From rhetorics to practice : implementation of technological innovation within Spanish public service media

In the context of media and Information Society policies, there has been profound controversy in Europe with respect to the legitimate use of new technologies by public service media. Through qualitative interviews and policy documents analysis with a case study, this article illustrates how three Spanish public service media organizations apply technological innovations in order to successfully achieve their public service remit; the article thereby provides one of the first studies of innovation management in this field. Lessons from this paper include the difficult accountability of innovation, the non-formal nature of its practice, the central role of techno-enthusiasts and the bureaucratic problems of developing open innovation practices

Innovació tecnològica i servei públic audiovisual : estudi de cas de la CCMA

La relació entre la innovació tecnològica i el servei públic audiovisual ha esdevingut els darrers anys, juntament amb la gestió de l'espectre, un dels principals motius d'atac del sector privat de la comunicació i les telecomunicacions. L'obligació legal d'arribar al màxim nombre possible de ciutadans ha de combinar-se ara amb la proliferació d'aparells receptors i de millores tècniques de qualitat d'imatge i de so. L'estudi de cas de la Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals (CCMA) ens permetrà veure formes d'adaptar-se als nous temps tecnològics, complint amb el que s'espera d'un servei públic audiovisual quant a innovacióIn the last years, technological innovation, together with the management of broadcasting spectrum, has become one of the main topics used by comercial players in the audiovisual and telecommunications markets to build a solid discourse against public service media. The public service remit to reach the maximum number of citizens is now combined with the proliferation of receiving devices and enhanced pictures and sound quality. The case study of the CCMA illustrates different ways to adapt an institution to the new technological era according to what can be expected from a public service broadcaster in terms of innovatio

External pluralism protection in five EU countries and the U.S. : the regulatory authorities' views

The protection of pluralism in a cross-media scenario is a major concern for regulatory authorities in all democratic countries. This paper presents the outcome of in-depth interviews with members of six independent audiovisual regulatory authorities. They were questioned about the assessment of measures being taken to protect external pluralism in their respective countries, and about the problems and shortcomings they encounter during their implementation. In spite of the difficulties that arise when trying to compare different national realities and to gather qualitative data from legal bodies, this paper draws several conclusions on current policy trends for the protection of pluralism

Servei públic i innovació tecnològica

Estudi finançat en el marc de la VIII Convocatòria per a la concessió d'ajuts a projectes de recerca sobre comunicació audiovisual del Consell de l'Audiovisual de CatalunyaAquest estudi identifica les principals innovacions tecnològiques posades en marxa pels serveis públics audiovisuals espanyol, català i andalús en el terreny de la distribució (ràdio, televisió, internet) i en determina les polítiques públiques aplicades

Communication Policies and the Protection of Pluralism in the European Union and the United States

This article describes and analyses the regulatory frameworks and the current pluralism protection policies in the United States and several countries of the European Union (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain). The data obtained allowed a qualitative assessment to be carried out, through a comparative analysis, in order to identify certain similarities and some significant differences. Thus, it was found that pluralism protection is a common denominator in the communication policies of these countries. However, regulatory and legislative differences depend on social, geographical and media contexts, and time variations in the application of policies depend on audiovisual media market liberalisation processes

España y Suecia: apuntes comparativos sobre las políticas públicas para la implantación de la TDT

En este artículo se aportan algunos de los resultados preliminares de mi tesis doctoral: “Las políticas públicas de la televisión digital terrestre en la Unión Europea. Estudio comparado de Suecia y España”. Mediante el análisis de las estructuras institucionales implicadas en la transición analógico-digital de la plataforma de difusión terrestre, sus lógicas legitimadoras y las estrategias desarrolladas, se pretende contribuir a la identificación de buenas prácticas y de factores clave de éxito que ayuden a diseñar políticas públicas más efectivas.This paper has been elaborated with some of the preliminary results of my PhD dissertation: “Public Policy for Digital Terrestrial Television in the European Union. Comparative study of Sweden and Spain”. It wants to contribute to identifying the best practices as well as success key factors that would help to design more effective public policies addressing the digital transition of terrestrial broadcasting. In order to do so, the national cases of Spain and Sweden are compared. Their institutional structures involved in that process, their legitimation logics and the strategies implemented are analysed

The migration towards Digital Terrestrial Television: challenges for public policy and public broadcasters

This paper initially identifies the main transformations of the television system that are caused by digitalization. Its development in several broadcasting platforms is analyzed as well as the particular obstacles and requirements that are detected for each of them. Due to its technical characteristics and its historical link to the public services, the terrestrial network requires migration strategies different from those strictly commercial, and public intervention might be needed. The paper focuses on such migration strategies towards DTT and identifies the main issues for public intervention in the areas of the digital scenario: technology, business and market transformation and the reception field. Moreover, it describes and classifies the challenges that public broadcasters should confront due to digitalization. This paper finally concludes that the leadership of the public broadcasters during the migration towards DTT is an interesting tool for public policy. The need for foster the digitalization of the terrestrial platform and to achieve certain social and public goal besides the market interest brings an opportunity for public institutions and public broadcasters to work together. That leading role could also be positive for the public service to face its necessary redefinition and reallocation within the digital context

Las políticas públicas de la televisión digital terrestre en la Unión Europea. Estudio comparado de Suecia i España

Esta tesis doctoral tiene como objeto de estudio las políticas públicas de la televisión digital terrestre. Sus principales objetivos son determinar la pertinencia de la acción pública para afrontar la transición analógico-digital de la plataforma terrestre, analizar las principales tendencias de intervención e identificar qué estrategias y mecanismos contribuyen de manera más eficaz a completar la implantación de la TDT con éxito.Para ello, en la primera parte de la investigación se define un marco teórico sobre las políticas públicas de los medios. Además, se exploran las repercusiones de la digitalización sobre el sistema televisivo. En la segunda parte de la tesis, se analizan las líneas de intervención desarrolladas por la Unión Europea y cómo éstas han determinado un marco de referencia que condiciona la acción estatal. Por último, se efectúa un estudio comparado de las políticas públicas implementadas en Suecia y España, dos países pioneros en la implantación de la TDT en el contexto europeo. Sus experiencias permiten extraer lecciones que serán de utilidad para aquellos estados que deban afrontar la digitalización de la televisión terrestre en los próximos años.This PhD dissertation analyses public policy dealing with the implementation of Digital Terrestrial Television. The main objectives of the research carried out were: determining the appropriateness of public intervention, analysing what its main tendencies are and identifying which strategies and policy mechanisms are the most effective ones in order to complete the switchover at the terrestrial platform. In the first part, a theoretical framework regarding public policy for the media is defined. In addition, the repercussions of digitalisation on the television system are analysed. In the second part of the dissertation, the research focuses on the policies carried out by the European Union's Institutions in order to asses how supranational actions condition the Member States' initiatives by means of defining a reference framework. Following that, the cases of Sweden and Spain are compared. Both countries have been pioneers concerning DTT implementation within the European context. Their rich experiences provide useful lessons for other countries that have to confront the digital transition of terrestrial broadcasting in the next few years