Editing BBC World Service (section)

==Operation==
[[File:Broadcasting House and East Wing.jpg|thumb|upright|The BBC World Service is located in [[Broadcasting House]], London.]]
The Service broadcasts from [[Broadcasting House]] in London, which is also headquarters of the corporation. It is located in the newer parts of the building, which contains radio and television studios for use by the overseas language services. The building also contains an integrated newsroom used by the international World Service, the international television channel [[BBC World News]], the domestic television and radio [[BBC News]] bulletins, the [[BBC News (British TV channel)|BBC News Channel]] and [[BBC Online]].

At its launch, the Service was located along with most radio output in Broadcasting House. However, following the explosion of a [[parachute mine]] nearby on 8 December 1940, it relocated to premises away from the likely target of Broadcasting House.<ref name="West end at war">{{cite web|last=Thomas|first=Ronan|title=BBC Broadcasting House|url=http://www.westendatwar.org.uk/page_id__114_path__0p2p.aspx|publisher=West End at War.org.uk|access-date=18 July 2012|archive-date=6 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606002121/http://www.westendatwar.org.uk/page_id__114_path__0p2p.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> The Overseas service relocated to [[Oxford Street]] while the European service moved temporarily to the emergency broadcasting facilities at [[Maida Vale Studios]].<ref name="West end at war"/> The European services moved permanently into [[Bush House]] towards the end of 1940, completing the move in 1941, with the Overseas services joining them in 1958.<ref name="Bush House WS">{{cite news|title=Why is the HQ called Bush House?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/institutional/2009/03/000000_bushhouse_name.shtml|work=Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=BBC World Service|access-date=18 July 2012|archive-date=3 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303171309/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/institutional/2009/03/000000_bushhouse_name.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Bush House subsequently became the home of the BBC World Service and the building itself has gained a global reputation with the audience of the service.<ref name="Bush House WS"/><ref name="BBC Story Bush House">{{cite web|title=BBC Buildings – Bush House|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/collections/buildings/bush_house.shtml|work=The BBC Story|publisher=BBC|access-date=18 July 2012|archive-date=29 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629173014/http://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/collections/buildings/bush_house.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the building was vacated in 2012 as a result of the Broadcasting House redevelopment<ref name="Bush House WS"/> and the end of the building's lease that year;<ref name="Bush house move end BBC News">{{cite news|title=BBC World Service leaves Bush House|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18810309|access-date=18 July 2012|work=BBC News|date=12 July 2012|archive-date=2 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102201334/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18810309|url-status=live}}</ref> the first service to move was the Burmese Service on 11 March 2012<ref>{{cite web|title=New Broadcasting House comes alive|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/broadcastinghouse/news_events.shtml|work=News and Events|publisher=BBC|access-date=18 July 2012|archive-date=19 April 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130419172122/http://www.bbc.co.uk/broadcastinghouse/news_events.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> and the final broadcast from Bush House was a news bulletin broadcast at 11.00[[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] on 12 July 2012.<ref name="Bush house move end BBC News"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Bush House: BBC World Service moves home|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18801251|access-date=18 July 2012|work=BBC News|date=12 July 2012|archive-date=16 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716072452/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18801251|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Higham|first=Nick|title=BBC World Service leaves Bush House|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18807778|access-date=18 July 2012|work=BBC News|date=12 July 2012|archive-date=18 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718064307/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18807778|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Sabbagh|first=Dan|title=Bush House ceases BBC broadcasts after 71 years|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jul/12/bush-house-ceases-bbc-broadcasts|access-date=18 July 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=12 July 2012|archive-date=20 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920163204/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jul/12/bush-house-ceases-bbc-broadcasts|url-status=live}}</ref>

The BBC World Service encompasses an English 24-hour global radio network and separate services in 27 other languages. News and information is available in these languages on the BBC website, with many having [[RSS]] feeds and specific versions for use on mobile devices, and some also offer email notification of stories. In addition to the English service, 18 of the language services broadcast a radio service using the [[Shortwave radio|short wave]], [[AM broadcasting|AM]] or [[FM broadcasting|FM]] bands. These are also available to listen live or can be listened to later (usually for seven days) over the Internet and, in the case of seven language services, can be downloaded as [[podcast]]s. News is also available from the BBC News 'app', which is available from both [[iTunes]] and the [[Google Play|Google Play Store]]. In recent years,{{when|date=March 2023}} video content has also been used by the World Service: 16 language services show video reports on the website, and the Arabic and Persian services have their own television channels. TV is also used to broadcast the radio service, with local cable and satellite operators providing the English network (and occasionally some local language services) free to air. The English service is also available on [[digital radio]] in the UK and Europe.<ref name="in-languages">{{cite web|title=BBC News in Languages|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/languages/index.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=18 July 2012|archive-date=18 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718065057/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/languages/index.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=How and When to Listen|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmeguide/|publisher=BBC World Service|access-date=18 July 2012|archive-date=18 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718091721/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmeguide/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Traditionally, the Service relied on shortwave broadcasts, because of their ability to overcome barriers of censorship, distance, and spectrum scarcity. The BBC has maintained a worldwide network of [[shortwave relay station]]s since the 1940s, mainly in former British colonies. These cross-border broadcasts have also been used in special circumstances for emergency messages to [[British subject]]s abroad, such as the advice to evacuate [[Jordan]] during the [[Black September]] incidents of September 1970. These facilities were privatised in 1997 as Merlin Communications, and later acquired and operated as part of a wider network for multiple broadcasters by [[VT Communications]] (now part of [[Babcock International Group]]). It is also common for BBC programmes to air on [[Voice of America]] or [[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]] transmitters, while their programming is relayed by a station located inside the UK. However, since the 1980s, [[Broadcast satellite|satellite distribution]] has made it possible for local stations to relay BBC programmes.{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}

BBC World Service is not regulated by [[Ofcom]] as the BBC generally is. Instead, the BBC is responsible for editorial independence and setting strategic direction. It defines the remit, scope, annual budget and main commitments of the World Service, and agrees "objectives, targets and priorities" with the British [[Foreign Secretary (United Kingdom)|Foreign Secretary]] in a document named the BBC World Service Licence. The Chair of the [[BBC Board]] and the Foreign Secretary (or representatives) meet at least annually to review performance against these objectives, priorities and targets.<ref name=bbc-regulation>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/governance/regulation |title=Regulation |publisher=BBC |access-date=18 January 2023}}</ref><ref name=bbc-2018>{{cite web |url=http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/managementstructure/structureandgovernance/world_service_licence.pdf |title=BBC World Service Licence |publisher=BBC |year=2018 |access-date=18 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815040009/http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/managementstructure/structureandgovernance/world_service_licence.pdf |archive-date=15 August 2022}}</ref>