Not all of life’s unforgettable moments happen to us directly. Many of the most important events that shape our lives and our collective futures, either positively or negatively, reach us through some form of broadcast. From witnessing the start of a war or hearing about a natural disaster, learning the results of pivotal elections or major sporting events, or simply experiencing a powerful drama that changes the way you think and act. We most likely saw it, heard it, or experienced it on the TV or radio.

Whether witnessing the prime minister announce a national lockdown in response to Covid-19, David Dimbleby revealing the result of the Brexit referendum, or even watching the UK’s greatest ever Eurovision comeback – we’ve all experienced these moments. Even as the role of the internet looms ever larger in our everyday lives these pivotal moments, if you live in the UK, will still most likely have reached us via the BBC or another public service broadcaster. Now, as these institutions come under increasing pressure from competitors and hostile government policy, it’s more important than ever to consider the role these broadcasters play in shaping our national life, now and in the future.

This year we mark 100 years of the BBC and the institution of public service broadcasting in the UK. The concept of broadcasting for public benefit rather than commercial interest has since been adopted in the foundation of Channel 4 and its tenets are upheld by the obligations placed on ITV and Channel 5. The BBC has established impartial news as the norm and influenced how other news programming is presented, setting the UK’s mostly calm and objective broadcast news apart from more opinion-oriented international outlets, such as CNN and Fox News in the USA.

Public service broadcasting was there at the dawn of the TV and radio era in Britain and it has undeniably shaped our collective culture and media environment ever since. As a number of authors note in this journal edition, the public service broadcasting remit and the resulting media and news services have shaped how we understand ourselves, politics, and culture over time. It has generated shared moments or national joy and pain and has given many people with disparate life experiences a shared sense of belonging and commonality. However, at the same time, these institutions can also be charged with helping to embed existing power structures such as wealth, class, and race.