SXSW 2012

Public broadcasters have long played a vital role in media, providing citizens with independent information through universal entertainment. Publicly-funded organizations like CBC and NPR have championed new music, supporting artists that struggle to find audiences on commercial outlets and helping provide a test-bed for innovation. Free from the constraints of commerce, they have strayed into areas where private enterprise might otherwise thrive. Does this inhibit the economies of places where public broadcasters operate?