To entertain, inform, and educate: Still the role of public television

The introduction of commercial television in West European countries during the 1980s was accompanied by a fierce discussion about the consequences of ending the monopoly of public broadcasting. While proponents of market liberation argued that the outcome would produce greater diversity of contents and audiences, opponents feared negative consequences from this development. Against this background, the study reported here analyzes data from the EU member stares to assess the relationship between preference for either public or commercial television and political knowledge. Findings show that in most countries preference for public television goes hand-in-hand with greater knowledge of EU political matters. The conclusion considers the consequences of these findings.