|
Reason why?
Why did Radio Deutsche Welle stop transmitting on SW in English?
Two weeks ago, I heard that Swiss Radio International was going to do the same. What will become of the shorwave bands? -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------- For accurate coverage of the day's events, go to http://www.nationalreview.com |
Lance Storm schrieb: Why did Radio Deutsche Welle stop transmitting on SW in English? Because you guys should learn some german... SCNR |
Sadam, the Chinese, the Russians and now the Japanese have decided not
to support the U.S. dollar - at least to the extent it has been supported in the past. The English speaking politicians of America have decided NOT to close off the borders though they claim to be fighting terrorism. Instead they are spreading terrorism. We are supposed to become so terrorized that we willingly give up ALL our rights to those who would gladly destroy us. We even have to put on our coffee cups - in four different languages - "Caution Hot" so that invaders no longer have to learn English - or learn that coffee is SUPPOSED to be HOT. Perhaps this is just one more step in phasing out the good ol' English language just as there is an attempt to phase out the WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) and the God which they at one time served. That was before they succumbed to the doctrines of Balaam. Why should ANYONE broadcast in any language that they are attempting to phase out? Perhaps we could now do completely away with ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN except that they are needed to continue to lull us to sleep! Good night! ;-) ================= Lance Storm wrote: Why did Radio Deutsche Welle stop transmitting on SW in English? Two weeks ago, I heard that Swiss Radio International was going to do the same. What will become of the shorwave bands? |
"Al Patrick" wrote in message ... Sadam, the Chinese, the Russians and now the Japanese have decided not to support the U.S. dollar - at least to the extent it has been supported in the past. Do you have any badly faked pictures to prove your point? B.H. |
"Lance Storm" wrote in message news:0sLld.96248$R05.40249@attbi_s53... What will become of the shorwave bands? Lance, Its sad but it does allow weaker power dx stations to be heard on sw. The internet is fast taking over from sw radio. That's progress I suppose... Mike |
You wouldn't believe any evidence I presented so why bother? :-)
========= Brian Hill wrote: "Al Patrick" wrote in message ... Sadam, the Chinese, the Russians and now the Japanese have decided not to support the U.S. dollar - at least to the extent it has been supported in the past. Do you have any badly faked pictures to prove your point? B.H. |
"Al Patrick" wrote in message ... You wouldn't believe any evidence I presented so why bother? :-) True. ;) B.H. |
Lance Storm wrote:
Why did Radio Deutsche Welle stop transmitting on SW in English? Two weeks ago, I heard that Swiss Radio International was going to do the same. What will become of the shorwave bands? The Swiss have stopped broadcasting on SW altogether. There was recently a post on this group that a Swiss amateur radio club is briefly using the old SRI transmitters, but after that the whole operation will be dismantled. As for DW, they haven't totally stopped transmitting in English on SW, but their current English SW broadcasts-mostly to Africa-are hard to hear in North America. Like the BBC, DW management thinks SW is out of date and is concentrating on the internet and satellite. The BBC has stated that it isn't interested in being heard by ordinary people, only the powerful, and they all have internet and satellite connections. I suspect the same thinking is going on at DW. As for VOA, it's being phased out in favor of music based services like Radio Sawa. Having listened to Sawa's SW tx's, I can say that they sound a lot like an American FM station, except with a little bit of "news" interspersed with the music. Apparently the US govt thinks that the best way to turn Muslim youth away from terrorism is to broadcast rap music to them. I would think that that would create terrorists, not stop them. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
Dan wrote:
On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 15:00:37 -0800, tommyknocker wrote: As for DW, they haven't totally stopped transmitting in English on SW, but their current English SW broadcasts-mostly to Africa-are hard to hear in North America. Like the BBC, DW management thinks SW is out of date and is concentrating on the internet and satellite. It's not that they "think SW is out of date" - SW *is* out of date. Today's listeners are used to clean, digital sound. No one is thrilled by chasing noisy, static-filled, fading signals these days. You know, with sufficient relay stations, SW can be heard clearly anywhere in the world. The big guys such as DW and BBC had relays that allowed them to cover most of North America with great signals. VOA used to have relays around the world that allowed them to penetrate even the noisiest conditions, including the massive jamming operations of the Soviet Bloc. Sure, it's not FM stereo, but stereo sound is necessary only if you're listening to music. Unfortunately, the moguls