THE BBC is calling for government assistance to create a 24-hour World Service Arabic television news channel to challenge al-Jazeera.

Yesterday’s attacks in London have made the creation of a channel trusted to deliver impartial news to Middle East viewers — estimated to cost £25 million a year — more urgent, BBC executives said.

Distrust of Western news suppliers in the Arabic world since the Iraq invasion is beginning to subside. The World Service will release figures today showing that its global audience increased last year by three million to 149 million listeners.

The World Service is now the biggest speech radio station in Iraq, where its weekly audiences have increased to 3.3 million (22 per cent of the radio audience) from 1.8million (13 per cent) last year.

Independent surveys show that 43 per cent of opinion formers in Iraq listen to the service every week. The increase follows the rapid establishment of BBC FM relays in key areas, including Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk and Basra.

In Afghanistan, the BBC attracted 2.8 million listeners in five provinces it surveyed. Its Pashto and Persian services in Kabul had a 60 per cent reach.

Surveys showed that in markets including Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia and the US the World Service is regarded as the most objective international broadcaster compared with its main competitors.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office asked the BBC to develop plans for an Arabic World Service television service. But Nigel Chapman, director of the World Service, said that the Government grant-in-aid that funds the operation, set for £239 million next year, is not sufficient to cover the start-up costs of a new channel. “We know there is a demand for a trusted, impartial news provider in the Middle East,” he said. “Satellite and cable take-up is galloping away in the region, challenging radio. It is a matter of urgency that we have a combined television and online news presence.”

The Foreign Office has declined to provide additional funds for the channel, but negotiations are continuing. Mr Chapman said: “£25 million a year is pretty good value for money, given the benefits it will bring to the BBC brand.”

The World Service broadcasts in 43 languages and is transforming itself from a shortwave radio broadcaster into a multimedia network. The BBC international news website recorded 324 million hits in March alone.

Mandarin language broadcasts are regularly blocked in China, but aggressive marketing has won back listeners to the World Service in India.

Rolling coverage of yesterday’s attacks replaced normal English-language programmes on the World Service. Mr Chapman said: “Like our coverage of the tsunami and other emergencies it showed the value of reliable, impartial news delivered in a sober tone.”

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