Greeting from David Jordan, PBI Secretary-General
Since 1991 the PBI (Public Broadcasters International) has been holding an annual
conference to bring together public service broadcasters from all around the world to exchange ideas and
information and discuss the many challenges we face.
This year we will convene in Tokyo, hosted by NHK which has been a mainstay of the organization from its
beginning. NHK helped to stage the inaugural PBI conference and hosted PBI in 2009 in Kyoto with great
success. Though only a decade ago the landscape for public service broadcasting has since changed
immeasurably and the challenges that now confront the industry are now almost unrecognizable.
Guided by NHK the PBI will discuss these new challenges and offer ideas on how to confront them and
improve services to audiences consuming TV, radio, and online. We look forward to meeting in Tokyo and
building on the traditions of public service broadcasting across the world.
Greeting from Maeda Terunobu, NHK President
One hundred years ago, the world’s first public service broadcaster was born in the United Kingdom, and
many other countries soon followed. Through a century of experience, public service broadcasting has
become a key pillar of a democratic society by providing accurate and reliable news and quality
programming.
Over the past two decades, public service media has been plunged into an unprecedented sea of digital
information. Our mission today is to help our audience capture the big picture by eliminating
misinformation from this flood of facts and opinions. This mission cannot be successful unless we fully
embrace the "public” aspect of what we do. And this is particularly important when addressing issues such
as the COVID-19 pandemic and armed conflict.
"Public" now matters more than ever.
Like many of our fellow broadcasters, NHK will soon reach its 100th anniversary. In recognition of this
milestone, during this year's PBI, I hope that the leaders of the world’s public service media
organizations will be able to learn from each other, sharing their insights into what serving the public
means today. I am honored to host this global gathering of PSM friends in Tokyo to reflect on our
experiences, and find new and better ways to collaborate.
