Show Notes
Many thanks to SRAA contributor Andrew, who shares the following recording from Radio 4. “I chose to record the programme on one of my old radios received on the soon-to-be-discontinued Droitwich 198kHz transmitter. The radio is a Pye Mistral (picture attached) which was (almost) the first radio that I even had around 1972. It might even be tuned to the right place on the dial ("Radio 2", 1500m). That was the station that was broadcast on that wavelength back then. It is not a well-performing radio, but it has a wide-ish audio bandwidth and the recording is probably as nice-sounding as it can be on LW - that warm AM sound that you refer to in the programme. Reception was on the radio's internal ferrite rod aerial in one of the rooms of the house here on the South Coast of the UK.” This recording captures a special edition of BBC Radio 4’s The Sound of Soft Power, a documentary exploring the cultural, political, and emotional legacy of international broadcasting and shortwave radio. The programme weaves together archival recordings, listener memories, and contemporary reflections on a medium that once connected the world across borders and ideologies. The documentary also makes extensive use of recordings preserved in the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, highlighting the importance of preserving off-air recordings as historical documents. In addition, SRAA curator Thomas Witherspoon is interviewed during the programme, discussing both the archive itself and the enduring fascination many listeners still have with shortwave broadcasting. While this is not an off-air shortwave recording in the traditional sense, it is very much connected to the history and culture of shortwave listening. Andrew’s decision to record the programme from BBC Radio 4 Longwave using a vintage Pye Mistral receiver adds another layer of radio history to the experience — capturing the broadcast with the characteristic warmth and ambience of longwave AM reception just as the Droitwich 198 kHz transmitter approaches the end of its service life. For those interested in radio history, international broadcasting, and the sounds of the shortwave era, this programme is well worth hearing. This recording is being published on 27 June 2026 to mark the closure of the BBC Radio 4 Long Wave service from Droitwich on 198 kHz, bringing to a close one of the United Kingdom’s longest-running and most historically significant AM broadcast transmissions.
BBC Radio 4: "The Sound of Soft Power" (May 23, 2026)
Josephine McDermott
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More from The Shortwave Radio Audio Archive
Many thanks to SRAA contributor Tom Gavaras, who shares the following recording and notes: Broadcaster: Radio Havana Cuba Date of recording: May 21, 1985 Starting time: 0630 Frequency: 9.525 Reception location: Minnetonka, MN Receiver and antenna: ICOM R-70 with a longwire Notes: Broadcast the day after the launch of Radio Martí, with related commentary. Also featured are a look back at the historic Freedom Rides in the United States, From the Land of Music, and Panorama on the Second International Electroacoustic Music Festival in Cuba.
Many thanks to SRAA contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following recording and notes: Broadcaster: Voice of Tigray Revolution, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 1999 Date of recording: February 21, 1999 Frequency: 5.550 MHz Reception location: Coe Hill, Ontario, Canada Receiver and antenna: Drake SW-8 with longwire antenna Notes: Interval signal and sign on as heard on a DXpedition to Coe Hill, near Bancroft, Ontario, Canada
Many thanks to SRAA contributor Tom Laskowski, who shares the following recording and notes: Broadcaster: All India Radio Starting time: 0100 Frequency: 10330 Reception location: South Bend, Indiana Receiver and antenna: Sony ICF-2001 Notes: One of the most enjoyable aspects of shortwave listening for me is the amazing variety of music that can be heard from all over the globe. I'm particularly interested in music from the Arab world and the Indian subcontinent. I recorded a large amount of music from All India Radio back in the early 2000s and compiled them into several recordings. AIR used to have a killer signal in our evenings on 10330 kHz and I recorded many hours of their programming. I've compiled nine (so far) music tapes from these recordings. I don't know the exact dates for these recordings.
Many thanks to SRAA contributor Tom Laskowski, who shares the following recording and notes: Broadcaster: BBC Date of recording: April 30, 1982 Starting time: 0000 Frequency: 15400 Reception location: South Bend, Indiana Receiver and antenna: Realistic DX-302 Notes: Here is a recording from 1982 of BBC's Calling the Falklands from April 30, 1982 made during the Falklands War. I believe this was recorded around 0000 UT on 15400 kHz and I believe this was from the transmitter location was Ascension Island. The audio isn't great and was likely recorded on my DX-302 which didn't have great audio.