The BBC on Sunday made the first broadcast from its new London news centre, one of the world's largest journalistic hubs, with a transmission by the Burmese section of the World Service. The World Service, which has 225 million global listeners, marked its 80th anniversary last month and is moving into New Broadcasting House in central London to be with the rest of the BBC's news operation.
The first transmission from the new building featured a live phone-in with listeners from Myanmar, which was formerly known as Burma, and an interview with Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
"This is a real milestone for the Burmese service, and the whole World Service, and the whole of the BBC," BBC Director General Mark Thompson told staff as he congratulated them after the broadcast.
Tin Htar Swe, the head of the BBC Burmese service, said it was a "poignant" day.
She said that Suu Kyi, who herself regularly tuned into the World Service during her years in detention under military rule, had said she was still a "loyal listener".
The World Service is moving out of Bush House - its central London home for 70 years - as its lease has expired. The opening of the new building comes as the BBC and the World Service face severe funding cuts as the British government tries to tackle a record deficit.
Comments
Comments are closed.