{"id":12845,"date":"2015-03-27T07:47:22","date_gmt":"2015-03-27T11:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=12845"},"modified":"2015-03-27T07:47:22","modified_gmt":"2015-03-27T11:47:22","slug":"cri-rfa-sputnik-and-the-bbc-an-information-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/cri-rfa-sputnik-and-the-bbc-an-information-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"CRI, RFA, Sputnik, and the BBC: an “information battle?”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Radio-Dial-Blurred-Dark\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Richard Cuff, for sharing this article from The National<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Radio wars: information battle heats up as Russia and China muscle in<\/strong><\/p>\n

For about 70 years it was the base of the BBC World Service. Bush House, with its grand marble entrance in central London, stood as a powerful symbol of the BBC, home to the short-wave radio services that delivered news to dozens of countries in more than 40 languages. But the lights went out in 2012 when the World Service moved to the more prosaic Broadcasting House; two years later it lost its annual \u00a3245 million (Dh1.341 billion) grant from the UK\u2019s government.<\/p>\n

Both changes are symptomatic of the BBC\u2019s less certain place in the broadcasting world as other countries significantly ramp up recruitment and funding for their own equivalent services.<\/p>\n

Last December, Peter Horrocks, the BBC World Service\u2019s former director, warned that the West was losing the \u201cinformation war\u201d with Moscow as the old Cold War foe pumped out wave after wave of pro-Kremlin propaganda on its rapidly expanding radio, TV and online platforms.<\/p>\n

Horrocks had called for a rethink on financial assistance from the UK government as, even before the grant was ended, cutbacks in 2011 forced the closure of five language services and some short-wave broadcasts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are being financially outgunned by Russia and the Chinese. Medium to long term there has to be an anxiety about the spending of others compared to what the BBC are putting into it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It is now all too clear that established broadcasters that are based in the West, such as Radio Free Asia, Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe (RFE) \u2013 funded mainly through an agency of the US government \u2013 and the BBC are facing increased competition. Last November, Moscow rebranded its international English-language radio service: Radio Sputnik replaced the Voice of Russia and funding was increased for a new state-owned global news agency, Rossiya Segodnya.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Beijing\u2019s China Radio International (CRI) is an important part of the Communist Party\u2019s foreign policy. CRI uses internet, short wave and satellite to broadcast around the world in dozens of languages, while Radio Sputnik has ambitions to broadcast in 30 languages across more than 130 countries by the end of the year.[…]<\/p>\n

Continue reading on The National website…<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, for sharing this article from The National: Radio wars: information battle heats up as Russia and China muscle in For about 70 years it was the base of the BBC World Service. Bush House, with its grand marble entrance in central London, stood as a powerful symbol […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,960,3],"tags":[327,141,429,1529,3401,10,182],"class_list":["post-12845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-broadcasters","category-international-broadcasting","category-news","tag-bbc-world-service","tag-china-radio-international","tag-cri","tag-radio-free-asia","tag-sputnik-news-agency-and-radio","tag-voa","tag-voice-of-america"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-3lb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10377,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/the-straits-times-western-radio-broadcasters-tuning-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":12845,"position":0},"title":"The Straits Times: “Western radio broadcasters tuning out”","author":"Thomas","date":"July 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Richard Cuff, for sharing this article from The Straits Times which interviews our friend Victor Goonetilleke. This is one of the first articles I've seen in the international press which gives a\u00a0listener's perspective\u00a0on recent cuts to shortwave broadcasting. (Source: The Straits Times) For 67-year-old\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Analog Radio Dial","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/swdial.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3284,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/china-radio-international-increasing-turkish-content\/","url_meta":{"origin":12845,"position":1},"title":"China Radio International increasing Turkish content","author":"Thomas","date":"April 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Today's Zaman) \u201cI\u2019ve sometimes been challenged trying to find exactly the right word to translate from Turkish into Chinese,\u201d recalled Wenjun Liu, a 37-year-old reporter working at the Turkish Broadcast Service of China Radio International (CRI) in Beijing. \u00a0\u201cThank God, we have Turkish native speakers working here to rush\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/China-Radio-International-CRI-294x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13123,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/seans-a15-season-international-broadcasting-statistics\/","url_meta":{"origin":12845,"position":2},"title":"Sean’s A15 Season International Broadcasting Statistics","author":"Thomas","date":"May 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to Sean Gilbert, International Editor at the World Radio TV Handbook, who is kindly sharing some international broadcasting statistics with us again. These statistics were originally posted on the WRTH Facebook group: Seasonal Language Output Comparison [F]or the top 19 languages used in international (and Domestic SW) broadcasting.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"VOA-Greenville-Curtain-Antennas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/VOA-Greenville-Curtain-Antennas.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/VOA-Greenville-Curtain-Antennas.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/VOA-Greenville-Curtain-Antennas.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/VOA-Greenville-Curtain-Antennas.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5855,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/australia-network-news-broadcast-group-condemns-china-over-radio-jamming\/","url_meta":{"origin":12845,"position":3},"title":"Australia Network News: Broadcast group condemns China over radio jamming","author":"Thomas","date":"March 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Australia News Network) An international broadcast association has condemned the deliberate jamming of shortwave broadcasts, including those from the ABC's Radio Australia service, into Asia. The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) says English-language broadcasts from Radio Australia, the BBC World Service and the Voice of America are being jammed.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"OHtower","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/OHtower-174x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52084,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/03\/radio-waves-termination-event-russian-propaganda-in-dc-renewed-relevance-circumventing-censorship-and-old-school-radio-sense\/","url_meta":{"origin":12845,"position":4},"title":"Radio Waves: Termination Event, Russian Propaganda in DC, Renewed Relevance, Circumventing Censorship, and Old-School Radio Sense","author":"Thomas","date":"March 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"International Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/international-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Russia-Moscow-Kremlin.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Russia-Moscow-Kremlin.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Russia-Moscow-Kremlin.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Russia-Moscow-Kremlin.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17382,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/bbc-to-launch-korean-news-service-via-shortwave-in-fall-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":12845,"position":5},"title":"BBC to launch Korean news service via shortwave in fall 2016","author":"Thomas","date":"February 15, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: KBS World Radio via Andrea Borgnino) The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will launch a shortwave radio service to North Korea this fall. A BBC insider said the British government has given final approval to the public broadcaster's plan to broadcast news to North Korea and has even earmarked a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"(Image source: BBC)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/BBC-Headquarters.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/BBC-Headquarters.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/BBC-Headquarters.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12845\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}