ABSTRACT
Is broadcasting best conceived as a commercial activity or as an expression of cultural norms and expectations? The obvious answer is that it is both. Nevertheless, we shall argue that the tension between these different conceptions o f the nature o f broadcasting has been a major source o f uncertainties in broadcasting law (including both European and domestic law) and in the selfimage o f broadcasters at a number o f levels, and that it is far from being resolved. In particular, the two conceptions imply radically different visions o f the nature o f the television viewer, as sovereign consumer making a choice from a range o f services offered by the marketplace, or as a citizen participating in a culture serving the purpose o f his or her self-development as w ell as that of the society o f which the citizen is a member.
