BBC CONSIDERING WORLD TV SERVICE
The British Broadcasting Corp. said Wednesday it is considering setting up a world television service along the lines of its overseas radio service.
A BBC spokesman said a five-man working party has been formed to examine the feasibility of beginning a news and current affairs service to be called External Broadcasting and Vision.
The BBC is likely to ask the British government to fund the project, he said. The government currently provides an annual grant for overseas services of about $128 million.
The spokesman said that British Members of Parliament and foreign diplomats had expressed great interest in the idea, first brought up by former BBC External Services Managing Director Douglas Muggeridge in 1984.
The BBC overseas radio service has about 120 million regular listeners and is broadcast to 150 countries in 37 languages. The working party’s report is expected in January.
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