Last night, I had a dream.
In this dream, I spoke with a friend who works in public radio. I told him that people from PEG access TV and Public Broadcasting need to find ways to collaborate in the digital age. He agreed.
When I woke up this morning, I realized my dream could be a reality and posed the following on Twitter:
I’m interested in helping to bridge the #pegtv & #pubmedia divide. I think we may need each other. Who’s with me?
This idea was later re-Tweeted by folks from both PEG access TV and Public Broadcasting. I was pleased to see that others shared this interest. However, if we are going to bridge this public media divide then we’ll need to begin by addressing the reasons why this divide exists. Here is my hunch about a few of the reasons why:
- Public Broadcasters don’t take Public access TV seriously
- PEG access TV advocates believe Public Broadcasting does not truly represent the public
We could talk for hours about the reasons for this public media divide. But, it’s critical now, more than ever, for PEG access TV and Public Broadcasting to explore new opportunities for collaboration. Why?
- PEG access TV lacks the public awareness enjoyed by Public Broadcasting
- Public Broadcasters need access to local residents who benefit from PEG access TV services
- Most importantly, both PEG access TV and Public Broadcasting are becoming less relevant as viewers AND producers move to the Internet
As the FCC begins to investigate the Future of Media, it is important for public media, including PEG access TV and Public Broadcasting, to explore opportunities for collaboration.
It’s time to start the conversation.
(Photo above by Robert Levesque available on Flickr under a Creative Commons license)
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