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Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
Sir John Whitehead KCMG CVO
British Embassy
TOKYO
Telephone 01-
Your reference
Our reference
Date
нко 30644
HUD 22
R
Fle
away.
Pls
18/8
SPLAAH
17 August 1989
Mr Skinc
18
8
Dear
Ambarsader,
BBC WORLD SERVICE: REVIEW OF THE FAR EASTERN SERVICE
1.
In Richard Muir's absence on leave, I am writing to you and other Posts involved in our Review of the Far Eastern Service (Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese services) to let you know the outcome of our meeting with the BBC on 2 August. The assessments which you and other Posts provided were a very important element in the discussion. We were fortunate also to have with us representatives of FED, SEAD, HKD, Planners and Research Department. We are grateful to them, and to Posts, for the thought and effort put into their contributions.
Effectiveness/Contribution to FCO Objectives
2.
The Review showed that the Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian and Vietnamese Services (all medium FCO broadcasting priorities, except Mandarin which is high) continue to make a useful and effective contribution to the achievement of FCO objectives, reaching audiences beyond the scope of normal diplomatic activity.
3. We put down a clear marker that the contribution of the Japanese and Malay Services (low FCO broadcasting priorities), which have small and declining direct audiences, is only marginal and, that, on present evidence, the expenditure on them was difficult to justify. Your judgement that the impact of the Japanese Service was minimal corresponded with the BBC's own major worries that radio listening in general in Japan is in a crisis and listening on SW to foreign broadcasting rare. They also conceded that retaining the service for the existing 0.1% regular audience was not justified. The BBC told us they were carrying out a radical review of the Japanese programme schedule and the means of delivering the service to the audience.
They
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