[Swprograms] BBC Green Paper - World service proposals

["Mike Barraclough" <mikewb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Government's Green Paper on the future of the BBC is available as a pdf
for download at

http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk/have_your_say/green_paper/greenpaper_home
.html

The section which includes the BBC World Service "Bringing the World to the
UK and the UK to the World" starts on page 42. The Government will take into
account the conclusions of the independent review being conducted by Lord
Carter of Coles before publishing its White Paper.

Among the main points:

The Green Paper suggests BBC World Service undertake a "radical and creative
reprioritisation of its vernacular output." which is 42 languages.  The 8
languages it currently has online websites for Arabic, Chinese, Hindi,
Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Urdu should be the starting point
for the discussion. In particular it says that the BBC World Service's
offering of services in 16 vernacular languages spoken in countries which
either formed part of the Soviet Union or the Eastern bloc of countries
formerly under the Soviet Union's domination is beginning to look
anachronistic.

The Government says there is a case for the World Service to develop niche
foreign language TV services, in particular an Arabic language TV service to
the Middle East. However this would have to be done from its existing
budget. This could be achieved by more efficient use of resources and a
reduction in the number of vernacular radio services.

Mike 
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