Public service broadcasting: a best practices ... - unesdoc - Unesco

The Board—and the Corporation as a whole—is insulated from political interference by law
and strong customary practice.
France has taken a slightly different approach to the governance of PSB. As mentioned earlier,
no fewer than six companies are responsible for the provision of PSB services. All of
them are governed by a single overarching law, the 1986 Law, Relating to the Freedom of
Communication, with the individual companies being incorporated, albeit with the State as
the sole shareholder. The companies are subject to different programming obligations, which
are set out in separate charters, called cahier des charges, handed down by the government.
The 1986 law requires each of the companies to establish a 12-member Board of
Directors, with the Directors being nominated by or representing Parliament, the State, the
workforce of the company, and the main regulatory body, the Conseil Superieur de
l’Audiovisuel (CSA). The Directors enjoy three-year terms.
Parliamentary input in the structure of PSB governance is also to be found in South Africa
where the SABC has a 12-strong Board whose members are appointed by the President of
the Republic on the advice of the country’s National Assembly. The Broadcasting Act of 1999
requires the National Assembly, prior to advising the President, to publish a shortlist of candidates,
prepared in accordance with a nomination process that is transparent, open and
conducive to public participation. Members of the Board have to abide by strong conflict-ofinterest
rules and may only be removed for misconduct or inability to perform their duties,
and even then only after due inquiry by the Board. An Executive Committee, formed from
among Board members, is made responsible for the day-to-day running of the SABC.
3.7.3 Funding Mechanisms of PSBs
There is considerable variation between countries in the funding mechanisms established
for PSBs. In the United Kingdom, a substantial proportion (over 80 percent) of the revenue
for the BBC comes from a licence fee, which every person who operates a television set
within the country is legally obliged to pay. Other sources of revenue include income from
commercial activities. In respect of its World Service broadcasting, the BBC receives a direct
grant from the British Government that accounts for nearly 90 percent of that service’s budget.
Funding for both the PSBs in Australia is also provided by a direct grant from the government,
which accounts for well over 75 percent of their respective revenues. The SBS is
allowed to generate some advertisement/sponsorship revenue, but there are strict conditions
attached to such activities—advertising, for example, is only allowed to be carried for
a maximum of five minutes in any hour of broadcasting (SBS Act, s. 45). The Australian
Parliament determines the quantum of the grant based on estimates of income and expenditure
submitted to it in advance.
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