Brits, Anglophiles and other fans of the BBC’s news coverage had reason to rejoice last week when cable provider Amnet introduced BBC World, the renowned network’s 24-hour international news channel, to Costa Rica.
For British Ambassador Georgina Butler, however, one of the best features of the channel’s availability here isn’t the programming, but rather the chance to show the country “English spoken in the correct accent.”
“Only on the BBC can we appreciate the Queen’s English,” Butler said with a smile at a reception held at her residence in the western San José suburb of Escazú in honor of the BBC World launch. She also praised “the excellence of its foreign correspondents… It offers a point of view different than the one offered by CNN.”
The channel, previously available in Costa Rica only via satellite, is available to Amnet customers who purchase the new Amnet Digital service.
Bob DeStefanis, BBC World’s Vice-President of Distribution and Business Development for Latin America, said upcoming BBC World programming includes Latin America Week, the first week in April; “Doctors on the Front Line,” a documentary series about the Nobel Prize-winning organization Doctors Without Borders; and “Energy Crunch,” a series on what high energy costs mean for the world.
The BBC, founded more than 80 years ago, is the world’s largest newsgathering organization, DeStefanis said. BBC World reaches more than 280 million households in 200 countries and territories, and 11.9 million households in Latin America.
