This document discusses the concept of public service and the role of the BBC. It notes that a public service is a service provided by the government to its citizens, either directly through the public sector or by financing services. It then discusses how this relates to media and what citizens expect to receive. The document examines whether entertainment should be considered a right. It also outlines the BBC's role in delivering services, achieving social outcomes, and maintaining trust and legitimacy. Finally, it discusses wider issues like competition from commercial broadcasters and the need to consider the public interest regarding competition and potential benefits to consumers.

1. Year 12 Btec
Public Service Ethos

2. What is a Public Service?
 A public service is a service which is provided
by government to people living within its
jurisdiction, either directly (through the public
sector) or by financing provision of services.

3. What does this mean for media?
 What do you EXPECT to be given?

4. Is Entertainment a right?
 What do the BBC offer?

5. The Role of the BBC: Theory
 The elements of modern accountability
 In his exposition of public value, Moore (1995)
emphasises three aspects of performance for
public agencies:
 — delivering actual services
 — achieving social outcomes
 — maintaining trust and legitimacy of the agency.
It is trust and legitimacy that encourages
compliance (at the least) and active cooperation (at
the best) between citizens and state agencies, and
underpins the raising of public money to fund
collective enterprises that the market would not
otherwise provide (Talbot 2008).

6. Wider Issues
 At the same time, serving the public also makes it
important to consider the wider impact of the BBC.
The BBC has competed with commercial
broadcasters for many years. Independent Television
(ITV) was created as a rival in 1954, followed by
commercial radio (1973) Channel 4 (1981), BSkyB
(1990) and Five (1997). This commercial interaction
has intensified as the BBC, other broadcasting and
print organisations in the UK and elsewhere, UK
communications companies and major US technology
companies have come to compete increasingly in
online content. The rapid evolution of online
technologies and consequent shifts in viable business
models and market structure, including the evolution
of new markets, all demands careful consideration.

7.  The public clearly want the maximum ‘bang for
their buck’ from the investment they make in the
BBC. Yet the public also benefit from the plurality
of broadcasters, in terms of news, current affairs
and creative competition. In making judgements
about the public interest, the Trust needs to
consider the potential benefits to consumers of
competition in the wider market. The BBC
Agreement therefore states that ‘the Trust must
be satisfied that any likely adverse impact on the
market is justified by the likely public value of the
change before concluding that the proposed
change should be made’ (Department for Culture,

9. Quick Questions
 Which five programme types do you consider the
most important for the main channels to prove for
the good of society as a whole?
 Which five programme types you consider most
valuable to you?
News Current Affairs Serious Factual Programmes
Programmes of an educational nature Sport
Children’s News about my region/nation Soaps
Drama Films Entertainment Religious
Comedy Current affairs about my region/nation
Arts/Classical Music

10. Are you in
agreement?

11. Survey
 What programmes last week were public service?
 Both BBC and Channel 4?
 Why Channel 4?