II.

History

The origins of the BBC World Service date from 1932 when the Empire Service was launched on the initiative of John Reith, the BBC’s first director-general. In the early days it was broadcast on short wave from Daventry in the Midlands, and only in the English language. The approach of World War II brought many changes. To counter the propaganda being broadcast by Germany and Italy, the British government asked the BBC to begin services in Arabic, and in Spanish for Latin America, and agreed to pay the additional costs.

From the beginning the approach to news in the overseas services was to give the facts, even if they might at first seem harmful to British interests or unpalatable to receiving nations. As foreign-language broadcasting built up (French, German, and Italian started in September 1938; others followed soon after), this policy was central in establishing the BBC’s reputation as the most credible overseas broadcaster. Early in 1941 the European Services began to move into Bush House in the Strand in London, still the headquarters of the World Service. Vernacular broadcasts to other parts of the world were added, and by the end of the war the BBC was by far the biggest international broadcaster. The government then reviewed the future role and purpose of the World Service (or the BBC External Services, as they were then called) and in a policy paper in 1946 the government stated that it had concluded that “in the national interest and in order to maintain British influence and prestige abroad, it is essential that the Services continue”. However, this support was not backed by sufficient funds and the late 1940s and the 1950s were marked by extensive cuts. Although with the deepening of the Cold War there were increases in broadcasts to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Eastern Europe, reductions elsewhere meant that by 1960 the BBC had lost its position as the largest international broadcaster, having been overtaken by the USSR, China, the United States, and, perhaps more surprisingly, Egypt.

This period saw the beginning of the transistor revolution and the spread of small radio receivers able to pick up short-wave broadcasts. It was also the start of decolonization and the emergence of new nations, ending many of the old arrangements for the rebroadcasting of BBC programmes but also producing the conditions for new opportunities. The World Service responded to the changes with new programme initiatives, such as the creation of a round-the-clock English service with a strong emphasis on news, and with a greater focus on the needs of people in developing nations, particularly Africa and Asia. The government provided the means to replace old transmitters and build new relay stations overseas. While the 1970s and early 1980s proved to be uneven, sometimes very difficult, years financially, the process of capital investment subsequently picked up again and some additional money was also provided for programme enhancement.

The ending of the Cold War produced a whole series of tributes to the BBC and the other international broadcasters for their role during that period. Among those expressing their thanks were the new leaders, such as Lech Wałęsa of Poland and Václav Havel of Czechoslovakia, and thousands of ordinary listeners who had sought out the western broadcasters even when the authorities were jamming them.