5 Other language services
36. The BBC World Service provides international
news, analysis and information in English and 32 other languages.
In a letter to the Committee
in June 2009, Peter Horrocks outlined changes to two of these
language services, BBC Afrique (the BBC's French for Africa service)
and the BBC's Turkish service. These changes arose from service
reviews carried out earlier in 2009 "in order to meet the
savings targets set for the BBC World Service by the Government
in the last public spending review" and "to enable the
service to achieve efficiency savings which are required across
the World Service".[51]
He further stated that the changes to both services illustrate
broader strategic themes for the BBC World Service as a whole:
one, the move of staff from London to particular locations; and
two, the development of multi media-services in conjunction with
other partners.[52]
BBC Afrique
37. It is proposed that a significant part of
BBC Afrique's production effort be relocated from London to Dakar
in Senegal. Consequently, production effort in London will be
reduced, involving the closure of around 15 posts in London and
the creation of 18 posts in Dakar. London will continue to produce
live output and ensure an editorial link to the rest of the BBC.
Peter Horrocks said: "we intend to take all reasonable steps
to ensure that this process is achieved in a voluntary manner".[53]
38. The aim of this change is to increase the
BBC's presence at the heart of this market and to improve the
service to audiences in the region. Peter Horrocks said the BBC
World Service are using that greater efficiency to extend the
hours of broadcasting,[54]
and that BBC Afrique's output would be expanded by 25%, from less
than four hours daily to five hours, thus allowing the BBC to
hit peak audience times throughout francophone Africa and to modernise
and restructure the programme schedule. It is expected that these
schedule changes will come into effect from
February/March 2010, rather than December as originally indicated.
The Service is on track to deliver the resulting efficiency savings
within the timescale agreed. This development
follows similar changes in BBC Hausa and BBC Swahili, which have
delivered increases in audience impact for both services.
BBC Turkish Service
39. Over the past few years, the Turkish Service
has been developing into a multi-media operation, which the World
Service says had resulted in the need for some "staffing
and operational changes". This includes the creation of two
posts designed to support and develop the multi-media operation
further and to strengthen the BBC's newsgathering presence in
Turkey and coverage of Turkish affairs. In order to achieve these
new investments and the savings required, the Turkish Service
will be closing four posts, resulting in a net loss of two posts.
The Service also intends to discontinue BBC Turkish broadcasts
on short-wave. Recent audience research produced no measurable
figure for short-wave listening, which, the World Service claim
has been effectively replaced by online services as the most effective
direct way to reach audiences.[55]
40. Furthermore, the BBC has been making BBC
content for partner television stations, e.g. NTV. This has been
"successful" and BBC TV audiences in Turkey have grown
as a result.[56] Following
this success, Peter Horrocks said that the World Service are exploring
the possibility of developing similar working practices, i.e.
more with partners in this way for other television services in
other languages. He explained that "the television services
that we have launched up until now have been full channels delivered
by satellite. A different and more cost-effective way of doing
it is to create content and to deliver it through partners (which
is the means that is used for a lot of the World Service's radio
broadcasts around the world)".[57]
41. We conclude that the changes
to the BBC Turkish and BBC Afrique Service are in line with the
strategic themes and priorities outlined by the BBC World Service.
We recommend that the BBC World Service closely monitor the impact
of these changes on audience levels and customer satisfaction,
with a view to evaluating the impact of its strategic priorities.
51 Ev 19 Back
52
Q 34 Back
53
Ev 19 Back
54
Q 34 Back
55
Foreign Affairs Committee, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Annual Report 2006-07, Ev 151 Back
56
Q 34 Back
57
Ibid. Back
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