news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051025/ts_nm/britain_mideast_bbc_dc_1
Reuters BBC World Service to launch Arabic TV channel By Adam Pasick Tue Oct 25,11:47 AM ET LONDON (Reuters) - The BBC World Service is closing 10 local language rad io services, mostly to eastern Europe, to pay for a new Arabic-language satellite television channel.
World Service Director Nigel Chapman said the move reflected a changing m edia and geopolitical climate in which Cold War priorities needed to be re-examined. "The Middle East's media landscape has changed profoundly following the s pread of satellite television," he said. "Without a BBC news presence in Arabic on television, we run the risk of always being second to television, despite the quality of our radio and new media offers." Broadcasts in Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Kazakh, Polis h, Slovak, Slovene and Thai will stop by the end of March 2006. Chapman said that in many of the affected countries, newly liberal democr acies had resulted in an explosion in local news media outlets, resultin g in less need for the World Service. MIDDLE EAST The new Arabic TV channel was formed at the request of the British Foreig n Office, which funds the World Service through a direct grant worth 239 million pounds in 2005-2006. World Service executives said the new channel -- available without subscr iption to anyone with a satellite dish or cable TV -- would serve as an alternative to Al Jazeera. However, Chapman denied it would serve the political or diplomatic aims o f the British government. Al Jazeera was founded in 1996 after the collapse of BBC Arabic, an earli er joint venture between the World Service and the Saudi-owned distribut or Orbit. Al Jazeera, which hired many of its staff from the failed BBC Arabic chan nel, has often shown video of hostages pleading at gunpoint for their re spective governments to withdraw troops. It does not however broadcast f ootage of killings, which are posted on the Internet by militants. Chapman said the new Arabic channel would take advantage of the BBC's rep utation for fairness and independence in the region. INVESTMENT, COST CUTS The changes are part of an investment program expected to cost 30 million pounds by 2008, including 19 million pounds for the launch of the Arabi c channel. The World Service, which reaches two-thirds of its radio audience via sho rtwave, also plans to bulk up its FM offerings to better reach urban are as. In Brazil, where the World Service now reaches more people via online ser vices than through radio, most of its radio offerings will be phased out , although some news bulletins will still be available to its partners. The BBC said the sweeping changes would result in the loss of 236 existin g jobs, although some 200 jobs would be added with the roll-out of the n ew services. The Arabic TV service is expected to launch by 2007, and will initially b roadcast 12 hours a day.
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