Comments on: Back from an unplanned break http://sjhoward.co.uk/archive/2008/03/27/back-from-an-unplanned-break Reactionary, ill-informed, fabulous Mon, 21 May 2012 20:06:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Mort Karman http://sjhoward.co.uk/archive/2008/03/27/back-from-an-unplanned-break/comment-page-1#comment-77842 Mort Karman Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:44:12 +0000 http://sjhoward.co.uk/archive/2008/03/27/back-from-an-unplanned-break#comment-77842 Shortwave listening began shortly before WW II when the Allies and Axis built powerful transmitters to enable their messages to be heard around the world. In addition to the famous BBC news broadcasts to the allied troops and the people in the captive countries, the Axis powers had the likes of Tokyo Rose, Lord Hawhaw, and Axis Sally, to name a few. Many people listened to both sides in an effort to get some idea of where their loved ones were serving or how the war was going. With the close of the second world war came the cold war and it was Radio moscow and the various Eastern Block countries vs. BBC,VOA and the other western broadcasters. Again, this all made for interesting programs and many people listened. During the Viet Nam War era modern electronics and television in almost every home in the industrialized nations combined to make us want a more visual media. More and more people got their news and shows on television and all forms of radio lost audience. With Internet came the ability for the shortwave broadcasters to send their programs to the computers of the world. If you already had a computer it was no longer necessary to also have an expensive shortwave radio, and the sound quality was better. Governments noticed this and found it was cheaper to provide their programs via Internet. More and more major international broadcasters vastly cut or shut down their shortwave services. People tend to go the easiest route. They forget that with the many advantages of Internet, come disadvantages. Big Brother government can tell what sit you are listening to or viewing. They can also block sites they don't want you to have access to. Of course, they will not sell it to the public this way.They say the dwindling number who listen via shortwave make it more economical to spend the broadcasting budget on Internet. So government is able to save money on the cost of electricity for the transmitters to send shortwave signals and control, if necessary, what the citizenry listen to. The present situation is a win win-for big government. Shortwave listening began shortly before WW II when the Allies and Axis built powerful transmitters to enable their messages to be heard around the world.
In addition to the famous BBC news broadcasts to the allied troops and the people in the captive countries, the Axis powers had the likes of Tokyo Rose, Lord Hawhaw, and Axis Sally, to name a few.
Many people listened to both sides in an effort to get some idea of where their loved ones were serving or how the war was going.
With the close of the second world war came the cold war and it was Radio moscow and the various Eastern Block countries vs. BBC,VOA and the other western broadcasters.
Again, this all made for interesting programs and many people listened.
During the Viet Nam War era modern electronics and television in almost every home in the industrialized nations combined to make us want a more visual media.
More and more people got their news and shows on television and all forms of radio lost audience.
With Internet came the ability for the shortwave broadcasters to send their programs to the computers of the world.
If you already had a computer it was no longer necessary to also have an expensive shortwave radio, and the sound quality was better.
Governments noticed this and found it was cheaper to provide their programs via Internet. More and more major international broadcasters vastly cut or shut down their shortwave services.
People tend to go the easiest route.
They forget that with the many advantages of Internet, come disadvantages.
Big Brother government can tell what sit you are listening to or viewing. They can also block sites they don’t want you to have access to.
Of course, they will not sell it to the public this way.They say the dwindling number who listen via shortwave make it more economical to spend the broadcasting budget on Internet.
So government is able to save money on the cost of electricity for the transmitters to send shortwave signals and control, if necessary, what the citizenry listen to.
The present situation is a win win-for big government.

]]> By: sjhoward http://sjhoward.co.uk/archive/2008/03/27/back-from-an-unplanned-break/comment-page-1#comment-77839 sjhoward Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:28:12 +0000 http://sjhoward.co.uk/archive/2008/03/27/back-from-an-unplanned-break#comment-77839 JR - No chance of breaking your server, I'm sure your PHP is much more tightly written than my attempts! Mort - I'm not sure this is quite right for shortwave radio... Though some years ago I did present a documentary for national BBC Radio, and apparently have an excellent radio voice, so the sound quality of SW would no doubt make me sound even more fantastic ;-) I can't say the shutting down of SW is something I'm overly familiar with - why is it happening? Just presumed lack of usage / a money-saving exercise? JR – No chance of breaking your server, I’m sure your PHP is much more tightly written than my attempts!

