(Source: RMbiz)
MUMBAI: In the wake of recent earthquake that affected Nepal and India, All India Radio (AIR) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have designed special programming for affected areas of Indo-Nepal border and Nepal respectively. AIR is also transmitting services through their External Services Division (ESD).
AIR stations in Patna, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Gangtok, Siliguri, Guwahati, Delhi and others put out suitable programmes to generate awareness among the masses, particularly informing them how to tackle such situations.[…]
These token broadcasts won’t have any impact. More than 85% of the population have access to mobile phones. Mobile phone networks only went down for a short time. Domestic services cover most of the country and can provide better information on what is happening than AIR or the BBC.
The BBC is doing this more a political move. As your aware the BBCWS is no longer funded by the Foreign Office. They now have to show the government and those who pay a TV license. That the BBCWS is worth keeping. Also an election is only a few days away.
A few months ago the BBC did a survey on what UK citizens think of the BBC. If I’m not mistake but it was either 77 or 78% feel the BBC World Service should be shut down. When those paying taxes for the service feel that money could better be spent on domestic services. I have to agree.
What exactly should they use their mobile phones for? Even if all celll towers were online and unharmed (which I doubt), how would they get continously updated disaster information on their phones?
Also the internet in Nepal was down until 1-2 days ago.
I agree 100% with you Ronald. I have also wondered how useful the well meant effort from BBC really are. I see it something like this:
BBC: “We stop shortwave broadcasting to this and that region, because “all” people have internet today, just follow our world service at bbc.com, its’ so simple and with hi-fi quality too”.
Then a disaster struck in a region which now has no BBC coverage anylonger.
Then BBC comes back, “Hey we are back, remember us?”
The problem now is that most people indeed have forgotten and almost nobody knows that BBC are back and certainly not their shortwave frequencies. The younger ones does not even know what BBC are and used to be.
Maybe I am wrong, but I think at least for some in a chaotic aftermath of a big earth quake, the above scenario is valid, -even for those which still have not already exchanged their old radio for a computer.
This is the biggest reason why broadcasters should stay on shortwave, instead of streaming programs online.