What is even more regrettable is the choice to allow certain broadcasters to continue, even increasing their funding, while others get the axe taken to their budgets. Specifically, I am talking about Radio Marti. Radio y Television Marti, according to a study quoted in NPR's "On the Media" has about 3 percent name recognition in Cuba. Those who have heard of it almost universally have a negative view of its programming, oftentimes even lower scores than the domestic propaganda outlets receive. All of this while Voice of America, a far more objective, trusted, and effective source of information, is cutting staff like mad.
Speaking as someone who is about to go work at a non-western shortwave broadcaster, I can say that it is quite sad that (if I wanted to work at, say VOA or Radio Free Asia) I would essentially have to go through the same process that a civilian defense contractor goes through. No wonder they have trouble attracting new and young journalistic talent.
It is quite telling that of 5 English-native speakers in my Mass Communication MA program (at Central European University, which houses the RFE/RL archives on campus) who focused on radio: one works for AL-Jazeera, two work for Radio Romania International, one is at Radio Kuwait, and I worked for the Moscow Times (Western newspaper) initially only to take a position at the largest non-western shortwave broadcaster of them all. The jobs at Western broadcasters are just not there, and those that are available do not even come close to offering a journalist with an advanced degree adequate pay. Until Western governments realize the value of international broadcasting, they will essentially continue to cede a generation of talented journalists to the competition.
Topic: [Swlfest] Western radio broadcasters tuning out (Read 1145 times)
