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WILD-AM format change: From black-oriented talk to Chinese propaganda

By adamg on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 10:18am

Shocker for Al Sharpton fans: Boston Radio Watch reports the station's owners have signed a long-term lease with China Radio International to broadcast "news, music, language lessons and human interest stories from China live from Beijing."

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Comments

By chelsea on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 10:25am.

Government propaganda, then?

EVERYTHING SUNNY ALL THE TIME ALWAYS.

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By Lanny Budd on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 12:36pm.

"You love us long time!"

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By Haviland on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 1:02pm.

So is this promoting diversity or an act of blatant racism according the powers that be? /sarc

Has the Boston area ever had a radio station catering to Orientals before this network? It seems funny that in an era of internet news and social media, non satellite radio is still behind the times in offering international and ethnic selections. Though this probably has a lot to do with FCC regulation and licensing of radio operators.

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By adamg on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 6:10pm.

This isn't a station for Chinese residents in the Boston area. It's sort of like Voice of America - an attempt to promote China through shows such as The Hot Pot Show with Duggy Day and detailed looks at China's 12th five-year plan.

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By Haviland on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 7:31pm.

I use the term "Orientals" (ethnic groups from roughly the region China occupies) because "Asian" is too broad and really could include every ethnicity from India to Indonesia and Japan, which are all very distinct and different peoples.

It makes no sense to operate a purely propaganda channel. I thought that this would going to be an expat oriented station with a pro-government sponsorship slant.

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By Ron Newman on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 11:34pm.

The Orient Express train went to Istanbul, not Constantinople China. (Surprised me the first time I read about it.)

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By adamg on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 7:57am.

See this Washington Post article about a similar Chinese deal in Galveston, Texas:

As China rises as a global force, its leaders think that their country is routinely mischaracterized and misunderstood and that China needs to spread its point of view on everything from economics to art to counter the influence of the West.

Beijing's new response is typically massive and ambitious: a $6.6 billion global strategy to create media giants that will challenge agenda-setting Western behemoths such as Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the BBC and CNN.

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By mediaseth on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 8:55am.

They clearly don't understand our current media habits if they think it's worthwhile to gobble up small AM stations with limited reach. It might have been worth something more if digital radio (aka HD Radio) were more successful in this country, but given it's just propaganda I don't really care, either.

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By adamg on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 9:01am.

American Consumer Masses Agree: It Fish Time!

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By Joe Harris on Fri, 07/01/2011 - 11:02pm.

Try Asian-Pacific rather than Oriental - or maybe Chinese

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