BBC should open new service in Ethiopia or North Korea because of deficit in free and impartial news: BBC Official

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Note: BBC executive board member used Ethiopia and North Korea on the same line in a recommendation to BBC to open new language services in countries with “deficit in free and impartial news.”

Stringer: BBC News must embrace digital and partnerships
By Alexandra Chapman, broadcastnow.co.uk

The BBC must push into digital content and partnerships and shift its current mind-set if it is to grow its news audience according to a report from Sir Howard Stringer.
The Towards 500 Million report was commissioned in response to an announcement from director general Tony Hall in 2013 that BBC News should reach a global audience of 500m by 2022.

Stringer, who joined the BBC executive board in 2013 as one of a group of non-executive directors, called for BBC News content to be made “first for mobile” and appeal to audiences on social media platforms. He also backed more audience outreach and an increased investment in video content.

“Moving to digital first, while still maintaining radio and television provision, is not straightforward,” Stringer said, adding that to achieve this aim the BBC will “need to become more open in outlook, particularly when it comes to partnerships.”

Stringer recommended that the BBC also considered striking partnerships with organisations including rival broadcasters, to assist with its newsgathering.

This would require a “shift in mind-set” for the corporation, according to Stringer, who added that it must “become more confident in sharing its content and platforms where appropriate and in engaging in partnerships where it will not have full editorial control.”

Stringer emphasised that the BBC should also become more “commercially-oriented” and explore generating revenue from advertising and sponsorship deals.

The BBC should also consider opening at least one new language service for an audience which is facing a severe deficit in free and impartial news and pointed to potential opportunities in Ethiopia or North Korea, “if a realistic route to the market can be found,” according to the report.

“The biggest challenge the BBC faces is whether it has the capacity to evolve from being an analogue behemoth into a corporation agile enough to respond with speed and dexterity to the demands of the digital world,” Stringer said.

“It has started moving in the right direction but it needs to move farther and faster if it is to enjoy the global reach the director-general has called for,” he concluded.

BBC response

In response to Stringer, acting director of BBC World Service Group Liliane Landor called the report “stimulating and ambitious”, adding that it asks “refreshing, sometimes provocative, questions of the BBC.”

Landor confirmed that the report was not regarded by the BBC as a blueprint, with the ideas there “to pick and choose from.”

“They will all help open up the debate about how best we can serve our audiences,” while the broadcaster builds its global news services for the future.

Landlor explained that some of the ideas listed in the report were on a parallel with those already in circulation at the BBC.

“In some of our markets TV remains a reliable driver of reach and quality and we will continue to invest in TV bulletins and make the most of video for our audiences globally and through partners,” the BBC confirmed.

It added that it would “continue to harness social media as well as focus on digital-first and mobile-first markets, and adapt our journalism accordingly.”