[mhking]

same could be done for the US. I'm not sure they can be justified in a conservative world view though.

Quality? Sure. But let's go one better. Why should they? There are a myriad of sources, and when you add the web into the mix, that number grows even more.

[Lefty-NiceGuy]

Quality? Well, internal stations in Germany have their charters and heads of staff reviewed periodically by governments local and national. So the Bavarian station is for example more conservative and others are more liberal, but since everyone can watch all of them, they keep each other honest. There are also the private stations too, and other coutries' stations. The Swiss news tends to be pretty neutral. I didn't think it would work well when I first heard about it, but I can't argue with success.

The general idea behind public stations is to keep big conglomerations from buying off the media. The problem with donation run stations like PBS in the states, is that a big donor can buy off them off some too.

Why should they? There are a myriad of sources, and when you add the web into the mix, that number grows even more.
Well most people still watch TV, and you can't believe everything on the web. If the media is consolidated into just a few companies, there is fundamental threat to democracy.

An interesting example: from what I hear there has been almost no mention of the FCC changes in the US press. They've agreed to bury that story.