Public service broadcasting (PSB)A B C D E F G H IJKL M N O P R S T U VXYZWaudience as constituting citizens, members of
communities and individuals rather than merely
consumers. PSB is essentially the creation of
government in the fi rst instance, though for this
reason safeguards are built into the system so
that its operation is (relatively) free of govern-
ment control and infl uence. Financing of PSB is
usually through some form of taxation or licence,
subject to periodic revision by government; or in
the case of commercial television, by means
of advertising.
Th e BBC in the UK represents for many the
classic example of public service broadcasting
(see bbc, origins). It was created by act of
Parliament and is subject to regulation laid down
by Parliament. Th e importance of John Reith’s
tenure as first Director General of the BBC
is that, arguably, he forged the philosophy of
public service broadcasting. As noted by Paddy
Scannell and David Cardiff in A Social History of
British Broadcasting: Volume 1, 1922–39: Serving
the Nation (Blackwell, 1991), the core principles
of this philosophy were set out by Reith in a
memorandum written to the Crawford Commit-
tee in 1925.
They can be summarized as follows: that
broadcasting should serve the interests of the
general public; that it should be accountable to
the public but independent from government
whilst being subject to government regulation;
that audiences should be treated as citizens,
usually of a democracy; that it had a duty to not
only entertain but also to inform and educate the
audience and contribute to public debate within
society in an impartial and balanced manner;
that broadcasting should offer a mixture of
programmes; that broadcasting activities should
be publicly funded; and that it should foster and
reinforce national identity.
Commercial TV in the UK has been equally
subject to regulation, but will cease to have a
PSB obligation once the broadcasting services in
Britain switch completely to digital transmission
(see communications act (uk), 2003).
Regulation aims, for example, to achieve
balanced programming, that is balance
between information and entertainment,
preserving the one against the possible
encroachment of the other. Regulation serves
to guarantee a balance between the serious and
the popular, between programmes that appeal to
minorities and programming designed to attract
mass viewing.
Since the 1990s PSB has suffered diminish-
ment in the face of commercial competition,
greater diversity of provision brought about byFrank Jefkins note in Public Relations: Contem-
porary Issues and Techniques (Elsevier Butter-
worth-Heinemann, 2004), ‘the identifi cation of
the “publics” of public relations is fundamental
to the planning of a PR programme, for unless
the publics are defi ned it is impossible to select
the media that will best convey our messages to
them’.
Relevant publics will vary from one organiza-
tion or individual client to another and from
one programme or campaign to another; they
will also vary over time. As with any commu-
nication activity, knowledge of the public
(audience) is crucial when making decisions
about the construction as well as the delivery
of messages. A PR activity may, of course, have
a number of publics, each of which might need
to be approached, to some extent, in a diff erent
manner. Th e concept can also be used in identifi -
cation of potential future publics.
A number of researchers have proposed
means of classifying publics. James Grunig
and Todd Hunt in Managing Public Relations
(Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984) note the four
categories derived from James Grunig’s studies.
Grunig divided up publics in terms of their levels
of likely activity as regards a PR programme,
and identifi ed four main types: (1) publics that
are active on all of the issues; (2) publics that are
apathetic on all issues; (3) publics interested in
single issues; and (4) publics that are active only
on issues that involve nearly everyone in the
population, that is controversial topical issues.
Any one individual’s position may of course
change over time, and one aim of a campaign, for
example, might be to convert apathy into some
form of active engagement.
Ralph Tench and Liz Yeomans in Exploring
Public Relations (Pearson Education Limited,
2009) point out that there have been a number
of criticisms of Grunig and Hunt’s typology; one
such is that it does not suffi ciently take account
of variables like cultural diff erences or power
relationships, both of which have considerable
potential to aff ect communicative behaviour. See
bernstein’s wheel, 1984; grunig and hunt:
four models of public relations practice,
1984; opinion leader.
▶Allen H. Center and Patrick Jackson, Public Rela-
tions Practices (Prentice-Hall, 2003); Scott M. Cutlip,
Allen H. Center and Glen. M. Broom, Eff ective Public
Relations (Prentice Hall, 2006).
Public service broadcasting (PSB) Te r m
refers to any broadcasting system whose fi rst
duty is to a public within a democracy, serving
to inform, educate and entertain, and to regard