Designing a New Model of Public Service Television (PST)
This chapter argues that despite claims to the contrary, there is still a significant future role for public service television (PST). While long-form TV programming will remain at the heart of PST, whether on linear channels or on-demand, the concept of ‘television’ needs to be broadened to reflect new opportunities presented by digital media. TV news already benefits from the increased convenience and depth offered by online. Having invested in public service newsgathering, it is in the public interest to ensure that audiences can access that resource via a range of different electronic media. Likewise, other genres can be enhanced by an extra online dimension and, in some cases, online will largely replace conventional broadcast TV. PST purposes will endure, but the precise format and nature of content should be flexible enough to change over time to meet audience expectations.