[Swprograms] A smattering of thoughts on public service, BBCWS, and VOA

[Kevin Anderson <k9iua@xxxxxxxxx>]

Forgive me for being "late to the party" on these topics, but
I've been also trying to get some thoughts together before I
spoke.

"Public service" to me has two different meanings, depending
upon whether I'm thinking of a domestic focus or international
focus.  In a domestic focus (such as the NPR-related FM public
radio stations in the U.S.), it seems to me that public service
radio has meant both listener supported (i.e., the listener, the
"public", is the "owner") and as a service that meets the needs
of the underserved audiences not covered by commercial radio. 
(The latter has often meant classical radio, but can mean other
things.)  Very few of these stations, although "public radio" in
label, have truly served the "public" if, by my expectation, the
programming would mean something for everyone.  That would be
ideal for something labeled "public" - different programming at
different times of the day that variously meet needs/interests
of young, old, classical listeners, non-classical music, news,
etc., all in one station.  Even "public radio" in many places
unfortunately has been in reality "niche radio," just like the
commercial stations, although they may be serving the needs of a
minority of the population.

In an international perspective, "public service" has also meant
two different things to me - either propaganda in practice or a
truly independent (at least in theory) public perspective on
events.  The BBC WS, Radio Netherlands, and a few others are in
my opinion in the latter.  Most internatonal broadcasters
probably fall in the former.  To me the disheartening aspect of
the "retreat from shortwave" hasn't been the loss of propaganda,
but has been this loss of an independent (okay, non-U.S.) voice
that so much needed in the U.S. and other places, not just in
news (although that is very important), but also in providing a
variety of perspectives and viewpoints expressed through a
full-range of programming.  The BBC WorldService was/is
particularly valuable to me as they still represent the most
independent, far reaching source of information - and is usually
where I want to look first for an international response to
something.  That they have willingly (at least up until now)
provided this largely this news and programming to all the world
was something I cherished, and still do, which makes it hurt all
the more when they want to retreat from that mission.

I bring the VOA in with this point:  with all due respect to Kim
Andrew Elliott and others with the VOA, now and previously, I
for some reason have never been able to accept the VOA in the
same way as I can accept the BBC WS.  Even though I know they
strive to present a non-propagandist source, it nonetheless
still seems to always come off as propagandist to me.  It may be
simply in their choice of voices doing the crossovers between
programmers, or their choice of fill music, or the voices of the
newscasters - I'm not sure what it is.  But I know that whenever
I run across a VOA broadcast on the wireless, I can recognize it
almost immediately, and my gut, inside reaction is to keep
tuning past them in search of something else.  Call this
shallow, but in 25-plus years of listening to shortwave, I can't
seem to shake it.  I can't seem to find myself to see the VOA
with the same credibility as I so easily came to ascribe to the
BBC, or even RNW or RCI (just to name a few more international
broadcasters).  My mind always wants to assume there is an
agenda hidden behind VOA choices of what it says and how they
say it.  I'm thrilled to hear that others in the world have, and
apparently still do, looked to the VOA for news and information.
 Somehow I can't.

Off the soapbox....

Kevin
Dubuque, Iowa


-- 
-------------------------------------
Kevin Anderson, Dubuque IA USA, K9IUA
k9iua (at) yahoo (dot) com
-------------------------------------

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