LIKE Grahame T. Bilbow (South China Morning Post, April 2), I and many of my friends are angry and dismayed that Rupert Murdoch is dropping BBC World Service television from Star TV.
Unlike Mr Bilbow, however, I don't think Mr Murdoch's decision has anything to do with the ''numbers''. He may be cancelling BBC TV in order to curry favour with Beijing which is still furious over the recent BBC programme critical of Chairman Mao. As tothe comments I've read elsewhere that BBC Television is ''boring'' - it may well be boring for those viewers who have cooked their brains by watching too much Star Plus with its regurgitated American soap operas and talk shows, not to mention viewing the manic mindlessness of that true mirror of contemporary American decadence - MTV.
BBC World Service was slumming by allowing Star TV access to its excellent programmes. We can only hope that a more perceptive and far-seeing satellite or cable company will step in as soon as possible and put it back on the air in this part of the world.
DAVID NORRIS Wan Chai
