May 2024

New BBC Topline & Unexpected Elements Promos Available
The new generic BBC Topline promos are available now in ContentDepot. They can be downloaded from the promotional materials tab here.

New generic Unexpected Elements promos are available in ContentDepot and can be downloaded from the On-Air Promos page here.

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May Doc picks

The full list of available BBC documentaries can be found here. Look for these specials and their promos on Content Depot.  

World Book Club: Percival Everett – The Trees
May 4 – June 1, 2024
One hour

A powerful satire of revenge and social justice in America. Percival Everett will be discussing his Booker-shortlisted novel The Trees. This powerful and fiercely funny satire centring on revenge and racial justice in America shifts genres between police procedural, magical realism and horror with wit and consummate skill.

Labelling the World – The Power of DSM
May 18 – June 14, 2024
One hour

An examination at the influence of the DSM, the US diagnostic bible for mental disorders. We explore how attitudes to the DSM differ around the world and how the manual has a powerful influence on research, pharmaceutical companies, insurance firms and legal systems.

Shadow Wars: China and the West
May 25 – June 21, 2024
One hour

The rise of China is a defining challenge for the West. The BBC’s Security Correspondent, Gordon Corera, delves into the worlds of espionage, surveillance, technology, the theft of commercial secrets, free speech at universities and political interference to explore the points of friction.

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Visit BBC Partners for detailed program descriptions, new program rundowns, content downloads, and more.

Questions about BBC docs and specials? Please contact your Station Representative.

Visit our website to learn more about BBC World Service programs, digital offerings and newsletters.

Coming in April 2024

New Generic Promos Available
Two new generic BBC World Service promos are available now in ContentDepot. They can be downloaded from the promotional materials tab here.

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April Doc picks

The full list of available BBC documentaries can be found here. Look for these specials and their promos on Content Depot.  

Witness History: The Environment
April 1 – April 30, 2024
One hour

An all-new collection of stories from the BBC’s Witness History program, with new stories of environmentalism and conservation. We’ll meet people who have been instrumental in protecting the Amazon rainforest, elephants, and the Russian arctic.

El Salvador’s Missing Children
April 18 – May 15, 2024
One hour

Mike Lanchin follows the dramatic stories of two Salvadoran-born women who were adopted abroad during the country’s brutal civil war, as they try to piece together the circumstances of their adoptions almost four decades ago.

The Forum: Green Revolutions
April 27 – May 24, 2024
One hour

The “green revolution” of the 20th century is credited with saving many people from hunger and malnutrition across Asia and Latin America. And yet, a half-century on, farmers’ incomes in Africa, Asia and Europe are falling and farmers in many countries are on the streets protesting. At the same time, the environmental impacts of intensive food production are becoming increasingly clear. Do we need a new “green revolution”?

Schedule Changes Coming Soon

Given the differences in daylight saving time between the US and the UK, the BBC World Service will be on a three-week interim schedule prior to the 2024 summer schedule. Please watch ContentDepot for additional reminders.

The 2024 spring interim schedule is effective Sunday, March 10, 2024 through Saturday, March 30, 2024.

Spring Interim Schedule Highlights

• Newshour
  • Weekday editions remain the same with an extra edition at 5pm ET
  • Weekend 8am ET editions shift one hour to 9am ET. This change impacts scheduling on March 10, March 16 – 17, March 23 – 24, and March 30.
  • Weekend 4pm ET editions remain consistent during the interim schedule, with an extra edition at 5pm ET.
• BBC OS
  • Editions move forward one hour to 12 PM ET and 1 PM ET
• The Newsroom
  • There will be no 2 PM ET edition Sunday – Friday

The 2024 summer schedule is effective Sunday, March 31, 2024 through Saturday, October 26, 2024.

