The Revolutionary Potential of Radio Broadcasting

Anatol Goldberg was head of BBC's Russian service during the Cold War. He used his dual nationality to present an authentic account of a refugee's journey towards capitalist enlightenment and invited the listener on a similar journey. The government announced a one-off £20 million payment to the world service in last week's updated integrated review. Yet last year, foreign language broadcasting was facing a £28 million cut after the license fee freeze. Is the world service superfluous or a vital adjunct of British diplomacy? It makes an intriguing case for its indispensable.