Ad plans for World Serviceare ‘the worst’

A PLAN to run adverts on the World Service is “the worst of all possible worlds”, according to its former head, Sir John Tusa.

BBC bosses backed the plans which were taken forward in response to the government’s comprehensive spending review which set the World Service a target to raise £3 million in commercially by 2013/14.

One plan involved “limited advertising on some World Service language websites”, with another proposal for “a year-long pilot to trial advertising around World Service English radio broadcasts on the Berlin FM frequency”.

Sir John added that the decision was “not a trivial matter”.

He said: “This is probably the worst of all possible worlds – that is, you breach a principle that is the World Service does not take commercial advertising, and you probably don’t raise much money.”