An interesting perspective on shortwave broadcasting

[k4kyv]

From the 1920s to the mid 1950s, international world-wide shortwave radio was widely used all over the world, even in the United States. In America, radios were commonly sold featuring, as standard features, the ordinary AM broadcast band for picking up nearby stations and the international broadcast shortwave band for reception of stations all over the world...

 Here in America, after World War II, there was a flood of former servicemen who were well-trained radio operators, electronics technicians, and engineers returning to their homes, and they were given by the Federal Communications Commission easily obtainable AM radio station licenses. Unlike many other nations involved in the war, America was not economically devastated by the war, and the infrastructure and cities were intact. Thusly, AM radio stations soon began appearing all over America, in cities large and small, owned and operated by former servicemen. The owners of these stations soon bonded together into large broadcasting trade organizations, seeking to protect their business interests by completely capturing the entire populace of the United States as a captive audience that would only listen to their advertising and messages. They began applying pressure on radio manufacturers in America to cease the inclusion of the international shortwave broadcasting bands in their radios, and after a time, they were successful. To this very day, those broadcasting organizations here in America continue to fight shortwave radio, hoping to someday render it completely extinct.

Surprisingly, the United States is alone in the world in its anti-shortwave radio policy... To this day, shortwave remains a very large part of life in Europe, the nations of the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, Africa, Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, all of the Americas (except the United States) and Southeast Asia, to the extent of it being very difficult to find any radio in these countries that does not include the ability to receive international shortwave.

Today, the... owners of the AM radio stations in America are at retirement age. Many of them are selling, or have already sold, their radio stations to giant corporate conglomerates that are rapidly obtaining a monopoly on AM and FM broadcasting... the conglomerates often will buy these stations for the purpose of turning them off, allowing them to file a request with the Federal Communications Commission to increase the power of their other broadcast stations to fill in the gaps in coverage of stations located in large metropolitan areas...

You may find interesting some of the facts this page reports regarding the state of present-day broadcasting in the US, mingled in with sectarian propaganda and expressions of paranoia about some evil force out to silence the free speech rights of religious broadcasters (despite their near 100% takeover of English language shortwave and the non-commercial segment at the low end of the FM band).   


http://www.wwrb.org/important.php

[ka3zlr]

It's a good report...interesting reading...

I'm still for Less Gov and less religion...But I would support better Critical Thinking Agendas..

I seen a commercial for Verizon's "Think Tool Box"...what's next Flip up Personal HUD displays...LOL... Pull the Plug...LOL...

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Take over? There was nothing to take over. They paid for the transmission systems and obtained the license from the FCC. Anyone else could do the same thing (WBCQ did). That they choose not to is not the fault of the religious broadcasters. The religious broadcasters took over nothing but rather are just exercising their rights. To attempt to paint this as a take over seems rather illogical and gives some credence to their claim of others wanting them shut down. Just who is being paranoid here?

You may find interesting some of the facts this page reports regarding the state of present-day broadcasting in the US, mingled in with sectarian propaganda and expressions of paranoia about some evil force out to silence the free speech rights of religious broadcasters (despite their near 100% takeover of English language shortwave and the non-commercial segment at the low end of the FM band).   

[k4kyv]

I don't think I am being paranoid, and yes, the religious broadcasters properly obtained their licences from the FCC and are using them to exert their First Amendment right of free speech. This is largely by default because the frequencies were there for the taking, both on FM and shortwave, and due to lack of interest, no-one else spoke for them.

But the prevailing theme of the web page is to the effect that there is a giant conspiracy of evil, determined to end religious broadcasting once and for all, right at the threshold of success unless we immediately take urgent action (which, as we know, to most religious broadcasters means opening our wallets).  Yet, tune across the shortwave bands, and probably over 80% of the English-language programming you hear is religious, mostly fundamentalist in nature.  The same goes for the "educational" or "non-commercial" end of the FM band.

Yes, I agree that these broadcasters are exercising their right to free expression, and I would say, with success far beyond anyone's wildest dream.  But the persecution complex expressed on this web page sullies the valid observations made by the writer, regarding the present-day state of broadcasting in the USA.

In these trying times of terrorism and war, it is essential that you are able, in case of some serious emergency, to monitor the emergency Ham / military communications networks that can only be received on Single Side Band.

Not quite true, as we are all here to attest.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

You don't think you're being parnoid, and I'm sure the writer of the piece doesn't think he is being parnoid too. 

In the grand scale of world wide media outlets, these religious broadcasters represent a mere speck of dust in the ocean. Calling anything they do a take over strikes me as strange.

[k4kyv]

In the grand scale of world wide media outlets, these religious broadcasters represent a mere speck of dust in the ocean. Calling anything they do a take over strikes me as strange.

