Annual Review 2009/10 Annual Review 2009/10 contents Our aims t o be the world’s best-known and most respected voice in international news, thereby bringing benefit to the uk, the bbc and to audiences 02 06 around the world. to provide the most trusted, relevant and high-quality international news in the world – an indispensable service of independent analysis and explanation, with an international perspective that promotes greater understanding of complex issues. 12 to connect and engage audiences by facilitating an informed and intelligent dialogue – a global conversation – which transcends international borders and cultural divides, giving audiences opportunities 14 to create, publish and share their views and stories. to enable people, by so doing, to make sense of their increasingly complex world and, thus empowered, lead more fulfilling lives. 16 20 Our aims 25 awarDs recOgnitiOn 01 A year in numbers 26 measuring Our 02 DirectOr’s Overview perfOrmance 06 A year in review 30 financial review 2009/10 06 Haiti eartHquake 31 auDitOr’s repOrt 10 Iran’s electiOn crisis 32 financial statements 12 AfgHanistan’s stOry 35 statement Of 14 MultimeDia africa accOunting pOlicies c over user generated content from the streets 16 GlObal HealtH 38 nOtes tO tHe of tehran became central to bbc world service financial statements coverage of iran’s presidential elections – pictured, 18 AuDience impact a woman wearing an iranian flag uses a mobile phone 20 greater cOllabOratiOn 52 gOvernance on the streets of the capital in June 2009 24 BBC wOrlD service bOarD furtHer infOrmatiOn BBCOl w r D service annual review 2009/10 A yeAr in numbers t he bbc world service global audience estimate is derived from independent research. this year’s average weekly audience figure incorporates new data from 25 countries – 57% of this year’s audience. million 22bbc arabic’s total audience – now our largest language service 39%increase in visitors to bbc world service online 8.4million bbc burma total audience – an increase of 1.3 million Overall bbc world service audience on 180million radio, tv and online 3.1million 20 million bbc persian’s estimated viewing in iran Decrease in short wave radio listening – impact felt particularly in bangladesh, india and nigeria 10million l isteners in afghanistan million 1.4audience increase in tanzania 600,000 us audience gain, primarily through partner radio stations 72%increase in the estimated audience of non-english television The figures show the success of our multimedia strategy and investments for global audiences. But the continued dramatic decline in short wave listening shows that those audiences are rapidly changing the way they access international news. Unless BBC World Service can accelerate its response to those changes, it will face a rapid deterioration in its impact” 70traffic increase to bbc %global news Peter Horrocks, Director of bbc World service & bbc Global news mobile pages on bbc.com BBCOl w r D service annual review 2009/10 01 D irector’s overvieW RISING tO tHe glObal cHallenge bbc world service delivered outstanding journalism on radio, television, online and mobile platforms, bringing a wider perspective to audiences in closer collaboration with other parts of bbc global news his is my first overview of the engaging audiences and standing out year as Director of bbc world in a crowded market. mobile phone tservice. it is a privilege to and internet development is also making assume responsibility for the world’s most an increasingly important contribution. respected international news organisation there has been encouraging take up of and bbc global news at such a crucial new mobile phone applications in Hausa point in its long and remarkable history. and swahili, where the bbc is at the the enduring respect and affection leading edge of developments. people have for bbc world service to gauge bbc world service’s wider was brought home to me when i visited effectiveness, it is essential to take into india, pakistan, afghanistan, egypt, account its role in raising editorial standards. nigeria, kenya and angola during the year. we are only beginning to appreciate the challenge lies in making the changes the full impact of our journalism on local Peter Horrocks necessary to retain our reputation for media and even on the course of events. DirectOr, bbc wOrlD service the future at a time of profound economic, when i was in kenya, for example, i saw peter Horrocks became Director social and technological change. global how newspapers trusted bbc swahili of bbc world service in april 2009. He assumed the overall responsibility audience measurement reveals that the to verify reports of witness intimidation. as Director of bbc global news inevitable decline in short wave listening in nigeria, president umaru yar’adua’s in february 2010. has gathered pace, as predicted. the impact exclusive interview for bbc Hausa shortly proved particularly significant in india and before his death played a central role