WS Invitation to Bid 2022-23V1

WS_Invitation_to_Bid_2022-23v1

Commissioning Round for 2022-23

Timetable and Guidelines to making programmes for BBC World Service

The Commissioning Timetable 2021

Thursday 15th July 2021 Guidelines will be published here Proteus opens - at this stage Commissioning Editors only require THREE LINE DESCRIPTIONS. Please use the SHORT SYNOPSIS box only.

Thursday 2nd September 2021 (12 noon) Deadline for submissions for initial proposals into Proteus. At this stage Commissioning Editors only require THREE LINE DESCRIPTIONS. Please use the SHORT SYNOPSIS box only

Monday 13th September 2021 Pre-offers results published in Proteus.

Thursday 30th September 2021 (12 noon) Deadline to submit your final proposals into Proteus.

Mid October Results will be published in Proteus.

***NB: Please ensure that you have access to Proteus early in the process.*** We do not accept proposals from individuals – submissions MUST come through an in-house supplier or registered independent production company. For independent suppliers: details of how to register your company for the database can be found at https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio

1 Contacts

Mary Hockaday, Controller mary.hockaday@bbc.co.uk

Stephen Titherington, Senior Head of Content [email protected]

Simon Pitts, Commissioning Editor [email protected]

Jon Manel, Podcast Commissioning Editor [email protected]

Murray Holgate, Network Manager [email protected]

Anna Doble, Digital Editor [email protected]

Vanessa Morris & Karen Howe, Commissioning Coordinators [email protected]

Guide Prices

The Documentary 20 22’59” and 26’29” £6.6K

The Hour Documentary 10 Clocked hour £11.2K

The Compass 8-10 22’59” and 26’29” £6.6K

Witness 10 9’00” £1.3K

Heart and Soul 12 26’29” £6K

The Cultural Frontline 5 22’59” and 26’29” £6.6K

In the Studio 10 26’29” £6.6K

Podcasts – see individual brief

The Proteus system is used for the submission of offers. All proposals must be delivered in Proteus. We do not require hard copies of any proposals.

BBC departments access PROTEUS via http://proteuslive.radio.bbc.co.uk/proteus-web/login.action

Independent companies access PROTEUS via a portal: https://ext-proteus.external.bbc.co.uk/proteus-web/login.action

Enter in: World Service Commissioning Round 2022/2023

Commissioning Year: 2022/2023

Commissioning Round: 1

World Service English

What an extraordinary time it has been. I want to thank all of you for rising to the challenge of making programmes in the most difficult of circumstances and - quite simply - keeping World Service going. Our audiences are grateful. We have kept them informed, we have helped them make sense of the pandemic, provided trusted information and helped make the science accessible. We have held the powerful to account. We have also given our audiences a voice, shared their stories and connected people across the world, building a community of voices in the way that only radio can. We have comforted and guided. We have enriched audiences with stories well beyond the pandemic, capturing 2020 and 2021 as they unfolded. Finally in dark times we offered entertainment and delight, culture and music and comedy and performance, which has been much appreciated. Our audiences have told us how grateful they are for everything we - you - have done, and I and they look forward to what you will offer through this commissioning round. We might have hoped to be through the pandemic, but we are not. It should not dominate your thinking, but nor can you ignore it. Variety and creativity as ever will enrich the network.

Finally, a personal note. I am stepping down as Controller later this year. It has been a privilege to work with you all. My successor Jon Zilkha and I will both oversee this commissioning round and I know he is looking forward to your submissions just as much as I am.

Mary Hockaday Controller, BBC World Service

The BBC World Service is a 24-7 network of news, current affairs and rich audio which reaches audiences as radio and digital audio and via partners. News programmes include Newshour, The Newsroom, Outside Source and Newsday. Alongside this spine of News content we have programmes specializing in sport, business, science, culture, debate, human interest and analysis. In recent years we have been able to add to the range and depth of programmes on the network and related digital content.

We have a massive global audience (and an important audience in the UK) who all share a sense of curiosity about the world and a desire to connect with that world. Our audience is everywhere. Our surveys show the biggest single audiences are in the United States and Africa, but listeners find us on their phones, radios, smart speakers and partner stations in just about every country. That audience is increasing and we now reach more than 97 million people. Our audience is both discerning and demanding, whether college-educated or - in many cases -not. In most places there is increasingly vibrant local media and access to other global media, so we have to be appealing and relevant.

The World Service schedule is flexible so we can adapt to breaking news, but we always try to ensure there’s a broad range of topics and styles on the Network. Five minute news bulletins sit at the top of every hour and a two minute summary of world news at the bottom of every hour, so News is an ever present part of the Network. But we want to take people on a journey that offers much more in terms of a portrait of the world and how we live. We want programmes that stimulate thought, provoke discussion and offer solutions as well as show problems. We want to be a place where people who care about the world can connect and understand it better – in all aspects of life. All our programmes take a contemporary and global approach, and are rigorous with high production standards.

Radio and Digital

Increasingly, we reach audiences via digital and social platforms. This document includes notes on how to make sure your content will thrive in this arena. Not only is there a specific podcast brief (and we may want a separate podcast version of your broadcast programme), we need engaging online feature material, clips, quotes, facts and short form visuals, and we’ll discuss with you how to promote your programme as a podcast. Remember the audience may first encounter your programme online or on social media. We need high quality visuals of the places and people that feature in your programme – more on the format below. This is all designed to bring more audiences to your content.

What we are looking for in 2022-23?

Our programmes are clever, conversational and inclusive. They should be effortlessly global and stand up to scrutiny from the people or country being discussed in the programme as well as being resonant for the widest audiences. We aim to capture the big themes and talking points of the time, as well as offering the unexpected and unfamiliar.

Our mission is to connect, explain, inform and also to celebrate great listening and fantastic stories. We need to be funny as well as serious, to challenge preconceptions, and reveal a world which is exciting as well as sometimes frightening. We create a space for deeply personal views and experiences to be expressed freely. We will put all the resources necessary to make what we do together the very best it can be. We want great story-tellers to speak to the world. We love rich

5 sound and a sense of place; being where our audience is (pandemic creativity allowing). We seek engaging, challenging ideas led by the brightest narrators and production. And we welcome collaboration, bringing in fresh talent and simply trying something new. Be ambitious.

