Accurate labeling is important because these definitions shape our thinking about the most effective and appropriate ways to co-exist. In pluralism, this is legitimate, if done within agreed upon ground rules. That fundamental challenges confront this pluralistic society, but it lacks adequate mechanisms and protocols to explore and resolve these challenges. Others believe there are multiple systems within the system. Still others argue that there are only independent licensees, with nothing more binding them than their traditional reliance on taxpayer dollars and a common interconnection system.
Public television has multiple missions, goals and strategies.
These are often in conflict. There have always been differences among types of licensees and differences among stations because of market size and other factors. Historically, educational broadcasting began with the local licensee. With the development of the NAEB and NET, and with the legislation, organizational structures and funding that followed the first Carnegie Commission Task Force Report, there evolved a sense of national vision, mission and purpose. Our present hypothesis is that, as time has passed, this sense of national mission and purpose has slowly eroded and local licensees have tended to revert to the time when they felt less allegiance to the national institution.