and managers who run many radio operations today are focused on music and not the news and features that have been SW staples. VOA is being shut down in favor of FM stations that carry American music, such as Radio Sawa, which is broadcast mostly on local FM stations in the Middle East. I remember reading a quote in an article on Sawa that said it best: liking American music doesn't mean you like America. But the US government seems to think otherwise. When the USSR fell, we learned that the Soviet people wanted the news and information their own government denied them, not rock music. Why should we think that people in the Middle East, where most "news" is of the "non Muslims are evil and must be killed, see this?" variety, are any different? Internet and satellite broadcasting are where it's at these days. SW broadcasting's days are numbered. We need to enjoy them while we can. Internet broadcasting has one BIG problem, and that's bandwidth. I've tried listening to streaming web radio for prolonged periods of time on a 56k dialup connection, and the result is always the same-a gradual degradation of signal quality due to "net congestion" that ends up with the signal sounding mostly like BBs rattling around in a soup can. I later learned that the rattling was a placeholder the program put wherever the packets didn't make it, and after a while a LOT of packets get dropped. As for satellite, as far as I know you have to subscribe to it to get it, which leaves the people who can't pay the fees out of luck. Did you know that half of humanity lives on less than $1 a day? How do you expect them to pay for satellite radio, even if they want to listen to every concievable style of American music there is? ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
"Mike Terry" wrote in message ...
"Lance Storm" wrote in message news:0sLld.96248$R05.40249@attbi_s53... What will become of the shorwave bands? Lance, Its sad but it does allow weaker power dx stations to be heard on sw. The internet is fast taking over from sw radio. That's progress I suppose... Mike Good point...it does allow weaker stations to be heard, which is a good thing. Broadcasters will come and go, whether they broadcast over shortwave or any other medium. I for one see no grounds for pessimism here. Sometimes I have the sense that when people talk about the "future of shortwave", what they really mean is the future of whatever large broadcast stations they listen to on a regular basis--not the future of the shortwave bands themselves. I see some reasons to be pessimistic about (some of) the former (depending on their goals and program content). I see no reason to be pessimistic about the latter. Steve |
On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 10:11 am, Lance Storm posted
to rec.radio.shortwave: %MM Why did Radio Deutsche Welle stop transmitting on SW in English? Two weeks ago, I heard that Swiss Radio International was going to do the same. What will become of the shorwave bands? You can get DW in English still but not directed to N America. Rebroadcast late at night, only catch it if having insomnia. |
Steve wrote:
"Mike Terry" wrote in message ... "Lance Storm" wrote in message news:0sLld.96248$R05.40249@attbi_s53... What will become of the shorwave bands? Lance, Its sad but it does allow weaker power dx stations to be heard on sw. The internet is fast taking over from sw radio. That's progress I suppose... Mike Good point...it does allow weaker stations to be heard, which is a good thing. Broadcasters will come and go, whether they broadcast over shortwave or any other medium. I for one see no grounds for pessimism here. Sometimes I have the sense that when people talk about the "future of shortwave", what they really mean is the future of whatever large broadcast stations they listen to on a regular basis--not the future of the shortwave bands themselves. I see some reasons to be pessimistic about (some of) the former (depending on their goals and program content). I see no reason to be pessimistic about the latter. Steve I'll tell everybody what I honestly see happening to shortwave. There will be 4-5 Big Boys, major stations that broadcast in every major language and can be heard almost anywhere, like Radio China and Radio Netherlands. Then there will be a zillion Little Guys, small regional stations that broadcast only to a relatively local audience and almost none of which will be in English-but in local languages and dialects. This will mean the death of QSLing, since Big Boys will have paid monitors and Little Guys won't have the money or language skills to answer their reception reports. But if you're not a QSL hog, it will mean wonderful opportunities for DX, since a lot of the blowtorch stations that characterized the Cold War will be gone or on the air under different names and reduced power (think Radio Kiev, which is now Ukraine Radio International and is hard to hear, or Radio Tirana, which used to be infamous for its bizarre rants but is now almost inaudible) opening up opportunities to hear signals that during the Cold War were blanked by the blowtorches. I've never sent for a QSL in my life, so I'm not concerned about reception reports, but I'll be listening for the small Sam Neua station in Laos that Passport talked about in the 2005 edition as long as their transmitter doesn't burn the station down. Most of the world's population can't afford internet access or satellite radio and will not be able to in the foreseeable future. A lot of those people live outside the range of existing AM and FM stations. So shortwave radio will be around for a while, just not in the form that it was during the Cold War. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
