Re: [Swprograms] White Paper on BBC - BBCWS section

["Richard Cuff" <rdcuff@xxxxxxxxx>]

A couple things struck me on this synopsis:

1) The emphasis on making language services available to in-country
minorities.  I wonder if this will change the mission of these
services -- will they become more like "voices from home" instead of
views of the world interpreted for the country / culture in question?

2) The use of the "C" word -- competition -- which is a harbinger for
requiring management experience from the commercial sector.  The
concern is that the "public service" concept, which is how the BBC
World Service built its reputation, gets inappropriately diminished,
alienating the target audiences the World Service seeks.

Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA  USA

On 3/15/06, Mike Barraclough <softbulletin1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> The Government has published its White Paper on the
> BBC , the full White Paper can be downloaded at:
> http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk
>
> The section on BBC World Service is below:
>
> The World Service should adapt to meet the complex
> challenges posed by the major  shift in the listening
> and viewing habits of its audiences in recent years as
> a result of  the revolution in global satellite and
> cable communications.
>
> The Government welcomes the restructuring of the World
> Service announced in October  2005. The closure of ten
> low impact vernacular services, mostly in Central and
> Eastern  Europe, will free up resources to allow
> greater investment in new media services, in
> particular
> the launch of a 12-hour Arabic TV service.
>
> These new priorities were based on authoritative
> research and evaluation of the existing services'
> geo-political importance, the reach and impact of each
> of its vernacular services, the  increased importance
> of new technologies and changing audience preferences.
> The valuable  contribution made over the years by
> services which are to be closed has been widely
> acknowledged. But the world does not stand still. Nor
> can the World Service.
>
> The World Service should expect the pace of change and
> level of competition in international broadcasting to
> increase. It will need to continue to adapt to these
> changes and be ready,  where appropriate, to adjust
> further and prioritise its range of vernacular
> services.
>
> Carter review of Public Diplomacy
> Lord Carter's review recommended a more strategic
> approach to public diplomacy to be  coordinated by a
> new Public Diplomacy Board. The Board will establish a
> medium to long  term framework for the delivery of
> public diplomacy outcomes which support the
> Government's international priorities.  In recognition
> of its editorial independence, the World Service will
> have observer status  on the Board, which will include
> the British Council and the Foreign and Commonwealth
> Office as members.
>
> As of March 2006, the World Service will offer
> thirty-two vernacular radio services and eight  online
> vernacular languages. The Green Paper outlined the
> benefits of using the number of  online languages as
> the baseline for review of vernacular services. The
> World Service should  continue to pursue vigorously
> its policy of expanding its presence on FM Radio
> overseas
> and seek opportunities to make its vernacular services
> more widely available to communities  in the UK.
>
> In setting its priorities, the BBC should assume that
> pressure on all streams of public funding  will
> increase with time, and there will be a need for
> transparency about how resources are  allocated. The
> World Service should also take into account the
> challenges of developing  successful services in what
> is, for the World Service, the new medium of TV. It
> will be for the  World Service, in discussion with the
> FCO, to decide its priorities and how expenditure
> could
> be prioritised to allow for the development of new
> services in priority countries.
>
>
>
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