II.

History

The BBC World Service was founded in 1932 as the Empire Service 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 English. The approach of World War II in 1939 brought many changes. To counter the propaganda being broadcast by Germany and Italy, the British government asked the BBC to offer services in Arabic and Spanish, and agreed to pay the additional costs required.

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 recipient nations. As foreign-language broadcasting grew (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. 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 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, resulting in extensive budget cuts in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Although there were increases in broadcasts to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and Eastern Europe during the Cold War, reductions elsewhere meant that by 1960 the BBC had lost its position as the largest international broadcaster, overtaken by the USSR, China, the United States, and 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 programs, but also producing the conditions for new opportunities. The World Service responded to the changes with new program 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 financially unstable, capital investment subsequently picked up and some additional money was provided for program enhancement.

The end of the Cold War produced a whole series of tributes to the BBC and other international broadcasters for their role during the war. Not only did new leaders—such as Lech Wałęsa of Poland and Václav Havel of Czechoslovakia—express their thanks, but also thousands of ordinary listeners.