ABSTRACT

As federal funding for public broadcasting wanes and support from corporations and an elite group of viewers and listeners rises, public broadcasting's role as vox populi has come under threat. With contributions from key scholars from a wide variety of disciplines, this volume examines the crisis facing public broadcasting today by analyzing the institution's development, its presentday operations, and its prospects for the future. Covering everything from globalization and the rise of the Internet, to key issues such as race and class, to specific subjects such as advertising, public access, and grassroots radio, Public Broadcasting and the Public Interest provides a fresh and original look at a vital component of our mass media.

part I|68 pages

Defining the Public Media Terrain

chapter 1|7 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|15 pages

Public Broadcasting

Past, Present, and Future

chapter 3|16 pages

Brand New World?

Globalization, Cyberspace, and the Politics of Convergence

chapter 5|10 pages

The FCC and the Public Interest

A Selective Critique of U.S. Telecommunications Policy-Making

part II|70 pages

Critical Dimensions

chapter 7|6 pages

Introduction

chapter 8|8 pages

The Public and Its Problems

Race, Class, and Media Access

chapter 9|10 pages

Advertising on Public Television

A Look at PBS

chapter 10|15 pages

Should One Size Fit All Audiences?

A Study of KUOP

chapter 12|12 pages

Making Money and Serving the Public Interest

Public Broadcasting Can and Should Do Both

part III|66 pages

Global Perspectives

chapter 13|6 pages

Introduction

chapter 14|11 pages

The CBC and the Public Interest

Maintaining the Mission in an Era of Media Concentration

chapter 16|17 pages

Between Globalization and Democratization

Governmental Public Broadcasting in Africa

chapter 17|13 pages

Canadians Connected and Unplugged

Public Access to the Internet and the Digital Divide

part IV|72 pages

Where Do We Go from Here: Civic Space, Cyber Market, Public Trust, or Grassroots Alternatives?

chapter 18|8 pages

Introduction

chapter 19|11 pages

Social Capital, Civic Space, and the Digital Revolution

Emerging Strategies for Public Broadcasting

chapter 21|14 pages

Public Television in the Digital Age

Town Hall or Cyber Mall?

chapter 23|12 pages

Microradio

A Tool for Community Empowerment