Traditional public service media values and functions in a changing environment : a qualitative study

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Msc Business Administration – Thesis Entrepreneurship and Management in the Creative Industries

University of Amsterdam – Master Thesis Jip Verwiel – 10879188

Supervisor - Matthijs Leendertse 26-01–2018

Words - 17.304

Traditional public service media values and functions in a changing environment: a qualitative

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4.2.1. Fragmentation 43 4.2.2. Digitization 44 4.3. Solutions 48 4.3.1. Monitorial citizenship 48 4.3.2. Networked journalism 50 4.4. Pitfalls 54 4.4.1. Social order 54 4.4.2. Commercialization 54 4.4.3. Platformization 56 5. Discussion 58 5.1. Summary of findings 58 5.2. Discussion 60 5.2.1. Values 60 5.2.2. Challenges 60 5.2.3. Solutions 62 5.2.4. Pitfalls 63 5.3. Implications 64

5.4. Limitations and further research 66

6. Conclusion 68

7. References 70

8. Appendix 74

8.1. Expert interviews: Expert overview 74

8.2. Interview protocol 75

8.3. Interview 1: Willem van Thiel 78

8.4. Interview 2: Dink Binnendijk 93

8.5. Interview 3: Barbara Marchal 111

8.6. Interview 4: Maike Olij 120

8.7. Interview 5: Gert-Jan Bogaerts 134

8.8. Interview 6: Finus Tromp 146

8.9. Interview 7: Tineke van der Velde-Zijlstra 162 8.10. Interview 8: Joost van Liere & Sophie Peters 172

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Abstract

Public broadcasting is a valuable public good that aims to benefit society in multiple ways. Traditionally, values such as diversity, identity, reliability, information provision, transparency, socialization, etc. are seen as characteristics that distinguishes public broadcasting from commercial broadcasting. In a time where changes in society, consumer habits and media environments are in rapid succession, these traditional values are no longer unconditionally secure. Therefore, new strategic elements are implemented in the organization of public broadcasting. New channels and platforms for broadcasting are to be discovered, audiences are approached in different ways and roles of journalists and broadcasting associations are changing. 

This thesis aimed to discover how new ways of organizing the Dutch public broadcasting system affects the traditional values that are ascribed to Dutch public broadcasters. Since there are academic concerns about how to ensure societal values in changing, digital, environments, it is interesting to see how this process takes place in the broadcasting sphere. This thesis studied the history, importance, current situation, threats and challenges of the Dutch public broadcasting system in order to answer the following research question; How can the Dutch public broadcasting system safeguard it’s public values in a digital environment? 

Implications of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of current ongoing developments in the Dutch public broadcasting system and aim to contribute to the understanding of modern societal challenges. A reassessment of professional journalistic values is necessary in order to legitimize the existence of public broadcasters in a changing environment where competition is increasing. Organizational implications and new strategies in the creation and distribution of content will be introduced in order to safeguard traditional valuable characteristics of public broadcasting associations.  

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Statement of originality

This document is written by Student Jip Theodorus Jan Verwiel, who declares to take full responsibility for the contents of this document.

I declare that the text and the work presented in this document is original and that no sources other than those mentioned in the text and its references have been used in creating it.

The Faculty of Economics and Business is responsible solely for the supervision of completion of the work, not for the contents.

Jip Verwiel

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1. Introduction

In 2012 the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) published a report, vision 2020, that presented the challenges and changes that members of the union will have to address to the next couple of years. The EBU is the world’s leading alliance of public service media (PSM) with members from 56 different countries and has an audience reach of over one billion people around the world. The main goal of this strategic alliance is to strengthen PSM around the world and to make it indispensable (website EBU, 2017). Fundamental and on-going changes in audience behaviour, technologies, media markets and societies forced the union to redefine the future of PSM, to identify the challenges that have to be tackled and to plan changes that have to be made in order to assure the future of public broadcasting worldwide. Vision 2020 summarizes the main findings of a major study and suggests recommendations that the members might implement (EBU Vision 2020, 2012). During this master thesis project a qualitative explorative study has been conducted in order to gain understanding of how the current context of public broadcasting is changing in the Netherlands. The last decade is characterized by numerous ongoing developments that changed the concept of traditional society. Of course, these changes are broad and diverse, so for this project two major developments have been highlighted that are particularly relevant for the context of public broadcasters, namely transformation of society and transformation of media. Transformation of society refers to fragmentation, individualization, globalization and urbanization. This includes less collective participation, more individual involvement, less interest in politics and established institutions and a more and more multi-cultural society that asks for a more responsive government (Bardoel & d’Haenens, 2008). In the Netherlands a shift occurred from the traditional welfare state (verzorgingsstaat) towards a more civil society where citizens have a more active and participative role, which is one of the most significant illustration of transformation of society that is relevant for public broadcasters (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016).

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Transformation of media is characterized by digitization and convergence. The way audiences use media has changed with the arrival of online media platforms. People can use different media side by side and are empowered to make use of digital media on their own terms and in manners of their own choosing. For PSM this means that they have to think beyond existing media and distribution modes in order to ensure their role in a predominantly commercially run online communication context (Bardoel & d’Haenens, 2008).

The theoretical chapter of this thesis elaborates on the concepts of fragmentation of society and digitization of media, and explains how these ongoing developments affect public service broadcasters (PSB). These two major developments have many implications for traditional PSM and as the EBU report shows, these changes ask for a new structural organisation of PSM in order to sustain valuable as a public good. There is a common understanding of the need for a transition towards a more networked approach of PSM where cooperation and participation with citizens and cultural organizations are more valued (Glowacki, 2014). Similar transitions have proven to be valuable in other (semi-) public domains such as transportation, healthcare and education, but have also lead to questions about how to secure social order and traditional public values (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016). The goal of this thesis was to analyze how the values that characterize the traditional role of public broadcasters could be safeguarded in a transition towards a digital environment where broadcasters are expected to engage in network-structures and to be more responsive to diverse citizens. This thesis aimed to investigate how the transition that the Dutch public broadcasting association, Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO), desires (CBP 2016-2020, 2015), could be organized in a way that the traditional values and social functions of the NPO will not be affected. This explorative study intended to answer the following research question;

How can the Dutch public broadcasting system safeguard it’s public values in a digital

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This thesis introduces academic insights on the role and importance of PSM. Throughout this analysis, three main values of the Dutch public broadcasting system have been identified, which serve as leading principles for this thesis. To understand the need for change, a critical look at the current position of PSM is necessary. This thesis examines different challenges, threats and opportunities that put pressure on the main values of public broadcasters. Hereafter, the new reality of media will be discussed in order to gain insight on what the transition towards a new way of organizing public broadcasting will look like and finally the pitfalls of this new approach will be identified.

