TNAG-1555-FCO40-2119-Broadcasting-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 325

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from 26 March at an annual cost of £7,000. Because of the

poor audibility of the Malay Service and high cross

listening between Malay and Indonesian, the increase had

been concentrated on the Indonesian Service. The cost of

the increase, mainly for transmission, was low because the

BBC were able to use existing material with minimal extra

staff costs. Noting the relative cheapness of the

Indonesian increase compared to the Pashto, Dr Wilson and

Mr Woolley wondered whether there were other opportunities

for making increases to services with only marginal

increases in costs. It was agreed that the BBC would be

asked about this. The weekly Caribbean Magazine tape had

been increased from 15 to 30 minutes from 23 January at an

extra annual cost of some £16,000. All 17 Caribbean

subscribers had accepted the increased cost of about £100 a year for the tape and were reportedly delighted with it. Dr Wilson's suggestion, it was agreed to try to obtain some

audience feed back from the BBC on the increases in Pashto

and Indonesian.

At

3. Mrs Wright said the BBC had been reluctant to accept

cuts in any services to finance these increases, but had eventually proposed a 15 minute reduction in the German.

Service as a result of which the final evening bulletin and

commentary at 1945-2000 local time would be dropped in the autumn 1986 schedule changes, together with a reduction in

the staffing of the French Service. However, we understood

that the BBC expected to have some extra windfall funds in 1986 from savings being made on common services by the

Corporation as a whole, relief from payment of corporation

tax on royalties, a lower than budgetted contribution to the

Pension Fund and savings as result of falling oil prices.

As a result it was possible the BBC would decide not to cut

the German Service and absorb the cost.

4.

As a result of these changes the Prescription had

increased from 729 to 732 hours a week of broadcasting,

without any cuts being made in services.

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