In the first issue of openDemocracy, Andrew Graham offers a seductive version of the case for public service broadcasting. It is pitched outside the specifics of any territory using terms such as market failure, merit goods, public goods, externalities and so on. I wish I could be as purist in response, but inevitably will need to refer to the UK experience from which Andrew clearly draws, if only to rebut in concrete terms some of the wishful thinking of his generalities.
Rooting the debate in the UK
In the UK, public service broadcasting embraces specific obligations placed on private channels. Andrew clearly regards this activity as an inadequate representation of the public interest. His prime emphasis is on the virtues of publicly owned broadcasters. That is the nub of the argument.
