Public Service Broadcasting Monitoring and Assessment

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Public Service BroadcastingMonitoring and
Assessment

• Vincent Curren
• Senior Vice President, Radio
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting, U.S.A.

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Public Broadcasting in USCPB

• Private, not-for-profit company formed by U.S.
  Congress in 1967.
• Board of Directors appointed by President,
  confirmed by Senate.
• Functions
• Facilitate production of programs of high
  quality, diversity, creativity, excellence, and
  innovation.
• Ensure programming is balanced and objective.
• Assure maximum freedom from interference with,
  or control of, program content or other
  activities.

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Public Broadcasting in USNetworks

• Public Broadcasting System (PBS)
• distributes television programming.
• 333 million in revenue, 24 from government.
• National Public Radio (NPR)
• creates and distributes radio programming
• 160 million in revenue
• Both are independent non-profit companies, each
  with its own management and Board of Directors

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Public Broadcasting in USStations

• Radio - 380 stations operating 700
  transmitters
• Television - 180 stations operating 300
  transmitters
• Stations are autonomous, independent of CPB and
  networks.
• They are owned by universities, private
  non-profit companies, local governments.

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U.S. Public Broadcasting Economics
Congress400 Mil.
Total Station Revenue2.6 Bil
CPB
15
5
50
20
Listeners
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Public Service BroadcastingMonitoring and
Assessment

• Vincent Curren
• Senior Vice President, Radio
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• 401 Ninth Street, N.W.
• Washington, D.C. 20004
• [phone]
• vcurren_at_cpb.org

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One Model of Station Health
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Available at www.aranet.com
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Public Service BroadcastingMonitoring and
Assessment

• Vincent Curren
• Senior Vice President, Radio
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• 401 Ninth Street, N.W.
• Washington, D.C. 20004
• [phone]
• vcurren_at_cpb.org

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• Thank the Committee on Review of Public Service
  Broadcasting
• Flattered to address International Conference on
  Public Service Broadcasting
• Been meeting w/ Committee and other International
  broadcasters.
• Topic Monitoring and Assessment of a PSB
  service.
• Unique structure of PSB in US may make me least
  qualified to comment but thanks to my
  colleagues from other countries whom Ive
  liberally stolen from.
• US is different than most PSBs. Heres brief
  background.
• SLIDES!

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Governance

• 1 Priority Get the Board right.
• Composed of influential community leaders who can
  articulate a public service broadcasting mission
  and generate support for its activities.
• No obvious selection method.
• Board roles
• Set priorities for service pgmming
  secondary..
• Demand measurable performance goals.
• Maintain relations with legislature and
  government executives.
• US Model isolate funding from content 2 boards?

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Performance Monitoring

• Audience service.
• Usage who, how much, to what? Basic ratings
  information. De-emphasize personal opinion.
• Audience perceptions
• Quality
• Fairness
• Value
• Requires ongoing program of custom research.
• But not just programming
• System financial health (e.g. NPR bankruptcy)
• Technology
• Board role openness and accountability.
  Pperiodic report to legislature and the public.

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Controversial Content

• Pre-broadcast
• See that editorial standards are in place.
• Convene meetings, provide training and resources
  to journalists.
• Post broadcast
• Invite and compile audience feedback
• Establish peer review system ombudsman or
  alternative method.

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Summarize

• Effective monitoring and assessment requires
  regular, recurring, planned research program.
• Personal opinions are prevalent, and often wrong.
  Its rare to meet a producer who thinks his or
  service is lousy. But there are plenty of lousy
  programs.
• Finally, this is a brave experiment to review and
  possibly remake PSB in HK. Hippocrates Life is
  short, the art long, opportunity fleeting,
  experiment treacherous, judgment difficult. I
  wish you and PSB in HK a long, artistic life,
  filled with sound judgment, exciting opportunity
  and wild success.
• Thank you.

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Public Service BroadcastingMonitoring and
Assessment

• Vincent Curren
• Senior Vice President, Radio
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• 401 Ninth Street, N.W.
• Washington, D.C. 20004
• [phone]
• vcurren_at_cpb.org

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Limits on Monitoring and Assessment of Programming

• CPB Board may not consider individual programming
  decisions
• Funding for producers takes form of grants, not
  contractual agreements
• CPB management may not exercise content editorial
  role.

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Monitoring Performance Assessment

• Qualifications -- stations certify
• They retain non-commercial status
• Offer general audience programming
• They meet various technical criteria
• Provide audited financial statements
• Office of Inspector General
• Reports to Board Chair and Congressional
  Committee
• Responds to inquiries from internal sources,
  public, Congress
• Audits sample of stations for compliance.

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Content Review

• Ombudsmen post-broadcast.
• PBS
• CPB
• NPR
• Open to the Public comment line.

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