BBC World Service faces a series of strategic choices over the
next three-year period. In order to remain the best known and
most respected voice in international broadcasting, it must respond
to two sets of forces at work in a turbulent and unpredictable world:
the increasing interdependence of individual nations as they tackle
common challenges (such as global warming and international crime);
the rapid growth of alternative news and information sources,
especially the expansion of regionally based television operations in
non-English languages.
The first of these forces fuels a demand for news, analysis and information
about international affairs and global issues. This has the potential
to stimulate demand for BBC World Service and the BBC's other
international news services. The hunger of listeners to understand how
global forces affect their lives is something BBC World Service can
help satisfy. Its trusted brand and impartial approach stands out in
a plethora of opinionated and partisan sources.
The harder challenge is achieving the right balance of investment, at
a time of finite resources, across the multiple platforms that populate
the global media landscape. There is now a strong case for a television
presence in languages other than English in markets where radio is being
superseded as the main means of receiving information, and where new
media still has limited impact. The rapid growth of regionally-based
news satellite channels threatens to weaken the BBC's current position,
especially in the Middle East and wider Islamic world. Our internationally
based competitors in the USA, France and Germany have reacted
quickly to these new opportunities.
In the 2004 Spending Review, the BBC proposed the creation of a
television news channel in Arabic to complement the presence of BBC
World in this top priority market. No funds were allocated to this
proposed service. BBC World Service continues to believe that it is
vital to develop such a television presence if our influence and impact
in the Middle East is to remain strong. As was signposted in the UK
government Green Paper, a key milestone in the debate about the
future of the BBC, we are currently engaged with the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office in re-examining our current spending plans
to see if, and how, a television service in Arabic could be funded.
In the meantime, BBC World Service is already putting in place
measures to maintain and increase its impact in key parts of the world,
using its radio and new media operations.
Proposals have been made to strengthen the BBC's impact in the
Islamic world. BBC Arabic already offers fresher and livelier news
coverage and further improvements are planned. More programmes
will be produced close to audiences, as transmissions from the
BBC's new bureaux in Cairo and Baghdad are extended. Interactive
programming will be present seven days a week, increasing the
opportunities for audiences across the Arab world and beyond (via
the internet) to exchange views and opinions on the issues of the
day. FM coverage will be widened, making it easier for people to
listen to the BBC with good quality reception in the wider Islamic
world. The BBC plans to strengthen regional production centres in
countries including Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
Providing a forum for dialogue between all the peoples of the world is
something the BBC is exceptionally well placed to do. It has pioneered
interactive programmes bringing together radio, television and online
audiences. The result has been to give a new voice to all kinds of people,
enabling them to express their views, contribute to programmes and put
their questions to those who govern them. With programme makers
working in major world languages, BBC World Service has the ability to
create a platform for debate that no other media organisation can
match. It aims to do this by launching new interactive discussion
programmes in key languages and increasing opportunities for feedback
and dialogue. That will be achieved partly by building on existing online
investments and also by making sure that services are accessible on
developing platforms such as mobile phones and other handheld devices.
Investment in FM distribution remains a high priority to strengthen BBC
World Service's competitive position. Key areas are the Arab world,
particularly Egypt, Saudi Arabia and North Africa, and the wider Islamic
world, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. In Africa, the aim is
to form more partnerships in East and West African markets, including
Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania as the move towards FM gathers pace.
Elsewhere in the world, Russia, India and China are also key priorities
for increased FM distribution.
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Priorities for 2006-2008 |
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