The media’s influence on society is being examined more than ever in our history. Are you part of the debate?
Public Sector Broadcasting is undergoing its biggest review since broadcast media began. The BBC Charter is up for renewal next year. OfCom is currently completing its own consultative process.
And in Scotland, our position as one part of the UK is facing its biggest transformation since, well, since things transformed.
The BBC are romancing with the Newsmedia Association, intent on a relationship in which the prenuptials can only lead to misery. STV are at least making an attempt to capture the metropolitan rump.
But it seems to me HERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME and local publishers are simply passing by on the other side.
I attended a recent OfCom meeting on the future of PSB. My first point of note, that while the room was full of academics, Public Sector wonks, NGOs and a smattering of broadcasters, there was no one present who offered a new insight into how the state should fund our society’s media knowledge.
Bar a request for more radio licences, and a debate on how Scottish production houses could cut a bigger share of the action, the meeting was a non-event. The future it seems is the past with knobs on.
But in the mean time humour me, by writing down three columns.
§ Column 1: The main forms of output by the current broadcasters
§ Column 2: The primary needs of the community you operate in, how they will change in the next ten years and what communications tools society needs to support their evolution.
§ Column 3: The assets you have across your organisation (not just editorial and advertising), that can best serve society’s needs.
Hopefully you’ll agree that we, Scotland’s Press, can play a massive role in what “Public Sector Communication” could be.
This is an opportunity for the losing. If I were a local publisher with my money at stake, I’d be in here with a vengeance.