Public broadcasting

"Public service broadcasting" redirects here. For the English musical group, seePublic Service Broadcasting (band).For the American broadcaster, seePBS.

Not to be confused withState media.

Public broadcasting(orpublic service broadcasting) involvesradio,television,and other electronicmedia outletswhose primary mission ispublic service.Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing, and commercial financing, and avoid political interference or commercial influence.

Common mediums includeAMandFMradio,shortwave radio,television, and theInternet.Public broadcasting may be nationally or locally operated, depending on the country and the station. In some countries a single organization runs public broadcasting. Other countries have multiple public-broadcasting organizations operating regionally or in different languages. Historically, public broadcasting was once the dominant or only form of broadcasting in many countries (with the notable exceptions of the United States, Mexico, and Brazil).Commercial broadcastingnow also exists in most of these countries; the number of countries with only public broadcasting declined substantially during the latter part of the 20th century.

Definition

The primary mission of public broadcasting is that of public service, speaking to and engaging as a citizen.The British model is often referenced in definitions.The model embodies the following principles:

• Universal geographic accessibility
• Universal appeal
• Attention to minorities
• Contribution to national identity and sense of community
• Distance from vested interests
• Direct funding and universality of payment
• Competition in good programming rather than numbers
• Guidelines that liberate rather than restrict

While the application of certain principles may be straightforward, as in the case of accessibility, some of the principles may be poorly defined or difficult to implement. In the context of a shifting national identity, the role of public broadcasting may be unclear. Likewise, the subjective nature of good programming may raise the question of individual or public taste.

Within public broadcasting there are two different views regarding commercial activity. One is that public broadcasting is incompatible with commercial objectives. The other is that public broadcasting can and should compete in the marketplace with commercial broadcasters. This dichotomy is highlighted by the public service aspects of traditional commercial broadcasters.

Public broadcasters in each jurisdiction may or may not be synonymous with government controlled broadcasters. In some countries, public broadcasters are not sanctioned by government departmentsand have independent means of funding, and thus enjoy editorial independence.

Economics

Public broadcasters may receive their funding from an obligatorytelevision licencefee, individual contributions, government funding or commercial sources. Public broadcasters do not rely on advertising to the same degree as commercial broadcasters, or at all; this allows public broadcasters to transmit programmes that are not commercially viable to themass market,such aspublic affairsshows,radioandtelevision documentaries,andeducational programmes.

One of the principles of public broadcasting is to provide coverage of interests for which there are missing or small markets. Public broadcasting attempts to supply topics of social benefit that are otherwise not provided by commercial broadcasters. Typically, such underprovision is argued to exist when the benefits to viewers are relatively high in comparison to the benefits to advertisers from contacting viewers.This frequently is the case in undeveloped countries that normally have low benefits to advertising.

An alternative funding model proposed byMichael Slabyis to give every citizen credits they can use to pay qualified media sources for civic information and reporting.

Cultural policy

Additionally, public broadcasting may facilitate the implementation of acultural policy(anindustrial policyandinvestment policyfor culture). Examples include:

• In Australia, theAustralian Broadcasting Corporationis legally required to 'encourage and promote the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia' and 'broadcasting programmes that contribute to a sense of national identity' with specific emphasis on regional and rural Australia'.Furthermore, theSpecial Broadcasting Service(SBS) is intended to reflect the spirit and sense of multicultural richness and the unique international cultural values within Australian society.

Public Media Alliance

As an industry organization for public media, the Public Media Alliance supports its members and the industry of public media more broadly.For example, the Alliance advocated against a proposal on theIsle of Manthat they felt would jeopardize the editorial independence of the broadcaster.While many members have significant editorial independence, the Alliance includes organizations that have significant state control, especially with regard to island nations.

Examples

See also:List of public broadcasters by country

Americas

Brazil

See also:Empresa Brasil de ComunicaçãoandFundação Padre Anchieta

In Brazil, the two main national public broadcasters areEmpresa Brasil de Comunicação(EBC) and theFundação Padre Anchieta(FPA). EBC was created in 2007 to manage the Brazilian federal government's radio and television stations. EBC owns broadcast the television channelTV Brasil(launched in 2007, being the merger of TVE Brasil, launched inRio de Janeiroin 1975, and TV Nacional, launched inBrasiliain 1960), the radio stationsRádio NacionalandRádio MEC,broadcast toBrasilia,Rio de Janeiro,São Paulo,Belo Horizonte,Recife,andTabatinga,Rádio Nacional da Amazônia,ashortwaveradio station based in Brasília with programming aimed to the population of theAmazonregion, andAgência Brasil,a news agency. Starting in 2021, EBC expanded the coverage of its radio stations through the newFM extended bandto the metropolitan areas of São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Recife, important Brazilian regions which did not have EBC radio stations.

FPAis anon-profit foundationcreated by the government of the state ofSão Pauloin 1967 and includes a national educational public television network (TV Cultura,launched in 1969 inSão Paulo,which is available in allBrazilian statesthrough its 135 affiliates),two radio stations (Rádio CulturaFM and Rádio Cultura Brasil, both broadcasting toGreater São Paulo), two educational TV channels aimed atdistance education(TV Educação and Univesp TV, which is available on free-to-air digital TV in São Paulo and nationally by cable and satellite), and the children's TV channelTV Rá-Tim-Bum,available nationally on pay TV.

Many Brazilian states also have regional and statewide public radio and television stations. One example isMinas Gerais,which has the EMC (Empresa Mineira de Comunicação), a public corporation created in 2016 modelled on EBC, formed byRede Minas,a statewide television network and the two stations ofRádio Inconfidência,which operates in AM, FM andshortwave;in the state ofPará,the state-funded foundation FUNTELPA (Fundação Paraense de Radiodifusão) operates the public educational state-wide television network Rede Cultura do Pará (which covers the entire state of Pará, reaching many cities ofBrazilian Amazon) and Rádio Cultura, a public radio station which broadcasts in FM forBelém.The state ofEspírito Santohas the RTV-ES (Rádio e Televisão Espírito Santo), with its television channel TVE-ES (TV Educativa do Espírito Santo) and an AM radio station (Rádio Espírito Santo), and inRio Grande do Sul,the state-wide public television channel TVE-RS (TV Educativa do Rio Grande do Sul) and the public radio station FM Cultura (which broadcasts forPorto Alegremetropolitan area) are the two public broadcasters in the state. Regional public television channels in Brazil often broadcast part of TV Brasil or TV Cultura programming among with some hours of local programming.

Since the government ofMichel Temer,EBC has received several criticism from some politicians for having an alleged political bias.The president of Brazil from 2019 to 2022,Jair Bolsonaro,said in his campaign for thepresidential election in 2018that the public broadcaster is allegedly a "job hanger" (public company existing only for the purpose of securing positions for political allies) and has proposed to privatize or extinguish the public company.On April 9, 2021, the president inserted the public company into the National Privatization Program, with the intention of carrying out studies about the possibility of privatization of the public broadcaster.Some states often had problems with their public broadcasting services. In São Paulo, FPA had sometimes dealt with budget cuts, labor disputes and strikes.In Rio Grande do Sul, TVE-RS and FM Cultura were managed by the Piratini Foundation, a non-profit state foundation. However, due to the public debt crisis in the state, in 2018, the Piratini Foundation had its activities closed, and TVE-RS and FM Cultura started to be managed by the Secretariat of Communication of the state government.

Brazil also has manycampus radioandcommunity radiostations and several educational local TV channels (many of them belonging to public and private universities).

Canada

See also:Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

In Canada, the main public broadcaster is the nationalCanadian Broadcasting Corporation(CBC;French:Société Radio-Canada), acrown corporation– which originated as a radio network in November 1936. It is the successor to theCanadian Radio Broadcasting Commission(CRBC), which was established by the administration ofPrime MinisterR.B. Bennettin 1932, modeled on recommendations made in 1929 by theRoyal Commission on Radio Broadcastingand stemming from lobbying efforts by theCanadian Radio League.The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation took over operation of the CRBC's nine radio stations (which were largely concentrated in major cities across Canada, includingToronto,Vancouver,Montreal,andOttawa). The CBC eventually expanded to television in September 1952 with the sign-on ofCBFTin Montreal; CBFT was the first television station in Canada to initiate full-time broadcasts, which initially served as a primary affiliate of the French language Télévision de Radio-Canada and a secondary affiliate of theEnglish languageCBC Television service.

