BBC World Service

BBC World Service (French: Service Mondial of the BBC) is one of the most known diffusers of radio operator program, emitting in 33 languages throughout the world. The anglophone service diffuses 24 hours a day. In May 2006 BBC affirmed that its world service had a weekly audience of 163 million people, beating the record of 2001 located at 153 million. World service is financed by the British government through Foreign and the Commonwealth Office (Ministry for Foreign Affairs). The current leader of the BBC World Service is Nigel Chapman.

Organization

Mission

The goal of the world service of the BBC is “ to be the most known voice and most respected in the world bringing by there a profit to Great Britain ”.

The British Government spent 239,1 million pounds sterling in 2006 to finance the station. This expenditure was justified in 1985 by the Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister: according to the Pit-saw, newspaper of the British Parliament, it would have answered a question which was asked to him: World service spends each penny that we inject there by promoting our vision of the world and our policy, that was made in the past and that will continue to be it in the future .

The BBC is a Société of the Crown: it is the state-owned property. However she works independently of the Government. Indeed, there is no direct control of this one on BBC. However, World Service promotes the British point of view in the field of the foreign politics like showed it the examples of the crisis of Suez Canal in 1956, of the cover of the war of the Falklands in 1982 where transfer of Hong-Kong to the China in 1997.

The BBC World Service perhaps listened in parts of the world where the mediae are not free. Thanks to its powerful transmitters diffusing in the local languages it can sometimes be the only independent information source in certain countries. This strategy which the BBC adopted functioned, making of it a diffuser listened in the Tiers-monde and lasting the Cold war in the countries of Soviet Union or Eastern Europe. However, in 2005, the radio one closed many its emissions in languages of Eastern Europe, including those in Polish, however popular, in order to develop its service bound for the Middle East, following a certain decline since the end of the censure in these old countries of the Eastern bloc.

Budget

The budget of BBC World Service is in continuous increase since at least the year 2001, passing from 181,8 to 239,1 million books. Its financing is into large party ensured by the British State. The station is well managed, because during the period 2001-2006 she knows the deficit only once, in 2006. The situation is rectified in 2006-2007. See the table below (the sums are expressed in million pounds sterling):

Goes down for hearing

World Service is listened at least once per week by 163 million people in the world (2005-2006), against more 115 televiewer and listener million for Voice off America in 2006 and 44 million for Radio France Internationale. After having known one period digs of 2000-2001 to 2003-2004, during which its audience passes from 153 to 146 million people, he knows as from 2004-2005 a phase of expansion. The world service of the BBC is especially listened in Africa, with the the Middle East and in Asia. In Africa and in the Middle East World Service is listened by 73,5 million listeners, it is it by 61,1 million in Asia (figures of 2006).

According to the new nomenclature of use as from 2005-2006:

Languages

In addition to English, the BBC World Service currently emits in Albanian, Arabic, Azeri, Bengali, Burmese, English of the Caribbean, Cantonese, Spanish, French, haoussa, Hindi, indonésien, kinyarwanda, kirundi, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Mandarin, Nepalese, Urdu, Uzbek, pashtoun, Persan, Portuguese, Serb, sinhala, somali, swahili, tamoul, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.

The October 25th 2005 leaves the advertisement that the services into Bulgarian, Croatian, Greek, Hungarian, Kazakh, Polish, Slovak, Slovenien, Czech and inhabitants of Thailand must close in March 2006 in order to finance the launching of a television channel Arabic-speaking person in 2007.

Diffusion in foreign languages

History of the BBC World Service: Services in foreign languages ( organized by language )

Sources:

History off International Broadcasting (IEEE) , Volume I. (James Woods, BSEE)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/languages/

Weekly duration of programs of the international radios.

Notes

the USA: that included VOA (992 hours per week), RFE/RL (667 hps), Radio operator Marti (162 hps) – quantify of 1996.
Since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, only the data concerning Russia are taken into account.
1996 represents the Czech Republic (created in 1993), the other years represent Czechoslovakia.
At the time of the setting under press, the service external of South Africa is threatened and that of Nigeria ceased its activities.
the list includes nearly a quarter of the world diffusers whose funds are public and who are diffused universally. That excludes Taiwan, Vietnam, South Korea and several international stations commercial or religious.
1996 represents June; For the other years, they are the data of December.

Source: International Broadcast Goes down for hearing Research, June 1996.

History

The first transmission in short waves of the BBC takes place in 1925 since Borough Hill, in Daventry. The program of the BBC in short waves starts as a BBC Worsens Service the December 19th 1932, and diffuses in particular towards Australia.

The January 3rd 1938 the first service in foreign language (Arab) is launched. The German-speaking service starts the March 29th 1938, little before the release of the Second world war. With the end of the year 1942 World Service diffuses in the principal European languages. During this conflict the radio station acquires a special position because it disseminates information with a strong audience. The German service plays a big role in propaganda against the Nazi Germany.

After on December 8th, 1940 a bomb damaged the Broadcasting House, the European service of the radio moves in Bush House. The remainder of the foreign service of BBC moves there in 1958.

In August 1985 World Service stops its programs for the first time of its history following a strike protesting against the prohibition of diffusion of documentary comprising an interview of Martin McGuinnes of Sinn Fein. In March 2006 ten services are closed to make economies having to finance the BBC Arabic Television.

World Service should turn over to Broadcasting House in 2008 following the expiry to come from the lease of Bush House.

