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 in graveyard slots at times when few listeners or viewers are tuned in (or even awake); in U.S. broadcasting, a particularly favored time slot for this type of show is a 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. Sunday morning time slot. 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.