Audiences for International Radio Broadcasts

More than eighty governments support international broadcasting services. There are also commercial, religious and other kinds of station. Both the number of stations and their hours of output have greatly increased since the war, and expansion continues today. The development of the transistor led to rapid growth in radio set ownership in the 1950s and 1960s, especially in the Third World. New listeners were attracted to international broadcasts in large numbers, particularly where local choice was poor. Audience research shows the comparative size and nature of audiences for the major international broadcasts in four continents. In some countries audiences for the BBC, VOA, Deutsche Welle, Radio France and others are large enough to rival domestic stations. BBC listeners mostly give news and current affairs as their principal reason for listening. Most international broadcasters, however, reach few listeners. This article considers the significance of international radio broadcasting and what we know of its audiences.