[A-DX] Fwd: The importance of listeners' response on shortwave

[Herbert Meixner <hmeixner@xxxxxxxxx>]

IRRS bittet 'flehentlich' nicht um Empfangsberichte, sondern um 
Programmbewertungen.

Mit Gruss,
Herbert


-------- Original-Nachricht --------
Betreff: The importance of listeners' response on shortwave
Datum: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 23:05:05 +0200
Von: Alfredo Cotroneo <alfredo@xxxxxxxxx>
Antwort an: alfredo@xxxxxxxxx
Organisation: NEXUS International Broadcasting Association
An: Herbert Meixner <hmeixner@xxxxxxxxx>
Kopie (CC): IRRS-Shortwave listeners <irrs-listeners@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Hello there from Milano, Italy,

Dear listeners and friends,

It's a difficult time for any shortwave broadcasting station, you 
probably know
that already. For a number of reasons, stations again close theirs 
transmitting
sites, and leave the air, indefinitely. Some other reduced the number of 
hours,
and are just about to shut down, anytime now.

I will not elaborate on the dream of a digital shortwave world (DRM) 
that kept
many stations on the air until recently in the hope of reaching millions 
of new
listeners worldwide. Unfortunately DRM receivers will hardly come into mass
production, and if they will ever come it will be too late to resurrect 
the dead.

As you know, it's a difficult time also for everyone individually and
company-wise, and not only for those employed by large government 
broadcasters
who shut down their shortwave operations to "save" tax money.

Today I want to share the content of a phone call with one of our long-time
broadcasters, who will remain anonymous. Our role at IRRS and NEXUS-IBA has
always been to provide the best possible signal to any desired target, 
but this
is not enough. Our broadcasters are extremely concerned by the general 
lack of
response from shortwave listeners. The essence of each broadcaster 
request is
quite the same: "We need response, WE NEED LISTENERS's RESPONSE!, to 
allow us to
continue broadcasting on shortwave." We always made this point very 
clear, when
we tell you that we do need comments to our program content, NOT just mere
reception reports.

If you've been sitting close to your receiver at the other side of our
transmitters, I want to explain you what is the mechanism that keeps a 
program
(any program) on the air and keeps a non-government shortwave station 
like ours
alive: behind a program producer there is always a bunch of 
"supporters", i.e. a
church, a charity, a foundation, some kind of organized group or even a 
wealthy
person. They mostly share a worthy cause or a common idea to change the 
world:
politically, culturally, or religiously. Sometimes small program 
producers (like
those who air on our station via "IPAR: International Public Access 
Radio") even
support the costs and efforts to produce a radio program by themselves. 
They all
share one thing, that is unique on non-government international 
broadcasting
stations: they need listeners' response to show their supporters (or 
themselves)
that their efforts are worth the money that each of them is contributing.

Without those who produce a program, but have no station on their own, 
and rely
on us to bring their messages to you, we have no reason to exist. Our 
mission is
to be a "nexus", i.e. a link between a program producer and our 
listeners. We do
not discriminate, we are not a religious station, we are not biased by any
political or religious idea, and we want to present those many different
opinions that our broadcasting members want to share. This is what we 
wrote in
the NEXUS association charter (http://www.nexus.org/charter.htm) and the 
essence
of our daily work in international broadcasting.

Do you know that a radio or TV program can also make a few people rich? 
And many
program producers want to use shortwave to this effect. However, this 
can happen
only in some parts of the world, like the USA. Even a small, low power 
station
in the USA, in fact, provides plenty of listeners' response by means of 
phone
calls, letters, and emails to keep supporters happy, and money flowing. And
above all: many listeners in the USA gratefully contribute to their radio
station and their favorite program by sending in checks (cheques) in the 
mail,
from a few dollars to thousands and hundred thousands of dollars. I have 
seen
this personally on a large scale at a Christian station in northern 
California,
where tens of old ladies were opening hundreds of letters, each with 
quite some
money inside, and registering each contribution on their PC (BTW: have 
you ever
seen any of those rich and famous preachers on a a US TV station?)

Unfortunately it's hard to expect any money in the mail from listeners 
that we
cover in Europe, Asia, Middle East or Africa. In fact we never asked and 
never
got any listeners' cheque in more than 30 years, and we just about get
(sometimes, not all the time) enough money to cover return postage for 
any QSL
request.

In the end, once again our broadcasters demand that we get listeners' 
response,
otherwise it's difficult to show their supporters that anybody is 
listening.
Most of those on our station are not asking for money, but just listeners
comments, phone calls or any kind of response to show that you are being 
reached
with their message.

It's been quite strange to hear tonight from our broadcaster that they 
get tens
of letters and phone calls from Africa and Europe every day, but mostly for
their broadcasts on "another station". This let us wonder somehow: how 
is it
that our signal is good, and listeners do not write, and they do not 
call the
numbers given on the air? Are those letters and phone calls a 
fabrication to
keep this program on that particular station?

I look forward to your comments and suggestions. We will reply to each 
email
personally. Please also mention whether you listen to our programs, on 
which
frequency, and when, and if we can do better to continue to be your 
favorite
station. This will help us greatly to improve and stay on the air.

Please visit our web site for more information on our daily programs:

http://www.nexus.org/Schedules/

or write us at reports@xxxxxxxxx for more information.

Thank you and stay tuned!

73s,

Alfredo

--
Alfredo E. Cotroneo, CEO,        NEXUS-Int'l Broadcasting Association






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