With a worldwide audience of more than 120 million and over 200 bulletins every 24 hours, Bush House newsroom is unique within the BBC and unmatched outside it. The nature of the audience ensures that bulletins have to be international rather than parochial in character. The heavy output dictates an operation geared to provide a constantly updated bulletin which can be put on the air at any time of day or night.

This year the newsroom has undergone a major re-organisation designed in part to speed the flow of centrally produced stories under the overall direction of the Newsroom Editors, and to tailor them more precisely to the needs of the World Service and language service bulletin editors.

The re-organisation also aims to improve regional output by developing editorial teams which will spend more time serving one regional area, enabling them to make better-informed judgments of the needs of their audience. The Intake Team, which is responsible for the flow of incoming news material, has also been strengthened.

Two key posts complete the re-organisation picture: Susannah Ross, the Regional Output Editor, who has overall responsibility for improving and maintaining the newsroom's service to the thirty-six language sections; and Jim Edwards, the English Output Editor, whose job it is to ensure that the newsroom's contribution to World Service achieves the highest standards, with a blend of interest and authority capable of attracting the biggest possible audience in the 1990s.

The standards we already achieve are world-renowned. Strengthened by the re-organisation, we are confident of maintaining them into the 21st century.

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