License‑fee immunity enables cultural power

When a public cultural institution has a protected, predictable revenue stream plus operational autonomy (e.g., licence fees or earmarked trusts), it can develop technocratic patronage and policy‑shaping capacity that escapes routine political checks. That combination creates a durable, semi‑sovereign cultural actor whose internal incentives — staffing, commissioning, and external lobbying — can drift away from democratic accountability. — If true, many debates about public broadcasting and cultural bodies should focus less on editorial taste and more on governance structures (revenue design, appointment rules, audit obligations) because funding architecture directly shapes institutional power.