Radio Exterior de España looks east

With the number of immigrants from the former Soviet bloc countries on the rise in Spain, it´s no wonder that the Socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero wants to increase its cultural ties with east Europeans. And shortwave radio, the government believes, is still the best way of getting through to people in the different homelands.

Since Jan. 3, Radio Exterior de España has been broadcasting a new 1/2-hour program aimed at familiarizing listeners in 15 nations about Spanish culture and language. "Spain in Eastern Europe" is broadcast from Monday through Friday at 1700-1730 UTC on 15,195 kHz.

"There are currently 150,000 citizens who work in Spain that come from these countries. REE wants to offer them information about Spain in their own language, and in Spanish for part of the program, with the goal of getting thousands of citizens in Eastern Europe to know our language and help many others who study Spanish perfect it," according to REE´s website. The international service of Radio Nacional de España will also be offering Spanish courses in the near future for Russian listeners. As of now, the programs are as follows:

Monday-Friday
News in Russian
Followed by programs in Spanish

Monday: "We Europeans"
Tuesday: "More Europe"
Wednesday: "Commentary by Victor Tchereski" and Sports
Thursday: "Friends of Shortwave"
Friday: "Spain in the World"


As shortwave listeners and DXers bemoan the lost of many stations and programs because of cutbacks in various countries, it´s good to know that programming from stations like REE continues to prosper. Spanish is quickly becoming the second most important language in the United States and its demand is also growing in Europe, especially in the Nordic countries. Many listeners and observers traditionally, and perhaps mistakenly, have gaged shortwave´s downfall by the demise of English-language programming. But the truth is that there are now more stations improving and extending their broadcasts in Spanish, and this no doubt supports a claim against shortwave radio´s extinction in the foreseeable future.