The English service uses a recording of Bow Bells, made in 1926 and used a symbol of hope during the Second World War, only replaced for a brief time during the 1970s with the tune to the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons".
The service broadcasts 24 hours a day. The current controller of BBC World Service English is Mary Hockaday. ==History== The BBC World Service began on 19 December 1932 as the BBC Empire Service, broadcasting on shortwave and aimed principally at English speakers across the British Empire.
The programmes will neither be very interesting nor very good. This address was read out five times as the BBC broadcast it live to different parts of the world. On 3 January 1938 the first foreign-language service was launched—in Arabic.
Programmes in German started on 29 March 1938, and by the end of 1942, the BBC had started broadcasts in all major European languages.
As a result, the Empire Service was renamed the BBC Overseas Service in November 1939, supplemented by the addition of a dedicated BBC European Service from 1941.
Funding for these services—known administratively as the External Services of the BBC—came not from the domestic licence fee but from government grant-in-aid (from the Foreign Office budget). The External Services broadcast propaganda during the Second World War of 1939–1945.
In November 2016, the BBC announced that it would start broadcasting in additional languages including Amharic and Igbo, in its biggest expansion since the 1940s. The World Service is funded by the United Kingdom's television licence fee, limited advertising and the profits of BBC Studios.
George Orwell broadcast many news bulletins on the Eastern Service during World War II. By the end of the 1940s the number of broadcast languages had expanded and reception had improved, following the opening of a relay in modern-day Malaysia and of the Limassol relay in Cyprus in 1957.
However, following the explosion of a parachute mine nearby on 8 December 1940, it relocated to premises away from the likely target of Broadcasting House.
The European services moved permanently into Bush House towards the end of 1940, completing the move in 1941, with the Overseas services joining them in 1958.
The BBC has maintained a worldwide network of shortwave relay stations since the 1940s, mainly in former British colonies.
As a result, the Empire Service was renamed the BBC Overseas Service in November 1939, supplemented by the addition of a dedicated BBC European Service from 1941.
The European services moved permanently into Bush House towards the end of 1940, completing the move in 1941, with the Overseas services joining them in 1958.
The morse code of the letter "V" has also been used as a signal and was introduced in January 1941 and had several variations including timpani, the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (which coincide with the letter "V"), and electronic tones which until recently remained in use for some Western European services.
Programmes in German started on 29 March 1938, and by the end of 1942, the BBC had started broadcasts in all major European languages.
George Orwell broadcast many news bulletins on the Eastern Service during World War II. By the end of the 1940s the number of broadcast languages had expanded and reception had improved, following the opening of a relay in modern-day Malaysia and of the Limassol relay in Cyprus in 1957.
The European services moved permanently into Bush House towards the end of 1940, completing the move in 1941, with the Overseas services joining them in 1958.
On 1 May 1965 the service took its current name of BBC World Service.
Outlook is a human interest programme presented by Matthew Bannister and Jo Fidgen, which was first broadcast in July 1966 and presented for more than thirty years by John Tidmarsh.
These cross-border broadcasts have also been used in special circumstances for emergency messages to British subjects abroad, such as the advice to evacuate Jordan during the Black September incidents of September 1970.
In the Philippines, DZRJ 810 AM broadcasts the BBC World Service in English from 12:00–05:00 PHT (GMT+8). Although this region has seen the launch of the only two foreign language television channels, several other services have had their radio services closed as a result of budget cuts and redirection of resources. Japan and Korea have little tradition of World Service listening, although during the 1970s to 1980s, shortwave listening was popular in Japan.
The English service uses a recording of Bow Bells, made in 1926 and used a symbol of hope during the Second World War, only replaced for a brief time during the 1970s with the tune to the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons".
In 1979, the British punk rock band The Clash released the hit song, "London Calling" which was partly based on the station identification phrase. On the Eurovision Song Contest, before announcing the contest results for the UK, the broadcaster from the BBC delivering the votes usually begins with "This is London Calling".
