Sleepwalking Over the Edge
Date/Time
Date(s) - 17/05/2023
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Location
London Coliseum (Balcony Bar)
Category(ies)
How the future of public service media and its engagement with the young will define society in years to come.
Sleepwalking Over the Edge was the third in CMF’s season of events exploring the future of public service media for children and young people.
Speakers:
Japhet Asher Director Polarity Reversal, Executive member CMF
Prof. Patrick Barwise Emeritus Professor of Management and Marketing, London Business School
Anna Burrows Co-founder, See It Be It
Lucy Murphy Head of Kids Content, Sky
Emma Scott Chair World Book Day, CEO, Cultivation Partners
Meg Zeenat Wamithi Founder and CEO, Mindmapper UK – Award Winning Global Mental Health Campaigner and Consultant
This public meeting invited experts in young people’s well-being, cultural engagement and social cohesion to consider a future in which the kids’ audience have little or no experience of public service content, and no appreciation of its relevance in reflecting their lives and its purpose in creating bonds that hold society together.
As kids migrate in ever increasing numbers to on-demand streaming and social-media services, where there is currently no regulation, nor prominence or support for public service content, CMF asks: Are we sleepwalking to a future in which there will be no appreciation or support for public service content? And beyond that, little understanding of the values of balance, fairness, universal provision and support which underpin so much of how UK democracy and society operates?
While Public Service broadcasters try to catch up with the lost audience, by shifting services to online on-demand delivery, can this solve the fundamental problem of how kids FIND the content they consume?
Is the 2023 Media Bill far-seeing and firm enough to ensure a future in which regulation delivers public service prominence and support on all platforms that deliver to kids? And beyond the Media Bill – can we rescue the relationship between public service content and young people wihtout addtional investment? Without long term committment to fund content that has purpose and relevance and a flexibilkity of definition that allows that content to find the chidlren’s audience where they now find themselves?
Are these obligations we need to impose now to avoid a future without public service values?
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