| In 1923, the U.K. government rejected outright state control of broadcasting but made the recommendation that governments should be "watchful". In America, radio station operators' applications were scrutinised by committees with regard to general requirements concerning applicants' personal control, finances etc.. In both Britain and America, the guiding principle was that a broadcaster should render good service to the community. Local areas were recognised as having different needs, standards and tastes, different cultural, educational and economic levels. Programme Structures - should demonstrate a balanced interpretation of public needs and due to their very nature, some programmes may not be sponsored with propriety; account must be taken of minority tastes and issues and the needs and purposes of 'non-profit' organisations too must be served; programming must allow room for some degree of experimentation and there must be forums for balanced public discussion. In Favour of Broadcasting - are the facts that broadcasting raises economic standards of living by 'universalising' and tying consumers to producers, broadcasting expands the ordinary ranges of cultural influences, brings local, national and international affairs into the home, moulds a highly informed and socially conscious public, promotes better knowledge of affairs by presenting experts in expositions of vital issues and problems, informs the electorate about local, national and international government, provides entertainment and relaxation and performs a vital communication service, especially in times of emergency. Against Commercial and Independent Broadcasting - are the facts that such programming generally stimulates desires and wants and persuades people to reach beyond their means and creates false economic standards; the bulk of such broadcasting is also dangerously geared to the lowest common denominator of taste and the amount of proper cultural programming is indefensibly small; news reporting can be all too frequently coloured by broadcasters' editorial styles and deliveries and may neither be objective or factual and news commentaries, representing personal judgements, may be too often responsible for erroneous, emotional and distorted public opinion and unrest; though forums and public discussions are an accepted form of democratic operation, a broadcasters lack of applied forensic skill to this kind of broadcasting can promote confusion and vagueness instead of clarity and understanding; information disseminated by means of so-called quiz shows is inconsequential, if not trivial and are so often dressed in the form of entertainment as to vitiate their potential value; commercial and independent broadcasting is all too likely to magnify the voice of 'crackpots' and isms and relies all too often on the sensational and the melodramatic, as in chat shows, to hold its audiences; broadcasting generally standardises and stereotypes mental habits and dulls critical faculties and any potential service which a broadcaster can render to a particular area is likely to be nullified by the economic opportunities offered by network and recorded programming. Broadcasting does not provide a forum for all controversial interests because, on a free-standing basis, there is insufficient time to accommodate all interested parties and, on a commercial basis, all factions are not equally able to pay for 'station time' and, if 'station time' was made available to all who wanted to broadcast their views, advertising revenues would be jeopardised. |
Friday, October 6, 2006 was Reginald Fessenden's 140th Birthday (born 1866)