"Mike Terry" wrote in message ...
Radio Netherlands, Netherlands

... this diversification into TV should be proceeding apace at the very time
when we are on the brink of a new era of digital broadcasting on shortwave -
or are we ...

I really doubt it. No one will care about digital BC on SW, except for
a few hard core SW listeners. The mainstream public would ignore it.
The SW bands will continue to steadily die off as far as analog BC is
concerned. And I don't see them being replaced by digital. Who would
care enough to listen and make it a feasable project for the
broadcaster? Who would waste the money for the receive gear needed?
When you can buy hi-fi stereo satellite radio with half a zillion
channels, digi SW would be lame in comparison to the average user. I
don't doubt *some* radio will eventually go digital, as TV is already,
but I don't see it hitting big on the SW bands. In my head, I see it
more likely on hi-fi VHF FM, and SAT radio, etc. I see SW-BC dieing
off nearly totally eventually, although it will still be quite a few
years off. To be replaced by SAT and internet channeled radio, that
gives the user the option of listening to the ACTUAL *local*
programming desired. IE: Africa...Instead of digital SW-BC, I see
digital SAT radio with rebroadcast of the many local African stations
a more viable option. Much like listening to far off local BC stations
on the internet...I actually enjoy that myself, although it seems the
push for internet radio kind of flopped. I used to listen to one
Australian AM-BC station quite a bit on the internet...It's weird
listening to an AM station on the other side of the world with a
perfectly noise free signal and no fading... MK