Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.22572/mi.24.2.1
Between Scylla and Charybdis – Public Service Broadcasters in the Western Balkans between Commercialization and Politicization
Marko Milosavljević
; Fakultet društvenih znanosti Sveučilišta u Ljubljani
Melita Poler
Abstract
This paper identifi es the main issues of public service broadcasters (PSBs) in six countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) in the period between 2010 and 2017, using a traditional literature review approach and document analysis. The analysis confi rmed that PSBs in the region share the following (largely intertwined) issues: substantial fi nancial problems; attempts to solve their diffi cult fi nancial situations by competing with private commercial broadcasters, resulting in extensive broadcasting of entertainment content at the expense of public interest content; continuous pressure from state and political elites, resulting in editorial dependence and politically biased news content; problems adjusting to the new technological environment and delays in digitalization. These issues arise (also) from some common characteristics of the wider media and social context in the region, such as small advertising markets and potential, a lack of tradition in terms of independent countries and democracies, and positive perceptions of market forces and deregulation compared to political interference.
Keywords
Public Service Broadcasters; Western Balkans; Media Systems; Media Sustainability; Media Independence; Political Culture; Commercialization; PSB; PSM; Broadcasting; Public Television; Public Radio
Hrčak ID:
216913
URI
Publication date:
11.2.2019.
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