Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) in Australia

The public service broadcasting can be seen as an agent to deliver information and innovative ideas in a democratic society. Syvertsen (1999) has mentioned three meanings of public service, firstly as the public function whereas government supply services such as roads, public transport, etc, secondly as the public sphere in which people of a society involve for common good purpose, lastly was the broadcasting in the service of listener or viewer. This essay attempts to argue the need of sustaining the Public Service Broadcasting especially in Australia.

In Australia there are two public service broadcasting institutions: the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). ABC is modelled after the BBC and aims to provide information and entertainment services of general interest and traditional public service content on TV and radio; SBS aims to provide a more specialized service of multicultural and multilingual programming (reference). The SBS focused on fulfilling the media needs of Australia’s culturally diverse population. Both broadcasters are public corporations operating under Charters endorsed by Australia’s federal Parliament (reference,Mendel).

The Charter particularly advises the ABC to produce its main component programming on educational broadcasts. The ABC also required to presents the multiculturalism of the Australian society; provide a sense of national identity and information as well as entertainment through promoting music, drama, and other performing arts in Australia (Mendel). Whilst, the Charter requires the SBS to produce multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate, and entertain Australian people, and at the same time re...

... middle of paper ...

...tricted by channel capacity and it can provide diverse audiences at once. Moreover, with the online internet anyone can gather all information they need as well as the social networking in ways that people can interact in real time even from the distance and lay bare to a new perspective of democracy. From that standpoint, the young generation will even consider the difficulty public service broadcasters will face.

In conclusion, public service broadcasting is seen as form of governance rather than individual form of media institution. Indeed, the challenge for the State funded broadcasting is the emerged of the cultural diversity and the complex development between citizen and national public interest. In order to assert he public value, relevancy as well as public resources then the public service organization should managed it effectively.