Taking the renewal of the management contract (2007—11) of Flemish PSB as a case in point, this article — by means of a policy analysis model — intends to contribute to a better understanding of the role of the technological argument of digitization in policy making and to the ongoing discussion in public and academic forums about the role and position of PSB in the 21st century. Theoretically, the article concentrates on the dominant and alternative paradigms that feed contemporary discussions regarding the possible and `legitimate' role(s) of PSB in a globalizing and digital interactive cross- and multimedia environment. Special attention is paid to the positions of technology and culture in the discourses on what constitutes a `legitimate' future for PSB, as these two aspects seem to have (re)gained momentum in the renewed debates regarding the raison d'être and accountability of PSB. This article focuses on the policy process leading up to the new management contract of Flemish PSB. In particular, it analyses the discourses of relevant stakeholders that have dominated the process and influenced the eventual outcome. To this end, desk research and close reading of relevant texts are combined with interviews with relevant actors and privileged witnesses. These findings are then evaluated against the wider international context of European discussions regarding the future of PSB and some of its core characteristics in a media world dominated by digital convergence.
Altheide, D.L. (1996) Qualitative Media Analysis, Qualitative Research Methods Series. London: SAGE.
2.
Bardoel, J. and d'Haenens, L. (2006) `Diverging Debates on PSB Prospects as to Mission, Organization and Financing: The Netherlands and Flanders Compared', paper presented at the RIPE conference in Amsterdam, November.
3.
Barnett, S. (2006) `Public Service Broadcasting: A Manifesto for Survival in the Multimedia Age (A Case Study of the BBC's New Charter)', paper presented at the RIPE conference in Amsterdam, November.
4.
Blakie, P. and Soussan, J.G. (2001) Understanding Policy Processes. Leeds: University of Leeds.
5.
Blumler, J.G. (1991) `The New Television Market Place: Imperatives, Implications, Issues', in J. Curran and M. Gurevitch (eds) Mass Media and Society, pp. 194-213. London: Edward Arnold .
6.
Blumler, J.G., ed. (1992) Television and the Public Interest: Vulnerable Values in West European Broadcasting. London: SAGE.
7.
Bourgeois, G. (2004) Beleidsnota media 2004-2009: Beleid voor een media-(r)evolutie ten dienste van de Vlaming (Media Policy Statement 2004-2009: Policy for a Media (R)evolution at the Service of The Fleming). Brussels : Flemish Government, URL (consulted 21 February 2008): http://docs.vlaanderen.be/portaal/beleidsnotas2004/bourgeois/media.pdf
8.
Bourgeois, G. (2005) Discussienota De openbare omroep in het digitale tijdperk )Green Paper: Public Service Broadcasting in the Digital Era). Brussels: Flemish Government, URL (consulted 21 February 2008): http://jsp.vlaamsparlement.be/docs/stukken/2004-2005/g449-1.pdf
9.
Cammaerts, B. and Carpentier, N. (2007) Reclaiming the Media. Communication Rights and Democratic Media Roles. Bristol: Intellect.
10.
Carpentier, N. and Van den Bulck, H. (2006) `Media Morgen. Reflecties over push en pull media' (Media Tomorrow: Reflections on Push and Pull Media) , discussion text presented at the VRT Media Morgen Conference in Antwerp, May.
11.
Cjsm (2005) Flemish Parliament Report Committee Meeting 3 May 2005, URL (consulted 21 February 2008): http://jsp.vlaamsparlement.be/docs/stukken/2004-2005/g288-1.pdf
12.
Cjsm (2006) Flemish Parliament Report Hearing 26 January 2006, URL (consulted 21 February 2008): http://jsp.vlaamsparlement.be/docs/stukken/2005-2006/g663-2.pdf
13.
Coppens, T. (2005) Opdracht volbracht? Een studie naar de taken van de VRT (Mission Accomplished? A Study of the Tasks of VRT). Brussels: Flemish Media Council.
14.
D'Arma, A. (2007) `Digital Switchover in Italy: An Analysis of Government Policies 1996-2006', paper presented at the ICA conference in San Francisco, May.
15.
De Bens, E. (2001) `Flanders in the Spell of Commercial Television' , European Journal of Communication6(2): 235-44.
16.
d'Haenens, L. and Bink, S. (2001) `Digital Convergence: The Development of a New Media Market in Europe', in L. d'Haenens and F. Saeys (eds) Western Broadcasting at the Dawn of the 21st Century, pp. 125-45. Berlin/ New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
17.
d'Haenens, L. and Saeys, F., eds (2007) Western Broadcast Models: Structure, Conduct and Performance. Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
18.
Dhoest, A. and Van den Bulck, H., eds (2007) De openbare omroep in Vlaanderen: Een geschiedenis (Public Service Broadcasting in Flanders: A History). Ghent: Academia Press.
