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http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> News and Comment >> World Service Funding http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1366363298 Message started by Administrator on Apr 19^th, 2013, 9:22am

Title: World Service Funding
Post by Administrator on Apr 19^th, 2013, 9:22am

Parliament has been discussing the BBC World Service in the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Their report may be found here.

"From April 2014 onwards, the BBC World Service will cease to receive Grant in Aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and will instead be funded from the BBC Licence Fee. The Framework Agreement between the BBC and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which dates from 2006 and which sets out amongst other things the BBC's obligations in relation to World Service provision,[125] was updated in September 2011 to reflect changes to take place from April 2014. The revised Framework Agreement specifies that:

The BBC Trust will be responsible for defining the position of the World Service within the overall strategic direction of the BBC;
The BBC Trust will approve the World Service budget;
The Executive Board of the World Service will be accountable to the BBC Trust;
The BBC Trust will agree with the Foreign Secretary the objectives, priorities and targets for the World Service, and the languages in which the World Service is to be provided; and the BBC Trust must issue an Operating Licence recording this information and specifying the budget for the Service;
The BBC will have full editorial and managerial independence and will decide the most effective and efficient way of delivering the World Service; and
Subject to the BBC Charter and the Framework Agreement, the BBC may use the World Service brand to generate additional income.[126]"

"We find it unacceptable that the BBC World Service will not know for certain either the priorities, targets or characteristics which have been set for it, or its budget from April 2014 onwards, until only a few months before the new arrangements for oversight and funding come into effect. We do not see how the BBC World Service can plan properly how to reflect its new priorities, pursue its new objectives or shape its output according to the Operating Licence given the short lead-in time. "

"We believe that the time for hints and aspirational statements is now past: it is in the interests of the public and of the World Service itself for the BBC Trust to announce as soon as possible what the funding for the BBC World Service will be from April 2014 onwards."

Source:- www.publications.parliament.uk

(Thanks to Bill Rogers).