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International Radio - will it become a 'theatre of war' again? |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Essex
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International Radio - will it become a 'theatre of war' again?
With the world rapidly becoming unstable, I found myself adding a range of the remaining 'international broadcasters' onto my Internet Radio list tonight.
Although there are many different news gathering organisations out there, my feeling is that these 'external services' are probably the best way to hear first hand what the thinking of a particular government is (e.g. RCI for Chinas view on Trumps Taiwan call). Whilst anyone listening to these stations must be mindful of their inherent bias and propaganda, does anyone else think they will now play a reprised role in providing the world with a direct understanding of other governments stance on international issues? Living in London I am obviously aware of the amount countries like Russia and China have been putting into making their voices available (Sputnik Radio and RCI/Spectrum Sino on DAB for example). So they obviously think that radio is still worth investing in as an outlet (even if now via local broadcasts and the internet rather than Short Wave). The following are the 'external services' (i.e. stations funded specifically to broadcast outside of their home country) I added tonight: Deutsche Welle English Sputnik English ABC Radio Australia English Voice of America Global Live English NHK Radio Japan English Radio Poland *NB: The RCI direct streams on my WiFi radio don't seem to work, although Spectrum SINO and Spectrum 558 feeds obviously do (558 carries RCI in the evenings). |
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#2 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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I agree, and now International stations are using satellite TV to broadcast News in English there is even more likelihood that people will be watching and listening to a different perspective. Obviously inet radio/tv covers more stations but sattv is probably easier. Perhaps the 2 platforms could create a resurgence in international news broadcasting.
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#3 |
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Dewsbury, England
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I think it is good to listen to international radio stations to get a different perspective.
I didn't know DW still had a 24-hour stream. Although Radio Poland has one, isn't just the same one or two hours on a loop? The Voice of Vietnam appears to have expanded its English service recently. I am not convinced about international radio having a greater role due to current world events. Consider the referendum on our EU membership. Radio France International, DW, Radio Sweden, Radio Poland, Radio Prague, Radio Bulgaria and Radio Romania International did not do anything to increase their reach enough for them to have influence on the population. Although their influence may have been limited, they could have given people a more internationalistic perspective than UK radio stations. Now if you want to hear a country's external service and you are not aware whether that country has an external radio service you have to first try to find that out, then go on the website, and find the streams. Most people don't have an internet radio or know what one is. You can't just scan the dial for an international radio station. I doubt it will happen, but I wish there was a DAB multiplex covering most of the country which broadcast various international radio stations. |
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#4 |
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DW is a live stream, but only broadcasts 1 hour a day IIRC. The rest of the time it is the tuning signal! Wonder why they don't revert to a podcast like Radio Sweden.
I think governments realise that people aren't going to happen across their station as in the days people used to scour the short waves to supplement the meagre choice they had within their own countries. But a deterioration in the international climate will encourage some people to seek out their views directly. China and Russia certainly seem to take their attempts at Soft Power more seriously than other countries but I have doubts about Sputnik, Sino, RT etc. purely for being vague about their editorial viewpoint. I think if they were more honest about their bias I wouldn't be as concerned. They might say that the BBC, for example, is also biased. But at least with the BBC their policies are up front and available for people to study. |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Dec 2009
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The "Good Old Days" when Radio Moscow, Tirana etc had an endless stream of statistics on tractor production and how successful it was claimed the latest Five Year Plan was (even though people would actually quite likely be starving).
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#6 |
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Join Date: Jul 2005
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There's a regularly maintained list of international radio stations live and on demand programming here.
http://www.w4uvh.net/hitlist.htm |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: England
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Quote:
I doubt it will happen, but I wish there was a DAB multiplex covering most of the country which broadcast various international radio stations.
Ofcom has to be able to enforce editorial responsibility and hold broadcasters to account under UK law. Therefore broadcasters have to be based in the UK.... with three exceptions! The Audio Visual Media Services Directive (which is implemented in the Communication Act 2003) permits the following from outside the UK, by agreement with regulators in other countries: television broadcasts (such as foreign TV)It would appear that, international radio stations are permitted to be carried on your TV (television) because they are considered 'television broadcasts'. (The legislation defines a 'television broadcast' as 'an audiovisual media service ... for simultaneous viewing of programmes on the basis of a programme schedule'.) I assume 'viewing' refers to the image of the station's logo you can see when the channel is on-screen. So, how can that interpretation be any different from a radio broadcaster providing a schedule of programmes and putting it on DAB with a slideshow? |
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#8 |
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Join Date: Dec 2015
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Quote:
Sorry, it can't happen - at the moment anyway.
