American Public Broadcasting System - Term Paper Example

American Public Broadcasting System Introduction American broadcasting system is one of the most famous and oldest broadcasting systems. Today, the private broadcasting system and channels have taken a toll on the existing public broadcasting channels. The interference of private channels has led to a situation where the people have lost interest in the public broadcasting systems. Increase in the numbers of private channels and media have grabbed the attention of many. Due to this reason, the public broadcasting systems go through a tough time. The initial stages of broadcasting were extremely difficult and the employees had to spend more time in integrating the modules and components. In the initial stages, the process was rather difficult but the employees managed to sustain a better quality of the programs. Background The establishment of American Public Broadcast dates back to the 1960’s where the government proposed an idea of setting up the public broadcast system. This created expectation among the people and the government officials tried hard to fulfill those expectations of the general public. It was also implemented in a national wide manner. The country’s public broadcast system succeeded to catch the attention of the people around the country. At that time, financing was the major aspect of any company and public broadcasting was also in dire need of financial support. A permanent solution was the need of the hour but the problem prevailed since none of the financial institutions came to the rescue. (Davidson, 2004). The public broadcasting faced pressures from other commercial businesses as the problem of a sponsor loomed large. These commercial business people dominated the industry and the public broadcast system had to accommodate them in the business market. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) had to air television shows that could attract more people. The company hired professionals who could work as the company’s reporters. From then, the board continued to attract the viewers and the numbers of viewers gradually increased. The board then continued to top the list of best public broadcast channels. Then came a time, when the company fell as victim to the continuous losses. The broadcasting board was controlled by an individual and the government opposed the acquaintance of an individual and this worsened the situation. Somehow, the CPB managed to tackle the situation with the support of the American government. The board then continued to run with the federal support and the public broadcasting systems like television and radio continued to be a rage among the people. CPB initially promised to air some educational programs that would benefit the children as well as the educational institutions. The funding from federal government was the main source of income for the public broadcasting boards. Because of that, the operations were the same but the board failed to sustain in the broadcasting market. (Goerne, 1992). The government executives and the general public suggested that privatization would improve the situation. Other private channels aimed at commercializing the channels but eventually failed. The reason was the failure to telecast educational programme. The problem continued for a longer period of time as the government was also against these issues. Commercialization was a tedious process, as the television and radio authorities could not depend on any financial institution. The financial status of the public broadcasting system was not favorable either. Role of the public The American government aimed at propagating the public broadcasting system and the governmental intervention improved the problematic situation. The public television and broadcasting system was mainly dependent on the public and each individual had to pay certain amount to support the public broadcasting system. This enabled the system to broadcast children’s educational programme which in turn helped the school children and the lecturers. Although the public were hesitant about spending their amount for the sake of public broadcasting system, the reach was enormous. Federal funding would have resolved the issue but the legislative assemblies continued to opt for privatization. (Hoynes, 2007). The history of public broadcasting system depicted the policies proposed by the government and the legislative problem. The broadcasting system was largely dependent on the external assistance and external factors that contributed to the development and improvement of the American public broadcasting system. Introduction of Private Channels In the beginning of the 1990’s, the public broadcasting system went through a tough time. The intervention of private channels and television programme grabbed the attention of the audience. Since then, the public broadcasting system changed their approach towards attracting the people. Children Television Workshop Children Television Workshop (CTW), a unit of the public broadcasting system produced programme that the school children. This was a great success and the way of producing television programme went through a drastic change. Public broadcasting system’s aim of providing quality programme that would educate the children was then achieved. The popularity of these programme took the other channel groups by storm. The broadcasting system flourished and even magazines which included these became popular in due course. The project funding was managed by major distributors and industries. These sponsorships helped the broadcasting system to maintain their status in the country. They were able to maintain a good rapport with the audience and this helped them in their improvement and development. The change from broadcasting the programme during losses and developing the public broadcasting system was welcomed by many (Johnson, 1972). The development was evident from the programme and the way each concept was derived. The development was appreciated by many and the public broadcasting system, continued to grow in spite of several odds. Cable Television With the introduction of cable television, the situation of public broadcasting systems turned out to be problematic. The journalists criticized the events and programme broadcasted in the PBS. The media policies were also modified and the PBS had to modify their broadcasting schedule and types of programme to suit the recent changes in the department of media. The American public broadcasting system and the media followed the commercial aspect and this helped them to go long way in this field. (McConnell, 2004). Though commercialization was out of reach for many, sponsorship was easier and the companies could get hold of leading manufacturers to support their companies. The commercialization in every part of the American media pushed the public broadcasting system to reform their existing way and to commercialize it. As a result, the PBS had to commercialize their operations and this helped them in more than one way. The late 1990’s saw a huge change and makeover in the media industry and the television broadcasting system. The cable television concept took over the public broadcasting system and this created expectations among the people of America. The cable television allowed people to watch television programme that were broadcasted by other private channels. All that people had to do was to purchase a cable television connection which enabled them to watch the programme. Once they got this connection, it was easier for them to watch the television programme and the need to depend on the public broadcasting system was eradicated. (Motavalli, 2003). The interest towards the programme