Editing International broadcasting (section)

== History ==

=== Origins ===
[[File:Guglielmo Marconi 1901 wireless signal.jpg|thumb|[[Guglielmo Marconi]] carried out the first short wave transmissions over a long distance.]]
[[Guglielmo Marconi]] pioneered the use of [[short wave]] radio for long-distance transmissions in the early 1920s. Using a system of parabolic reflector antennae, Marconi's assistant, [[Charles Samuel Franklin]], rigged up a large antenna at [[Poldhu|Poldhu Wireless Station]], [[Cornwall]], running on 25&nbsp;kW of power. In June and July 1923, wireless transmissions were completed during nights on 97 meters from Poldhu to Marconi's yacht ''Elettra'' in the [[Cape Verde|Cape Verde Islands]].<ref name="Bray">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3h7R36Y0yFUC|title=Innovation and the Communications Revolution: From the Victorian Pioneers to Broadband Internet|author=John Bray|year=2002|publisher=IET|pages=73–75|isbn=9780852962183}}</ref> High speed shortwave telegraphy circuits were then installed from London to Australia, India, South Africa and Canada as the main element of the [[Imperial Wireless Chain]] from 1926.<ref name="Bray"/>

The Dutch began conducting experiments in the shortwave frequencies in 1925 from [[Eindhoven]]. The radio station [[PCJJ]] began the first international broadcasting on March 11, 1927, with programmes in Dutch for colonies in the [[Dutch West Indies]] and [[Dutch East Indies]] and in German, Spanish and English for the rest of the world. The popular ''[[Happy Station Show|Happy Station]]'' show was inaugurated in 1928 and became the world's longest-running shortwave programme, continuing until 1995, transferring to [[Radio Netherlands]] after World War II.<ref>[http://www.bureauafrique.nl/autresdepartements/africa/Radionetherlandsturns60/aboutrnw_history ''History of Radio Netherlands''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228214010/http://www.bureauafrique.nl/autresdepartements/africa/Radionetherlandsturns60/aboutrnw_history |date=2009-02-28 }}</ref>

In 1927, Marconi also turned his attention toward long distance broadcasting on shortwave. His first such broadcasts took place to commemorate [[Armistice Day]] in the same year. He continued running a regular international broadcast that was picked up around the world, with programming from the [[2LO]] station, then run by the [[BBC]]. The success of this operation caught the BBC's attention who rented out a shortwave transmitting station in [[Chelmsford]], with the callsign G5SW, to Marconi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ontheshortwaves.com/Wavescan/wavescan090920.html|title=Daventry Calling - 2: Station G5SW Chelmsford }}</ref> The [[BBC Empire Service]] was finally inaugurated on December 19, 1932, with transmissions aimed towards Australia and New Zealand.<ref>BBC World Service. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/history/timeline.shtml ''World Service timeline''].</ref>

=== Expansion ===
Other notable early international broadcasters included [[Vatican Radio]] (February 12, 1931), [[Voice of Russia|Radio Moscow]], the official service of the Soviet Union (renamed the [[Voice of Russia]], following the collapse of the Soviet Union). Clarence W. Jones started transmitting on Christmas Day, 1931 from Christian missionary radio station [[HCJB]] in [[Quito]], [[Ecuador]]. Broadcasting in South Asia was launched in 1925 in [[Ceylon]] – [[Radio Ceylon]], now the [[Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation]] is the oldest in the region.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-17049, Joseph Goebbels spricht.jpg|thumb|left|213x213px|[[Joseph Goebbels]] headed [[Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda]] in [[Nazi Germany]]. International broadcasting was an important element in [[Nazi propaganda]].]]
Shortwave broadcasting from [[Nauen]] in Germany to the US, Central and South America, and the Far East began in 1926. A second station, [[Zeesen short-wave transmitter (1931)|Zeesen]], was added in 1931.<ref>Wood 2000: 49</ref> In January 1932, the German [[Reichspost]] assumed control of the Nauen station and added to its shortwave and longwave capacity.<ref>Wood 2000:57</ref> Once [[Adolf Hitler]] assumed power in 1933, shortwave, under the ''Auslandsrundfunk'' (Foreign Radio Section), was regarded as a vital element of [[Nazi propaganda]].

