On 6/1/12 18:19 , Ric Trexell wrote:
It seems when I listen to shortwave now days on my little Grundig 400 Yacht
Boy, there is very little on. I'm wondering what you think will become of
SW. Will countries someday start broadcasting more and more? Will the
freqs go to some other high tech device or will it just be religious
broadcasts and the radical guys that keep telling us that the guys in
Washington and Brussels are going to lock us up? I used to hope for a
really nice SW radio someday, but now you have to hunt for an English
broadcast and then it only lasts for a hour or so. With the European
nations backrupt, I doubt they will be spending money on radio in the near
future. What do you say?






With multiple distribution channels on the rise, and radio as a whole
becoming less important, what with internet, satellite delivery, and
smartphone apps becoming widely available, with dramatically better
sound quality possible than SW, there is little means of justifying the
operating costs to bean counters overseeing SW radio budgets.

There was a great deal of discussion on this group when BBC
discontinued SW to North America, orphaning more than a million
listeners in a single stroke. But the decision was made on several
fronts. First was cost. It takes a lot to operate a SW outlet with
multiple frequencies, antenna and transmiter operations, in order to
reach and cover a single target with ongoing SW support. Then, there was
the question about who was actually listening. Mr Byford, Mangling
Director of the World Service at the time, said he no longer was
interested in broadcasting to hobbyists. Rather, he wanted to serve, and
these are his words, 'decision makers and opinion formers.' In other
words, politics was involved in the decision to take SW off line in
favor of other outlets with more politically useful listener numbers.
Third, there were already alternative media carrying BBC WS. the fact
that in some major outlets, the only BBC WS content was a few 5 minute
newscasts between 2a and 6a didn't matter. It was the right political
outlet reaching 'decision makers and opinion formers.' And, thus, met
the desired criteria.

And then, there was the budgetary line item that allowed Mr Byford,
himself, to keep as a bonus, monies not spent.

So, BBC WS programming left shortwave for North America.

Similar scenarios have developed around the world. Often without any
actual viable outlet for the broadcaster in question in the region no
longer being served. No matter. Any excuse will do when you need an excuse.

But, here, a decade later, there are some interesting and useful
developments. Web based audio is better, and distribution is more
reliable. Meaning, unlike the days when SW to North America was just
terminated, BBC Website distribution actually works. Some of it doesn't
sound too bad, either.

World Radio Network on SiriusXM offers a good deal of compelling
content throughout the day, with BBC, DW, RNW and many others represented.

Cellphone apps like Tuned-In offer a good deal of content formerly on
SW. I listen to "Dr Who' on BBC 4, for instance, on my iPhone every
evening at 6:30, from my location near Chicago. It's good quality,
stereo sound, and there's no buzzes, noise, dropouts, or fading
distortion. I can also record, for later, or go through archives of
previous shows at will. Similarly, other former SW broadcasters are
reaching audiences through smartphone apps.

So, there are options, now. And most of them actually work.

But that doesn't mean that there is no downside to this new
technology. Or that SW doesn't still have a place. Though expensive, SW
reached a worldwide audience without limitation by international
boundary, censorship, or third party carriage. Radio waves know nothing
of these things. And while cellphone apps, and internet content can be
censored, or switched off at will by a third party with a political axe
to grind, radio waves must be jammed with equally expensive and powerful
systems, that are only marginally effective. Radio requires no cables,
no monthly fees, or subscription registry. And radio works when nearly
everything else doesn't. Ask any ham.

Looking at a bigger picture, with the world becoming an evermore
dangerous place, and the need for nations to make their first best pitch
effective and compelling in the face of political opposition, or
conflict, SW may be the only option when the international community
finally throws in the towel and begins to return to sovereign nations,
with each its own agenda, and its own international needs, and its own
international message to get out. In that context, SW will be, again, an
invaluable resource in putting a face on a nation's politics.

Don't expect it anytime soon. But the threat of international
conflict grows daily. And remember that SW grew out of world war. If it
happens, again, you'll be glad you hung on to your Drakes, your ICOM's
and your AOR's. Because that may be the only source of news and
information available. Politicized, though it may be.