HRK 30611 ник
RECEIVED IN RESTRY NO. 51
- 2 FEB 1981.
DESK OFFICER
2
Hi Life, HRGED
REGISTRY
ction Take Paul
3
MAX
pl. look of
Awkque Mo twi
INDEX
х
PS/Mr Ridley
Mr. Williamon
cc: Private Secretary
Mr MacInnes Inf Dept Mr McLaren FED Mr Mills
I think the BAC are
a bit.
They
decided as
See (2) H
3
Forsby kings
I underthind it
I drop the iden before they got itk's reply.
NEW DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF BBC's EXTERNAL SERVICES
L
We must brig fr. Ridley. App to me
Sp Mr Mansell on 1 January as Head of the BBC's External Services, by
1. I had lunch today with Mr Muggeridge, who took over from
The following points emerged.
20 Jan pl Тип
2. Mr Muggeridge had just had a session with Mr George Howard, the Chairman of the BBC. Mr Howard said that he had extremely frequent meetings with Mr Whitelaw, but his contacts with other Ministers were less frequent. These included Lord Carrington, and Mr Muggeridge wondered whether it would be a good idea to think in terms of mounting, say, an annual meeting with Lord Carrington at which the whole range of matters of mutual interest (covering the BBC's domestic and external areas) could be discussed informally.
-
•
المية
3.
I said this seemed to me rather a good idea, and I would float it. As Mr Muggeridge knew, Mr Ridley was himself trying to set up arrangements for frequent and informal contact at a high level with the BBC's External Services to discuss political priorities and all sorts of other matters, not merely public expenditure cuts. Mr Muggeridge thought that an annual meeting with the Secretary of State might complement this process.
4.
Mr Muggeridge said that, since he took over, he had been thinking of launching an enquiry of his how into the External Services profit-making potential. He proposed to include the Transcription Services in this, as well as English by Radio, Topical Tapes and the Monitoring Service. He did not know what could be done, but thought it a good idea to look at all these branches of the Service at the same time. I said this sounded a very good idea, and urged him to speak about it at his meeting with Mr Ridley on 27 January. I added that the more the BBC could show itself willing to produce economies off its own bat, the better the impression created in Whitehall would be. There was a tendency now to ask why, when everyone else had to take a cut, the BBC could get off virtually free.
5.
Mr Muggeridge mentioned Hong Kong, and his disappointment that the Hong Kong Government had given such a negative reply to the suggestion that a relay station be established there. I encouraged him to say something about this at the meeting with Mr Ridley on 27 January, and said we would if necessary have the appropriate official present.
•
16.