Unbeknown to many, MIAMI based broadcaster WRMI, one of the largest shortwave radio operations in the world, has a huge shortwave antenna array in a paddock north of Lake Okeechobee in Central Florida. This shortwave broadcaster is able to beam high power signals to Europe, when it is needed most!!
As we know, shortwave was mostly used during the world wars as a means of communication and propaganda distribution. Many countries including U.S. Services like the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe have scaled back shortwave services due to the rise in TV and internet services. However, since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has shut down journalism as we know it, meaning those sources have been either blocked or heavily filtered. Shortwave radio is now the only way the Russian population can access unbiased reporting of the current conflict.
As the crisis unfolds in Russia and Ukraine you will see more and more people tune in once again to their shortwave radios to access unfiltered news and events.
Russia is “attempting to pass a law making journalism essentially illegal, imposing a 15-year criminal penalty” according to Kate Neiswender, one of the teams organising funding for news programming for Russian audiences.
Neiswender and fellow former journalists formed a fundraiser to beam news into Russia, where state-controlled media, at best, does not tell the true story of the invasion and many Russian citizens have no clue about the severity of the invasion.
Link below to donate.
So, back to this massive shortwave radio antenna in a Florida paddock… The general manager of Miami-based WRMI, Jeff White says “We have 14, 100,000-watt transmitters and 23 antennas beaming to all parts of the world,”
Why is it important? Thanks to funding it is currently providing much needed unfiltered information and news of the invasion, beamed over in Russian, Ukrainian and even in English with no censorship.
There is also no shortage of shortwave radios and radio listeners in Russia so this can be accessed fairly easily.
This highlights the importance of shortwave radio in the modern age.
Click here if you are interested in contributing to the fundraising efforts to keep uncensored news flowing into Russia and Ukraine.
Information source thanks to https://miami.cbslocal.com/ WRMI
The world watches as the crisis in Ukraine unfolds. The Ukrainian government has imposed a state of emergency. This state of emergency allows the authorities to temporarily limit the public’s constitutional rights.
This includes a ban on producing and spreading information that may “destabilise the situation as well as a ban on amateur radio communications during the current conflict with Russia.
To supplement shortwave broadcasts to that country, shortwave broadcaster WRMI (USA based) initially resumed its relays of the daily English language broadcast of Radio Ukraine International, the official overseas service of Ukrainian Radio. (This information is most probably provided to WRMI from the Ukraine via secure internet). Subsequent to this, WRMI reverted to broadcasting in Ukranian.
RUI (Radio Ukraine International) can be heard daily, except Friday, at 1200-1230 UTC on 5010 kHz.
Historically shortwave radio has been banned in Poland and Russia during times of conflict despite it being a critical source of emergency communication.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those currently in conflict.
This Annual event dedicated to radio was created by *UNESCO in 2011.
*UNESCO stands for The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation which is a specialised agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences, and culture.
The first-ever world radio day commenced in 2011 on the anniversary of the founding of United Nations Radio.
This year 2022 theme is devoted “Radio and Trust”
Reporting of radio use around the world indicates that radio continues to be one of the most trusted and used media in the world. In more recent times, even during the most connected era, the isolating nature of word pandemics, natural disasters, and weather events, radio has continued to be a trusted source of communications, not only to those in more isolated regions but also when power is out and connectivity is severed.
Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium. This unique ability to reach out to the widest audience means radio can shape a society and serves as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented, and heard.
Radio stations serve diverse communities, offering a wide variety of programs, viewpoints, and content, and reflect the diversity of audiences in their organizations and operations.
What will you do to celebrate World Radio Day? Turn on your radio, tune the shortwave bands and see what countries you can hear. There is always something happening on the shortwave bands, someone to listen to and learn from.