Diffusion

The programs of the BBC World Service are frequently relayed by local radio stations. Moreover World Service provides educational programs, as well as sporting fictions and programs. BBC was also used to diffuse messages with the British citizens installed abroad, such as for example the order to evacuate Jordan during black September in September 1970. The radio is available on Worldspace. On line and a file distribution programme of old emissions is available on Internet, allowing a world diffusion.

Short waves

The BBC World Service diffuses in Short waves. However it uses this transmission resource less and less. Indeed the station adapts its offer to the practices of its listeners who use the satellite and Internet more and more. The audience of BBC World Service via the short waves decreases since the Années 1990, passing from 122 million listeners in 1996 with 97 million in 2003. The short waves relate to Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, the Middle East, the Central America and the Caribbean. Certain areas do not profit from the emissions in short waves, like the peaceful zone and North America. However it is possible to collect the emissions intended for South America and the Caribbean from North America. In the same way the emissions intended for the East Asia are audible in Hawaii.

FM

World Service develops its diffusion in FM on the whole of planet. In Europe it is in particular present in Romania, Azerbaïdjan, and in Czech republic. Several towns of Africa can listen to the BBC World Service out of FM (like Abidjan 94.3 FM, Dakar 105.6 FM, Kinshasa 92.6 FM or Antananarive 89.2 FM), as in Asia (Oulan Bator, Katmandou, Singapore) and in the Middle East (Baghdad, Abu Dhabi, Doha). The BBC World Service is also available out of FM thanks to stations partners, in particular in Africa and in Americas.

Medium waves

World Service is available in medium waves in Europe, Oceania, the Middle East, Far East and in South Asia. In Europe the station perhaps listened on 648Khz (the night the power transmitter is increased, one can collect it to Lyon) in the North-East of France until the Mans and Paris, with the Benelux and in the North-West of Germany, like in the South-east of England. The areas of Moscow, Saint-Petersbourg and Ekaterinburg also profit from this medium, as well as Is of the Mediterranean. The Middle East and the countries of the Persian Gulf are also covered in medium waves. In Asia are covered India and Hong-Kong. New Zealand is also covered.

Cable and satellite

The satellite covers most of planet except the Latin America and Oceania. Africa is served by the satellites Afristar, Euteksat and Hot Bird 6, Asia by Asiastar, Europe by Canalsat, Eastern Europe by Hot Bird 6, North America by XMS Satellite radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, the Middle East by Afristar and Nile-Sat. The station is also available on the cable in North America, Europe (Swiss, Austria, Netherlands and Denmark), and in Asia (Japan, Indonesia).

Internet

BBC World Service diffuses also its programs by Internet, which ensures a world diffusion to him.

World Service Television

Launched in 1991 the BBC World Service Television burst in 1995 in two chains, BBC World and BBC Precedes.

Signal of interval

The signal of interval of the anglophone station and Beautiful Bow, a recording carried out in 1926. Introduced like a symbol of hope during the Second world war, it is always used before the anglophone programs. In the years 1970 a new signal of interval (oranges and lemons) is used, but soon abandoned.

January 1941 saw the beginning of the use of the code Morse of the letter V like signal of interval. This signal knew several variations summons the timpani, the first four notes of the symphony N° 5 of Beethoven (which coincides with the letter V, and of the electronic notes still used for certain European services. The signature of World Service, Lillibullero is diffused right before the time signal and information. Certain centers of diffusion replace sometimes Lillibullero at the time of weeks sets of themes. Until recently the time sequence is preceded by the advertisement “ This is London ”; it is replaced by the sentence “ Wherever you are, however you listen, this is the BBC ” or by “ With world news every half hour, this is the BBC ”. Recently, Lillibulero was shortened by advertisements. In other languages, the signal of interval consists of three notes meaning BBC. The services not-english-speaking for the Europe have a signal of interval of four notes, B-B-B-E, in the rate/rhythm of the code Morse of the letter V. hour GMT is announced thus on the service English: “13 hours Greenwich Mean Time” for 13:00 GMT. Sometimes ``Greenwich Mean Time'' is shortened GMT.

Emissions

The heart of the world service of BBC is information circulation one minute after each hour with a five minute old bulletin. With the fifteen minutes a summary of the topicality takes place which lasts two minutes. Sometimes these bulletins are separated from the programs, but it happens that they are integrated there (like World Briefing , Newshour or The World Today ).

Some emissions:

In French (for Africa):

Newspapers: BBC Morning (1h30), BBC Midday (30 minutes), BBC Evening (30 minutes): information of the day.
Britannia: 15 minutes emission which presents the British company.
the Star Club: 30 minutes of African varieties.
Africana: emission of topicality and report devoted to Africa.

In English:

World News: five minute old newspaper every hour.
Today Europe: 58 minutes emission on the European culture and companies.
African Prospect: 24 minutes devoted to the African company.
The Friday Documentary : a magazine of 23 minutes information. Examples of covered subjects: secret prisons of the CIA; Russia of Putin.
Signal off the Pops: musical program of 1h53.
World Drama : 58 minutes of fictions inspired of historical facts.
Newshour: program one hour information on the international topicality, twice a day at midday and 20 hours GMT.
Outlook: one hour emission diffused of the Monday to Friday. It makes the portrait of celebrities or less known people.
The World Today: emission diffused chaaque morning and devoted to the international topicality.

Random links: