PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING AND CULTURAL POLICY: The Portuguese experience, 2002-2012

Abstract

It is quite rare the assessment of public service broadcasting as an asset of cultural policy. However, there is a reasonable amount of elements that could feed a debate on this issue, be it political or academic. Considering the Portuguese experience between the years of 2002 and 2012, this paper examines the role of public service broadcasting as a cultural resource, and, specifically, its relevance for cultural public policy. This is an important area for empirical research, according to the standards of economics, sociology and communication sciences. And it implies the analysis of objective conditions, restrictions and possibilities of financial, legal and contractual contexts, and the consideration of the outputs and the impact of concrete broadcasting.