Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Paul Jamet and Tracy Wood for sharing the following article (translated into English) from RTVE:
RTVE secures the future of the public shortwave service of Radio Exterior de España
The RTVE Board of Directors has unanimously approved the purchase, installation, and implementation of a new shortwave transmitter. This is the first of five new transmitters that Radio Exterior de España (REE) urgently needs to guarantee the continuity of this public service.
The new transmitters will replace the current equipment, which has far exceeded its useful life and whose frequent breakdowns put the continuity of shortwave broadcasts at risk. They will be responsible for carrying the shortwave signal to West Africa, the Middle East, North America, and South America.
With this decision, RTVE fulfills its public service obligation set out in the Framework Mandate and in Law 17/2006 of June 5, which establishes that the Corporation must “aim to serve the widest audience, ensuring maximum continuity and geographic and social coverage, with the commitment to offer quality, diversity, innovation, and ethical standards.”
This is a great advance that ensures the continuity of REE’s public service to Spaniards who are outside our borders and to foreigners interested in Spain. This commitment by the Corporation comes after years of uncertainty. In 2014, the closure of REE’s shortwave was implemented for a few months. It was in 2018 that an eight-hour daily shortwave broadcast was achieved again.
The power of shortwave
REE’s shortwave carries the voice and vision of Spain to the entire world. For this reason, the director of the station, Luis Manuel Fernández Iglesias, has advocated in his speech before the RTVE Board of Directors to “involve the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture of Spain in the future of Radio Exterior, both in the design of its programming and in the financing of this public international broadcaster, such as REE.”
As seen in the invasion of Ukraine, shortwave escapes control and censorship, guaranteeing the democratic right to truthful and honest information. Another advantage is its free nature for listeners and the low cost and investment needed for its reception anywhere. These circumstances make it very attractive, especially for fishermen, merchant seamen, missionaries, or Spanish volunteers who carry out their work where the internet signal does not reach.
Other countries will now take note of what Spain is doing with shortwave broadcasting and hopefully do the same. Shortwave broadcasting has immense importance for its target audience – many of whom have no other medium for news and light entertainment.
We tend to forget that there are many parts of the world that are very remote and only shortwave radio can reach.
Many familiar European broadcasters were hit with the Russian media sanctions. Among the broadcasting outlets are:
Austria : ORF
Greece : EPT
Ireland : RTE
Spain : RTVE
Italy : RAI
Latvia : LSM
Lithuania : LRT
Malta : TVM
Netherlands : NOS
Portugal : RTP
Finland : YLE
France : Radio France, TF1 , etc.
Czech Republic: Czech TV
Sweden : SVT (State media)
Estonia : ERR State Media
In all 81 media outlets. … Time to fire up those shortwave transmitters.
Indeed, RTVE has a very reasonable staff when it comes to radio broadcasting. The temporary shutdown of shortwave transmitters in 2014 has caused a huge outrage and the topic was even reported in national newspapers. According to the research done by RTVE at that time, almost 80% of surveyed listeners used analogue shortwave to tune in. So I guess there was no other sensible choice than to reinstate SW broadcasting if the provision of this important public service was to be continued in a way that is most accessible to the audience. RTVE has also decided at that time to stop broadcasting in DRM, I guess this system did not turn out to be as popular within the audiences as analogue AM.
We need other countries like Australia, the UK, Germany, The Netherlands to realise that SW still has value in communicating opinions and objectives to the world. Yes, it can be expensive in power utilisation, human resources etc to operate, but it is a lot cheaper than the human lives that potentially will be at stake if the likes of Putin and Kim Yong Un (?) are allowed to have their twisted views of the world predominate.
Jerome
Kudos to The Board of Directors of RTVE. In this dark days for shorwave REE is becoming a lighthouse for “All The L ight We Cannot See”
Best
Waldo / Uruguay
CX2AD
This is excellent news not only for our Spanish friends but for the whole world. Well done RTVE!
The “Voice of Spain” was one of the first foreign stations, if not the first I heard in 1958. They held down 9.36 MHz at the bottom of the 31-meter band and had regular transmissions in English to NA at 0300, 0400, and 0500 UTC which lasted about 45 minutes each. It was thrilling to hear this on a 20-year-old radio-phonograph. Its reassuring to hear their strong signals throughout the day, even more so with this great news..
This is really excellent news! It’s a very positive signal about the use of Shortwave. Indeed, it’s important to remember that these waves can be used to serve the whole world. They can’t be totally stopped, despite more or less effective and, above all, costly jamming. Listeners cannot be traced, and a few dozen euros is all it takes to buy a high-performance, very small DSP receiver.
Finally, it’s interesting to read the motivations that led RTVE members to modernize the Noblejas transmitter center at a time when other countries have ceased international broadcasting and knocked down their antennas :
Radio Exterior de España’s shortwave guarantees the broadcasting of free and truthful information in the face of Putin’s veto.
https://www.rtve.es/rtve/20240626/onda-corta-radio-exterior-espana-garantiza-difusion-informacion-libre-veraz-frente-veto-putin/16162987.shtml
* The Russian invasion of Ukraine has revitalized shortwave and, in particular, REE’s Russian-language broadcasting to Eastern Europe.
* RTVE’s commitment to shortwave was ratified on Monday, when RTVE’s Board of Directors approved the purchase, installation and commissioning of a new shortwave transmitter.
“As seen in the invasion of Ukraine, shortwave escapes control and censorship, guaranteeing the democratic right to truthful and honest information. Another advantage is its free nature for listeners and the low cost and investment needed for its reception anywhere. ”
Exactly!
Hooray for shortwave!
Cheers, Jock
Wonderful news, particularly on a time that money seems to rule every decision, despite other factors. Congrats to RTVE!