Studies that have been used throughout this thesis focused on the role and importance of PSM. However since most of these articles come from relatively old studies, Bardoel & d’Haenens (2008), Blumler & Hoffmann-Riem (1992) and O’Hagan & Jennings (2003), they only partially explain the current position broadcasters find themselves in. Other insights about the challenges and possibilities of new types of media had a more general focus on the role of social platforms and digital media consumption and production, Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal (2016), Gillmor (2004) and Beckett & Mansell (2008). Since there is a lot of academic theory on roles and values of PSB on the one hand, and modern media developments on the other hand, there is need for a new critical research about the position of PSB in modern digital environments.  

This thesis focused on the Dutch public broadcasting organisation, the NPO. Data from the general website of the NPO and information from the Concessie Beleidsplan 2016-2020 (CBP) have been used in order to achieve insight in the changes that the NPO is planning for the upcoming years. This CBP summarizes the main strategic choices that the NPO will implement in an attempt to keep up with the trends of fragmentation and digitization (CBP 2016-2020, 2015). Throughout this thesis several references have been made in order to connect theoretical insights to the practical situation that the NPO finds itself in.  

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2. Theoretical Framework

This theoretical chapter offers a wide perspective on the traditional, current and possible upcoming positions that public service broadcasting find itself in. In order to understand the current concerns about the future direction of PSM it is important to understand how public broadcasting is traditionally valued. Social and public values that characterize PSM will be outlined and the historical position of PSM in society will be discussed. Three main values of public broadcasting will be examined that will serve as a guideline throughout this thesis, namely diversity, information provision and identity.

After this introduction, the main challenges that PSM are currently facing will be discussed from different perspectives. Once the current situation of public broadcasting is clarified and the most significant challenges, threats and opportunities are analyzed, this theoretical chapter offers potential directions that guide the transition of PSM. Different insights from academics, experts and insights from related social domains, guide public broadcasters towards a new way of organizing PSM. In this framework these perspectives will be united in a concept that will be introduced as the networked society approach of organizing public broadcasting.  

This chapter will finish with an introduction of the main underlying subject of this thesis, namely how to secure the traditional societal values of PSM in the transition towards a more networked society approach of organizing public broadcasting. The main concerns of experts and academics will be explained in order to locate the pitfalls of the desired networked society approach of organizing Dutch PSB.

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2.1. The importance of public broadcasting

 

Reuters Institute for Study of Journalism (2013) launched a publication about the future of public service television, similar to the Vision 2020 report. This Reuters publication is sourced on a symposium where different perspectives were discussed and presented in order to critically assess the present state of PSM. Weeds (2013) starts this report with an analysis of the importance of public broadcasting in general. Weeds (2013) argues that television is a public good, because it is non-excludable and non-rival in consumption. Therefore public broadcasting serves a broader social purpose, more than just a matter for the individual consumer, it is a powerful medium for conveying messages to mass audience. The character of these messages can be used in order to achieve social benefits as a positive externality of broadcasting (Weeds, 2013).

The Vision 2020 report introduces the concept of Return on Society (RoS) to explain the social benefits that Weeds explains. RoS refers to the various positive effects that PSM deliver. Positive impacts of content and services offered by public broadcasters can be measured at three levels, namely the level of society, group and individual. At the level of society, broadcasters should offer a platform for information and debate while diverse national and cultural identities are represented in order to support social cohesion, promote local culture and preserve cultural heritage on the group and society level. In this way, group cohesion and individual citizenship is stimulated (EBU Vision 2020, 2012). Therefore, it is important that public broadcasters, to a greater extent than commercial broadcasters, aim to offer a diverse range of categories of programmes in order to represent these diverse cultural identities.

2.1.1. Diversity 

Diversity concerns the importance of a variety of interests and tastes that PSM should deliver, popular as well as specialist genres must be addressed. This variety is necessary in order to improve the welfare of audiences. Since public broadcasting is a public good, it should aim to satisfy the

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needs of the complete audience of it’s society. Different people or groups within this society have different preferences and tastes and therefore consumers should be able to enjoy a wide range of programmes in order to feel represented by the national public broadcasting system (O’Hagan & Jennings, 2003). 

Journalism in general has a function to serve as an arena for public debate where multiple different perspectives are presented and reflected. These different perspectives can be weighed by the public in order to form their opinions. In this process, the existence of a broadcaster that is independent of politics and commercial interests, is important in order to ensure the transparency and reliability of the presented content (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016).  

In order to secure the values that the concept of diversity includes, it is the ambition of the NPO to have a balanced representation of diverse populations and national cultures in their programming. Minorities should be represented on national television and balance should be accomplished in the representation of sexes, race and cultural backgrounds. This ambition is set by national politics and is endorsed by the NPO (Plasterk, 2008).

2.1.2. Information provision  

An information obligation exists for public broadcasters to provide civic communication, political advertising and to facilitate reliable news to the public (Blumler & Hoffmann-Riem, 1992). With this political function, public broadcasters critically follow political processes, public opinions and decision making processes and thereby provide and image of political life to the national public. Together with newspapers and online journalistic platforms, television is one of the most important vehicles for the distribution of (political) news and information. This comes with responsibilities of the sharing of relevant information and educational value that public broadcasters must communicate to their audiences. The presentation of a broad and diverse image of parties and standpoints is important to avoid a monopoly position in information and communication of one

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particular niche of society. Broadcaster discretion and journalistic autonomy are essential in order to achieve this (Blumler & Hoffmann-Riem, 1992).

