Re: [Swprograms] John Tusa BBCWS editorial in the Guardian

[John Figliozzi <jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gosh, I don't see this at all.  As I read it, he totally recognizes  
the value and importance of the BBC using all platforms.  He even  
says so directly.  Neither does he deny the value of an Arabic tv  
service.  Again, his central point is that the BBC could have  
preserved more of the radio service and had the Arabic television  
service to boot if its management had been more perceptive and  
astute.  Whether he's right about this or not is certainly debatable,  
but for the life of me I can't impute all the negative observations  
to him that seem to be in this analysis.

I know Tusa brings out some very strong feelings with some at Bush  
House, but I don't see his article stimulating this much opprobrium.

John Figliozzi

On Nov 1, 2005, at 6:04 PM, Mike Barraclough wrote:

> Tusa's argument is fundamentally flawed. His first two
> paragraphs are emotive bluster using phrases such as
> cull and unequal sacrifice and making a contrast
> between ten radio services and 'a single Arabic
> television service' hoping the reader will not realise
> that in fact this single Arabic television service
> will cover a huge amount of territory. His point about
> the BBC being seen to be a cold war journal de combat
> rather than a broadcaster committed to free and
> independent news and information I don't understand or
> accept since the BBC will be judged by the Arab world
> by its reporting, it certainly cannot be accused of
> just broadcasting the UK government line on Iraq or
> terrorism.
>
> He then sees a request to start an Arabic television
> service as a misjudgement. Presumably he would have
> wished the BBC WS to have kept this a secret from the
> Foreign Office.
>
> He then says the BBC made a fundamental strategic
> error by ever mentioning the word television.
>
> Having got this far he then says radio is cheap per
> listener per year, television very expensive. Does he
> mean per listener per year. It appears so as he then
> quotes this mathematical equation he has come up with
> of ten radio services equals one television service.
> Vividly illustrates this he boldly declares.
>
> Of course the ten radio services that are being
> proposed to axed have, in the main, very few listeners
> whereas the Arabic television service has the
> potential of gaining a very large audience and will
> cover a lot of countries as Arabic is a major language
> unlike Greek , Bulgarian etc. So his per listener
> maths equation collapses.
>
> He then decides to keep throwing the word cull in as
> well as repeating the one for ten line. Repeat things
> often enough and they don't get challenged perhaps.
>
> At the end of the article he opines that international
> broadcasting should not use television but solely
> radio which to me seems to be his basic argument and
> one I don't fully accept. If radio listening is low in
> some countries you should look at other platforms.
>
> Mike
>
>
> --- jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
>> Er, I think you'd best read his piece again because
>> I think he agrees
>> with you more than you think.  Also, I don't believe
>> his central
>> premise is what you appear to think it is.
>>
>> First, Mr. Tusa concedes that "free and independent"
>> is in large
>> measure (but not entirely) a perception, but argues
>> it is an important
>> one to maintain if the value of the World Service
>> (both generally and
>> to the Foreign Office) is to be preserved and
>> maintained.  As a former
>> DG, I would expect that Mr. Tusa knows precisely how
>> "free and
>> independent" the WS actually is.
>>
>> Secondly, I think his primary point is that the BBC
>> has conceded a
>> significant victory to the FO--both over future
>> funding and
>> the "shape" or character of the WS of tomorrow-- in
>> large part due to
>> a major tactical error by its management.  In
>> effect, management
>> showed its hand too soon in this game of poker and
>> the WS will suffer
>> that consequence for some time to come, fears Mr.
>> Tusa.
>>
>> FWIW, I think he's correct on both counts.
>>
>> John Figliozzi
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Scott Royall <royall@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Date: Tuesday, November 1, 2005 3:11 pm
>> Subject: Re: [Swprograms] John Tusa BBCWS editorial
>> in the Guardian
>>
>>> Mr. Tusa makes the common mistake of presuming
>> BBCWS was ever
>>> "free and
>>> independent." Yes, that's the reputation, but
>> let's not forget the
>>> realitythat reputations are just as valuable as
>> those paying the
>>> bills perceive. We
>>> all know there have been times when the Beeb has
>> intentionally been
>>> partisan. This is one of those occasions.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: swprograms-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> [mailto:swprograms-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
>> Behalf Of Richard
>> Cuff
>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 10:41 AM
>>> To: Shortwave programming discussion; uk-radio-
>>> listeners@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: [Swprograms]
>> John Tusa BBCWS
>>> editorial in the Guardian
>>>
>>> John Tusa opines regarding the BBCWS decision to
>> trade 10 radio
>>> services for one TV service.  See
>>>
>>
> http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,12123,1604902,00.html.
>>>
>>> He's concerned over the political motivations that
>> appear to have
>>> guided the decision.
>>>
>>> Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA  USA
>>>
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