With the start of BBC World Service Television, millions of viewers in Asia and America can now watch the Corporation's news coverage, as well as listen to it.

And of course in Britain listeners and viewers can tune into two BBC television channels, five BBC national radio services and dozens of local radio stations 2moons dil. They are brought sport, comedy, music, news and current affairs, education, religion, parliamentary coverage, children's programs 2moons gold and films for an annual license fee of 83 per household.

It is a remarkable record, stretching back over 70 years-yet the BBC's future is now in doubt 2moons dil. The Corporation will survive as a publicly-funded broadcasting organization, at least for the time being, but its role buy 2moons dil, its size and its programs are now the subject of a nationwide debate in Britain.

The debate was launched by the government, which invited anyone with an opinion of the BBC-including ordinary listeners and viewers-to say what was good or bad about the Corporation, and even whether they thought if it was worth keeping cheap 2moons dil. The reason for its inquiry is that the BBC's royal charters runs out in 1996 and it must decide whether to keep the organization as it is or to make changes.

Yet the BBC will have to change, because the broadcasting world around it is changing. The commercial TV channels-ITV and Channel 4-were required by the Thatcher Government's Broadcasting Act to become more commercial, competing with each other for advertisers, and cutting costs and jobs. But it is the arrival of new satellite channels-funded partly by advertising and partly by viewers' subscriptions-which will bring about the biggest change in the long term.