"Honus" wrote in message
news


Traditional propaganda international SW broadcasting is being cut back.

Why? Especially if airtime's so cheap.


Producing the programming is probably far more expensive than running the
transmitters, although much more of the international broadcasters
programming is now being taken from domestic radio sources, rather than
being specially produced by specially for shortwave. Normally, foreign
language programming is the first to get trimmed.

Most governments expect some justification for their expenses, and SW
broadcasting is vunerable. The Cold War is over, I don't think there was
ever much evidence that international SW broadcasting between first world
nations made much difference.

One of the BBC executives said something like their target audience was
"opinion formers and decision makers" and they were dropping SW broadcasting
to North America because they didn't think such people were listening.
Also, the BBC is able to sell some programming to US domestic stations.



A buck a minute, huh? Now, if I only had something important to say! eg

The rate can be lower for big time buyers. Brother Stair says broadcasters
have offered him time as low as seven or eight dollars an hour, with the
provision that he can be bumped off without warning if the station owner can
find a buyer at a better rate.

However, while broadcasters are expected to pay for their airtime, there's
no requirement that they have anything important to say.



And there's plenty of time for sale, not only for evangalists, but for
most
anybody who has a few bucks and is just bustin' out with Special
Knowledge.

And there's certainly no shortage of -them-.


Yes, but subset of the Special Knowledge group that actually has any money
is smaller. Some of SW radio's most entertaining programming comes when a
station owner gets on the air and gripes about the deadbeats.

Frank Dresser