Summer Schedule Highlights

• Core news programs (Newshour, Newsday, BBC OS) remain consistent with previous (non-interim) schedules.
• The Newsroom
  • The Monday – Sunday edition returns to 6 pm ET for the summer as usual.
• Other Programs
  • Two new programs join the schedule, The Global Story (Mon – Fri 6:30 a.m. ET) and The Media Show (Thursday 3 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET)
  • Outlook Weekend and The Real Story will be sunset.
  • Outlook will add a Friday edition so it will now broadcast Monday – Friday.
  • Unexpected Elements moves from Thursday to Friday.
  • The Documentary (Tue) moves later in the week and becomes The Documentary (Thu), with Assignment moving to take the Tuesday slot.

Find these schedules on our website. Please review them carefully and contact your Station Representative with any questions.

Coming in February 2024

Doc picks

The full list of available BBC documentaries can be found here. Look for these specials and their promos on Content Depot.  

We recommend combining this month’s picks to form an hour about climate change.  

World Book Café – Madrid
February 10 – March 8
One hour

World Book Café heads to Madrid to talk to writers about a new boom in feminist fiction.

World Questions: Poland
February 10 – March 8
One hour

After eight years of right-wing rule in Poland, a new government has taken power. But are the new government’s robust actions strengthening the law or undermining it? With February marking two years since the start of a war in Ukraine that has affected Poland so deeply, there is much to debate.

World Wide Waves ‘24
February 17 – March 15
One hour

Radio is a perfect medium for women: intimate, direct and, if need be, anonymous. For World Radio Day, we hear from community radio stations around the world that put female voices first: from Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, the Ecuadorian Amazon, and among migrant farmworkers in the US.

Coming in January 2024

Doc picks

The full list of available BBC documentaries can be found here. Look for these specials and their promos on Content Depot.  

We recommend combining this month’s picks to form an hour about climate change.  

Will the Unicorns of the Sea Fall Silent?
January 2 – 22
Half hour

As our oceans get louder; narwhal in East Greenland face extinction. Where lies the solution?

The Approach
January 9 – 29
Half hour

Can mountaineering survive in an age of rapidly warming mountains? Adriana Brownlee speaks to other mountaineers, glaciologists and meteorologists, and asks herself if she is doing enough as a mountaineer to prevent the planet from warming further.

Unexpected Elements
If you’re still looking for an additional hour, we recommend checking out Unexpected Elements, The news you know, the science you don’t. Unexpected Elements looks beyond everyday narratives to discover a goldmine of scientific stories and connections from around the globe.

Coming in December 2023

The full list of available BBC documentaries can be found here.  

Taiwan’s Balancing Act
December 16 – January 5
One hour

Two young Taiwanese share their lives and views in the run up to the election. Former BBC Taiwan correspondent Cindy Sui meets two young Taiwanese voters, Shirley Lin and Dennis, who have very different views about the island, its future and its relationship with Mainland China.

Climate review of the year
December 22 – January 18
One hour

2023 is on track to be the warmest year on record. Graihagh Jackson and Justin Rowlatt look back at some of the key climatic events.

BBC Correspondents’ Look Ahead 2024
December 29 – January 4
One hour

2024 will see nearly half of the world’s population going to the polls. Elections will be held in the USA, UK, South Africa, India, Russia, Pakistan, Mexico and Venezuela. How will the results of some of those elections shift the geopolitical tectonic plates? And will the economic picture improve? Big questions, but luckily we have some of the BBC’s best minds on hand to provide plenty of answers.

Announcements

New Newshour Promos Available
Nuala McGovern has recorded new generic Newshour promos which are now available in ContentDepot under the Promotional Materials section. New promos are available for both the weekday and weekend editions.

Schedule Changes
A reminder that the fall interim schedule goes into effect on October 29, 2023 for one week, and the winter schedule begins on November 5, 2023. Both schedules can be found on the APM Distribution website. Additional reminders will be sent via ContentDepot as we approach the effective dates.

Coming in November 2023

The full list of available BBC documentaries can be found here.  

