An American BBC?

Just a couple of question about Dan1988's idea: Do you think that at some point there might be worries about the government interference in the media? i.e. people complaining that the government is promoting a liberal (or conservative, depending on your POV) viewpoint, or that the government is using it for propaganda, or the government is censoring news that it doesn't want people to hear.

I mean, we've already got things like that happening around NPR and PBS, if this is coming directly out of fees the people are required to pay in order to buy television sets, or whatever (I'm not quite clear on how the "license fees" work with BBC), the voices might be stronger?

Would there be a move towards privatization of the company?

This isn't really a problem in the UK as the original situation basically went along the lines of a group of individuals founded a private company that was then granted a Royal Charter to be the official Broadcaster of the United Kingdom on the condition that funding for the company shift from shares and sponsorship (with the shareholders being paid off) to a government stipend. Among the terms of the agreement was an impartiality clause.

Now this is probably the best way to go about it in America as well, though the different political structure might preclude quite the same situation.
 
This isn't really a problem in the UK as the original situation basically went along the lines of a group of individuals founded a private company that was then granted a Royal Charter to be the official Broadcaster of the United Kingdom on the condition that funding for the company shift from shares and sponsorship (with the shareholders being paid off) to a government stipend. Among the terms of the agreement was an impartiality clause.

Now this is probably the best way to go about it in America as well, though the different political structure might preclude quite the same situation.

That's one way. On the other hand, in Canada, the CBC is an outgrowth of a radio service owned by the Canadian National Railways (a Crown corporation at the time) to entertain passengers (there were even dedicated "radio cars"). It was moderately successful for its job, and was arguably better than the CRBC (which was largely a political animal that pleased no one), but of which the CBC (as the CRBC's successor) improved on and made the CRBC better. Again, one of the clauses in the Act of Parliament that created the CBC, IIRC, also included an impartiality clause.
 
This still wouldn't be government funded.

Plus, CNN is a cable station. In the '80's, at least, you can't run an Over-the-air network on just news, except maybe in the largest markets, so this alternate would have to be cable as well. And, unless it has free OTA stations, it doesn't have a chance of becoming well-watched in the U.S. -- until the 2000's, maybe.
By it I meant PBS News. It's the first 24-hour news station. And the only 24-hour news station until the 1990s, but dominates viewers.
 
Just a couple of question about Dan1988's idea: Do you think that at some point there might be worries about the government interference in the media? i.e. people complaining that the government is promoting a liberal (or conservative, depending on your POV) viewpoint, or that the government is using it for propaganda, or the government is censoring news that it doesn't want people to hear.

Oddly enough, in Britain the government of the day, of whichever side, tends to think the BBC is biased against them.

In the US, this would translate as the President always thinking the public broadcaster was out to get him. I wonder how Nixon would react?

It's possible that a publicly-funded institution would survive, especially if it's from the ealiest days of broadcast radio, but I think that there would be a problem with funding after Reagan gets elected.

Regards

R
 
By it I meant PBS News. It's the first 24-hour news station. And the only 24-hour news station until the 1990s, but dominates viewers.

Hmm, that is kind of an odd way to view CNN, IMO.

In any case, anyone want to see me write a TL based on my ideas for an alt-NBC?
 
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