BBC unilaterally decided to pull out of broadcast station deal: Foreign Ministry

[snoop1130]

BBC unilaterally decided to pull out of broadcast station deal: Foreign Ministry

By WASAMON AUDJARINT

THE NATION

 

THE BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), not Thai authorities, decided to withdraw from negotiations to extend its contract to use a shortwave relay station in Nakhon Sawan for its World Service in the region, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

 

The contract expired at the end of December last year and broadcasting for the service was stopped on January 1.

 

The BBC signed a contract with authorities in July 15, 1994 to use the relay station for shortwave radio for its World Service broadcasting in the region. The Thai-language service, which stopped broadcasting in 2006 after being on the air since 1941, was not included in the contract. 

 

The BBC proposed an extension of the contract on December 21, which was not enough time for the government to give it due consideration, the ministry said, adding that the transmission was temporarily stopped pending an extension of the contract.

 

While authorities were processing the proposal for a high-level decision, the BBC notified the Foreign Ministry that it had decided to withdraw from negotiations to renew the contract, according to the ministry spokesperson Busadee Santipitaks. 

 

“It was a unilateral decision by the BBC to withdraw from the process,” she said. 

 

Full Story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30308488

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-3-9

[Eligius]

Thai Authorities speaking on behalf of others yet again,  no doubt. They love putting words onto the lips of other people.

 

Everything in Thailand is perfect - it's always the other people who are to blame!

[AGareth2]

will wait to hear the other side

[darksidedog]

I suspect the BBC will probably not comment. If they do, we will probably have another Government denial the following morning.

[tukkytuktuk]

 Has this got anything to do with Jonathan Head? Has someone beginning with the letter P spat out his dummy?

[rkidlad]

If the BBC say otherwise, I absolutely know who I'll believe. 

 

Like listening to spoilt children. 

[darksidedog]

30 minutes ago, tukkytuktuk said:

 Has this got anything to do with Jonathan Head? Has someone beginning with the letter P spat out his dummy?

There may well be a certain amount of truth to that comment.

It would seem the BBC decided that negotiations with Thailand was pointless for at least some reason.

Maybe the renewal required a "no bad news" clause, or a "sacrifice Mr. Head" clause.

Whatever the reason, they are moving, and it is probably for the best in the long run.

No one likes dealing with a bunch of truth denying retards for long, no matter how much patience you have.

[brewsterbudgen]

There may well be a certain amount of truth to that comment.
It would seem the BBC decided that negotiations with Thailand was pointless for at least some reason.
Maybe the renewal required a "no bad news" clause, or a "sacrifice Mr. Head" clause.
Whatever the reason, they are moving, and it is probably for the best in the long run.
No one likes dealing with a bunch of truth denying retards for long, no matter how much patience you have.

I don't think Jonathan Head had much to do with the BBC's Thai language content.

[steve187]

8 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I don't think Jonathan Head had much to do with the BBC's Thai language content.

from the op '' The Thai-language service, which stopped broadcasting in 2006 after being on the air since 1941, was not included in the contract. ''

[tukkytuktuk]

I'm reading that VOA has done a deal with Thailand for s 1000 watt radio station. So the Yanks are still dealing with the government. Must be the "J.H" spat.

[Morakot]

Quote

 

The BBC proposed an extension of the contract on December 21,

[...]

In the report, it quoted two sources as saying that the impasse was partly due to declining interest in the BBC’s Thai-language service.

 

 

 

 

Here a picture of me listing to shortwave radio the other day.

 

Edited March 9, 2017 by Morakot

[NCC1701A]

I'm sure the BBC sat down and said, "Yank (pun intended) that transmitter out of Thailand because of Mr. Head (pun not intended).

 

I am sure there is a lease involved.

 

Just to <deleted>*k with the Thais.

 

 

 

 

[Bluespunk]

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“It was a unilateral decision by the BBC to withdraw from the process,” she said. 

Yeah, sure...

 

 

Edited March 9, 2017 by Bluespunk

[473geo]

Reading the article it appears BBC applied for an extension in December, I expect the BBC thought it was a formality.

Then

"the transmission was temporarily stopped pending an extension of the contract."

