PSM Research


Welcome to the PSM Research page – an online hub of academic blogs, articles and insights. 

Here you will find a broad selection of recommended journals, reports, websites and guides related to the core values of public service media, as well as specially-commissioned Research Insights written by leading researchers and academics on a chosen subject. This page is produced in collaboration with IAPMR and MJRC.

About

This page is a live resource, bringing together the most recent academic research either about, or of relevance to, public service media. Topics include best practices, country reports and the mounting challenges faced by PSM worldwide such as media capture, diminishing budgets and media convergence.

The resources below have been curated by the Public Media Alliance in collaboration with the International Association of Public Media Researchers (IAPMR) and the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC). You can find out more about our collaborators at the bottom of the page.


Research Insights

A collection of articles written by leading researchers & academics from around the world, especially commissioned for PMA and IAPMR.

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The State of Public Service Media Worldwide


Every year, the Media and Journalism Research Center releases the 'State Media Monitor' – the flagship study assessing the editorial, financial and governance independence of state-administered media companies across the world.

Download the 2025 report
Screenshot of the title page of the report
Screenshot. Credit: Media & Journalism Research Center.

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Latest Research

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Most of the following resources are open-source but some contain links to articles that require an institutional log-in to view. Please refer to your University, institution or employer if this is the case.

Achieving Viability for Public Service Media in Challenging Settings

2020
Multiple international organisations recognise the value of public service media (PSM) as an essential component of democratisation. Yet how can PSM achieve viability in settings where models of media independence and credibility are unfamiliar or rejected by political leaders?

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Media Influence Matrix

2017

Launched in 2017, the CMDS project maps and assesses "the state of journalism on a country-by-country basis." Country reports include articles, analytical papers and data sets that aim to answer questions on regulation, funding and technology.

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Democracy & PSM

2019

The EBU's research demonstrates how countries with robust public service broadcasting systematically rank higher in core democratic indicators.

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Public Broadcasting: The Latin American Exception

2019

An edited version of a talk at the panel The Future of Public Broadcasting: How to Win Back our Hearts? Forum Media and Development, Berlin, November 2018.

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Licence Fee 2019

2019

This EBU report highlights the vital importance the licence fee has for public service media across Europe.

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Public service broadcasting: as vital as ever

2019

The UK House of Lords report on public service broadcasting in the age of video on demand concludes that PSBs are vital and in need of better support to produce high quality content.

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The Future of Public Service Broadcasting in Bosnia and Herzegovina

June 2017
This working paper explores the future of public service broadcasting (PSB) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in light of the complex situation it is currently facing.

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The Future of Public Service Broadcasting in Serbia

May 2017
This paper examines the status, role, and main challenges of the reform of the public service broadcasting (PSB) in Serbia.

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Ensuring public service news provision in the era of networked communications

2016
This article analyses the economic viability of news production in the two main categories of media organisations, legacy media and digital native media, with a focus on USA and Europe.

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Public Service and Community Media

2015
This useful article outlines the similarities and differences between public service and community media.

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Germany: Interstate Treaty on Broadcasting and Telemedia

2013
This treaty is a great example of how to implement a funding transition and regulatory changes within a federal State.

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Mapping Digital Media: News and New Media in Central Africa

2012
In this report, Marie-Soleil Frère surveys the news landscapes of DRC, Burundi, and Rwanda. Marshalling an impressive range of data, she examines patterns of production and consumption, the often grim realities of law and regulation, the embryonic state of media policy, the role of donors, and the positive impact of online platforms.

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Public policies for public service media

2010
UK and the German policy cases, with warnings and lessons from the USA.

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Riding the Wave

2009
Grounded in a series of industry interviews taken from across six case studies and referencing recent literature and policy documents, this article analyses the impact of public broadcasting’s digital rebirth on traditional public service principles.

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Reinventing Public Service Broadcasting in Europe

2008
The paper deals with the question whether the European full-fledged PSB model is still realistic or a more small-scale public service a la the American PBS would be a more viable prospect.

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Our Partners

We are pleased to partner with the IAPMR and MJRC for this resource

IAPMR

The International Association of Public Media Researchers (IAPMR) brings together quality academic and industrial research from different disciplines. We support the continual evolution of public service media by aggregating theory and practice.  We look critically from industrial, production, audience, technological, economic and societal perspectives. We run conferences, produce publications and communicate knowledge to academia, industry, governments, and publics.


MJRC

The Media and Journalism Research Center is an independent media research and policy think tank that seeks to improve the quality of media policymaking and the state of independent media and journalism through research, knowledge sharing and financial support. MJRC continues the work of the Center for Media, Data & Society (CMDS), which until October 2022 operated as a unit of Central European University (CEU).


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