Trying To Be Like The Beeb
	By PETER GUMBEL | London

Posted Sunday, October 5, 2003; 12.48BST
The BBC's international reach is the envy of broadcasters and governments throughout the rest of Europe. BBC World, the Corporation's international news channel, is now seen in 273 million households in more than 200 countries, up from 24 million homes when it was launched in 1995. BBC America is in 37 million U.S. homes. Though both channels accept advertising, neither yet makes money. Losses are declining, however, and BBC America is expected to break even next year. Now France and Germany are trying to crack the international TV-news market, too.

French President Jacques Chirac declared 18 months ago that it was "essential" for the nation to have a 24-hour international news channel on a par with the BBC and CNN. Without one, the French voice isn't sufficiently heard or understood in international affairs, he and other officials argued, an acute concern in the aftermath of the Iraq war. That idea, kicked around for a decade, is now close to reality. Last week, ex–ad industry exec and current mayor of Cannes, Bernard Brochand, delivered a report to the government proposing a 370 million annual budget for the new channel, to be paid for by the Foreign Ministry and, possibly, corporate sponsors. The channel's priority would be to target audiences in the Arab world, broadcasting in English and Arabic as well as French.

In Germany, the country's two major public service broadcasters, ARD and ZDF, are going after the U.S. market with a new German-language station called German TV, which they are running together with Deutsche Welle, the German international broadcaster. According to U.S. census data, some 1.2 million American households have at least one person who speaks German. German TV, which signed its first cable deal in Florida and launched in August, shows much of the regular domestic programming, including sports, game shows and news. The goal is to break even by signing up 70,000 subscribers over seven years, officials say. After the U.S., it's hoping to gain ground in Canada and then, eventually, in Latin America.

	Blair in the Glare [Sept. 8, 2003] After the British Prime Minister testified last week — beating back charges that his team "sexed up" the case for war against Iraq — his top spin doctor resigned. Can Blair repair his tarnished image? The Upfronts: NBC's Nervous Reality [May. 13, 2003] At the first of the fall-schedule unveilings, the hanging-on-to-number-one Peacock knocks other networks' reality shows —but hedges its bets Question Time [Sept. 1, 2003] The inquiry into a weapons expert's death exposes the Blair government. And the PM's up next End of a Dream [April 22, 2002] German TV giant Kirch's house of cards finally collapses under a mountain of debt Anarchy from the U.K. [June 05, 2000] A different British invasion is under way as BBC America imports shows that are anything but stuffy Shaking up the Beeb [May 08, 2000] A new director-general at the venerable British Broadcasting Corp. vows to slash bureaucracy and foster creativity Asia's Hot New STAR [Oct. 28, 1991] The BBC takes aim at CNN on a satellite-TV service Search all issues of TIME Magazine