The Compass The Compass is our space for ideas and stories which are too big for single documentaries. Series are generally 3-6 episodes and must deserve the descriptor ‘flagship series’. The audience will be rewarded with a real take-away – new insight and understanding, awe and perhaps delight. Think laterally. What has been knocked off the agenda by CV-19 and must come back? What is in front of us but must be dived into deeper, what is as yet unknown and must be told? What are the big ideas we need to bring to life? Your story-telling must be compelling and high quality to carry the narrative arc across the series. Be realistic and innovative about delivery from Spring 2022 onwards.

Documentaries (30 minutes & 60 minutes) The ways of making programmes, the subjects we cover and who tells these stories, all need shaking up!

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present” as Abraham Lincoln once put it. Something is changing in the world, and changing what people want to listen to. So it’s time to think boldly and imaginatively about stories which resonate with everyone, which tell us something about this new world. And we want to think of new ways of actually compiling them. We want to fly less, partner more; share and support fellow news organisations around the world. We want to think how best to relate to the BBC World Service Language services around the world, and we want to be so truly global in our appeal, that our audiences are excited by the prospect of each and every documentary we create. We are championing new talent on air, new ways of telling stories and making difficult global issues accessible to all. These are challenging times, but what else can we do? We want ideas for documentaries that change the lives of those who listen.. be they about sport, business, music, war, peace and everything in between.

In The Studio After the pandemic we expect creative leaders in culture, a field where humans make sense of life through production, storytelling, objects, and design of all kinds, to be grappling with meaning and innovation in fascinating ways.

Do remember that In The Studio is a highly-regarded prestige strand featuring subjects who are acclaimed in their fields and is not a strand for emerging creatives. And please remember that this strand is reserved for sound-rich location encounters with these acclaimed practitioners while they make their work. Typically, an episode of In The Studio will feature at least three interviews with the subject as the work progresses, and often many more. These programmes offer unique insight into process, ideas, production, character and the nature and labour of the creativity of the world’s best, and all the time illustrating how culture is our mirror.

As ever we are inviting you to think laterally. The strand features all kinds of creative leaders who shape our lives: Olympic-Gold winning ice-skating routines, car designers creating new shapes for Aston Martin, leading figures in video game, golf course and roller-coaster design, maverick product and furniture designers like Ron Arad, and a wealth of fashion designers, musicians, (song/novel/screen) writers and very many others.

6 The Cultural Frontline The Cultural Frontline invites bids for location-based features focusing on artists making waves in their own societies and cities. We want to focus on scenes that are vital and original, brave, and uncompromising. This work, and our programmes about it, offer audiences deep insights and ways of understanding what is really going on. Offers should reach widely into the world and always demonstrate how they will be led by informed local knowledge. In the current context offers should demonstrate how on-the-ground sound-rich programmes can work if necessity dictates remote production.

Heart and Soul For Heart and Soul, we are looking to commission programmes for TX between April 2022 and March 2023. In this strand we primarily seek ambitious single-subject features that offer extraordinary, privileged access and insight, as subjects share how their faith informs the deepest challenges and complexities of their life. We occasionally commission tightly-focused miniseries. Location-specific subjects, lives in landscapes as it were, are also particularly welcome. Programmes in this strand are characterised by great sensitivity, and by a depth of compassion and empathetic even-handedness across faith experiences.

Podcasts We are looking for at least one new original narrative factual podcast – full details in the brief.

Diversity & Inclusion Diversity & inclusion is a priority for all of us. The BBC World Service is fully committed to making processes around commissioning and production a place where people feel welcomed, appreciated, respected and that they can be themselves and produce their best work. We commit to diverse teams, representative programmes and inclusive culture and will ensure we work with the indie sector to support diversity within our indie suppliers.

7 Slot Title: The Documentary Commissioner: Steve Titherington Editor: Various Duration: Two durations 22’59" and 26'29” TX: Tuesday

90 CHARS As it appears on digital radios Hear great stories that matter. SPOKEN BILLING A ‘rip and read’ description of the programme. A chance to experience the world through the stories, issues and events which are shaping the way we live today.

DESCRIPTION Aw hsuatmma theyr yd fo,or a pnadr twnhers.at t he consequences are. High impact, topical and highly produced single documentaries or series dealing with important and arresting global issues. With cutting edge reportage and the best production values, it is compelling listening for everyone. OBJECTIVE “How does this programme help the listener?” • Amazing listening experiences helping listeners to understand the world they live in and to unravel complicated news stories and events. • Provides a truly ‘world view’ on what’s going on, however local the story • Gives vital background to help understand daily news coverage on the BBC World Service • Makes big and often difficult issues more accessible. CONTENT, FORMAT & The ‘design brief’ for programme makers. STYLE • There is no prescribed format for these series; they use the best and cutting edge documentary formats suit the story most and will inform and entertain the listener to best effect • Presentation is crucial to The Documentary. Often the reporter or subject is sharing a journey of discovery along with the listener, and his/her experiences are relevant to the story. • Clarity of purpose is a key component for the World Service audience – clearly spell out the journey the listener is about to go on. • Programmes use a rich range of material including a high proportion of location recordings. • Rigorous investigative journalism where necessary, brings revelation and new understanding to a story • BBC branding within the programme adapted to radio and digital delivery.

8 Slot Title: The Documentary – One Hour Commissioners: Steve Titherington Editor: Various Duration: A clocked hour TX: Weekends

90 CHARS As it appears on digital radios World stories SPOKEN BILLING A ‘rip and read’ description of the programme. This special hour long Documentary offers an in-depth look at the way people live around the world offering insight into the global issues and events of the age we live in. It explores why people do what they do, and what the consequences are. DESCRIPTION A summary for partners. High impact, topical and highly produced documentary series dealing with important and arresting global issues. With cutting edge reportage and the best production values. It has to be compelling listening, held together by a strong narrative structure which holds the audience across the hour. OBJECTIVE “How does this programme help the listener?” As for The Documentary but also provides a real “immersive” experience allowing time for discovery reflection and understanding.

