Television and Public Service Broadcasting

The BBC first began broadcasting in 1936. Long P’s reading highlights that the increasing popularity of people and channels meant that ‘TV cannons’ (Long P, 2012) were created. The BBC started with a just a few hundred viewers, however Creeber’s reading discusses the development of the BBC by introducing the methods of commercial broadcasting and public service broadcasting. ‘Britain’s first experiment with commercial broadcasting (was) in 1955’ (Creeber, 2003).  The idea of commercial broadcasting became of great success for the BBC, it engaged the audience and raised brand awareness. Also, the use of commercial breaks benefited the BBC because an increase in the channel’s ratings started to occur. However, post- war meant that the BBC changed their broadcasting method because of audience engagement becoming more challenging due to the creation of more channels like ITV. 

Furthermore, Creeber focuses on public service broadcasting and the effect television without advertisements had on the BBC and their audience. Viewers 'felt that public service broadcasting provided a standard of broadcasting that all should aspire to' (Creeber, 2003). The reading argues that the new method of public service broadcasting increased the BBC's popularity and meant that they were widely respected amongst the public because of the certainty that television shows on the BBC were no long going to be interrupted by interfering advertisements. Another advantage of public service broadcasting was the availability of more choice and variation for consumers.

In contrast to Creeber's reading which concentrates on the advantage of public service broadcasting, in an article by Jane Martinson who writes for 'The Guardian', she argues that the success of it inevitably has its disadvantages because of the social changes in Britain and the fact that it is now an industrial society. 'The Guardian' suggests that once people would 'watch the X Factor on a Saturday night', and then goes on to suggest that people now 'constantly scroll trough Instagram and YouTube on phones that appear to have been grafted on to their fingers' (Martinson, 2015). The author suggests that the media in the 19th century wasn't as developed as society now. Britain is more advanced in technology and other forms of media have gained the interest of many people, including social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Additionally, the article conveys that our mobile phones are 'the biggest threat to public service television there is, live and kicking, in my front room' (Creeber, 2015). This puts emphasis on the fact that consumers of TV are now able to access television shows and news through their mobile devices. This creates a disinterest and disregard for live television watching because of advanced ways for people to consume media texts away from living room settings and scheduled TV times - there is now the opportunity to 'catch up' and 'binge' watch shows whenever one pleases.

References

Creeber, G 2003) The Origins of Public Service Broadcasting (British Television Before the War) in Michele Hilmes (ed.) (2003) The Television History Book. London: BFI. p.22-26

Long, P and Wall, T (2012) ‘Media Histories’ IN Media Studies: Texts, Production, Context (2^nd Edition), London: Pearson. p. 448 – 481

Martinson, J. (2015) What is the future of public service television? The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/oct/25/public-service-television-ofcom-bbc-channel-4 [Accessed 26 Feb].

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