F.O. Seeks Ways To Cut B.B. C. Services

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32379, 19 August 1970, Page 13

F.O. Seeks Ways To Cut B.B. C. Services

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent) LONDON, August 18. The British Foreign Office la looking for ways to reduce the cost of the 8.8.C.’s world and external services, which include the 8.8. C. news and background programmes rebroadcast dally by the N.Z.B.C. But the 8.8. C. will oppose any attempt by the Government to cut down the film the service costs to run and it will even more strenuously object to any attempt by the Cabinet to impose editorial control on the services. At present the money to run the services is provided by the State and is not financed out of the 8.8.C.’s radio and television licence revenue. The 8.8. C., however, has complete editorial control.

The 8.8. C. says that the programmes are designed to provide “a rapid, accurate and unbiased news service, the reflection of British opinion on a wide plane, reviews of the British press and objective background information.” It broadcasts more than 100 hours of programmes a day in 40 languages. Foreign Office control on the programmes is limited to provision of finance and to choice of the countries to which the broadcasts go. In spite of the reported anger of the now-Chancellor

of the Exchequer, Mr Barber, at the 8.8.C.’s meagre coverage of his first bid to enter Britain in the E.E.C., the Foreign Office is not keen to undermine the integrity of the 8.8. C. imposing direct editorial control. But it wants to provide certain guidelines. First, it wants to eliminate overlapping between 8.8. C. broadcasts and the many publicity efforts of the Govern-ment-run central Office of Information. Second, it wants to reduce costs. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Talks are going on all the time on this. The Budget allocated to the 8.8. C. and the choice of countries are always decided on after consultations between the F.O. and the 8.8. C.”

And third, it wants to restrict the number of countries to which the broadcasts go by concentrating on broadcasts in English and widelyspoken languages such as French, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili. The 8.8. C. said that it would strongly resist any moves by the Government, especially those that would impose greater State control. The whole value of the world and external services, said the 8.8. C, was that they were independent and were, therefore extremely difficult! to label as “propaganda.” |