Commercial Television, Globalisation and the Public Interest: The History of Voice of Firestone

This article uses the eventual demise of the long-running Voice of Firestone as an example to argue how ratings-driven, commercial television is likely to undermine public servive television in Europe.

Commercial Television, Globalisation and the Public Interest: The History of Voice of Firestone

A.H. Walle, The University of Akron, Ohio

European television is on the brink of being transformed by a new breed of commercial stations which garner revenues from advertisements – not merely taxes, governmental subsidies, and/or legislation which requires viewers to underwrite the programmes they watch. European commercial television, now in its infancy and usually only available to those with cable TV, exhibits all the signs of being an emerging ‘enfant terrible’. ‘Annual double-digit gains in...(TV) advertising in Europe’ will continue for the next 20...

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