CONTENT, The ‘design brief’ for programme makers. FORMAT & STYLE • This is high calibre documentary making of the highest order. It has strong use of sound throughout. It uses personal testimony to the fore and has strong character led story lines. • The presenter must be able to hold the audience through sharing their own personal experience and conviction. The listener must be clear as to what they will gain by hearing the whole hour. • The second half must have fresh material – characters, themes or locations or all three. It must be made clear in the first half of the programme what the purpose of the second half is. • In the second half it must be made clear where we are with the story. The Billboards at the top and the bottom of the hour must serve as continuity to wed the listener to the format. The programme will be adapted if required for both radio and digital listening. • Presentation is crucial to The Documentary. Often the reporter is sharing a journey of discovery along with the listener, and his/her experiences are relevant to the story. Clarity of purpose is a key component for the World Service audience – clearly spell out the journey the listener is about to go on, where they are going and where they have been. • Rigorous investigative journalism. where necessary, brings revelation and new understanding to a story.

Slot Title: The Compass Commissioner: Mary Hockaday Editor: Various TX: Wednesday Dur: Two durations 22’59" and 26'29”, in series

90 CHARS As it appears on digital radios The Compass - Exploring our world

SPOKEN BILLING A ‘rip and read’ description of the programme. ‘For the next three/four/six weeks you can hear….’

DESCRIPTION A summary for partners. A slot to enable us to schedule series and runs of programmes about stories, ideas, arguments and trends which need time to tell. Taking typically three to six weeks, each series will help explain the world with a narrative arc across the weeks, so that the listener feels they have heard a definitive take or deeply satisfying experience. Every series will capture something of our time and reflect something new and essential about the early 21st Century. The quality will be high. OBJECTIVE To create landmark series which have real impact with audiences and bring credit to BBC World Service and partners for quality, analytical depth and originality. To create a space and place to think on the network and content which will work well as podcasts/downloads too. To create content which becomes essential listening. The arc of each series will bring listeners back to WSE week after week and so deepen the relationship with the audiences on the network, podcasts and digital platforms. CONTENT, FORMAT & STYLE This will vary. Authoritative and informative but contemporary in sound and feel. Takes time to make new thoughts and complex stories accessible and compelling. Production formats will vary but the story-telling and production quality will be high. Whether narrative, explanation, location-based, analysis or argument, the route will be clear, structured across programmes or the series. Each series will feel definitive or revelatory. Listeners will feel they have learned something as well as experienced. Presenters and talent will be high calibre - with a real sense of their own authorship and journey, or their quality as an intelligent companion for the programmes and podcasts. There needs to be very clear structural progress and clarity of purpose in moving through each programme and/or series.

10 PODCAST YES The broadcast will also be put into The Compass podcast feed, so it must work for podcast/on-demand listeners as well. Please avoid referring to “radio programme” or similar phrases that specify a medium. The audio must explain that each mini-series is part of The Compass, and should briefly explain what The Compass is. The best first-episode introductions make it clear what the audience is getting in this specific mini-series. All episode openings are an opportunity to entice listeners to stay with you and not click on something else and they’re also a chance bring out the personality and authorship of the host. The outro should briefly let the listener know what is coming up in the next episode; podcast audiences can be encouraged to “binge” on your series. In addition each series will be given a short trail script by the commissioning team, to read at the end of the final episode, looking ahead to the next mini-series.

Slot Title: Witness Commissioner: Steve Titherington Editor: Kirsty Reid Duration: 9 ’ 00 ” TX: Mon-Fri

Slot 90 CHARS As it appears on digital radios

History told by the people who were there.

SPOKEN BILLING A ‘rip and read’ description of the programme.

We hear from those who saw for themselves key events in history.

DESCRIPTION A summary for partners.

Extraordinary moments of time brought to life by those who were there. The story of our times told by the people who witnessed history being made. Revealing history through recollection and archive.

OBJECTIVE “How does this programme help the listener?”

• To provide an historical perspective to events • To bring you the human story. • To provide a different perspective from live daily news. • To provide a different texture from live daily news

CONTENT, The ‘design brief’ for programme makers. FORMAT & STYLE

• It has a less hurried, more carefully built approach than is usually possible with reportage and live news • Use of archive material and actuality • BBC branding and set-up • It should be factual, and clear in style. • The programme should work as a self-contained module as a stand-alone on the schedule and for use by re-broadcasters. • Witness will now also form an integral and important part of Outlook as a presenter introduced final segment to the programme. • Each episode may need to be adapted for podcast and digital use.

PODCAST YES Title: Heart and Soul Commissioner: Simon Pitts 12

Duration: 26’29” TX: Weekend

90 CHARS As it appears on digital radios Personal approaches to faith and spirituality. SPOKEN BILLING A ‘rip and read’ description of the programme. Heart and Soul explores personal experiences of spirituality and faith from all of the traditions.

OBJECTIVE “How does this programme help the listener?”

• Gaining a deeper knowledge of different faiths. • Exploring how faith and spirituality touch personal lives. • Offers empathetic understanding through intimate stories. • Giving context to current affairs.

CONTENT, The ‘design brief’ for programme makers. FORMAT & STYLE ST • Most programmes are singles though there is scope to offer a YL two-three-part mini-series. E • Programmes are typically documentary format, but multi- location single-subject interview treatments are also welcome. • Successful programmes feature strong personal stories rooted in community. Key is a strong sense of place with lavish sound pictures where possible. • Programmes feature rigorous reporting with robust investigation into contentious issues and current ethical dilemmas. • Programmes feature BBC branding at the intro, mid-points and ending and these are delivered by the presenter. • Accompanying digital elements for our web and social channels are important to the success of each audio programme. Formats such as video, stills galleries and so on are essential. Our team assists the creation of digital assets, and it is vital that these are as ambitious as the audio programme. • Some programmes are part of collaborations across platforms, WS Language services and other BBC networks.

PODCAST YES

We will require a podcast version of your programme and may require

an additional podcast-specific introduction.

Slot Title: The Cultural Frontline Commissioner: Simon Pitts Duration: Two durations 22’59" and 26'29” TX: Weekend

90 CHARS As it appears on digital radios Exploring the world through artists’ eyes. DESCRIPTION A summary for partners. The Cultural Frontline meets the creative artists whose work makes waves

OBJECTIVE “How does this programme help the listener?” • This is vivid topical culture programming for wide general audiences. • We feature artists whose work is demonstrably important and influential. CONTENT, FORMAT The• ‘designShowcasing brief’ f onor -ptherogramme-ground majournalismkers. which is sound-rich & STYLE and contemporary.

