Media Uncovered

29. What does it take to lead a public broadcaster?

For our final episode of 2024, and the final in our short bonus series of conversations recorder at the PBI conference in Ottawa, we sit down with two public media CEOs, to discuss what it's like, running a public media organisation. 
Both Catherine Tait, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, and Hanna Stjärne, CEO of Swedish Television, will be leaving their positions at the end of this year. In this podcast, they consider their achievements and any regrets. As two women, they also talk about the harassment, attacks and threats they have faced during their time. Plus, they talk about the future of public media in their respective countries, the wider challenges facing the industry and journalism. 
Presenter: Harry Lock. Producer: Jamie Tahana. Guests: Catherine Tait (CBC/Radio-Canada), Hanna Stjärne (SVT). Music: Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson, & Tom Brazier. 

28. What is the Public Spaces Incubator?

In this second bonus episode, featuring a conversation recorded in Ottawa in October at the Public Broadcasters International conference, we explore the Public Spaces Incubator.
The Incubator was originally founded as a partnership between four public broadcasters – CBC/Radio-Canada, RTBF, SRG SSR and ZDF – and one tech company, called New_Public. It released its first prototypes earlier this year, and has now welcomed ABC and ARD onboard as well.
How did the Incubator start? What problems is it trying to solve? And when co-productions of this nature are so hard to get off the ground, what's the secret behind the success of the Incubator?
Presenter: Harry Lock. Producer: Jamie Tahana. Guests: Catherine Tait, CBC/Radio-Canada & Eli Pariser, New_Public. Music: Lucas Thompson, Rachel Still & Tom Brazier. 
For more information on the Public Spaces Incubator: https://newpublic.org/psi.

27. How can Indigenous stories be amplified in public media?

In the first of a series of interviews recorded on the sidelines of the Public Broadcasting International Conference 2024, this episode of Media Uncovered focusses on Indigenous Peoples and public broadcasting.
For the first at the annual conference, October’s PBI, held in the Canadian capital Ottawa, saw a full day devoted to Indigenous voices in the media. Attendees from around the world discussed Indigenous stories, language revitalisation efforts, and questions of cultural identity and authenticity, as well as how national media grapple with their relationships with Indigenous communities. 
In this episode, recorded at the end of that special day, Jamie Tahana sat down with Robert Doane, the director of the National Indigenous Office at CBC/Radio-Canada, and Kerry Swanson, the chief executive of Canada’s National Indigenous Screen Office. 
Read our report on how public media are reaching and reflecting Indigenous Peoples: https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/how-public-service-media-are-reaching-and-reflecting-indigenous-audiences/
Find out more about the UNESCO project: https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/?s=Indigenous
Presenter: Jamie Tahana. Guests: Robert Doane (CBC/Radio-Canada) & Kerry Swanson (ISO). Music: Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson & Tom Brazier. 

26. How is RTÉ restoring trust?

RTÉ, Ireland's national public broadcaster, has been at the centre of a national drama for the past eighteen months. It all started after an undisclosed payments scandal broke out involving one of its star presenters. Further revelations regarding lavish spending and a doomed and costly musical, only ramped up the pressure on the organisation.
The crisis saw trust in the broadcaster plummet and a subsequent financial headache, as audiences en masse refused to pay their licence fee. The Director General at the time, Dee Forbes, resigned. 
Yet out of this, RTÉ has emerged with a new five year strategy, a new leadership team headed by new Director General, Kevin Bakhurst, and a more secure funding arrangement for at least the next three years. How has this happened?
In this episode, we speak to Kevin Bakhurst about this turnaround, and how RTÉ are still striving to restore trust in the organisation, from both audiences and staff. 
Presenter: Harry Lock. Producer: Jamie Tahana. Music: Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson & Tom Brazier.
In the next few weeks, we'll be releasing bonus episodes recorded live from Ottawa at the PBI conference. Subscribe so you don't miss out!