In addition to the obligation to provide audiences with information, PSM and journalism in general, should play a controlling and monitoring role towards the government. In a democratic society it is important that public values are assured and represented by journalists who take a critical look at politics and policymakers. Social issues and events must be reported from different perspectives and if necessary questions should be asked (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016).

2.1.3. Identity

The final core value that theory ascribes to PSM is that of identity. Public broadcasting can be seen as a cultural institution that represents and protects an image of society. It is the responsibility of the programmers to provide culturally significant programs, to serve as a forum for cultural debate, to critically examine it’s own cultural contributions and to be close to society’s creative and artistic sector (Blumler & Hoffmann-Riem, 1992). As a cultural institution public broadcasters are responsible for the production and reflection of culture, language and social character of the specific country or community the broadcaster operates in, in order to protect it’s cultural identity and national language (O’Hagan & Jennings, 2003). Not only at the level of society as a whole, but also within society, PSB serve as social integration vehicles that promote cohesion, cultural bonding and bridging (Bardoel & D’Haenens, 2008).  

PSM also act as a social institution. Broadcasters play a role in the process of socialization and normative orientation both for children and for adults who are less familiar with specific cultural or social aspects of society. Public television has to represent diverse groups of society so that multicultural understanding is supported. Social integration and change can be stimulated by offering social symbols that help to unite society (Blumler & Hoffmann-Riem, 1992).

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The social functions of PSM that theory ascribes can also be found in the mission statements of public broadcasting organizations. NPO’s website states that it is the goal of the NPO to create, mostly national, programs that inform, inspire and entertain the Dutch public independent from any political or commercial party (information provision). By delivering this content that has a certain quality and relevance, the NPO aims to empower citizens with information, to connect them to others by getting them involved in the topic of the day and to contribute to the creation of one shared national identity by offering content that focusses on Dutch culture and language (identity). To achieve this the NPO intends to create a diverse range, mostly Dutch, of programs of high quality in order to present a broad range of opinions, attitudes and beliefs (diversity) (website NPO, 2017).  

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2.2. Current challenges for PSM

With this understanding of the importance and functions of PSM, the challenges and threats that PSM faces, which motivated the EBU to write the Vision 2020 report, will be outlined. The EBU report distinguishes two major challenges that pose potential problems for the position of PSM, namely; fragmentation of society and digitization of media (EBU Vision 2020, 2012). In this chapter these trends will be analyzed using insights from different studies in order to get an image of the main challenges that PSB are facing.

2.2.1. Fragmentation of society

Fragmentation should be regarded as a phenomenon that is bigger than public broadcasting on it’s own. Individualization, globalization and urbanization are current issues that make traditional institutions unstable. Bardoel & d’Haenens (2008) identified the problems of PSM more specific. They understand individualization as less collective participation, lower interest in politics and established institutions and a shift towards a multicultural society. This transformation of society leads to an audience that is harder to reach and therefore should be approached more at the individual level or targeted at movements/subcultures. Since PSM is a public good and it is aimed to be targeted at different niches that society includes, there must be put in real effort to achieve this in a time where societies are becoming more and more fragmented and are less willing to follow the traditional media (Bardoel & d’Haenens, 2008). 

Bardoel continues his analysis of the fragmentation of the Dutch PSM in an article he wrote in 2014. Bardoel (2014) explains that traditional public broadcasting in the Netherlands used to be based on a system of pillarization. Pillarization refers to the way public broadcasting was organized back in the 1960’s. In the Netherlands, broadcasting was not left to the state, but social movements which represented a particular niche of society, established their own public broadcasting associations and therefore it was a semi private way of organizing (Bardoel, 2014). These social

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movements already had big support in other domains of social life such as politics, education, religion or culture, which implied active and supportive civic participation. Citizens became members of one of the established broadcasting associations. This all began to fall down when religious and socio-political divisions broke down. Broadcasting became more professionalized and commercialized (Bardoel, 2014). This competitive media environment made public broadcasters rediscover their social responsibilities and resulted in a more modern approach where individual and cultural emphasis is dominant (Bardoel, 2014).  

This phenomenon of fragmentation was enhanced by the exponential growth of the Internet. At the end of the last decade the role of the Internet in society became more and more prominent. A new context for information sharing, communication and transactions was introduced and created an online infrastructure. Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal (2016) analyze the arrival of a platform society where big commercial organizations dominate the online social spheres individuals act in. Because of the expansion of online infrastructures, online platforms arise which created a whole new ecosystem of technological, economic and social-cultural interactions and which facilitated and organized new connections between individuals. Through the use of these platforms, individuals are empowered and enabled to organize all kinds of affairs without the mediation of traditional institutions or organizations. Co-creation of supply and demand is facilitated by big platforms, which is blurring the boundaries between consumers and producers and thereby stimulates innovation. This shift in relationships between market, consumer, civilian and government resulted in a disturbance of traditional assurance of public interests (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016).

2.2.2. Digitization of media

In addition to this transformation of society, the media has also made a great transformation the last decade, in the Vision 2020 report digitization refers to this transformation. Digitization led to new possibilities for communication, greater information capacity and news production. New media

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technologies, for example the use of the Internet, phones and tablets entered the market and became available to the world (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016). Traditional television viewing is declining and computer related media use has gone up (Bardoel & d’Haenens, 2008). Traditional media was forced to make a transition from traditional/old media to these new types of media, this process is called convergence. Convergence not only led to new possibilities in access to media, but also changed the way people make use of media. Since everything is available to anyone at anytime through the Internet, people make different use of media (Bardoel & d’Haenens, 2008). People now can use different media side-by-side, i.e. functional equivalence, and are no longer dependent on the traditional linear ways news used to be presented, since everything is available on demand. Media have become more interactive since people can easily contribute online and share or comment when and what they like. All these changes that convergence caused made the traditional PSM need to rethink their position and role (Bardoel & d’Haenens, 2008).

Weeds (2013) claims that technical changes are nothing new to broadcasting, but that the latest technological innovations created challenges that are new to public broadcasters. Since producing and involving in media has become more easy for everyone who has access to the Internet, there is more diversity in broadcasters. This creates an attention problem for PSM, because consumers have a broader and more diverse range of channels to choose from that provide their entertainment and information needs. Therefore PSM has to make sure that their content is still effective in achieving social attention and that it is appealing to consumers (Weeds, 2013).  