• For the fifth year we are inviting a limited number of ambitious and laterally creative bids for programming that builds on the regular weekly edition. • We are looking for programming bursting with intellectual and empathetic curiosity, brimming with editorial purpose, and for guided storytelling led by richly-integrated local figures. • Shortlisted bids will demonstrate stand-out editorial distinctiveness, ambition for barely-containable shareability and will all be accessible to the widest general World Service English audiences, with strong interest for younger and female audiences. • Offers for singles please. • It will be helpful to attach reporters or presenters with ‘must-tell-you’ charisma, as well as named guests on your offers. • Accompanying 1–2-minute stand-alone digital stories for our web and social channels in such formats as video, FB Live, binaural sound and so on are an important part of the offer. • Please consider the potential for collaborations with other programming on WS or other production units and do indicate your suggested TX dates and diary pegs.

PODCAST YES

Slot Title: In the Studio

Commissioner: Simon Pitts Duration: 2 6 ’2 9” TX: Tuesday 90 CHARS As it appears on digital radios With the world’s cultural geniuses as they work DESCRIPTION A summary for partners. With the world’s creative elite: artists of all kinds, designers, musicians, and performers while they produce their work OBJECTIVE “How does this programme help the listener?” • In The Studio follows star names and renowned cultural leaders. • Programmes bring audiences into the minds of creative figures of all stripes: designers, visual artists, architects, filmmakers, and musicians as they make their work. • This is luxury culture programming aimed the widest non-specialist audiences. • Editions variously offer insights into the creative process, special behind- the-scenes access, and late-career knowledge-transfer. CONTENT, The ‘design brief’ for programme makers. FORMAT & STYLE

• Programmes quickly become intimate with creative minds. Recorded over at least two sittings each programme gains the trust of its subjects – leaders in their fields who talk freely about what they are working on while they are making it. • With wit, humour and style, programmes capture influences, production complexities and contradictions, serendipitous discovery and more. • IN THE STUDIO is intelligent, distinctive, and warmly accessible radio. The strand is for the widest listenership: for general, female, and young audiences. • Key is the marriage of treatment and subject. The right presenters bring insight and accessibility, and the strand showcases diverse, original and creative production styles. • Tonally inclusive treatments may include reporter-led single editions, specialist/celebrity-led encounters, longitudinal production over months, and more. Programmes without an engaged narrator work less well than those led by a reporter or presenter. This year we are looking to further develop the editorial ambition and welcome pitches featuring the world’s creative elite in the widest lateral senses. • IN THE STUDIO is never focussed on the end cultural product (e.g. the finished book, the completed film or released album) and interviews always take place during the process of creative production. Programmes never feel as if they are PR-ed or promoting a release or product. • Each programme bid should indicate plans for related social and web content suitable for the BBC WSE Facebook account and YouTube. PODCAST Yes

Slot Title: Narrative Factual Multi-Episode Original Podcast (one or more podcast series) Commissioner: Jon Manel TX: TBC Dur: Various

Duration Average 20 to 45 minutes per episode (including announcements)

Number of episodes required Ideally around 10 episodes

Launch 2023

Approx. £6.6K to £11.2K per episode. Guide price range per episode Price dependent upon the nature of the production etc.

Commissioning Round 2022/2023 Round

Editorial Opportunity

The World Service has made a significant impact on the global podcast market with original narrative podcasts like The Lazarus Heist, 13 Minutes to the Moon, Death in Ice Valley, The Bomb and The Hurricane Tapes.

What comes next?

Do you have the idea that will be the next big hit?

We are looking for propulsive, ‘unputdownable’ factual multi episode storytelling. The story could be really important original journalism, true crime, a deep dive or retelling of an historic event or something completely different.

It could be a completely new podcast or do you have the idea that could be a new season of one of our existing factual narrative podcasts?

Multiple language: We may be more drawn to your idea if it has the potential to be made in more than one language. Would your idea lend itself to the creation of a version in another language, to be made and released at exactly the same time as the English language version? Ideally, a show being made in 2 different languages would use the same presenter but may require a slightly bigger production team. Please suggest your ideas for how this might work and we would help you to find ways of making this happen. Our ambition is to work with the supplier to deliver a truly brilliant and popular podcast, creating a significant impact on a global scale. It should be a narrative podcast for global audiences, as likely to draw in listeners in Mumbai, Mombasa and Mexico City as it is in Miami and Melbourne. We are waiting to be swept away by your idea. Ultimately, it needs to excite new and existing audiences, to justify the prominence that we envisage and hope it will be given on BBC Sounds and on external podcast platforms. 16

The strength of the story is crucial.

• The story will have the ingredients required to be a global hit – and you need to have the ambition and ability to build the team required to create one. We will need to have complete confidence in your team, as well as your idea. You will persuade us that the project has the right oversight, the perfect host and approach to presentation and the right producer(s). • The story, storytelling and treatment need to be original. • This is designed to be a podcast and not a radio series. It will take a special idea to stand out among the hundreds of thousands of other podcasts that already exist. • We will need to be convinced that there can be a gripping narrative arc over the whole series, as well as within each episode. • You will have firm ideas, which will be clear in your proposal, about who this podcast is for. • Podcast commissioning at BBC World Service English is a collaborative process. We want top class journalism and storytelling but also require a lot of emphasis to be put on the production itself, with an expectation of multiple audio drafts of each episode being made before the final version is created. • Please consider how you might get listeners involved and make them feel part of a community around the podcast. • We will be particularly drawn to ideas with the potential for a second season or if it could be a new season of one of our existing narrative podcasts. • What is the digital potential? Our shows live beyond the podcast itself. The digital roll-out, with videos, animations, etc. is essential to our mission to get our content to as wide a global audience as possible. • Funding for a pilot will be considered. • This is first and foremost a podcast but you are also likely to be asked to create a linear radio version as part of the commission for BBC World Service Radio.

Please consider all these questions when creating your podcast proposal:

How could this podcast work in English and as a separate podcast, made and launched at the same time, in another language? Why does your story work as a multi episode podcast? Does it have the story arcs required for this treatment? Who are the key characters? Who is/are the target audience(s)? Why is this a podcast series and not a radio programme/series? How is this particularly suited to be a podcast? What is it about the tone, presentation, storytelling and treatment that makes this proposal “podcasty”? How might you get the listeners involved and make them feel part of a podcast community? Why will your podcast stand out among the hundreds of thousands of other podcasts that exist? What will get your podcast noticed – how should it be marketed?