German shortwave hours were increased from two hours a day to 18 per day, and eventually twelve languages were broadcast on a 24-hour basis, including English. A 100 [[kilowatt]] transmitter and antenna complex was built at [[Zeesen]], near Berlin. Specialty target programming to the United States began in 1933, to South Africa, South America, and East Asia in 1934, and South Asia and Central America in 1938. German propaganda was organized under [[Joseph Goebbels]], and played a key role in the [[German annexation of Austria]] and the [[Munich Crisis]] of 1938.

In 1936, the [[International Telecommunication Union|International Radio Union]] recognized Vatican Radio as a "special case" and authorized its broadcasting without any geographical limits. On December 25, 1937, a Telefunken 25-kW transmitter and two directional antennas were added. Vatican Radio broadcast over 10 frequencies.<ref name="Levillain 2002: 1600">Levillain 2002: 1600</ref>

During the [[Spanish Civil War]], the Nationalist forces received a powerful [[Telefunken]] transmitter as a gift of Nazi Germany to aid their propaganda efforts, and until 1943 [[Radio Nacional de España]] collaborated with the Axis powers to retransmit in Spanish news from the official radio stations of Germany and Italy.

=== World War II ===
During the [[Second World War]], Russian, German, British, and Italian international broadcasting services expanded. In 1938 the British [[BBC World Service|BBC]] launched international services in [[BBC German Service|German]], French and Italian. In 1942, the United States initiated its international broadcasting service, the [[Voice of America]]. In the Pacific theater, General [[Douglas MacArthur]] used shortwave radio to keep in touch with the citizens of the Japanese-occupied Philippine Islands.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Several announcers who became well known in their countries included [[British Union of Fascists]] member [[William Joyce]], who was one of the two "[[Lord Haw-Haw]]"s; Frenchmen [[Paul Ferdonnet]] and [[André Olbrecht]], called "the traitors of [Radio] Stuttgart"; and Americans [[Frederick William Kaltenbach]], "Lord Hee-Haw", and [[Mildred Gillars]], one of the two announcers called "[[Axis Sally]]". Listeners to German programs often tuned in for curiosity's sake—at one time, German radio had half a million listeners in the U.S.--but most of them soon lost interest. Japan had "[[Tokyo Rose]]", who broadcast Japanese propaganda in English, along with American music to help ensure listeners.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

During World War II, Vatican Radio's news broadcasts were banned in Germany. During the war, the radio service operated in four languages.<ref name="Levillain 2002: 1600"/>

The British launched [[Radio SEAC]] from Colombo, [[Ceylon]] (Sri Lanka) during World War II. The station broadcast radio programs to the allied armed forces across the region from their headquarters in Ceylon.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Following the war and German partition, each Germany developed its own international broadcasting station: [[Deutsche Welle]], using studios in [[Cologne]], West Germany, and [[Radio Berlin International]] (RBI) in East Germany. RBI's broadcasts ceased shortly before the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990, and Deutsche Welle took over its transmitters and frequencies.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

=== Cold War era ===
The Cold War led to increased international broadcasting (and [[radio jamming|jamming]]), as Communist and non-Communist states attempted to influence each other's domestic population. Some of the most prominent Western broadcasters were the [[Voice of America]], the [[BBC World Service]], and the [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]. The Soviet Union's most prominent service was [[Radio Moscow]] and China used [[Radio Peking]] (then [[Radio Beijing]], now [[China Radio International]]). In addition to the U.S.-Soviet cold war, the Chinese-Russian border dispute led to an increase of the numbers of transmitters aimed at the two nations, and the development of new techniques such as playing tapes backwards for reel-to-reel recorders.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