Why should ANYONE broadcast in any language that they are attempting to
phase out? well, all those foreigners are complaining that us Americans arew only listening to news from American sources and aren't listening to their news sources. (despite the fact that many Americans have and listen to shortwave radios. If they phase out their English language services, then we Americans will indeed be limited to hearing news only from American sources. Not everyone has a computer. And most people still don't. And a lot can't afford a computer, either. |
Like the BBC, DW management thinks SW is out of
date and is concentrating on the internet and satellite. And that's their big mistake. I know a lot of people who would not pay for a computer, internet access, or satellite radio, even if they can afford it. And then, there's also all those people who can't afford any of that, evven if they wanted it. |
bug wrote:
On 14 Nov 2004 19:10:21 -0600, Dan wrote: You can, however, hear all of these and more, free of static and fading, on the net. True, but we still have to contend with internet broadcasting's lack of charm compared to SW broadcasting AND net congestion -- even with a *broadband* connection! You get "net congestion" even with *broadband*? I was listening on dialup and the "net congestion" would cause the broadcast to cut out abruptly and unpredictably. SW may fade, but it doesn't stop in midsentence as web radio does. And then there's the signal degradation, which eventually results in so many missed packets that the broadcast becomes nearly impossible to listen to. Add in the fact that most of the world's population doesn't even have a computer much less net access and web radio has a long way to go before it can be viable. Apparently the morons at DW and BBC haven't figured that out yet. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
"Lance Storm" wrote in message news:0sLld.96248$R05.40249@attbi_s53... Why did Radio Deutsche Welle stop transmitting on SW in English? The easy answer is they stopped broadcasting in English to save money. International broadcasting is a form of public diplomacy. Whether international broadcasting from one first world country to another actually works as public diplomacy is an important question. I don't think it makes much difference. Certainly few Americans listen to SW radio. I can't think of any US election in which international broadcasting played any role. I don't remember any significant public pressure put on Congress by SWLs. I can't blame the Germans, or anyone else, if they want to spend their limited resources somewhere else. There is still DW English programming in the US. The local college public TV station runs some DW programming, and it may be also available on college/public radio stations. Two weeks ago, I heard that Swiss Radio International was going to do the same. What will become of the shorwave bands? They will become more interesting. There will be a higher percentage of the hidden knowledge crowd, evangelists and pirates. Frank Dresser |
I'll tell everybody what I honestly see happening to shortwave. There will be 4-5 Big Boys, major stations that broadcast in every major language and can be heard almost anywhere, like Radio China and Radio Netherlands. Then there will be a zillion Little Guys, small regional stations that broadcast only to a relatively local audience and almost none of which will be in English-but in local languages and dialects. This will mean the death of QSLing, since Big Boys will have paid monitors and Little Guys won't have the money or language skills to answer their reception reports. But if you're not a QSL hog, it will mean wonderful opportunities for DX, since a lot of the blowtorch stations that characterized the Cold War will be gone or on the air under different names and reduced power (think Radio Kiev, which is now Ukraine Radio International and is hard to hear, or Radio Tirana, which used to be infamous for its bizarre rants but is now almost inaudible) opening up opportunities to hear signals that during the Cold War were blanked by the blowtorches. I've never sent for a QSL in my life, so I'm not concerned about reception reports, but I'll be listening for the small Sam Neua station in Laos that Passport talked about in the 2005 edition as long as their transmitter doesn't burn the station down. Most of the world's population can't afford internet access or satellite radio and will not be able to in the foreseeable future. A lot of those people live outside the range of existing AM and FM stations. So shortwave radio will be around for a while, just not in the form that it was during the Cold War. Interesting. I agree with much of this, but I think there will be more major broadcasters. I wasn't at all surprised when the Swiss pulled out