TV news reporting in the United States is in a vortex of change, faced by diversifying values, diverse and segmented information access, and emerging new media environments. Evening news shows on the Big Three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC), which had been competing head to head, have now become nothing more than programs scrambling for merely 26 million viewers. Local news shows around the country, once dubbed “money tree,” are now on the verge of homogenization and attenuation.

The U.S. commercial broadcasting system has been evolved as a medium of advertisement, centering on “entertainment.” Consequently, news and documentaries have been positioned as a service to the “public interest” along with educational and culture programs. The ground principle governing American broadcasting is that the air belongs to the public and those who use a finite resource called airwaves have to serve the “public interest.” However, what exactly is the “public interest” and who should define it? These questions have been arousing controversy, engaging current and past governments, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the U.S. Supreme Court, academia, and journalism as well as broadcasters themselves. And now, the concept “public interest” itself is being questioned amidst a media revolution such as diversifying　values and convergence of broadcasting and telecommunications. Roles of dramas, comedies, varieties and other so called entertainment programs are also vital for the “public interest.”

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