19.
EBU ( 2003) Media with a Purpose. Public Service Broadcasting in the Digital Age. Report of the EBU Digital Strategy Group. Geneva: EBU.
20.
Flemish Government (2006) Beheersovereenkomst 2007-2011 tussen de VRT en de Vlaamse Gemeenschap: De taken van de openbare omroep in het digitale tijdperk (Management Contract 2007-2011 between VRT and the Flemish Community: PSB Tasks in the Digital Era). Brussels: VRT.
21.
Galparin, H. (2004) New Television, Old Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
22.
Hoffmann-Riem, W. (1996) Regulating Media: The Licensing and Supervision of Broadcasting in Six Countries. London: Guilford Press.
23.
Hultén, O. (2007) `Between Vanishing Concept and Future Model: Public Service Broadcasting in Europe on the Move', in W.A. Meier and J. Trappel (eds) Power, Performance and Politics, pp. 197-222. Baden-Baden: Nomos.
24.
Hutchinson, D. (1999) Media Policy: An Introduction. London: Blackwell.
25.
Iosifidis, P. (2006) `DTT and the Role of PSBs in Driving Digital Switchover' , paper presented at the RIPE conference in Amsterdam , November.
26.
Jacubowicz, K. (2006) `PSB: The Beginning Of the End, or a New Beginning in the 21st Century?'paper presented at the RIPE conference in Amsterdam, November.
27.
Kim, P. (2001) `New Media, Old Ideas: The Organizing Ideology of Interactive TV', Journal of Communication Inquiry25(1): 72-88.
28.
Kleinsteuber, H.J. (2007) `A Difficult Road: The Diffusion of Digital Radio and Television in Europe', in W.A. Meier and J. Trappel (eds) Power, Performance and Politics, pp. 223-39. Baden-Baden: Nomos.
29.
Lauwers, B. (2004) `Media-oorlog kent nieuwe opstoot' (Media War Witnesses New Vigour), De Tijd, 15 October.
30.
Lawson-Borders, G. (2006) Media Organisations and Convergence. London: Lawrence Erlbaum.
31.
Leurdijk, A. (2006) `Public Service Broadcasting Dilemmas and Regulation in a Converging Media Landscape', paper presented at the RIPE conference in Amsterdam, November.
32.
Leys, C. (2001) Market Driven Politics: Neo-liberal Democracy and the Public Interest. London: Verso .
33.
Lukàcs, M. (2006) `Educational Broadcasting in a Digital World', paper presented at the RIPE conference in Amsterdam, November.
34.
McLuhan, M. (1967) The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
35.
McQuail, D. and Siune, K., eds (1998) Media Policy: Convergence, Concentration and Commerce. London: SAGE.
36.
Mary, T. (2006) Toespraak bij de nieuwjaarsreceptie van de VRT 9 januari (Speech at VRT's New Years reception, 9 January), Brussels: VRT, URL (consulted 21 February 2008): http://www.vrt.be/extra/COM-060104-NIEUWJAARSPEECH-final2%20persC.pdf
37.
Michaelis, M. (2007) `PSB, Market Failure, and New Technologies: The View from the EU', paper presented at the IAMCR conference in Paris, July.
38.
Negroponte, N. (1996) Being Digital. New York: Vintage.
39.
Nissen, C. (2006) Public Service Media in the Information Society. Report prepared for the Group of Specialists on Public Service Broadcasting in the Information Society (MCS-PSB). Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
40.
stergaard, B., ed. (1997) The Media in Western Europe: The Euromedia Handbook. London : SAGE.
41.
Pauwels, C. and De Vinck, S. (2007) `De publieke omroep in nauwe schoentjes? Een blik op de impact van het liberaliseringsbeleid van de EU op de Europese Openbare omroepen' (Public Service Broadcasting In Tight Shoes? A Look at the impact of EU liberalisation policies on European Public Service Broadcasting), in A. Dhoest and H. Van den Bulck (eds) De publieke omroep in Vlaanderen. Een geschiedenis (Public Service Broadcasting in Flanders. A History), pp. 132-65. Ghent: Academia Press.
42.
POF ( 2004) Memorandum: Naar een level playing field voor private en publieke omroepen in Vlaanderen (Memorandum: Towards a Level Playing Field for Private and Public Service broadcasters in Flanders). Brussels: POF, URL (consulted 21 February 2008): http://www.iradio.be/files/bestanden/POFmemorandum.pdf
43.
Quaghebeur, P. (2004) Interview with VMMa chairman Peter Quaghebeur, 26 October, URL (consulted 21 February 2008): http://www.iradio.be/item/peter-quaghebeur-over-het-einde-van-de-pax-media
44.
