PBS Says Funding, Copyright Reform Needed to Keep Public Media Healthy
In its response to the FCC inquiry, PBS said increased funding, reformed copyright laws and amendments to corporate underwriting rules will be key to creating a robust public media future in the digital age. “While the [1976 Public Broadcasting Act] may be a product of the analog era, its intent is timeless. … In a time when citizens have an unprecedented number of options for news, information, and entertainment, PBS and public media are needed now more than ever,” PBS told the FCC.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
PBS provided programming analysis, concluding that its diversity of programming, audience trust and level of product innovation are consistently higher than that of commercial media. Local reporting initiatives, arts initiatives and new digital products are answering the public’s needs in news and public affairs, children’s educational content, and arts and culture programming, it said.
"Our goal is to leverage the assets we have established -- including the trust the American people place in us, our broad multi platform distribution channels, and our local connections in communities across the United States -- to help new and longtime public media partners meet the public’s needs,” wrote PBS.
But federal assistance is necessary in order to meet those goals, PBS told the FCC. Additional funding is necessary, especially if PBS assumes “some of the public service obligation of commercial broadcasters,” PBS wrote, noting that non-cable commercial networks no longer provide any children’s programming while PBS broadcasts 35 hours a week. “Without absolving commercial providers of their public service responsibilities, public television could leverage its assets since the current commercial system appears to be flawed,” PBS wrote.
PBS also said the FCC should consider advancing copyright reform, making it easier for pubcasters to use copyrighted material for educational purposes, and amend corporate underwriting rules to “better reflect the current media landscape.” Such an amendment, PBS wrote, would allow pubcasters to air a sponsorship message including mention of an underwriters website.