Another problem that digitization caused is explained by Helm (2013). Helm claims that traditional PSB’s provided filters for consumers in terms of relevance and quality. The broadcaster could be seen as a kind of gatekeeper who selected important content that was shown on television, they could be trusted. Since there are more channels, programs and media outlets, it is more difficult to assure this screening function (Helm, 2013). From a diversity point of view this not necessary is a bad thing, since more perspectives can contribute to a diversity of views. However

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from a journalistic perspective the increased number of media outlets can offer threaths to the level of legitimacy of public broadcasting associations (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016). The authors claim that traditionally big players in the field of journalism; newspapers, media enterprises and broadcasters, had an important role in the provision of news to society. Especially public broadcasters, to a bigger extent than commercial broadcasters, are know to have high concern for public interests in this process. Independent information sharing, diversity of audiences and backgrounds, openness and transparency are important values of these established organizations (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016). With the arrival of new platforms of media, these values are open to reinterpretation. Public broadcasters used to be the most important players in the selection system of content, they had the power to select relevant subjects, actors and issues and present it to the public through institutional embedded ways. Through several ways the public could control these broadcasters, for example through the council for journalism or the ombudsman, because they were publicly accountable. The shift towards a more open and commercial platform of journalism threatens this gatekeeping role of PSB (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016).  

The best example to illustrate this is the way Facebook is presenting their role in this development. Nowadays Facebook is regarded as an important news platform, although they don’t regard themselves as such. Non-transparent algorithms and mechanisms dominate the content the users get to see. Traditional journalistic values are nowhere to be found, virality and personalization are more dominant (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016). This individualistic approach leads to filter bubbles where users are stuck in their own networks and only receive content and information that reinforces their existing conceptual world. This process is in strong contrast with the traditional role of public broadcasters as gatekeepers and results in more polarization within society (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016).

The CBP report of the NPO recognizes the challenges that are summarized in this part of the theoretical framework. Already in 2012 the NPO realized that linear television as we used to know

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it, was about to be disturbed by a new phenomena, television on demand. Because of the wide reach and diversity of audiences, the NPO decided to implement a dual strategy in order to get a strong position in both linear television as in on demand television (CBP 2016-2020, 2015). This strategy is considered successful, nevertheless the NPO is again facing a crucial question whether how this on demand trend will develop the upcoming years. It is hard to foresee how the position of linear television will change the upcoming years, however the NPO realizes that the traditional way families used to make use of the television is changing for sure (CBP 2016-2020, 2015). Viewing habits of audiences have changed significantly and that forced the NPO to reconsider the traditional strategy. Also the transformation of society is part of the trends that the CBP report presents. A growing gap between high and low educated people causes fragmentation of society. International tensions resulted in stressed relations within the Dutch society. These trends force the NPO to critically assess their position and to discover the possibilities for bigger involvement in society (CBP 2016-2020, 2015). 

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2.3. Towards a solution

The Vision 2020 report presents a new conceptualization of PSM based on a networked society and includes recommendations for broadcasters to make the transition towards this new organizational form. There is need for a broadcasting market where every level of society can meet and exchange and where national and local identities are reflected (EBU Vision 2020, 2012). Content should be targeted at niche audiences and there must be a strong cooperation among broadcasters, audiences, public institutions, cultural industries and other areas of society. Interaction and dialogue with communities and networks of people must result in joint creation and sharing of information in order to be ahead of an over fragmentized and polarized society and to continue to deliver the positive Return on Society (EBU Vision 2020, 2012). This subchapter aims to explain what this organization of public broadcasting will look like according to different academics and experts.

2.3.1. Monitorial Citizenship

Already in 2004, when the influence and power of the Internet, social networks and digital media was not as big as it is nowadays, media experts predicted that the role of media audiences was developing. Gillmor (2004) wrote a book about the growing influence of public journalism. Gillmor (2004) discovered a new phenomenon where former audiences that used to be at the receiving end of the media system, now have access to the same tools and information that used to be only available for traditional media institutions, citizen journalism where audiences act as consumers and producers. Therefore the public is more powerful and influential and less predictable and is able to take over journalistic functions, such as independent information sharing and control of political and social institutions, that used to be assigned to other institutions. Gillmor calls this phenomenon monitorial citizenship (Gillmor, 2004).

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2.3.2. Networked Journalism

What impact does the growth of monitorial citizenship have on traditional journalism and how could it effectively be used by established media institutions? Van der Haak, Parks & Castells try to answer these questions in an article they published in 2012. The authors introduced networked journalism as a possible answer to the issue of the growing impact of monitorial citizenship. Public demand for information, analysis and interpretation is greater than ever and the tools that are necessary for journalistic work are available to everyone. This has led to an explosion of journalism (Van der Haak, Parks & Castells, 2012). The authors argue that new ways of interpreting journalism are necessary in order to broaden the definition and thereby ensure the value of journalism. New practices related to the production and distribution of news should be included in this definition, collaboration between professional journalists and citizen journalists should take place and platforms should be used in order to communicate, collaborate, share and analyze data. These practices will guide traditional journalism towards a more global network society approach of journalism where data collection, interpretation and story telling is facilitated by collaboration of traditional media institutions, governments, NGOS and citizens (Van der Haak, Parks & Castells, 2012).  

To get a deeper understanding of how networked journalism works in practice, Van der Haak, Parks & Castells refer to Beckett & Mansell (2008). Journalism is making a shift from a linear process towards a network process whereby constant communication and interaction of information is facilitated by collaboration between professional journalists and citizen journalists. This boundary crossing journalism results in a variety of views and a twenty-four hour production of news. Through the use of digital and online technologies the capacity to record, share and distribute information increases. Journalists should be regarded as nodes in a network that functions to collect, process and distribute information. The role of the journalist in this network would be to collect, edit, filter and produce user generated content and to assure the credibility of the content.

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The traditional gatekeeping role of journalists is shifting towards a more facilitating or moderating role (Beckett & Mansell, 2008).