CBC operates two national television networks (CBC TelevisionandIci Radio-Canada Télé), four radio networks (CBC Radio One,CBC Radio 2,Ici Radio-Canada Première,andIci Musique) and several cable television channels including two 24-hour news channels (CBC News NetworkandIci RDI) in both of Canada's official languages – English and French – and the French-language channelsIci ExploraandIci ARTV,dedicated to science and culture respectively. CBC's national television operations and some radio operations are funded partly by advertisements, in addition to the subsidy provided by the federal government. The cable channels are commercial entities owned and operated by the CBC and do not receive any direct public funds, however, they do benefit from synergies with resources from the other CBC operations. The CBC has frequently dealt with budget cuts and labour disputes, often resulting in a debate about whether the service has the resources necessary to properly fulfill its mandate.

As of 2017,all of CBC Television's terrestrial stations areowned and operatedby the CBC directly. The number of privately owned CBC Television affiliates has gradually declined in recent years, as the network has moved its programming to stations opened by the corporation or has purchased certain affiliates from private broadcasting groups; budgetary issues led the CBC to choose not to launch new rebroadcast transmitters in markets where the network disaffiliated from a private station after 2006; the network dropped its remaining private affiliates in 2016, whenCJDC-TV—Dawson CreekandCFTK-TV—Terrace, British Columbiadefected from CBC Television that February andLloydminster-basedCKSA-DTdisaffiliated in August of that year (to become affiliates ofCTV TwoandGlobal,respectively). The CBC's decision to disaffiliate from these and other privately owned stations, as well as the corporation decommissioning its network of rebroadcasters followingCanada's transition to digital televisionin August 2011 have significantly reduced the terrestrial coverage of both CBC Television and Ici Radio-Canada Télé; theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission(CRTC) does require cable, satellite and IPTV providers to carry CBC and Radio-Canada stations as part of their basic tier, regardless of terrestrial availability in an individual market.Of the three major French-language television networks in Canada, Ici Radio-Canada Télé is the only one that maintains terrestrial owned-and-operated stations and affiliates in all tenCanadian provinces,although it maintains only one station (Moncton, New Brunswick-basedCBAFT-DT) that serves the four provinces comprisingAtlantic Canada.

In recent years, the CBC has also expanded intonew mediaventures including the online radio serviceCBC Radio 3,music streamingserviceCBC Music,and the launch of online news services, such asCBC Hamilton,in some markets which are not directly served by their own CBC television or radio stations.

In addition, several provinces operate public broadcasters; these are not CBC subentities, but distinct networks in their own right. Most of the provincial services maintain an educational programming format, differing from the primarily entertainment-based CBC/Radio-Canada operations, but more closely formatted to (and carrying many of the same programs as) the U.S.-basedPublic Broadcasting Service(PBS), which itself is available terrestrially and – under a CRTC rule that requires Canadian cable, satellite and IPTV providers to carry affiliates of the four major U.S. commercial networks (ABC,NBC,CBSandFox) and a PBS member station– through pay television providers in Canada via member stations located near theU.S.–Canada border.These educational public broadcasters include the English-languageTVOntario(TVO) and the French-languageTFOinOntario,Télé-QuébecinQuebec,andKnowledge NetworkinBritish Columbia.TVO and Télé-Québec operate through conventional transmitters and cable, while TFO and Knowledge Network are cable-only channels. Beyond these and other provincial services, Canada does not have a national public educational network.

Amherst Island public radio

Canada is also home to a number of former public broadcasting entities that have gone private.CTV Two Alberta,which is licensed as an educational television station in Alberta, was once owned by theAlberta governmentas the public broadcaster Access. In 1993, the provincial government agreed to cease to direct funding of Access after the 1994 fiscal year; the channel was sold toCHUM Limitedin 1995, which initially acquired the channel through a majority-owned subsidiary, Learning and Skills Television of Alberta Limited (LSTA).To fulfill its license conditions as an educational station, it broadcasts educational and children's programming during thedaytimehours, while airing entertainment programming favoured by advertisers and viewers in prime time. The service discontinued its broadcast transmitters inCalgaryandEdmontonin August 2011, due to the expense of transitioning the two stations todigital,and the fact that the service had mandatory carriage on television providers serving Alberta regardless of whether it ran over-the-air transmitters. The service has since operated as part ofBell Media'sCTV Twochain of stations.

Public radio stationCKUAin Alberta was also formerly operated by Access, before being sold to thenon-profitCKUA Radio Foundation which continues to operate it as a community-funded radio network.CJRT-FMin Toronto also operated as a public government-owned radio station for many years; while no longer funded by the provincial government, it still solicits most of its budget from listener and corporate donations and is permitted to air only a very small amount of commercial advertising.

City Saskatchewanoriginated as the Saskatchewan Communications Network, a cable-only educational and cultural public broadcaster owned by thegovernment of Saskatchewan.SCN was sold to Bluepoint Investment Corporation in 2010, and like CTV Two Alberta did when it became privatized, incorporated a limited schedule of entertainment programming during the late afternoon and nighttime hours, while retaining educational and children's programs during the morning until mid-afternoon to fulfill its licensing conditions; Bluepoint later sold the channel toRogers Mediain 2012, expanding a relationship it began with SCN in January of that year, when Rogers began supplying entertainment programming to the channel through an affiliation agreement with its English-language broadcast network,Citytv.One television station,CFTUinMontreal,operates as an educational station owned by CANAL (French:Corporation pour l'Avancement de Nouvelles Applications des Langages Ltée,lit. 'Corporation for the Advancement of New Language Applications Ltd.'), a private not-for-profit consortium of educational institutions in the province of Quebec.

Some local community stations also operate non-commercially with funding from corporate and individual donors. In addition, cable companies are required to produce a localcommunity channelin each licensed market. Such channels have traditionally aired community talk shows, city council meetings and other locally oriented programming, although it is becoming increasingly common for them to adopt the format and branding of a local news channel.

Canada also has a large number ofcampus radioandcommunity radiostations.

Colombia

Main article:RTVC Sistema de Medios Públicos

Colombiahad between 1955 and 1998 a public television system very similar to that adopted by the NPO in the Netherlands, where private television producers called "programadoras"were given hours on the country's two public television channels (Cadena UnoandCanal A). In 1998, when the Colombian government allowed the opening of television to the private market by granting two broadcast licenses to theprogramadorasCaracol TelevisiónandRCN Televisión,these television producers went into crisis, causing many to end their activities or produce content for the private television channels. Currently, Colombia has three public channels (one is operated by a private company formed by the shares of four formerprogramadoras) and eight public radio stations (three stations are regional broadcasters).

Chile

See also:Televisión Nacional de Chile

Chilean television was founded through universities, in an attempt to bring public television without the state having to pay directly and control content. The University of Chile (owner of the former channels 9 and 11 until 1993), the Catholic University of Chile on channels 2 and 13 until 2010, and thePontifical Catholic University of Valparaísoon channels 8 and 4. Channel 8, inValparaíso,is the first and oldest station on Chile, transmitting since 5 October 1957. As soon as 1961 universities began transmitting advertisements between their programmes, the first of them being the Channel 9, showing a Motorola TV set. This kind of disguised advertising took the name of "Payola". This situation, added to the fact that TV was only reachingSantiagoandValparaíso,led to the creation of a state network that should serve the entire country. This network, created in 1964 and in operation since 24 October 1969, is known as "Televisión Nacional de Chile".After the military government ofAugusto Pinochet,television was mostly deregulated. Thus, two new commercial channels were born:Megavisión(Channel 9, on 23 October 1990) andLa Red(Channel 4, on 12 May 1991). The University of Chile's Channel 11 also was rented to a private operator on 1 October 1993 and is now known today as "Chilevisión".