West Germany resumed regular shortwave broadcasts using [[Deutsche Welle]] on May 3, 1953. Its [[Jülich radio transmitter|Julich transmitter site]] began operation in 1956, with eleven 100-kW [[Telefunken]] transmitters. The [[Wertachtal transmitter site|Wertachtal site]] was authorized in 1972 and began with four 500-kW transmitters. By 1989, there were 15 transmitters, four of which relayed the Voice of America.<ref>Wood 2000: 51</ref> Meanwhile, in East Germany, the [[Nauen Transmitter Station|Nauen site]] began transmitting Radio DDR, later Radio Berlin International, on October 15, 1959.<ref>Wood 2000: 58</ref>

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Antenna system used Radio-Liberty 02.jpg|thumb|400px|Diagrams showing coverage of the [[Radio Liberty]] transmission site at [[Playa de Pals|Playa de Pals, Spain]] {{FFDC|Antenna system used Radio-Liberty 02.jpg|9 May 26|date=March 2012}}]] -->
In addition to these states, international broadcast services grew in Europe and the [[Middle East]]. Under the presidency of [[Gamal Nasser]], [[Egypt]]ian transmitters covered the Arab world; Israel's service, [[Kol Yisrael]], served both to present the Israeli point of view to the world and to serve the [[Jewish diaspora]], particularly behind the [[Iron Curtain]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

[[Radio RSA]], as part of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, was established in 1966 to promote the image of South Africa internationally and reduce criticism of apartheid.<ref>Horwitz 2001: 287</ref> It continued in 1992, when the post-apartheid government renamed it [[Channel Africa]].

Ironically, the isolationist [[Albania]] under [[Enver Hoxha]], virtually a [[hermit kingdom]], became one of the most prolific international broadcasters during the latter decades of the Cold War, with [[Radio Tirana]] one of the top five broadcasters in terms of hours of programming produced.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