broadcasted by the PBS was lost. Even the media and its associated aspects changed and the process of reaching the people was completely modified. Each of this modification was beneficial to the public, but turned out to be a disaster for PBS. The public broadcasting system was entirely modified and people were more attracted towards the cable television system. They had an opportunity to watch all sorts of programme ranging from children programme to sports channels. This was a much simplified approach as people need not rely on the PBS alone. Change in top level management Though this was a positive development, it was not beneficial for PBS. But this seeded the idea of development in the minds of the people who worked for public broadcasting system. The year 2000 saw the greatest change in the industry of public broadcasting system. (Philips, 2007). The PBS was taken over by Pat Mitchell and she ensured that this system will be made as a profit making organization. The policies were changed and the operations were revived. The governmental funding was decided and the one time funding helped them to discontinue the federal funding. Till then, PBS was dependent on small retailers and financial institutions to improve their standard. The funding towards each programme was revived and the government had no other option, but to help them at times of crisis. The production costs rose up to a high level and even the government found it difficult to continue their patronage towards PBS. The company cannot attain growth overnight and they decided to use the funds from auctions. The main aim was to use these funds to produce programme that would benefit the children and the educational institutions. In a country like America, where the level of competition is more, it was difficult for a public broadcasting system to operate in a successful manner. An option to change the analog channels to a digital mode was accepted by most of the cable operators. But this was not widely accepted, as some of the cable television operators were against multicasting the channels. (Balas, 2007). This would subsidize the rates of cable channels and hence the operators were not prepared to accept this change. Corporate funding and channel mode conversion would have resolved the issue and the director ensured that the situation would certainly change if this occurs. Future Prospects The future prospects of the American public broadcasting system depend on the funding process and the policies that are reformed to suit the current situation. (Boaz, 2005). The legislative efforts will help the public broadcasting system to revive its audience and to maintain a stable market in the place of other corporate channels. The political changes and governmental policies have to be modified the way in which funding is done. Best Approaches The best way to continue the public broadcasting system is to continue the funding with the help of the citizens of America. One of the best methods that have been used in countries in Europe can be implemented. This method proposes an approach where in the tax received from a television set would be transferred to the funding for public broadcasting system. As this is a non-commercial approach, it would be easy for the American public broadcasting system to operate on its own. (Avery, 2004). This would eradicate the need for sponsorship and funding from the federal government. The researches and surveys conducted among the public and the funding departments exhibited that this proposal would be better when compared to the option of funding from the tax amount received from the citizens. Another option would reform the current situation and would help the PCB to achieve greater heights. The committee members and the executives are from the political parties. This poses a restriction on the implementation of strategies and policies. This must be revived and the committee must consist of members who are well trained and experienced in the field of media or broadcasting. This would help the PCB to adopt alternate approaches that enhance the situation and leads to improvement. Further development is possible only if the committee members are selected with utmost care. (Hoynes, 2007). This would ensure that the decisions are made in a wiser way, as experienced people would have an exposure to such broadcasting systems. They will also possess leadership qualities which would help the public broadcasting system to ease the process of funding and maintenance. The American public broadcasting systems must incorporate certain strategies that would work for the betterment of the system. The public broadcasting system must include local programme that exhibit the day to day happenings in the in the city. This would attract the attention of the people as they would be interested to watch the local news and programme rather than watching other programme. (Philips, 2007). This would strengthen the viewer base and would increase the numbers of viewers. Conclusion When compared to the other fields, the competition is relatively more in the media sector. The numbers of channels and private operators have increased. The mission and goals of the public broadcasting system must be redefined to suit the current needs of the media. The American public broadcasting system must produce programme that are distinctive and different by all means. The future prospects depend on the way they make use of the funding and the programme they produce. This will enable them to connect with the audience in a much better manner. Reference Davidson, R. (2004). The role of national crises in the framing of media policy debates. Conference Papers -- International Communication Association 2004 Annual Meeting, 1-31. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from Communication & Mass Media Complete database. Goerne, C. (1992). Funding losses, competition force PBS to pitch itself as a 'marketing company'. Marketing News, 26(10), 1-16. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from Business Source Premier database. Hoynes, W. (2007). Public broadcasting for the 21st century: Notes on an agenda for reform. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 24(4), 370-376. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from Communication & Mass Media Complete database. Johnson, N. (1972). Nicholas Johnson on TV. New Republic, 167(14), 23. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from Academic Search Premier database. McConnell, B. (2004). A $5 billion proposal. Broadcasting & Cable, 134(24), 16. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from Communication & Mass Media Complete database. Motavalli, J. (2003). PBS facing crisis. Television Week, 22(42), 1. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from Academic Search Premier database. Phillips, J. (2007). Freedom by design: Objective analysis and the Constitutional status of public broadcasting. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 155(4), 991-1020. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from Academic Search Premier database. Balas, G. (2007). From underserved to broadly served: The class interests of public broadcasting. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 24(4), 365-369. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from Academic Search Premier database. Boaz, D. (2005). Ending taxpayer funding for public broadcasting. Vital Speeches of the Day, 71(21), 655-657. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from Academic Search Premier database. Avery, R. (n.d.). Public service broadcasting. Available from The Museum of Broadcast Communications website: http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=814 Read More