Glowacki (2014) emphasizes the growing impact of participatory networks and socially engaged media making, he therefore calls for a new ecosystem of media. Glowacki (2014) highlights the importance of organizational culture and structure in such a network society approach. He calls for an opening-up of PSM, which means open production systems, accountability, transparency and collaboration with the public. There is need for a more open and democratized bottom-up structuring of PSM in order to stimulate innovation and creativity (Glowacki, 2014). The key in achieving this lies in the culture of an organisation, since it is the organizational culture that impacts organizational identity and behaviour. Changes in mindsets, leadership styles, interaction and partnerships are tools that Glowacki offers in order to achieve this cultural change (Glowacki, 2014).  

Balcytiene (2014) conceptualized the networked society approach of organizing public broadcasting more specifically. In his article, Balcytiene uses the concept of the Fifth Estate by Dutton (2009). The Fifth Estate basically means a more open perspective where public insights and knowledge could be attainted by agencies, the power of collective intelligence. Boundaries of existing institutions should be crossed in order to find new ways of information sharing and shifting accountability. Through participation and engagement in networks, the acquisition of public knowledge could be achieved. Ongoing exchanges of views, knowledge and information must prevent societies from societal fragmentation and polarization (Balcytiene, 2014).

The NPO acknowledge the importance of a more open and networked organisation of the broadcasting system. Although the CBP does not explicitly refers to the networked society approach as presented by the Vision 2020 report, the CBP presents some ambitions that are in line with the overall conclusions of the EBU. The primary focus of the strategy of the NPO as presented in the

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CBP report is on quality. The idea behind this focus is that when the NPO is able to deliver high quality and diverse content that is appealing for every resident of the Netherlands and that covers public values and up to date theme’s, the NPO will still be an important national institution. To reassure this ambition, independency and interaction with audiences are the key focus of the NPO. Although television on demand is becoming more important every day, the NPO will also try to remain a frontrunner as a traditional linear broadcaster (CBP 2016-2020, 2015).  

Explicitly the CBP report mentions that the audience is the central figure in their strategy. The NPO tries to involve the public into their broadcasting and make them participate in the public debate. The possibilities of online communication will be used in order to get more interaction between broadcaster and audience (monitorial citizenship) (CBP 2016-2020, 2015). The NPO is willing to take their social responsibilities and to prevent the society from further fragmentation. By creating national debates, support for social communities and the initiation of flexible networks, the NPO tries to get different groups of society into contact and to create a shared feeling of solidarity (networked journalism). By clearly identifying and distinguishing the different domains that the NPO uses to reach different audience groups, the NPO tries to make these relationships closer. In the process of formulating the new strategy and organisation of the NPO the public will be involved and asked for their opinion. Also cooperation with EBU colleagues and national (creative) organizations must make the organization of the NPO more flexible (CBP 2016-2020, 2015).

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2.4. Pitfalls of the networked society approach

To conclude this theoretical framework, it is important to take notice of the concerns that can be found among experts and academics about the implications that come with the transition towards a more networked approach of organizing public broadcasting. The growing impact of the Internet, the arrival of social platforms and a changing society has led to more open network structures in other public domains besides broadcasting. Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple (GAFA) became major players in the online infrastructure of connections. These platforms can not be seen as independent networks, but must be understood as a big ecosystem of inter-connected platforms (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016). This ecosystem, that is dominated by these four big American companies, is growing exponentially and online social interactions are expanding in all directions. Online platforms such as Uber, Airbnb, Next-door, Peerby, Coursera, etc. are providing services by connecting supply and demand between consumers and are able to do this without the interference of traditional organizations, institutions or governments. All these different platforms are interconnected and because of the online hierarchy, all these platforms eventually lead back to one of the GAFA companies (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016). This leaves the question of how to ensure the liability and independency of content creation on social platforms like Facebook. Whenever one of the associations which is part of the Dutch public broadcasting system, makes use of one of these platforms, they indirectly accept the terms and conditions that are set on the platform. This could mean that they have to abandon their own principles with regard to freedom of speech and their position in certain public discussions (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016).

2.4.1. Social Order

In this new reality of platforms, regular hierarchic institutional structures can be bypassed and therefore traditional forms of regulation and control are often avoided. Traditional institutions, norms, values, rules and laws are less prominent on these platforms, it is the GAFA sphere that is

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dominating social order. This social order, what should be understood as the harmony between market, government and society in relation to the representation of public values, usually is determined through an interplay of actors in society that results in a balance of interests. Since this balance is shifting more and more towards a commercial online setting, where American companies determine law and order, the big question is where this reordering of social order is heading (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016).

2.4.2. Commercialization

In the field of public broadcasting, and journalism in general, journalistic autonomy and professional values are threatened by this shift towards a more networked society approach. The facilitation of a well functioning, accessible and diverse public sphere is traditional achieved through established journalistic institutions. Diversity, information obligation and identity are presented as main values for PSM, but as a result of declining subscriber and advertising revenues and the increasing competition among journalists, other values have become more and more important in modern media (Beckett & Mansell, 2008). Through social media platforms and the data that these platforms provide, trending topics and viral news stories have become more influential in the selection of news. The basis of this content therefore is shifting towards more commercial and popular criteria, rather than these traditional main values. The transition of audiences from the receiving end to the controlling end, has made the news media industry much more consumer-led. This forced the journalistic institutions to be more inclined to respond to what audiences want to read/hear in order not to lose their attention, i.e. commercialization (Beckett & Mansell, 2008). This trend where content is to a certain extent selected by what scores among audiences, is pressuring professional journalistic values (Van Dijck, Poell & de Waal, 2016). This shift implies a threat for public broadcasters as intermediaries between news production and

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consumption, but also offers the possibility to stress the importance of a institutionalized curator that indicates facts and information.

