tonight everything you've wanted to know about the bbc and more with mark thompson, the director general. >> it has been a great addition to the family of broadcasting. they were innovative, they brought sports that people couldn't get before. sky is a success story which i think has improved british television. i don't think what they do right now is a problem. i think there are questions for the government and for the regulators to look at when you have so much power vested, i mean sky, in terms of its revenue is already bigger than bbc and will get much much bigger because of the way in which paid tv is moving in that country. >> charlie: mark thompson for the hour, next. or maybe you want to help when the unexpected happens. whatever you want to do, members project from american express can help you take the first step. funding provided by the following: captioning sponsored by rose communications from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. >> charlie: mark thompson is here. he is director general and editor-in-chief of the british broadcasting corporation known as the b

on the "newshour" tonight, mark thompson of "time" magazine has the latest on how the military is coping with the court-ordered back-and-forth on "don't ask, don't tell." >> brown: then, special correspondent betsy stark reports on a house contest in an ohio district battered by job losses. >> warner: we get a snapshot of how the sagging economy is playing among voters across the country. >> brown: and an overall campaign update called "political notebook" with our political editor david chalian. >> warner: paul solman looks at an effort to uncover what's really in herbal supplements. >> in one of america's fastest growing and least regulated industries-- medicinal herbs-- what you see may not be what you get. >> brown: and we close with a conversation with haitian- american writer edwidge danticat on her new book-- a collection of essays, including reflections on her homeland after the earthquake. that's all ahead. on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic

. >> lehrer: then, newshour political editor david chalian and mark thompson of "time" magazine discuss the fallout from the ruling to strike down don't ask, don't tell. >> brown: special correspondent judy muller reports on a california ballot proposition that would legalize the use and cultivation of marijuana. >>>> reporter: growers would have to start paying taxes on their crops, which is why not everyone in humboldt favors legalization. >> lehrer: margaret warner talks to marcia coyle about today's supreme court arguments on a death row inmate's right to new dna testing. >> brown: and, judy woodruff has a conversation with former justice sandra day o'conner about civic literacy for students, judicial elections and the new makeup of the court. >> i went in the courtroom myself, and looked at the bench of nine. a woman on the right end, a woman on the left end, and a woman near the middle, it was marvelous to see. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: finds out why. >> i want to know what the universe... >> looks

mark thompson joins us now.e have people that do speak the languages. and we've got a tradition going back to 1930s of broadcasting to the world. what's happened though, i think a few things have happened. one the barriers to entry to many of the countries are lower than they used to be. secondly there's a hunger for international reporting and some of our traditional rivals around the world just haven't -- particularly newspapers around the world haven't got the resources to invest in these national reporting. for example in this country, in the united states, on website and radio broadcasts by national public radio, we're kind of bigger here in journalism than before. >> greater ipod app, by the way. a great ipad app. it seems so foreign to us that the main news source in a western democracy would be run -- owned by the government. how do you balance that? we obviously saw during the iraq war, the bbc was extraordinarily tough on blair's government. >> we have a tradition since our two countries went two ways

. >> my name is mark thompson, and i'm the host of make it plain on xirius x.m. radio. of applause. [applause] >> we continue the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. where he stood and spoke on this very spot in 1963. and made the demand for jobs, justice, and peace. we come back today making similar demands, jobs, justice, education, and peace. this is a continuum of the struggle that he began those many years ago. and so since we have continued this struggle, there is no way possible that anyone can say we've come here to react or respond to anyone. our struggle has continued. if anything, they have been reacting and responding to us. and as dr. king said, when they used inner position and nullification in 1963, we know that those who would oppose jobs, justice, education, and peace continue to use in a position and nullification today. but we are resolved to stand together, to see to it that this is a movement and not a

judy thompson was marking the time before she loses her home. >> judy thompson: three months maybe, ande been in that house since 1982. i don't want to move. >> pelley: where you going to go? >> thompson: i don't know. i'm trying not to think that far ahead. but anyway, didn't mean to get emotional. sorry. >> pelley: that's... that's all right, judy. thank you very much. thank you. sara huber may lose her family business of 23 years. >> sara huber: everything's gone, and we can't survive because these people can't survive. >> pelley: because these people don't have jobs, they're not coming to your business? >> huber: the equity lines are frozen, right. people don't... they don't have credit. there's nothing there. >> pelley: how long can your business go on? >> huber: we're going month to month, literally. i'm praying for more work. >> pelley: jim wild has been applying for jobs two years. >> jim wild: i've gone though the tier one companies. i've gone though the tier two companies, and now i'm down to target. i just got a job offer from target to work a part-time job at $9.50 or $9.25

my name is mark thompson. i am the host of "make it plain" on sirius xm radio. this is a great day.a round of applause. we continue the legacy of dr. martin luther king, jr., where he stood and spoke on this very spot in 1963. he made the demand for jobs, justice, and peace. we come back today making similar demands -- and jobs, justice, education, and peace. this is a continuum of the struggle that he began those many years ago. and so, since we have continued this struggle, there is no way possible that anyone can say we have come here to react or respond to anyone. our struggle has continued. if anything, they have been reacting and responding to us. as dr. king said, when they used inner position and nullification in 1963, we know that those who would oppose jobs, justice, education, and peace continue to use inner position and nullification today. but we are resolved to stand together, to see to it that this moment.ement and not a to see to it that, while 2008 was about voting to the -- for the president, 2010 is about voting for the people. [applause] we are one nation. we are