[Swprograms] BBC World Service News

[Joe Buch <joseph.buch@xxxxxxx>]

We in the USA often think of the British as being better informed on world affairs than we are because of the far-flung network of BBC correspondents the UK citizens support with their tax dollars and TV license fees.

Last week I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Inverness, Scotland where the B&B landlady had installed the relatively new terrestrial digital service for TV and radio reception.  The DVB terrestrial standard digital converter box was made by Echostar and sold for 44 pounds.  She originally subscribed to the Sky TV satellite package but opted for the terrestrial digital package because it was more economical.  This service carries BBC World Service audio as well as the BBC One and BBC Two TV channels as well as the other OTA broadcasters in addition to some subscription services, commercial radio stations and text data services.  This technology afforded me the opportunity to compare the coverage of international news on BBC World Service with the other electronic media.

On a morning when the BBCWS reported the resignation of the President of Bolivia and the resignation of the Vice Honcho of Syria, there was nary a mention of either story on the domestic news.  The local newscasts were obsessing over the upcoming G8 summit in Edinburgh scheduled for July where a mass protest is possibly going to result in the kind of riots seen in Genoa Italy a while back at the last G8 summit.  The other big story was a proposal to abolish the car tax and gasoline tax in favor of a satellite based tracking technique that will bill drivers for each mile they travel with highest per-mile rates for congested routes at rush hour.  

I conclude that local news addresses local issues no matter where you live and to get good international coverage we have to go to the various international sources. Luckily for the Brits, their government distributes BBC World Service to the home market in contrast to the suppression of VOA in the USA by the US Congress.  Could that simple difference explain the better awareness of British citizens of international issues?  I doubt it but it certainly does help the cause.


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Joe Buch
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