RESTRICTED COVERING CONFIDENTIAL
PA 1
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
MKD 300 11 MS London SWIA 2AH
Ref: PBE 306/50′3/
Sir John Whitehead KCMG CVO TOKYO
Dear John,
1. Matoorman
5 May 1989
none required, Japan Moxo Marssen only. 2. Mr Wood
Cε 9/5. Mr Word
May Elhost
Any actor for us?
N
Mr Fostman 915
W$15
BBC WORLD SERVICE : REVIEW OF THE FAR EASTERN SERVICE
1. We should be grateful for your Mission's assistance in preparing for the review we plan to make on 2 August of the BBC Far Eastern Service (comprising the Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Indonesian, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese vernacular services). This is one of our series of in-depth reviews of component parts of the BBC World Service; the aim is to cover each Service once every three years. (The review of the World Service in English, last carried out in April 1988, my letter of 13 May 1988 refers, is the only other one with which your Post is likely to be concerned.)
2.
The aims of our review will be:
(a)
(b)
(c)
to assess the extent to which the output of the Far Eastern Service contributes towards the work of the Diplomatic Service and the British Council in attaining British objectives in the region;
to provide a basis for assessing in future
Prescription rounds the relative priority of the Far Eastern Service vernaculars (the next round will be at the end of 1989);
to let the BBC have a considered FCO view on the content of the Far Eastern Service's output.
3.
Your Mission's assessment of the effectiveness of the vernacular service broadcast to your area will be one of the main building blocks in our review. I attach the proforma (annex A) which we have developed for all Service reviews to give us an across the board basis for comparison. We hope that it will be possible to base the assessment on views formed by members of your staff listening periodically to the relevant Service over three or four weeks. I should be grateful for the proforma's return not later than 10 July, together with any additional comment you may wish to add.
...../4.
RESTRICTED COVERING CONFIDENTIAL