2.4.3. Platformization

The biggest concerns is that the selection of newsworthy content is no longer exclusively organized by professional journalists. Zuiderveen Borgesius et al. (2016) studied the possible implications that this could have for societies. Platforms provide different content to different users based on unclear algorithms. In order to get as much attention and interaction with their users, the platforms want to strengthen the relationships with their users by providing them with the most relevant content. In order to optimize this, platforms have developed complicated data analysis mechanism that automatically provide users with relevant feed for their profiles. This could lead to filter bubbles or information cocoons, ‘where every individual has a unique universe of information for his one’ (Pariser, 2011). This personalized information could lead to a society where citizens would encounter less opinions and views and this could influence the process of public discussions. Individuals could be steered by platforms to empower their own perspective, where it is important for a democratic society that individuals come across different and conflicting opinions in order to develop a deliberate opinion and to start thinking processes and discussions (Zuiderveen Borgesius et al, 2016). Diversity of content can no longer be assured by PSB if they are bypassed by consumers who create and select their own personalized content. If this is the case, also the protection of cultural identity, one of the traditional main values of PSB, is harder to achieve. PSB have to think about what might be attractive to reach a potential audience, and therefore have to think in more limited theme’s that are appealing instead of content that would transfer valuable messages about national identities. 

The implications of filter bubbles on democratic society, the role of platforms as gatekeepers and the non-transparent ways of working of algorithms are all concerns that are prominent in the

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current debate about journalism. The consequences of journalism through social platforms leaves traditional journalistic institutions with the issue of how to deal with this trend. The balancing of social order and traditional values of professional journalism are about to be redefined. 

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2.5. Conclusion

This theoretical chapter outlined the values, challenges and directions that dominate the current debate about the future of PSM. Diversity, information provision and identity are seen as key values that distinguish public broadcasting from commercial broadcasting and highlight the importance of independent journalism. Nevertheless fragmentation and digitization are developments that question the assurance of these values in a changing environment. Although academics and media organizations itself do have solutions that should guide the transition of PSM towards a more networked society approach, there are still concerns about how to ensure these main values in a digital environment. Model 1.0 is a graph that aims to model the conceptual representation of this theoretical framework.

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3. Data and Method

This chapter presents the research methodology. First, the research design and the strategy of the study approach will be explained. Second, a description of the sample selection and the process of data collection will be given. Third, the operationalization of the interviews and the quality of the research will be discussed, looking at credibility, validity and reliability. Finally, the method of analysis is discussed.

3.1. Research strategy & design

The aim of this thesis was to understand how organizational changes in the Dutch public broadcasting system affect traditional valuable roles of public broadcasters. In order to answer the research question of this thesis as sufficient as possible, an inductive qualitative study has been done. Qualitative research aims to discover subjective opinions and beliefs from actors who engage in environments of the studied subject. Social actors’ meanings and experiences are collected in order to get an understanding about how certain phenomena can be understood (Gephart & Rynes, 2004). The process of qualitative research is marked by flexibility and has an emergent character, as the research is often designed at the same time it is being done. The main underlying reason to choose for a qualitative approach for this thesis is based on the fact that the questions that this thesis propose are not easy to answer using statistics or numbers. In contrast to quantitative research, which is grounded in mathematical and statistic knowledge, qualitative research methods are more appropriate in order to discover meanings, actions and interactions of actors and real life organizations (Gephart & Rynes, 2004).  

This thesis studied the actors who operate in the Dutch public broadcasting system and discovered their understanding of the positioning of PSB in a digital environment. In order to get an profound and objective insight into the subject, expert interviews have been conducted. Expert

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interviews are one-on-one open-ended interviews with particular professionals from the studied field. These so-called experts or elites are people who have a high status within their working environment and usually fulfill some unique role and therefore provide distinctive insights or information covering a whole set of issues that is not likely to be obtained from other sources (Yin, 2013). Since experts form a particular significant group of professionals, the interviews were not primarily about their experiences or believes, but more focussed on the specific knowledge, expertise or background of the experts, which resulted in profound insights about specific subjects. Therefore the sampling of experts was a crucial step in the data collection and had to be carried out carefully (Yin, 2013).

These expert interviews have been translated into different interview transcript, which together formed the unit of analysis of this thesis (Gephart & Rynes, 2004). These interview transcripts offered a narrative of views form the studied experts and provided an interpretation of their reality. By analyzing these interview transcripts, similarities and differences between the transcripts were identified in order to discover potential patterns. These patterns revealed practical insights which have been compared to the broad concepts and theories that the theoretical framework came up with. Observations from previous literature were tested during the process of data collection and connected with the empirical reality of the subject in order to form a relevant theoretical answer to the research question.

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3.2. Sample design

Sampling is crucial in every study, selecting cases that will represent the population of the studied object is an important aspect of building theory based on qualitative research. The sample had to be broad and diverse enough in order to get an overall perspective of beliefs and opinions that are present in the environment of the studied subject (Eisenhardt, 1989). Especially since this study consists of multiple expert interviews, there needed to be very clear criteria in order to determine when someone was regarded an expert. First the organizations that together form the sample will be defined, followed by a clear framework of professionals who fit the criteria for the expert interviews (Yin, 2013).  

For the sample of this study, the organizations that together form the Dutch public broadcasting system are relevant. The Dutch public broadcasting system refers to the Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO) which is an overall organization of different Dutch broadcasters that are responsible for public radio and television production and distribution in the Netherlands. Three television channels, namely NPO1, NPO2 and NPO3 and five radio channels, namely NPO Radio 1, NPO Radio 2, NPO 3FM, NPO Radio 4 and NPO Radio 5 are the stations that together form the Dutch public broadcasting system (website NPO, 2017). Since the main focus of this thesis was on television broadcasting, the radio channels were left out of consideration throughout this study.  

The NPO consists of six licensed broadcasters; AVROTROS, BNN VARA, KRO-NCRV, Omroep MAX, EO and the VPRO. In addition to these licensed broadcasters, also the NOS and the NTR are broadcasters that are part of the NPO. The NOS and the NTR are so called task broadcasters (taakomroepen), and are enforced by media law to communicate a specific task, namely independent news provision (NOS) and information about arts, culture, education and background journalism (NTR). The last broadcasters that are part of the NPO are WNL, PowNed and Human. These broadcasters are aspirant members and therefore they are obliged to join one of the six licensed broadcasting associations, since eight broadcasters is the legal maximum amount of

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associations for the NPO (website NPO, 2017).  

