Further supplementary memorandum from
the BBC World Service
BBC WORLD SERVICE
GAINS ANNUAL
FUNDING INCREASE
OF 3.4 PER
CENT IN
REAL TERMS
IN GOVERNMENT
SPENDING REVIEW
The BBC World Service will gain an average annual
increase of 3.4 per cent in real terms over the next three years
as part of the Government's Spending Review for 2003-06, it was
announced in Parliament today (Monday, 15 July).
The new investment represents an extra £48
million spread over the three years, in addition to a strong,
stable capital baseline.
The money will be used to:
— consolidate recent extensions in
BBC services following the events of September 11 and launch new
programmes serving Afghanistan, South West Asia and the Arab World;
— develop landmark radio programmes
on global issues such as Global Security; Islam in the 21st Century,
and Development and Democracy;
— develop new flagship programming
serving Africa, China and Europe;
— strengthen online capability through
more depth in key language sites and increased interactivity;
— expand World Service availability
on FM, particularly in capital cities; and
— support the World Service's important
capital modernisation programme.
BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies welcomed today's announcement:
"We feel the Government has justifiably recognised the importance
and impact of the World Service by providing substantial new investment."
The Director of the BBC World Service, Mark
Byford said: "The settlement is a strong endorsement of the
BBC World Service at a time when the global appetite for international
news and analysis has increased. It is recognition that the need
for our values, of impartial, authoritative and editorially independent
journalism, is greater than ever.
"The investment comes on the back of a
year of oustanding achievement for the World Service in which
we extended key services and won numerous prestigious awards in
response to September 11 and the war in Afghanistan," he
says. "This is a significant settlement for the World Service,
representing real terms growth."
The BBC World Service gains an additional £8
million, £13 million, £27 million respectively in each
of the three years. The settlement goes hand-in-hand with a rigorous
programme of efficiency over the period.
Editor's notes
— BBC World Service is funded through
grant-in-aid from the Foreign Office.
— The grant-in-aid currently stands
at £201 million and will increase by £38 million to
£239 million by 2005-06, including the additional £11
million for 2003-04 announced in the 2000 spending review.
— At least 150 million people around
the world listen to BBC World Service every week. It remains the
world's best known and most listened to international radio broadcaster.
— The BBC World Service broadcasts
in 43 languages including English. The other languages are: Albanian,
Arabic, Azeri, Bengali, Brazilian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cantonese,
Croatian, Czech, French, Greek, Hausa, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian,
Kazakh, Kinyarwanda/Kirundi, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Mandarin, Nepali,
Pashto, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian,
Sinhala, Slovak, Slovene, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, Thai,
Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek and Vietnamese.
— In the UK, World Service in English
is available on 648 MW in south eastern England. In addition,
overnight on BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Wales and BBC Ulster and via
digital radio, digital satellite and the internet. The English
Network can be heard on the BBC's digital multiplex in the UK,
or in Europe on the Astra satellite, channel 865. BBC World Service
Extra—a new radio service broadcasting in the key languages
of Afghanistan and the surrounding region is available on digital
satellite channel 902.
— Outside the UK, BBC World Service
is available on short wave; on FM in more than 129 capital cities;
and selected programmes are carried on almost 2,000 FM and MW
radio stations around the world.
— High quality reception of World Service
programmes is available via satellite in Europe and North America.
— The BBC World Service website—www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice—contains
extensive, interactive news services and audiostreaming available
in 43 languages. It also contains detailed information about World
Service broadcasts, schedule and frequencies.
BBC World Service
July 2002
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