Today, BBC Radio 4 will air The Sound of Soft Power, a documentary presented by Josephine McDermott exploring the history of international broadcasting and the role shortwave radio played as a tool of soft power during the Second World War and Cold War.

The program features a number of familiar voices from shortwave history, including Lord Haw-Haw, Mildred Gillars, Doris Maxina of Moscow Mailbag, and June Taylor.

The documentary also revisits stations and programs remembered fondly by many DXers, including Radio Netherlands’ Happy Station Show and Radio Berlin International.

I was pleased to play a small role in assisting with research for the program, and recordings from the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive were also used in the production.

For anyone interested in the history of shortwave broadcasting and international radio, this will be well worth a listen.

The Sound of Soft Power airs today on BBC Radio 4 and will also be available via BBC Sounds.