[Swprograms] World Service/BBC News merger and reaction

[Mike Barraclough <softbulletin1@xxxxxxxxx>]

In an interview on BBC budget cuts, following the recent licence fee agreement, 
in Media Guardian BBC Director General Mark Thompson stated that the BBC would:

" make unspecified but significant savings by merging the World Service with BBC 
News in 2014 because "however well-resourced the BBC is, we cannot afford to run 
two global news operations". "

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/05/bbc-mark-thompson-half-billion-cuts

Reaction today from EMO Williams, former head of BBC World Service (1960-1995) 
who argues that:

" The existence of a journalistic team devoted to the special needs of a global 
and individual foreign country audience is the main factor that has given the 
World Service its unique authority."

There's also a letter from Jonathan Kempster about the Ivory Coast closing down 
RFI and BBC WS FM transmissions highlighting the need for continued investment 
in shortwave:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/07/bbc-world-service-press-credibility


      

_______________________________________________
Swprograms mailing list
Swprograms@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swprograms

To unsubscribe:  Send an E-mail to  swprograms-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL shown above.