But in the more limited scale of shortwave radio broadcasting and non-commercial FM, which in themselves amount to maybe the sum total of a pebble in the ocean, you can't deny that religious broadcasters are by far the dominant voice.

Maybe not a 100% take over, but in Nashville, the public radio station had to use an AM channel with limited night-time coverage for its talk/news outlet because there were no more FM's available.  Our local university FM station recently had to move frequency to avoid interference from a newly-licensed addition to more than a dozen existing religious broadcasters that already covered this immediate area.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

I don't see that locally. Of the non-comms in SE VA, most are not religious broadcasters. Even if the religious broadcasters had ALL of the non-coms, so what?

[k4kyv]

Then it would not be "strange" to say that they had taken over the non-com segment.

[ka3zlr]

I dunno...Make mine all Red Neck Country.. Keep the Religion....and I promise I shall not Coveth thy neighbors Sheep...LOLOL...

That's all we need more Religious programming...Yeeaaaaaaaaaa..gimme yer money...

[W8EJO]

The fact that commercial broadcasters have abandoned the SW freq's 
can hardly be described as a "takeover" by the religous broadcasters.

It would be more correct to say that these freq. were abandoned by the commercials, for sound financial reasons I might add.

The term "takeover" has a negative connotation (largely the result of press sensationalism, e.g. "hostile takeover") which can hardly be ascribed to those who now occupy these once abandoned freqs.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

There were never more than few commercial shortwave broadcasters in the USA. I know of only one in my lifetime, WRNO, and it didn't' last long. There was really nothing to take over.

If you don't want religion, don't tune into those frequencies. No different than not going to the church, temple, synagogue or mosque. Pretty simple. And as far as money, what the heck are the commercials on all the other radio stations?

Seems to be too much P&Ming about Americans exercising their rights of free speech and freedom of religion. Kinda un-American.

[Opcom]

Without going into the paranoia factor, the owners of stations that prefer conservative or right wing talk shows and the religious stations are concerned about the "fairness doctrine", which might become a law and force them to provide airtime to viewpoints they do not approve of. Content that does not fit the station's format, as it were.

For my 2 cents, those with the "unapproved viewpoints" do not have a right to force their way onto a station that does not want to sell them the air time.

If I had a religious or conservative station, and believed in it, why should I be forced to sell air time to the hypothetical "antichrist meditation hour" or the "liberal pablum spew" every night, along with advertisements for all kinds of things I considered indecent or wrong?

The "antichrist meditation hour" and "liberal pablum spew" show could buy airtime somewhere else. And if no station wanted to sell them the air time, there would probably be a good reason why, in the combined opinions of the station owners.

My hypothetical examples are silly, but whether or not a station sells airtime to an entity, without regard to claims of what might be called 'philosophical discrimination', should not be legislatable. A business reserves the right to serve, or to refuse to serve, anyone. That's freedom.

There is also the concern that a station would be forced to give free airtime to the 'qualifying' opposing viewpoint. To them that is a waste of costly filament hours and electricity.

If those with special viewpoints want airtime, let them band together, buy a station, sell ads to keep the 3-phase turned on, and go for it. In Dallas, I would imagine there might be one or two stations already in existance that would air anything that paid the bill.

[WA9UDW]

For what its worth, take a look at this January 14, 2009 story on Reuters:

Shortwave radio still packs an audible thrill by Robert MacMillan-

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE50D6JF20090114?sp=true

73, Terry

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Hey what about WBCQ???

I guess the financial reality is that Short wave commercial broadcasting doesn't bring in enough revenue to light the fils in America. Consider the cost of doing business here vs keeping a short wave station in some where  where the people actually listen to the broadcasts...  Plus any pressure from the medium wave crowd to limit production of shortwave recievers...   Add in the marketing effect.  If you tell people what you want them to believe often enough via a well designed marketing plan, they WILL eventually believe it! (or enough of them to make a big financial difference).

It's not just America, but worl wide I think.
I used to do a lot of SWL'ing.  Radio China was a great program to catch. Used to like to hear the BBC too.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Keep in mind, officially, US shortwave broadcasters are not broadcasting to a US audience.

[WB2YGF]

For what its worth, take a look at this January 14, 2009 story on Reuters:

Shortwave radio still packs an audible thrill by Robert MacMillan-

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE50D6JF20090114?sp=true

73, Terry

Been there, done that. 

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=18290.0

[WA9UDW]

For what its worth, take a look at this January 14, 2009 story on Reuters:

Shortwave radio still packs an audible thrill by Robert MacMillan-

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE50D6JF20090114?sp=true

73, Terry

Been there, done that. 

http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php?topic=18290.0

Ooooooops!  -Terry-

[ka3zlr]

All this is Prologue,...

