For the 100m or so people whom the organisers said voted by Saturday night, and for the many who watch a global broadcast of the results, the benefit presumably matched that of the ancient Greek travellers: the fun of it all.

ECONOMIST: Listing the world's seven wonders

He has been in many productions in Australia, Europe and the U.S. He has sung Escamillo in "Carmen" before, most notably in 2010, when he was called to fill in for a singer three hours before a global broadcast of a Metropolitan Opera performance.

WSJ: Opera Singer Builds Up Stamina for 'Carmen'

Another idea is to move away from providing a global, centrally broadcast, round-the-clock radio network, and concentrate on supplying content to local rebroadcasters.

ECONOMIST: The BBC