{"id":66133,"date":"2026-05-23T07:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T11:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=66133"},"modified":"2026-05-23T07:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T11:03:19","slug":"bbc-radio-4-explores-shortwave-broadcasting-and-soft-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/bbc-radio-4-explores-shortwave-broadcasting-and-soft-power\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC Radio 4 explores shortwave broadcasting and soft power"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Today, BBC Radio 4 will air The Sound of Soft Power<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The documentary also revisits stations and programs remembered fondly by many DXers, including Radio Netherlands\u2019 Happy Station Show<\/em> and Radio Berlin International.<\/p>\n

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

For anyone interested in the history of shortwave broadcasting and international radio, this will be well worth a listen.<\/p>\n

The Sound of Soft Power<\/em> <\/strong><\/a>airs today on BBC Radio 4 and will also be available via BBC Sounds<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_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},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[960,3,305,288,7566,43],"tags":[1347,4111,11121,852,465,4082,11120],"class_list":["post-66133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international-broadcasting","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","category-radio-memories","category-shortwave-radio","tag-bbc-radio-4","tag-international-broadcasting","tag-josephine-mcdermott","tag-radio-4","tag-radio-documentaries","tag-shortwave-radio","tag-the-sound-of-soft-power"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-hcF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":66611,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/the-sound-of-soft-power-airing-on-bbc-world-service-august-1-2-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":66133,"position":0},"title":"The Sound of Soft Power: Airing on BBC World Service, August 1\u20132, 2026","author":"Thomas","date":"July 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The BBC World Service will rebroadcast The Sound of Soft Power\u2014the excellent radio documentary exploring the enduring influence of international broadcasting and shortwave radio\u2014via its shortwave service on the following dates: First transmission: 18:00 GMT, Saturday, 1 August 2026 Final transmission: 11:00 GMT, Sunday, 2 August 2026 I'll post the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-e1530836181998.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-e1530836181998.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-e1530836181998.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Radio-Dial-e1530836181998.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35528,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/australia-international-broadcasting-soft-power-and-the-wisdom-of-the-crowd\/","url_meta":{"origin":66133,"position":1},"title":"Australia: International broadcasting, soft power and the wisdom of the crowd","author":"Thomas","date":"January 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Nigel Holmes, who writes: Here are a couple of interesting url following the joint Australian DFAT & DCA Review of Broadcasting Services in the Asia Pacific. [One] gives a good overview and the [other] is a concise assessment of HF and Radio Australia in the\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\/2017\/07\/Kenwood-R-1000-Encoder-Dial-2-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Kenwood-R-1000-Encoder-Dial-2-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Kenwood-R-1000-Encoder-Dial-2-1024x678.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66188,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/cgtn-versus-bbc-china-uk-and-soft-power-in-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":66133,"position":2},"title":"CGTN versus BBC: China, UK, and Soft Power in Africa","author":"Thomas","date":"May 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Carlos Latuff I found it strange to come across interference from a Chinese radio station on the BBC\u2019s shortwave broadcast. For about a month, between April and May 2026, I was monitoring this special BBC radio service, transmitted from a station in Madagascar and aimed at Sudan and Gaza\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Latuff-BBC-CGTN-May-2026-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Latuff-BBC-CGTN-May-2026-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Latuff-BBC-CGTN-May-2026-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Latuff-BBC-CGTN-May-2026-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Latuff-BBC-CGTN-May-2026-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34312,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/10\/ieee-spectrum-magazine-this-artist-made-a-radio-out-of-a-kitchen-sink\/","url_meta":{"origin":66133,"position":3},"title":"IEEE Spectrum Magazine: “This Artist Made a Radio Out of a Kitchen Sink”","author":"Thomas","date":"October 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source:\u00a0IEEE Spectrum via Ed C) Amanda Dawn Christie\u2019s work commemorates the fading glory of shortwave radio By\u00a0Stephen Cass Some artists work in oils, say, or marble. Amanda Dawn Christie works in radio. Not radio in the sense of performing on air. But radio in the sense of the giant cultural\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SpectresOfShortwave.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SpectresOfShortwave.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SpectresOfShortwave.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/SpectresOfShortwave.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49333,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/comrade-africa-a-historic-look-at-the-gdrs-cold-war-era-shortwave-broadcasts-to-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":66133,"position":4},"title":"Comrade Africa: A historic look at the GDR\u2019s Cold War era shortwave broadcasts to Africa","author":"Thomas","date":"June 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ulis (K3LU), who shares the following note via his Twitter feed: \u201cComrade Africa\u201d - a historic look at the GDR\u2019s (Radio Berlin International) Cold War era shortwave broadcasts to Africa via the BBC World Service: https:\/\/open.live.bbc.co.uk\/mediaselector\/6\/redir\/version\/2.0\/mediaset\/audio-nondrm-download\/proto\/https\/vpid\/p07zc40r.mp3 Click here to listen to the documentary at\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\/2016\/04\/RadioBerlinInternationalFront-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioBerlinInternationalFront-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioBerlinInternationalFront-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/RadioBerlinInternationalFront-001.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10377,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/the-straits-times-western-radio-broadcasters-tuning-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":66133,"position":5},"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":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66133","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=66133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66134,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66133\/revisions\/66134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}