Information for Members of the Press
Suggested Background Materials
The following background reports may provide useful information:
-
A systematic refutation of a number of the points the BBC World Service has made in defending their decision.
-
The BBC claims that the entire World Service News & Entertainment stream that we receive on shortwave is also available on the Internet, but it just isn't so, and the situation is likely to get worse over time, not better. (Audio sample of the World Service Internet feed during blocked programming, MP3 format, 96 KBytes.)
Daily Telegraph article 14 June 2001
This article by Tom Leonard of the Daily Telegraph is a nice summary of the situation as it stood on June 14th.
BBC Newshour Interviews, 15 June 2001
Coalition webmaster Ralph Brandi and Director of World Service Mark Byford were interviewed by journalist Lyse Doucet for the BBC World Service's program Newshour on 15 June 2001. Read the transcript and listen to the audio.
-
The Save the BBC World Service Coalition is made up of a number of clubs representing shortwave radio enthusiasts working together to get the word out about the BBC's decision and how to protest it.
-
News of the BBC's decision broke in a message posted by journalist Kim Andrew Elliott of the Voice of America to a group of international radio program enthusiasts, swprograms. The archives of the ensuing discussion are also available online.
-
Shortwave radio hobbyist/journalist Glenn Hauser's daily radio newsletter has provided extensive coverage of the BBC's decision.
Press Releases
- June 6, 2001
- BBC to Cut Off 1.2 Million Listeners on July 1; Decision to End Shortwave Broadcasts to North America, Australia and New Zealand Greatly Restricts Access to World Service
- June 20, 2001
- Listener Coalition Asks BBC For More Dialogue
- June 28, 2001
- Internet Not Replacing Radio, Arbitron Finds; Contradicts BBC World Service Arguments for Ending Shortwave Radio Service
- June 29, 2001
- Coalition Calls for Immediate Moratorium on BBC World Service Transmission Cuts
- July 3, 2001
- Worries of declining British interest in the Pacific
Press Contacts
United States
- John Figliozzi
- Phone-Days (1215-2130 UT/0815-1730ET) +1 (518) 473-5264 (has voice mail, leave message)
- Phone-Evenings (2230-0200 UT/1830-2200ET) +1 (518) 383-0796 (has answering machine)
- E-mail: jfiglio1@nycap.rr.com or jfiglio@hotmail.com
- Richard Cuff
- Phone-Days (0830-1730ET/1230-2130UTC) +1 610 320 6111 x3123 (voice mail available)
- Phone-Evenings (1900-2200ET/2300-0200UTC) +1 610 706 4593 (answering machine available)
- Fax: +1 (707) 313-2458
- E-mail: rdcuff@sprintmail.com
- Ralph Brandi
- Phone: +1 (732) 493-8791
- E-mail: ralph@savebbc.org
Canada
- Sheldon Harvey, President, Canadian Int. DX Club
- Phone: +1 (450) 671-3773, during business hours, 1300-2100 UT/0900-1700 ET.
- E-mail: cidxclub@yahoo.com
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 67063-Lemoyne, St. Lambert, Quebec J4R 2T8 CANADA
Australia
TBD
New Zealand
- David Norrie, New Zealand Radio DX League
- Phone (Business): 20.00-05.00 UTC (09) 634 8667
- Phone (Home-evenings) (09) 534 3559
- E-mail: norrieclan@clear.net.nz
- Web site (NZRDXL): http://radiodx.com/
