In the Service of the Public - Functions and Transformation of Media in Developing Countries

"The transformation of state broadcasters to public service media (PSM) is one of the most ambitious endeavors in the field of media development. It is an enormous task to work with state broadcasters that are controlled by the government and effectively act as its mouthpiece, and to support them on their way to becoming independent media, working on the public's behalf."

This second DW Akademie Edition examines the transformation of state propaganda instruments into public service media (PSM) through case studies of transformation processes for state broadcasters and independent media organisations in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia, Mongolia, Moldova, Myanmar, Serbia, Nigeria, Nepal, Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador. It considers individual cases of former government mouthpieces being turned into media that operate on behalf of the people in their country. Alternatives are also taken into consideration: private and community media that operate in the service of the public. The study also assesses the role media development actors have played and in which methodological setting they have placed their interventions. Finally, recommendations for the practice of media development are made.

Instead of defining PSM at the outset, this study takes a broad and explorative approach. On this approach, (transformed) state broadcasters - or other media that operate on behalf of the public - fulfill 2 societal functions: First, "creating a public sphere", which includes political functions such as comprehensive balanced news, political expression, social orientation, criticism, moderation of debate, agenda setting, and local generation of content. And second, "supporting integration", which includes social functions such as cultural expression, empowerment, entertainment, education, and innovation. Four different types of media are differentiated with regard to the public service ethos:

1. Media outlets that remain state media. These outlets generally fail to deliver basic journalistic services such as objective and balanced news or criticism of those in power. But in many cases, they do support the integration of society by strengthening cultural cohesion and expression. In addition, they offer educational and entertaining content. In many countries, these media are the only ones with a network able to reach the whole population. They are often accepted by the population because they stand for national unity, integration, and the respect for minorities. (See the case studies of Afghanistan and Namibia.)
2. PSM in initial transformation. These media offer basic informational services and forums for public debate. They let the opposition speak, and they offer some societal criticism and orientation. They also support the integration of society through programming for cultural cohesion and expression, education, and entertainment. They integrate citizens in their programming and win the trust and the engagement of their audiences. They have a legal basis including a public service remit and an independent, plural governing body that includes civil society. (See the case studies of Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.)
3. PSM in advanced transformation. Some media that have undergone a process of transformation also offer their audiences objective and independent news journalism, forums for public debate, social orientation, and criticism. However, criticism of the government is still rare, as is agenda setting and in-depth journalism. (See the case studies of Moldova and Serbia.)
4. Alternative Public Service Media (APSM). This study presents cases of exceptional private commercial media and community media. While comparable in their fulfillment of key functions to "PSM in advanced transformation", most of the APSM offer their services only to a selected segment of the country or community. They do not as a rule have a governing board that represents different parts of society. Nonetheless, they have a clear and institutional commitment to professional journalism standards and to servicing a broader public. They may take over roles as neutral and independent actors in society (while still pursuing specific community radio agendas or commercial interests in other parts). There are also cases where small media have professionalised their work and the structure of their organisation in order to deliver better services to the public. (See the case studies from Nigeria, Nepal, Serbia, and Bolivia.)

The country case studies in a nutshell:

• Afghanistan: The transformation process of the state broadcaster RTA has failed due to lack of perseverance on the media development side and reform fear and confusion on the Afghan side.
• Kyrgyzstan: In 2012, the media development organisation Internews initiated an attempt to turn the former Kyrgyzstani state broadcaster OTRK into a genuine PSM outlet. A newly established independent supervisory board that includes civil society members is working towards more audience participation. A lot of work, however, still needs to be done to improve the quality and independence of the programming.
• Namibia: Though the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) remains a state broadcaster, it has undergone some serious reforms and produces a variety of programming in 10 languages. "Its reporting is biased and controversial subjects are excluded from talk-shows. Nonetheless, NBC plays a vital role in delivering core public services to the people, in particular to poorer parts of the population."
• Mongolia: In 9 years of transformation from a state media outlet to a public broadcaster, the Mongolian National Broadcaster (MNB) has undergone a change process. A number of media development actors were and still are active here (e.g., Swedish SIDA and DW Akademie. MNB offers a wide range of programmes to enhance public debate.
• Moldova: "The former state broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova (TRM) has transformed, largely through institutional reform, to fulfill important public service functions. The content of informational programs has become much more balanced and independent. With its new programs and talk shows, TRM is creating a public sphere open to debate. DW Akademie and Soros Foundation have both supported this process."
• Myanmar: The transformation process of the state broadcaster MRTV was launched in 2012 by the government. Since then, a consortium of international media development organisations has been working jointly to support MRTV. Challenges include the struggle for a legislative framework and the lack of public trust in this state broadcaster. However, the new National Races Channel (NRC) is a TV channel committed exclusively to ethnic minorities.
• Serbia: Both the privately-owned B92 and the public broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) have managed to serve as public service media. "RTS is an example of the very successful transformation of a state outlet with the help of a media development organization: BBC Media Action....Nonetheless, RTS has not yet attained the innovative force of B92 in the 1990s."
• Nigeria: Freedom Radio, a privately-owned commercial radio station based in the northern Nigerian city of Kano, is an example of how private media can take over some functions of PSM in an environment in which only state-run and private media exist. It has some of the features of community radio - involving local audiences, giving a voice to local issues and concerns - but it goes beyond that. Freedom Radio has won the support of a broad segment of the population.
• Nepal: "In 1997, Radio Sagamartha went on air as the first of today's 250 community radio stations in Nepal. As a vehicle for social mobilization, the station is raising its voice to discuss many hidden issues or taboo topics in society, reflecting the shortcomings of Nepal's fledgling democracy. This case shows how much community media in Asia can achieve on behalf of the public in the absence of public service media, but also what their limitations ultimately are."
• Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador: Radio Pio XII in Bolivia, Radio Intag in Ecuador, and Vokaribe in Colombia "show that community media can make a very significant contribution to pluralism in the media, to the empowerment of local communities, the construction of multiple identities, the sense of local belonging, and the defense of human rights, especially the right to freedom of expression and of access to information. In spite of the fact that community radio fulfills the important public functions of social integration and the building of a public sphere, it can and should not substitute public service media."