Then

"While authorities were processing the proposal for a high-level decision, the BBC notified the Foreign Ministry that it had decided to withdraw from negotiations to renew the contract, according to the ministry spokesperson Busadee Santipitaks"

 

So yes the BBC withdrew.

[wakeupplease]

Shortwave has just about had its day, quality is so bad even worse than medium wave, FM is the quality of the day with digital a bit of hit and miss so BBC well done stop wasting tax payers money please. Digital even here is rubbish, I have a £700 unit here and half the time it is naff, and I have to be honest not turned it on in the last year.

 

Jonathon Head a brilliant journalist and so stable in times of troubles, he has nothing to do with this BBC decision. I feel that the #BBC has been more than lackadaisical in reporting certain events in some countries, maybe its time they started to. To the #BBC in from 1981 to1985 a certain writer of this had a 100 watt FM rig on Crystal Palace  that lite up London and to the coast with a radio station that changed UK broadcasting?

 

Had to write that as someone on here thinks I am a liar, nuff said

[ChrisY1]

From reading yesterday from the BBC, was they withdrew the service after the Thais failed to respond to them.....so in effect, the BBC did pull out.

[Suradit69]

11 hours ago, Eligius said:

Everything in Thailand is perfect - it's always the other people who are to blame!

As opposed to farang who interpret every event in Thailand based on their own personal agenda and bigotry without bothering with annoying facts. Thankfully, as the GBP sinks and EU disintegrates, we know Britain never puts a foot wrong.

Maybe it's because of the same financial constraints that have forced the British embassy in Bangkok to try to flog its property in Bangkok and downsize.

 

Quote

The BBC said in a statement Wednesday that the transmitters have been off the air since Jan. 1 this year after the previous agreement expired, and that financial constraints contributed to the decision to close the site after extensive negotiations.

 

http://technology.inquirer.net/59623/bbc-ending-shortwave-transmissions-thailand

 

Quote

Given the financial constraints faced by the whole of the BBC, we have reluctantly decided to shut the site,” it said.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/bbc-ending-shortwave-transmissions-from-thailand/2017/03/08/e90a72e0-0417-11e7-9d14-9724d48f5666_story.html?utm_term=.7be1df864d4d

 

[jesimps]

14 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

As opposed to farang who interpret every event in Thailand based on their own personal agenda and bigotry without bothering with annoying facts. Thankfully, as the GBP sinks and EU disintegrates, we know Britain never puts a foot wrong.

Maybe it's because of the same financial constraints that have forced the British embassy in Bangkok to try to flog its property in Bangkok and downsize.

 

 

http://technology.inquirer.net/59623/bbc-ending-shortwave-transmissions-thailand

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/bbc-ending-shortwave-transmissions-from-thailand/2017/03/08/e90a72e0-0417-11e7-9d14-9724d48f5666_story.html?utm_term=.7be1df864d4d

 

There's a name for the syndrome which makes a person criticise everything his own sort do, but praise what everyone does. Anyone know what it's called?

 

[simon43]

Shortwave radio still has a place in broadcasting to remote countries, those with oppressive governments who restrict free access to media, and poor countries where access to satellite reception equipment is limited or expensive.

 

The quality of the received signal has actually improved over the years, because many shortwave broadcasters have closed their transmissions, leaving clear frequencies for the remaining broadcasters.

 

Watch out for a new shortwave (and maybe medium wave) transmission facility in Myanmar - it is a reasonable (and perhaps ironic) possibility, especially considering the country's geographic location in Asia, with the ability to beam signals into China, Tibet, Pakistan, Afghanistan.... and Thailand.

 

Update:

Given the financial constraints faced by the whole of the BBC, we have reluctantly decided to shut the site,” it said.

 

Any spare transmitter parts?  I could do with updating my ham rig :)

Edited March 10, 2017 by simon43

[chainarong]

Unfortunately the BBC is dealing with a Government hostile to the free media syndrome and the BBC knows fully well that not only this administration alone has been hostile to the BBC in the past, Thailand is perceived in the tourist brochures as the land of smiles ,nothing could be further from the truth , my observations since 1980  there has never been any freedom of expression nor press........................................................