in bangladesh. the net result was a fall in the country’s constitutional debate. after bbc world service’s global weekly audience months of speculation about his health, from the 2009 peak of 188 million to he spoke to the bbc because it symbolised 180 million, although the bbc world service credibility. it’s this kind of exclusive interview english audience is broadly level at just which reinforces our impact – we get the under 40 million. and, overall, the total interviews that others can only hope for radio, television and online audience for and they make headlines across the globe. bbc global news is up from 238 million to 241 million. insPirinG neW GenerAtions BBC GlobAl neWs we are also working to raise standards At tHe leADinG eDGe through both bbc world service and bbc BBC World Service is part of an integrated international t he headline figures only tell part of world service trust training programmes, news and information division. the story, however. the strategic move developing and inspiring new generations BBC Global News was into arabic and persian television channels of journalists and instilling values of formally established on has been vindicated, although accurate independent journalism in other media 1 December 2002 and measurement is difficult in countries such organisations around the world. initiatives comprises BBC World Service, as iran, where contact with the bbc is a include journalism training for online BBC World News, the BBC’s prohibited activity. bbc arabic’s 24-hour bloggers in syria, phone-in training for international news online television channel has achieved high rural stations in uganda and radio training services, BBC Monitoring and BBC World Service Trust. professional standards and is now placing in sudan ahead of the country’s first more emphasis on creative ways of election in 24 years. 02 bbc wOrlD service annual review 2009/10 01 01 the high profile of bbc persian, as the main source of independent news and analysis, caused some pro-government protestors to publicly demonstrate against it. 02 nigerian president umaru yar’adua’s exclusive interview for bbc Hausa played a central role in the country’s constitutional debate. 03 bbc international Development correspondent mark Doyle interviewing Haiti president rene preval shortly after the country’s devastating earthquake. 02 03 BBC world service stands out from have the right skills and news contacts across bbc global news ensures we other international broadcasters through to access the english output, and a new can share language service content and its ability to present a truly global point of video hub enables all language services expertise more effectively with all the view. in covering afghanistan, for example, to exchange video content. as a result, bbc’s global and uk media platforms. we can do more than embed journalists bbc world service journalism achieved the outcome will be more content like with the armed forces. Our teams can talk greater exposure across the bbc, combining the superpower season, which explored to afghan villagers, telling international and efficient use of resources with greater the power of the world wide web, one uk audiences what they think about the depth and insight to our news programmes. of the programme highlights of the year. issues that affect them. the investigation bbc world service english joined forces into fraud and corruption in afghanistan’s collAborAtion Across with the bbc world news television general election was one of the year’s bbc GlobAl neWs channel, bbc.com and our language outstanding pieces of journalism. the reorganisation of bbc global news services to bring a range of stories and we are determined to harness the announced in march 2010 is an important perspectives, including fascinating insights contribution of every language service step in preparation for the move to the from afghanistan, iraq and nigeria. to the full, sharing content and expertise bbc’s multimedia news centre in london sharing content made an outstanding more effectively with all the bbc’s global w1 in 2012. it integrates senior editorial difference throughout the bitterly media platforms and also with uk roles where possible whilst retaining contested re-election of iranian president audiences. During the year we made audience brands and accountability mahmoud ahmadinejad and its aftermath. important progress in ensuring contributors mechanisms as necessary. collaboration w ithin months of its launch, bbc persian > We are determined to harness the contribution of every language service to the full, sharing content and expertise more effectively with all the BBC’s global media platforms and also with UK audiences” BBCOl w r D service annual review 2009/10 03 D irector’s overvieW c OntinueD 04 05 06 > television was regularly contributing c itizen journAlism is the bbc’s most successful, with around to bbc news channels for the uk and t he volume of videos, text messages two million downloads a month.