Up in the Air: The Future of BBC World Service and Britain's Soft Power

Intelligence Squared

Arts, News, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.2 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2023

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On 27 January 2023, broadcaster Mahmoud Al-Mossallami hosted BBC Arabic radio’s final transmission after 85 years on air. It's the latest strategy shift for BBC World Service, which launched in 1932 as the BBC Empire Service. Over the years its radio content has transformed in order to meet historical challenges, cater to growing audiences and adapt under financial constraints. But with a listenership of millions across multiple nations, is something larger and more important than just a radio service being lost with the shuttering of BBC Arabic radio? To discuss the history and future of Britain's soft power as a broadcasting powerhouse, former BBC producer and Intelligence Squared's Head of Podcasts, Farah Jassat, is joined by Emma Robertson, historian and co-author of BBC World Service: Overseas Broadcasting, 1932–2018, and Hosam El Sokkari, former Head of BBC Arabic. Plus, BBC World Service anchor Mahmoud Al-Mossallami himself reflects on his long career and that final broadcast. ... Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s hottest topics. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch back on-demand totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, it's Kamala Ahmed here, and I'm here to tell you about energised, the brand
0:08.6	new podcast Intelligent Squared is launching in partnership with E. Bedrola.
0:14.3	The climate crisis is the most pressing issue of our time.
0:18.7	Temperatures are set to rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in
0:24.4	the next two decades, and increase that will cause irreversible damage to our planet.
0:29.5	But is there still hope?
0:33.1	If humans are to blame for climate change, then we must also provide the solutions.
0:38.3	And that's where energised comes in.
0:41.0	Join me as I bring together experts and policymakers to delve deep into the key issues at the heart
0:46.6	of the global drive towards net zero and the innovations that promise to accelerate the
0:51.4	energy transition and transform the way we live.
0:55.2	As such, energised wherever you get your podcasts.
1:15.4	Hello and welcome.
1:16.4	I'm Farah Jussat, Head of Podcasts at Intelligent Squared.
1:19.6	That was the voice of Mahmoud Al-Masallmi, speaking on BBC Arabic Radio's final broadcast
1:24.3	after 85 years on air.
1:26.1	Today we're going to take a look at the World Services role in global history, how millions
1:29.9	of people around the world today still depend on it for reliable information and ask if
1:34.6	fundamental changes in its funding could disrupt this.
1:39.0	The BBC World Service launched in 1932, and originally an arm of the British Empire has
1:44.4	continuously needed to adapt in order to survive historical changes.
1:48.1	As of September 2022, it operated in 41 languages with a weekly audience of some 364 million
	...

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