BBC World Service will launch a special lifeline programme in the Haitian Creole language from tomorrow, 23 January 2010. This will be the first time the BBC has broadcast in the Haitian national language. This follows other special BBC programming for listeners affected by the Haitian disaster in the French, Spanish and English languages.
The new 20-minute daily programme in Creole will contain the latest information about aid and rescue operations, plus messages from people trying to locate family members and other useful, practical information for the survivors of the earthquake. The new programme will be broadcast between 1410 and 1430 UTC. It will also be available on the Canal Satellite Antilles Caribbean-wide radio and TV satellite network and on bbccaribbean.com.
The daily programme will be rebroadcast on six FM relays on the island: Port-au-Prince 89.3 FM, Cap-Haïtien 105.5 FM, Gonaïves 90.5 FM, Las Cayes 106.9 FM, Jacmel 96.9 FM, and Jérémie 92.7 FM.
It will also be available on shortwave.
BBC World Service Director, Peter Horrocks, says: “We believe our new service in the Creole language will be a vital source of trusted information to Haitians at this time of crisis, as well as to the rescue and aid teams who are working so hard on the ground. We have had lots of positive feedback that our broadcasts in English, French and Spanish have been appreciated on the ground.”
BBC World Service continues to offer special programmes about the crisis in Spanish and English, between 1200 and 1300 UTC on shortwave on 11860 and 9410 kHz. The BBC is expecting all the programmes will also be available on the local FM network via the BBC’s partner station, Radio Lumière, when it returns to air.
BBC Caribbean – the English-language service for the region – is also supporting audiences in Haiti and the wider region with crucial information. The service’s Twitter updates (@bbccaribbean), dedicated to Haiti, as well as coverage of the wider Caribbean and Haitian diaspora reaction to the tragedy, run on the website, bbccaribbean.com. Updates also continue in the regular programme, Caribbean Report.
(Source: BBC World Service International Publicity)
Andy Sennitt adds: According to the Twitter feed, the Creole service will be produced in Miami. I haven’t yet found the details of the shortwave frequencies to be used. If you come across them, please advise.
on Jan 22nd, 2010 at 16:02
Radio Lumière is a network of nine Protestant radio stations, plus TV, and they report that they are back on the air from make-shift facilities in a tent. Computer viruses have been a problem - and several staff are still unaccounted for http://www.radiolumiere.org/ . I wonder how the BBC efforts will integrate with ICRC, Internews, VOA, Radio France all of whom are doing similar programmes. I think the effects of FM far outweigh shortwave - Haiti hasn’t been jamming anything.
on Jan 22nd, 2010 at 20:19
20 minutes per day? Sounds more like a PR-action. Many stations are jumping on a Haiti wagon these days… Let’s see for how long they will last.
on Jan 23rd, 2010 at 18:24
** U K [non]. BBCWS publicity said they would start their own Creole-language service Sat Jan 23 and thence daily carried on six FM stations in Haiti at 1410-1430, and “ It will also be available on shortwave.“. WTFK??? Forced us to hunt, so we did so between 1405 and 1425 Jan 23, scanning all broadcast bands twice between 5 and 18 MHz (even -22 MHz just in case), and not a trace of it. No suspicious unID signals anywhere even with music which could be this.
We can confidently say that if BBC Krèyol is really on SW, it`s not at the same time as on FM. Same press referred to the existing 12-13 transmission via WHRI 9410 and GUF 11860, which has been converted from all-Spanish to Spanish and English, but did not say that the Creole service would be inserted into that, unmonitored today. Seems unlikely, as that would be some two hours earlier than the FM relay.
Alokesh Gupta found out additional info about BBC Creole: It`s produced in Miami and presented by Carline Faustin and Simone Degraff, who host a Creole language program on Miami’s public radio, WLRN, but produced and edited by several BBC personnel. Plans to maintain it at least until Sunday 7 Feb. The FM affiliates are those of Radio France Internationale, thru which the pre-recorded program is routed (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
on Jan 24th, 2010 at 02:57
The BBC Creole transmission aired today (January 23th, 2010) in 9410 and 11860 KHz at 12:33 UTC. Record in http://www.diexismoyondacorta.podomatic.com
73’s from Colombia!
on Jan 24th, 2010 at 12:23
Thank you. That was the inaugural edition. So it looks as if the shortwave service is indeed contained within the existing hour at 1200-1300. Indeed, it is available online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/ and it says 1230 GMT. The programme is apparently not live. One of the tweets says “Haiti declared rescue over! Big news. First Creole show was ready to air but we have to drag presenter Carline out of bed in Miami to rework.” But later they say that the second edition will be today at 1410 UTC. So apparently the FM and shortwave times are different.
Incidentally the BBC Caribbean website refers to the programme as both ‘Connexion Haiti’ and ‘Connexions Haiti’. The programme team themselves in their tweets say it’s singular.
There’s a short video showing preparations for the launch on this page:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8475381.stm
on Jan 24th, 2010 at 13:45
just heard a piece on BBC Radio 4, World at One, done by one of the organisers of BBC Connexions in Miami. Listening to it you’d swear they were the only ones active in their field. I’m sure they are providing a great service, but if only more of the NGOs and broadcasters coordinated their activities. These islands of help - and the publicity machines that go with them - are awful.
on Jan 24th, 2010 at 14:23
As I already commented in German: To me all these activities have a clear PR aspect. Also the extensive Kreyól service of VOA, which I think wants to not miss the opportunity to demonstrate what they can achieve, in times of fear that the whole station could got lost in the unbelievable mess of US international broadcasting (VOA, OCB, MBN, RFA, RFE/RL — BBC WS people must be quite amused about the competition being occupied by its own, internal competition).
Look at ca. 0:50 into the referenced video: A “BBC Mundo” poster on the wall and a typical BBC console (note the PPM meter). I suspect the BBC’s Spanish broadcasts now originate from this studio in Miami, no longer from London.
on Jan 24th, 2010 at 16:54
The programme is indeed produced in Miami, as I mentioned in my comment at the end of the item above.
on Jan 25th, 2010 at 22:43
I travel to the Caribbean twice a month for business and listen to the BBC on 9915 (ascension) from 2100z-2300z. Last week I listened from Nassau and the signal is very strong and consistent. I am sure it can be heard in Haiti which is much farther south from the Bahamas. Additionally, I have listened to this frequency from St. Maarten, Grand Cayman, Key West Florida, Tampa Florida and Bermuda.
on Feb 3rd, 2010 at 13:11
Just to reassure those who are concerned about coordination, the BBC Creole team are working closely with those on the ground developing consistent content and messaging from the humanitarian community, led by UN OCHA and the Communications with Disaster Affected Populations network which also includes the Red Cross and Internews and is in contact with VOA and Radio France to ensure everyone works together. The PaP coordination team have also been helping BBC source stringers and other in-country resources. The BBC at present was always intended to be a temporary, emergency measure.
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