In addition to the national broadcasting associations, the public broadcasting system in the Netherlands also consists of multiple regional and local broadcasters, which are however independent organizations that are not directly part of the NPO (CBP 2016-2020, 2015). Since the national broadcasting associations are the biggest players in the Dutch broadcasting system, they formed the initial unit of analysis for this thesis. Nevertheless, it was also interesting to include the perspective of one regional broadcasting association into the sample in order to broaden the scope of the study. 

The sample of experts of this study can be found throughout all of the organizations and associations that together form the NPO. Different professionals who work for different organizations were considered unit of interest for this thesis. All the broadcasting associations are big organizations that consist of tens to hundreds of employees and logically not all those employees were equally relevant for the matter of this thesis (website NPO, 2017). Therefore the sample of experts consisted of professionals that work in the field of strategic management, policy management, business and creative management or other strategic positions within the NPO and different broadcasting associations. Director, head or manager of a specific department or strategy advisors are examples of job descriptions that fit the expert criteria. These professionals were especially relevant for this study because they engage in strategic thinking and are responsible for policymaking and development of the Dutch public broadcasting system and can be considered key figures in their organizations. Therefore they were regarded as experts, since they could provide distinctive insights or information covering a whole set of issues that was not likely to be obtained from other sources (Yin, 2013). One could argue that for this thesis, the employees who are responsible for the creation of creative content, think of presenters, camera operators, editors, etc., were not that relevant and therefore were left out of the sampling unit. Mainly because their main job descriptions focusses on creative or productional aspects of broadcasting instead of policy- and

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decision making. See appendix 8.1. for the list of experts that participated in the interviews. 

Based on the expert selection criteria is was relatively easy to identify potential experts at broadcasting websites or professional social networks like LinkedIn. These experts had to comply to the specific job descriptions that gave them unique relevance for this study, as explained in the previous section (Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007). Once there was a significant sample of experts, the primary step in order to address these experts was trough existing personal contacts within different broadcasting associations. Particular personal relationships with professionals in different positions from various organizations gave access to the field and resulted in personal contact with the experts who were targeted for the sample. The amount of interviews needed to be at least ten in order to ensure enough different perspectives included in the dataset. The interviews have taken place at a time and location that suited the interviewees and approximately took around one our of their time.

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3.3. Operationalization of the expert interviews

The goal of the one-on-one interview was to reveal this knowledge by asking open-ended questions. The aim of the question was to get as much insights as possible about the knowledge, expertise and background of the expert in order to get an understanding of how experts regard to the subject (Leech, 2002). The interview questions were open-ended since there needed to be room for the interviewee to unfold his or her own outlooks and reflections. The questions resulted in answers of the interviewees which unfolded into narratives that covered outcomes which the interviewee could not clearly foresee from the start. This was important since these narratives cover underlying behaviors and design-making processes which contributed to the understanding of the subject. By carefully analyzing these narratives, discrepancy between official institutionalized reality and personal interpretations could be found (Meuser & Nagel, 2009).

In order to ensure a good validity and reliability level of the study, a clear research framework is used so all the interviews followed the same protocol and therefore patterns have been discovered that contribute to the understanding of dynamics that are present at the studied setting (Auerbach and Silverstein, 2003). This framework, see appendix 8.2. for the interview protocol, served as a basic guideline during the interviews.  

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3.4. Method of analysis

After the collection of the data, interviews transcripts have been generated followed by thematic analysis. The interview transcripts consisted of knowledge and expertise from the different experts that together formed a dataset. Differences and similarities revealed patterns among the different transcripts that were used in order to draw conclusions towards the questions that the study aimed to answer (Miles & Guberman, 1984). The explanation of the main question of this thesis gained insight in how experts from the field are dealing with the current issues that the Dutch public broadcasting system is facing, and by doing this, a contribution to the understanding of modern societal challenges have been provided.

Once the interviews were translated into transcripts, the transcripts were analyzed in order to find these patterns. The primary focus in the analysis of expert interview transcripts was based on thematic units. These thematic units were based on the theoretical framework (Meuser & Nagel, 2009). As explained, the theoretical framework came up with a conceptual representation of the study, model 1.0. Following the theoretical groundings that supported the study, several thematic units based on the operationalization of these theoretical concepts, have been identified that were used to develop research questions and topics throughout the interviews, the interview protocol, see appendix 8.2 (Yin, 2013). These literature driven thematic units result in different codes that could been identified in the different transcripts. Coding is a technique that is used in order to organize data into segments that offer descriptions of the data (Bourque, 2004). In this stage, single interview transcripts were still the frame of reference.  

Once all the interview transcripts were coded and there was a clear overview of relevant data, the thematic codes were compared. Thematically comparable passages, i.e. codes, from different interview transcripts were tied together (Meuser & Nagel, 2009). By grouping these codes, coherent categories across the transcripts were discovered (Lockyer, 2004). Differences and similarities between expert interview outcomes were categorized. The commonly shared knowledge

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of experts was extracted form the dataset and resulted in patterns that could been supported or neglected in order to formulate statements of shared expert knowledge. These statements refer back to structures of expert knowledge and were used to draw conclusions towards the questions of the study (Meuser & Nagel, 2009).  

The final step of data analysis was to align the found patterns and statements with the theoretical groundings. By doing so, theoretically grounded perspectives were presented that offered explanations to the questions that the study aimed to answer (Meuser & Nagel, 2009).

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4. Results

This chapter provides an overview of the main results that the interviews came up with. The interview transcripts were analyzed using different literature driven thematic units based on the interview protocol. These thematic units cover the most important topics and issues that were discussed during the different expert interviews. This chapter gives an overview of how the different experts relate to those topics in order to find some consistencies or patterns that can be used in order to draw conclusions in chapter 5.

4.1. Values

During the interviews, the experts were asked to formulate the main values of PSB according to their opinion. This resulted in a number of main values that characterize the importance of PSM in the Netherlands.  

First of all, public service media is seen as a core foundation for modern democracy. One of the main pillars of a well functioning society is free and autonomous journalism that controls, criticizes and informs society independent from any commercial or political constraints;

“I see public broadcasting as one of the core values of democracy. (…) I think free press is almost a basic need of life. I wouldn’t want to live in a country where there is no free press, that are usually countries that are flawed. Look at North-Korea and even America is almost a country without free press. The values that are represented by public broadcasters are very essential” (Interview 2: Dink Binnendijk, rtv Drenthe).