Televisión Nacional, popularly known as Channel 7 due to itsSantiagofrequency, is governed by a seven-member board appointed by both thePresidentandthe Senate.It is meant to be independent of political pressures, although accusations of bias have been made, especially during election campaigns.

Ecuador

Ecuador TVis the public service channel of Ecuador, established in October 2007. The channel was established at the same time as the installation of theEcuadorian Constituent Assemblyso that the sessions could be transmitted live to all the country.

El Salvador

Salvadoran broadcasting has a public service radio and television channel. On 1 March 1926 began the operation as the first Central American broadcasting network called "Radio Nacional de El Salvador" with a frequency of 96.9 FM MHz founded by the president of that era,Alfonso Quiñónez Molina.On 4 November 1964 the Government of El Salvador foundedTelevisión Educativa de El Salvadoras an educational television with the channels8and 10. And since 1989, Channel 10 became the only public television channel in El Salvador.

Mexico

In Mexico, public stations are operated by municipalities, state governments and universities, there are five national public channels.Canal Onceis owned and operated by theNational Politechnical Institute.It started transmissions on 2 March 1959 as the first public broadcasting television in Mexico.Thegovernment of MexicoimplementedTelesecundariain 1968 to providesecondary educationto students in rural areas through broadcast television channels, such asXHGC-TVin Mexico City. With the launching of theMorelos IIsatellite, Telesecundaria began transmitting on one of its analog channels in 1988; in 1994, it began broadcasting in digital format with the advent of the Solidaridad I satellite, andEdusatwas established and began transmitting in Mexico,Central Americaand certain regions of the United States. In 1982,Canal 22was founded and began operations eleven years later by theMinistry of Cultureas part of the "RED México". In 2005 theNational Autonomous University of Mexico(UNAM in Spanish) began transmissions as the sister channel ofXEUN-AMandXEUN-FM(both radio stations founded in 1959),TV UNAMwhich is part of the university and cultural diffusion.Canal Catorcewas founded in 2012 and is operated by theSistema Público de Radiodifusión del Estado Mexicano(SPR), an agency from the Federal Government.

United States

Main article:Public broadcasting in the United States

See also:Corporation for Public BroadcastingandCurrent (newspaper)

The Gregory Hall on the campus ofUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaignhosted an important meeting of theNational Association of Educational Broadcastersin the 1940s, that spawned bothPBSandNPR.

In theUnited States,public broadcasters may receive some funding from bothfederalandstatesources, but generally most of their financial support comes from underwriting by foundations andbusinesses(ranging from small shops to corporations), along with audience contributions viapledge drives.The great majority operate as privatenot-for-profit corporations.

History

Early public stations were operated by state colleges and universities and were often run as part of the schools'cooperative extension services.Stations in this era were internally funded, and did not rely on listener contributions to operate, some accepted advertising. Networks such asIowa Public Radio,South Dakota Public Radio,andWisconsin Public Radiobegan under this structure.The concept of a "non-commercial, educational"stationper sedid not show up in U.S. law until 1941, when theFM bandwas authorized to begin normal broadcasting.Houston'sKUHTwas the nation's first public television station founded by Dr. John W. Meaney, and signed on the air on May 25, 1953, from the campus of theUniversity of Houston.In rural areas, it was not uncommon for colleges to operate commercial stations instead (e.g., theUniversity of Missouri'sKOMU,anNBC-affiliated television station inColumbia). The FCC had reserved almost 250 broadcast frequencies for use as educational television stations in 1953, though by 1960, only 44 stations allocated for educational use had begun operations.

The passage of thePublic Broadcasting Act of 1967precipitated the development of the current public broadcasting system in the U.S. The legislation established theCorporation for Public Broadcasting(CPB), a private entity that is charged with facilitating programming diversity among public broadcasters, the development and expansion of non-commercial broadcasting, and providing funding to local stations to help them create programs; the CPB receives funding earmarked by thefederal governmentas well as through public and private donations.

Public television and radio in the U.S. have, from the late 1960s onward, dealt with severe criticism fromconservativepoliticians and think-tanks (such asThe Heritage Foundation), which allege that its programming has aleftistbias and there have been successful attempts to reduce – though not eliminate – funding for public television stations by some state legislatures.

Radio

The first public radio network in the United States was founded in 1949 in Berkeley, California, as stationKPFA,which became and remains the flagship station for a national network calledPacifica Radio.From the beginning, the network has refused corporate funding of any kind, and has relied mainly on listener support. KPFA gave away free FM radios to build a listener base and to encourage listeners to "subscribe" (support the station directly with donations). It is the world's oldest listener-supported radio network.Since the creation of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Pacifica has sometimes received CPB support. Pacifica runs other stations inLos Angeles,New York City,Washington, D.C.,andHouston,as well as repeater stations and a large network of affiliates.

A national public radio network,National Public Radio(NPR), was created in February 1970, following the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. This network replaced the Ford Foundation–backedNational Educational Radio Network.Some independent local public radio stations buy their programming from distributors such as NPR;Public Radio International(PRI);American Public Media(APM);Public Radio Exchange(PRX); andPacifica Radio,most often distributed through the Public Radio Satellite System.Cultural Native American and Mexican American music and programming are also featured regionally. NPR is colloquially though inaccurately conflated withpublic radioas a whole, when in fact "public radio" includes many organizations.

Television

In the United States, thePublic Broadcasting Service (PBS)serves as the nation's main public television provider. When it launched in October 1970, PBS assumed many of the functions of its predecessor,National Educational Television(NET). NET was shut down by theFord Foundationand the Corporation for Public Broadcasting after the network refused to stop airing documentaries on varying social issues that had alienated many of the network's affiliates.PBS would later acquireEducational Television Stations,an organization founded by theNational Association of Educational Broadcasters(NAEB), in 1973.

Uruguay

Uruguayhas a strong history of public broadcasting in South America. Inaugurated in 1963,Televisión Nacional Uruguay(TNU) is now linked to the Ministry of Education and Culture of the country. In addition, theRadiodifusión Nacional de Uruguayis a network of radios with 20 different stations in AM and FM that cover the entire country.

Venezuela

See also:Bolivarian Communication and Information System

Since 1998, the Venezuelan state had only one television channelVenezolana de Televisión,and after 2002 the government decided to launch the channelViVe(2003),teleSUR(2005),TVES(2007) (a signal that until that year was occupied byRCTV) andAsamblea Nacional Televisiónin addition to supporting and financing a network of community channels as well as Ávila Television belonging to the Metropolitan Mayor's Office of Caracas. United States politicians have commented that TeleSUR is a propaganda tool in favor of theBolivarian Revolution.

Asia

Bangladesh

The Bengali primary state television broadcaster isBangladesh Televisionwhich also broadcasts worldwide through its satellite based branch,BTV World.There are also terrestrial state run TV channels:Sangsad TVowned and operated byBengali parliamentthat covers the proceedings of the Parliament. TheBangladesh Betar(BB) is the country's sole state radio broadcaster. Radio transmission in the region now forming Bangladesh started in Dhaka on December 16, 1939. TheMinistry of Information and Broadcasting (Bangladesh)is responsible for the administration of all government TV channels and Radio.

Brunei Darussalam

Radio Television Brunei(RTB) is the only public broadcaster in Brunei Darussalam.

Hong Kong

Broadcasting House, the longtime headquarters of RTHK

In Hong Kong, the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the sole public service broadcaster. Although being a government department under the administrative hierarchy, it enjoyseditorial independence.It operates seven radio channels and produces television programmes and broadcast on commercial television channels, as these channels are required by law to provide timeslots for RTHK television programmes. RTHK would be assigned a digital terrestrial television channel during 2013 to 2015.

