PhDThroughout the eighties, and particularly from 1986, British broadcasting has\ud
been understood as undergoing a fundamental change. Consequently, this thesis will\ud
analyze, explain and assess the major developments which have taken place in the wake\ud
of what has been widely perceived as an on-going transition within the British\ud
broadcasting system. This reform has often been identified as a shift from a system\ud
orientated around the concept of public service to one in which alternative core tenets\ud
such as free enterprise, competition and commercialization have emerged alongside the\ud
traditional paradigm. It has been motivated by a number of imperatives; the 'push' of\ud
technology, convergence between the telecom and broadcast industries, the emergence\ud
of new media actors, market-liberal ideologies and the political will of the Thatcher\ud
government. This thesis will test the relative importance of these factors and consider the\ud
crucial questions which are shaping the debate over the future of British broadcasting into\ud
the second millenium