Mechanisms for Setting Broadcasting Funding Levels in OECD Countries
Unitec New Zealand/Te Whare Wananga o Wairaka, a research and analysis project report prepared for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage/Te Manatu Taonga, December 2005.
Introduction
In October 2005 the Ministry for Culture and Heritage commissioned a report on mechanisms for setting funding levels in OECD as part of the broadcasting Programme of Action (published 2005).
Unitec’s Research and Analysis Report – Mechanisms for Setting Broadcasting Funding Levels in OECD Countries
The Report’s introductory section describes the research aims and objectives/delimitations of the project and the methodology used. A substantial section of the report examines public service broadcasting and funding arrangements in 30 OECD countries to provide a context for examining funding setting mechanisms. This is followed by analysis of mechanisms for setting and collecting/distributing public funding; an overview of key issues and common policy themes concerning funding mechanisms for public broadcasting in the OECD; and analysis of mechanisms for setting and collecting/distributing funding for public broadcasters.
OECD Country Reports on Public Broadcasting Arrangements
The research includes an examination of all 30 OECD countries; providing an overview of the different broadcasting and funding arrangements currently in place in each country.
The following areas (where information was available) are explored:
- background (population, languages, GDP);
- public broadcasting media and institutions;
- other public media with public-oriented functions;
- main commercial broadcast media;
- public broadcasting funding for 2004-2005;
- breakdown of public broadcasting expenditure FY 2004-05;
- funding quantum determinants and periodicity;
- political insulation of public broadcasting funding;
- ethnic, cultural and linguistic services;
- spectrum allocation and funding; and
- digital developments and funding.
Analysis of mechanisms for setting and collecting/distributing public broadcasting funding
The core analysis in the Report focuses on the individual mechanisms for setting public broadcasting funding. The mechanisms discussed in the Report are:
- government policy;
- parliamentary legislation;
- independent agency/authority;
- inflation/index linking;
- commercial contingent; and
- contract contingent.
In conclusion, the Report recommends five countries that merit further investigation because of their demographic/economic similarity to New Zealand, the funding mechanisms in place and their language-specific broadcasting policies. These countries are Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.
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