Of discourses, stakeholders and advocacy coalitions in media policy: Tracing negotiations towards the new management contract of Flemish public broadcaster VRT

Abstract

Taking the run-up to the 2012–2016 management contract between Flemish public service broadcaster VRT and the Flemish government as a case study, this article analyses the role of the digital technology argument in debates and negotiations regarding the position of public service broadcasting (PSB) in the era of media convergence. It discusses the outcome of the 2011 contract negotiations as the result of the relative position and impact of different actors by means of a stakeholder analysis and advocacy coalition framework. Results suggest, first, that beneath surface discussions about PSB and new media are economic arguments and logics. They show, second, that two advocacy coalitions can be identified and that the negotiations’ outcome reflects a rupture of ties in the advocacy coalition between right-wing political parties and private media companies, favouring a market failure perspective, to the benefit of the advocacy coalition promoting the social responsibility perspective, reflected in the eventual 2012–2016 management contract.