India

In India,Prasar Bharatiis India's public broadcaster. It is an autonomous corporation of theMinistry of Information and Broadcasting (India),Government of India and comprises theDoordarshantelevision network (DD National,DD India,DD News,DD Retro) andAll India Radio.Prasar Bharati was established on 23 November 1997, following a demand that the government owned broadcasters in India should be given autonomy like those in many other countries. TheParliament of Indiapassed an Act to grant this autonomy in 1990, but it was not enacted until 15 September 1997. Though a public broadcaster, it airs commercial advertisements.

Indonesia

Main article:Public broadcasting in Indonesia

In Indonesia, there are three types of public broadcaster. The first two are national-scale broadcasters:Radio Republik Indonesia(RRI) andTelevisi Republik Indonesia(TVRI). RRI currently operates four radio networks carried by some or all of more than 90 local stations, one of them is a national programming network. TVRI operates three national television channels, plus more than 32 regional stations.

There are also independent local public broadcasters which founded by local government in several cities or regencies. They are obligated to network with either RRI or TVRI, depending on the medium, though they are not owned and operated by the two.

Japan

In Japan, the main public broadcaster is theNHK(Japan Broadcasting Corporation). The broadcaster was set up in 1926 and was modelled on theBritish Broadcasting Company,the precursor to theBritish Broadcasting Corporationcreated in 1927. Much like the BBC, NHK is funded by a "receiving fee" from every Japanese household, with no commercial advertising and the maintenance of a position of strict political impartiality. However, rampant non-payment by a large amount of households has led the receiving fee to become something of a political issue. NHK runs two national terrestrial TV stations (NHK GeneralandNHK Educational) and threesatelliteonly services (NHK BS,NHK BS Premium4K,andNHK BS8Kservices). NHK also runs 3 national radio services and a number of international radio and television services, akin to theBBC World Service.NHK has also been an innovator in television, developing the world's firsthigh-definition televisiontechnology in 1964 and launching high definition services in Japan in 1981.

Malaysia

The public broadcaster in Malaysia is the state-ownedRadio Televisyen Malaysia(RTM) andTV Alhijrah.RTM was previously funded publicly through money obtained fromtelevision licensing,however it is currently state-subsidised, as television licences have been abolished.

As of 2021RTM operates 6 national, 16 state and 11 district radio stations as well as 6 national terrestrial television channels:TV1,TV2,TV Okey,SuKan RTM,Berita RTM,and TV6.

Nepal

History of public broadcasting in Nepal started from 1951.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, the public broadcasters are the state-ownedPakistan Broadcasting Corporation(PBC), also known asRadio PakistanandPakistan Television.In the past Radio Pakistan was partly funded through money obtained from License fees. In 1999, the Nawaz Sharif government abolished license fees for Radio Pakistan and also abolished its tax exempt status protected under PBC Act 1973. The license fees for Pakistan Television continued. The license fees collection for PTV was given to WAPDA during Musharraf government. Currently WAPDA collects Rs. 35 per house hold on electricity bills as PTV license fees. Television Broadcasting started in Pakistan with a small pilot TV Station established at Lahore Radio from where transmission was first beamed in black-and-white with effect from 26 November 1964. Television centres were established in Dhaka, Karachi and Rawalpindi/Islamabad in 1967 and in Peshawar and Quetta in 1974. PTV has various channels transmitting throughout the world includingPTV National,PTV World,PTV 2,PTV Global,PTV Bolanetc. Radio Pakistan has stations covering all the major cities, it covers 80% of the country serving 95.5 Million listeners. It has world service in eleven languages daily.

Philippines

The Philippines' primary state television broadcaster isPeople's Television Network(PTV). Created in 1974 as Government Television (GTV), PTV is no longer state subsidised except for a one-time equity funding for capital outlay in 1992. Aside from PTV, the other public broadcaster is theIntercontinental Broadcasting Corporation(IBC), which the government has already put up for sale. The government no longer holds acontrolling interestin the former state broadcaster,Radio Philippines Network(RPN).

ThePhilippine Broadcasting Service(PBS) is the country's sole state radio broadcaster. Established in 1933 as KZFM by the US colonialInsular Government,the radio station was passed to the Philippine government after the countrybecame independentin 1946. Currently, PBS broadcasts its flagship networkRadyo Pilipinas(formerly Radyo ng Bayan) through its 32 stations and selected affiliates nationwide.

The government is currently planning to propose the creation of a law that will merge and integrate PTV and PBS into a single entity, to be called the People's Broadcasting Corporation (PBC).

Singapore

Mediacorpis the only public broadcaster in Singapore.

South Korea

South Korea's representative public broadcasting television network is meant to beKorean Broadcasting System,or KBS. Originally a government-controlled channel, it is now an independent broadcasting system. KBS began broadcasting radio in 1947 and opened up to television industry in 1961, and officially founded its own identity by 1973. Another public broadcasting channel is theMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation,or MBC. Known to be the second channel of the country, it also shares the roles of being national television with the KBS.

South Korea also has another public broadcasting channel calledEducational Broadcasting System,or EBS. Originally considered to be an extension channel of the KBS, it was spun-off as an educational channel but retained its public broadcasting tasks. KBS and EBS mainly are funded by the commercials that they provide in their channels, but due to growing competitions, this is becoming an issue for them as well.

Taiwan

Public Television Service,also called Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation, is the first independent public broadcasting institution in Taiwan, which broadcasts the Public Television Service Taiwan. Since its creation in 1998, PTS has produced several critically acclaimed dramatic programmes and mini-series despite experiencing funding difficulties. PTS is bound up in speaking for the minorities, including the promotion of Hakka Chinese and Formosan-language programming, an effort that has contributed much to the "Taiwanization" movement.

Thailand

In Thailand, there are two primary public broadcasters. First is theThai Public Broadcasting Service(TPBS), it was established by the Thai Public Broadcasting Service Act, BE 2551, which came into force on 15 January 2008. Under this act, TPBS holds the status ofstate agencywithlegal personality,but is not agovernment agencyorstate enterprise.TPBS operates Thai PBS (ไทยพีบีเอส), which was formerly known asiTV,TITV and TV Thai television station. Thai PBS tested its broadcast by connecting to a temporary signal for broadcasting to the special programs chart which had been appropriated byTelevision of Thailand(TVT or TV 11 Thailand) at TVT New Phetchaburi Road Broadcasting Station. (presently National News Bureau of Thailand headquarters and NBT World TV Station and formerly UHF Channel 29, from 15 to 31 January 2008. Programs began on 1 February 2008.)

Second is the state-owned state media known asNational Broadcasting Services of Thailand(NBT) is the public broadcasting arm of the Government Public Relations Department (PRD), a division of theThai Government.It operates comprehensive media services comprising radio, public television networks (terrestrial and satellite), online services and social media.NBT TV (or NBT (Digital) 2 HD), formerly TVT11, is the television division and free-to-air channel of NBT. The broadcasting of TVT11 began on 11 July 1988, when TV9 (currently known asMCOT HD) split into two channels. It was firstly aimed at viewers in the countryside. Some elements such as sex and violence are censored as NBT is one of the government departments under direct control.

Middle East

Israel

In Israel, theIsraeli Broadcasting Authoritywas the country's main public broadcasting service until 2017, when it was replaced byKan(Hebrew for "here" ), the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

In Arabic, the IPBC is known by the nameMakan(Arabic for "place" ).

