Korea's lost children, reporting without borders and schedule headaches
In this week's Over To You we look at a number of the points raised by listeners about a variety of programmes.
Among them was a documentary called Korea's Lost Children, produced and presented by Ellen Otzen, and it told the fascinating story of South Korea's overseas adoption programme.Ìý
The scheme began in the 1950s as a way of dealing with the mixed race children who were orphaned in the aftermath of the Korean War, and even now around 1000 South Korean children are given up for adoption in western countries every year.
You can hear an interesting selection of comments from listeners who all have some personal interest in the subject, or experience of it.
Rajan also talks to Gilles Lordet, chief editor of the organisation Reporters Without Borders, which campaigns for international press freedom.
This is in the light of the recent elections in Rwanda, in which the president, Paul Kagame, was re-elected with more than 90% of the votes cast in his favour.Ìý
This could be seen as a vote in favour of stability - but the independent election observers were concerned at the lack of an opposition movement within the country.Ìý
Gilles tells Rajan about the difficulties for journalists of reporting anything the government would prefer them not to report, and the ways in which he'd like to see the situation change.Ìý
Rajan also talks to Murray Holgate, the Network Manager for the World Service and the man in charge of the schedules - not a job I'd want to take on, now that I've heard more about what it involves.
Murray was responding to listener Joan DeForeest from the Czech Republic, who is unhappy that, since the schedules changed in the spring, she can't find some of her favourite programmes at a time when she's able to listen.
You can hear whether Murray is willing - or able! - to do anything about it in this week's Over To You.
Cathy Packe is the Producer, Over To You
Over To You is your chance to have your say about the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú World Service and its programmes. It airs at 00:40, 03:40 and 12:40 every Sunday (GMT).
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Comment number 1.
At 16th Aug 2010, Guy wrote:Interesting to hear the the listener in the Czech Republic with her comments on Schedules. I totally agree with her, in fact I raised similar points to Over to You back in April. Rather than retype to C&P what I said then:
" Schedules - I accept that from time to time there will be changes to schedules, revamps, new programmes added, others dropped. The clock changes to and from BST in the UK are a logical time to due them, yes, but what is the point of changing programme broadcast times, and the number of broadcasts of a programme, between winter and summer schedules only to reverse them when the change back occurs?
We, listeners, get used to the time a programme is broadcast and remember when to hear it. We don't want to have to relearn this twice a year, especially when it's only reversing back to what it was. Domestic services in countries with clock changes adjust broadcasts by one hour so the time remains the same to the listener who doesn't have to remember a new pattern and then readjust at the next clock change.
As to the number of broadcasts of a programme I realize some listeners have complained about repeats but I accept it as logical to broadcast some programme several times. A region covers many countries, the time people can listen vary so it seems logical a programme has a morning, afternoon, evening and night-time slot. If someone listens a lot and hears a repeat then they can always switch off or just listen. So why the reduction and changes? To give a few examples (which all related to broadcasts to the Europe region):
Strand - the afternoon broadcast has been dropped making it difficult for me to listen as the morning and evening broadcasts are not convenient and the, generally, the night one too late.
Science slot - no daytime slot till late afternoon, night slot an hour later (making it, generally, too late)
Documentary slot - afternoon broadcast brought forward, night slot an hour later
FOOC - There where 5 broadcasts of From Our Own Correspondent over a weekend. Now it seems to have been reduced to just one so if you can't listen then bad luck! "
I also raised the matter of the A-Z index which used to be:
"The old website had a useful index of all programmes in alphabetical order with full broadcast times of each programme is every region. This has gone. Please bring it back as trailers do not give all broadcast times and it much easier and quicker to have this overview than trawl though the schedules. "
There was a response to this, both on air and in the Over to You blog. Suzie Goldring, Editor of the World Service Website, responded (see her comments in the blog for 16 April by Penny Vine) and I got further confirmation in an e-mail from Penny Vine.
So who are we supposed to contact, Suzie Goldring or Murray Holgate or both? It sounds like information hasn't been passed on. Maybe that would be a good idea. Incidentally Suzie Goldring blogged that an update How and Where to listen index would be launched at the end of May and, as confirmed by Penny Vine, this would include a programme A-Z index. Well unless I'm being especially obtuse I haven't noticed any revamp and certainly no programme index.
Useful Idiots
Not in the blog i realize but it was on the programme and I would say I enjoyed the two programmes and feel the comments from the listeners in Kuwait and Canada missed the point of the broadcasts. On George W. Bush and Robert Mugabe whatever you think of Bush (and in my case not a lot) of course there where some people publishing his views but there where plenty exposing them, saying otherwise. The USA is not a closed totalitarian country as the Soviet Union was. Zimbabwe was closed under Mugabe, true, but I don't remember any prominent people or journalists who where conned by him to give false views. As for the "useful idiots justifying our atrocities or the atrocities in other situations" I agree there where such idiots but they where also plenty giving the alternative viewpoints. the Soviet Union under Stalin, as other countries, including the likes of North Korea today, where closed societies. Information was censured, not available. The Intellectuals who shouted out Stalin's crimes where few and far between. If in the SU they where imprisoned so it was down to the few who got out and those in the west who relied more on speculation than hard facts.
These days, even though there still are some dictatorships and closed countries, with the increased amount of communication and surveillance it is much more difficult for those in control to stop alternative views and information getting out.
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