because of the nature of their programming. My sense was that their programs were designed to prop up their tourism industry and, if so, that's something they can do more efficiently via the internet. However, if a country, group or institution has a real message to get out, I don't think the internet, all by itself, is enough. In other words, I don't think they'll be content to put up a website and wait for people to stumble across it. They'll want to take a more proactive approach to securing an international audience. Satellite radio is a possibility, but so is shortwave, depending on the nature of the audience they hope to reach. But maybe I'm missing something. I'm not used to being the 'optimist' in connection with any issue, but I appear to be just that where the future of shortwave is concerned. Steve |
"Steve" wrote in message om... I'll tell everybody what I honestly see happening to shortwave. There will be 4-5 Big Boys, major stations that broadcast in every major language and can be heard almost anywhere, like Radio China and Radio Netherlands. Then there will be a zillion Little Guys, small regional stations that broadcast only to a relatively local audience and almost none of which will be in English-but in local languages and dialects. This will mean the death of QSLing, since Big Boys will have paid monitors and Little Guys won't have the money or language skills to answer their reception reports. But if you're not a QSL hog, it will mean wonderful opportunities for DX, since a lot of the blowtorch stations that characterized the Cold War will be gone or on the air under different names and reduced power (think Radio Kiev, which is now Ukraine Radio International and is hard to hear, or Radio Tirana, which used to be infamous for its bizarre rants but is now almost inaudible) opening up opportunities to hear signals that during the Cold War were blanked by the blowtorches. I've never sent for a QSL in my life, so I'm not concerned about reception reports, but I'll be listening for the small Sam Neua station in Laos that Passport talked about in the 2005 edition as long as their transmitter doesn't burn the station down. Most of the world's population can't afford internet access or satellite radio and will not be able to in the foreseeable future. A lot of those people live outside the range of existing AM and FM stations. So shortwave radio will be around for a while, just not in the form that it was during the Cold War. Interesting. I agree with much of this, but I think there will be more major broadcasters. I wasn't at all surprised when the Swiss pulled out because of the nature of their programming. My sense was that their programs were designed to prop up their tourism industry and, if so, that's something they can do more efficiently via the internet. However, if a country, group or institution has a real message to get out, I don't think the internet, all by itself, is enough. In other words, I don't think they'll be content to put up a website and wait for people to stumble across it. They'll want to take a more proactive approach to securing an international audience. Satellite radio is a possibility, but so is shortwave, depending on the nature of the audience they hope to reach. But maybe I'm missing something. I'm not used to being the 'optimist' in connection with any issue, but I appear to be just that where the future of shortwave is concerned. There are several problems with relying on the internet: -If you are a broadcaster moving to the internet only, you are abandoning the people who can't afford to access the internet. If your target audience is on the internet, then that makes sense. If it's not, then you've lost that audience; permanently, most likely. Someone will fill that void, but if that new broadcaster has a differing point of view than you... -Unlike shortwave where a listener can randomly tune the bands and can find something interesting, you actually have to search to find Radio Swiss International. The internet is a true equalizer, but if you are a broadcaster and are used to people happening upon your station, you're going to be sadly disapppointed. People have to actively seek you out on the internet, as there is simply so much there that a broadcaster won't fall into an internet user's lap.. -A corollary to #2 above is that the internet plays a part in dividing people just as well as uniting people. If you are on the net, you don't have to be exposed to opposing points of view if you don't want to, and you can choose to stay in your own little world and believe anything you read if you wish. You can do that with shortwave, too, but if you get the shortwave "bug", by nature you'll be exposed to different ideas by trying to listen to various stations. In it's own way, the print media is finding that trying to get people to subscribe to their websites (Washington Post comes to mind) when other items are free is a big drawback, and that I'd imagine that big shortwave broadcasters will find out the same rather shortly. --Mike L. |
