An opportunity for KBS to be born again

The mammoth broadcaster must regain public trust through a thorough self-reflection on the flawed practices of the past.

Park Chun-il

The author is a professor of media studies at Sookmyung Women’s University. After the government has implemented a revision to the enforcement decree of the Broadcast Act to separate KBS licensing fees from the combined utility charges, the public broadcaster has faced massive demands for change and innovation. That was a wake up call for the terrestrial broadcaster which has enjoyed its coveted status as the nation’s top public broadcaster.

Members of KBS will most likely be worried about the stark future of the broadcaster. But KBS must take the separation of the licensing fees as a watershed moment to change all the way it has been doing business. The mammoth broadcaster must regain public trust through a thorough self-reflection on the flawed practices of the past.

KBS is nearly a crippled organization, as it followed in the path of Blockbuster, Kodak and BlackBerry which were driven out from the market after failing to meet the demand of the times.

First of all, KBS is still stuck in its glory days. Let’s think about it. How many of the Gen MZ would watch it? After being self-satisfied with its major audience group of the older generation, the company has never felt the need to create new demand. A self-complacency, as seen in its occasional readjustment of its programs — and only some of them — and yet a strong desire to enjoy its position led to a colossal failure to innovate its programs. The young generation turned away from its unappealing content.

Second, KBS is infamous for an obstinate — and sclerotic — work culture. Richard Gershon, a renowned professor of telecommunications, singled out deep-rooted political orientation as one of the most serious malaises of public broadcasters. In an organization sharply divided over political ideology among its members, it is far-fetched to expect KBS to play its pivotal role as “national integrator.” KBS lacks convincing creeds or values to share with its members, not to mention its inability to effectively respond to the dramatic changes in the media environment.

Third, a large share of the responsibility falls on the management of the broadcaster. CEO of KBS must know what must be achieved by its members. But its presidents have been criticized for only paying attention to their own reputation, not the future of the public broadcaster. Instead, they were busy trying to meet the demands of politicians who appointed them as the president. That led to an organizational crisis of the public broadcaster over its genuine role in our society.

Fourth, KBS is inundated with a strange culture of trying to avoid risks. As long as it adheres to the business model based on stable income from the mandatory combined collection of viewership charges, the public broadcaster cannot achieve innovations. It was unable to preemptively cope with the drastic changes in the media market and digital technology. It failed to expand its public service to the digital realms, including online and mobile platforms.

Innovative media companies foresee future changes, revise their strategy, and create new content in tune with the technology development and the shift in viewers’ taste. The BBC could keep abreast of the global news competition by launching World Service after taking advantage of the borderless digitalization. The BBC also serves as the guardian of the British media market by introducing iPlayer — its own OTT media service — in a heated race with American OTT service providers.

The revision of the enforcement decree of the Broadcast Act is aimed to change the television licensing fee collection method, not to allow the general public to watch the channel free of charge. If KBS attempts to neutralize the government’s policy by highlighting simply a procedural problem, it is same as admitting that KBS has lost public trust. The broadcaster must renew its public purposes, carry them out, and push innovations in running the corporation.

I hope that members of KBS read the five public purposes of BBC: providing impartial news and information; supporting learning for people of all ages; showing the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services; representing the diverse communities; and reflecting the UK, its culture and values to the world. I sincerely hope that KBS recovers the public trust it lost by being born again.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.