I agree with most of these observations. The gist seems to be that
shortwave is becoming more and more marginalized. This in itself is
nothing new. Shortwave has been a marginal medium for decades now. It's
marginalization is also, in my opinion, one of its strengths. What
attracts many people to the shortwave bands is precisely the
possibility of hearing something different, something besides the
standard crap you hear on FM, broadcast AM, etc. Yes, the big
broadcasters appear to be abandoning shortwave, but (1) there's
*plenty* to listen to on shortwave besides the big broadcasters and (2)
it's not yet clear how the big boys' retreat from shortwave is going to
play out. Swiss Radio International and RVI both abandoned shortwave
broadcasts some time ago in favor of the internet. You may have
listened to these broadcasters regularly, but have you visited their
websites since they left the airwaves?

Me neither.

Steve