Based on the chapters in this volume, an answer to the question of what constitutes the expected contributions of public service media (PSM) to contemporary society could be “everything”. Here at the conclusion of this volume, I set out to explore two related questions: How did we get here, and how can we tone the expectations of PSM down a bit without losing the core and historical responsibilities of these organisations? I explore these questions by discussing central notions including public sphere, public service, public value, and public interest, as their use and evolving meaning play a part in the power dynamics of defining both the problems and solutions that PSM should be involved in. I conclude by suggesting that, rather than focusing on the second halves of the portmanteaus, we should revisit writings about “the public”, for instance, in the work of John Dewey.