Overview

Shortwave broadcasting originated in the 1920s, when stations used the new technology to increase their range to serve foreign audiences and reach parts of their own country that could not easily be covered by regular AM stations. The early days of shortwave radio were covered in ""On the Short Waves, 1923-1945: Broadcast Listening in the Pioneer Days of Radio"", published by McFarland in 1999. This book picks up the story after World War II, focusing on the stations themselves and the environment in which they operated. A companion volume, ""Listening on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today"", focuses specifically on the listening community.The heart of the book, ""Shortwave Year-by-Year"" is a detailed account of the shortwave bands in each year from 1945 to the present. It reviews what American listeners were hearing on the international and domestic shortwave bands, describes the arrivals and departures of stations, and recounts important shortwave events. It also introduces readers to the several categories of broadcasters - international, domestic, religious, clandestine and pirate - and to private shortwave broadcasting in the United States. It explains the impact of relay stations, frequency management, and jamming, and describes promising shortwave technologies. It also addresses the considerable changes in, and challenges to, shortwave broadcasting since the end of the Cold War. The book is richly illustrated and indexed, and features extensive notes to facilitate further reading or research.

Full Product Details

9780786436743

Table of Contents

Reviews

""extensive collection...recommended""--Choice; ""terrific and highly recommended...should be in every radio listener's library...an amazing excursion into the very early days of shortwave broadcasting development...a historical masterpiece...'must read'""--The NASWA Journal; ""detailed...richly illustrated...extensive notes""--Listening In; ""remarkable...fascinating...a must...monumental...has set a standard of excellence...worthy of attention by all international radio monitors...recommend[ed]""--Wavescan; ""terrific""--Australian DX News; ""enjoyable reading""--Antique Radio Classified; ""coverage here is amazingly broad...an elaborate chronology of changes over seven decades of international radio broadcasting""--Communication Booknotes Quarterly; ""extraordinary...deserving of the highest praise! If the Listening book brought on waves of nostalgia the Broadcasting book created a tsunami! Fantabulistic!""--Popular Communications; ""meticulous, first-rate...will be valued by shortwave enthusiasts and included in radio reference collections throughout the radio world...highly recommend""--The AWA Journal; ""nearly 1200 combined pages and extensive notes make the 'Shortwave Radio Trilogy' of U.S. radio listener and historian Jerry Berg a vitrual encyclopedia of the global shortwave radio scene since 1923...and it's not just incredibly well researched text, it's carefully chosen images of the broadcasters, the stations, the equipment and the art work of these pioneer radio days. This is an absolute must read for any radio fan, and any student of the broadcasting media...a stunning guide to how shortwave radio has developed on a decade by decade basis. For collectors of radio history, this is the one-stop shop, and for media students it's a wonderful resource second only to having been there at the dials themselves for over half a century!""--Radio Heritage Foundation; ""interesting""--Contact Magazine; ""excellent historical chronology""--Radio World; ""it is clearly the reference that will be used for generations to come""--Passport to World Band Radio; ""excellent""--New Zealand DX Times; ""amazingly detailed...well researched...reader will be fascinated""--Monitoring Times.

Author Information

Jerome S. Berg is an attorney and was the court administrator for the Massachusetts District Court system until his retirement. He has been a shortwave listener for half a century, and is a member of the executive council of the North American Shortwave Association and chair of the Committee to Preserve Radio Verifications. He is the author of On the Short Waves, 1923-1945: Broadcast Listening in the Pioneer Days of Radio and Listening on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today.

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