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BBC World Service Safe?! (r)



Derar Friends on BurmaNet,

   Since it was I who originally involved you in the campaign to save BBC World
Service, it is probably up to me to draw a line under the present effort - with
thanks to Strider for his concern, Marcia Poole for her reassurances and
BurmaNet members in general for their goodwill and campaigning zeal.

   The result has been a good one - not total victory, but a large measure of
success.

   The campaign to save World Service started in early June, with widespread and
spontaneous alarm at plans announced by the BBC's Director-General, John Birt,
to integrate World Service into the wider BBC in a way that might severely
damage it as a functioning unit.  The strength of support for World Service was
something remarkable in BBC history.  Over a six-week period scores of articles
and letters were published, covering the full spread of British quality papers.
95% of these pieces were opposed to the reforms.  Out of 2,000 World Service
staff, 1,500 signed a protest.  242 MPs of all parties signed an early-day
motion - and there were letters and e-mails directed to the British Foreign
Secretary and the BBC Chairman from many parts of the world.

   All this outcry provoked a series of responses.  Two weeks ago, top BBC
management were questioned by the Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs;
then last week, the BBC Chairman was summoned to meet the Foreign Secretary -
and after that, the BBC Governors met.  These events themselves took place amid
a new wave of campaigning activity in the British press and elsewhere.  The
Guardian newspaper started its own Save the World Service Campaign, with a
special web page - and on Wednesday last week, it printed a letter from 140 of
the best-known names in Britain, calling for John Birt's plans to be postponed
until they could be examined more closely.

   In headline terms, John Birt's plans might seem to have come through the test
intact.  Calls for them to be overturned, or even delayed, were not heeded.
However the Foreign Secretary did set up a joint working group to ensure that
World Service would not be damaged, and asked it to report back in two months
time.  And, much more important, World Service Managing Director Sam Younger and
his staff have been quietly negotiating for weeks with Birt's representatives,
seeking agreement rather than confrontation, and doing their best to ensure that
nothing important was damaged as the administrative changes were made.  Recent
messages in BurmaNet, both from Sam Younger himself and from Burmese Section
Head Marcia Poole, indicate they feel they have been essentially successful in
this task - and all the key parts of their operation are still under the control
of World Service professionals.  I must add that if anything is now safe from
obvious damage it is the Burmese service, whose value is even better recognised
than before.

  In a sense the very vagueness of Mr Birt's plans - which had been the original
cause of alarm - made it possible to please both sides without any embarrassing
retreats.

  This compromise will perhaps not satisfy the sceptics, who ask what was the
point of massive changes on paper if they are to make little difference on the
ground.  However, at least for now, the heat seems to be off.  

  Before we miss the opportunity, I am sure Marcia will join me in a heartfelt
tribute to all those BurmaNet members who have added their voice to the
defenders of BBC World Service.  Such massive support - from Britain and
elsewhere - gave Sam Younger all the negotiating strength he needed.  And I know
there have been few more powerful pleas anywhere than those made by BurmaNet
contributors.

   All the best,

    Derek BW