Some key findings and recommendations from the study:

• Public service broadcasting is a model for success in western Europe, but that's not as true in other parts of the world. Previous attempts to apply German and British public service models were naïve and failed. However, if you look at individual cases, it is possible to strengthen PSM by creating political and legal structures, strengthening quality journalism, and including the public.
• Media development can be very important in transformation processes, but only if the sectors affected are willing to take part - governments, political elites, civil society organisations, media outlet management and staff, and the public at large. Some of the problems of intended transformation processes in the past are related to the approaches of media development actors and their donors themselves. In many cases, there was a lack of long-term planning and coordination between the international organisations. Very few dedicated frameworks for needs assessment, planning, monitoring, and evaluations have been put in place. Often, media development organisations have limited themselves to capacity building and newsroom consultancy, not addressing structural change in governing bodies, political and legal frameworks, and participation of civil society. An agenda of cooperation and a strategic plan for reform needs to be developed for an intervention to be successful. In addition, a maximum of local expertise should be included.
• When planning an intervention, media development actors need to carefully analyse the potential of both PSM and APSM to act on behalf of the public in a given country. Ideally, a media landscape has both PSM and APSM in fruitful competition: the PSM offering a broader set of services, and the APSM being more innovative and adapting better to the needs of specific communities and audiences. In countries where the reform of state media towards PSM is not realistic, the support of media with the potential to become APSM is important to foster journalism with a public service ethos in order to help the people exert their right to information. If the goal for media development is to strengthen public service ideals, its perspective has to be extended beyond state broadcaster transformation.
• In terms of methodological approaches, trainings and short-term consultations are not enough. More efforts from media development need to be directed towards the improvement of legal frameworks for the media in general and PSM in particular. To advance in this area, international actors need to build legal expertise, find strong partners in civil society, and support projects for lobbying and advocacy. The voices of those who work towards a general political climate that is in favour of PSM and community media need to be strengthened. Such opportunities were seized in the cases of Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, and Myanmar. Here, contributions were made to lawmaking processes and the establishment of more independent governing bodies of the PSM.
• Media development actors have so far engaged in serious organisational development only in a few cases. Fully-fledged processes of organisational change should include the establishment of a strategy group, a steering committee, and a process operation in different phases. Some organisational transformation processes are described in a dedicated chapter at the end of the study as a contribution to the discussion on the way forward.
• New ways need to be explored to bring PSM and their audiences closer together. Participation does not only mean being heard in a discussion but also actively shaping the way the interaction takes place. Furthermore, citizens need to be informed and involved in debate - not only on current affairs and issues of relevance to them, but also about the mission, ambitions, and opportunities of their PSM. One way of doing this is to integrate the younger generation into new projects, for example, with youth formats and channels including new media. In doing so, however, it needs to be assured that the older generations are fully supportive of such a policy.
• Media development actors need to engage in a broad process of learning themselves. This means, first of all, a broad engagement in monitoring, evaluation, and research. Based on this, they can work towards well-grounded strategic criteria on why they choose a particular process in a given situation. A change in perspective is needed. Instead of saying only "This is what we offer," the questions "What is needed here?" and "Who can provide it best?" should be asked more often.

Overall, the study finds that PSM should be given more attention in media development. "International partnerships can rise to the challenge by further building their own capacity in the face of complex media landscapes. The places and times, strategies and processes need to be well chosen. Not always, but in some selected cases, broader transformation interventions have turned out to be successful." It is suggested that the additional opportunities for APSM in a given country need to be carefully weighed as to the potential to support integration and the creation of a public sphere. "After all, in a time of fundamental changes of the media in general and a crisis of journalism in particular, the old public service idea still offers a financially sustainable model: Media that act in the service of the public and that are financed by the public. They can integrate different parts of society, deliver reliable and balanced information, and speak truth to those in power."