I think the reason why many international broadcasters are phasing out their shortwave services is because they are catching on to the fact that very few members of the public, aside from radio hobbyists, are listening. It simply doesn't make financial sense for the governments of these countries to continue pumping mega-money into these facilities just so a radio hobbyist overseas can add another entry into their logbooks. Most DX'ers could care less about the actual program content. For them the fun is in capturing an elusive signal. I realize there are still many places in the world that rely on SW due to remote locations, local regulations, etc. Those places are the ones the government SW broadcasters should focus on. In most urban areas in most countries, local FM dominates the listening habits of the general public. Here in the USA, in my neck of the woods, hardly anyone listens to MW/AM any more. I remember a friend of mine being absolutely astounded that my car radio could pick up WCBS-AM 880 in NYC. She thought I had some kind of special supercharged radio. I would have shown her how to get the BBC and really impressed her if I'd had my shortwave reciever with me. But the BBC World Service is available on local FM here, in stereo with no atmospheric interference, so why bother? Like it or not, international shortwave broadcasting is slowly going the way of the LP vinyl record. It is much more cost-effective to beam programming overseas via satellite then rebroadcast it on local FM. As broadband internet becomes more widely deployed, look for it to become another similar medium. Before you get out your flamethrowers, I want to state for the record that I am an SW listener and I much prefer to use radios that glow in the dark and get warm. But unfortunately we are in the minority there. Watch for more international megawatt broadcasters to shut down as this trend continues. GTTyson |
On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 12:04:28 -0500, Al Patrick
wrote: We even have to put on our coffee cups - in four different languages - "Caution Hot" so that invaders no longer have to learn English - or learn that coffee is SUPPOSED to be HOT. One word -- lawyers. As for multiple languages, I once worked for an outfit that had rolls of "GARBAGE" stickers to peel off and apply to boxes or bags to be thrown out. The word for garbage was also written in about eight other languages, including Spanish, Veitnamese, chinese, etc. Someone once became offended that the word was in so many languages. I explained to him, "The word GARBAGE is in English because that's the only language you speak. The rest are because none of your kids will apply for the job, Whitey." |
Thanks for the good replies. You folks are an interesting bunch.
I haven't posted much to the group, but I'll give you a little background on me and the "hobby" and then some additional commentary. Probably like many of you, I started my interest as a young kid, who found international broacasting interesting from both the news/opinion perspective and the technology perspective. An older neighbor, who was a Ham, gave me an old Shortwave receiver that he wasn't using (It's a Knight - Star Roamer - I still have it and it works great!) . I also took an interest in "morse code". Eventually, with some coaxing I ended up getting my Ham Ticket. The StarRoamer helped me practice copying code and helped me to get my license. My hobby was somewhat consistent even up through college, and having the variety of opinion was helpful for a Poli-Sci major. My favorite shows we The BBC (when it was less critical of the US and reported more news than opinion), Deutsche Welle's "Random Selection" and "Living in Germany" which was broadcast on Sundays by a guy named Larry Wayne - an American living abroad. I also liked the European press review. Radio Netherlands: Media Network Swiss Radio International: Sunday program with two halarious guys. For watever reason, the both hobbies tended to get shelved for work and other interests. I've really just come back into the hobby after about a 5 year hiatus and you can imagine looking for DW and a few other programs to find nothing (and to hear SRI say that they are not going to be broadcasting anymore). Not to mention that I purchased a new shortwave radio - a Grundig Yacht Boy 4000 PE - great radio by the way. I was hoping to get back into the old shows I enjoyed. Well, like everything - things change. I just hope I get some good use out of the new radio. Well that's my story. Hopefully, a few of you cared to read it. I'm sure there are a few of you with similiar experiences. If anyone could point me to an up to date radio guide, I'd appreciate it. Many online guides are way out of date. I actually began to doubt the YB, because I couldn't find the stations until I realized that -- I will never find those stations - again! LOL! 73's Christian |
| On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:59:54 GMT, "G.T. Tyson" wrote:
| | | | I think the reason why many international broadcasters are phasing out | their shortwave services is because they are catching on to the fact | that very few members of the public, aside from radio hobbyists, are | listening. Then how would you explain the fact that Sony and Sangean are reporting record sales of portables? J/W 73, Steve Lawrence KAØPMD Burnsville, Minnesota "If a man wants his dreams to come true then he must wake up." - Anonymous --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date: 11/1/04 |
