Help Restore Radio Deutsche-Welle In English To North America!
Send emails to-
E-mail Margot Forbes at Radio DW!
E-mail The German Government!
Dear Friend,
I have listened to RDW for 15 years on shortwave radio, and for the past 6 years I
have produced a weekly radio show, the Shortwave Report. The program is a 30 minute
review of news and opinion in English from SW stations around the world. I have contacted
RDW explaining why we need to hear RDW, especially now. Could you please forward this
message to the Chancellor's office and Mr Fischer? Or tell me how I could contact them in
English?
Here is one of my emails to RDW-
Dear Friends,
This is my 3rd email in 10 days, asking you to please reconsider your decision to
cease SW transmissions to N America. Or please reply to my questions. One of the main
goals in my show, The Shortwave Report, has been to increase SW listening in the US and
Canada.
Not everyone has hi-speed internet, in fact the vast majority of Americans have
no internet or a 28k or slower connection. The Shortwave Report is heard on 30 stations in
the US and Canada, and until now has usually featured 5-12 minutes of stories from
Newslink. Your Press reviews are essential listening for those in the US. The intelligence and
insight of your reporters is great! When the BBC dropped NA transmissions, there are plenty
of CA and strong Asian-aimed signals to still receive here. But from the West Coast I get a
weak signal at 11945 @ 0400 UTC and that's it. I'm using a Drake R-8 and sloper antenna,
I used to be the West Coast Freq Manager for the SW magazine Monitoring Times.
Please consider at least one transmission to the US between 0200 and 0600. Both
9670 @ 0500 and 9700 @ 0100 and 0300 worked well. Please let us hear your important
programming!
Thank You Dan Roberts
Then a reply from Margot Forbes, DW-English Service-
>I acknowledge receipt of your e-mail and apologize for the delay in getting
back to you. In connection with the termination of our English language
shortwave broadcasts to North America, Australia and New Zealand, I can
inform you that DW will focus on expanding the number of radio stations,
such as Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC News Radio or WAMU
Washington, who successfully rebroadcast DW-Radio's programmes. Listeners in
those regions will, of course, still be able to hear us via satellite or by
means of our Internet page at www.dw-world.de/English. To find a list of
available DW partners, just click onto "A facelift for radio broadcasts in
English" and then go to "Listen to DW on local stations and networks in the
USA".
Our programmes are also available to all national public radio stations via
the Galaxy satellite. You may wish to ask your local NPR station if they
rebroadcast one of our programmes - or if they would be interested in doing
so!
I can assure you this decision is not a political one and was made many,
many months ago.
Here is a list of so-called "fluke frequencies" which our Technical
Department has been trying out and which may also be received in in your
part of the world:
English language programmes for North and Central America on shortwave:
06.00-07.00 17860
UTC kHz
19.00-19.59 11965
UTC kHz
20.00-20.59 9780
UTC kHz
21.00-22.00 11865 15205
UTC kHz kHz
ends 21.57
*UTC = Universal Time Coordinated / World Time
There is no direct target area coverage for North America. Reception of the
frequencies stated may be possible in the area.
We are not turning our backs to our listeners in your part of the world,
quite the opposite, we have introduced a new edition of NewsLink especially
for North America - this is broadcast from 01.05 UTC.
If you would like to receive a copy of our current "DW pocket guide",
containing information about our English language radio programmes and
details of our tv programmes, just let us know also letting us have your
full name and address.
Hoping to hear from you again,
Margot Forbes
DEUTSCHE WELLE
ENGLISH SERVICE
Tel.: +49 221 389 4144
Fax: +49 221 389 4155
E-mail: margot.forbes@dw-world.de
Website: www.dw-world.de
My reply-
>Dear Margot,
I'm glad to get a response about DW cancelling its shortwave service. While you list
several ways to hear DW on NPR etc stations, the truth is that no radio stations are airing
Newslink here in Northern California (including KMUD which is the only one listed that I can
receive). Very few people listen to satellite or have high-speed internet connections.
I feel that this decision is very short-sighted and a serious loss to the tens (or
hundreds) of thousands of US shortwave listeners. As I pointed out in earlier emails, the
only DW SW signal I can receive now using professional equipment is at 11945 at 0400, and
the sound is too weak to be useful on the Shortwave Report which has hundreds of
thousands of listeners in the US and Canada. As I also pointed out, when the BBC dropped
its transmissions to N America, its C American, African, and Asian transmissions are strong
enough to receive well on portable SW radios.
The purpose of international radio using SW bands is to improve global
understanding using a simple, low tech method. If, in fact, public radio stations were
rebroadcasting Newslink, then it would not be a problem- but they are not at this time and,
based on my 15 years experience in public radio, I doubt that it will ever become
widespread. (Believe me, I wish it would, but many stations already air the BBC and feel that
they have therefore presented a worldview.)
In a way I could say they the timing of DW's cessation to N America could not be
worse (though only future history can determine this.) The BBC is quite propagandistic in
covering the invasion of Iraq and wherever the war spreads to. (As they routinely are when
covering the African continent.) The US media has expressed extreme bias against the
German government and people for not jumping on the "Coalition." How are the American
people to understand the intelligence behind the German resistance to this and other wars?
(And where else can they find anything close to "Man and Environment," "Insight," or the
invaluable Press Reviews?) Certainly not through radio broadcasts that do not exist. For
months I have been saying on the Shortwave Report that DW is the best source for an
objective view of the world situation.
I am sure that some money is being saved by not transmitting SW to N America. But
I doubt that it is a significant portion of the DW budget. If you could just return one hour of
broadcast to us between 0100 and 0600, you would be warmly appreciated by hundreds of
thousands of listeners in Canada, the US and Mexico. Otherwise I fear that DWs impact on
global news reporting will remain unheard, despite the fact that many public radio stations
said they would rebroadcast according to your website- because they are not doing it.
Please reconsider your untimely decision. The US is not a country where everyone
has a high-speed internet connection, nor are people familiar with listening to radio on their
computers. Nor is it a country saturated with public radio stations that rebroadcast even the
BBC, let alone DW. Please restore your SW transmissions.
Sincerely, Dan Roberts
http://www.outfarpress.com/ home of the Shortwave Report
LISTEN GLOBALLY! <
Please help me express this to your government officials!
WE IN THE USA NEED TO HEAR YOUR PERSPECTIVE AT THIS CRUCIAL TIME!
Thank You Dan Roberts