Ofcom has to be able to enforce editorial responsibility and hold broadcasters to account under UK law. Therefore broadcasters have to be based in the UK.... with three exceptions! |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Sep 2005
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'From the top of the Trump Tower'.... (shudder)
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#10 |
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Quote:
Doesn't Radio Sputnik (ex Voice of Russia) broadcast on DAB in London? I know they have a studio in London itself for some output, but I imagine a lot of the programmes are coming from Moscow.
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#11 |
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Join Date: Dec 2015
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Quote:
Their programmes are broadcast by World Radio Network who are responsible for compliance with the Ofcom Broadcast code.
I'm reminded of the time a community station in Leicester came under the Ofcom microscope for renting out its facilities to an outside organisation during the Ramadan period: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/asse.../issue_293.pdf (page 23) The issue in question there was the fact that an organisation that did not hold a UK broadcast licence was effectively broadcasting over the community station's transmitter. This seems quite similar to the way Sputnik (who presumably hold no UK broadcasting licence) are broadcasting on a licensed service provided by WRN (who do). |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Dec 2008
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Quote:
China and Russia certainly seem to take their attempts at Soft Power more seriously than other countries but I have doubts about Sputnik, Sino, RT etc. purely for being vague about their editorial viewpoint. I think if they were more honest about their bias I wouldn't be as concerned. They might say that the BBC, for example, is also biased. But at least with the BBC their policies are up front and available for people to study.
China Radio International is impartial when covering international news stories that don't involve the Chinese government. Between bulletins, CRI broadcasts some programmes about Chinese society which are quite inciteful, including programmes about injustices and legal disputes. Obviously they don't broadcast anything the of which the government would disapprove. Russian and Iranian international broadcasts tend to fill their programming with guests who criticise Western governments. One thing I find interesting, is how CRI and the Voice of Vietnam cover news about tension between the Koreas. They do not show much solidarity to North Korea, where their broadcasts are probably banned. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Jul 2003
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Quote:
That's an interesting approach. I was always under the impression that Ofcom didn't like that sort of arrangement, preferring broadcasters to be in control of the output they're broadcasting.
I'm reminded of the time a community station in Leicester came under the Ofcom microscope for renting out its facilities to an outside organisation during the Ramadan period: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/asse.../issue_293.pdf (page 23) The issue in question there was the fact that an organisation that did not hold a UK broadcast licence was effectively broadcasting over the community station's transmitter. This seems quite similar to the way Sputnik (who presumably hold no UK broadcasting licence) are broadcasting on a licensed service provided by WRN (who do). Maybe if WRN have an editor 24/7 who has the ability to cease transmission for non-compliant material then they would be judged as not having 'handed over' their transmitter to a third party? |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: England
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Quote:
Maybe if WRN have an editor 24/7 who has the ability to cease transmission for non-compliant material then they would be judged as not having 'handed over' their transmitter to a third party?
If truth be told, Ofcom is not happy with the WRN situation and won't repeat it. Sputnik has established a UK office in Ediburgh and is trying to extricate itself from the WRN arrangement. |
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#15 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 716
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Quote:
With the world rapidly becoming unstable, I found myself adding a range of the remaining 'international broadcasters' onto my Internet Radio list tonight.
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 14,636
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Quote:
Sorry, it can't happen - at the moment anyway.
Ofcom has to be able to enforce editorial responsibility and hold broadcasters to account under UK law. Therefore broadcasters have to be based in the UK.... with three exceptions! The Audio Visual Media Services Directive (which is implemented in the Communication Act 2003) permits the following from outside the UK, by agreement with regulators in other countries: television broadcasts (such as foreign TV)It would appear that, international radio stations are permitted to be carried on your TV (television) because they are considered 'television broadcasts'. (The legislation defines a 'television broadcast' as 'an audiovisual media service ... for simultaneous viewing of programmes on the basis of a programme schedule'.) I assume 'viewing' refers to the image of the station's logo you can see when the channel is on-screen. So, how can that interpretation be any different from a radio broadcaster providing a schedule of programmes and putting it on DAB with a slideshow? They fine Fox News occasionally for breaching UK law, and most notably Press TV had its licence revoked because Ofcom believed that editorial control was not where Iran said it was (they said London, it was actually in Tehran IIRC) |
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#17 |
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Join Date: Jul 2003
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Quote:
With the foreign policy war mongers Obama and Clinton being put out to graze, surely the world is becoming more stable? Or have I missed something when looking at the situation in the middle east and mass migration over the past eight years?
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