See updates below – In the next few days
the transmission lines that allow Canada to broadcast to the world will
be taken down one by one. For more than 67 years Radio Canada
International’s shortwave transmitters have guaranteed that Canada’s
voice would be heard despite the Cold War, despite natural disasters,
and Internet blocking. Now this efficient, cost effective communications
tool will be dismantled by Canada’s public broadcaster
CBC/Radio-Canada.
Those of us who understand how important this lifeline to the world
is to world communication are sick to our stomachs at the rapidity with
which the broadcaster wants to make the transmitters disappear.
Shortwave broadcasts of Radio Canada International ended on June 24,
2012. Other countries’ use of our transmitters will end on October 31.
But CBC/Radio-Canada has already started the process of dismantling
unused transmitters, and will start taking down still functioning
transmission lines very shortly.
Why are they in such a hurry?
CBC/Radio-Canada has never understood the importance of international
broadcasting, and is betting that Canadians will ignore the fact that a
web-only service has limited impact while shortwave radio can reach
more than 800 million radio receivers around the world.
(Source : RCI Action Committee Blog)
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