Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Adid, who shares the following news from NHK World:
February 14, 2025
Termination of NHK WORLD-JAPAN Verification Cards (confirmation cards)
NHK WORLD-JAPAN has been issuing verification cards (confirmation cards) to people who have notified us that they are listening to our broadcasts.
Please be advised that we have decided to stop issuing the Verification Cards. The cards will be sent for confirmations on broadcasts up to March 20, 2025.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
You can continue to submit your comments and requests to English language services through
Contact Us on our website.
Your feedback will be used to improve our broadcasts and services.
I remember eons ago (about 35 years anyway) I asked for a QSL from NHK having caught the SW bug owing to getting a chunky Vega Selena and logging several dozen stations from all over the place. I was amazed that from sending my letter to getting a reply – in a large envelope with a kind of button on the back and string tied round it to close it – took barely more than a week. I know we can listen to loads of stuff on internet these days – but it’s a shame that the QSL practice seems to be dying out.
E-QSL – problem solving!
As someone said on Facebook, people are abusing it. Many people seeking QSLs get demanding and aggressive about it……while also requesting 2, 3, 4 a month.
And its clear some people are chasing the paper and thats it.
I’ve been dxing in my current location for 3 years… and have sent for very very few qsl’s form my remote Alaska QTH. I can count on two hands what QSL’s ive requested.. R. romania actualitati on 1530, WMR on 15700 and maybe a few others
NHK World on shortwave have been going down the drain since 2020. Before covid, they were broadcasting in English several times a day, and I was a regular listener of the 7 AM programme with real studio staff and some great programmes after the news (Reading Japan was my favourite).
But when covid broke out, the programme changed into the audio from the TV-news, which was rather annoying and noisy to listen to. And shortly after the transmission changed, so morning broadcast is at 6 AM, which is to early!
So I haven’t tuned in for the past four years or so.
But they sure had some nice QSL cards back then!
I like a lot of NHK’s programming, but the switch to TV audio for the news is so frustrating I basically quit listening to their shortwave and app audio broadcasts completely. I kind of thought a dedicated audio newscast might be reintroduced after the pandemic but it was not to be.
Oh well, I’ve expressed my displeasure with it (and they still sent a QSL!) but I do still watch on TV occasionally when I need background audio.
And Paul’s right, there’s a certain contingent of listeners who don’t just politely request a QSL, they practically demand something for free, anything, for the barest of reports.
I was gonna send reception reports from Hawaii by the end of March, 2025 just because NHK would not issue report from inside of Japan. This year is the special year for 100 years of starting radio in Japan. I am so sorry to hear stopping to issue QSL anymore.
Probably a combination of financial and lack of engineering interest. NHK knows where and how it can be heard via remote receivers and perhaps a few dedicated monitors.
Not just a matter of “can be heard.” QSLs are a matter of ‘is being heard,’ i.e., feedback to the broadcaster that someone is interested and listening. Seems like an email with a filled-in graphic would be a cost-effective way to do this today.
Why?
Sad to see them stop issuing cards! I’ll start filing them in quickly