The BBC Caribbean Service is making its final broadcasts, ending seven decades of programming for the region.
The service is being shut as part of budget cuts announced by the BBC World Service in January.
BBC managers say they have had to make tough choices because of a 16% cut in UK government funding.
But one critic called it a short-sighted decision, showing the BBC did not understand the complexities of the region.
The Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian and Portuguese for Africa services have also been closed in a bid to to save $75m (£46m) a year.
Seven other language services have moved away from radio to focus on online, mobile and television content.
These include Spanish for Latin America which last month ended its remaining radio broadcasts, on short-wave and intended mainly for Cuba.
This week, members of the Caribbean Service team have each presented a final programme, including material from the BBC archives.
Copies of the sound and text content of the service's radio and online output are being donated to the University of the West Indies, which will have a team working at the BBC's Bush House base to catalogue the material.
The service is being shut as part of budget cuts announced by the BBC World Service in January.
BBC managers say they have had to make tough choices because of a 16% cut in UK government funding.
But one critic called it a short-sighted decision, showing the BBC did not understand the complexities of the region.
The Macedonian, Albanian, Serbian and Portuguese for Africa services have also been closed in a bid to to save $75m (£46m) a year.
Seven other language services have moved away from radio to focus on online, mobile and television content.
These include Spanish for Latin America which last month ended its remaining radio broadcasts, on short-wave and intended mainly for Cuba.
This week, members of the Caribbean Service team have each presented a final programme, including material from the BBC archives.
Copies of the sound and text content of the service's radio and online output are being donated to the University of the West Indies, which will have a team working at the BBC's Bush House base to catalogue the material.
(Source : BBC news)
No comments:
Post a Comment