Re: [HCDX] AZERBAIJAN: Reporters Without Borders appeals to presidentover threat to take foreign radios off air

["Paul" <format4nz@xxxxxxxxx>]

“these radios would not disappear because
of this, because they would be able to broadcast on short wave ..."

Always assuming that the broadcasters still have the shortwave capacity. 
This incident shows the risk broadcasters are taking by abandoning shortwave 
for a 'more attractive' but less secure means of serving their listeners.

Paul


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Arnaldo" <slaen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <DXplorer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "playdx2003" <playdx2003@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <cumbredx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; 
<hard-core-dx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <bclnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; "DXLD" 
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Sent: Saturday, November 15, 2008 9:32 PM
Subject: [HCDX] AZERBAIJAN: Reporters Without Borders appeals to 
presidentover threat to take foreign radios off air


Reporters Without Borders appeals to president over threat to take foreign
radios off air

Reporters Without Borders has sent a letter to President of Azerbaijan,
Ilham Aliyev appealing to him to intervene after the National Broadcasting
Council announced it planned to take three foreign radios stations off the
FM band by 2009. They are the BBC, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice
of America.

The worldwide press freedom organisation said in its 3 November letter that
it was “dismayed” by these “shocking statements” by the council’s chairman,
Nushirvan Magerramli, announcing the bans on 31 October.

The organisation pointed out that the three media involved “provide
comprehensive, high quality and objective news”. and “contribute
fundamentally to the continued pluralism that is virtually non-existent
elsewhere in the Azerbaijan media. It stressed that “their popularity -
particularly that of RFE/RL - demonstrates this”.

Reporters Without Borders also condemned what it called a “very serious
strategic mistake” that “it would strongly condemn should it happen”. “How
could it not be seen as a desire to step up control of the country’s media
landscape and a mark of political failure ?” The organisation asked.

The organisation pointed out that “these radios would not disappear because
of this, because they would be able to broadcast on short wave as happened
during the Soviet era. It would only have the effect of lowering the quality
of reception for listeners.”

Stressing that it was not “not too late”, Reporters Without Borders urged
President Aliyev to “reject this decision”, and to distance himself from “a
counterproductive act for Azerbaijan”, and “to let it be known that foreign
media are not a threat to your authority and that they play a key role in
providing news and information to your citizens.”

Finally, the organisation urged the president to open a dialogue with the
representatives of the three radios and to plan, if necessary, the
construction of new transmitters.

Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council, Nushirvan Magerramli, said on
31 October that the three radios, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, BBC and
Voice of America in the Azeri language should stop broadcasting on FM from
2009. “Azerbaijan is not interested in foreign radios on its national
frequencies,” he said.

He added that over the past few years, Russian and Turkish televisions, as
well as French and Russian radios, have lost their frequencies. The decision
could be applied gradually, he said. The radios involved all broadcast on
FM, RFE/RLand VOA on 101.7 and the BBC on 103.3.(rsf.org)

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THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed
and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License
published by Michael Stutz at
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