The emblematic public service of British information will close radios in Arabic, Persia and Chinese.
Le Monde with AFP
This is a clear cut. The BBC, which has started a drastic savings plan in recent years, announced, Thursday, September 29, its intention to suppress 382 positions in its international service, in order to accelerate its transfer to digital.
This project will result in the closure of radios in Arabic, Persia and Chinese, as well as the cessation of certain TV programs in Africa or Asia, the British public audiovisual group said in a press release, which is Apply to celebrate his centenary. The BBC ensures that none of the 41 foreign language services will be completely closed but almost half of them will be available in line. “True”>
“The evolution of public habits worldwide, with an increasing number of people accessing information by digital means, is accompanied by a difficult financial climate,” said the group.
“Difficult choice”
Approaching its centenary next month, the BBC was already under considerable financial pressure: in addition to the aging of its hearings, the conservative government froze the royalty for two years, creating a gaping hole in its accounts given the high level of inflation. The context has deteriorated again in recent months with the surge of prices and therefore of its costs, pushing the BBC to “difficult choices”.
The BBC World Service affects an audience estimated at 365 million people worldwide each week, and its programs are particularly important in countries where press freedom is limited.
The objective of the measures announced on Thursday is to save 28.5 million pounds (around 31 million euros) per year, this project falling into the acceleration plan to digital announced in May , resulting in 1,000 job cuts (out of 22,000) and 500 million pounds of annual cuts.
With this in mind, the group has already announced its intention to merge its British and international news channels. He will also stop broadcasting certain “linear” channels-that is to say live on televisions, that is, the traditional mode of television.