Good Article Don.

[k4kyv]

Much of the article accurately depicts the state of broadcasting in the US, particularly the writer's comments on longtime anti-shortwave policy and the swallowing up of local radio stations by corporate conglomerates. Unfortunately, the discussion on this thread has largely missed the point, revolving around this one item:

The first thing these conglomerates do, when acquiring a new station, is to eliminate all Christian programming, for it is not considered politically correct, and replace it with programming that does not risk boycott by interest groups claiming that the programming offends them. Since the goal of these conglomerates is to make money, they will not even consider or risk taking any sort of risks or stand, for fear that to be politically incorrect would generate a boycott against their sponsors and advertisers. As a result, AM and FM radio is becoming increasingly unavailable to ministries, and it is only a matter of time before it becomes impossible for Christian ministries to buy time on an AM or FM station.

IMO, this detracted from the credibility of an otherwise excellent set of observations, but I am aware that evangelism is the writer's primary interest, while his commentary on the state of shortwave and AM/FM broadcasting is what grabbed my attention.  Nevertheless, I maintain that religious programming has all but disappeared off the commercial airwaves not out of concern about political correctness or fear of boycotts, but simply because other program content has been found to bring in more advertising revenue, and stations are no longer required by the FCC to provide a certain amount of free air time for "community service", which included religious broadcasts and local church services, as they once were.  But this is a secondary issue that should not have become the central focus of discussion here. 

[ka3zlr]

There were never more than few commercial shortwave broadcasters in the USA. I know of only one in my lifetime, WRNO, and it didn't' last long. There was really nothing to take over.

If you don't want religion, don't tune into those frequencies. No different than not going to the church, temple, synagogue or mosque. Pretty simple. And as far as money, what the heck are the commercials on all the other radio stations?

Seems to be too much P&Ming about Americans exercising their rights of free speech and freedom of religion. Kinda un-American.

Kinda Un-American...What the heck.. explain American without the Social and Monetary Attachments in this thread OM..... like Hendrix said at Monterey..

"Liven in a Dream".....LOL............

[ab3al]

I dunno...Make mine all Red Neck Country.. Keep the Religion....and I promise I shall not Coveth thy neighbors Sheep...LOLOL...

That's all we need more Religious programming...Yeeaaaaaaaaaa..gimme yer money...

hey that sheep line was stolen from me

[WB2YGF]

IMHO, SW for the general public died due to a lack of relevant content, poor equipment, and poor signals.  

A lot of portable radios in the late 60's came with a SW band.  As an example, my grandfathers Sears radio covered 3.5 to 12 mhz on one band making tuning difficult.  Selectivity and sensitivity were probably compromised as well.  To scan the band presented a lot of beeps, squawks, little placeholder jingles, waaa wa waaaaa from the local Ham (SSB) and an occasional station in English (usually BBC or CBC).  What typical inward-focused American is even interested in listening to foreign broadcast especially on top of fighting selective fading distortion to do it?

So the average Joe tried the SW position on their cheap radio once, found a bunch of garbage, and most likely never went there again. How could SW possibly compete with hundreds of local AM & FM BCB stations with entertaining and relevant content?  Their opinion of SW thus formed, there was no longer any interest in radios with SW, so if their next radio didn't have it, so what?

[W8EJO]

IMHO, SW for the general public died due to a lack of relevant content, poor equipment, and poor signals.  ..............................So the average Joe tried the SW position on their cheap radio once, found a bunch of garbage, and most likely never went there again. Their opinion of SW thus formed, there was no longer any interest in radios with SW, so if their next radio didn't have it, so what?

Well said -  reminds me of the story of the U.S. auto industry.

[Ed/KB1HYS]

I actually have one of those "BOOM" boxes (pansonic I think) from the late 80's or early 90's that has several shortwave bands on it.  Dual casset decks and it could record of the air so I kept it.  It is not very sensitive unless you use the "external" antenna connection and a good bit of wire.  Wide as the barn door and no bfo.   So the products were still out there somewhere. Just not much demand around. 

as far as "hundreds of local AM & FM BCB stations with entertaining and relevant content?" THAT is a matter of opinion... 

[KX5JT]

I have a friend from Honduras that tells me when she grew up in the 70s and 80s down there, her father and many of the middle class families (thanks to the United Fruit Company *Chiquita Bananas* there WERE a few middle class familes in Honduras at that time) had shortwave receivers and she spent many nights sitting next to it listening to all the different broadcasts.  She said her dad's radio was a large older "in a wood case" radio.  Her interests in learning English stemmed from those nights.  She's been in the states now for 15 years and but notes on her recent visits back there that satellite TV has largely replaced the shortwave interests for international news and entertainment. 

John KX5JT