Perhaps most closely comparable to the UK, Australia has the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which in addition to its TV output runs 54 local radio stations, four national radio stations, a selection of online-only radio channels and the international radio service Radio Australia. It’s directly funded by the government from general taxation.
Even business-focused America knows the value of subsidised public radio that’s answerable to listeners, not profits. NPR relies on direct federal funding topped up by regular donation drives, sponsorship spots, and money given by universities. American public radio produces some of the best radio in the world, particularly the influential This American Life and Radiolab, as well as independent journalism and live broadcasts of classical music, opera and Shakespeare. NPR even broadcasts some content from the World Service under an agreement with the BBC.
It’s now quite easy to imagine a world without BBC TV, but much harder to stomach the thought of saying goodbye to publicly funded radio. If we got rid of the TV licence, we would urgently need to think of a new way to keep our radio landscape alive. The rest of the world sees the point of good public radio, and Brits forget its value at our peril. The UK’s cultural life would be severely impoverished without radio that reaches everyone, and which brings a voice of community and culture into every home. However we pay for our radio, we have to fight for its continued existence.
