PSM is biting more than it can chew

 

Official logo of Public Service Media. Photo by: PSM Website

By: Badru Naseer

This country needs a Public Service Broadcaster which really serves the Public not as a propaganda machine for a certain political party. It has to be run by the funds provided by the state and should not be allowed to run by a Corporation in thirst for few bucks alone. There are lots of challenges to the Broadcasting Industry in the Maldives. I don’t think our country will ever have a Public Service Broadcaster. It is for Democratic countries.

There are mainly two obstacles which stops us from getting a unbiased and trustworthy Public Service Media. One: It’s the Sincerity of the respective Governments, Two: Lack of professionals in Broadcasting Industry. Often convergence provides an opportunity to create an open and inclusive Global Information Society and offers stakeholders an opportunity to seize the Public Service Media under influence. The geographical situation of Maldives and the size of our population also may be a fact too.

To reconnecting with young audiences: we need a new storytelling to transform the public service broadcasting as a trustable media for youth of our nation. Politicians with an agenda, politically unstable governments, managements on tight budgets and industry competitors are challenges which push us back from getting a reliable Public Service Media.

It has been argued that broadcasting media has been outdated and outflanked by the new digital media. Media always changes with the people's mind set. I believe a Public Service Broadcaster is and will always be the most trusted platform for a democratic nation. But it’s also time for Public Service Media to reallocate its resources for new platforms in order to stay relevant. In other words, it is essential to separate the content of the news from the means by which it is delivered and most of the news accessed using the new technology.

Obstacles are sure to be existed for PSM as its commercially-funded with public service obligations to broadcast in an unbiased manner. The evidence is clear that public service broadcasting, combined with high‐quality news‐papers, makes it easier for the politically involved and aware to accumulate knowledge and understanding, and thus to engage in their civic responsibilities. The core belief must be that it should be a service to the public as well as the respective governments too. 

The role of public service broadcasting in a digital age of new media is of utmost importance. A real Public Service Broadcaster is the ONLY way Public can get unbiased and reliable source of information. I don’t believe Public Service Media in Maldives is functioning as a Public Service Broadcaster. It is having an established culture of being more like a Propaganda Tool always for the ruling party. PSM is a company whose functions are generally making a profit. Maldives being so much political minded, even all the Broadcasters are also politicized now.

A Public Service Media must adapt to the changing consumer demand to serve diverse and fragmented audiences, particularly young people. PSM has been the major player in Maldives broadcasting sector and it must not potentially squeeze out other private broadcasters who want to develop new ways of managing and distributing content. So, PSM is just another station which is biting more than it can chew. PSM is trying to get everything under its wings. My Frank opinion is that if PSM tends to be a Public Service Broadcaster, it should concentrate on public service only.

Disclaimer: Above is an exclusive opinion written to Adamington Online by Mr. Badru Naseer who is one of the pioneers of the Maldivian Broadcasting Industry. He was the Former Director General of the State media Voice of Maldives (Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu), the National radio station operated by the Government of Maldives. He was also the first President of the Maldives Broadcasting Commission. He resigned from his positions as the President and member of the commission on 29th July 2012. Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Adamington Online’s point-of-view.