Kan has inherited the two main public TV channels in Israel:

• Channel 1,as of 2017 "Kan 11"– Main TV channel
• Channel 33 (Israel),as of 2017 "Makan 33"– Arabic language TV channel

Kan also includes the following 8 public radio stations, taken from IBA:

• Reshet Alef (Network A), as of 2017 "Kan Tarbut"– Podcasts and talk programs related to culture
• Reshet Bet (Network B), as of 2017 "Kan Bet"– News and current affairs
• Reshet Gimel (Network C), as of 2017 "Kan Gimel"– Israeli music
• Reshet Dalet (Network D), as of 2017 "MAKan Radio"– Arabic language station
• Reshet Hey (Network E), as of 2017 "Kan Farsi"– Persian language station, internet only
• 88FM, as of 2017 "Kan 88"– Alternative music
• Kol Hamusika ( "The Sound of Music" ), as of 2017 "Kan Kol Hamusika"– Classical music, jazz
• REKA - Reshet KlitatAliyah(Aliyah integration network), as of 2017 "Kan Reka"– Multilingual, mostly Russian language station
• Reshet Moreshet, as of 2017 "Kan Moreshet"– Jewish-related news and programming

TheIsraeli Defense Forcesowns its own broadcasting network known as IDF Waves which includes two radio stations:

• IDF Waves (Galey Tzahal) – broadcasting news and current affairs
• Galgalatz– broadcasting music and traffic reports

In addition, the ministry of education owns theIsraeli Educational Television,known asHinuchit,the first Israeli television channel. It was created by the Rothschild fund to aid the ministry's work in teaching children from kindergarten to high school and to promote the television's use in Israel at a time the government considered the device a "cultural decadence". It is funded and operated by the ministry, and since the 1980s it has widened its orientation to adults as well as children. In August 2018, the Educational Television was shut down and replaced byKan Hinuchit.

Europe

See also:European Broadcasting Union

In most countries in Europe, public broadcasters are funded through a mix of advertising and public finance, either through a license fee or directly from the government.

Albania

Radio Televizioni Shqiptar(RTSH) is the public broadcaster inAlbania.

Analogue TV

• Televizioni Shqiptar(TVSH) is the name of the first public channel of Albania. The domestic TV programme is distributed analogically throughout the country and digitally in Tirana through RTSH HD.
• TVSH 2is the second public TV channel dedicated mainly to sports and live events launched in 2003.

Digital TV

• RTSH HDa digital channel launched in 2012 broadcasts TVSH shows in high-definition quality.
• RTSH Sport
• RTSH Muzikë
• RTSH Art
• TVSH Sat,is the international version of the domestic programme broadcast to Eurovision free to air viasatellite.

Radio

• Radio Tirana(also, Radio Tirana 1) is the name of Albania's first radio programme, concentrating on news, talk, and features
• Radio Tirana 2is the name of the second radio program, broadcasting chiefly music and targeted at youth
• Radio Tirana 3 (Programi i Tretë, Radio Tirana International)is the name of the third programme, broadcasting the international service on short wave radio in Albanian, English, French. Greek, German, Italian, Serbian, and Turkish

Regional

• Radio Televizioni Gjirokastrais the local version of RTSH inGjirokastër
• Radio Televizioni Korçais the local version of RTSH inKorçë
• Radio Kukësiis the local version of RT inKukës
• Radio Shkodrais the local version of RT inShkodër

Austria

Main article:ORF (broadcaster)

ORF(Österreichischer Rundfunk) is the public broadcaster in Austria. Despite the fact that private broadcasting companies were allowed in Austria in the late 1990s, ORF is stillthekey player in the field. It has three nationwide radio channels (Ö1,Ö3,FM4), nine regional ones (one for eachBundesland). Its TV portfolio includes two general interest channels (ORF 1andORF 2), one cultural-instructional channel (ORF III), one Eurovision-wide version of ORF 2 and a sports channel (ORF Sport +). ORF also takes part in the German-language satellite TV network3sat.

Belgium

Belgium has three networks, one for each linguistic community:

• VRT,Dutch
• RTBF,French
• BRF,German

Originally named INR –Institut national belge de radiodiffusion– the state-owned broadcasting organization was established by law on 18 June 1930. Television broadcasting from Brussels began in 1953, with two hours of programming each day. In 1960 the INR was subsumed into RTB (French:Radio-Télévision Belge) and BRT (lang-nl|Belgische Radio – en Televisieomroep).

On 1 October 1945 INR-NIR began to broadcast some programmes in German. In 1961 RTB-BRT began a German-language radio channel, broadcasting fromLiège.

In 1977, following Belgianfederalizationand the establishment of separatelanguage communities,the French-language section of RTB-BRT became RTBF (French:Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté française), German-language section becameBRF(German:Belgischer Rundfunk) and Dutch-language stays BRT.

BRT was renamed in 1991 to BRTN (Dutch:Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen) and again in 1998 to VRT (Dutch:Vlaamse Radio – en Televisieomroeporganisatie).

Bulgaria

There are two public media in Bulgaria - theBulgarian National Television(BNT) and theBulgarian National Radio(BNR).Bulgarian National Televisionwas founded in 1959 and theBulgarian National Radiowas founded in 1935. BNT broadcasts 4 national programs (BNT 1, BNT 2, BNT 3, BNT 4 - broadcasts internationally). The BNR broadcasts 2 national programs (Horizont and Hristo Botev Program), 9 regional programs and Internet Radio Binar.

Croatia

Croatian Radiotelevision(Croatian:Hrvatska radiotelevizija,HRT) is aCroatianpublic broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite. As of 2002,70% of HRT's funding comes from broadcast user fees with each house in Croatia required to pay 79 HRK, kuna, per month for a single television (radio device, computer or smartphone), with the remainder being made up from advertising.

Czech Republic

Czech Television(Czech:Česká televize) andCzech Radio(Czech:Český rozhlas) are public broadcasters formed in 1992 to take over the Czech operations of the state-ranCzechoslovak TelevisionandCzechoslovak Radio,respectively. Until thedissolutionofCzechoslovakiain 1993, both broadcasters coexisted with their federal Czechoslovak counterparts, after which they also took over the channels previously occupied by the common federal broadcasting.

Czech Television broadcasts from three studios inPrague,Brno,andOstravaand operates several TV channels:ČT1,ČT2,ČT24,ČT sport,ČT:D,andČT art.Czech television is funded through a monthly fee of 135CZKwhich every household that owns a TV or a radio has to pay. Since October 2011 advertising on Czech TV is restricted to ČT 2 and ČT sport.

Czech Radio broadcasts four nationwide stations Radiožurnál, Dvojka, Vltava, and Plus, several regional and topical digital stations. It also provides an international service Radio Prague International, which broadcasts abroad in six languages. Czech Radio is funded through a monthly fee of 45 CZK.

Denmark

DRis the national public service broadcaster. The organisation was founded in 1925, on principles similar to those of theBBCin the United Kingdom. DR runs six nationwide television channels and eight radio channels. Financing comes primarily from a yearly licence fee, that everyone who owns either a television set, a computer or other devices that can access the internet, has to pay. A part of collected fees is also used to finance the network ofregional public service stationsoperating under the brand of TV 2.TV 2itself, however, is a commercial government-owned television funded by subscriptions and advertising, with particular public service duties such as allowing regional stations to air their newscasts within specific timeslots of the main TV 2 channel.

Faroe Islands

Kringvarp Føroyais the organisation in Faroe Islands with public service obligations. Formed in 1957 as a radio broadcasterÚtvarp Føroya.Merged with Sjónvarp Føroya TV station on 1 January 2007 to formKringvarp Føroya.Funded by licence fees.

Estonia

Estonian Public Broadcasting(ERR) organises the public radio and television stations of Estonia.Eesti Televisioon(ETV), the public television station, made its first broadcast in 1955, and together with its sister channelETV2has about 20% audience share.

Finland

Yle - The Finnish Broadcasting Company,(pronounced /yle/) or Yleisradio (inFinnish) and Rundradion (inSwedish) isFinland'snational public service media company. Founded in 1926, it is a public limited company majority owned by the Finnish state, employing around 2,800 people. Yle is funded by a special Yle tax. Yle has four television channels, three television channel slots, six nationwide radio channels and three radio services.

Yle TV1is the most viewed TV channel in Finland andYle Radio Suomithe most popular radio channel.Yle was the first of the Nordic public broadcasters to implement the Eurovision's portability regulation on its online media serviceYle Areena.Yle Areena is the most used streaming service in Finland, beating even Netflix that is the most popular streaming service everywhere else.

