info for AQA A2 media new and digital media TV case study

1. British Television Broadcasting – a History of Institutional issues
Date Event/Legislation/Issue Consequence(s)
1922 Foundation of The British Broadcasting
Company
1927 The British Broadcasting Company becomes
state (government) owned and is given a
Royal charter, a set of guidelines set by the
government that dictates how it should be
run and programming should be. Its name
changes to the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) and it is funded by the
government. Concept of public Sector
Broadcasting (PSB)underpins the BBC –
defined as “a serious commitment to
programming that… deal(s) with serious
issues and which might not necessarily
attract large audiences”
The charter decreed that the BBCs
programming must serve the public
and “inform, educate and entertain”.
The BBCs first director John Reith
believed that the corporation should
make programmes that didn’t simply
seek to make profit, that broadcasting
should serve the whole community
and should be highly regulated to
make sure programmes were of high
quality. The radio (and very early TV)
programmes the BBC made reflected
this ethos and it has had a lasting
influence to this day.
1936 BBC Television broadcasting begins. There
is one channel. The first outside broadcast is
filmed in 1937. Only the very richest have
television sets.
Audience for television programmes
very small.
1939-
46
BBC television broadcasts suspended during
the war – resume in 1946.
1954-
55
The Television Act of 1954 broke the BBC’s
monopoly and established the first
commercial television service, Independent
Television (ITV). ITV started broadcasting in
1955. It received some government money
and was given permission to raise the rest of
its money through advertising. Although it
was allowed to focus on producing
programmes that had a broad popular appeal
ITV was still answerable to the government
and had to prove that its programmes were
made in the public rather than commercial
interest and were largely made in
accordance with the principles of PSB.
1955 – Television viewing exceeds radio
listening for the first time.
The BBC faces competition for the
first time. ITV programmes appeal to
more popular tastes, the BBC is
forced to react to maintain its share of
the audience.
1964 BBC2 is launched, with a strong PSB remit. BBC2 programming very much
created with PSB principles in mind,
an outlet for serious programmes that
might not necessarily attract large
audiences.

2. 1982 Channel Four begins broadcasting. It had
been set up by the government as a publicly
owned channel with a strict public service
remit to provide high quality innovative
programming that was “experimental,
creative and appeal(ed) to the tastes and
interests of a culturally diverse society”. It
was also required to commission its
programmes from independent production
companies, rather than make the in house.
Channel Four was distinctive in that it was an
institution established by the government
with very strong PSB requirements that had
to find much of its funding through
advertising.
Channel Four quickly establishes a
reputation for high quality serious and
innovative programme making very
much along PSB lines.
1986-
1989
Satellite TV broadcasting begins in Britain
with two companies offering services British
Satellite Broadcasting and Sky, they merge
in 1990 to form BSkyB. Sky starts
broadcasting from 1989.
More competition for terrestrial
channels (BBC 1&2, ITV, Channel 4).
Satellite channels not regulated and
don’t have to adhere to principles of
PSB. Able to offer programmes with
more popular appeal – poses problems
for terrestrial broadcasters, they now
have to compete in a much bigger
market.
1990 Broadcasting Act 1990 and Peacock
Committee. The Peacock committee was
asked by the government to look into UK
broadcasting, its conclusions were that PSB
requirements should be relaxed on ITV (and
to a lesser extent on the BBC and Channel
Four), ITV should be allowed to pursue more
ratings (and therefore profit) driven
programming, that TV channels must source
at least 25% of their programmes from
independent production companies.
Pressure was also put on the BBC to act in a
more commercial way.
Terrestrial TV Channels were put in
open competition with each other and
the satellite broadcasters, forced to
make more programmes that would
achieve high ratings. Critics argue
that the consequences have been a
reduction in quality or innovative
programme making and programmes
that deal with serious issues
throughout the 1990s and into the
2000s. Instead, they argue, viewers
have been left with a formulaic
approach to programme making.
Aroun
d 1995
Emergence of the internet. BBC develops large website and
starts to becomes a major player in
internet news.
1996 Broadcasting Act 1996. It laid down the
guidelines for digital broadcasting in the UK
(which started in 1998) stating that
franchises for companies to broadcast
digitally would be provided by the
government established body, The
Independent Television Commission. The
act stated that in order to secure the future of
public service broadcasting, any franchise
holders would have to provide services
offered by the terrestrial channels.
Establishes that there will be further
competition for terrestrial
broadcasters but provides them with
some protection and guarantees their
presence on digital TV

3. 1997 Channel Five begins broadcasting, it is
privately owned but is regulated by the
government and has a number of PSB
obligations.
Increased competition for terrestrial
broadcasters.
BBC develops large website and
becomes a major player in internet
news.
1998 Introduction of multi channel digital TV Increased competition for terrestrial
broadcasters.
2002 Introduction of Freeview. BBC3, BBC4,
More4, E4 created around this time.
Vastly increased the numbers of
people who were able to access multi
channel television. Has provided
competition for terrestrial
broadcasters but has also given them
new opportunities. Allowed
broadcasters to target channels at
more specific (niche) audiences.
2003 2003 Communications Act
Laid the groundwork for community radio in
the UK. Controversially relaxed the rules on
major newspaper owners taking a larger share
in ITV companies and Channel 5.
Potentially opened up parts of the
television market (cable and satellite
channels, ITV and Channel 5
companies) to ownership by already
powerful media organisations.
2006-
2007
Launch of the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4
4OD services, which enable viewers to
watch/listen to programmes via the internet.
Provides traditional broadcasters with
new opportunities.
Mid
2000s
Introduction of affordable broadband internet
connections.
Enables video content to be streamed
through the internet. Opens up new
possibilities for traditional broadcasters,
also provides them with competition as
potential viewers spend increasing
amounts of leisure time using the
internet rather than watching TV.
2006-
2007
Launch of the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4
4OD services, which enable viewers to
watch/listen to proframmes via the internet.
New portable devices (ipod/iphone/other
smartphones) emerge.
Provides traditional broadcasters with
new opportunities. New portable media
devices offer new ways for audiences
to access content and creates new
possibilities for broadcasters.
2009 James Murdoch, head of News Corporation
(owners of Sky and The Times) gives a
speech at the Edinburgh television festival
where he attacks the BBC, saying that it is too
big and provides unfair competition for
commercial newspapers and broadcasters.
He wants to see a vastly scaled down BBC.
Critics say that he wants his own company to
dominate broadcasting in the UK.
BBC put on the defensive. Causes
scrutiny of the way BBC operates and
opens up a debate on the future of the
BBC and public service broadcasting in
the UK.
2010 The BBC announces that it will reduce the size
of its website dramatically, will cut the digital
radio stations BBC 6Music and BBC Asian
Network, focus less on the teenage market
and will buy fewer imports. It says it will

4. plough the money saved into commissioning
original drama and documentary programming.
Critics say BBC is overreacting to Murdoch’s
speech of 2009. A public campaign,
conducted largely through the internet, saves
the digital radio station BBC 6Music.
2015 ?