"T. Early" wrote in message
...

"Brian Denley" wrote in message
news:16%Sb.201644$na.333691@attbi_s04...
Mike:
Don't listen to him. US BBC listeners are at an all time high.
Many of
trust that source over the ones we have here.


Wouldn't the BBC's -much- wider relatively recent distribution through
numerous FM/public radio outlets account for the increase in
listenership here? It seems to make sense that, if you make something
regularly available to a significant enough number of people, a
certain percentage are going to find it their liking, esp. on public
radio.

Exactly. If BBC listenership is at an all-time high, a big part of the
reason is simple availability from sources _other_ than shortwave
(listenership via shortwave is rapidly decreasing). One of the reasons the
BBC finds favor is that they provide coverage (on just about any subject) in
much more detail than do U.S. broadcasters with the exception of NPR.
However, it's important to keep in mind that sheer high volume of material
on a given subject doesn't, in itself, mean that the product is
"trustworthy." The extent of coverage does not necessarily have anything to
do with accuracy or trustworthiness.

As far as U.S. commercial broadcasting is concerned, there isn't enough
serious coverage of _any_ subject to even allow a listener to judge much of
anything about the reportage except that it's brief. Public broadcasters,
the BBC, NPR and so on, do tend to provide much more detail and analysis of
a very wide range of subjects. It's kind of interesting (and only that) to
note that, for example, NPR News is a far bigger _radio_ news organization
than CBS, ABC etc. _combined_. Broadcast radio news (network) in the United
States ceased to be an important or even serious activity in commercial
radio in the late 1950's. Note that nothing I've written here has anything
at all to do with the truthfulness or reliability of _any_ news
organization. I have not cast aspersions on any broadcaster, so no need to
reply as though I did. I also got up on the wrong side of the bed this
morning :-).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Don Forsling

"Iowa--Gateway to Those Big Rectangular States"