In a telecommunication system (10) for providing multimedia broadcast services to many user equipments (40 45), a physical random access channel (39) is provided for uplink transmission of power control information from the user equipments to a radio site (30, 35). Based upon a comparison of signal-to-noise ratios (53) each particular user equipment sends (55) or inhibits from sending a power control signal to the radio site to which it is coupled. When the radio site of the telecommunication system detects a power control signal (73), the radio site adjusts the transmission power of a broadcast channel intended for reception by multiple user equipments (75) to be incrementally greater than the previous power (81). For lack of detection of a power control signal, adjusts the transmission power of a broadcast channel to be incrementally lower than the previous power.