RADIO PROPAGANDA.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 30, 29 October 1937, Page 4

RADIO PROPAGANDA.

A cfiange in a principle strictly adliered to. is indicated by the statement that the British Broadcasting Corporation is considering broadcasts* in foreign languages. With the recent decision of the United States National Broadcasting Company to broadcast in five foreign languages. Britain became the only great I'ower confining programmes to the languagb of its nationals. And as the short-wave competition between the jfowers has developed in a rapid and amazing degree British. interests, political and economic, have suffered severely from the handicap of silence. Hritain refused to meet radio propaganda on equal terms and it was inevitable that as the Empire is the greatest target for such propaganda she should soon be forced to revise her policy. The extent of this "war" of propaganda already being carried »n is shown in the foliowing list giving the languages broadcast from different national stations - GEKMANY (Zeesen) : English, Dutcli, Portuguese and Spanish. KUSSIA (Moscow) : Dutck, English, Erench, German, Hungarian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. 1TALY (ltome and Bari) : English, Arabic, Erench, German, Ghinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Japanese and Hindustani. FllANCE (Paris) : Arabic, English, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, iiussian, Kumanian, Spanish and Yugo-Siav. UNITED STATES (BoUndbrook) ; French, German, italian, Spanish and Portuguese. JAPAN (Tokyo); Uhinese, English, Hindustani. Togpther with the developgpent of the language broadcasts has come tbe strengthening of the power of the short-wave stations. Moscow's 500 kilowatt station is soon to be challeuged by ne.w Italian transmitters, which will be the most powerful in the world. Meanwhile Zeesen's nine high-{V)vvered transmitters are sending their message to almost every corner of the world; recently an American observer was greatly impressed with the eificient coverage achieved by the German station in Soutii America, which, h° si>',d, had created a definite "German consciousness"there. And all the time italy thunders forth her anti-British propaganda, particularly in Arabic.