Yle focuses highly on developing its digital services. In 2016 a Reuters Institute study of European public service companies show that Yle and BBC are the public service pioneers in digital development and performing the best while introducing innovative digital services in their news operations, developing mobile services and promoting the development of new digital approaches.Yle's Voitto robot based on machine learning is the first personal news assistant in the world to give recommendations directly on the lock screen inthe Yle NewsWatchapplication.

France

In 1949Radiodiffusion-télévision française(RTF – French television and radio broadcasting) was created to take over from the earlierRadiodiffusion françaiseresponsibility for the operation of the country's three public radio networks and the introduction of a public television service.RFOand a fourth radio network was added in 1954 and a second television channel in 1963.

RTF was transformed into theOffice de radiodiffusion télévision française(ORTF), a more independent structure, in 1964. ORTF oversaw the introduction of a third television channel in 1972, two years before the dissolution of the structure in 1974. At that time a network of local and regional channels was created, nationally grouped under theFrance 3channel, and between this date and 2000, each national channel had its own direction structure, while being inFrance Télévisiongroup. In 1984, the European channelTV5Mondeis created. The first channel (TF1) was sold to the private sector in 1987. (At the time, the channel with the largest audience was the other public channelAntenne 2).

In 1986La Sept,another European channel, was created, before being eaten by the French/German public channelARTEin 1991, originally broadcast on cable and satellite. In 1992, the fall of the private channelLa Cinqfreed the frequencies that it had used, witch has been affected toARTEeach day from 19.00 to 3. In 1994 a new public channel,La cinquièmewas created and used the remaining time on the same frequencies. La cinquième and ARTE subsequently shared the same channels with the exception of satellite, cable, and internet channels where both could be broadcast all day long. As 31 March 2005broadcastpermitted to give plain channel toLa cinquième,ARTE,France Ô,andFrance 4.Moreover,Gulli,a channel dedicated to kids, was partially owned byFrance Télévisionbetween 2005 and 2014.

Germany

See also:Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio

AfterWorld War II,when regional broadcasters had been merged into one national network by theNazisto create a powerful means ofpropaganda,the Alliesinsisted on a de-centralised, independent structure for German public broadcasting and created regional public broadcasting agencies that, by and large, still exist today.

Map of ARD-members

• NDR(Lower Saxony,Hamburg,Schleswig-HolsteinandMecklenburg-Vorpommern), split from formerNWDR
• RBB(BerlinandBrandenburg), merged from SFB and ORB
• SWR(Baden-WürttembergandRhineland-Palatinate), merged from SDR and SWF
• MDR(Saxony,Saxony-AnhaltandThuringia), established in 1991
• WDR(North Rhine-Westphalia), split from former NWDR
• BR(Bavaria)
• hr(Hesse)
• SR(Saarland)
• RB(Bremen)

In addition to these nine regional radio and TV broadcasters, which cooperate withinARD,a second national television service – actually called Second German Television (German:Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen,ZDF) – was later created in 1961 and a national radio service with two networks (Deutschlandradio) emerged from the remains ofCold Warpropaganda stations in 1994. All services are mainly financed through licence fees paid by every household and are governed by councils of representatives of the "societallyrelevant groups ". Public TV and radio stations spend about 60% of the ≈10bn € spent altogether for broadcasting in Germany per year, making it the most well funded public broadcasting system in the world.

TheHans-Bredow-Institut,or Hans-Bredow-Institute for Media Research at the University of Hamburg (HBI) is an independent non-profit foundation with the mission on media research on public communication, particularly for radio and televisionbroadcasting(including public service media providers) and other electronic media, in an interdisciplinary fashion.

In Germany foreign public broadcasters also exist. These areAFNfor US-military staff in Germany,BFBSfor British military staff, Voice of Russia, RFE and Radio Liberty.

Eventually,Arteis a French/German cultural TV channel operated jointly byFrance Télévisions,ZDF,andARD.It is a binational channel broadcast in both countries.

Greece

ERT's logo

Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation(Greek:Ελληνική Ραδιοφωνία Τηλεόραση ή ERT) is the state-owned public broadcaster in Greece. It broadcasts five television channels:ERT1,ERT2,ERT3(located in Thessaloniki city),ERT SPORTS HDare the terrestrial broadcast channels, as well as ERT WORLD, a satellite channel focused to the Greek diaspora. ERT is broadcasting also five national (ERA 1,ERA 2,ERA 3,Kosmos,ERA Sport), and 21 local radio stations (two of them located in Thessaloniki, the second major city of Greece). All national television and radio stations are broadcast through ERT digital multiplexes across the country and through satellite, via the two digital platforms (NOVA and Cosmote).

Also, operates a web TV service with a live transmition of all the terrestrial and satellite channels as well as 4 independent OTT channels (ERT PLAY 1, 2, 3 and 4) that carries mostly sport events and older archived shows.

ERT operates 8 television studios in three buildings in Athens: five of them in the headquarters called "Radi Omega ro" ( "Ραδιομέγαρο" that means "radio palace" ) located in Agia Paraskevi area, two of them in Katehaki str. facility and one small one in the center of Athens near the Parliament, in the Mourouzi str. facility. In Thessaloniki, ERT operates two television studios in the L. Stratou avenue and another three studios in smaller cities (Heraclion, Patras and Corfu) that can be used only for television correspondences.

ERT operates several radio studios in "Radi Omega ro", in Thessaloniki (located at Aggelaki str., besides International Exhibition facility) and in 19 Greek cities, as well as a national news web site.

Iceland

Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV)( "The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service" ) isIceland's national public-service broadcasting organisation. RÚV began radio broadcasting in 1930 and its first television transmissions were made in 1966. In both cases coverage quickly reached nearly every household in Iceland. RÚV is funded by atelevision licencefee collected from every income taxpayer, as well as advertising revenue. RÚV has been a full active member of theEuropean Broadcasting Unionsince 1956.

RÚV – which by the terms of its charter is obliged to "promote the Icelandic language, Icelandic history, and Iceland's cultural heritage" and "honour basic democratic rules,human rights,and the freedom of speech and opinion "– carries a substantial amount of arts, media, and current affairs programming, in addition to which it also supplies general entertainment in the form of feature films and such internationally popular television drama series asLostandDesperate Housewives.RÚV's lineup also includes sports coverage, documentaries, domestically produced entertainment shows, and children's programming.

Ireland

In Ireland there are two state owned public service broadcasters,RTÉandTG4.RTÉ was established in 1960 with the merger ofRaidió Éireann(1926) andTeilifís Éireann(1960). TG4 was formed as a subsidiary of RTÉ in 1996 asTeilifís na Gaeilge(TnaG), it was renamed TG4 in 1999, and was made independent of RTÉ in 2007.

Both Irish public service broadcasters receive part of the licence fee, with RTÉ taking the lion's share of the funding. Advertising makes up 50% of RTÉ's income and just 6% of TG4's income. 7% of the licence fee is provided to theBroadcasting Authority of Irelandsince 2006. Up to 2006 the licence fee was given entirely to RTÉ.

RTÉ offers a range of free to air services on television;RTÉ 1,RTÉ 2,RTÉjr,andRTÉ News Now.On radio;RTÉ Radio 1,RTÉ 2FM,RTÉ Lyric FM,andRTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta,as well as a number of channels onDAB.

The Sound and Vision Fund is operated by theBroadcasting Authority of Ireland,this fund receives 7% of the licence fee. The fund is used to assist broadcasters to commission public service broadcast programming. It is open to all independent producers provided they the backing of a free-to-air or community broadcaster, such asVirgin Media,Today FM,BBCNorthern Ireland,RTÉ,Channel 4,UTV,etc. Pay TV broadcasterSetanta Sportshave also received funding for programming through the Fund provided they make that programming available on afree-to-viewbasis.

TG4is an independentIrish languagepublic service broadcaster that is funded by government subsidy, part of the licence fee, and through advertising revenue.

Virgin Mediais the only independent broadcaster that has public service commitments.

