DGA publish public service broadcasting proposals

DGA Consulting has posted a discussion document on public service broadcasting on its website and is inviting comments.
The document proposes that intervention in broadcast content needs a firm theoretical basis and a means of determining whether its social benefits justify its costs. It offers grounds on which public intervention in broadcasting content may be justified and suggests ways in which the impact of these interventions can be monitored and tested.
The discussion paper identifies two grounds for regulating the content of broadcasting, over and beyond the rules on taste, decency and accuracy that apply to other media. These are ‘market failure’ and ‘merit goods’.
Market failure is about a failure to give particular groups of people what they want because of weaknesses in the structure of a specific market.
Merit goods is about the provision of things that are good for the community as a whole, but for which an individual might not be willing to pay.
The second stage in the discussion document stresses the need for continuous cost benefit analysis and explores the kinds of impact tests that might be appropriate.
DGA Consulting is the policy division of David Graham & Associates Limited.
The discussion document on PSB can be seen at http://www.dganet.co.uk/PSB.html.
(GB)