I cannot remember a time when I haven't listened to FOOC, but of course now it is easier than ever - you can download the podcast anytime anywhere. Real insights to what it is actually like to be in those countries all over the world where the BBC sends its formidable reporters, who instead of habging around in hotels talking to other reporters actually get out and walk among and talk with the people who live in that country, no matter how fraught with sadness and danger that might be (and also, it must be said, lhappiness and laughter as well).
This podcast has fantastic breadth of coverage. It is riveting to get a taste of so many cultures as the correspondents share their most compelling thoughts and stories. It is like each of their many seasoned correspondents has been given the mike to share their greatest (recent) hit.
There are times when From Our Own Correspondent brings tears to my eyes. It’s THAT good. With this podcast, the BBC continues to demonstrate how it sets the standard for broadcast journalism excellence.
These stories capture the globe. I can only imagine what it must have been like to hear these in a pre-Internet world, but today they bring home just how little reading a “news story” from abroad tells you about how the world really is. Listen, close your eyes, and find yourself transported.
I have been listening to FOOC for some 20 years. To me, this is radio journalism at it's best. Sober, yet often amusing, they bring to us the best and the worst of these astonishing times we live in. Never stop, otherwise my life would be a little poorer.
FOOC is nothing short of great ! And podcasting is the perfect partner for it. Their excellent reporting helps to make sense of an often crazy world. Many thanks to the folks who make it happen!
As a sixteen year old American , I am often bombarded with "news" about celebrites affairs.
After subscribing to BBC , it stands as a cruical port of information outside the United States.
Since subscribing to this podcast, I find that as I sit down at my cubicle at work on Monday morning I'm not filled with the usual feelings of dread and despair...because the FOOC podcast has downloaded over the weekend and I'm about to be shot around the globe by some of the best journalists I've ever listened to. The scope, humanity, experience and wit of these Brits really make it a joyous occasion.
BBC still stands for quality and this podcast is a proof of that. Every time interesting and sometimes funny background stories. News that does rarely show up in the news.
Listen to this podcast if you want another perspective on world events.
I hope Alan Johnston gets freed soon and gives us his insights again.
I have listened to From Our Own Correspondent (known internally at the BBC apparently as "FOOC"!) since I was about 10. As an adult work schedules frequently prevented me from hearing it regularly until the arrival of the podcast.
It is journalism of the highest quality, and worth every penny of the annual £131.50 licence TV licence fee on its own.
As an International Realations major and someone who's studied abroad, programs like this are a relief especially to a country like ours whos' image is'nt the best at the moment, this gives insight into how and why Governments across the globe deal with their issues into how we can apply it to ours' here at home. A program EVERY concerned American needs readily available.
So often the news headlines ignore the human face of the news. FOOC goes behind the scenes with reporters' personal impressions of the facts and people they report on. Apart from being informative, this programme really teaches us something about places in the news.
As a typical American almost totally ignorant about the world outside the US, this audio magazine is the perfect "small investment" to obtain a global perspective. Each podcast has four or five short pieces that could come from anywhere in the world. The stories are interesting, brief, and to the point, and always emphasize the human side of whatever story is being covered.
I've long been a fan of the Beeb and From Our Own Correspondent reinforces all the things that I love about BBC. Thier correspondents truly seem to care about the stories they're reporting; many have been covering a region or a country for decades. They have the experience and the authority to speak about their story. There's none of the bravado of Geraldo, the glamour of Brian Williams, just plain reporting from the insight of people who're foreigners yet so close to the story they're reporting. Add to this the wit and humor of the correspondents and these downloads are indispensible for anyone seeking an understanding of a story.
