Five antennas like this broadcast our signals around the world.
A frequent question that comes to World Christian Broadcasting: “Why do you broadcast in shortwave? My radio doesn’t even have the shortwave band.”
Over seven billion people live in our world. They’re scattered throughout a complex maze of geography, languages, national boundaries, and diverse cultural backgrounds.
Many people in the United States are completely unaware of shortwave. Most have never even seen a shortwave receiver. Surprisingly, there may be more shortwave radios in the western hemisphere than most people would have guessed.
Internationally, however, shortwave is big. Roughly 3 billion shortwave receivers exist worldwide. In years’ past, most of those were in China and the old Soviet Union. Once those governments opened the window to the rest of the world, many people predicted the demise of shortwave.
In fact, the reverse has happened. In some places in the world, car radios come equipped with shortwave bands. Even in the U.S., in increasing numbers radios are being sold with all three—AM, FM, and shortwave. For millions of people around the world, shortwave radio is the only means they have for communication from the outside world. And for millions more, though they have local AM and FM available, they tune in to shortwave radio to listen to programs that originate on the other side of the world. It is truly the only international radio source.
And for millions more, though they have local AM and FM available, they tune in to shortwave radio to listen to programs that originate on the other side of the world. It is truly the only international radio source.
No Boundaries
Construction of the second tower in Alaska was cold work!
Unlike other forms of mass media such as satellite, television, AM/FM radio, printed material, and the Internet, only shortwave radio signals can be sent without program content being restricted in any way.
Read what Radio Netherlands Worldwide says about their shortwave experience: “Every day we broadcast via Short Wave into Myanmar, also known as Burma, and that means our independent news is getting through. Our frequencies . . . have not been jammed and for three hours a day we offer an alternative to the military junta’s propaganda. Internet may be down but via Short Wave we can punch a hole in the information stranglehold.” To “punch a hole” to get our message through—a great description of what World Christian Broadcasting’s shortwave broadcasts do!
Shortwave radio transmissions are directed up, not out. They bounce off the ionosphere, hit the ground, bounce back up to the ionosphere, back down to earth—each of these “bounces” referred to as a “skip”—and in three “skips” the signal we send from Alaska or Madagascar, comes down loud and clear in the heart of China and Russia. Shortwave signals cross political, social, racial, economic, and cultural barriers. This means that shortwave is the perfect medium for carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to an international community that desperately needs help. Shortwave is a powerful medium. The world is listening.