Radio Canada International “Strives”, but is “Effectively Retired”

That’s not how the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) puts it. According to CBC CEO Hubert T. Lacroix,

“From now on RCI will provide multilingual service broadcasting in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin that strives to help audiences discover and especially understand democratic and cultural life and values in Canada”.

In Jonathan Marks‘ (Critical Distance) words,

Radio Canada International, without radio, becomes a branding mistake rather than a serious service.

Marks’ verdict apparently isn’t targeted at other existing or former international shortwave broadcasters, but only at Radio Canada International (RCI). The CBC’s press release suggested that they don’t really know what RCI on the web is supposed to share, writes Marks. He might still see such content when it comes to Radio Netherlands, who continue to make specific programs for audiences abroad, or when it comes to the BBC World Service or Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany), for that matter.

All those stations either radically reduced or cancelled shortwave broadcasts in certain languages. Radio Netherlands is still on the (shortwave) air in Dutch, but is expected to phase its Dutch language radio broadcasts out some time during this coming summer.

Deutsche Welle terminated their shortwave broadcasts in German in October last year, but maintained some shortwave broadcasts in English and French to Africa, from the Kigali (Rwanda) relay station.

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Related

» The “Firedrake”, March 17, 2012
» DW: End of the Radio Era, January 2, 2012
» “Free Speech, Dutch Values”, June 10, 2011
» “Stuff of the Past”, April 2, 2011

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Tags: communication, Deutsche Welle, international, media, Netherlands, public diplomacy, shortwave radio