25. How are public media using Artificial Intelligence?

In this special episode of Media Uncovered, we're in Taiwan, looking at how public media are adopting and embracing Artificial Intelligence.
The episode spotlights seven different projects either being worked on; trialled and tested; or in use already. The projects cover four themes related to AI: news & journalism; children's content; language services; and organisation. 
We also consider the current relationship between public media and Artificial Intelligence, with Develop AI founder and AI expert, Paul McNally. 
The episode was recorded at the PTS Symposium on Public Media & AI, held in Taipei in early September. For more information, click on this link: https://www.pts.org.tw/2024pts_symposium/. In the podcast, we hear from PTS themselves as to why they decided to hold this event. 
For more information on each of these projects: 
France Télévisions – Nous, jeunesse(s) d’Iran: https://larevuedesmedias.ina.fr/urgence-france-televisions-inventer-le-floutage-de-demain
RTVE – AI election software: https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20230528/inteligencia-artificial-noticias-elecciones-28-mayo-poblaciones-menos-1000-habitantes/2446742.shtml
PBS – Lyla in the Loop & Elinor Wonders Why: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenaquino/2024/02/05/inside-how-pbs-kids-series-lyla-in-the-loop-tries-to-make-computer-science-more-accessible-to-all-children/?sh=504f9fa62222.
SVT – A Christmas Miracle: https://omoss.svt.se/arkiv/nyhetsarkiv/2024-01-26-svts-julmiraklet-tavlar-vid-prix-jeunesse.html 
RNZ – LLM partnership: https://www.rnz.co.nz/media/226
NHK – sign-language avatar: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2021/08/31/summer-paralympics/nhk-tokyo-2020-sign-language/
Deutsche Welle – LLM: https://www.dw.com/en/what-is-deutsche-welles-approach-to-generative-ai/a-66868035 
Presenter: Harry Lock. Producers: Charlotte Pion & Jamie Tahana. Music: Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson, and Tom Brazier.
Speakers: Paul McNally (Develop AI), Dennis Chen (PTS), Eric Scherer (France Télévisions), David Corral (RTVE), Abby Jenkins (PBS), Simon Staffans (independent producer), Rhonwyn Newson (RNZ), Tsubasa Uchida (NHK), Ruth Kühn (DW). 
Additional audio supplied by: Eric Scherer / France Télévisions; David Corral / RTVE; Simon Staffans / SVT.

24. Why are so many American public media jobs being cut?

Why are so many American public media networks downsizing, and laying off staff?
For this episode, we head to the US. In February 2023, NPR announced it was laying off 10-percent of its workforce – at least 100 people – facing a shortfall of $30 million. And in June 2024, it was announced that PBS would be making 24 people redundant. In the intervening months between those two announcements, there has been a litany of layoffs from regional networks, from GBH in Boston to Colorado Public Radio in Denver.
What's causing these layoffs? And what impact will they have on the staff, on the content, and on the audiences? 
Presenter: Harry Lock. Correspondents: Jamie Tahana and Charlotte Pion. Guests: Mary Cavallaro (SAG-AFTRA), Ken Doctor (Lookout Local), Patricia Harrison (CPB), Professor Nikki Usher (University of San Diego), Sofia Verza (Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom). Music: Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson, Tom Brazier. 
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23. How are public media covering elections?

More than three billion people will go to the polls in more than 80 countries this year, and public service media will be on the frontline for many of them.
But at a time when democracy finds itself on increasingly threatened ground, with rising authoritarianism, apathy, and mis- and dis-information, how does PSM plan to cover them?
 
In this latest episode of our podcast, Media Uncovered, we speak to GBC in Ghana, which is trying to reach as many remote communities as possible amid budget pressures, while creating mechanisms to maintain its accuracy; we’re in Brussels, looking at how various journalists and broadcasters are covering the European elections; and we ask PTS Taiwan if there’s any lessons from their experience in January.
 
