About - World Service
- About BBC World Service
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BBC World Service is the world's leading international radio broadcaster. It provides impartial news reports and analysis in English and 27 other languages.
BBC World Service aims to inspire and illuminate the lives of its audience by bringing the world together, making connections and helping listeners to make sense of the world.
Our programmes - which range from news, education and entertainment - have a reputation for being authoritative, impartial and accurate.
Please tell us what you think of our programmes by emailing worldservice.letters@bbc.co.uk
- How BBC World Service is Funded
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BBC World Service is funded by the UK government through Parliamentary Grant-in-Aid. The Parliamentary Grant-in-Aid is administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). It is not subsidised by the Licence Fee.
However, as part of the UK government's Spending Review in October 2010, it was agreed that funding for BBC World Service will transfer to the Licence Fee from 2014 - 2015 onwards.
Until then, the relationship between BBC World Service and the FCO is governed by two documents, the Broadcasting Agreement and the Financial Memorandum.
- How BBC World Service is Run
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BBC World Service is part of a Global News Division headed by Peter Horrocks.
The Global News Division includes the BBC's international English language TV channel BBC World News; the international online news service bbc.com/news; the global media tracking service BBC Monitoring; and the international charity BBC Media Action.
Royal Charter
The BBC - including BBC World Service - is established under a Royal Charter. The current Charter came into force in 2007 and runs until the end of 2016. It explicitly recognises the BBC's editorial independence and sets out its public purposes.
BBC Trust
Like the rest of the BBC, BBC World Service is accountable to the BBC Trust, appointed under the Royal Charter to act as trustees for the public interest and oversee all BBC activities.
For more details about how BBC World Service is run, please download our latest Annual Report.