TEXT, IMAGES AND ASSETS FOR DIGITAL

It’s not just the programmes that need to have a sense of excitement and the ability to create curiosity in our audience and potential audience. Whatever we publish - titles, billings, online descriptions etc. (known as ‘metadata’) - have an effect on how the audience reacts to what we offer and how your programme performs on the web.

Programme titles and descriptions should always be written in a way that encourages new audiences to listen to them, and ensures visibility and findability across the web – especially BBC Sounds and in podcast provider spaces such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, for the best search engine results in Google etc. and on other devices, such as voice-activated systems (like Alexa).

We need to have titles and programme descriptions eight weeks before the transmission date. This ensures that both Press and Publicity have time to adequately promote the programme, and that these descriptions are ready in time for our automated systems. It can be difficult to update programme descriptions at some of their publication sites if the information arrives too close to transmission.

Titles

Titles should stand out in listings and schedules.

• Titles must be clear - not cryptic - and accurately reflect the content of the programme • Don’t repeat any part of the brand or series title, in the episode title • The audience want as much useful information as possible, upfront, so don’t hide crucial information in the short synopsis – put it in the title • Titles should be concise so they don’t run off the space on the thumbnail - stick to a maximum of 50 characters • Assume the audience are unfamiliar with your topic– make it accessible • Write using “sentence case”, i.e. capital letters at the beginning of a title and for names/proper nouns only – not for the start of every word • Include search terms when possible, to ensure your programme appears in search results. Topics, places and famous names are all searchable options, and including them will increase your programmes SEO (search engine optimization)

Programme Descriptions

We need you to provide 2 different lengths of programme description (or information): 1 A short description - 90 characters (approx. 12 words) 2 A medium description – 180 chars max (approx. 25 words) 3 A long description - 1800 characters (about 250 words). You need to deliver descriptions for each programme if you are delivering a series.

Descriptions need to be clear, useful and informative, and demonstrate the value of your programme. If these rules are followed then you can dramatically improve the chances of potential listeners both finding and listening to your programme.

• Writing for publication (online or press) is not the same as writing a radio script. Don't copy and paste the top of your script or the original proposal summary, to ‘make do’ for your online text. It doesn’t work for the reasons outlined below… • The first 8 - 10 words are the most important. Do not waste valuable character count with phrases such as "In this week's programme" as many digital devices will cut off after the first few words. Instead, encapsulate the subject matter efficiently and get to the point straightaway. • Make these useful, relevant and interesting. Think about where the programme descriptions will appear (mobile phones, on digital listings, in social media posts and other electronic programme guides, etc. See below…). • Use images or metaphors instead of statistics e.g. 'the tongue of a blue whale is the size of an elephant' • Decide on one tense and stick to it. Present tense is often best • Explain acronyms and abbreviations • Include keywords your audience would use to find your programme in Google or Apple Podcasts, Spotify etc. 80% of us find online content this way. • Use strong words and short sentences. Tease and intrigue to illustrate the story, don't describe it….

LIKE THIS: ‘Darren weighs 57 stone - and he's only 13-years-old. He hasn’t left his bed for over three years. Meet him at his home in Philadelphia.’

NOT LIKE THIS: ‘A quirky documentary delineating the everyday life of the world’s most obese teenager.’

• Provide context to make the subject matter more intriguing:

‘The diabetes treatment insulin has been with us for 90 years, but in countries like Mali, insulin costs are as high as 40% of annual income. Why does the treatment cost so much and how can children in countries like Mali get access to it?’

• Your writing should be true, accurate and unambiguous. • Check that everything’s 100% legally and editorially correct and don’t forget to spellcheck!

Please avoid:

• Using today, tomorrow, next week – or any time references – make your descriptions timeless • The name of your presenter or guests in the first paragraph, unless they are A-listers that a global audience will recognise • Lists of questions • Radio-speak e.g. 'We discuss / find out more / take a sideways look at / send our roving reporter out to...' • Lots of clauses and commas in sentences • Over-flowery prose • Clichés e.g. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife

With this in mind you can expand the short description to the long version. But don’t forget that the first eight to 10 words are still the most important whatever the length of the programme description.

Here is an example of how this can work:

Title

The sounds of the Maasai Mara

Short Synopsis

A sonic journey through the plains of the Maasai Mara in Africa

Medium Synopsis

A sonic journey through the plains of the Maasai Mara in Africa from its wildlife to the people and the elements.

Long Synopsis

The great savannah wilderness of the Maasai Mara in Kenya is filled with sound even before the sun rises above the horizon. There are the sounds of the wildlife and the elements, the wind and the rain. Sound is used by animals to communicate with one another, to attract a mate, and warn off predators. Being able to interpret this soundscape is as important to the animals who live here as the people.

From a very young age, conservationist Saba Douglas Hamilton has been aware of the changing soundscape around her. And as we discover, for both Saba and Jackson Looseyia, a local Maasai, being able to identify the individual sounds in this changing soundscape is crucial to their survival.

Chris Watson guides us on a journey in sound across the Plains to hear the world as you’ve never heard it before and explores the relationship between the soundscape, the people and the wildlife.

Photo: Sunset in the Masai Mara. Credit: Chris Watson

Digital assets: Images

Your images should tell the story of your programme. Titles and images work together, and are vital in encouraging your audience to encourage your audience to listen.

Take images of the locations and contributors and anything that tell the story of your programme visually. You can take these with your phone, but make sure the images are in focus, high resolution and carefully composed. Don’t use images of presenters or the programme team.

Think early on about digital. Great images will improve the visibility of your programme, extending its shelf life, and help reach a new, digital audience. It’s much easier to source these at the time you make your programme, so plan ahead.

This permission should include use on BBC websites and on social media accounts in perpetuity. If you are taking pictures of your contributors, please check they are happy with their picture appearing on the BBC site and BBC social media accounts.

Images should work in a landscape format, but also be ‘square safe’ as many devices, including the new BBC Sounds app (more on that below), will crop to the central area of the image.

These should be delivered with the programme information described above, and you should ensure these are rights-cleared before offering them. This usually means that either you have taken them yourself, or you have the written permission of the person who took them.

If there are complexities with rights, especially around third party publication of the photographs, please consult [email protected]

You may also get a commission for a text feature piece from the BBC News site off the back of your programme – several of our spin-off articles have had over 2m+ page impressions.

