Thursday, April 14, 2011

British lawmakers pull back on BBC service cuts

British lawmakers said yesterday that plans to cut funding for the BBC World Service should be dropped, Reuters reported.

The World Service has been reducing costs since the government announced plans to cut its funding by 16 percent over the next four years, when all television viewers will begin paying a license fee.

The World Service radio broadcasts to audiences in English and 26 other languages, down from 31 languages before cuts this year.

“The value of the World Service in promoting the UK across the globe, by providing a widely-respected and trusted news service, far outweighs its relatively small cost," FASC chairman Richard Ottaway said, according to Tech Radar UK. "The recent dramatic events in North Africa and the Middle East have shown the 'soft power' wielded through the World Service could bring even more benefits to the UK in the future than it has in the past."

Image: CJA UK

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