Raad voor Cultuur (2005) Democratie, cultuur, kunst en de Vrt: Advies van de Raad voor Cultuur met betrekking tot de beheersovereenkomst van de VRT (Democracy, Culture, Art and VRT: Advice of the Cultural Council with regards to the VRT Management Contract), URL (consulted 21 February 2008): http://vrt.vlaanderen.be/vrt/static/resultaten/organisaties/Raad%20voor%20Cultuur.pdf
45.
Siune, K. and Truetzchler, W., eds (1992) Dynamics of Media Politics: Broadcasting and Electronic Media in Western Europe. London : SAGE.
46.
Smith, P. and Steemers, J. (2007) `BBC To the Rescue: Digital Switchover and the Reinvention of Public Service Broadcasting in Britain', Javnost - The Public14(1): 39-56.
47.
Sparks, C. (2000) `The Panic over Tabloid News', in C. Sparks and J. Tulloch (eds) Tabloid Tales: Global Debates over Media Standards , pp. 1-40. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
48.
Sreberni-Mohammadi, A. (1997) Media in a Global Context: A Reader. London: Arnold.
49.
Steemers, J. (1998) Changing Channels: The Prospects for Television in a Digital World. Luton: University of Luton Press.
50.
Tracey, M. (1998) The Decline and Fall of Public Service Broadcasting . Oxford: Oxford University Press .
51.
Trappel, J. (2007) `Towards the Upper Limit: Structure and Policy of Emerging Online Media in Europe', in W.A. Meier and J. Trappel (eds) Power, Performance and Politics, pp. 123-40. Baden-Baden: Nomos.
52.
Uyttendaele, C. and Braeckevelt, D. (2007) Interview by the author with Minister Bourgeois' Cabinet Workers Responsible for the VRT Management, Brussels : January.
53.
Van Cuilenburg, J. and McQuail, D. (2003) `Media Policy Paradigm Shifts: Towards a New Communications Policy Paradigm', European Journal of Communication18(2): 181-97.
54.
Van den Bulck, H. (2000a) `The Economic Rationale behind the Mass Media Industry and Market Today: Facts and Figures', in B. Pattyn (ed.) Media Ethics: Opening Social Dialogue, pp. 227-46. Leuven: Peeters.
55.
Van den Bulck, H. (2000b) `De rol van de publieke omroep in het project van de moderniteit: Een analyse van de bijdrage van de Vlaamse publieke televisie tot de creatie van een nationale cultuur en identiteit' (`The Role of Public Service Broadcasting In the Project of Modernity: An Analysis of the Contribution of Flemish Public Service Television to the Creation of a National Culture and Identity'), Doctoral Dissertation in Social Sciences, Catholic University of Leuven.
56.
Van den Bulck, H. (2001) `Public Service Television and National Identity as a Project of Modernity: The Example of Flemish Television', Media, Culture & Society23(1): 53-69.
57.
Van den Bulck, H. (2002) `Tools for Studying the Media', in C. Newbold, O. Boyd-Barrett and H. Van den Bulck (eds) The Media Book, pp. 55-100. London: Edward Arnold .
58.
Van der Borght, L. (1997) `Van BRTN naar VRT' (From BRTN to VRT), Mediagids Audiovisueel: Radio en Televisie, pp. 33-46. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
59.
Van Goethem, H. (2004) `Anti-VRT-nota verdeelt commerciële zenders' (Questioning the Usefulness of Minister Bourgeois' VRT Survey), De Morgen 15 October.
60.
Van Goethem, H. (2005) `Vragen bij nut VRT-enquête van minister Bourgeois' (Usefulness of Minster Bourgeois' VRT Survey Questioned), De Morgen, 11 April 2005.
61.
Van Gompel, R., Van den Bulck, H. and Biltereyst, D. (2002) `Media Industries', in C. Newbold, O. Boydt-Barrett and H. Van den Bulck (eds) The Media Book, pp. 162-211. London: Edward Arnold .
62.
Van Thillo, C. (2005) `Tweespraak: Digitale kanalen: publiek of privaat?' (Dialogue: Digital Channels: Public or Private?), in Wijzer: Ruimte voor ideeën (Index, Room for Ideas), URL (consulted 21 February 2008): http://www.wijzers.be/2006/06/tweespraak-digitale-kanalen-publiek-of-privaat/
63.
Verhoest, K. and Legrain, A. (2005) Handleiding beheersovereenkomsten. Deel 1: processen en actoren (Management Contract Manual. Part 1: Processes and Actors). Leuven, Steunpunt Bestuurlijke Organisatie Vlaanderen , rapport D/2005/10106/021.
64.
VRT (2005) Visienota over de evolutie van de VRT naar een digitale Openbare Omroep (Green Paper about the Evolution of the VRT towards a Digital Public Service Broadcaster). Brussels: VRT.