Italy

RAI brand

The Italian national broadcasting company isRAI– Radiotelevisione Italiana, founded as URI in1924.RAI transmits thirteen channels:Rai 1,Rai 2,Rai 3,Rai 4,Rai 5,Rai News 24,Rai Premium,Rai Movie,Rai Sport,Rai Storia,Rai Gulp,Rai Yoyo,Rai Scuola(all available in high definition on DTT). RAI also broadcasts via satellite and is involved in radio, publishing and cinema. RAI has the largest audience share (45%) of any Italian television network. Funding used to be collected through a special yearly TV tax (the so-calledCanone), but due to the high rates of evasion the government linked its payment to every household's electricity bill (90 euros for each household in 2017), as well as from advertising. The main competitors of RAI areMediaset,the biggest national private broadcaster, divided in twelve channels (two of which are both SD and HD),La7and La7d, owned by Cairo Editore; other competitors are Sky Italia (with three FTA channels) and Discovery Italia (with seven FTA channels).

Lithuania

Lithuanian National Radio and Television(LRT) is the national broadcaster of Lithuania. It was founded in 1926 as radio broadcaster, and opened a television broadcasting subdivision in 1957. LRT broadcasts three radio stations (LRT Radijas,LRT Klasika,and LRT Opus), and three TV channels (LRT televizija,LRT Plius,andLRT Lituanica).

Malta

Public Broadcasting Services(PBS) is the national broadcaster of Malta. It operates three television services (TVM,TVM2,andParliament TV) and three radio services (Radju Malta,Radju Malta 2,andMagic Malta).

Moldova

Teleradio-Moldova(TRM) is the public funded radio-TV broadcaster in Moldova. It owns the TV channelsMoldova 1andTVMI,and the radio channelsRadio MoldovaandRadio Moldova Internaţional.

Montenegro

RTCG(Radio Television of Montenegro) is the public broadcaster in Montenegro and maintains editorial independence from its government.

Netherlands

Main article:Dutch public broadcasting system

The Netherlands uses a rather unusual system of public broadcasting. Public-broadcasting associations are allocated money and time to broadcast their programmes on the publicly owned television and radio channels, collectively known under theNPOname. The time and money is allocated in proportion to their membership numbers. The system is intended to reflect the diversity of all the groups composing the nation and maintains editorial independence from the government.

Nordic countries

National public broadcasters in Nordic countries were modeled after the BBC and established a decade later: Radioordningen (nowDR) in Denmark, Kringkastingselskapet (nowNRK) in Norway, and Radiotjänst (nowSveriges RadioandSveriges Television) in Sweden (all in 1925). In 1926 Yleisradio, (Swedish: Rundradion) nowYlewas founded in Finland.Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV)is the official public broadcast service in Iceland. All five are funded from television licence fees costing (in 2007) around€230(US$300) per household per year.

Poland

Polskie Radiowas seen to be the last remaining form of public broadcasting asTelewizja Polska(TVP) has been seen asstate mediaduring thePiS governmentby various press freedom organisations due its strong bias in favour of the ruling party, withReporters Without Borderscalling it a government mouthpiece.

Polskie Radiooperates four nationwide radio channels (which are also available via the broadcaster's website). There are also 17 public radio stations broadcasting in particular regions. Polish Radio (and TVP) are funded from several sources: state funding, advertising, obligatory tax on all TV and radio receivers, and money from authors/copyright associations. The public broadcaster offers a mix of commercial shows and programmes they are, by law, required to broadcast (i.e.,non-commercial,niche programmes; programmes for children; programmes promoting different points of view and diversity; programmes for different religious and national groups; live coverage of the parliament's session on its dedicated channel: TVP Parlament; etc.). It has to be politically neutral, although in the past there have been cases of political pressure on TVP and Polskie Radio from the governing party. Recently, a new law has been passed by the ruling Law & Justice party, that in public perception allowed the party to take a much larger control over the media that has been possible before. The party states this law to be the first step to a complete public media overdo. Many worry no such improvements are actually coming and that these recent laws are only another step in taking control over the whole country by the Law & Justice party.

There is an ongoing debate in Poland about the semi-commercial nature of TVP and PR. Many people fear that making them into totally non-commercial broadcasters would result in the licence fee payable by households being increased, and fewer people being interested in programmes they offer; others say that TVP in particular is too profit-driven and should concentrate on programming that benefits the society.

Portugal

Main article:Rádio e Televisão de Portugal

RTP brand

In Portugal, the national public broadcaster isRádio e Televisão de Portugal(RTP), which in 1957 began regular broadcasts of its first channel, nowRTP1and maintains editorial independence from its government.In 1968 its second channel appeared, then called "segundo programa",nowRTP2.In the 1970s, TV arrived in the Portuguese islands ofMadeiraand theAzores,with the creation of two regional channels:RTP Madeirain 1972 andRTP Açoresin 1976.

Until the 1990s the state had a monopoly on TV broadcasting, so RTP1 and RTP2 were the only Portuguese channels, both with similargeneralist programmes.In 1990, RTP1 was renamed "Canal 1", and in 1992 RTP2 was renamed "TV2". With the creation of the two private channels,SICin 1992 andTelevisão Independentein 1993, the philosophy of the public service changed: in 1995,TV2was again renamed RTP2 and became an alternative channel dedicated to culture, science, arts, documentaries, sports (except football), minorities and children. Since then, RTP2 has carried no advertising. Canal 1, renamed back RTP1 also in 1995, remained the commercial channel of RTP group, focused on entertainment, information and major sport competitions. In 2004, after a great restructuring period, RTP started its current branding. That year the two thematic channels of the group were also created – RTPN, a 24 hour-news channel which became RTP Informação in 2011 andRTP3in 2015; andRTP Memória,dedicated to classic RTP programming. In 2014 the headquarters of RTP2 were transferred fromLisbontoPorto.

The group also has two international channels:RTP Internacional,founded in 1992 and dedicated to Eurovision, Asia and Americas, andRTP África,founded in 1998 focused on Africa, mainly theCPLPcountries ofAngola,Cape Verde,Guinea-Bissau,MozambiqueandSão Tomé and Príncipe.

The RTP group is financed by the advertising revenues from RTP1, RTP3, RTP Memória, RTP África, and RTP Internacional, and also by thetaxa de contribuição audiovisual(broadcasting contribution tax), which is incorporated in electricity bills. Funding from the government budget ceased in 2014, during thePortuguese financial crisis.

Romania

Romanian Television(TVR) is the national public TV broadcaster in Romania. It operates five channels:TVR1,TVR2,TVR3,TVRi,andTVR HD,along with six regional studios inBucharest,Cluj-Napoca,Iași,Timișoara,Craiova,andTârgu Mureș.It does not have independence from its government.

The public radio broadcaster isRomanian Radio Broadcasting Company(Radio Romania). It does not have independence from its government.It operatesFMandAM,andinternetnational, regional, and local radio channels. The regional and local stations are branded asRadio România Regional.Broadcasting in 12 languages,Radio Romania Internationalis the company's international radio station.

TVR and Radio Romania are funded through a hybrid financing system, drawing from the state budget, a special tax (incorporated in electricity bills), and advertising too.

Serbia

Radio Television of Serbia(RTS) is the national public broadcaster inSerbiathat does not have editorial independence from its government.It operates a total of five television channels (RTS1, RTS2, RTS Digital, RTS HD and RTS SAT) and five radio stations (Radio Belgrade 1, Radio Belgrade 2, Radio Belgrade 3, Radio Belgrade 202, and Stereorama). RTS is primarily funded through public television licence fees bundled with electricity bills paid monthly, as well asadvertising.

Slovakia

Radio and Television Slovakia(RTVS) is the national public broadcaster inSlovakia,with headquarters inBratislavathat does not have editorial independence from its government.This organisation was created in 2011 by merger of Slovak Television and Slovak Radio. RTVS broadcasts four television channels (STV1, STV2, RTVS 24, RTVS Šport), five FM radio stations (Rádio Slovensko, Rádio Devín, Rádio Regina, Rádio_FM and Rádio Patria), one satellite radio channel (Radio Slovakia International) and three digital only radio stations (Rádio Klasika, Rádio Litera and Rádio Junior). RTVS is funded through monthly fee of €4.64, which every household with electricity connection must pay. The director of RTVS is Václav Mika. RTVS is a full member ofEuropean broadcasting union.

