BBC Hebrew

In My Humble Opinion
1

Does BBC have a Hebrew service? I tried to find it on their world service languages website but couldn’t.

If not, why not?

WRS

2

Couple of possible explanations for the languages provided:

  • Hebrew isn’t nearly as widely-spoken as some languages being catered for, such as Spanish, Portugese and Arabic.

  • Many of the ‘smaller’ languages provided relate to the original principles of the World Service, of being able to provide a media with freedom of speech and neutrality, for people who don’t have such a luxury domestically. Hence Uzbek, Burmese, Tamil etc.

  • Some languages formerly had such a position, particularly those from eastern Europe. Although the role of the World Service has diminished in that part of the world, it presumably has been decided not to drop any languages.

Hebrew doesn’t really fit into any of these catagories. Be aware that the World Service is quite separate from the main struture of the BBC - it’s funded separately, by the Foreign Office, for a very specific role.

3

Thanks, GorillaMan! I was not aware of the above.

I suppose, considering the World Service’s philosophy, there really is no need for a Hebrew service. Plenty of free media, and it’s already a Western ally.

WRS - You gotta love the SDMB!