Presenter: Jamie Tahana. Correspondents: Charlotte Pion & Harry Lock. Guests: Amin Alhassan (GBC), Valentina Vasileva (VOA), Pascal Albrechtskirchinger (ZDF), Joosep Värk (ERR), Prof. Ike Picone (VUB), Ching Ching Hai (RTI). Music: Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson. SFX: TripleX

22 - What's happening to Argentina's public media?

On 1 March, Argentina's new president, Javier Milei, stood up in Congress and announced the closure of Télam, the country's national news agency. Come Monday morning, Télam's headquarters were bordered up and guarded by police. No workers were allowed in.
So why is Argentina's public media sector being targeted? What has led to the closure of the news agency putting 700 jobs at risk, as well as further threats to privatise the national TV and radio broadcasters as well? 
In this episode, we explore the history of the public media sector across Latin American, and specifically in Argentina, as we analyse what has brought us to this moment now. And we examine what impact might the closure of public media mean for the country's broader news ecosystem. 
Presenter: Harry Lock. Guests: Dr Rodrigo Gomez (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Cuajimalpa), Tomás Eliaschev, (Télam & SiPreBA), Natali Schejtman (University of Torcuato Di Tella).
Music: Lucas Thompson, Rachel Still & Tom Brazier. SFX: Somos Télam & Pixabay. 

21 - World Radio Day: How does radio inform, educate, and entertain?

To celebrate World Radio Day 2024, our podcast examines this year's theme: "Radio: A century informing, educating and entertaining". 
While radio has changed perhaps beyond all recognition since its inception, the three fundamental pillars of radio – and particularly public radio – remain as relevant and necessary today as ever. To explore this, we take a look at each pillar one by one, and speak to a different radio station about each one. 
Tackling entertainment, we speak with ABC's youth radio station, Triple J, on how they continue to reach and entertain young audiences. We travel to northern Norway to speak to NRK Sápmi, on how their content seeks to educate audiences – new and existing. And we finish in Barbados, speaking to Starcom Network Inc, on how their portfolio of radio stations inform audiences in the modern, digital age.
We also talked to three leaders of public radio associations about the future of radio networks, the challenges they face, and the opportunities available in different regions of the world.  
Presenter: Harry Lock. Producer: Jamie Tahana. Guests: Kristian Porter (PMA), Edita Kudláčová (EBU), Sonia Gill (CBU), Anthony Greene (Stardom Network Inc), Johan Ailo Kalstad (NRK Sápmi), and Lachlan Macara (ABC). 
Music: Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson, Tom Brazier. 
More World Radio Day content:
https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/radio-the-trusted-guide-in-a-changing-world/
https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/world-radio-days-a-century-of-informing-educating-entertaining/
 
 
 

20. What obligation does public media have to Indigenous Peoples?

With CBC/Radio-Canada publishing their first ever National Indigenous Strategy, we take a look at public media's role in serving, reflecting and representing Indigenous Peoples – both on and off screen. 
We examine how public media historically have treated, reported on, and engaged with Indigenous communities. We look at current efforts by broadcasters including NITV, RNZ and NRK Sápmi to reach and connect with Indigenous audiences in meaningful and engaging ways. 
And we explore CBC/Radio-Canada's new strategy – what difference will it actually make? And will audiences notice a difference?
Presenter: Harry Lock. Producer: Jamie Tahana. Guests: Johan Ailo Kalstad (NRK Sápmi), Tanya Denning-Orman (SBS / NITV), Robert Doane (CBC/Radio-Canada), Mirta Lourenco (UNESCO), Catherine Tait (CBC/Radio-Canada). Music: Rachel Still, Lucas Thompson, Tom Brazier. 
Find out more about CBC/Radio-Canada's strategy > https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/cbc-radio-canada-launches-first-ever-national-indigenous-strategy-and-establishes-new-indigenous-office/. 
With thanks to: NRK, SBS, RNZ, CBC/Radio-Canada for additional materials.