Rethinking Public Service Broadcasting: The PRA and the BBC
This chapter examines a partnership project in the West Midlands region which developed prison radio beyond Radio Feltham. It particularly analyses the role of the BBC in the process and the impact of the activity on establishing and formalising the Prison Radio Association (PRA). Developed through the combined influence of national broadcaster and independent prison radio activity, the chapter argues that the PRA is representative of new forms of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) within changing media and institutional environments, achieved in partnership, and demonstrating the enduring importance of PSB values. It is evident that the partnerships and relationships forged during this period played a major role in the establishment and ongoing development of the PRA.