"In the early 1990s, the BBC recognised the importance of the Internet and invested heavily in it. We set up the BBC News web site, which led on to other forms of digital service such as broadband and mobile services.
"Today we are only beginning to fully understand the "on-demand" culture for news. On-demand and particularly wireless services are going to have a particularly important future. Electronic news will be crucial. We are looking at how we can develop our services to take advantage of video on demand, broadband and the latest mobile handsets and networks."
It has been suggested that the number of news viewers is in decline with the new generation, that only the older generation are interested in the news. "I don't think this is true," Sambrook explained. "What is changing is the way people absorb their news. The younger generation, the younger demographics, are very interested in news if they can control how and when they receive it. This is why on-demand will become increasingly important. This level of control started with the Internet but it is clear we are now on a curve with much to learn. Technology continues to move rapidly and we have to try to keep up with that.
"There is a fundamental shift going on between broadcasters telling the world what we think they want to know and the audience being able to pull, on demand, what they want to know. The fundamental relationship between broadcasters and their audience in general is changing."
So what does he think of the latest trend of Internet blogging?
"Blogging is simply a means of publication, but one in which the barriers of entry to public debate and public discourse have fallen to zero. You can set up a blog for no financial outlay whatsoever and if you understand the Internet and get your site linked to, you can build up a readership quite easily. Yet, you get an awful number of sites which are very opinionated and unrestrained. You do not really know what you're getting when you read a blog.
"On the other hand, for the exact same reasons, it is one of the most exciting developments in this field I have seen in almost 30 years as a journalist because so many people are now taking part in public debate. It's like the bringing in of the printing press 300 years ago when suddenly all these pamphlets appeared which were all very opinionated. In the end it all shakes down. People learn which ones to trust and which ones not to trust, and a degree of regulation will be bought to bear. I'm sure something similar will happen to blogging. Some of the wilder ones will die off as people will understand that they are not to be trusted. There will be fewer groups of blogs which are trusted and become more part of the media which we all today recognise. But I think the opening up of the public debate is a really interesting initiative and in the end it will be very helpful.
"I don't think that just because you write a blog you can automatically call yourself a journalist and therefore you do not get the same kinds of protection. Rights _ as in the right to address the public and take part in public debate _ also come with responsibility. What we've seen to date is that bloggers are keen to assert their rights to take part in the public discourse but haven't taken a lot of care in their responsibility towards public debate and to ensure that they act responsibility, that they are accurate and fair and all of those other journalistic principles. Until that is understood and better established I do not think they can necessarily expect _ though I don't want to rule anything out _ to attract the same kind of protection as journalists have."
Sambrook said that the BBC viewed Asia as an incredibly interesting region which will only grow in importance. The vibrancy and confidence of Bangkok is clear to see and though nothing specific has been decided it is highly likely the BBC will be investing more in Thailand in the future.
"Asia is going to be an important inspiration for the rest of the world, a source of innovation and trends in fashion and culture. A global broadcaster like the BBC will have to report on that but hopefully we will benefit from that as well as we learn from Asia."
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