This critical study is the end product of a two-and-a-half year research project, which originated from comments made in the Annan Committee Report on broadcasting advisory councils. This report stated that widespread concern had been expressed by various bodies about the state of modern television broadcasting. It concluded that one of the presents weaknesses of broadcasters was their remoteness from members of the viewing public. This book tested the assertions made by the Annan Committee by examining the broadcasting advisory councils of the BBC and Channel 4, by observing them in action and by attempting to assess how their deliberations were being used, if at all, by programme makers. The author attempts to describe the mood of broadcasters in the 1980s and the mood of the audiences they seek to serve. A comparison is made between the operation of the UK's oldest and newest public television broadcasting systems.