Public Service Broadcasting and Deregulation in the UK

Abstract

This article describes the effect of new broadcasting techniques and of deregulatory politics in the UK. It is argued that the national style of regulation was a highly informal one with a limited use of formal law and of the courts, and that the concept of public service broadcasting has been essentially cultural. Informality of regulation has created serious problems of effectiveness and accountability, and has been undermined by the growth in the number of broadcasters. In 1988, the Thatcher government proposed important moves towards deregulation, the most important of which was to be the sale of licences for commercial broadcasting to the highest bidders. This proposal proved highly controversial as it was felt that the cash bids would divert money away from the production of quality programmes, and, as implemented in the Broadcasting Act 1990, considerable discretionary regulation was retained, notably in the `quality threshold' which bidders for licences were required to pass. The allocation of licences satisfied no-one; the amounts bid bore no relation to the value of each licence and extensive use of the quality threshold was made to disqualify bidders without any reasons being given. As a result the author concludes that there has been a failure either to achieve a market-based system or a clear development of a concept of public service broadcasting. The future shape of broadcasting will be determined by the decisions taken on the renewal of the BBC Charter in 1996, by the effect of takeovers which will in future be allowed in relation to commercial broadcasters and the development of new services subject to limited regulation.