Shortwave: News like You’ve never Known It

In the age of podcasts, cable TV and 24-hour news access on the Web, listening to shortwave radio may seem an antiquated pastime.

But there’s something about shortwave radio that keeps listeners coming back for more. Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not just a handful of quirky hobbyists that keep the shortwave movement alive; although its impossible to know exactly how many SWLers exist out there, in the U.S. alone there are purportedly millions of listeners.

One thing that keeps SWLers engaged in their pastime is access to unique, international viewpoints on global news and events. Many people feel that they receive a skewed view of international affairs by solely tuning in to news reports delivered by the American media. Even Internet news media groups, which are often run for profit and liable to their own bias or motivated by private interests, cannot provide the same quality of independent news coverage offered by shortwave broadcasters who provide news and views on world events free of charge.

Many shortwave broadcasters in countries around the world offer programs in English, making it easy to obtain foreign perspectives and reactions to American news events. Tuning into shortwave broadcasts around the world helps give listeners a sense of how profoundly culture, political climate and social mores affect the way we interpret and report world events.

Like spending time in a different culture, listening to shortwave radio around the world can open listeners’ minds and yield a more informed, global perspective.

June 6th, 2008 by Tech Girl | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Pirate Radio Stations

Once you’ve got your shortwave radio up and running, how do you choose from the hundreds of different transmissions floating around in the shortwave range?

Many shortwave listeners (SWLers) choose to use their equipment to tune into the pirate radio scene. What is pirate radio, exactly? In modern parlance, pirate radio refers to a station that’s received illegally across a country’s border, a station that broadcasts certain heterodox content, or a station that breaches traditional transmission regulations (i.e. by operating without a license or failing to transmit a station identification during broadcast).

The term ‘pirate radio’ was first coined in Denmark, in 1958, in reference to a radio broadcast transmitted to the country, without permission, from a vessel anchored in international waters. The station, named Radio Mercur, was soon dubbed “pirate radio” by Danish newspapers. The concept of pirate radio quickly began to refer to more than just transmissions from offshore radio stations.

 Today, the term typically describes broadcasts, often by amateur shortwave enthusiasts, with unconventional or risk-taking content. Also known as free radio, bootleg or clandestine stations, the newest wave of SWL radio stations now operates online, shirking traditional copyright fees and attracting small, loyal groups of listeners.

June 6th, 2008 by Tech Girl | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)