[ecrea] CFP: Public broadcasters in the new media ecology

Call for Papers

Special issue: ‘Practices to evaluate and regulate the role of public 
broadcasters in the new media ecology’

International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics (MCP), published by 
Intellect

Deadline for submissions: 1 October 2011

Editors:  Dr. Karen Donders,  Prof. Dr. Caroline Pauwels & Dr. Jan 
Loisen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Context

In a digital media environment, public broadcasters seize the 
opportunities that technological evolutions and changing consumer habits 
offer. One can observe that public broadcasting organizations are 
effectively evolving from radio and television broadcasters to public 
multimedia entrepreneurs. This evolution is not without controversy. 
Some scholars regret that public broadcasters are insufficiently and 
directionless pursuing the possibilities the new media environment 
offers. They should cooperate more with other public institutions, 
prioritize the delivery of public interest programmes over the deepening 
of commercial revenues and intensify their efforts to connect with 
citizens. The latter are no longer passive recipients, but should be 
involved in the creation of public content itself. Commercial 
competitors (broadcasters, newspapers, book stores, companies selling 
educational software, etc.) add to this criticism alleging that public 
broadcasters do not respect the rules of fair competition and have come 
to question public broadcasters’ expansion into the Internet.

Within this context, national legislators face difficulties to adapt the 
regulatory framework within which public broadcasting organizations 
deliver services to the wider audience. Often, rules are still oriented 
at the traditional delivery of radio and television programmes. The 
importance of new media and innovation is mentioned, but not thoroughly 
dealt with. Policy makers in and outside Europe stick to the superficial 
adaptation of legislation and fail to fundamentally reconsider the case 
for public service broadcasting.

Focus of the special issue

The aim of this special issue on ‘New practices to regulate and evaluate 
the role of public broadcasters in the new media ecology’ is to bring 
together a number of high-quality academic articles on the ways in which 
countries around the world are tackling the difficulty of defining 
public broadcasters’ role in the new media ecology. The introduction of 
ex ante evaluations in many European countries are but one example of a 
new regulatory and policy approach in this regard. In principle, all 
contributions dealing with ways to regulate and/or evaluate public 
broadcasters’ role as public media services providers are most welcome.

Submission details

The Journal can accept up to six high-quality articles. Deadline for 
submission is 1 October 2011. Authors will be notified of acceptance as 
soon as possible. The editors of the special issue will send authors the 
comments of the independent review and ask for revisions of the article 
if accepted. Articles have to be submitted through the journal’s online 
submission procedure and are subject to the same review procedure as 
other articles. Articles have to comply with the general journal guidelines.

For more information, please visit: http://mcpjournal.uclm.es or e-mail 
Francisco Seoane Pérez, editorial assistant, at: (journal.mcp /at/ uclm.es)

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Francisco Seoane Perez
PhD student and researcher
Institute of Communications Studies
University of Leeds
E-mail: (icsfsp /at/ leeds.ac.uk)
Webpage: http://ics.leeds.ac.uk/staff/f.perez