Is On - Elections and Media
Elections campaigns are big media events. Candidates and issues are presented, analyzed and criticized in broadcast and print. Media is now more of a participant in elections than ever. This ftm Knowledge file reports on news coverage, advertising, endorsements and their effect on democracy at work. 84 pages. PDF (September 2017)
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Fake News, Hate Speech and Propaganda
The institutional threat of fake news, hate speech and propaganda is testing the mettle of those who toil in news media. Those three related evils are not new, by any means, but taken together have put the truth and those reporting it on the back foot. Words matter. This ftm Knowledge file explores that light. 48 pages, PDF (March 2017)
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