INFOCIVICA SEMINAREUROPEAN IDENTITY AND DIVERSITY: EU INTEGRATION IN THE CROSS-

MEDIA PUBLIC SERVICE PERSPECTIVETurin, 21.10. 2010

Beata KlimkiewiczInstitute of Journalism and Social Communication,

Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland

PUBLIC SERVICE PROVISION: THE CASE OF POLAND

INTRODUCTION implementation of PSM mission has been

increasingly criticised in Poland 2009 draft Act on Public Tasks in the Area of

Audiovisual Services proposed ‘institutional’ division for PS provision

aiming at limiting Polish Television’s exclusive position in this area

commercial and private broadcasters can receive public funds to produce public service programming

PUBLIC SERVICE REMIT IN POLAND directly linked to the Polish Television (TVP) and Polish

Radio (PR) The Article 21 (1) of the 1992 Broadcasting Law “Public radio and television shall carry out their public mission

by providing (...) the entire society and its individual groups with diversified programme services and other services in the area of information, journalism, culture, entertainment, education and sports which shall be pluralistic, impartial, well balanced, independent and innovative, marked by high quality and integrity of broadcast.”

UNIVERSALITY AND REPRESENTATION both public television and radio have

increasingly recognized groups and communities that were ‘invisible’ during the communism and shortly afterwards

“programme services of public radio and television should respect Christian system of values, being guided by the universal principles of ethics.” (Article 21.2.6)

FRAGMENTATION

Winfried Schulz: new media services substitute social activities and institutions and thus change their character

‘Participatory architecture’ of these new activities and communities however does not support cohesion

QUALITY AND HIGH STANDARDS

can quality of media performance be viewed as a commodity?

Supporting factors: relative institutional stability cumulative professional

experience co-operation with other public

institutions (educational, research, etc.)

CULTURAL UNIVERSE (CULTURAL EXCELLENCE AND CREATIVITY)

development of digital services is largely guided by global forces

Chris Nissen: COPE paradigm (Create Once – Publish Everywhere)

privileges programming that can be traded in many countries and localised more easily in multiple versions, thus reducing cultural specificity and profound diversity

a potential to create cultural universes and establish new axes of cultural value

the draft Act on Public Service Media (2010) emphasises a cultural role of the PSM establishment of a specific regulator for the

PSM PSM Council to be nominated by the PSM

Committee representing producers’ and journalists’ associations, universities and non-governmental organizations

cultural excellence and accountability to civil society rather than representative politics

COMMUNITY OF VIEWERS Paddy Scannell: PSB based on

asymmetrical relations between the audience on the one hand and the broadcaster, cultural elite and the state on the other

Criticism of TVP: detached from its audiences and despite relatively high viewing rates, not being able to build stable relations with its users and generate a common understanding of PSM public value

CONCLUSIONS There is certainly a demand

for public service media in forthcoming future

Is this really a ‘new demand’ or demand centred around those aspects of public service remit that have long been neglected by PSM for financial or other reasons?

THANK YOU!

beatakl@hotmail.com