Voices of Leaders from the Public Broadcasters International Conference (PBI Tokyo 2022) [Part IV]

What are the challenges public broadcasters around the world are facing today as they make their digital transition to expand their service beyond traditional broadcasting? What roles do they deem essential for them to take on in the changing information ecosystem? We interviewed six representatives of public service media who attended the Public Broadcasters International (PBI) annual meeting held in November 2022 in Tokyo, to learn from their insights. The last installment of this series features interviews with Catherine Tait, President and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada), and Petr Dvořák, Director-General of Czech Television (Česká televize, ČT). CBC/Radio-Canada president Tait named the decline in trust as the most urgent issue, pointing to disinformation propagated by social media as its main cause. To counter disinformation, she said CBC/Radio-Canada is taking part in international collaborations, producing online and television shows to explain to the public what's false and what's true, and working to strengthen people’s media literacy. Ms. Tait also stressed the need for media organizations to explain the process of journalism and ensure transparency to gain trust. She said the benefit of public funding allows public service media not to chase numbers but to go deeper in their reporting, to be ready to take risks to push societies forward, and to bring to light true stories of history to share and generate conversations. ČT’s Dvořák considers the three main issues crucial to all public service media are: independence, stable and sustainable funding, and staying apace with the evolution of media landscape. He sees public service media which provides information that can be trusted, free and independent of political and commercial interests, as an anchor for the people and a pillar of democracy. According to Mr. Dvořák, approximately 90% of ČT’s budget consists of license fees which has remained unchanged for 14 years. The financial restrictions combined with the jump in inflation compelled ČT to reduce its service in the past year. Still, he says that the license fees system is vital in connecting people directly with the service provider and that household license fee contributions demonstrate how people understand and appreciate the value of ČT’s service.