World Service Funding Boost

The British government recently announced that it will give a new sum of money to the BBC World Service Group. Over the next five years the group will receive a total of £289 million that will fund investment in new language services, as well as providing a richer mix of content for the English language network. There will also be a renewed focus towards television and digital services. However for many, this announcement introduced more questions than answers. Are television and digital markets the right ones to pursue in Africa? How might the World Service’s independence be affected by this government funding? And, would any funds be given to help preserve shortwave radio? Director of the BBC World Service Group Fran Unsworth responds to all of these points and speaks to listeners directly to address their concerns.