In article ,
bug wrote: On 15 Nov 2004 06:27:01 GMT, (Stereophile22) wrote: Like the BBC, DW management thinks SW is out of date and is concentrating on the internet and satellite. And that's their big mistake. I know a lot of people who would not pay for a computer, internet access, or satellite radio, even if they can afford it. Actually, I think it's rather elitist for these shortwave stations to take a switch-to-the-internet-and-they-will-come attitude. Sure, I can afford a broadband internet connection, but many can't even afford a dial-up connection. There has to be some common ground between shortwave broadcasting and internet streaming. Hey, think about it in the frame of mind of a back stabbing organization climber (back some years ago in the middle of the dot.com boom). Which has the greater possibilites for promotion, a "new media dot.com powerhouse broadcaster" or a staid traditional international broadcaster? Why, the dot.com of course, (the new future!), now lets go out and spend megabucks on those servers that will drain the budget and be an albatross around the organization's neck for decades to come. A whole new nexus of power in the organization, a giant vacuum to suck up ... Mark Zenier Washington State resident |
Stephen M.H. Lawrence wrote: | On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:59:54 GMT, "G.T. Tyson" wrote: | | | | I think the reason why many international broadcasters are phasing out | their shortwave services is because they are catching on to the fact | that very few members of the public, aside from radio hobbyists, are | listening. Then how would you explain the fact that Sony and Sangean are reporting record sales of portables? J/W 73, How many of those are being sold in the USA? gtt |
Stephen M.H. Lawrence wrote:
| On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:59:54 GMT, "G.T. Tyson" wrote: | | | | I think the reason why many international broadcasters are phasing out | their shortwave services is because they are catching on to the fact | that very few members of the public, aside from radio hobbyists, are | listening. Then how would you explain the fact that Sony and Sangean are reporting record sales of portables? The same Sony that's getting out of the shortwave radio market entirely? The same Sangean that hasn't introduced a new model in years, and got hit bad when RS decided not to sell SW radios any longer? However, I've read that shortwave is hugely popular in Asia, which is why obscure Chinese electronics makers have come out of the woodwork offering small portable SW radios. Other than that, I'd like to see proof that there are "record sales of portables" in the Western world. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
tommyknocker wrote: Stephen M.H. Lawrence wrote: | On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:59:54 GMT, "G.T. Tyson" wrote: | | | | I think the reason why many international broadcasters are phasing out | their shortwave services is because they are catching on to the fact | that very few members of the public, aside from radio hobbyists, are | listening. Then how would you explain the fact that Sony and Sangean are reporting record sales of portables? The same Sony that's getting out of the shortwave radio market entirely? The same Sangean that hasn't introduced a new model in years, and got hit bad when RS decided not to sell SW radios any longer? However, I've read that shortwave is hugely popular in Asia, which is why obscure Chinese electronics makers have come out of the woodwork offering small portable SW radios. Other than that, I'd like to see proof that there are "record sales of portables" in the Western world. I haven't been following this entire thread, but I wonder what the definition of a 'portable' is. SW included, or not? dxAce Michigan USA |
In article , dxAce
wrote: tommyknocker wrote: Stephen M.H. Lawrence wrote: | On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:59:54 GMT, "G.T. Tyson" wrote: | | | | I think the reason why many international broadcasters are | phasing out | their shortwave services is because they are catching on to | the fact that very few members of the public, aside from radio | hobbyists, are listening. Then how would you explain the fact that Sony and Sangean are reporting record sales of portables? The same Sony that's getting out of the shortwave radio market entirely? The same Sangean that hasn't introduced a new model in years, and got hit bad when RS decided not to sell SW radios any longer? However, I've read that shortwave is hugely popular in Asia, which is why obscure Chinese electronics makers have come out of the woodwork offering small portable SW radios. Other than that, I'd like to see proof that there are "record sales of portables" in the Western world. I haven't been following this entire thread, but I wonder what the definition of a 'portable' is. SW included, or not? Here is mine: 1. Easily carried with one hand so the other hand can operate it pushing buttons and turning knobs. 2. Self contained operation - has built in antenna and batteries so it actually functions as it is carried around for some useful period of time. -- Telamon Ventura, California |
It's on Sirius satellite channel 115.
