"I think we're playing two different games on the field of this conversation," said Mr. Metaphor.
On one hand there is a QUANtitative game. This is all about justifying maintaining SW broadcasting to serve an audience. There are millions of SW radios already in people's homes. A portion of these don't work or aren't used because the owners are getting their content somewhere else. Add the million or so being sold globally. The resultant potential audience could still be viewed as pretty small in light of the roughly 8 billion humans on Earth. And let's skip the argument about reaching the developing world, whose population needs food, shelter, adequate medical care, and clean water before we give them cheap radios. On the other hand we have the QUALitative game, which has been recently stimulated by the Ukrainian war. This is all about getting information to an area that is denied free access. No one argues that SW isn't effective at crossing borders. But this calls for a crystal ball, because radio broadcast infrastructure is a costly, long term matter and we hope/expect war in the developed world is transient or non-existent. The question is, do the powers that be judge the long term cost to be worth this capability in a transient need? Up to this moment in time, the answer has been obvious. God forbid, the war drags on or escalates, the answer may change. Not including my own comments, this has been the best discussion thread I've seen anywhere in a long time. Regards, Fred On Fri, Apr 8, 2022 at 11:46 AM Patrick Mackin <pwmac...@gmail.com> wrote: > "I'd rather see a tiny fraction of my tax dollars spent on such an > initiative than on even a small fraction of the many Billions spent on > waste, fraud, and abuse..." > > It is indeed a chicken and an egg problem. > > Most shortwave broadcasts are either government sponsored or religious in > nature. And yes, government spends on many more frivolous and even > destructive and wasteful things. Governments are also in perhaps the best > position as anyone to revive shortwave if they chose to invest > (particularly in things like DRM). > > But I don't want the airwaves dominated by US government positions. As > flawed as the for-profit corporate news model is, it is at its worst when > it is repeating government propaganda and US State Department talking > points (and it does so far too often already). > > Removing whatever thin layer of journalistic integrity that still exists > and simply letting governments directly influence the masses is a huge step > in the wrong direction. US Government spokesperson Ned Price has had some > embarrassing moments when he was challenged by reporters presenting talking > points for which there was zero evidence. Imagine if these were simply > distributed as "news." > > I say this not from a libertarian mindset of "government is bad" but from > a realistic and apolitical observation of the bad positions the US > government has taken on the vast majority of every international issue of > my lifetime. > > It's not a universal critique of government; It could and even does work > from time to time. I love the apolitical English language Radio Havana > Cuba broadcasts, but I assure you the US would not be making programming > about American music and culture, or how to speak English, but instead > pushing political agendas on people that do not want them, as it does > already through many other venues around the world. > > If I wanted to be political I could point out specifics, quote numbers, > death tolls, and would have to struggle long and hard to find an > international policy where my country was on the "good" side. But whether > one is coming from a left or right perspective (I am neither), I think > there are huge criticisms of the American government's behavior on the > international stage and I would not want their voice to be the main voice > people hear worldwide. > > Is the alternative the death of shortwave? Well, perhaps. But AM/FM > radio is suffering a similar, though not as devastating, pain. There are > few DJs left, and many people are turning off corporate bland programmed > radio. They don't even have the big shock jocks on air any more. But it > is not the death of the *spirit of radio*. That will live on in podcasts, > streamers, and a variety of other platforms. > > The HAM radio broadcaster of yesterday is today doing live streams on > Odysee and recording their own weekly podcast that can be downloaded, and > listened to, as I do, on an Eton shortwave radio (via its bluetooth > function from my phone). The sound quality is perfect and location or time > don't matter. Podcasting is so big that it eclipses not just radio but > TV. Podcaster Joe Rogan has an audience *four times* the size of the > biggest cable TV broadcasters. And the choices of programming are far more > numerous than shortwave ever was in its heydey. > > I love shortwave, but most of the things I love about it are proliferating > in other areas. > > On Thu, Apr 7, 2022 at 6:57 PM craig.51...@juno.com <craig.51...@juno.com> > wrote: > >> >> I agree. Anybody else? >> BTW: there was a minor news item about a guy who bought a bunch, like >> 6000, tiny portable shortwave sets and is shipping them to Ukraine, via a >> back door to be distributed free. Not DRM, but certainly a start in the >> right direction. Since they include MW and FM they might actually get some >> use after the crisis subsides. Anybody remember the Connelrad stations in >> the 1950's and '60's? A thumbs up to the first person who can give the >> correct frequencies for the Connelrad stations! >> CRAIG >> >> >> ---------- Original Message ---------- >> From: Ed Cummings <bern...@panix.com> >> To: Discussion list for the Winter SWL Fest <swlfest@hard-core-dx.com> >> Subject: Re: [Swlfest] Why Reviving Shortwave is a Non-Starter - Radio >> World >> Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2022 22:22:29 -0400 >> >> Tom, thanks for sharing this article by two folks we know in our SWLfest >> community. >> >> The dearth of shortwave broadcasts to shortwave receivers seems like a >> chicken-or-egg problem to me. If there was a good selection of good content >> broadcast on shortwave around the world (like there used to be) then more >> people would get shortwave radios to hear it (like they used to do before >> the content dried up due to most governments deciding the internet was the >> shiny new way to reach their target audiences around the globe.) >> >> This is a problem that DRM has been running into. Without content, >> there's no market to consume it, and there's no market for HF/MW/FM DRM >> receivers, and no financial incentive for their manufacture. HF DRM >> transmitters and exciters are readily available from Nautel and others, and >> HF DRM receiver manufacturers have ready-to-go designs and production >> facilities to make lots of radios for anyone who comes to them with a check. >> >> If just some of the tens of millions of U.S. taxpayer Dollars being >> squandered on some USAGM contractors were instead spent on 'seed money' for >> the production of DRM broadcasts and hundreds of thousands of low-cost >> portable HF/MW/FM DRM receivers for free distribution in target audience >> areas, that might jump-start HF DRM, which has impressive potential for >> conveying digital information around the world without all-too-easy >> internet censorship. Somebody has to take the lead on this. >> >> I'd rather see a tiny fraction of my tax dollars spent on such an >> initiative than on even a small fraction of the many Billions spent on >> waste, fraud, and abuse... >> >> Does anyone agree with me on this? >> >> -Ed >> >> >> At 10:56 AM 4/6/2022, Thomas Sundstrom wrote: >> >> >> https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/guest-commentaries/why-reviving-shortwave-is-a-non-starter >> >> Tom W2XQ >> _______________________________________________ >> Swlfest mailing list >> Swlfest@hard-core-dx.com >> http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest >> >> To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to >> swlfest-requ...@hard-core-dx.com?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL >> shown above. >> >> For more information on the Fest, visit: >> >> http://www.swlfest.com >> http://swlfest.blogspot.com >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Swlfest mailing list >> Swlfest@hard-core-dx.com >> http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest >> >> To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to >> swlfest-requ...@hard-core-dx.com?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL >> shown above. >> >> For more information on the Fest, visit: >> >> http://www.swlfest.com >> http://swlfest.blogspot.com >> > _______________________________________________ > Swlfest mailing list > Swlfest@hard-core-dx.com > http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest > > To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to > swlfest-requ...@hard-core-dx.com?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL > shown above. > > For more information on the Fest, visit: > > http://www.swlfest.com > http://swlfest.blogspot.com >
_______________________________________________ Swlfest mailing list Swlfest@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/swlfest To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to swlfest-requ...@hard-core-dx.com?subject=unsubscribe, or visit the URL shown above. For more information on the Fest, visit: http://www.swlfest.com http://swlfest.blogspot.com
