Accountability and the Public Interest in Broadcasting

In the final years of the twentieth century great changes came over the comparatively settled world of broadcasting. The introduction of satellites and then of digitalization opened up the possibility of competition on a scale never previously contemplated. Regulatory regimes were thrown into disorder -- not only was their rule increasingly hard to impose, but its justification became more difficult with a multiplicity of outlets on offer to the public. Practices of accountability and the continuing nature of a public interest in broadcasting and, more and more, new media were thrown into question. With challenges raised against the spending of public money on some forms of broadcasting in all the countries analysed, this book looks at the dilemmas confronting governments, public corporations, commercial companies and, particularly, the audience. Based on interviews conducted in four countries - India, Australia, the UK and the USA - it reveals a wide range of opinions on topics which lie close to the heart of their democracies.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Accountability The Public Interest in Broadcasting Australia India United Kingdom United States of America Conclusion Appendices Index

About the Author :
ANDREA MILLWOOD HARGRAVE is an independent advisor on media regulatory policy and research issues, working internationally. She is an Associate of the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University, UK, and Director of Regulatory Affairs at the International Institute of Communications. She is also a former Research Director of the Broadcasting Standards Commission and the Independent Television Commission. Her books include Cultural Diversity in the Policy Environment (2005) and Harm and Offence in Media Content: A Review of the Evidence (co-authored, 2006). COLIN SHAW joined the BBC as a radio drama producer in 1953 and left in 1976 as the Corporation's Chief Secretary, becoming the IBA's Director of Television for the next six years. He served as Director of the Independent Television Association Planning Unit between 1983 and 1987 and subsequently acted as Founder/Director of the Broadcasting Standards Council. His books include Rethinking Governance and Accountability (BBC Charter Review Series, edited, 1993) and Deciding What We Watch: Taste, Decency and Media Ethics in the UK and USA (1999). He was appointed CBE in 1992.