List of shortwave radio broadcasters
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
| State | Broadcaster | First shortwave broadcast | Last shortwave broadcast | Currently broadcasting on SW | Currently broadcasting online | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States |
Voice of America (VOA) | 1942 | - | Yes | Yes | |
| United States |
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | 1949/1953 | - | Yes | Yes | |
| United States |
Radio Martí | 1985 | - | Yes | Yes | |
 China, People's Republic of |
China Radio International | 1941 | - | Yes | Yes | Founded as Radio Peking. Renamed Radio Beijing in 1983 and China Radio International on January 1, 1993. |
 United Kingdom |
BBC World Service | 1932 | - | Yes | Yes | Previously known as the BBC Empire Service (1932-1939), BBC Overseas Service (1939-1965) |
 Soviet Union Russian Federation |
Radio Moscow / Voice of Russia | 1929 | 2014 | No | No | Became Voice of Russia in 1993. Replaced by the online service Sputnik in 2014 |
 Germany, Federal Republic |
Deutsche Welle | 1953 | Yes | Yes | West German state service absorbed the East German Radio Berlin International in 1990 following German reunification. | |
 Egypt |
Voice of the Arabs/Radio Cairo (ERTU) | 1953 | Yes | Yes | ||
 Iran |
IRIB World Service / Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran | 1956 | Yes | Yes | Radio Tehran founded as domestic service in 1940, also made SW broadcasts. Radio Iran founded as a shortwave service in 1956. | |
 India |
All India Radio | 1939 | Yes | Yes | ||
 Japan |
NHK World Radio Japan | 1935/1954 | Yes | Yes | Founded as Nippon Hoso Kyokai in 1935, renamed Radio Tokyo in 1941, closed in 1945, resumes as Radio Japan in 1954, renamed NHK World in 1996 | |
 France |
Radio France Internationale | 1975 | Yes | Yes | Founded in 1975, replacing Radio Paris which has been operated by Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française and its predecessors since 1945. | |
 Netherlands |
Radio Netherlands Worldwide | 1947 | 2013 | No | Yes | Succeeded Philips Radio (PCJJ) and wartime Radio Oranje broadcasts. |
 Israel |
Israel Radio International | 1950 | 2013 | No | Yes | Most shortwave broadcasts ended in 2007, a Persian broadcast continued until 2013. |
 Turkey |
Voice of Turkey | 1937 | Yes | Yes | ||
 North Korea |
Voice of Korea | 1945 | Yes | No | Known as Radio Pyongyang until 2002. | |
 Bulgaria |
Radio Bulgaria | 1930 | 2012 | No | Yes | Founded as Homeland Radio in 1930, renamed Radio Sofia in 1931, and Radio Bulgari in 1992. |
 Australia |
Radio Australia | 1939 | Yes | Yes | Founded as the Australian Broadcasting Corporations international service, renamed Radio Australia in 1941. | |
 Albania |
Radio Tirana (RTSH) | 1937 | Yes | Yes | ||
 Romania |
Radio Romania International | 1927 | Yes | Yes | Known as Radio Bucharest until 1989. | |
 Spain |
Radio Exterior de España | 1942 | Yes | Yes | Ceased international shortwave broadcasts in 2014. Has resumed 4 hours a day of Spanish-language broadcasts aimed at fishermen at sea. | |
 Portugal |
Radio Portugal/RDP Internacional | 1935 | 2011 | No | No | |
 Cuba |
Radio Havana Cuba | 1961 | Yes | Yes | ||
 Italy |
Rai Italia Radio | 1930 | 2007 | No | No | Also known as Radio Roma. Originally known as "Ente Italiano Audizioni Radiofoniche" (EIAR). Taken over by Rai in 1962. Online channel closed in 2011. |
 Canada |
Radio Canada International | 1945 | 2012 | No | No | Known as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation International Service until 1970. |
 Poland |
Radio Polonia | 1936 | 2013 | No | Yes | Renamed Polish Radio External Service in 2007, name changed back in 2014. |
 South Africa |
Radio RSA / Channel Africa | 1966 | Yes | Yes | Became Channel Africa with the fall of apartheid in 1992. Shortwave broadcasts are now only aimed at the African continent. | |
 Sweden |
Radio Sweden | 1938 | 2010 | No | Yes | |
 Hungary |
Radio Budapest | 1950 | 2007 | No | No | |
 Czechosolvakia/Czech Republic |
Radio Prague | 1936 | 2011 | No | Yes | |
 Nigeria |
Voice of Nigeria | 1961 | Yes | Yes | ||
