The BBC's World Service radio station is calling on the government to increase its level of funding by £76 million over the next three years.

The station, which is part-paid for by the Foreign Office, is asking for a real-terms increase of 3.6 per cent above the rate of inflation by 2005/06.

Forum Response: BBC

Mark Byford, director of the BBC's World Service, told ePolitix.com: "Media markets have become increasingly volatile across the world. But we have been nimble in adapting to the rapid pace of change. Audiences are changing their habits dramatically in the face of increased competition, deregulation of markets, seismic changes in technology and even greater listener choice.

"We are continuing to make significant investment in upgrading transmitters for those areas where shortwave listening will continue to be the only viable means listeners will have to receive BBC services for years to come. However the dramatic changes in India and Indonesia, where short wave listening is rapidly declining, emphasises the need for us to continue to be agile and invest more time and effort in further FM expansion around the rest of the world.

"We are now reaping huge dividends in audience numbers where we have expanded in FM offering greater audibility to listeners, particularly in the capital cities and large conurbations, and developed rebroadcasting partnerships. BBC World Service programmes are on nearly 2000 stations worldwide. We are now in 129 capital cities, beating our target of 128. We hope to be in 135 - 70 per cent of all capital cities - by 2003/04. The growth in this audience is a clear vindication of that strategy. The potential for growth remains strong."