Radio and television impact the formation of public opinion in a considerable manner. The regulatory authorities for private broadcasting therefore have to ensure that the services licensed are balanced, giving voice to all major strands of opinion, including those of minorities. This requirement was laid down by the Federal Constitutional Court in its rulings on broadcasting and was adopted in the Bavarian Media Law.

Securing plurality not only relates to programme contents, but also to issues of media concentration. If, for example, the BLM intends to allocate transmission capacities, it will assess whether and to what extent applicants for services to be distributed in Bavaria are already involved in the operation of other broadcasting services or in newspaper publishing. For national services, plurality issues are assessed by the KEK, the Commission on concentration in the media.