http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-bbc9jul09,1,4574000.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews&ctrack=1&cset=trueFrom the Los Angeles Times
BBC pursues U.S. exposure
The British broadcaster urges American viewers hungry for foreign news to demand availability of its World channel.
By Matea Gold
Times Staff Writer
July 9, 2007
NEW YORK — When it comes to reach, few news organizations rival that of the BBC, the venerable British broadcasting service recognized around the world for its no-nonsense newscasts delivered in crisp, clipped tones.
BBC World, the BBC's commercially funded, 24-hour television news channel, now attracts 76 million viewers a week from more than 200 countries, making it one of the biggest international news networks.-Snip-
It remains to be seen whether the network's tactics will succeed in persuading the cable and satellite systems to add yet another channel to their crowded menus. Representatives of Comcast and Charter Communications would say only that they have had preliminary discussions with BBC World. Maureen Huff, a spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable, declined to comment on any negotiations, adding: "We're always interested in hearing from our customers, but these expensive programmer-run campaigns are generally not that effective."
BBC executives said they're under no illusions that getting carriage in the U.S. will easy."Largely because the cable systems are mature, this is a very difficult market to break into it," Sambrook said. "But it's an important one, both editorially and commercially."
In making its case, BBC World is stressing the network's reputation for impartiality.
"BBC's brand is objective news, based on fact," Sambrook said. "It's part of our editorial culture."
The network is hoping that will help it appeal to U.S. viewers discontented with American news outlets. To spotlight the dissatisfaction, BBC World released a national survey of American adults in late June by pollster Frank Luntz that found that 47% rate current coverage of international news as fair or poor. Almost two-thirds of cable subscribers said they would be interested in a 24-hour BBC channel. (Rival networks declined to comment on the poll's findings.)
The survey contradicts the "conventional wisdom in U.S. news organizations that Americans aren't so interested in the world," said Rome Hartman, a former CBS News producer who recently joined the BBC.
"I think that's less and less true," Hartman said. "It is by any measure a niche audience at the moment, but I think it's a growing niche."
Hartman, who until recently served as executive producer of "CBS Evening News With Katie Couric," is developing a one-hour evening newscast aimed at U.S. audiences that will run on both BBC America and BBC World, set to debut this fall. He said he envisions the program as a complement to the American network news programs."I can see people really hungry for news watching both," he said. "I think the American networks on their evening news do a good job. I think we did a great job. But this is going to give you a much more nutritious meal, night in and night out, of world events and trends than the American networks are able to provide."
The veteran producer said he doesn't fault his former employer or the other networks for not providing more foreign coverage.