- published: 25 Sep 2013
- views: 7834
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays. It is politically independent (by mandate of the Agreement providing details of the topics outlined in the BBC Charter),non-profit, and commercial-free.
The English language service broadcasts 24 hours a day. In June 2009 the BBC reported that the World Service's average weekly audience reached 188 million people. The World Service is funded by grant-in-aid through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by the British Government. From 2014, it will be funded by the compulsory BBC licence fee levied on every household in the United Kingdom using a television to watch broadcast programmes.
BBC World Service is a patron of The Radio Academy. The Director of the World Service is Peter Horrocks.
The BBC World Service began as the BBC Empire Service in 1932 as a shortwave service, and celebrated its 80th anniversary on 29 February 2012. Its broadcasts were aimed principally at English speakers in the outposts of the British Empire, or as George V put it in the first-ever Royal Christmas Message, the "men and women, so cut off by the snow, the desert, or the sea, that only voices out of the air can reach them."
BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world. Launched on 11 March 1991 as the BBC World Service Television outside of Europe, with its name changed to BBC World in 1995 and to BBC World News in 2008, it broadcasts for 24-hours with television programming including BBC News bulletins, documentaries, lifestyle programmes and interviews. Its main global competitor is CNN International, though it also competes with other major news broadcasting companies. It employs more correspondents, reporters, and international bureaus than any other news channel.
Unlike the BBC's domestic channels, BBC World News is not funded by a licence fee. Instead, it is funded commercially by advertising.
On 21 April 2008, the channel changed its name from BBC World to BBC World News as part of a £550,000 rebranding of the BBC's news output, including a new visual identity. The channel later moved into the renovated former studio of the BBC News channel.
The Dogs were a 1990s hip hop group consisting of Disco Rick, Keith Bell, Labrant Dennis and Fergus "Cracked Up" Smith, best known for "Crack Rock," their hit single with the chant "Yo' Mama's on Crack Rock!" The group released three studio albums The Dogs in 1990, Beware of The Dogs in 1991 and K-9 Bass in 1992.
Labrant Dennis was arrested in May 1996 for the double murder of Marlin Barnes, a University of Miami football player, and Timwaneka Lumpkin, his exgirlfriend.