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Christian Vision to Turn Off Shortwave in Latin America
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Shifting
emphasis to media that reach younger consumers, international broadcaster Christian
Vision plans to cease shortwave service to Latin America on Friday. It cites
declining listenership to shortwave.
The
organization, headquartered in the United Kingdom, says its programming of CVCLAVOZ,
formerly Voz Cristiana, is growing via Spanish-language Christian radio
affiliates in Latin America and Spain. It says it has about 413 affiliates in
23 countries and is using Internet, mobile and social platforms to increase
consumption by the 18- to 35-year-old demo.
The organization in 2010
closed two shortwave sites — one in Darwin, Australia, which had served audiences
in Asia in the Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia and English languages; and another in
Juelich, Germany, that aired Russian, Arabic and English programs. It said it
will continue to use shortwave in India and parts of Africa, “where audiences
in this waveband continue to be significant."
According
to the announcement, Christian Vision purchased the property and shortwave
transmission equipment in Calera de Tango, Chile, in August of 1996; it subsequently
received a license from the Chilean regulator Subtel, and launched Voz
Cristiana in 1998, with four radio services to Latin America.
Director
of Broadcasting Andrew Flynn was the engineer who headed the Chile site in its
early years. He is quoted by the organization thanking the technical team led
by Antonio Reyes for helping send Christian programming to “countless millions”
in Latin America via shortwave.
“For many years, Christian Vision used shortwave as the
primary channel in its ‘Touch a Billion’ strategy,” he stated. “However in
recent years, shortwave audiences have declined in favor of other radio
platforms, and new social media powered by the Internet.”
Related:
Sackville SW Transmission Farm for Sale (RW International July 2012, digital
edition)
Changes Continue for Shortwave (Oct. 2011)
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