News Broadcasting
BBC World Service announces four senior appointments
LONDON: BBC World Service has announced the appointment of new regional heads for Africa, Eurasia, the Americas and Asia and Pacific region.
The current head of Africa and Middle East region, Barry Langridge, will become head of the Asia and Pacific region. He was previously a diplomat in Africa. He has lived in India, working in a village health project, and as Christian Aid’s project officer for Pakistan, Northern India and Bangladesh. During his BBC career Barry has also worked as a television current affairs producer. He was appointed Head of Africa and Middle East region in 1997.
Behrouz Afagh-Tabrizi has been appointed Head of Eurasia region. The region encompasses Russia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Behrouz was born and brought up in Iran and has lived in Britain since 1978. He joined the BBC Persian Service in 1983 and later became editor. In 1994 he set up the BBC Central Asian Service and was its head until 1999, when he was appointed news and current affairs editor for the Eurasia region.
Lucio Mesquita has been appointed Head of the Americas region. He has been acting head of the region since October. Born in Brazil, Lucio joined the Brazilian Service as a producer in 1991. He worked on Newshour and The World Today and became editor of the Brazilian Service in 2000. As Head of the Americas, he is responsible for BBC World Service broadcasts in North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean.
Jerry Timmins, the former Head of the Americas, who for the past three months has led the Make It Happen project at BBC World Service, will shortly take up his new post as Head of Africa and Middle East region. Jerry joined the BBC in 1979 as a journalist. In 1988 he was appointed head of a newly re-established Caribbean Service and later joined BBC Television’s current affairs programme Newsnight before he returned to BBC World Service in 1992.
All five Heads of Region at BBC World Service are members of the World Service Management Board.
News Broadcasting
News18 India to air Sabse Bada Dangal on 4 May counting day
Channel promises fastest results, live trends and analysis across five states.
MUMBAI: Ballots will do the talking and screens will do the shouting. As counting day approaches for high-stakes Assembly elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, News18 India is gearing up for an all-day broadcast of its flagship election show, Sabse Bada Dangal, on 4 May from 6 am onwards. The Hindi news channel plans to deliver continuous, real-time updates as votes are tallied, combining live counting data with on-ground reporting and studio analysis. With political fortunes set to shift through the day, the coverage will track every swing, surge and surprise as trends turn into results.
The broadcast will feature a mix of senior political leaders, analysts and experts, offering instant reactions and decoding the evolving electoral picture. Expect heated debates, quick takes and detailed breakdowns as the numbers settle across all five states.
For News18 India, counting day has long been a high-visibility moment. The network is banking on its reporting reach, editorial bandwidth and technology-driven coverage to stay ahead in what is often a fiercely competitive news cycle.
With multiple battlegrounds and shifting narratives, the day promises both drama and data in equal measure. And if all goes to plan, Sabse Bada Dangal will once again turn the counting of votes into prime-time spectacle.