This quote came from Dink Binnendijk, the director of rtv Drenthe, but was supported by nearly all respondents, who used other terms in order to stress the importance of an independent autonomous public journalistic field, such as freedom, inclusiveness, public responsibility and

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cohesion (Interview 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10). 

The reason to have a publicly organized journalistic sphere is that the commercial journalistic field would not address the same values as public service media. Although not all the experts elaborated on the differences between public and commercial broadcasters, at least four respondents (Interview 2, 4, 6 and 7) shared similar opinions about commercial broadcasters.

“I basically don’t believe that the sharing of information and quality storytelling is something one can leave to the commercial market. Because there is supply and demand at the marketplace. (…) That results in unilateral and non-constructive perspectives. That is the reason why you need a public broadcasting system” (Interview 7: Tineke van der Velde, EO).

Interactive media director at AVRO TROS, Finus Tromp, agrees with this opinion;

“If we don’t make certain programmes, cultural impoverishment would be the consequence, because the programmes would disappear. We know certain programmes are only interesting for niches. Commercial parties wouldn’t pay attention to it, because it’s not profitable” (Interview 6: Finus Tromp, AVRO TROS).

4.1.1. Diversity

The theoretical framework presented diversity as on of the most important values of PSM. Nine out of the ten interviews addressed the term diversity. This means that diversity is a big concern for all the experts and therefore can be seen as a main value of PSM. A commonly shared explanation of the importance of the concept of diversity to PSM can be formulated as followed; diversity has to contribute to the recognizability of the broadcasting system so that everyone in society feels comfortable and represented by the broadcasting system (Interview 10: Elsa Gorter, KRO-NCRV). Which in fact is the same definition of diversity as given by O’Hagan & Jennings (2003); the importance of a variety of interests and tastes that PSM should deliver in order to satisfy the needs

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of the entire audience (O’Hagan & Jennings, 2003).  

This can only be achieved if the content that is made by the different broadcasters is bundled in a way that different perspectives and identities are reflected;

“Diversity only exists if the audience actually sees different things. If you only see things from one perspective it would be impossible to accomplish broad orientation. If one only gets recommendations that reinforce his or her opinion, diversity will be harmed” (Interview 9: Sjoerd Pennekamp, NPO).

A concept that is close related to diversity is pluriformity. During six of the interviews (Interview 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9), experts referred to this concept when talking about diversity and introduced pluriformity as a synonym for diversity. A quote from Maike Olij, NPO (Interview 4) is used in order to explain the meaning of pluriformity as a form of diversity.

“My journalistic background tells me that pluriformity is one of the most important values. We must address a wide range of perspectives, within a commercial context this is harder to accomplish” (Interview 4: Maike Olij, NPO).

Pluriformity contributes to the duty PSB have to inform the national public on a wide scale in order to provide the public with different perspectives so they can form a deliberative opinion. Therefore it is important to strive to have a representation of society in the programming of public broadcasting;

“Media has to be a reflection of society, where everyone must be able to recognize his or her identity” (Interview 3: Barbara Marchal, NOS).

The definition that the experts gave to the concept of diversity is unanimous in line with the theoretical definition of diversity as proposed by O’Hagan & Jennings (2003) and Van Dijck, Poell

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& de Waal (2016). Therefore there is no discussion about the importance of diversity as a traditional value of public broadcasting. Pluriformity is highly valued and can be seen as the concept that is used in order to fulfill the duty PSB have to have a balanced representation of sexes, races and cultural backgrounds in their programming (Plasterk, 2008).

4.1.2. Information provision

Following the thematic units, information provision is the second important value which the theoretical framework ascribed to PSM. As explained, the NOS and NTR are so called taak omroepen and therefore are legally enforced to perform a certain task. Three experts who work for

the NOS participated during the interviews. Unanimously they all confirmed the specific news provision duty their association performs in the broadcasting system.

“We have to report on news developments as quickly as possible. Lately we are trying to not only follow the news developments, we also try to make news. We act like a kind of thermometer in society, so we can detect what’s going on. Than we report on those issues” (Interview 3: Barbara Marchal, NOS).

This objective perspective that characterizes the NOS differs from other broadcasting associations that are marked by diverse perspectives and values. Experts who are working for more general broadcasting associations find it harder to formulate their organization’s core mission;

“We have other core values that guide our content strategies. We try to send a positive message to the Dutch audience, make connections among our audience and deepen their understanding of news and events” (Interview 6: Finus Tromp: AVRO TROS).

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“It is a matter of balance between meeting audience demands, but also presenting the public things they didn’t request. We want to trigger and inspire them, to get thinking processes started so the audience gets to learn different perspectives ” (Interview 5: Geert-Jan Bogaerts, VPRO).

One could argue that different associations are characterized by different social responsibilities. However, underlying these different motives, 50% of the interviews addressed the concept of reliability;

“As audience you must be able to assume that what you hear and read is true. As a public broadcasting association, you have to be very accurate and professional, which means you have to consider different perspectives” (Interview 2: Dink Binnendijk, rtv Drenthe).

As Blumler & Hoffmann-Riem (1992) explain, PSB’s are responsible for the sharing of relevant information and are important vehicles for news and information. The most important condition for this responsibility as that there is a high degree of journalistic autonomy and discretion (Blumler & Hoffmann-Riem, 1992). Analyzing the interview transcripts, reliability is the concept that is highly valued by the experts that covers this important responsibility.

4.1.3. Identity

Identity as a main value of PSM can be interpreted as an attempt to present and protect an image of society that reflects cultural values, language and it’s social character (O’Hagan & Jennings, 2003). Contemplating the interview transcripts, this definition of identity is open for various interpretations. Some experts talk about improving national culture through socially important broadcasting (Interview 1, 5 and 6). This objective is being directed by national politics that oblige broadcasters to always implement social urgent issues into their programming and to not only look for amusement or entertainment. The biggest impact that national policy has had on broadcasting lately, is the redefinition of the tasks that are assigned to PSB from the ministry. In the year 2016