While KBS is pushing for a license fee increase, public opinion is turning against KBS. A prime example was the issue of wages for employees. Although KBS refuted the conservative opposition lawmaker’s claim that “KBS’s annual salary is 60%,” he said, “Is it okay if it is 46% rather than 60% (of employees)?”
The conservative media and opposition parties are aggressively proposing, “KBS has a large number of billions of annual salaries, so the license fee should not be raised,” that is, the “labor cost frame” is receiving support from public opinion in difficult economic conditions due to the Corona 19 situation. This is because it is viewed as paying more taxes for high-paid public broadcasters in the reality that everyone suffers from Corona 19. That is why the KBS board of directors repeatedly said, “The fee should be raised, but the timing is wrong.”
It is that the more KBS refutes that it has reduced the level of remuneration, such as the abolition of top-ranking positions through its own efforts, the more inside the perception that’there will be lower annual salaries and more jobs’ spreads. With KBS, every dilemma. The fact that KBS said on the 30th of last month that “we have no choice but to maintain an appropriate level of wages to maintain overall competitiveness” is interpreted as containing such concerns.
As the labor cost frame gains strength, the’subscription fee increase after line restructuring’ follows. It is a logic that strong restructuring should be carried out along with an increase in license fees, like overseas public broadcasters like the BBC. An official of KBS said, “There are many cases where the case of BBC or NHK is equal to KBS. Overseas public broadcasters have a subscription fee of 200,000 to 300,000 won per year, and it is difficult to compare simply in terms of manpower.” Media experts also believe that it is difficult to’improve human efficiency without wounds’ unless the construction itself is split or readjusted.
Even from a media labor standpoint, wielding the sword of restructuring indiscriminately could immediately face a violation of the labor law. The solution to restructuring could be’poisonous drugs’. Most of the current KBS executives are from the KBS headquarters, a national media union that is a majority union. KBS President Yang Seung-dong is a former co-representative of the KBS Headquarters, the predecessor of the media union’s KBS Headquarters,’KBS Employee Action for Public Broadcasting. The fact that the current labor and management, which is based on the support of the employees, can easily come to an agreement on restructuring can lead to self-confidence.
There is another dilemma. Another argument against the increase in KBS license fees is the’fairness controversy’. In order to persuade the license fee increase, the company promises to increase news and current affairs in the public domain, but the more news increases, the higher the probability of fairness disputes. Because it is near impossible to satisfy all viewers.
Public opinion on’opposing KBS license fee increase’ is in line with public opinion’for EBS license fee increase’. There are opposing comments such as ‘100 million annual salary’ and’unfair broadcast’ on the KBS subscription fee increase article, but the voice shouting’Pengsoo’ along with supportive comments saying’I felt the role of an educational broadcast during Corona 19′ in the EBS license fee increase article. It gets bigger. Rather, give the KBS license fee to EBS.
Why does this reaction come out? I think it’s because EBS has a small portion of news. There are fewer things to suffer from the fairness controversy than KBS. One media scholar said this as the’underdog effect’ (a phenomenon of sympathizing with a person or team that is likely to lose in a game, fight, or election). EBS, which receives only 3% of the KBS license fee, and EBS, which has little controversy over fairness, will generate favorable public opinion.
“If you increase the weight of any news, the controversy about fairness inevitably grows,” said Lee. “It is not a word spoken of’fair KBS news’, but you should try new news at all.” In addition to reinforcing disaster journalism, he cited news, professional news, and 24-hour news that strengthened locality as examples. It is pointed out that the news advocating fairness can eventually become a stale news that has fallen into mechanical neutrality and will not be insulted by anyone. The irony is that’real fair news’ is impossible.
In the end, KBS must persuade “Why Korean society needs public broadcasting”. Public opinion does not move due to the’subscription fee increase plan’ that KBS has now drawn out. It is an evaluation that the agenda of a national declaration is not appropriate even though it is necessary. We cannot let KBS prove the proposition of’Korea needs public broadcasting’. The structure of the broadcasting industry must also change, and the political sphere must also be discussed. This is why members of our society should seriously discuss the issue of license fees together.
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