Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Austin Mitchell (Labour), on Friday, 22 June 2001, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 67 members in total.

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BBC WORLD SERVICE TRANSMISSIONS TO NORTH AMERICA AND AUSTRALASIA

That this House is strongly concerned that well over a million devoted listeners to BBC World Service will be abandoned on 1st July by the BBC's ill considered proposal to drop its short wave service to North America and the Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand; urges the BBC urgently to reconsider its decision and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to persuade it to do so, so as to maintain services to these crucial areas and keep Britain's voice speaking loud and clear to the devoted elite audience reached by short wave transmissions who want and need a news and current affairs service which is of great value not only to them but to Britain's reputation and standing overseas; notes that the service cannot be adequately replaced by the BBC website's very limited capacity; and urges that full consideration be given by the BBC and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the compelling arguments against the decision developed on the website www.savebbc.org, which effectively demolishes the BBC's entire case for the penny pinching folly of abandoning a devoted audience with a real interest in Britain.

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Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

26 

Session

2001-02

Subjects

Broadcasting programmes Australia Radio New Zealand USA BBC World Service

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk