ITV

Tag: Alan Booth

  • BBC World Service gets interactive in Bihar

    BBC World Service gets interactive in Bihar

    MUMBAI: The BBC World Service is revisiting India’s heartland,Bihar, to talk to its listeners and encourage even more people to participate in its programmes.

    The BBC Hindi service’s interactive campaign My world, my voice is visiting 60 locations across the state of Bihar, from Sugauli to Kishanganj, asking people what they think about the BBC Hindi output and inviting them to engage with its programmes.It aims to reach thousands of residents, as it covers hundreds of kilometres in Bihar, visiting two locations across the state each day.

    Local residents will be encouraged to test their knowledge of both current affairs and BBC Hindi programmes, presenters and guest speakers – and win prizes. My world, my voice has been timed to coincide with General Election’s to India’s Legislative Assemblies to highlight the relevance of the BBC Hindi output to those in Bihar who are interested in the global perspective of the daily news.Quizzes conducted from the BBC stand will generate more interest in the BBC Hindi output, especially its flagship morning and evening news and current affairs programmes, Aaj Ke Din and Aajkal.

    BBC Hindi head ,Achala Sharma, sees the campaign as a way to connect with the BBC’s core audiences in India. She says, “Listening to audiences is central to BBC Hindi programming, and to reach out for our most remote audiences and to engage with them face to face, we have had several road-shows in India over the past two years. We have covered thousands of kilometres, talking directly to thousands of listeners, discussing issues important to them, encouraging their direct participation and, most of all, listening to them.”

    “My world, my voice is in the same spirit as it will tour Bihar to remind our audience – those in small towns and village haats – about our vibrant programmes, and to engage them in dialogue about the programmes which are for them and about them.”adds,Sharma.

    For the first time, the BBC has teamed up with India’s Post Office whose branches across Bihar will sell special My world, my voice meghdoots – postcards.Feedback forms addressed to the BBC will be distributed at the events, inviting residents of Bihar to share their views of the BBC Hindi programmes. Alongside main, interactive activity, the My world, my voice campaign incorporates an outdoor communications element, with hoardings and wall-paintings featuring people and images from rural India.

    BBC World Service Marketing Communications & Audiences controller, Alan Booth, says, “The Bihar campaign will show the BBC Hindi service as contemporary, relevant and inspiring. Our previous campaigns in northern India have demonstrated the effectiveness of this form of interaction as they helped increase our Hindi listenership by 4.3 million. We want to keep the momentum of this success and continue to encourage active listening among potential audiences in India’s ‘Hindi belt’.” t was not in the perview of the contract.

  • BBC audience in Bangladesh increases

    BBC audience in Bangladesh increases

    MUMBAI: BBC World Service has stated that its weekly audience in Bangladesh has increased by 2.6 million in the past year. Thirteen million Bangladeshis tuned in to BBC Bengali. These were some of the findings of a weekly report undertaken by an independent agency for BBC World Service.

    The increase is mostly thanks to the rise in rural listeners and represents a strong recovery from the audience drop in 2003 following the Iraq war. The survey reveals that the vast majority of those who have ever listened to the BBC – more than 80 per cent – consider it to be trustworthy.

    BBC World Service acting executive editor Asia and Pacific Region Sabir Mustafa said, “I am delighted that the hard work and expertise of our programme makers has paid off. There is an emphasis on making livelier, more interactive programmes, while maintaining the BBC’s high editorial standards. We dedicated ourselves to winning our listeners back, and it’s great to see this result.”

    BBC World Service controller marketing communications and audiences Alan Booth said, “The Beeb is by far the strongest international media brand in Bangladesh. It is a major market for us. What we have learnt since 2003 is how quickly we can be affected by global events. What is reassuring is how rapidly we have recovered ground and won back our listeners. These results are even more impressive against the backdrop of the general decline in radio audiences across urban areas in Bangladesh, as more people turn to TV.”

    The research was conducted between December 2004 and January 2005 by an independent research agency in Bangladesh. About 2,010 interviews were conducted, using random probability sampling among the general public aged 15+.

  • BBC Hindi stems declining audience flow in India

    BBC Hindi stems declining audience flow in India

    MUMBAI: BBC World Service has stemmed its declining radio audience in India, according to an independent audience survey. The survey was commissioned by BBC World Service and was conducted by AC Nielsen between December 2004 and January 2005.     

    BBC Hindi has grown by 4.3 million, taking the BBC’s weekly Hindi audience up to 14.5 million. The survey, conducted in Bihar, UP, Uttaranchal, Jharkhand and Rajasthan, revealed that weekly listenership to the BBC confirms the BBC as India’s number one international radio provider.

    The BBC captures 40 per cent of all those listening to the radio in Bihar, and a third of radio listeners in Jharkhand. In the remaining three states, just under one in five of radio listeners turn to the BBC Hindi Service every week. BBC Hindi head Achala Sharma, says that the increase in audience this year is likely to be the result of a combination of factors, “We have developed our programming so it connects directly with our audiences in the Hindi belt. I am also sure that our roadshow marketing initiative in Bihar and UP last year has contributed to this success.”

    According to the survey, which was undertaken almost a year after the BBC Hindi roadshow ended, 16 per cent of weekly listeners said they were aware of the BBC Hindi events. This amounts to over two million people. The Hindi roadshow visited over 40 locations in UP and Bihar, giving local people direct contact with the BBC.

    BBC World Service controller marketing communications and audiences, Alan Booth said, “India is a key market for the BBC. The rapid growth of TV viewing across India over the last 10 years, combined with India’s broadcasting legislation which prevents news and current affairs on FM radio stations, has changed the media landscape.