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New information technologies, liberalizing policies and rapidly changing societies from monoto multicultural entail serious consequences for the prospects of European public service broadcasters (PSB) in a network society. The European concept of PSB as a comprehensive and universal service is challenged by both European Union and national authorities at three levels: (1) mission and programme task (comprehensive or complementary programming?); (2) organization (central organization or 'distributed public service'?); and (3) financing (licence fee, advertising or 'state aid'?). There are pressures towards a more 'pure' model of public service broadcasting and/or towards de-institutionalization of PSB and 'distributed public service'. Recent pleadings for (e.g. in the Netherlands) and practices of (e.g. in New Zealand) new PSB policy directions will be evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses the information and communication technologies in multicultural society. Patterns of media consumption; Internet in minority identity construction and perception; Role of the media in the development and perception of identity.