Re: [Swprograms] FW: World Service Feedback

[jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Amen to all that.

Another factoid to ponder.  If you buy or use a shortwave radio, you will undoubtedly come across and more than likely become a loyal consumer of the BBC.  If you buy or use a computer, the chances of that happening are infinitesimal by comparison.  If you have an AM/FM radio--and even one of the satellite varieties available in the US--those chances are better than with the internet, but less than that of shortwave.

The point?  Access/availability is only half the equation--and maybe not even the most important half.  The BBC carries a special cachet on shortwave, but absolutely none on the internet.  On the latter it is but one of thousands (literally!), if not millions, of information/entertainment sources seeking attention.  And, unless you've had contact with the BBC elsewhere (like shortwave, e.g.), you will assign it no higher status than many if not most of the others.

Of course, this is not how the BBC sees it.  But I think this is a far more honest characterization of the situation than that produced by the BBC's torturing of its research.  :-))

jaf 

----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Cuff <rdcuff@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 11:30 am
Subject: Re: [Swprograms] FW: World Service Feedback

> I assume you mean Graham Mytton's piece.
> 
> I frankly found one problem with it -- his paragraph entitled "Nobody
> Listens to Shortwave:  They Listen to Radio".
> 
> IMO some of his logic is flawed.  Finding something on shortwave --
> as
> we all know -- is far different from finding something on MW or 
> FM.  I
> wager that most people who listen to shortwave know full well that
> it's different from AM & FM, at least in Europe / North America /
> Pacific Rim countries.
> 
> That logic leads the BBC to avoid making frequency announcements when
> services change frequency...because it's "no different" (says Mytton)
> than AM or FM.
> 
> The fact that shortwave IS different is one reason I believe it's
> important that radio manufacturers, radio stations and listeners work
> together to inform and educate each other on the value and benefit of
> SW.  I think it's appalling that no radio manufacturers reach out to
> listeners directly.  For the past six years I have attempted to engage
> all the manufacturers targeting North America (Drake, AOR, Palstar,
> ICOM, Yaesu, Ten-Tec, Sony, Grundig/Eton, Sangean, Kaito) to dialogue
> with us listeners via the platform of the SWL Fest.  No interest.  The
> last time a radio manufacturer showed up was Lowe's John Wilson.  That
> was 10 years ago.
> 
> Mytton also tries to draw a distinction between a "shortwave listener"
> and an "Internet user":  "...There is in fact no such thing as a
> shortwave listener in the way that there is, for example an Internet
> user, aside from the very small number of dedicated DXer enthusiasts."
> 
> That may be, but the Pew American Life project reported in late 2004
> the following statistics on US adult Internet usage:
> 
> --more than 2/3 of adults use the Internet 
> 
> --more than 70 million adults use the Internet daily
> 
> --more than 80% of teenagers regularly use the Internet.
> 
> The shortwave community in North America can only dream of this level
> of penetration.
> 
> Broadcasters who serve the USA --beyond the capabilities of AM & 
> FM to
> reach these audiences -- would be foolish to ignore those statistics.
> 
> Shortwave needs to be specially treated and protected by those --
> including us -- who have a stake in its future.
> 
> We listeners will fail if we try to do this ourselves without a
> coordinated effort involving all who are stakeholders in shortwave
> utilization.
> 
> Meanwhile, looking at the "halcyon days" of public broadcasting, a sad
> fact of life is that, courtesy of satellite programming availability,
> public radio station program directors face the same quandary we users
> do.  They have tons of programming available for their use.  It's
> cheap or free.  Much of it is also of higher quality than what they
> could produce themselves.  These PDs are forced to make choices --
> what to air?  When?
> 
> How should they choose what to put on air?  
> 
> Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA  USA
> 
> 
> On Apr 12, 2005 9:39 AM, Mike Wolfson <mwolfson@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > There's an EXCELLENT article in this month's edition of 
> Listening In from
> > ODXA about the current situation and mindset among the larger SW
> > broadcasters.  If Harold Sellers is reading this, I would 
> encourage him to
> > post it.
> >
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