On the air waves  from Finland

Recollections  of  international radio from Finland

                

This logo of  YLE Radio Finland was used for some ten years from the early 80s. Those were also the peak years of marketing world band radios  as an essential companion to travelers.

These pages feature information about the Finnish international broadcasting  service, YLE Radio Finland, during recent dacades. This is not  a YLE site and no YLE material has been used. Pictures of  ads  are  from public displays.  The writer, Mr Juhani Niinistö  worked  as  head of international radio at YLE  for decades, until leaving YLE in 2005.

Text copyright Juhani Niinistö. Text may be used but source has to be mentioned.

Any comments  as email  to: juhani.niinisto AT pp.inet.fi

Most foreign language services closed in 2002

In October 2002  YLE Radio Finland broadcasts in  English, German and French were closed. Domestic news in English and the  Russian service continued. 

There was not much of a response to the closing internationally, except for the German service and the then defunct YLE presence on CBC Overnight in Canada.  CBC Radio One had been relaying YLE in its night format since 1996 and a half hour of English from Finland  had become  a regular part of the night schedule. 

The audience response to the closing of the German was expected. The service had been the best part of  Radio Finland, in terms of  audience relations.

The Press Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs  had made an attempt to influence the decisions of YLE. With no impact though.  The  services had been financed totally by YLE on the basis of its licence fee recenue. The Ministry had no official role in the service.

Conservative member of parliament Mr Pertti Hemmilä submitted in November 2006   a question  in parliament about the plans of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) to end its availability on international SW bands. In his question MP Hemmilä took up the low cost of the world band radio to the consumer traveling or living abroad.  In her response the then minister for communication and transport, Mrs  Susanna Huovinen (sdp)  noted that YLE would now be available via other means such as satellites and internet. She also underlined the fact that YLE is not under government control, but under direct parliamentary supervision. (The link above leads to texts of the question and the response in Finnish and Swedish at.www.eduskunta.fi)

YLE decided to close  SW

The broadcasts  on SW from the Finnish Broadcasting Co (YLE) were closed at the end of  2006. 

Expatriate organizations  had been campaigning for  a continued  service, but  their efforts did not succeed in maintaining the service or even in slowering the process.

Conservative member of parliament Mr Pertti Hemmilä submitted in November 2006   a question  in parliament about the plans of the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) to end its availability on international SW bands. In his question MP Hemmilä took up the low cost of the world band radio to the consumer traveling or living abroad.  In her response the then minister for communication and transport, Mrs  Susanna Huovinen (sdp)  noted that YLE would now be available via other means such as satellites and internet. She also underlined the fact that YLE is not under government control, but under direct parliamentary supervision. (The link above leads to texts of the question and the response in Finnish and Swedish at.www.eduskunta.fi)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

   

 

 

 
 

"Listen to radio from Finland  at the rate of  zero cent per minute..."   YLE used the language of contemporary advertising of the mobile media  in its promotion of world band  radio in the late 90s and early 00s, as seen here in an ad  prepared for the annual Travel  Fair in Helsinki in 2001.

The campaign was fairly succesful and sales  of  world band radios   increased in Finland. Tourists  rediscovered the world band radio  as  a reaction to invoices awaiting them on arrival at home.  Marketing was eased somewhat through the  all-day availability of  Radio Finland in  western Europe: 11755 and  6120 kHz gave an almost complete coverage from Germany to the Canaries from morning till late night.  When 11755 faded, 6120 opened.   

The slogan was phased out in 2003 as it had been found to reflect "conflicting marketing signals". This must be understood against the backdrop of the increased  interest  of YLE in the mobile handset media.

 

Background was necessary in the early 80s

"Finland is  a democracy in the western sense of the word"

Northern Report covered Finland and the North for an international audience.  Read about the ins and outs of covering Finland  for western audiences during the last decades of the cold war.  Norhern Report, also known later as Compass North, entered the international airwaves  in a situation where Stockholm had been the place for covering the North for the world, also in international broadcasting.

 

 

 

Return to front page