Your questions on the future of the BBC World Service
| 10:40 UK time, Friday, 22 October 2010
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Earlier this week, the British government announced its spending review. This will affect the way the BBC World Service is funded. The cost of the World Service will come from the BBC licence fee, and no longer from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Many of you have already been in touch asking how you can help and sharing your concerns, like Jodie in Virginia who emailed,
'Exactly how much is the fee and where and how do I send my license fee payment? I would prefer to pay with my American Express card, but can send a cheque if that is preferable.'So as promised we've invited Craig Oliver, Controller of English, BBC Global News onto World Have Your Say today to take your questions on how the new way of funding will impact what you hear on the radio.
Alankelly2010 in Ireland tweets: 'Is the BBC World Service not old fashioned? Surely time to let go?'
Pathaan responds: 'The truth is the world is not so free that it does not need as much access as it can get to free information.'
Mike Finnirty in Canada tweets: 'digesting the news that BBC World Service must now be paid out of license fee ... so who's the boss, FCO or BBC?'
But Rufi's predicts, 'bbcworldservice freed from FCO should mean more impartiality not less. Expect more coherent user proposition but ads on web by 2012.'
Peter in Geneva emailed the BBC and agrees that advertising may need to be introduced,
'The existing UK system isn't broken, so needn't be 'fixed'. Nevertheless, most continental public broadcasters carry a certain amount of advertising, and the BBC/UK government could profitably study how it's done in different countries.'
Ocho in jamaica posts on our Facebook page, 'where do you see the radio in the next five years?'
And Gerard in Indonesia posts, 'Will the result of the review affect the BBC World Service's balance between impartiality & having its own opinion in its reporting & news?'
Finally, here in the UK many of you have been getting in touch to ask the same question - why should the UK licence payer have to pay for the BBC World Service? Craig will try and answer that too.
Craig won't be able to answer questions on specifics such as which programmes or language services will be cut, but he will do his best to explain how the cuts will impact what you hear on the BBC World Service radio in the future.