Spain

In Spain, being a highly decentralized country, two public broadcasting systems coexist: a national state-owned broadcasting corporation,Radiotelevisión Española(RTVE), that does not have editorial independence from the state,and many autonomic broadcasting corporations, owned by their respectiveautonomous community,which only broadcast within its own territory and many of which do have editorial independence.

RTVE provides multi-station radio and television services with its divisionsRadio Nacional de España(RNE) andTelevisión Española(TVE), as well as online and streaming services. RNE was founded in 1937 and broadcasts five radio stations:Radio Nacionalsince 1937,Radio Clásicasince 1965,Radio 3since 1979,Ràdio 4since 1976,Radio 5since 1989 and its international worldwide serviceRadio Exteriorsince 1942. TVE was founded in 1956 and broadcasts different television channels:La 1(La PrimeraorLa uno) since 1956, that is a generalist channel;La 2(La dos) since 1966, that offers cultural programming;Teledeportesports channel since 1994;24 Horasnews channel since 1997;Clanchildren's channel since 2005; and its international worldwide serviceTVE Internacionalsince 1989.RTVE Playis itsover-the-top media service,and replaced in 2021 its previous onlinevideo on demandservice created in 2008. Although almost all the programming is the same for all of Spain, RTVE has territorial centers in every autonomous community and produces and broadcasts some local programming inregional variationsin each of them. For most of its history, RNE and TVE were funded both from public sources and private advertising; however, from September 2009, RTVE have been funded by a mixture of public tax revenue and funds collected from Spain's private television stations, thus removing advertising from its channels. A TV licence fee has been suggested, but with little popular success.

Moreover, most autonomous communities have their own public broadcaster, almost all of these are members ofFORTA,and they usually tend to reproduce the model set up by RTVE. In the Autonomous Communities that have their own official language besides (Castilian) Spanish, those channels may broadcast in that co-official language. For example, this occurs inCatalonia,whereCCMA'sCatalunya Ràdiostations andTelevisió de Catalunyachannels broadcast inCatalan.In theValencian Community,CVMChas a radio station and a television channel, both branded as À Puntand broadcast mainly inValencian.In theBasque Country,EITB's Eusko Irratia stations and Euskal Telebista (ETB) channels broadcast in eitherBasqueor Spanish. InGalicia,CRTVG's Radio Galega stations andTelevisión de Galicia(TVG) channels broadcast inGalician.All the autonomous community networks are funded by a mixture of public subsidies and private advertising.

Sweden

The logo of SVT

The logo of Sveriges Radio

Sweden has three public service broadcasters, namelySveriges Television(SVT),Sveriges Utbildningsradio(UR),andSveriges Radio(SR),having previously had government monopoly. SVT is the national public television broadcaster with 4 channels (SVT 1, SVT 2, SVT BarnKanalen, and SVT 24). The aim is to make programmes for everybody. For example, Sweden has the historicSamiminority and SVT make programmes in their language for them to watch. There are also a Finnish minority in Sweden, thus SVT show news in Finnish onSVT Uutiset.SR is the radio equivalent of SVT, with channels P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and the Finnish channel SR Sisuradio.

Ukraine

Main article:Suspilne

The logo of Suspilne

Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine(Suspilne) is the national public broadcaster in Ukraine. It operates two national TV channels:PershyiandSuspilne Kultura,along with 24 regional channels. Suspilne broadcasts on 3 national and 1 international radio channels:Ukrainian Radio,Radio Promin, Radio Kultura andRadio Ukraine International.The regional branches have their broadcasting slots in the broadcast schedule of the Ukrainian Radio.

United Kingdom

Main article:Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has a strong tradition of public service broadcasting. In addition to theBBC,established in 1922, there is alsoChannel 4,a publicly owned, commercially funded public service broadcaster, andS4C,a Welsh-language broadcaster in Wales. Furthermore, the two commercial broadcastersITVandChannel 5also have significant public service obligations imposed as part of their licence to broadcast.

In the UK there are also small community broadcasters. There are now 228 stations with FM broadcast licences (licensed byOfcom). Community radio stations typically cover a small geographical area with a coverage radius of up to 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) and run on a nonprofit basis. They can cater for whole communities or for different areas of interest – such as a particular ethnic group, age group or interest group. Community radio stations reflect a diverse mix of cultures and interests. There are stations catering to urban or experimental music, while others are aimed at younger people, religious communities or the armed forces and their families.

Oceania

Australia

In Australia, theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation(ABC) is owned by theAustralian Governmentand is 100% taxpayer funded. The multiculturalSpecial Broadcasting Service(SBS), another public broadcaster, now accepts limited sponsorship and advertising.

In addition, there is a large Australiancommunity radiosector, funded in part by federal grants via the Community Broadcasting Foundation, but largely sustained via subscriptions, donations and business sponsorship. As of February 2020, there are 450+ fully licensed community radio stationsand a number ofcommunity televisionstations (most operating asChannel 31despite being unrelated across different states). They are organised similarly to PBS and NPR stations in the United States, and take on the role thatpublic access televisionstations have in the US.

New Zealand

Main article:Public broadcasting in New Zealand

In New Zealand all broadcasters are given a small slice of public broadcasting responsibility, because of the state-funded agencyNZ On Air.This is because of NZ On Air's requirement for public-service programmes across all channels and stations, instead of being put into one single network. The former public broadcaster BCNZ (formerly NZBC –New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation) was broken up into separate state-owned corporations,Television New Zealand(TVNZ) andRadio New Zealand(RNZ). While RNZ remains commercial-free, TVNZ is commercially funded through advertising.TVNZ continues to be a public broadcaster; however likeCBC Televisionin Canada it is essentially a fully commercial network in continuous ratings battles with other stations, which continues to be acontroversial issuewithin New Zealand. With the shutdown of TVNZ 7, the only fully non-commercial public-service network in New Zealand isRadio New Zealand.

Aside from television, New Zealand has a rich public radio culture,Radio New Zealandbeing the main provider, with a varied network (Radio New Zealand National) and a classical musical network (Radio New Zealand Concert). RNZ also provides the Pacific with itsRadio New Zealand International.Aside from RNZ almost all ofNew Zealand's 16 regionshas an "access radio"network. All these networks are commercial-free.

In late January 2020, theLabour-led coalition governmentannounced that they were planning to merge TVNZ and Radio New Zealand to create a new public broadcasting service.In response, the oppositionNational Partyannounced that it would oppose any plans to merge Radio NZ and TVNZ.

See also

• Citizen media
• International broadcasting
• Mediatization,on the democratic role of the media
• Press freedom
• Public, educational, and government access
• Public Radio Exchange,non-profit distribution, peer review and licensing
• State media
• Editorial independence
• Independent media

Citations

• Banerjee, Indrajit; Seneviratne, Kalinga, eds. (2006),Public service broadcasting in the age of globalization,Asian Media Information and Communication Centre,ISBN981-4136-01-8
• Raboy, Marc (1995),Public broadcasting for the 21st century,Acamedia research monographs, vol. 17, Indiana University Press,ISBN1-86020-006-0
• Linke, Benjamin (2016),Public Financing of Public Service Broadcasting and its Qualification as State Aid,Peter Lang,ISBN978-3-631-66568-8
• Price, Monroe Edwin; Raboy, Marc (2003),Public service broadcasting in transition: a documentary reader(PDF),Kluwer Law International,ISBN90-411-2212-5,archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-01-17,retrieved2011-08-06

External links

• America's Public Television Stations
• American Archive of Public Broadcasting
• The Public Radio Program Directors Association
• A Model Public Service Broadcasting Law(2005) byArticle 19
• AIR, the Association for Independents in Radio
• Public Radio Fan website,Public Radio Fan is a listing of public radio programs and stations worldwide.
• Radio College, Internet Resources for Radio Journalists and Producers
• The Public Polish Radio Program Directors Association