As The Sofia Echo reported in its January 23 edition, BBC World Service listeners have launched a campaign to reinstate the broadcasts on its FM frequency.
Speculation runs that deteriorating relations between the UK and Bulgaria, as well as commercial factors, motivated the Council for Electronic Media to pull the plug on the flagship broadcaster. A series of spats between the UK and Bulgaria preceded the move.

The BBC documentary about the Mogilino children’s home, Bulgaria’s Abandoned Children, antagonised Bulgaria’s political establishment; it also coincided with the UK government’s decision to apply restrictions to Bulgarian workers in Britain.

Only last week, another disagreement was brewing over an ITN report on the plight of Pleven’s residents during the recent heating crisis. Both President Georgi Purvanov and Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev have accused – either directly or implicitly – the UK of spreading anti-Bulgarian propaganda. But perhaps an even more important factor behind the Council for Electronic Media ’s decision was the ever-increasing number of radio stations vying for space.

Long-time BBC listener Carol Howard, a Sofia resident for 10 years, is one of many who would like to see the BBC broadcast reinstated. "It’s really poor public relations for the Bulgarian Government to play games with one of the world’s most respected news organisations. It will not do any political party good in the long run. This message needs to be conveyed to the Council for Electronic Media and their political masters," she says.

Howard also attacks the assumption that satellite transmissions can compensate for radio broadcasts. "Many people in Sofia do not have a computer attached to their hip. And most people in Sofia are on cable TV/internet connections, so the live satellite connection does not work, anyways." For Howard, the broadcasts provided indispensable access to British culture. "English traditions such as Saturday afternoon football are still popular around the world. I was in Ghana recently and every taxi in Accra on a Saturday afternoon was tuned in to Sportsworld on the BBC World Service. Yet that privilege is no longer available here, because the Bulgarian Government will not give the BBC a licence."

In a country where many expats struggle to learn Bulgarian, the BBC was particularly prized. "For those of us who live permanently away from England, it’s our link to events back home," Howard says.

Sofa-based journalist Rob Whitford is another aggrieved ex-listener. "As a British person living in Bulgaria for 12 years, I was an unashamed addict and I’m suffering serious withdrawal symptoms. Yes, it’s still possible to listen to it online, or via podcasts. In fact, my laptop is now set to become clogged with obsessively downloaded podcasts! But it’s not so convenient. I miss getting sane and well-informed comment from journalists at the flick of a switch." Whitford believes that many Bulgarians enjoyed listening. He also laments the "folly" of the British decision to do away with the original Bulgarian-language service.
‘Epitome of independent journalism’

It’s not just English-language listeners who feel the loss of the BBC’s FM transmissions. Konstantin Ivanov spent three years as a producer for the Bulgaria section of the BBC in London. He now works in the communications section of the World Wildlife Fund. "Theoretically, the Bulgarian Government and institutions were only following the law. But it was obvious that this was done to free up the frequency for other stations. Currently, more than 30 stations are rivals for these spaces."

Like Whitford, Ivanov also regrets the closure of the BBC’s Bulgarian-language section. He is also concerned about encroaching curbs on press and broadcasting freedoms in Bulgaria, citing the recent report by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which ranked Bulgaria 59th out of 173 countries in the group’s most recent annual press freedom index, lower than any other European Union country. Significantly, Bulgaria’s ranking has fallen 24 places since its EU accession in 2007.

Ivanov believes that the BBC’s English-language World Service could be restored, but that the expatriate community is too small in itself to enforce such a change. "While there are also many Bulgarian students of English out there, there are also those who just want to see international news reported in an objective way, not just from the Bulgarian viewpoint. But it needs a strong push from outside," he says.

Olga Apostolova, another journalist who worked for the BBC Bulgarian Service in London, also supports the campaign. "The BBC represents the epitome of independent journalism. It’s never limited to one or even two viewpoints; it looks for all possible takes on the same story. And it’s reliable... I think it’s inexcusable that we don’t have the BBC World Service on FM in Bulgaria," she says.