However, since the 1980s, satellite distribution has made it possible for local stations to relay BBC programmes. The World Service aims to be "the world's best-known and most-respected voice in international broadcasting, thereby bringing benefit to the UK, the BBC, and to audiences around the world", while retaining a "balanced British view" of international developments.
In the Philippines, DZRJ 810 AM broadcasts the BBC World Service in English from 12:00–05:00 PHT (GMT+8). Although this region has seen the launch of the only two foreign language television channels, several other services have had their radio services closed as a result of budget cuts and redirection of resources. Japan and Korea have little tradition of World Service listening, although during the 1970s to 1980s, shortwave listening was popular in Japan.
In the 1990s, the BBC added FM facilities in many African capital cities. ===Americas=== BBC World Service is available by subscription to Sirius XM's satellite radio service in the United States.
This is a digital shortwave technology that VT expects to become the standard for cross-border transmissions in developed countries. In the 1990s, the BBC purchased and constructed large medium wave and FM networks in the former Soviet bloc, particularly the Czech (BBC Czech Section), Slovak Republics (BBC Slovak Section), Poland (BBC Polish Section) (where it was a national network) and Russia (BBC Russian Service).
on weekdays, during its Music for a New Day breakfast programme. Shortwave relays from Singapore (see Asia, above) continue, but historic relays via Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Radio New Zealand International were wound down in the late 1990s.
The BBC World Service was previously available on 1233 kHz in Wellington between 1990 and 1994, and again from 1996 to 1997. ===UK=== The BBC World Service is broadcast on DAB, Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky platforms.
The BBC World Service was previously available on 1233 kHz in Wellington between 1990 and 1994, and again from 1996 to 1997. ===UK=== The BBC World Service is broadcast on DAB, Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky platforms.
The BBC World Service was previously available on 1233 kHz in Wellington between 1990 and 1994, and again from 1996 to 1997. ===UK=== The BBC World Service is broadcast on DAB, Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky platforms.
These facilities were privatised in 1997 as Merlin Communications, and later acquired and operated as part of a wider network for multiple broadcasters by VT Communications (now part of Babcock International Group).
The East Asian Relay Station moved to Thailand in 1997 when Hong Kong was handed over to Chinese sovereignty.
The BBC World Service was previously available on 1233 kHz in Wellington between 1990 and 1994, and again from 1996 to 1997. ===UK=== The BBC World Service is broadcast on DAB, Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky platforms.
Broadcasts in German ended in March 1999, after research showed that the majority of German listeners tuned into the English-language service.
However, "changing listening habits" led the World Service to end shortwave radio transmission directed to North America and Australasia on 1 July 2001.
Broadcasts in Dutch, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese and Malay stopped for similar reasons. On 25 October 2005, the BBC announced that broadcasts in Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Kazakh, Polish, Slovak, Slovene and Thai would end by March 2006, to finance the launch in 2007 of television news services in Arabic and Persian.
A second channel (1296 kHz) traditionally broadcast in various Central European languages, but this frequency has also been discontinued and in 2005 it began regular English-language transmissions via the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) format.
Broadcasts in Dutch, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese and Malay stopped for similar reasons. On 25 October 2005, the BBC announced that broadcasts in Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Kazakh, Polish, Slovak, Slovene and Thai would end by March 2006, to finance the launch in 2007 of television news services in Arabic and Persian.
Broadcasts in Dutch, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese and Malay stopped for similar reasons. On 25 October 2005, the BBC announced that broadcasts in Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Kazakh, Polish, Slovak, Slovene and Thai would end by March 2006, to finance the launch in 2007 of television news services in Arabic and Persian.
Between 2007 and 2015 it was downloaded more than 300 million times. ==Availability== ===Africa=== The BBC World Service website lists more than 80 FM stations in Africa which broadcast BBC content.
As of September 2007, a satellite transmission (subscription required) became available by Skylife (Channel 791) in South Korea.
