CONVERGENT PUBLIC MEDIA SERVICE

The unstoppable advance of technology has brought about major changes at the socio-economic level that affect, among other things, the developments and the changes in the media industry. Technological advances have enabled the emergence of a new multimedia environment that has wiped out the traditional boundaries between telecommunications, audiovisual industry and informatics. These advances have been most propitious for the media pluralism and diversity. Due to the interactivity they enable, the individual is no longer a passive user of the media content. Owing to the accelerated process of the production of contents and services, the media market has become strikingly competitive, and the increasing selection of specialized contents has fragmented audiences, causing a drop in the revenues from advertising. These changes have left their mark both on the commercial media and the public service whose choice of programs has conspicuously changed, while the drop in the size of audiences brings into doubt the legitimacy of the compulsory subscription fee and consequently the financial health i.e. survival of this public service. The public broadcasting service is faced with a more pronounced identity crisis. Its future can be secured only if it is redefined or restructured and if a new, convergent, multimedia, interactive public service enables citizens to access a broad range of information, knowledge and entertainment.