In late 2002 Community TV Trust launched its flagship project “Southwark.TV” which is PSB-nouveau … media by the people of the people for the people. Public service media par excellence. It is a web-based venture and has so far drawn together over 50 community organisations and schools across the Borough of Southwark in a focussed project to provide training and project support that may also turn consumers into producers. This is what technology has made possible and what efforts at empowering the disadvantaged desire.
New media must be involved in any consideration of PSB. Ofcom thinking has opened out – ‘national’ debate now includes ‘local’, broadcasting sits side by side with the internet and broadband. And mobile telephony too.
The public are involved, we are all media producers now. From what I see, communication is multiple, multi-faceted and multimedia. Media is, after all, the content offered in a communication, whether to broadband, a telephone or the post office, for delivery as a service …
I think we are on the edge of integrated PSB operating across traditional and new media platforms to serve in a focussed and educational way those who we know are ‘hard to reach’. What is better for PSB than to work side by side with PSM ?