Learn from History

GLOBAL MEDIA - part 1

Almost from the very start, radio signals were broadcast international. Beginning in the mid 1920s, the major European Colonial power – the Netherlands, Great Britain and Germany were using short wave radio to connected with their various colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East as well as, in the case of the British, Canada and the Australia. Short wave was still is well suited for transmission over very long distances because of its high frequency easily and efficiency reflect or skip of the ionosphere producing skyway take travel vast distances.

Anti-government or anti-regime radio also constituted an important segment of international broadcasting. These clandestine stations typically emerged from the darkest shadows of political conflict. Revolutionary groups or intelligent agencies frequently operate them. During Cold War the unauthorized, clandestine opposition station typically operated outside the nation origins to reach their broadcast to avoid discovery, capture, imprisonment or death. Today the relatively few clandestine operation functioning inside the region which they transmit can be classified indigenous station, where else those operating from outside are exogenous station. Another type of broadcast operation transmitting called pirate broadcasters where they illegally operated station broadcasting to British audiences from offshore or foreign facilities.  The pirates were powerful and well subsidized by advertisers and record companies. Mush like the commercial radio stations with which we are now familiar they broadcast 24 hours a day everyday of the year. These pirate offered listeners an alternative to the control and low key programming of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) station. Because the BBC was noncommercial, pirate’ station represented the only opportunity for advertiser who wanted to reach British Consumers.