Public affairs (broadcasting)

For other uses of "public affairs", see public affairs (disambiguation)

Public affairs, a broadcasting industry term, refers to programming which focuses on matters of politics and public policy. Among commercial broadcasters, such programs are often only to satisfy regulatory expectations, and hence are scheduled at times when few listeners or viewers are tuned in (or even awake); in U.S. broadcasting, this is known as the "Sunday-morning public affairs ghetto". At some (particularly national) broadcasters, "Public Affairs" may be a special unit, separate from the news department, dedicated to producing long-form public-affairs programming, as at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation prior to 1992.