'''Estimated total programme hours per week of some external broadcasters'''<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/BBC_YEAR_Book_Page_Key.htm BBC Handbook]</ref>
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:90%"
! Country !! Political<br />Alignment !! Broadcaster(s) !! 1950 !! 1955 !! 1960 !! 1965 !! 1970 !! 1975 !! 1980 !! 1985 !! 1990
|-
| {{ALB}} || [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] || [[Radio Televizioni Shqiptar#Radio|Radio Tirana]] || 26 || 47 || 63 || 154 || 487 || 490 || 560 || 581 || 451
|-
| {{AUS}} || West || [[Radio Australia]] || 181 || 226 || 257 || 299 || 350 || 379 || 333 || 352 || 330
|-
| {{BUL}} || East || [[Radio Bulgaria|Radio Sofia]] || 30 || 60 || 117 || 154 || 164 || 197 || 236 || 290 || 320
|-
| {{CAN}} || West || [[Radio Canada International|Radio Canada International (RCI)]] || 85 || 83 || 80 || 81 || 98 || 159 || 134 || 169 || 195
|-
| {{CHN}} || - || [[China Radio International|Radio Beijing]] || 66 || 159 || 687 || 1027 || 1267 || 1423 || 1350 || 1446 || 1515
|-
| {{CUB}} || East || [[Radio Havana Cuba|Radio Havana Cuba (RHC)]] || - || - || - || 325 || 320 || 311 || 424 || 379 || 352
|-
| {{CSK}} || East || [[Radio Prague]] || 119 || 147 || 196 || 189 || 202 || 253 || 255 || 268 || 131
|-
| {{EGY}} || [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] || [[ERTU|Radio Cairo]] || - || 100 || 301 || 505 || 540 || 635 || 546 || 560 || 605
|-
| {{FRA}} || West || [[Radio France Internationale|Radio France Internationale (RFI)]] || 198 || 191 || 326 || 183 || 200 || 108 || 125 || 272 || 379
|-
| {{FRG}} || West || [[Deutsche Welle|Deutsche Welle (DW)]], [[Deutschlandfunk|Deutschlandfunk (DLF)]] || - || 105 || 315 || 671 || 779 || 767 || 804 || 795 || 848
|-
| {{GDR}} || East || [[Radio Berlin International|Radio Berlin International (RBI)]] || - || 9 || 185 || 308 || 274 || 342 || 375 || 413 || -
|-
| {{HUN}} || East || [[Radio Budapest]] || 76 || 99 || 120 || 121 || 105 || 127 || 127 || 122 || 102
|-
| {{IND}} || [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] || [[All India Radio|All India Radio (AIR)]] || 116 || 117 || 157 || 175 || 271 || 326 || 389 || 408 || 456
|-
| {{IRN}} || [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] || [[IRIB World Service|Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran]] || 12 || 10 || 24 || 118 || 155 || 154 || 175 || 310 || 400
|-
| {{ISR}} || - || [[Kol Yisrael]] || - || 28 || 91 || 92 || 158 || 198 || 210 || 223 || 253
|-
| {{ITA}} || West || [[Rai Italia Radio|Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)]] || 170 || 185 || 205 || 160 || 165 || 170 || 169 || 173 || 181
|-
| {{JPN}} || - || [[NHK World-Japan|Radio Japan]] || - || 91 || 203 || 249 || 259 || 259 || 259 || 287 || 343
|-
| {{PRK}} || [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] || [[Voice of Korea|Radio Pyongyang]] || - || 53 || 159 || 392 || 330 || 455 || 597 || 535 || 534
|-
| {{NLD}} || West || [[Radio Netherlands Worldwide|Radio Nederland Wereldomroep (RNW)]] || 127 || 120 || 178 || 235 || 335 || 400 || 289 || 336 || 323
|-
| {{NGR}} || [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] || [[Voice of Nigeria]] || - || - || - || 63 || 62 || 61 || 170 || 322 || 120
|-
| {{POL}} || East || [[Polish Radio External Service|Radio Polonia]] || 131 || 359 || 232 || 280 || 334 || 340 || 337 || 320 || 292
|-
| {{POR}} || West || [[RDP Internacional]] || 46 || 102 || 133 || 273 || 295 || 190 || 214 || 140 || 203
|-
| {{ROM}} || East || [[Radio Romania International|Radio Bucharest]] || 30 || 109 || 159 || 163 || 185 || 190 || 198 || 212 || 199
|-
| {{flagicon|Union of South Africa}} [[South Africa]]|| West || [[Radio RSA]] || - || 127 || 63 || 84 || 150 || 141 || 183 || 205 || 156
|-
| {{URS}} || East || [[Radio Moscow]], [[Radio Peace and Progress|Peace & Progress]], [[Radio Moscow#The union republics|Republics]] || 533 || 656 || 1015 || 1417 || 1908 || 2001 || 2094 || 2211 || 1876
|-
| {{ESP}} || West || [[Radio Exterior|Radio Exterior de España (REE)]] || 68 || 98 || 202 || 276 || 251 || 312 || 239 || 252 || 403
|-
| {{SWE}} || - || [[SR International – Radio Sweden|Radio Sweden]] || 28 || 128 || 114 || 142 || 140 || 154 || 155 || 196 || 167
|-
| {{TUR}} || West || [[Voice of Turkey]] || 40 || 100 || 77 || 91 || 88 || 172 || 199 || 307 || 322
|-
| {{UK}} || West || [[BBC World Service|BBC]] || 643 || 558 || 589 || 667 || 723 || 719 || 719 || 729 || 796
|-
| {{US}} || West || [[Voice of America|VoA]], [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|RFE/RL]] || 497 || 1690 || 1495 || 1832 || 1907 || 2029 || 1901 || 2339 || 2611
|-
| {{YUG}} || [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] || [[Yugoslav Radio Television|Radio Yugoslavia]] || 80 || 46 || 70 || 78 || 76 || 82 || 72 || 86 || 96
|}

