[78-L] BBC World Service Going Out Of Business Auction

[Michael Biel]

From: "Robert M. Bratcher Jr." <rbratcherjr at yahoo.com>
>>> I still listen to whats left of shortwave radio today ...
>>> Many shortwave atations are leaving the air, the CBC/Radio
>>> Canada for example which stopped broadcasting on shortwave
>>> last month. Radio Sweden has been gone for several months now.
>>> The BBC World Service hasn't broadcasted to North America &
>>> The Carribeen for the last 2 years or so. The only way I can
>>> here the BBC in English on shortwave now is to tune in signals
>>> beamed to other areas.  Oh & I'm 53 know & have been listening
>>> to shortwave since I was 13 years old ...
From: Don Chichester <dnjchi78 at live.com>
>> And in high school (late '40s) I listened daily on SW to the
>> World Service, hearing such comedies as "Ray's a Laugh", and
>> dramatized books such as "The Riddle of the Sands".  Loved it! Don

From: warren moorman <wlmoorman3 at yahoo.com>
> There was fairly extensive coverage of the move out of Bush House
> last week on BBC World. I heard it on a station near Don in Va., USA. 
> (overnight programming). They didn't mention the sale of the vintage 
> equipment though.  Warren
 
The current BBC World Service is not your father's BBC General Overseas
Service -- which is what Don was actually listening to. About ten years
ago they dropped just about everything from the programe but continuous
news.  Thus, you can see that, A) there is not much use for most of the
type of equipment they are selling -- all they do is assemble newscasts,
and B) the new building is probably comprised of nothing much more than
tiny news reader booths and edit booths.  

By moving out of Bush House, a broadcasting facility built in the Grand
Style, they are making it impossible for any future administration to
want to do anything more than endless news.  The new building probably
isn't suitable for anything else. Back in 1983 I taught a class in
London and we were given a tour of Bush House.  At lunch break they
wheeled in a WINE CART!!! Our class of college students was amazed! 
WINE!  But I understand that the wine cart was wheeled into pretty much
every instance of outsiders being interviewed on the air or otherwise
visiting Bush House.  I also learned that the Wine Cart was one of the
first things to go in the austerity move a few years later. (I think the
interviews must have become a bit stiffer without the wine.)

I also mourn the ending of almost all international broadcasting on
Short Wave.  This was discussed quietly during my later visits to Radio
Budapest in 1992, Radio Finland in 1993, the Voice of Russia in 1995 and
Radio Netherlands in 1998.  The internet is much too cost efficient
compared with the electric bills to run 50,000 to 250,000 watt
transmitters -- just to entertain teenage boys.  Don and Robert: you and
I all have the same history of teenage DXing!  Do you REALLY think we
were the target audience for foreign governments???!!!  But there are
about 15 to 20 countries I visited in adulthood partially based on my
childhood DXing -- so maybe it did help their balance of trade.

Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com