Mort – I’m not sure this is quite right for shortwave radio… Though some years ago I did present a documentary for national BBC Radio, and apparently have an excellent radio voice, so the sound quality of SW would no doubt make me sound even more fantastic ;-) I can’t say the shutting down of SW is something I’m overly familiar with – why is it happening? Just presumed lack of usage / a money-saving exercise?

]]> By: Mort Karman http://sjhoward.co.uk/archive/2008/03/27/back-from-an-unplanned-break/comment-page-1#comment-77807 Mort Karman Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:01:10 +0000 http://sjhoward.co.uk/archive/2008/03/27/back-from-an-unplanned-break#comment-77807 Why not just bring the whole thing to short wave radio? Since the BBC gave up on SW there are frequencies open. No matter how many people listen, it does not clog a server. Just kidding, of course, but more and more short wave sites are closing down and this is not a good thing. Back in the old country (Canada) in the 1960'swe had the FLQ crisis. A group of Quebec nationalists kidnapped a cabinet miister and killed him. The PM ordered a news blackout for several days on the matter. The order affected only Canadian news media. We could not report what was going on, but we could see, hear and read about it from the International media. At the time I was living at Niagara Falls with a family who had escaped Communist government by fleeing Yugoslavia, (in the case of Frank, he swam under barbed wire with the border guards firing machine guns at him). In those days listening to western broadcasts of news was a criminal offense. After dinner, his wife, Danitchka, would close the windows and pull the drapes as we all gathered around my Nordmende shortwave radio to listen to the BBC tell us what was going on in Canada. "Same as in old country," said Frank. "Only here have better radio." The BBC no longer has short wave service to North America. At several times while I was a reporter in Canada, we were not allowed to run stories about a high profile trial in progress, only to have the newspapers and radio-TV in Buffalo, New York, on the other side of the river, report the story with no restraints. Tomorrow the Israeli Broadcast Authority shuts down all but the Farsi shortwave service to the world. Many of what ued to be major sources of factual news have closed their shot wave. They are all on Internet and the sound quality is much better. But big brother government knows who is listening and also can shut it off with the flick of a switch. Even with jamming, short wave programs somehow got through. Let's start a movement to get the BBC ( and other major international broadcasters, to bring back and keep short wae programs. Why not just bring the whole thing to short wave radio?
Since the BBC gave up on SW there are frequencies open.
No matter how many people listen, it does not clog a server.
Just kidding, of course, but more and more short wave sites are closing down and this is not a good thing.
Back in the old country (Canada) in the 1960′swe had the FLQ crisis. A group of Quebec nationalists kidnapped a cabinet miister and killed him. The PM ordered a news blackout for several days on the matter.
The order affected only Canadian news media.
We could not report what was going on, but we could see, hear and read about it from the International media.
At the time I was living at Niagara Falls with a family who had escaped Communist government by fleeing Yugoslavia, (in the case of Frank, he swam under barbed wire with the border guards firing machine guns at him). In those days listening to western broadcasts of news was a criminal offense.
After dinner, his wife, Danitchka, would close the windows and pull the drapes as we all gathered around my Nordmende shortwave radio to listen to the BBC tell us what was going on in Canada.
“Same as in old country,” said Frank. “Only here have better radio.”
The BBC no longer has short wave service to North America.
At several times while I was a reporter in Canada, we were not allowed to run stories about a high profile trial in progress, only to have the newspapers and radio-TV in Buffalo, New York, on the other side of the river, report the story with no restraints.
Tomorrow the Israeli Broadcast Authority shuts down all but the Farsi shortwave service to the world.
Many of what ued to be major sources of factual news have closed their shot wave.
They are all on Internet and the sound quality is much better. But big brother government knows who is listening and also can shut it off with the flick of a switch.
Even with jamming, short wave programs somehow got through.
Let’s start a movement to get the BBC ( and other major international broadcasters, to bring back and keep short wae programs.

]]> By: Jonathan Rothwell http://sjhoward.co.uk/archive/2008/03/27/back-from-an-unplanned-break/comment-page-1#comment-77779 Jonathan Rothwell Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:25:20 +0000 http://sjhoward.co.uk/archive/2008/03/27/back-from-an-unplanned-break#comment-77779 Oh God, you're not trying to kill <i>my</i> server as well, are you? ;) Oh God, you’re not trying to kill my server as well, are you? ;)

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