Where do these descriptions/pictures appear?

Your programme images, titles and descriptions will appear on • The World Service programmes website • The Sounds app and Sounds website – the BBC audio service • Promotion across the World Service homepage, the BBC homepage and the BBC News website • In social media posts – these are posted on the World Service Facebook page (7.7 million followers) and Twitter (448K) • In podcast platforms such Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Acast • All search platforms - so including terms that the audience may be searching for is important • Streams and feeds of our programmes in listings and promotion platforms

In addition …

In Press and Publicity Information for the world press and digital media

Business Development publishes a monthly guide to the programmes on World Service and the long descriptions are essential for this. This guide goes to many of our most important partners and is well used, particularly in the US and Australasia. In addition the BBC Press Office will use the long descriptions as the basis for press releases which can generate interest from reviewers both in the UK press and online, and internationally.

Digital Assets - Video

Video or visualized audio and graphics are an important part of reaching audiences and supporting your programme.

Please come and talk to use *before you set off so we can discuss the storyline and make sure you’re aware of our guidelines and templates. If video hasn’t been produced to style we may not be able to publish. Contact us the digital team here and a video producer will get back to you [email protected]

Examples of the type of video we promote

Japans' phone to the dead - https://bbc.in/2J44P9a

Could this be France's first 'liberal' mosque? - https://bbc.in/2J4KxfW

The Arctic farmer saying no to plastic - https://bbc.in/2NqWCQP

Fighting back against India's rape culture - https://bbc.in/2J5h59x

New generation of climate heroes - https://bbc.in/2J5xBpZ

BBC SOUNDS

BBC Sounds was launched in October 2018, replacing iPlayerRadio as the way for audiences to listen live, catch up and discover radio programmes.

You can find Sounds via the BBC radio homepage – and is also available as an app via any App Store – search for BBC Sounds.

Programmes and podcasts can all be accessed via BBC Sounds. You can see how important a square safe, clear image and a strong title is important.

Sounds also collates programmes from across the radio networks –

By category – e.g. Documentaries, Food & Drink and Science & Technology

2. And by curated collections – Be Curious, Cliffhangers …

… So there are even more ways that your programmes can be found – and as these grabs show, images and descriptions are even more important.

How do I deliver the Programme Information?

For internal BBC production suppliers – up to eight weeks before TX, suppliers will be asked to submit programme information onto SharePoint: https://onebbc.sharepoint.com/sites/WorldServiceEnglishWSGNews/Lists/World%20Service%20 English%20Programmes/newform.aspx (you may be asked to use BBC Login)

https://onebbc.sharepoint.com/sites/WorldServiceEnglishWSGNew s/Lists/World%20Service%20English%20Programmes/newform.as px

TX Date/Week is whenever the first placing on World Service English Radio is – irrespective of whether it’s on TV, Sounds, podcast etc on another date

Number of episodes: if the episode is part of a series, enter the total number of episodes in the series. If stand-alone, enter 1

Contacts: please endeavour to provide Producer/Editor names.

At least one contact name must be given

Reversion/Repeat: has the programme previously been broadcast by WSE or re-versioned from another outlet?

IMPORTANT: If the programme has previously been broadcast on World Service English Radio, please email wsenglishchannelmanagementteam@b bc.co.uk with repeat info, original TX date etc so a repeat can be scheduled

Descriptions: Programme descriptions of various character lengths. Please ensure the ‘Long Description’ box is always filled, even if it’s only a short length.

Press Office Description: Only fill this box if there is a specific, differing billing for press/publicity

Attachment details: Images can be attached to the form with the ‘Attach File’ button in the top ribbon

Please use the ‘Attachment details’ box for filenames, descriptions, credits etc 25 of any attached images Click Save to submit the billing; Click Cancel to discard

For Independent productions – Again, up to eight weeks before TX you will be asked to submit programme information through this form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=M3FYDo5W1kSAHSJmvFLlz1FU0ytwEclDv VjOWWaJEtlUMjNUVE5JTlpGSU8wQTNLWThKWjVGNFNHTSQlQCN0PWcu

Use the link provided to upload photographs and other assets

Your PI will then be approved.

Please contact [email protected] for further information

The Programme

The World Service English schedule runs to a fixed time clock. This means that all programme slots at the same point in any hour have the same duration, although there can be some variation in this at the weekend and for special commissions.

The World Service Clock

This is the standard World Service clock (shown above) with fixed times in each hour when programmes start and end, and also showing when trails and billboards are inserted.

The standard hour starts with a 1 minute billboard which will trail what is going to follow on the network in 5 minutes time – after the news. The news starts at 1 minute past and runs to 6 minutes past, but a “post” is inserted at 4 minutes past the hour that allows partner stations to leave the bulletin if they only wish to take 3 minutes of it. A post is just a short (2 second) pause that allows partner stations to leave in a way that sounds natural – it is often preceded by a station ident.

The post at 6 minutes past marks the end of the news bulletin and the start of the next programme. This programme then runs until 29 minutes past the hour when there is another post. There is then a one minute trail slot which ends on another post at 30 minutes past.

At 30 minutes past the hour there is a 30 second slot for another billboard which will trail whatever is being broadcast in the back half of the hour. This ends with a post at 30 minutes and 30 seconds past the hour.

A 2 minute news summary follows which ends on a post at 32 minutes and 30 seconds, after which the programme material in the back half of the hour is broadcast. This slot continues until 59 minutes past the hour when there is another post. The remaining minute of the hour is filled with trails and a prelude/station ident.

This is the basic clock. At weekends when we are aiming for a more relaxed listen, some programmes have all the posts at the bottom of the hour removed and the trail slot, the billboard and the news summary are not broadcast. This allows a single programme item to run from 6 minutes past the hour to 50 or 59 minutes past the hour. This is often described as an “un-clocked hour” or “unclocked 50 minutes”

The phrase “un-clocked” refers to the absence of the posts at the bottom of the hour. The posts at the top of the hour are almost never removed.

To cope with this range of different programme lengths and whether or not there are posts at the bottom of the hour we have the following programme slot descriptions:

Programmes of less than 30 minutes duration

These programmes can have similar overall durations (if the billboard is included in the duration) so they are differentiated by the duration of the main body of the programme. They appear in either the front half or the back half of the hour.

23 minute (front half)

• 1 minute billboard at the top of the hour. • 23 minute main programme.