 Yugoslavia Serbia |
Radio Belgrade / International Radio of Serbia | 1935 | 2015 | No | Yes | Known as Radio Belgrade until 2012. |
 German Democratic Republic |
Radio Berlin International | 1959 | 1990 | No | No | Absorbed by Deutsche Welle due to German reunification |
 Argentina |
Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior | 1949 | - | Yes | Yes | Launched as SIRA, International Service of the Republic of Argentina. Shut down in 1955. Relaunched as RAE in 1958. |
 Bangladesh |
Bangladesh Betar | 1939 | - | Yes | Yes | Also known as Radio Bangladesh. |
 Belgium |
RTBF International | 2004 | 2009 | No | Yes | |
 China, Republic of/Taiwan |
Voice of Free China/Radio Taiwan International | 1949 | No | Yes | Known as the Voice of Free China until 1998. | |
 Finland |
YLE Radio Finland | 1948[1] | 2006 | No | Yes | |
 Indonesia |
Voice of Indonesia | 1945 | Yes | Yes | Known as Voice of Free Indonesia until 1950. | |
 Ireland |
Raidió Teilifís Éireann | 1995 | 2004 | No | Yes | |
 South Korea |
KBS World Radio | 1953 | Yes | Yes | Formerly The Voice of Free Korea (1953-1973), Radio Korea (1973-1994) and Radio Korea International (1994-2004) | |
 Croatia |
Voice of Croatia | 1991[2] | 2013 | No | Yes | |
 Mongolia |
Voice of Mongolia | 1966 | Yes | Yes | Known as Radio Ulaanbaatar until 1997 | |
 New Zealand |
Radio New Zealand International | 1948 | Yes | Yes | Known as Radio New Zealand until 1987. | |
 Pakistan |
Radio Pakistan | 1973 | Yes | Yes | ||
 Philippines |
Radyo Pilipinas | 1987 | Yes | Yes | ||
 Slovakia |
Radio Slovakia International | 1993 | 2011 | No | Yes | |
 Sri Lanka |
Radio Ceylon/Radio Sri Lanka | 1949 | Yes | Yes | Inherited the shortwave service of Colombo Radio, which began in 1934, and the wartime Radio SEAC. Known as Radio Sri Lanka since 1972. | |
 Syria |
Radio Damascus | 1957 | Yes | Yes | . | |
 Thailand |
Radio Thailand World Service | 1938 | Yes | Yes | . | |
 Tunisia |
Radio Tunis Chaîne Internationale | 1938 | unknown | No | Yes | . |
 Vatican City |
Vatican Radio | 1931 | Yes | Yes | ||
 United Nations |
United Nations Radio | 1946 | 1986 | No | Yes | |
 Vietnam |
Voice of Vietnam | 1945 | Yes | Yes | ||
 Belarus |
Radio Belarus | 1962 | Yes | Yes | ||
 Germany |
Deutscher Kurzwellensender (German Shortwave Station) | 1933 | 1945 | No | No | Operated by the Foreign Radio Section of the Ministry of Propaganda |
| Germany |
Weltrundfunksender (World Radio Station) | 1929 | 1933 | No | No | Shortwave station operated by the Reichspost (post office) |
 Austria |
Radio Austria International | 1955 | 2003 | No | No | |
| Austria |
Ö1 International | 2003 | 2009 | No | No | Shortwave relay of the main domestic German-language Austrian radio station with some international inserts in English and Spanish. Internet service continued until 2013. |
 Switzerland |
Swiss Radio International | 1930 | 2004 | No | No | Replaced by the website swissinfo. |
| Netherlands |
Philips Radio (PCJJ & PHOHI) | 1927 | 1947 | No | No | Private broadcaster. PHOHI was aimed at Dutch colonies in the East and West Indies, PCJJ was an international station broadcasting in English, Spanish, German and Dutch. Service suspended in 1940 due to World War II, resumed in 1945 until 1947 when the stations were nationalized and became Radio Netherlands. |
 Ecuador |
HCJB | 1931 | 2009 | No | Yes | Private religious broadcaster also known as "The Voice of the Andes". Continues online and on FM and AM and low power SW for Ecuador at 6050 kHz. International broadcasting ceased in 2009. |
| France |
Poste Colonial/Paris Mondial | 1931 | 1940 | No | No | State owned broadcaster transmitting programming in French to the French Colonial Empire. Replaced by Paris Mondial (Paris Worldwide), which had a worldwide audience as its target and broadcast in 24 languages, in 1938, before being closed due to the German conquest of France in 1940. |
| France |
The Voice of France | 1941 | 1944 | No | No | State owned shortwave broadcaster of the Vichy regime, broadcast with German permission. Broadcasts ended when the retreating Germans blew up the station's transmitter. |
