Highlights
1. BBC is older and has a deeper reach in more households around the world compared to CNN.
2. BBC is a public broadcaster and considered an autonomous body, while CNN is a private news channel owned by Time Warner Company.
3. BBC is widely regarded as more reliable and efficient, but CNN gained prominence through its coverage of the Gulf War in 1991 and the World Trade Center bombing in 2001, making it second only to BBC in terms of winning people’s confidence and faith.
Introduction
BBC and CNN are two of the most important news broadcasting services in the world. BBC is older and has a deeper reach in households worldwide, while CNN has gained significance in recent decades, especially since the Gulf War in 1991. This article aims to highlight the differences between these influential news services.
BBC
BBC is considered the most important, reliable, and efficient news service in the Commonwealth and other parts of the world. It reaches millions of homes worldwide through television and has over 23,000 employees, making it the largest news broadcaster globally. Though a public broadcaster, BBC operates as an autonomous body responsible for news dissemination in Britain. Organizations using BBC news content are charged an annual fee. Outside of Britain, BBC is known as BBC World Service. Founded in 1927 in London, it has become a prominent global player in news broadcasting.
CNN
CNN, which stands for Cable News Network, is a relatively new news channel established in 1980. It is privately owned by Ted Turner and was the first 24-hour news channel in the United States. Based in Atlanta, CNN also has studios in Los Angeles and Washington DC. In the US alone, CNN reaches approximately 100 million homes, and it is available in over 200 countries worldwide. “Worldwide Leader in News” is the company’s slogan, and it has become the second most influential news broadcaster globally, following BBC.
CNN gained prominence around the world after its reporters provided special coverage of the Gulf War in Baghdad in 1991, showing the nighttime sky of the city being bombarded by US and allied forces. Another memorable event was CNN being the first news channel to broadcast images of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Since then, CNN’s influence has continued to grow, and it is now considered as prominent as BBC.
Differences between BBC and CNN
• BBC is larger than CNN and has more employees (23,000) servicing worldwide.
• BBC is state-owned while CNN is a private news channel owned by Time Warner Company.
• BBC reaches more homes than CNN, although CNN is currently available in more countries than BBC.
• BBC is often regarded as reliable and efficient, but CNN’s extensive coverage of the Gulf War in 1991 and the bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001 have earned it people’s confidence and trust. Today, CNN is second only to BBC in terms of global influence and credibility.
