International Broadcaster Feature Articles Author interview! (Q&A)

Why did you provide the links now?

I released my novel, "Russia Rising", during November of 2016, "Return to Little Russia", during February 2017. My novel site was launched in July of 2017. I decided that there is still audience for the articles based on several non fiction publications using my international broadcasting articles. I then posted the article links on several Facebook shortwave broadcasting group sites and have received several hundred hits to the article links since then.

What magazine did the feature news articles about broadcasters appear?

Monitoring Times Magazine and Satellite Times Magazine are the ones with the links I posted. It was an international magazine before the internet developed with 20,000 to 30,000 readers worldwide. International and shortwave broadcasting was one of the main interests of the publication. MT and ST are no longer published.

What made you want to write and publish news articles about international broadcasting?

At the time, shortwave broadcasting was very popular. I had listened to it since age 13 and always wanted to work for Voice of America. I started listening to Radio Moscow broadcasts due to my family's connection to the Soviet Union and expanded to the BBC, Radio Sweden, Radio Finland, Radio Prague, Radio Berlin, and Radio Canada International. Unfortunately, funding cuts in the late 80s and early 1990s prevented me from continuing to work at VOA. I was then employed at national political party in DC producing radio commercials/audio for broadcasts (Radio Service Coordinator) and at several radio stations in DC and New York City. I started engaging in freelance writing and began selling articles to many

magazines. Monitoring Times was one of those magazines.

While based in Washington DC, I used the many events at the international think tanks and international conferences about international broadcasting to conduct interviews (CSIS) and then did many more articles when I relocated to Europe. For MT, I think I published 23 articles until 1997. By this time, I decided that I wanted to focus on other topics, to include travel and business related news articles for other newspapers. I had relocated to Finland by then.

What is the relationship between your novel, "Return to Little Russia", and writing feature articles for international broadcasting?

In 2006, I decided to attempt my first novel after leaving the intelligence profession and having left journalism during the 1990s. I decided write a semi-autobiographical novel about my experience working in Finland as freelance journalist/broadcaster. I released it in February of this year after three drafts. The novel incorporated my work overseas, my experience related to US immigration/asylum program in New York City, and my life in Brighton Beach, NY (Little Russia). My knowledge of the Finnish TV broadcasts to Estonia also played a role in the book. Working for an international broadcaster in Finland was another experience I conveyed. The novel is available on Amazon and free on Smashwords, iBooks, and kobo. See my blog for the Return to Little Russia Q&A and links. Russia Rising, my other novel, was released November of 2016.

What were the most popular and significant articles in your opinion?

The most popular, which I judged by the mail I received from readers (No website hits then), was Going Dutch with Radio Netherlands and the C-Span Audio Networks International Broadcasters. The most significant I think was the article from Radio Hungary and Radio Romania during Communism, which told the story of those individuals who worked for the services during their period as a propaganda arm of the Communist Party. I also liked the article based on a Center for Strategic and International Studies Conference on the Future of International Broadcasting. I personally enjoyed the journalist related interviews with Teri Shultz about working in Finland for Radio Finland and Connie Lawn's work for the Voice of Israel and Radio New Zealand at the White House.

What is your analysis of Shortwave broadcasting today?

Let me state that I have not been listening regularly to shortwave broadcasting since the early 2000s, but I still follow the developments of the field. My analysis is below and is of course my opinion:

Due to the proliferation of the internet streaming services and local rebroadcasting, and cost of broadcasting on shortwave, most, if not all, European broadcasters have ceased to broadcast to North America on shortwave and many others have stopped broadcasting. (Radio Sweden, BBC, Radio Netherlands, Radio Finland, Radio Australia, Kol Israel, Radio Norway to mention a few.)

There have been a significant decline in audiences for shortwave broadcasting globally since 1989. However, the shortwave bands still have as many broadcasters as the 1990s. Many propaganda services, such has Radio Vietnam and the China Radio International (formerly Radio Beijing) and religious broadcasts have replaced the established services on bands broadcasting to North America. A smaller audience still exists for shortwave today, but there are many outlets for international broadcasting since I wrote the articles aside from shortwave.

Where can you address questions to me?

You can contact me via the site email contact only.