Special
programming marks 70 years of 大象传媒 World Service
Internationally
renowned musicians, artists and journalists will help celebrate
the 70th anniversary of 大象传媒 World Service next month.
Among
the major special broadcasts in the week of the anniversary are:
a World Service 70th Birthday Lecture delivered by UN Secretary
General, Kofi Annan;
a World Service Global Party - a special live concert taking
place in five countries across four continents;
and a day of special programming on the birthday itself presented
from the site of the World Service's first re-broadcast - the top
of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.
UN
Secretary General, Kofi Annan, delivers a World Service 70th Birthday
Lecture from the United Nations building in New York and answers
questions from listeners around the world on Wednesday 11 December
to begin the fortnight of special programmes.
An
ambitious live concert will span four continents with music from
five different countries.
The
World Service Global Party, on Sunday 15 December, brings three
hours of live entertainment and performances from musicians in Senegal,
Great Britain, Afghanistan, India and Mexico.
The
huge party will be hosted at Bush House, London, by DJs John Peel
and Emma B, where Senegalese superstar Youssou N'dour and Mercury
Music award winner Ms Dynamite are performing.
In
Dakar, Baaba Maal tops the bill and Afghan musicians who feared
for their lives under the Taliban will play in Kabul where Afghans
are enjoying a musical revival after years of music being banned.
In
Mexico, the eight-piece semi-acoustic tropi-punk bank, Los de Abajo,
perform and Trilok Gurtu and Ranjit Barot will play live in Mumbai
(Bombay).
On
Thursday 19 December, the actual birthday, 大象传媒 World Service will
present the day's programmes live from Table Mountain in Cape Town,
South Africa.
Presenters
Heather Payton (Outlook) and Ben Malor (Africa Live) will introduce
14 hours of programmes, from dawn to dusk, and read listeners' e-mails.
Once
an hour A Day in the Life of the World will highlight people connected
to the 大象传媒 worldwide, including an engineer who services a transmitter
in the mid-Atlantic.
Phil
Harding, 大象传媒 World Service Director, English Networks and News,
said: "Seventy years ago a switch was thrown on a new wireless
transmitter
in Northamptonshire and messages were beamed to Canada, Australia
and other parts of the Empire.
"As
part of the 70th anniversary programmes 大象传媒 World Service plans
an ambitious concert for listeners around the world with live links
to five centres.
"It's
an example of the way 大象传媒 World Service, which now has a global
audience of 150 million and an internet presence in 43 languages,
continues to stretch itself and to embrace the future."
Other
highlights in the fortnight of celebration include:
a special edition of Pick of the World;
an extended Newshour with a daily in-depth interview with a key
international figure;
and new analysis of significant world events in From Our Own Correspondent
by 大象传媒 correspondents who covered the stories at the time including
Kate Adie, Mark Tully, Brian Barron and Mike Wooldridge.
Listeners'
Tales, a series of short vox pops with celebrities and listeners
whose lives have been affected by the World Service, will be broadcast
throughout December 19.
This
is London, throughout the week of Monday 16 December, examines key
moments in the life of the World Service over the last 70 years.
Programmes
explore the birth of the Empire Service (as the World Service then
was); the story of the Arabic Service; the Cold War days; and the
World Service since 9/11.
Votes
cast by listeners around the world will determine The World's Top
10 records which will be announced by Steve Wright on Saturday 21
December in Wright Round the World.
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