International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

Historically, TV regulation in various countries has fallen into one of four broad categories. None of these regulatory frameworks exists in its true form in any country, but these categories provide a general framework for how different governments regulate television (→  Media Policy ). Authoritarian broadcast regulation is most often seen in countries where there is a strong autocratic government such as a dictatorship or communist regime. The government finances the television system and strictly controls the information and entertainment that is broadcast to the public. Paternalistic broadcast regulation dictates that TV programming content is to be determined by a combination of free marketplace forces and government regulations. In this type of system, the government feels that public demand will not always lead to television programming that is good for the culture. Government recognizes that television can play a pivotal role in helping a country maintain its national heritage and traditions. As a result, government and not the marketplace must have a stronger role in TV regulation to help serve the public interest. Permissive broadcast regulation allows for the marketplace to play a dominant role, with limited regulation from the government. Advertising is the dominant source of funding and thus provides citizens with what is known as “free TV.” In a permissive system, ... log in or subscribe to read full text