Please see clock diagram in the appendix.

The exact audio durations for the slots outlined above are 1 second shorter than the length of the available slot. So the audio durations are:

Top Billboard 59”

Programme 22’59”

26 ’30” (back half )

• 30 second billboard at 30 minutes the hour. • 26 minute and 30 second main programme.

Please see clock diagram in the appendix.

The exact audio durations for the slots outlined above are 1 second shorter than the length of the available slot. So the audio durations are:

Top Billboard 29”

Programme 26’29”

9’ 00” Pro grammes

These programmes can appear in the front half of the hour or the back half, either between the 20 minute post and the 29 minute post or between the 50 minute post and the 59 minute post. They do not normally require a billboard.

Again the exact audio duration is 1 second shorter than the length of the available slot. So the audio duration is:

Programme 8’59”

Managing the Clock

Self-Contained Programmes

World Service programmes should always be self-contained e.g. the presenter introduces the programme themselves and closes the programme – there is no “continuity” as is common on other networks. This is to make sure all World Service programmes are lively and fresh and there is an immediate and direct relationship between the presenter and the audience – the presenter is not a guest in someone else’s room….

This can appear daunting if you are used to having a continuity announcer to set up your programme for you, but it can be liberating. Both as producer and presenter you are much freer to establish the tone, pace and style of your programme at the very beginning of the programme, and it helps to bring the audience immediately to mind as the people you are talking to. There are no rules about how this should be done, but there are some guidelines that will help structure both the programme billboard(s) and the start and end of programmes and programme parts.

The first billboard...

This is the billboard that starts the programme. In front-of-hour programmes and programmes longer than half an hour this will be at the top of the hour and will be a minute long. For back half programmes this will be 30”. In either case these are the two most valuable times on the network and the presenter needs to tell the audience who they are, what station they’re listening to and why they should stay listening for what follows the news. The billboard should be lively and conversational in style but not rushed – don’t try and cram everything in.

Keeping the audience engaged in your programme through a 5 minute bulletin can feel like a big challenge. But you do have a whole minute to hook the audience. In that minute you need to share your passion with the audience and engage them with something from the programme that will make them curious, happy, puzzled etc. and impatient to hear more. As well as saying who you are and what the station is, there should be at least one clip from the programme, if possible the best excerpt from the programme, to drive their curiosity and give them a clear idea of what the programme is about. The minute can end with reiterating who you are, and that you’ll be back in 5 minutes, or after the news.

The same also applies to the shorter, bottom of the hour billboard. You need to say who you are, what the station is and what the programme that follows is about, and engage the audience’s curiosity or emotions. It is obviously harder to get a clip into such a short duration, but if you do have a short “money shot” clip that needs little setting up, then use it, but a narrator-only billboard can also be very strong.

The Programme Opening

You cannot assume the listener has heard the billboard - so the programme needs to start as if the listener has only just started listening or only heard the news. Like the billboard, the start of the programme needs to be engaging, conversational and relaxed. You don’t have to start with “Hello, I’m Jean Presenter and you’re listening to the BBC World Service…”. Why not “Is the world round? I'm Jean Presenter and for the BBC World Service, I'll be investigating….." ?

You need then to explain what the programme is about, why this matters, and how you’re going to show them this matters. In other words there’s no reason not to talk about the programme itself and what it is doing, while also telling the stories within the programme. This should include reminders of who the presenter is and the station. You can do this signposting as often as feels comfortable within the programme and we still don’t do enough of it. Half the audience to WS English comes from partners, and we are losing attribution, and hence credit from the audience, for what we do. There should be at least one station ident within the body of the programme.

The End of the Programme

At the end of programme the presenter will close the programme. If it is a requirement to credit the producer and, in the case of an independent production, the production company as well – this should be done in an informal and conversational manner in keeping with the style of the programme. There is no obligation for in-house productions to credit producers and editors and it is not the WS style to do so. If it's a series, trail ahead to the next part. Do this in a way that fits into the flow of the preceding programme.

Podcasts

No-one else in podcasting has a remit anything like that of the BBC World Service. What we are aiming to do is unique. Our mission statement is about “reaching new and underserved audiences around the world”. We are a key player in the podcast market.

We’ve created a podcast for 18 to 24-year-olds new to speech audio in India - Kalki Presents: My Indian Life - and two shows designed to reach audiences in podcast markets in Africa – The Comb and Africa Daily. We have held the BBC’s first international podcast competition open to entrants in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa and the winning podcast will soon go into production. We have major international hits, with The Lazarus Heist and award-winning shows like 13 Minutes to the Moon and our collaboration with NRK, Death in Ice Valley. We aim to have at least one hard- hitting investigation per year, including shows such as The Bomb and The Hurricane Tapes. The Global News Podcast is the BBC’s most successful podcast, with 220 million downloads in 2020. We are reaching many age groups with our family podcast, 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter.

We are looking for ideas which will stand out in what is one of the most crowded media markets. The commission(s) from the podcast brief will be funded, at least in part, by the World 2020 project – which is aimed at reaching new audiences, who may be lacking access to impartial news and information in their own countries. The goal in particular is to reach young people and young women especially, by addressing topics that matter to them, with innovative storytelling and investment in digital platforms.

The successful commission(s) will be ones that have clearly set out how the content and tone is aimed at reaching new audiences, including in countries with less established podcast markets and have considered a strategy for doing so.

Podcasts tend to be listened to on headphones, so the listening experience is usually more intimate and personal than the sometimes more communal experience of listening via speakers on the radio. That is often reflected in the tone and style of a podcast. The presenter’s own interest and commitment to the story/subject is often evident and plays an important part of the storytelling (although not always). Our podcasts are sometimes very good at involving the listeners and making them feel part of a podcast community/club.

We are looking for podcasts which create their own unique “podcasty” feel. There are many different models for a successful podcast – part of the attraction of podcasting is the huge variety of topics, styles, methods of storytelling etc. If you have a particularly niche interest, there is likely to be a podcast about it.

Proposals which are based on other successful podcasts are unlikely to be successful – we are looking for a podcast like no other. Our original podcasts (podcast first commissions) might not be broadcast on the radio in any form – they need to be conceived, designed and aimed specifically to be podcasts and not radio programmes.

