“...a history of the world speaking to the world.”
—Nick Cull, Professor of Communication, University of Southern California
Summary of World Broadcasts
Now Available!
Overview
Visit the BBC Monitoring: Summary of World Broadcasts product page for more information.
One of the most important historical archives of its time, BBC Monitoring: Summary of World Broadcasts will be available for the first time as a digital primary source collection in January 2023. Readex has partnered with the BBC to digitize this extraordinary resource, unlocking previously inaccessible radio and television transcripts.
Essential insight into global events of the 20th century
Within this new digital archive, researchers, faculty, and students will find:
- Transcripts of global radio and television broadcasts, translated into English and summarized by highly trained subject-matter experts at BBC Monitoring
- Unparalleled real-time coverage of global events of the 20th century, from the start of World War II to the early 21st century (1939-2001), with perspectives not available anywhere else
- Insight into local populations and local authorities as described by local media
- Unprecedented research value of open-source intelligence (information collected from overt public sources to produce actionable intelligence for initial use by government and policy officials)
- Vital background for interpreting today’s global events
The BBC Monitoring: Summary of World Broadcasts digital archive will be available as a complete collection (1939-2001) or as four separate series:
- Series 1: 1939-1958
- Series 2: 1959-1973
- Series 3: 1974-1988
- Series 4: 1989-2001
History of BBC Monitoring: Summary of World Broadcasts
Established in 1939, BBC Monitoring gathers open-source intelligence from around the world, monitoring and translating radio, television, telegraph, print and other media from nearly every country and political entity. With deep knowledge of the regions they are monitoring, BBC Monitoring specialists listen to broadcasts of speeches, current affairs, political discussions, and social and cultural events, then translate and summarize the transcripts into the daily reports comprising the Summary of World Broadcasts. In many cases, BBC Monitoring also provides prescient commentary and evaluation, as well as synopses and specialized briefings.
The Summary of World Broadcasts publications are the daily output from BBC Monitoring, providing real-time coverage of global events. For the period covered by the Readex digital archive (1939-2001), BBC Monitoring produced nearly 70,000 individual multi-page reports.
Value for Researchers and Students
“…this is one of the treasures of the world and a global resource deserves global recognition. Any citizen of the world can find something relevant to them in this material. This is a history of the world speaking to the world. …It's an amazing, amazing resource. It's as versatile as the person who asks it questions.”
—Nick Cull, Professor of Communication, University of Southern California
“The BBC Monitoring archive is an extraordinary, little-known collection covering most of the important events of the twentieth century. As well as offering remarkable source material for scholars and students of intelligence, espionage, warfare, international relations, diplomacy, and the media, readers will find information in the vast range of documents about social change across the world, about refugees and emigres, political upheaval, and an everyday history of a tumultuous century. …BBCM is not just a useful source for research but, in many ways, a guide to recent world history.”
—Dan Stone, Professor of Modern History, Royal Holloway, University of London
“The BBC Monitoring archives form a treasure trove of information, casting a fresh light on historical material for researchers. My work on intercepted radio broadcasts relating to India during the Second World War revealed to me what a rich and valuable collection these archives truly are. ...I also viewed the monitoring reports themselves as processes of representation, crafted by the agency of the monitors who exercised choice in what and how to transcribe.”
—Dr. Diya Gupta, Lecturer in Public History, City, University of London
“The BBC Monitoring Service Summary of World Broadcasts collection provides English-speaking researchers with unparalleled access to written translations of international radio broadcasts. The collection is a particularly valuable resource for researchers and students seeking to understand the role of radio propaganda and the use of open-source information in intelligence-gathering in World War Two.”
—Karine Varley, Lecturer in French and Modern History, University of Strathclyde
“A wonderful resource for students and scholars working on the propaganda and news dimensions of the Cold War. The BBC’s key role in that conflict has yet to be fully explored. This resource points to the need to do that and to appreciate, in the process, how vital a part Britain played in the Cold War.”
—Tony Shaw, Professor of History, University of Hertfordshire
More about BBC Monitoring
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BBC Monitoring 1985 promo video
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