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This paper identifies the main issues of public service broadcasters (PSBs) in six countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) in the period between 2010 and 2017, using a traditional literature review approach and document analysis. The analysis confirmed that PSBs in the region share the following (largely intertwined) issues: substantial financial problems; attempts to solve their difficult financial situations by competing with private commercial broadcasters, resulting in extensive broadcasting of entertainment content at the expense of public interest content; continuous pressure from state and political elites, resulting in editorial dependence and politically biased news content; problems adjusting to the new technological environment and delays in digitalization. These issues arise (also) from some common characteristics of the wider media and social context in the region, such as small advertising markets and potential, a lack of tradition in terms of independent countries and democracies, and positive perceptions of market forces and deregulation compared to political interference.
