Path: utzoo!utgpu!ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca!CUVMA!SWL-L Date: Mon, 5 Feb 90 17:05:43 EST Reply-To: Ken Lebowitz Sender: Short Wave Listener's List Comments: Warning -- original Sender: tag was From: Ken Lebowitz Subject: SOVIET, U.S. BROADCASTERS AGREE TO RADIO PROGRAM SWAP X-To: swl-l@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu To: UofToronto LAN redistribution Message-ID: <90Feb12.112213est.58398@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca> Newsgroups: bitnet.swl-l Distribution: ut Approved: devnull@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu By Michael Conlon RACINE, Wis., Reuter - Broadcasters from the Soviet Union and the United States, tearing down more international barriers, agreed Monday to exchange a number of radio programs. Some of the swaps involving public radio stations in the United States and government-controlled Radio Moscow could begin in a matter of days or weeks on an informal basis, although a more structured exchange may not begin until later this year when funding for satellite fees is worked out, participants said. The agreement will be signed later this week in Washington by Vladimir Andreyev, director of programming for Radio Moscow and Louis Bransford, president of the Public Service Satellite Consortium which is facilitating the exchange. Andreyev told reporters Radio Moscow has a freer hand in reporting internal and external political events than was the case before Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev came to power. When fully operational programs such as National Public Radio's ``All Things Considered'' could be beamed to Radio Moscow via satellite for rebroadcast on that organization's English language service. In turn non-commercial radio stations in the United States could receive Soviet English-language programs such as ``Moscow Mailbag'' now available only on crackly short-wave channels. But broadcasters attending the meeting said a wide range of music and educational programming was discussed, and swaps of non time-sensitive tapes via mail could begin immediately. U.S. editors and program managers said they liked a Soviet folk music program called ``Folk Box'' and they'd like to air it as soon as possible. The Soviet delegation was smitten with radio programs produced by the Smithsonian Institution, a large library of which is already on hand. The Russians also said they were hungry for ``life style'' programs about the United States. ``There was definitely a mutual desire to exchange business news,'' said Leslie Peters, director of Program Marketing for National Public Radio. Jeff Rosenberg, an executive producer at Natonal Public Radio, said the Soviet broadcasters wanted to air stories about ''the living and working conditions of average Americans, including cultural developments, the arts, science, medicine.'' But, he said, there was little enthusiasm shown by the visitors for assessments of U.S. political events. ``They have little information on what it is like to be an American,'' he said. James Russell, vice president for national productions at the University of Southern California Radio, said he could begin airing some Soviet programs two weeks from now. But he said the exchange as currently envisioned is not exactly an even swap in turns of audiences. ``They are very eager to place their programming on American public radio. They don't have any of our programming on their counterpart -- the domestic (Russian language service),'' he told Reuters, adding, ``They concede that there are political problems and what they say to their own people is a bit more sensitive than what they say on the external side.'' John Scott, director of international programs for the Public Service Satellite Consortium and chair of the conference held at the Johnson Foundation center, said the Soviets have agreed in principle to pay for their share of the swap. But he said more than $120,000 must be raised in the United States to pay for two voice-quality satellite channels that would be needed to make the exchange work.