KBS reform begins with correcting biased news

Kang Seung-koo

The author is a professor at the department of media arts and sciences of Korea National Open University.

In the iconic Western films “For a Fistful of Dollars” and “For a Few Dollars More,” a mysterious and ruthless poncho-clad gunfighter rides into a small town, whips out his rifles and guns down a clan. The audience naturally thinks the stranger, being the protagonist, is the good, and those slayed are the bad.

The black-and-white dualism between a gunman and gangsters in Western movies resemble the relationship between the media and politics. The good-and-bad dichotomy has so far dominated news programs from the country’s public broadcaster Korea Broadcasting System (KBS).

The viewers of 9’o clock KBS prime news have come to familiarize KBS as the heroic gunman and the politicians and parties criticized in news programs as the bad guys. As a result, those who felt they were victimized by KBS are bent on controlling the public broadcaster once they take power. KBS no longer wields the influence it did in the past due to increased competition with diverse news channels, but it still remains valuable for the political community.

But such a structure is not healthy. KBS revenue from viewership is expected to plunge about 40 percent after it lost the bundling of its fee charge on utility bills. Its management is at risk. The revenue from its semi-tax-like viewership charge amounted to 690 billion won ($531 million) last year, but it could lose about 400 billion won after the billing separation

What could be the best solution for the broadcaster? If it asks my opinion as a media scholar, I think KBS should give up its news program. If it does not make news, no governing power would feel the need to take it over. The company can go on upholding its public role by focusing on producing programs for the public good.

KBS in the past had contributed substantially to promoting the public interest and welfare through educational and non-profit programs shunned by commercial broadcasters. Its community programs, like “Korea Food Table”, “6 O’Clock Hometown Report”, “A Walk Around the Neighborhood” and “Companion” still help bring people closer, while epic dramas such as “Immortal Admiral Yi Sun Shin” elevate the public’s national pride and patriotism. Even without its news service, KBS can be a helpful media platform. If it cannot separate itself from the news, it can think of airing it through its KBS 2 channel after making it an independent corporation or adding it to a different billing account.

Ad revenues for the three terrestrial broadcasters in 2022 was 390 billion won for MBC, 370 billion won for SBS, and 260 billion won for KBS. The KBS 2 channel would have no problem running on its own. Terrestrial broadcasters collect cost-per-subscriber (CPS) fees from paid-TV platforms. With the addition of a news program, KBS 2 TV will do well.

But in this case, KBS 1 TV must run soley on viewership fees and 2 TV on ad income. Those paying to watch KBS 1 include both ruling and opposition supporters or those tilting either towards the liberal or conservative ideology. News produced on fees collected from such a broad and mixed public must not be lopsided.

We cannot truly believe KBS reporters who claim their reporting is purely neutral. Our suspicion comes from their reporting apparently based on bias and preconception. The news order is also dependent on the political preference of its executives.

The fees collected from broad viewers are tantamount to a semi-social tax. Producing skewed news constitutes an act of betrayal to the public. I advise KBS to drop the news from now on. If it cannot, news should be aired on KBS 2 TV so that it is judged by its viewership rate and ad income. The broadcaster must stop producing news and running KBS 2 TV commercially, based on the fees collected from the general public. It cannot help public welfare through biased reporting.

KBS should collect fees only from households with a television. The fee payment should continue to be mandatory. But the fixed payment can be justified only if KBS is true to its public role. It is the only way to defend the public identity of KBS regardless of who comes into power in the government.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.