The public value notion in UK public service broadcasting: an analysis of the ideological justification of public service broadcasting in the context of evolving media policy paradigms

Knoll, Eva (2012) The public value notion in UK public service broadcasting: an analysis of the ideological justification of public service broadcasting in the context of evolving media policy paradigms. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Abstract

The thesis investigates the application of the public value notion in UK public service broadcasting (PSB). In the context of technological change from analogue to digital broadcasting and the reduction of applicable market failures, the notion has been used to describe the remit and assess the performance of PSB, thus providing sustained justification of PSB in the digital age. The overall research interest is to investigate the public value notion in the context of evolving media policy paradigms to examine whether its institutionalisation represents a paradigm shift in the ideological justification of PSB. The ideological justification is investigated in the form of economic and noneconomic regulatory rationales as different academic approaches to market intervention and public service provision. As a fundamental type of policy change, the paradigm shift concept is operationalised by devising an analytical framework that consists of two analytical strands; an ideological shift and a policy process analysis. Based on a case study approach of the notion’s application at the BBC and Channel 4, the research design employs interpretative textual analysis of documents and expert interviews to investigate the ideological composition of the public value notion and its wider policy process. The research finds that no paradigm shift has taken place in the justification of PSB as the public value notion continues the overall more economic than non-economic focus of the incumbent media policy paradigm. These findings contribute to media and public policy studies with regard to the understanding and classification of (media policy) paradigm shifts as a fundamental type of policy change and the use of economic and non-economic rationales as different ideologies in informing policy ideas and decisions-making in media policy.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Additional Information:	© 2010 Eva Knoll
Library of Congress subject classification:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1990 Broadcasting
Sets:	Departments > Media and Communications
Supervisor:	Tambini, Damian
URI:	http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/530

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