The United Kingdom’s broadcast regulator has opened up sections of Northern England to applications for FM community radio stations. These regions include West and South Yorkshire, Humberside, and North West England. North West England is the third most populous official region of the UK, following Greater London and South East. Yorkshire is the geographically the biggest […]
Archive | International
Family Radio to Cease Shortwave Operations from Historic WYFR
Shortwave Central is reporting that Christian broadcasting network Family Radio will cease operations from its Florida-based shortwave radio station WYFR at the end of June. According to a message posted from WYFR Station Manager Dan Elyea, “We regretfully inform you that the final day of operation for WYFR will be June 30, 2013.” No reason […]
Greek Government Shuts Down National Public Broadcaster ERT
On Tuesday, the Greek government shut down its national broadcasting network ERT and ordered all of its radio and television stations off the air. Citizens, politicians, and journalists have been vocally protesting this turn of events, which has left a broadcasting void for many in Greece. According to a story on BBC News Europe, “Viewers […]
Belfast gets community FM radio service for “over 55s”
Northern Irelanders in the second half of their fifty-something years will soon have their own FM community radio station. The United Kingdom’s Ofcom agency says that “Belfast FM” will provide community radio “for people aged 55 and over in the City of Belfast.” The station is one of five applications that just got a green […]
“Rats!” Canadian listeners debate commercials on Radio 2 and Espace Musique
As requested by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada’s broadcast regulator has approved the placement of advertising spots on Radio 2 and Espace Musique radio. The latter service describes itself “the largest directory of French music internet radio in Canada.” Judging by the comments on the CBC news website notice, many listeners are anything but happy […]
The Power of Prison Radio
Over the weekend I had the most amazing time at the What is Radio? conference in Portland, Oregon. Scholars and radio practitioners from all over the world convened in order to talk about the past, present, and future of radio. One of the most powerful panel discussions was Friday’s “Making Waves Behind Bars” session. Phil […]
Radio Free Sarawak broadcasts independent voices to Malaysian Borneo
Al Jazeera reports on the unlicensed Radio Free Sarawak which is making itself a thorn in the side of the Malaysian government, broadcasting independent voices in the run-up to general elections in that country. Sarawak is a former British colony located on the island of Borneo. The station is operated by expatriates out of studios […]
Citing budget cuts BBC & Voice of America cut back shortwave broadcasts
State broadcasters around the world have been cutting back on their shortwave transmissions over the last few years, typically attributing the reductions to a combination of budget challenges and declining listenership. With the start of April and the beginning of the 2nd quarter the Voice of America and BBC just trimmed shortwave broadcasts. Citing budget […]
Cambodian radio activist to be released
Cambodian dissident Mam Sonando should be released from prison soon (the news reports say Saturday and it is approaching midnight there as I write this post from San Francisco). Sonando’s Bee Hive radio outlet regularly protests the huge timber land grabs being orchestrated by relatives of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other government top […]
Voice of Russia broadcasting to the US on HD Radio
Looking for an alternative perspective on world news on your FM dial? If you live in Chicago or Washington, DC you can now tune in the Russian government’s Voice of Russia service, which began broadcasting English language programming at the beginning of March on the HD2 channel of WTOP-FM in DC, a news-talk station, and […]