Additionally, Romanian broadcasts ceased on 1 August 2008. In 2011, BBC Kyrgyz service newsreader and producer Arslan Koichiev resigned from his BBC post after revelations and claims of involvement in the Kyrgyzstan revolution of April 2010.
Many of these facilities have now returned to domestic control, as economic and political conditions have changed. On Monday, 18 February 2008, the BBC World Service stopped analogue shortwave transmissions to Europe.
Additionally, Romanian broadcasts ceased on 1 August 2008. In 2011, BBC Kyrgyz service newsreader and producer Arslan Koichiev resigned from his BBC post after revelations and claims of involvement in the Kyrgyzstan revolution of April 2010.
Transmissions on this frequency were stopped on 27 March 2011, as a consequence of the budgetary constraints imposed on the BBC World Service in the 2010 budget review.
Additionally, Romanian broadcasts ceased on 1 August 2008. In 2011, BBC Kyrgyz service newsreader and producer Arslan Koichiev resigned from his BBC post after revelations and claims of involvement in the Kyrgyzstan revolution of April 2010.
Transmissions on this frequency were stopped on 27 March 2011, as a consequence of the budgetary constraints imposed on the BBC World Service in the 2010 budget review.
The medium wave service was closed in 2011 as a cost-cutting measure. ==Presentation== ===Opening tune=== The World Service uses several tunes and sounds to represent the station.
However, the building was vacated in 2012 as a result of the Broadcasting House changes and the end of the building's lease that year; the first service to move was the Burmese Service on 11 March 2012 and the final broadcast from Bush House was a news bulletin broadcast at 11.00GMT on 12 July 2012. The BBC World Service encompasses an English 24-hour global radio network and separate services in 27 other languages.
The World Service was funded for decades by grant-in-aid through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government until 1 April 2014. BBC World Service English maintains eight regional feeds with several programme variations, covering, respectively, East and South Africa; West and Central Africa; Europe and Middle East; the Americas and Caribbean; East Asia; South Asia; Australasia; and the United Kingdom.
In 2015, the World Service reached an average of 210 million people a week (via TV, radio and online).
Trending describes itself as "explaining the stories the world is sharing..." Regular music programmes were reintroduced with the autumn schedule in 2015.
Between 2007 and 2015 it was downloaded more than 300 million times. ==Availability== ===Africa=== The BBC World Service website lists more than 80 FM stations in Africa which broadcast BBC content.
In November 2016, the BBC announced that it would start broadcasting in additional languages including Amharic and Igbo, in its biggest expansion since the 1940s. The World Service is funded by the United Kingdom's television licence fee, limited advertising and the profits of BBC Studios.
In November 2016, the BBC World Service announced it plans to start broadcasts in Korean.
The relay station in Thailand was closed in January 2017; currently, relay stations in Singapore and Oman serve the Asian region.
For many years Radio Television Hong Kong broadcast BBC World Service 24/7 but as of 4 September 2017 only broadcasts the station at night.
BBC Korean, a radio and web service, started on 25 September 2017. ====Jamming==== The Soviet Union, Iran, Iraq and Myanmar/Burma have all jammed the BBC in the past.
Following a national reorganisation of DAB multiplexes in October 2017, the station is available on DAB+ across the whole of Denmark. The World Service employed a medium wave transmitter at Orford Ness to provide English-language coverage to Europe, including on the frequency 648 kHz (which could be heard in parts of the south-east of England during the day and most of the UK after dark).
For the financial year 2018–19, it received £327 million.
On 25 March 2018, the long-established shortwave frequency of 9.74 MHz was changed to 9.9 MHz. The largest audiences are in English, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Bengali, Sinhala, Tamil, Marathi and other major languages of South Asia, where BBC broadcasters are household names.
The service was also guaranteed £289 million (allocated over a five-year period ending in 2020) from the UK government.
All text is taken from Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License .
Page generated on 2021-08-05