Catering for Minority Interests in Public Service Media Environments: Finland and the UK

Sihvonen, MLS; Simpson, S

Abstract

This paper explores recent patterns of minority interest television programming in
Finland and the UK and their implications for future public service broadcasting (PSB)
environments. The provision of resources to cater for minority interests of various kinds
has traditionally been a core feature of Finnish and UK broadcasting, despite PSB being
distinctly different in terms of its organisation and delivery in each territory. The core
argument of the paper is that the expansion of broadcasting systems since the mid-1980s,
delivered for the most part through a process of neo-liberal marketisation, has altered the
nature, extent and delivery pattern of broadcasting for minority audiences. The paper
provides empirical evidence of how broadcasters in both cases have gravitated towards
competing for audience share through concentrating their resources on populist, cost
effective, forms of programming with important consequences for minority interest
provision. The paper’s empirical data shows that the instances of this trend have occurred
most strongly in the commercial sector. In the light of the current, and likely future,
funding environment, the evidence of the paper points to the importance of maintaining
public funding for minority programming in increasingly marketised broadcasting
systems.

Citation

Sihvonen, M., & Simpson, S. (2010, September). Catering for Minority Interests in Public Service Media Environments: Finland and the UK. Presented at Reinterpretations of the Public Enterprise (RIPE) conference ‘Public Service Media After the Recession’, University of Westminister, London

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: Reinterpretations of the Public Enterprise (RIPE) conference ‘Public Service Media After the Recession’
• Conference Location: University of Westminister, London
• Start Date: Sep 8, 2010
• End Date: Sep 11, 2010
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Dec 7, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Publisher URL: http://ripeat.org/wp-content/uploads/tdomf/1486/sihvonen%20%20Simpson.pdf
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference