Public-Service Broadcasters in the Time of COVID-19

Public broadcasters have long shared a mandate to inform, educate and entertain, and never has this been more important than in the current times amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pubcasters around the world have stepped up their engagement with audiences of all ages across a range of broadcast and online services—and viewers are turning to public media in record numbers for the trusted news and reliable information that is their hallmark.

Seven leaders of major public-service outlets from around the world came together this year to form the Global Task Force (GTF) for Public Media: David Anderson of ABC Australia, Thomas Bellut of Germany’s ZDF, Delphine Ernotte Cunci of France Télévisions, the BBC’s Tony Hall, Jim Mather of RNZ in New Zealand, Hanna Stjärne of SVT in Sweden and
Catherine Tait of CBC/Radio-Canada. Its mission is to defend the values and interests of public media.

“The Global Task Force is particularly proud of the speed with which public media across the world have responded to the challenge of supporting the education of children who are learning at home by bringing together brilliant partners from across the public and private spheres,” the group said in a statement. “Public-service media is uniquely placed to play this role.

“Meanwhile, our promise to entertain helps keep spirits up, especially among our older audiences who are the most vulnerable. We continue to support the performers and creative talent who inspire us and help define our cultures, bringing us closer in a time of social distancing.”

In Australia, audiences are turning to the ABC as their trusted news source, with its unique digital audience up 53 percent in March to 15.2 million (61 percent of the population over the age of 2). Dedicated content for the crisis includes the daily podcast Coronacast, which answers listeners’ questions about COVID-19 and breaks down the latest news and research. The ABC has launched an A$5 million Fresh Start Fund to support the sustainability of Australia’s production sector, meant to supercharge the development of content across genres such as drama, comedy, children’s, music and the arts. The ABC has also expanded its education schedule to broadcast additional curriculum-related content to children between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. each weekday on ABC ME and further online support through the ABC Education portal.

The BBC introduced its largest-ever education offer, Bitesize Daily, with a 14-week roster of curriculum-based learning for kids throughout the U.K. (Its teaching roll call even includes Sir David Attenborough helping young ones to learn about the oceans.) The Big Night In, a three-hour collaboration between the charitable partners BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief, raised nearly £27.4 million while celebrating acts of kindness, humor and the spirit of hope and resilience that is keeping the U.K. going during these challenging times.

CBC/Radio-Canada has launched several efforts to support the Canadian creative industry amid the coronavirus pandemic, including the Digital Originals funding initiative, in partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts, and the CBC Creative Relief Fund to provide urgent support to Canadian creators. Digital Originals will provide C$1 million in funding to selected applicants to develop, create and share original or adapted works with Canadian audiences online, while the CBC Creative Relief Fund will provide C$2 million in development and production funding for a range of original Canadian storytelling. CBC Kids News and Radio-Canada MAJ (Mon actualité jeunesse) invited young Canadians ages 6 to 13 to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam questions about the COVID-19 pandemic, and the special programming was broadcast simultaneously across CBC and Radio-Canada platforms.

France Télévisions rallied together all of its channels to ensure that children from primary to high school can continue with their schooling thanks to the new educational platform Lumni. To answer questions about the coronavirus, franceinfo launched a new initiative, #OnVousRépond. Every day, from 6 a.m. to midnight, franceinfo’s digital team responds to questions they receive, calling upon doctors, experts, public authorities or other specialists as needed to provide clear and verified answers. #OnVousRépond also provides content to franceinfo’s radio and TV channels, its newscasts at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. on France 2 and its newsletter.

In New Zealand, RNZ’s daily coronavirus podcast features presenter Indira Stewart sharing the latest news on the pandemic and its impact on New Zealanders. The program shares stories from everyday citizens impacted by the virus and uses RNZ’s VoxPop App technology for direct engagement with subscribers through real-time questions and answers.

Sweden’s SVT has visualized aspects of COVID-19 in an interactive and easy-to-understand way through data journalism. Topics include the spread of the disease in Sweden and around the world, the economic effects and how social distancing works. SVT offers commercial media the use of the data visualizations and broadcasts from press conferences for free. SVT also invited viewers around the country to spend an evening together with the Swedish musical elite. The program, sent live from different locations and with segments from all over the country, was an opportunity to pay tribute to some of the people helping society cope with this challenge, raise money for those who have been hit hardest and provide support and entertainment.

ZDF in Germany has been adapting its programming continuously, with special broadcasts that include a variety of additional information and interactive offers that can be accessed on the ZDF web portal. There’s a specific service for kids and special content with learning materials and topics for homeschooling.

“Our employees, our freelancers, our creative industry partners and, of course, our private-media colleagues, have shown unwavering commitment to provide essential services in these difficult times,” the GTF said. “The audio, film and television production sectors are a vital and growing part of our economies. Policymakers must take steps to protect the long-term health of this sector.

“For all these reasons, we, the members of the Global Task Force, urge policymakers and politicians to support and defend the independence of public media and of journalism more broadly. Truly independent public-service media has never been more precious to democracies around the world. Together, we will get through the current crisis.”