You Call This a World Service?

Monday, June 25, 2001

My column last week looking at the BBC's decision to switch its famous World Service from short wave reception to the Internet in a number of regions flushed a few die-hard fans out of the woodwork. And more than a few of those were, like me, "grumpy" at the BBC's call.

To re-cap, the Beeb has decided to cease short wave transmissions to North America and the South Pacific, both places that wise BBC bureaucrats reckon are technologically enabled and wealthy enough to have fast enough connections to support Internet transmissions. As a more capable wordsmith than I once said about online information when arguing against the death of print media, "you can't take a computer to the toilet," and the same is equally true of radio on the Net. For the moment anyway.

This said, I love the fact that I can get my National Public Radio, my Prairie Home Companion, my Sydney talkback and my Saturday footy all online. And I love it best because I live in Singapore, which despite its enlightened fast Net connection policy, seems to regard a free press as an obstacle to be overcome. This is the media where the premier political columnist questions whether a vote is a right, or a privilege.

It IS wrong for the independent voice of the BBC to cease short wave to these first-world markets, even with the Internet's massive reach. O.K., the denizens of media-rich San Francisco or Sydney aren't going to rise into revolt tomorrow, but if the BBC shuts down these markets then my fear is that others which need real news more than most, like in Asia, might be next to suffer.

And it seems that a lot of others are concerned, and grumpy too. And ironically they've taken to the Net to voice their concerns about, well, the Net.

They are people like the "outraged" Ralph Brandi of the U.S, a long time BBCphile who describes the World Service as the local radio service of the global village. "If you have an interest in world affairs, their service is unparalleled. But it seems like some neighborhoods aren't worth serving any more."

Brandi is behind a well-crafted website -- www.savebbc.org -- which, to quote the raging Ralph, has "got a lot of information about why the BBC is wrong. Its got press contacts. Its got addresses to complain to. Its got places for listeners who don't have columns in TIME Magazine's Asia edition to comment about the decision."

It seems that plenty have complained. Like Jim Strader of Middleborough, Mass., who says the BBC are "quite convinced that they have made the correct decision to end transmissions to the Americas and the Pacific.

"I hope that your article is read by the powers that be, because they're convinced that only 'radio hobbyists' are upset with this premature decision. This is the WRONG decision."

Rakesh Dubey of techie Hyderabad grew up with the Beeb, "trying to emulate the newscasters' intonations was so much fun. Interestingly, I found that I did not outgrow this little habit of mine." He also wants to save the BBC short wave.

In New Zealand, listener/reader Janet Freeman is "spitting tacks." Not only is she peeved at the short wave loss of the "stunningly good general entertainment provider," she's worried about the people of the impoverished and much put-upon Pacific Islands who rely on the Beeb for news. "Those who have internet access in the islands are a tiny elite group."

Well, folks, there's good news. And of course there's bad news, depending on where you live.

First the good news for those in Asia. Elizabeth Wright, the BBC's Head of Region, Asia and the Pacific, assured me "that the BBC World Service has no intention of cutting its (short wave service) to Asia. We opened a new relay station in Thailand in 1989 and over the next 3/4 years will be doing an expensive upgrade to our SW relay station at Kranji in Singapore," Wright says. "We are also putting a huge investment into a new relay station in the Middle East, which will supply MW and SW to parts of South Asia starting next year. The vast majority of our 68 million listeners in Asia listen on SW and we believe that will continue to be the case for many years to come."

As for Australasia and the islands, "the media markets in New Zealand and Australia are extremely developed and, in both countries, we have a strong presence on FM/MW, hence the decision to reduce the number of SW frequencies. It is essential that we invest in the Internet and FM, so hard choices have to be made on savings and subsequent investments. The decision to reduce in Australasia was not taken lightly."

The bad news is for North American listeners and readers. It seems you missed out again. My advice is fight on. And fight to win.

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