On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 12:07:39 GMT, "Frank Dresser" wrote: "Lance Storm" wrote in message news:0sLld.96248$R05.40249@attbi_s53... Why did Radio Deutsche Welle stop transmitting on SW in English? The easy answer is they stopped broadcasting in English to save money. International broadcasting is a form of public diplomacy. Whether international broadcasting from one first world country to another actually works as public diplomacy is an important question. I don't think it makes much difference. Certainly few Americans listen to SW radio. I can't think of any US election in which international broadcasting played any role. I don't remember any significant public pressure put on Congress by SWLs. I can't blame the Germans, or anyone else, if they want to spend their limited resources somewhere else. There is still DW English programming in the US. The local college public TV station runs some DW programming, and it may be also available on college/public radio stations. Two weeks ago, I heard that Swiss Radio International was going to do the same. What will become of the shorwave bands? They will become more interesting. There will be a higher percentage of the hidden knowledge crowd, evangelists and pirates. Frank Dresser |
Very well said Michael. :-)
On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 11:08:01 -0500, "Michael Lawson" wrote: "Steve" wrote in message . com... I'll tell everybody what I honestly see happening to shortwave. There will be 4-5 Big Boys, major stations that broadcast in every major language and can be heard almost anywhere, like Radio China and Radio Netherlands. Then there will be a zillion Little Guys, small regional stations that broadcast only to a relatively local audience and almost |
Another good response thanks.
I am currently trying to convince myself that I need to pay nearly a thousand dollars to buy a WinRadio G313I. I love surprised and like you all it is fun to hunker down and just turn the tuner, or push the button to seek stations not knowing what you will find from day to day. I love listening to the viewpoints of people from all over the world because I have traveled a lot and lived in many different countries, and states. I know for a fact that ALL humans are the same on the inside. If you are in a crowded movie theater and someone yells fire, everyone who understands English is going to run for the door, no matter what their skin color, or ethnic group, or religion. So I don't believe most of what America has to say about countries we call "Foreign" So I like listening to ChannelAfrica four or five hours a day to hear what they are doing. China is interesting, and so it Belgium, and the Netherlands. The problem is I can't get Channel Africa on my shortwave here in the Midwest of the USA. At that point, I turn to their home page on the Internet which I am listening to right now. I can hear African news as explained by an African; not an American, or an African lackey. Also during the daytime I receive very little of anything other than these Short wave preachers and other hate groups spewing out their garbage all day. So I use the Internet during the day. I can listen to Radio New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, and many other places clear as a bell all day long in many cases. It is very hard for me to think about spending so much money for a PC radio when I can hear everything perfectly on Webcast. So I am happy that I have both options available. I don't know much about satellite yet. I haven't signed up for any of those satellite radio services like sirus, or what its name. When I drive across country, I prefer to listen to the small local AM and FM stations in the areas that I'm driving through instead of listening to Rush Limbaugh, or Howard Stern for two thousand miles. Peace On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:59:54 GMT, "G.T. Tyson" wrote: I think the reason why many international broadcasters are phasing out their shortwave services is because they are catching on to the fact that very few members of the public, aside from radio hobbyists, are listening. It simply doesn't make financial sense for the governments of these countries to continue pumping mega-money into these facilities just so a radio hobbyist overseas can add another entry into their logbooks. Most DX'ers could care less about the actual program content. For them the fun is in capturing an elusive signal. I realize there are still many places in the world that rely on SW due to remote locations, local regulations, etc. Those places are the ones the government SW broadcasters should focus on. In most urban areas in most countries, local FM dominates the listening habits of the general public. Here in the USA, in my neck of the woods, hardly anyone listens to MW/AM any more. I remember a friend of mine being absolutely astounded that my car radio could pick up WCBS-AM 880 in NYC. She thought I had some kind of special supercharged radio. I would have shown her how to get the BBC and really impressed her if I'd had my shortwave reciever with me. But the BBC World Service is available on local FM here, in stereo with no atmospheric interference, so why bother? Like it or not, international shortwave broadcasting is slowly going the way of the LP vinyl record. It is much more cost-effective to beam programming overseas via satellite then rebroadcast it on local FM. As broadband internet becomes more widely deployed, look for it to become another similar medium. Before you get out your flamethrowers, I want to state for the record that I am an SW listener and I much prefer to use radios that glow in the dark and get warm. But unfortunately we are in the minority there. Watch for more international megawatt broadcasters to shut down as this trend continues. GTTyson |
Knowledge wrote in message
The problem is I can't get Channel Africa on my shortwave here in the Midwest of the USA. At that point, I turn to their home page on the Internet which I am listening to right now. I can hear African news as explained by an African; not an American, or an African lackey. Also during the daytime I receive very little of anything other than these Short wave preachers and other hate groups spewing out their garbage all day. Maybe you need to put up a better antenna? This might get you the reception you want and free you from the webcasts. Steve |
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