Tanni’s Lifetime Road to Disabled Equality
November 11 – December 22
One hour

Multi gold medal winning Paralympic wheelchair athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson examines 50 years of changing attitudes to disability around the world.

The Evidence: Putting the mouth back in the body
November 18 – December 22
One hour

From diabetes or dementia, to the health of our hearts and bones, our mouths can tell us so much more about us without uttering a word. Claudia Hammond and her panel of guests examine the evidence.

K-drama – a global force on screen
November 25 – December 22
One hour

South Korean actress Kim Min-ha explores the phenomenal global impact of K-drama.

Dear stations,

I’m writing to inform you that Larissa Abid, Senior Business Development Manager, North America, Caribbean Region and Radio International, for the BBC World Service will be leaving the BBC at the end of October.

Larissa’s contribution to the BBC is immense. She began her BBC career with the BBC Russian Service as presenter and producer, continuing into BBC World Service Marketing, and later with BBC World Service Business Development. In May of 2017, she accepted her current role which includes working with BBC content teams and APM to distribute BBC World Service to over 600 public radio stations in the US. Larissa is a familiar face on the public radio scene, having attended many PRPD conferences and BBC station events. She has been a wonderful colleague and an advocate for our station partners over the years– her editorial and business experience will be much missed. Larissa’s responsibilities will be taken over by Emma Pendino, who is currently Senior Business Development Manager, BBC World Service English where she strategizes audience growth; responds to the needs of changing markets; fosters editorial collaborations; and enhances multi-media business development activities. A BBC employee since 1999, Emma created the Partner Production Hub, an editorial unit producing bespoke content such as Topline and Climate Watch for global partner stations.  She also established the first World Service English video offer for partners. She will be supported by the BBC Business Development team whom she already knows well and has been shadowing Larissa and working with APM Distribution for several months in preparation for this transition.

Head of Business Development Americas and Europe, Fred Durman, says: “Larissa is irreplaceable but try we must. Emma knows BBC World Service inside out and has played a crucial role in program development over the years and in the establishment of the Partner Production Hub. With her overseeing day-to-day business, we are confident that our US partnerships are in safe hands.”

We welcome Emma to her new role and thank Larissa for all she has done for the development of our public radio community and wish her the very best for the future. If you would like to send notes of welcome and farewell, share them with your rep and we will pass them along to Emma and Larissa.

Amy Lundgren
Director, Portfolio & Operations
APM Distribution

Fall Interim and Winter Schedules Now Available

Given the differences in daylight saving time between the US and the UK, the BBC World Service will be on a one-week interim schedule prior to the winter schedule. Please watch ContentDepot for additional reminders.

The 2023 fall interim schedule is effective Sunday, October 29, 2023 through Saturday, November 4, 2023.

Interim Schedule Highlights

• Newshour
  • Weekday editions remain the same with an extra edition at 5pm ET
  • Weekend 8am ET editions shift one hour to 9am ET. This change impacts scheduling on Sunday October 29 and Saturday November 4.
  • Weekend 4pm ET editions remain consistent during the interim schedule week, with an extra edition at 5pm ET.
• BBC OS
  • Will air weekdays at 12pm and 1pm ET. Note: each hour is stand-alone, and will shift to 11am and 12pm ET for the winter schedule
• The Newsroom
  • The Monday – Sunday edition at 6pm ET remains the same.

The 2023-24 winter schedule is effective Sunday, November 5, 2023 through Saturday, March 9, 2024.

Winter Schedule Highlights

• Newshour
  • Weekend morning edition returns to 8am ET
• BBC OS
  • Shifts to 11am and 12pm ET for winter as usual
• The Newsroom
  • The Monday – Sunday edition returns to 5pm ET for the winter as usual.
• What in the World
  • A new 9-minute program tailored for 16 to 24-year-olds that will explain global stories and events for those with curious minds, helping listeners to make sense of what’s happening. It replaces Witness History at 10:50pm ET Monday – Friday.

Find these schedules on our website. Please review them carefully and contact your Station Representative with any questions.