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Press Releases
World Service receives £70m funding increase over next three years in Comprehensive Spending Review
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New 91Èȱ¬ television news channels in Arabic and Farsi languages to get funds
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91Èȱ¬ World Service will receive £70million of extra funding from the UK
Government for the three-year period from 2008/2009 to 2010/2011.
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The
announcement was made by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling
during his Comprehensive Spending Review announcement in Parliament
today.
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The announcement formally confirmed £15m per annum funding for a 91Èȱ¬
news and information television channel in the Farsi (Persian) language
for Iran which will be launched next year.
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The go-ahead for the service was announced in October 2006 by then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service also received funding to enhance its forthcoming
Arabic language television news and information channel.
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The services in Arabic and Farsi will be the first television news
services to be launched by the 91Èȱ¬ in a decade. They will be the first
television services to be publicly-funded by Grant-in-aid from the UK
Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
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The new 91Èȱ¬ Arabic Television Service is due to launch around the turn
of the year, initially as a 12-hour a day news and information service,
at a cost of £19m per annum.
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This initial service was funded through
reprioritisation of the 91Èȱ¬ World Service's language portfolio and self-help efficiencies.
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The extra funding announced today means the new channel would be able to
broadcast 24 hours a day from an appropriate point during the next
financial year. A full year's operational cost of the additional 12
hours of television broadcasting in Arabic will be an extra £6m per
annum.
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The overall settlement also includes £1m per annum from 2009/10 to
enhance 91Èȱ¬ World Service's multi-media operations in languages relevant
to ethnic communities resident in the UK.
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In common with other public organisations, 91Èȱ¬ World Service plans to
meet its rising costs from within its existing budget through a vigorous
programme of efficiency savings.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service Director Nigel Chapman said: "As we mark the 75th
birthday of the 91Èȱ¬'s service to the world this December, this
settlement strengthens 91Èȱ¬ World Service's future as a multi-media
provider of high quality independent and impartial news and information
around the world.
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"It specifically means that audiences in the Middle East and Iran will
have multi-media access – through television, radio, and online – to
trusted journalism of the highest standing and increased opportunity for
dialogue and debate. We believe this will be a popular and valuable
asset for audiences in this troubled region."
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He added: "This is a good settlement for 91Èȱ¬ World Service. We are
grateful for the support we have received from our stakeholders in
Parliament and across Whitehall in these discussions and, in particular,
the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Treasury."
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Notes to Editors
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Overall funding in detail
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 The new investment means that 91Èȱ¬ World Service's overall funding level would rise from £246³¾ in 2007/8 to £271³¾ by 2010/11. 91Èȱ¬ World Service would receive an extra £19m in 2008/9; £26m in 2009/10; and £25m in 2010/11.
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In common with other public organisations and the domestic 91Èȱ¬, 91Èȱ¬ World Service plans to meet its rising costs from within its existing budget through a vigorous programme of efficiency savings.
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The level of funding for each year is as follows:
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| Ìý |
2007/8 |
2008/9 |
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
| Revenue |
£215³¾ |
£234³¾ |
£241³¾ |
£240³¾ |
| Capital |
£31.0³¾ |
£31.0³¾ |
£31.0³¾ |
£31.0³¾ |
| Total |
£246³¾ |
£265³¾ |
£272³¾ |
£271³¾ |
| Additions to 07/08 baseline |
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(+ £19m) |
(+ £26m) |
(+ £25m) |
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91Èȱ¬ Farsi Television
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91Èȱ¬ World Service's television news and information service in the Farsi (Persian) language for Iran will launch in 2008. It will be based in London. The service will complement the 91Èȱ¬'s existing Persian radio and online services for Iran.
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It will initially broadcast for eight hours a day, seven days a week, from 17.00 to 01.00 hours (local time) – peak viewing time in Iran. It will be freely available to anyone with a satellite dish or cable connection in the region.
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The 91Èȱ¬'s Farsi television service will draw upon the 91Èȱ¬'s un-matched newsgathering resources.
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Broadcast at primetime in Iran, it will showcase accurate, impartial, balanced news and analysis from a global perspective. It will also show investigative current affairs programmes, alongside quality 91Èȱ¬ factual, cultural and educational documentaries. The channel will cover international and major regional issues.
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It will also carry multimedia discussion programmes and debates in conjunction with the 91Èȱ¬'s well-established and trusted Farsi radio and online services.
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91Èȱ¬ Arabic Television Channel
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The 91Èȱ¬ is already regarded as the most successful, trusted and respected international voice in the Middle East after broadcasting in the region for nearly 70 years.
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The new 91Èȱ¬ Arabic Television news and information channel will complement the 91Èȱ¬'s highly regarded news and current affairs services on radio and online.
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The new channel plans to broaden the regional news agenda for audiences; reflecting the full breadth of their interests as well as delivering a strong international agenda of news and expert analysis from the largest news gathering organisation in the world.
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The 91Èȱ¬'s unique "tri-media" presence in the region means that Arabic-speaking audiences will be able to engage in informed debate and dialogue on the issues that matter.
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Repeated audience research in seven capital cities across the region indicated that between 80 and 90 per cent of those surveyed would be either "very likely" or "fairly likely" to use the new 91Èȱ¬ Arabic Television service. Most potential users cited the trusted nature of the 91Èȱ¬ brand, the 91Èȱ¬'s independence, and the 91Èȱ¬'s strong record in news coverage for their strong interest.
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The 91Èȱ¬ Arabic Service is the 91Èȱ¬'s oldest language service, after English. It marks its 70th birthday on 3 January 2008.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service
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91Èȱ¬ World Service marks its 75th birthday this year, on
19 December 2007.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service's weekly radio audience estimate in 2007 is a record 183 million listeners.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service broadcasts in 33 languages including English. The other languages are: Albanian, Arabic, Azeri, Bengali, Burmese, Caribbean-English, Cantonese, French for Africa, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Kinyarwanda/Kirundi, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Mandarin, Nepali, Pashto, Persian, Portuguese for Brazil, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, and Vietnamese.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service is available on short wave; on FM in 152 capital cities; and selected programmes are carried on almost 2,000 FM and MW radio stations around the world.
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The 91Èȱ¬'s international-facing online news sites attracted 710 million page impressions in August 2007, and around 40 million unique online users across the globe.
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No licence fee money is used in the funding of any 91Èȱ¬ World Service operations.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service Press Office
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