With television programs and online content exploring different facets of life in Mexico, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World News is dedicating February to all things Mexican, as part of a new series highlighting a different country each month.
“Going behind the headlines to find out more about the country and the lives of ordinary people,” the BBC says its “Mexico Direct special explores a range of issues, from the economy and the challenges facing the local workforce, to tourism, transport, immigration and indigenous communities.”
“BBC World News America” is being broadcast from Mexico City, with a focus on the economy, the upcoming presidential elections and the ongoing security threat posed by organized criminal gangs. It broadcasts throughout February from Monday to Friday at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
“One Square Mile: Mexico” explores the indigenous Tzotzil village of Santiago el Pinar in the mountains of Chiapas, where the Mexican government has built a “sustainable rural town” to tempt the fiercely traditional Mayan inhabitants into the modern market economy. It broadcasts on February 18, 9.30 a.m. and February 19, 3.30 p.m.
“Working Lives: Mexico City” examines the day-to-day lives of six people, all working in the capital at different levels of the economic ladder. It broadcasts on February 18, 12.30 p.m. and February 19, 12.30 p.m.
Visiting Acapulco and San Miguel de Allende, the “Fasttrack” travel show asks if Mexico can diffuse concern over rising drug violence by using the end of the Mayan Calandar in December 2012 as a launch pad to reclaim its status as a top tourist destination. It broadcasts February 18, 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. and February 19, 12.30 a.m.
Meanwhile, multimedia content at www.bbc.com/mexicodirect includes photo galleries, video interviews with various personalities such as businessman and Guadalajara Chivas owner Jorge Vergara, and a range of features on Mexican cinema, Mexico City’s biking revolution, and the rarely reported phenomenon of illegal migration from the United States into Mexico.
In Mexico, BBC World News can be viewed on the following providers and the corresponding channels:
- Sky - Channel 631
- Cablevision de Mexico - Channel 709
- Cablemas - Channel 77
- Cablevision de Monterrey - Channel 456
- Cablecom - Channel 178
- Telecable (Grupo HEVI) - Channel 612
- Total Play - Channel 631
- Telecable San Miguel de Allende - Channel 95