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WHAT IS IT?
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Shortwave is a radio frequency spectrum that allows the international transmission of radio signals as they reflect off the ionosphere, a high layer in the atmosphere 100 miles above Earth's surface, to be received at distant places on our planet. Broadcasters use shortwave radio to send their program content to people around the globe. It has been used mostly by governments in the past eight decades to distribute propaganda.
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1927
Shortwave radio signals from the Netherlands were received in Indonesia.
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1931
Missionary shortwave radio station HCJB began broadcasting from Ecuador.
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1932
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) started transmitting its "Empire Service" by shortwave radio to the world. Today it's known as "BBC World Service" and also transmits television and online programming. BBC News»
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1941
Dr. Joseph Paul Goebbels, propaganda minister for Germany's Third Reich broadcast to the United States via shortwave.
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1942
The U.S. Office of War Information broadcast news to overseas forces via shortwave radio.
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1942
The Voice of America (VOA) went on the air 79 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It's first broadcasts were beamed to Europe from British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) transmitters. VOA News»
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1945
At the end of World War II, many VOA broadcasts were eliminated and its operations were transferred to the Department of State.
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1948
Support for U.S. international broadcasting grew along with the Cold War and hostile broadcasting from the Soviet Union at the time of the Berlin Blockade. The United States government enacted an "Information and Educational Exchange Act" (the Smith-Mundt Act) that authorized the secretary of state to "provide for preparation and dissemination abroad of information about the United States."
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1950
The U.S. government started Radio Free Europe (RFE) to transmit news, information, and analysis via shortwave to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. RFE News»
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1953
The U.S. government added Radio Liberty (RL) to its RFE shortwave broadcast propaganda operations after "Radio Liberation" was proposed by the CIA-backed organization "American Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia." Radio Liberty drew its first large audience when it covered the death of Joseph Stalin. RL News»
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1953
The United States Information Agency (USIA) was created for "public diplomacy," including international shortwave broadcasting.
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1963
North Carolina had a key role in propagating American ideals with the Voice of America transmitter site at Greenville the most powerful international broadcaster in the world. The transmitting complex had three sites forming a triangle around the city of Greenville. Two of the sites housed nine transmitters – three of 500,000 watts, three of 250,000 watts, and three of 50,000 watts. The third site was a receiver site and administrative offices. The sites covered 6,193 acres and employed 100 people working around the clock. That doubled the VOA's total transmitter power. The main target areas for the Greenville shortwave broadcasts were Latin America, Cuba, the Caribbean, and Africa.
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1983
The U.S. government established Radio Marti in Miami, Florida, to transmit Spanish radio broadcasts to Cuba.
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1984
In support of refurbishing the VOA, President Ronald Reagan said, "The Voice of America has been a strong voice for the truth. Despite problems of antiquated equipment and Soviet jamming, the Voice of America has been able to extend its message of truth around the world."
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1990
The U.S. government established TV Marti to send news and current affairs programming to Cuba. It was named after Cuban independence leader Jose Marti.
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1996
The U.S. government started Radio Free Asia (RFA) as a "private" radio station established by the United States Congress and funded by the federal government. It broadcasts news to countries in Asia. RFA News»
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1998
BBC America launched as an American television network available on cable and satellite.
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1990s
The USIA established a Bureau of Broadcasting to consolidate the Voice of America, WORLDNET Television and Film Service, and Radio and TV Marti. An "International Broadcasting Act" established an "International Broadcasting Bureau" (IBB) in the USIA, and created a Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) with oversight authority over all non-military U.S. government international broadcasting. The "Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act" made the Broadcasting Board of Governors an independent federal entity with supervisory authority over the International Broadcasting Bureau, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. Eventually the USIA was abolished with its functions merged into the U.S. State Department.
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2000
World Wide Internet TV (WWiTV) begins linking listeners to international broadcasters that are streaming programming on the Internet. WWiTV»
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2001
Changing listening habits led the BBC World Service to stop shortwave radio transmissions to North America and Australasia.
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2011
Once an extraordinarily powerful outreach tool for nations everywhere, shortwave radio is fading. International broadcasters today use satellites and cable TV for direct broadcasting, Web sites with news, entertainment and streaming audio and video, Facebook pages and Twitter tweets to reach distant audiences. At the Voice of America and most other national shortwave stations around the globe, one over-the-air language service after another has been closed down. Like most other mass media, shortwave media are converging onto the Internet. The BBC, VOA, Deutsche Welle, Radio France Internationale, Radio Australia, China Radio International and most other international broadcasters have Web and Facebook pages and Twitter feeds.
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