MUMBAI: New York-based Lehman Brothers, one of the world’s oldest and most respected investment banks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It was the largest bankruptcy filed in US corporate history One year on from this pivotal event, the BBC’s global news services – BBC World Service, BBC World News and BBC.com – are launching Aftershock, a season investigating the impact of the global recession on all facets of life since that seismic day
Highlights include:
Aftershock on BBC World Service:
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The Aftershock season launches on 5 September, with the premiere of The Day that Lehman Died, a new 60-minute radio drama which marks the anniversary of the collapse of this iconic bank It is a fictionalised account of events over the weekend prior to the bank’s demise; where bankers argued and negotiated, all too aware that Lehman was not the only one of its kind in trouble This drama looks at how the critical decision to let Lehman die was made Written by Matthew Solon, an award-winning writer whose work has featured on BBC World Service and Radio 4, the play is directed by John Dryden, whose previous credits include the 10-part serialisation of Vikas Swarup’s Q & A… (Slumdog Millionaire) for BBC Radio 4, which won the 2008 Sony Award for Best Drama The Day that Lehman Died was recorded on location in and around Wall Street, including at the New York Stock Exchange, with cast members including John Shea and John Rothman and was made with the assistance of WNYC Public Radio in New York.
Special editions of Business Daily from 7 September feature BBC Business Correspondent Steve Evans in Las Vegas, examining the state of the US housing market, one year on from the collapse of mortgage firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac On 9 September, four former Lehman employees talk about their careers pre and post the collapse, while on 11 September, Lesley Curwen in Dalian, China, reports from the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of New Champions.
In Assignment, 10 September, Ed Butler examines the growing demand for reform of the world’s leading business schools.
During September, BBC World Service will reveal the results of a migration study, commissioned from the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, which examines the impact of the financial downturn on the movement of people around the world Focusing on the performance of government and business leaders, BBC World Service’s Aftershock Poll will find out how people have rated the performance of those in the power and the measures that have been introduced to address the crisis.
The financial crisis affected different parts of the world in different ways BBC World Service will focus on the regional impact of the financial crisis Highlights include special reports and in-depth analysis by the Central Asia and Caucasus services – BBC Azeri, BBC Kyrgyz and BBC Uzbek which will assess the political fallout of the downturn and whether it has enhanced the authority of the leaders in countries such as Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
BBC Russian examines why Russia’s initial reaction to crisis was a denial and focuses on the experiences of ordinary people during the past year, including Russian-speaking City workers in London and businessmen in Omsk.
BBC Hausa explores the impact of the significant reduction in Nigeria’s earnings which has forced the federal government to slash its allocations to the states and local governments.
BBC Hindi will focus on how the Indian economy has survived the slump and follow the people who lost their jobs in the Indian credit market.
BBC Swahili examines the impact of the financial downturn on both Kenya’s flower trade to Europe, the tourism trade to Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda and its effect on mining in Tanzania There will also be a focus on the tightening of diaspora remittances to Uganda.
BBC Arabic focuses on the impact of the recession on the Arab world and especially the Gulf States, across radio, online and TV. Audiences across the Arab world will be invited to share their stories on a special Have Your Say on bbcarabic.com. These stories will form part of the multimedia program Noqtat Hewar, live on TV and radio. A special index for Aftershock will be published on bbcarabic.com with stories and in-depth analysis and an interactive timeline A special edition of the Open Agenda programme on BBC Arabic will discuss the impact of the recession on the Arab world and especially the Gulf States.
