In so many ways, the world was a much simpler place in 1991. The bipolar world order of the USA and Soviet Union crystallised so much of global politics and confl ict that it dominated the global news agenda. So many events were still being viewed through the same Cold War prism that had been in place for 30 years or more. Meanwhile, much of Asia was shrouded in mystery – China was inaccessible and, to international broadcasters, relatively peripheral; while Burma was also very diffi cult to penetrate and the media enjoyed very little freedom in Malaysia and Vietnam. All of this meant that Asia was a long way from the centre of attention on the global stage. But away from the political climate, the biggest change has been, of course, technology. Twenty years ago very few people had mobile phones, and even if you had one, the coverage in most remote places was non-existent. The Internet didn’t really take off until the mid-90s and broadband was still a long way off. On top of the political issues, this made accessing many parts of Asia both diffi cult and expensive for international TV crews. Jeremy Hillman, the BBC’s Business & Economics editor, recently recounted his role in the BBC’s fi rst-ever live broadcast from East Timor, which, incredibly, was as recently as 1999. The logistics of this operation were gargantuan. Around 30 cases of equipment, a satellite phone, satellite dish and several engineers alongside a journalist, producer and camera operator were needed. This was just 12 years ago. Another example Hillman mentioned, from a different part of the world but indicative of the ingenuity required to report from remote areas, was a broadcast from Slavutich, a small town in the Ukraine, close to Chernobyl. In 1996 the BBC had a team there covering 10 years since the Chernobyl disaster. As well as cumbersome satellite equipment, the crew needed three reel-to-reel tape machines, along with razor blades and chalk to mark and splice the tape, simply to pull together a radio item. Another key issue for TV broadcasts across much of Asia 20 years ago was the simple fact that crews were heavily dependent on ground stations in order to get their material out, and transmissions made their way back to London via a series of waypoints en route. This meant that you needed the cooperation of the state broadcaster in whatever country you found yourself reporting from, which, given the nature of news reporting, particularly from places that tended to be relatively secretive or at least sensitive, presented issues too; you always ran the risk that your material might be blocked. Interestingly, however, the absence of widespread satellite TV would often work in journalists’ favour in that respect. A regime was unlikely to see your news items until long after they were broadcast and often wouldn’t see them at all, so those looking to restrict your freedoms were less aware of what you were actually reporting on. Of course, it was always dangerous to assume that your presence in a state would go unnoticed. A small BBC team entering Burma in the late 90s was seeking an interview with Aung San Suu Kyi. To avoid detection they used tourist visas and travelled separately. One of the team carried a small camera and all were dressed as if on holiday. All was going well until the team arrived at their hotel, whereupon presenter Matt Frei was greeted with an image of himself on a large TV in reception, delivering a news report he’d recorded the previous week in Cambodia. “Busted”, as they say. These days, reporting from the news frontline is a very different proposition. The advent of smart phones, lightweight digital cameras and broadband mean a single reporter with just a laptop case full of equipment can deliver what would have taken a team of people and a truckload of equipment not so long ago. Digital technology means that broadcast-quality material is transmitted instantly, at a fraction of the cost; and the portability of the equipment means that reporting from locations once considered virtually inaccessibly is now simply a matter of turning up, making your report and sending it back to the studio. Technology is no guarantee of journalistic freedom however. As we’ve seen recently in the Middle East, regimes exercise a degree of control over the Internet, so if they want to restrict your ability to report, they can simply ‘switch it off’, so you need a back-up plan. Likewise, it is now far easier for countries to monitor what is being said and written about them. In general though, the information age has meant that the ability of autocratic regimes to prevent reports emerging from within their borders is greatly diminished. Audiences’ expectations have also kept pace with technology, which increases the pressure on news organisations to deliver stories as they happen. Audiences are accustomed to seeing footage and reports from on the ground within moments of an event, so while technology certainly makes this possible, it also means the newsroom has to react the second a story breaks. Coverage of the terrible earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan saw dramatic footage on air as soon as the disaster began to unfold. Away from technology both Asia and the world have, of course, changed enormously in the past 20 years. In 1991 the memory of Tiananmen Square was still very fresh in the minds of those covering China. The freedoms now granted to journalists there today, while still not comparable to, say, Western Europe, were unthinkable then. But international broadcasters and, indeed, websites, still operate in a restricted way in the country, and are closely monitored by the state. International news organisations regularly fi nd their broadcasts interrupted when reporting on issues that the authorities deem to be sensitive, for example, and the Internet is heavily scrutinised. Today, not only does the world simply understand Asia better, but also it is hungry to know more. Likewise, access to information via the Internet, and multiple sources of international news via cable and satellite TV, mean that global audiences are able to consume far more Asia-focused content. The appetite for business news from Asia, in particular, has greatly increased. As a news organisation, the BBC’s aim in Asia is not to compete with local news sources, but to bring an international perspective to the region, and to bring an understanding of Asia to audiences around the world. Recently it launched a new Asia Business section on BBC.com that features, among other things, bespoke video content, and there are plans to increase editorial initiatives this year that will increase the offering to audiences either in or simply interested in the region. Clearly, the world is a very different and, in many respects, far more complex place than 20 years ago. For Asia, it is perhaps also a more exciting one. As an international broadcaster, there is little question that BBC’s interest in the region is only likely to grow. Watch an exclusive interview with Andrew Roy, BBC World’s Head of News at OnScreenAsia.com. —- Covering change: 1991 – 2011 1991 – 1996 BBC World News launches as BBC World Service Television in March 1991, initially just in Europe, but by October it is extended across Asia and the Middle East, with Africa following in 1992. Meanwhile, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 precipitates the end of the Cold War the following year, and the end of Apartheid in South Africa paves the way for the election of Nelson Mandela, three years later. 1997 – 2002 Internet use becomes widespread, and 1997 sees the launch of BBC News online. The world mourns the death of Princess Diana in the same year, and the return of Hong Kong to China marks the beginning of a new, more open era for the world’s most populous country. In 1998, BBC World moves to the world’s fi rst ever 24-hour digital newsroom. By 1999 business in Europe is transformed with the launch of The Euro, and the following year’s fi nancial deregulation paves the way to a more globalised economy. 2003 – 2008 2003 sees coalition forces enter Iraq. A pan-European media survey names BBC World as the ‘most trusted news channel’ during the confl ict. BBC World audiences in Japan now receive more than 91 hours per week of content translated into Japanese, while the channel’s USA distribution reaches 86% of households. 2005 sees a domestic challenge for President Bush as Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans. In 2006, change is signaled for Cuba, as Fidel Castro transfers power to his brother, Raul; the following year sees the death of a political icon as Benazir Bhutto is assassinated. 2009 – present BBC World News launches an iPhone app, with live streaming of the channel in 2009, and is named Best News Channel at the 13th annual HOTBIRD awards in 2010. The BBC’s multimedia coverage of the Chilean miners’ rescue wins plaudits too. 2011 sees turmoil across the Middle East, with Mubarak forced from power in Egypt and Libya plunged into civil war. Tragedy strikes Japan with a massive earthquake and tsunami leaving thousands dead and. BBC World News prepares to move into a state-of-the-art newsroom in 2012.