The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Ex-Employee: CBC Should Restart Its Shortwave Radio Service

**Posted by RadioActive** March 31, 2025 9:03 am

A former employee of Radio Canada International suggests this country should resurrect our shortwave service, especially after the VOA was shut down in the U.S.

"Imagine what it would mean to Ukrainians to still hear newscasts and information from Canada about how our government is supporting Ukraine, or how the Ukrainian community is reacting in Canada. Imagine what it would mean to Russians to hear from our Russian service about Canadian and world views about the war in Ukraine, and Russia, in general. It’s not happening because both of those services were victims of CBC budget cuts.

The silencing of the Voice of America and other U.S. international broadcast outlets has shocked many, and underlined the importance of having an independent Canadian service not only because it gives information about Canada, but also provides independent information for regions of the world that do not have access to uncensored news."

This is fine, but where would they get their transmitters from? They took down the towers that used to be in Sackville, New Brunswick some 13 years ago. How would they get the signal out?

Time to restore Radio Canada International or Canada’s world service

**Posted by Chrisphen** March 31, 2025 10:33 am

Wouldn't be a terrible idea, but yeah it would be costly with the old infrastructure long gone.

**Posted by Aytononline** March 31, 2025 10:40 am

Just a question. Is there state of the art technology that could replace CBC shortwave radio giving the same or better coverage as before without costing to much or at least lower operating cost compared to the original shortwave radio. Or is this type of thing part of our history.

**Posted by Easily Amused** March 31, 2025 10:49 am

String some wires between all the new lakefront condos in Toronto?

Are CHIN's old towers on the Toronto Island still standing🤔

I have lots of ideas. Granted, a lot of them are no good. 😕

**Posted by torontostan** March 31, 2025 1:11 pm

Does the author know that satellite internet exists and that nobody owns a shortwave radio? All a repressive government would have to do is ban the sale of such radios and this would be pointless.

**Posted by Dial Twister** March 31, 2025 1:14 pm

torontostan wrote:
Does the author know that satellite internet exists and that nobody owns a shortwave radio? All a repressive government would have to do is ban the sale of such radios and this would be pointless.

Many authoritarian governments geo-block and URL-block Internet sites; the very places that need the VOA.

**Posted by RadioActive** March 31, 2025 1:20 pm

torontostan wrote:
Does the author know that satellite internet exists and that nobody owns a shortwave radio? All a repressive government would have to do is ban the sale of such radios and this would be pointless.

I think the unspoken explanation is that they already have such a radio somewhere in their families from years past and they could simply pull it out again.

I think Dial Twister is right - there are more ways to block a website than there are to stop radio signals, even with jamming. Plus you can leave a digital footprint when you visit a site, whereas radio provides no real trace.

**Posted by torontostan** March 31, 2025 1:37 pm

Absolutely zero chance these people will have shortwave radios, and even if they do, they don't have them out on their kitchen table. So if their internet is restricted, how do you expect them to find out about the existence of shortwave radio? Regardless, this is absolutely not the sort of thing that will get Canadians to rally behind the CBC. Spending millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars on this will only pour gasoline on the anti-CBC fires....

**Posted by RadioAaron** March 31, 2025 2:25 pm

Since the author is talking about Ukraine, anybody notice anything here?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_radio_stations_in_Kyiv

**Posted by RadioActive** March 31, 2025 3:47 pm

Speaking of radio in Ukraine, here's one station that's definitely not going to be a favourite with listeners. Talk about not relating to your listeners...

In tune with the killers: A French radio brand broadcasting in occupied Ukraine is running enlistment ads for the Russian army

**Posted by Hansa** March 31, 2025 4:41 pm

They'd have to lease time on someone else's transmitter.

Perhaps RCI should build a few AM border blasters and create a Radio Free America schedule for our friends in the US?

Last edited by Hansa (April 1, 2025 10:44 pm)

**Posted by Chrisphen** March 31, 2025 9:57 pm

We could then drop in some low-cost battery-powered multiband radios by balloon...Same as we do to North Korea. I'm warming to this more and more.

**Posted by Evuguy** April 1, 2025 9:29 pm

There still are a couple of car radios with SW coverage: The Sony CDX-G1200U and Pioneer DEH-S4250BT. They are available in the US and are reasonably priced.

Still, short wave's time has passed unfortunately. The Internet took care of that.