[chainarong]

5 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Shortwave radio still has a place in broadcasting to remote countries, those with oppressive governments who restrict free access to media, and poor countries where access to satellite reception equipment is limited or expensive.

 

The quality of the received signal has actually improved over the years, because many shortwave broadcasters have closed their transmissions, leaving clear frequencies for the remaining broadcasters.

 

Watch out for a new shortwave (and maybe medium wave) transmission facility in Myanmar - it is a reasonable (and perhaps ironic) possibility, especially considering the country's geographic location in Asia, with the ability to beam signals into China, Tibet, Pakistan, Afghanistan.... and Thailand.

 

Update:

 

 

 

Any spare transmitter parts?  I could do with updating my ham rig :)

Just Google hacking equip

[brewsterbudgen]

from the op '' The Thai-language service, which stopped broadcasting in 2006 after being on the air since 1941, was not included in the contract. ''

Badly worded. This is about the BBC no longer providing a Thai language service.

[Emster23]

" The BBC proposed an extension of the contract on December 21, which was not enough time for the government to give it due consideration." Must be part of that nimble, responsive Thailand 4.0 program. Or BBC didn't want to be held hostage. I bet some of their staff can extrapolate trends more than 20 minutes into the future

[masuk]

12 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I suspect the BBC will probably not comment. If they do, we will probably have another Government denial the following morning.

The BBC overseas news announced that it was a Thai decision to not renew the broadcasting contract.

[mrfill]

29 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Badly worded. This is about the BBC no longer providing a Thai language service.

Nope. The Thai language service is provided by the World Service and is unaffected. This is referring to short wave, uncensored foreign-language news into authoritarian countries such as North Korea and China, and countries which still rely significantly on radio, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is provided by the BBC and funded by the BBC. The World Service is funded by the Foreign Office (although they'd love to pass that over to the BBC so it can be got rid of by financial throttling).

And I don't believe any of those places use the Thai language.

[nontabury]

1 hour ago, jesimps said:

There's a name for the syndrome which makes a person criticise everything his own sort do, but praise what everyone does. Anyone know what it's called?

 

The U.K. Is not always in the right,sometimes "Yes" but not always. 

But I do agree with you regarding Suradit69, who seems to think that Thailand is always in the right, even if it is obviously not.

 I do wonder from which country he comes from.

[ratcatcher]

1 minute ago, nontabury said:

The U.K. Is not always in the right,sometimes "Yes" but not always. 

But I do agree with you regarding Suradit69, who seems to think that Thailand is always in the right, even if it is obviously not.

 I do wonder from which country he comes from.

Thailand?

[brewsterbudgen]

Nope. The Thai language service is provided by the World Service and is unaffected. This is referring to short wave, uncensored foreign-language news into authoritarian countries such as North Korea and China, and countries which still rely significantly on radio, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is provided by the BBC and funded by the BBC. The World Service is funded by the Foreign Office (although they'd love to pass that over to the BBC so it can be got rid of by financial throttling).
And I don't believe any of those places use the Thai language.

All the reports I've read refer to the BBC's Thai language service being discontinued. Also the general World Service hasn't been funded by the Foreign Office for a number of years now - it's funded from the licence fee.

[JAG]

2 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

From reading yesterday from the BBC, was they withdrew the service after the Thais failed to respond to them.....so in effect, the BBC did pull out.

 

Well maybe they sent the proposal to extend the lease in English. I mean they are a major international broadcaster, surely they know that Thai is now the main worldwide language....

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

As opposed to farang who interpret every event in Thailand based on their own personal agenda and bigotry without bothering with annoying facts. Thankfully, as the GBP sinks and EU disintegrates, we know Britain never puts a foot wrong.

Maybe it's because of the same financial constraints that have forced the British embassy in Bangkok to try to flog its property in Bangkok and downsize.

 

 

http://technology.inquirer.net/59623/bbc-ending-shortwave-transmissions-thailand

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/bbc-ending-shortwave-transmissions-from-thailand/2017/03/08/e90a72e0-0417-11e7-9d14-9724d48f5666_story.html?utm_term=.7be1df864d4d

 

Malay online had on March 8th another suggestion for the reason not to renew the contract...
"BBC’s Thai transmission towers fall silent as junta talks falter"