We could have the best podcast ever made but if nobody knows about it, no one will hear it. Descriptions, publicity and marketing are vital. In some cases, we will ask for extra audio or presenter links to help trail our podcasts. Getting the episode descriptions and titles right is a priority.

For our radio programmes, there may also be changes in the way the programme needs to be constructed for podcast listening. Requirements will be clearly indicated in the TX confirmation email. We may also ask for internal branding to be changed or removed to fit with podcast requirements. Again, this will be clearly indicated.

It can be delivered in the same way as the TX version, with a separate file name indicating that it is the podcast version.

There are a number of rights restrictions applying to podcasts particularly around the use of commercial music. You can find the guidelines below. Be aware that if any music in programmes is not cleared for use in podcasts it will have to be edited out.

Guide to using music and other extracts in Podcasts

Music in BBC Podcasts

Broadcast Programmes to Podcast • Radio programmes do not need to be broadcast before a podcast is uploaded, but they should be scheduled for broadcast (or have been broadcast in the past) • Additional non-broadcast material can be added to podcasts, but no new commercial recordings can be included that were not part of the original radio programme. • Maximum duration 30 seconds “clean” of pop music recordings (60 seconds for classical or jazz recordings) can be used from each commercial recording in one podcast episode - music in broadcast programmes may need to be edited down. • “Clean” means without voiceover or sound. Therefore durations can be longer than 30/60 seconds where there is voiceover. • There is no duration restriction for MCPS or Non-MCPS Production Library music and specially composed music. • If using specially composed music ensure that no pre-existing copyright works are used • Podcasts should not be about a single artist or band. • Do not include any music by the following restricted artists: Michael Jackson, The Beatles, John Lennon, Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler The Doors, Neil Young and Journey

Direct to Podcast (Non-broadcast content) • NO commercial music in any non-broadcast podcast content. • Only use specially composed music or MCPS and Non–MCPS Production music library music • If using specially composed music ensure that no pre-existing copyright works are used

Any further assistance please contact the Music Copyright team at Music Licensing Queries ([email protected]) or Daniel Neale [email protected].

Use of specially composed and library music:

All podcasts can feature specially composed and library music (e.g. beds, jingles and stings), with no restriction on duration – see above.

Use of extracts of books, films and plays:

If you were cleared under Fair Dealing to include such a clip in the original broadcast for the purpose of criticism and review, and it was also cleared to make this available via BBC iPlayer, then you can include it in the podcast.

As for a broadcast, these clips must:

Be kept as short as possible - just enough to make the point. Be properly acknowledged - give the title of the work and the “author” (production company or studio for a film clip and, ideally, the director). Have previously been made available to the public.

bbcworldservice.com

Programme pages on the website are set up automatically. If you are an in-house producer you will be able to update your programme pages yourself. If you are an independent producer the programme information you have sent to us will be used by the World Service online team to make your programme page.

Rights

All rights for music, presenters or copyright material need to be cleared for your programme before it can be broadcast. If you are an independent producer this is part of the contract you make with the BBC when you agree to produce the programme. What rights need to be cleared are explained in the contract.

If you are an in-house producer you must ensure that all underlying rights are cleared before broadcast. You can take advice on this from your own Talent Rights advisors.

Editorial Guidelines

If you are an independent producer and need to consult the BBC’s editorial guidelines they can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/ It is essential that all material contained within a programme adheres to these guidelines and advice should be sought at the earliest stage possible.

Confirmation of Commission

This will be emailed to you by the Commissioning team when your programme has been commissioned and has been given a preliminary slot in our schedules.

Contains working title, slot, programme duration, proposed TX dates and contact details. These details are subject to change.

TX Confirmation

This will be emailed to you five weeks in advance of TX, when the programme is scheduled. This will confirm transmission placings, programme title, duration, details of opening and closing announcements and whether or not a billboard is required. The email will also come with all necessary documents (e.g. Ofcom Compliance Form, if necessary, Presentation Details) and will include details of how to complete and where to then send the documents. TX amendment

This will be sent to you if a change has been made to the scheduling, transmission or delivery arrangements for a programme after the TX Confirmation has been sent.

How and where should I deliver my programme? Programmes should be delivered to the WSE Channel Management team as audio files* via VCS Highlander\VCS Dira Transfers. If you are working outside of the BBC network you can use a BBC provided MediaShuttle account which must be set up in advance. Precise details should be discussed and agreed with Channel Management at least one week before the delivery deadline, which will be given on your TX Confirmation email. You can contact the team on (020 361) 40342 or email [email protected].

(*Audio files should be either “.wav” or “.flac”, and should be 2-channel stereo, 48kHz, 16bit)

What is the delivery deadline?

Deadlines vary and can be found on your programme's Transmission Confirmation email sent five weeks before transmission. Programmes that are commissioned less than 5 weeks before transmission should agree a delivery date with their commissioner when they are commissioned.

Listening copies should be delivered 2 weeks before transmission date.

TX versions of documentaries and dramas should be delivered five days before broadcast. Those programmes with content relevant to a specific day should arrive before 12:00 on the day of TX for. For programmes containing material relevant to a specific week the deadline is 16:00 on the day before TX. These may vary for independent productions.

Presentation Details

If your programme is self-contained, we do not require presentation details. If it is not self- contained and you require us to voice additional continuity announcements or a billboard, please fill in a Pres Details template

(which you can download from here) http://jportal.bbc.co.uk/compliance/globalnews/Templates/) and send it to: [email protected].

OFCOM Compliance Form All recorded programmes must have a compliance form. They cannot be broadcast without one. For internal BBC users, this should be submitted using the Jportal Global News Compliance site here: http://jportal.bbc.co.uk/compliance/globalnews/Pages/default.aspx

If you need any help using this system or are not able to access it, please contact WS English 34

Channel Management on x02 40342 (020 361 40342)

If you’re an independent production company, you will be sent a blank compliance form template (attached to your TX Confirmation email). Please fill this in and send it to [email protected].

When and where is the programme going out?

Your programme will be broadcast on various WS channels, often appearing three or four times on each during the course of its run. Details of these exact times and channels are available on request but we will send you details of the first and last placings on the Tx confirmation.

Contact Numbers

Murray Holgate, Network Manager 020 361 40340 Vanessa Morris & Karen Howe, Commissioning Coordinators 020 361 40333 Channel Management 020 361 40342 Paul Blythe, Presentation Manager 020 361 40339