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In search of the holy grail: analyzing press coverage regarding Flemish public service television’s cultural programmes

Historically, culture took up a central position in public service broadcasting, fitting its cultural-educational logic with a focus on high culture. Yet, in public service broadcasting’s move to a more competitive business logic in the late 1980s, culture took a back seat. This shift continues to be criticized, despite renewed attention to cultural programmes since 2005. Taking press criticism of cultural programmes of Flemish public service television in 2005-2012 as a case in point, this article analyses: What is criticised? Do authors see the cultural and television logic as compatible? In which journalistic genres/when is the criticism presented? Who are the critics? Results show that television formats and presenters are the most criticised topics. Cultural and television logics sometimes clash. Programmes are heavily anticipated as more than half of the articles (news articles, interviews and opinion pieces) appear before airing. Elite cultural stakeholders have a strong voice in the debate.