=== Today ===
At the end of the [[Cold War]], many international broadcasters cut back on hours and foreign languages broadcast, or reemphasized other language services. For example, in 1984, Radio Canada International broadcast in English, French, German, Spanish, Czech/Slovak, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian. In 2005, RCI broadcast in English, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, and Spanish. There is a bigger trend towards TV (e.g. BBC World News, NHK World, CCTV-9) and news websites.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} 

Some services, such as Swiss Radio International, left shortwave altogether and exist in Internet form, [[Swissinfo]]. Radio Canada International ceased shortwave broadcasting in 2012 becoming a purely online service producing podcasts and maintaining a website in several languages.<ref>{{cite news|title=Radio Canada International goes off-air, moving online-only after 67 years of shortwave service|url=http://j-source.ca/article/radio-canada-international-goes-air-moving-online-only-after-67-years-shortwave-service|access-date=June 6, 2013|newspaper=J-Source|date=June 25, 2012|archive-date=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701143352/http://www.j-source.ca/article/radio-canada-international-goes-air-moving-online-only-after-67-years-shortwave-service|url-status=dead}}</ref> Radio Netherlands ceased broadcasting in 2012 and was transformed into [[RNW Media]], an [[NGO]] that trains youth in developing countries to use [[digital media]] for social change.<ref>https://www.rnw.media/ {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> Radio Moscow's successor, [[Voice of Russia]], was disbanded in 2014 and replaced by [[Sputnik (news agency)|Sputnik]], a multimedia news platform, which does not broadcast on shortwave.<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-30040363</ref> Other shortwave broadcasters have [[List of shortwave radio broadcasters|ceased operations entirely]] since the 1990s.<ref name="WRTH">{{cite web |title=World Radio TV Handbook |url=https://www.wrth.com/ |website=wrth.com |publisher=WRTH Publications Ltd. Radio Data Center GmbH |access-date=19 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="SWI">{{cite web |title=Short Wave Info |url=https://www.short-wave.info/ |website=short-wave.info |access-date=19 October 2023}}</ref>

In addition, new standards, such as [[Digital Radio Mondiale]], are being introduced, as well as sending programs over the Web to be played back later, as "[[podcast]]s".{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

International broadcasting using the traditional audio-only method will not cease any time soon due to its cost efficiencies. However, international broadcasting via television is considered more strategically important at least since the early 2000s.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

The [[BBC World Service]] was the first broadcaster to consider setting up a satellite television news and information channel as far back as 1976, but ceded being the first to [[CNN]] (that had primary access to [[Canada]] soon after launch). The defunct BBC World Service [[Antigua]] Relay Station was built in 1976, but its setup costs were not known to have been part of the BBCWS decision processes at the time.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In the early 1990s, many international (as well as domestic) 24-hour news and information channels launched as part of the post-[[Cold War]] prosperity bubble. There was another burst of global news channels launching in the late 2000s as part the developing world trying to catch up with the developed world in this area.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In the early 2020's, many of the public [[International broadcasting|international broadcasters]] that court audiences abroad have seen their budgets shrink, with the exception of [[Deutsche Welle]], while [[state media]] outlets from [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] countries like [[Russia]], [[China]] and [[Iran]] have been increasing their budgets since the early 2000's.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romy |first=Katy |date=2025-04-25 |title=International public media face uncertain future in democracies |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/democracy/international-public-media-face-uncertain-future-in-democracies/89207323 |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |title=China and Russia are deploying powerful new weapons: ideas |url=https://www.economist.com/international/2025/05/15/china-and-russia-are-deploying-powerful-new-weapons-ideas |access-date=2025-05-29 |work=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> Authoritarian states have also sought to expand their reach by buying advertising on social media like [[Facebook]], and covertly co-opting [[Influencer|influencers]].<ref name=":0" />