USA: It's over for the last two radios that were broadcasting Radio Sputnik. End of the glasnost era: a time when American stations were broadcasting on mid-airwaves in Moscow and Russian radio rented transmitters in the USA.
Change of regime in the Kremlin and very soon the permissions to broadcast the Russian program of the VOA and Radio Liberty are canceled. In the United States, however, it was not easy to get rid of the English programs of the Russian broadcaster.
Russia's war in Ukraine has sparked criticism against the owners of stations that broadcast Sputnik in the U.S. The National Association of Broadcasters had said: "In light of Russia’s unprovoked aggression against the free and sovereign people of Ukraine, the NAB calls on broadcasters to stop broadcasting any state-sponsored programming that has links to the Russian government or its agents." »
Until a few weeks ago, five US radio stations, including KCXL Radio in Kansas City, were broadcasting the programs. Radio Sputnik Washington WZHF (1390) and its translator W288BS on 105.5 FM even broadcasted this content 24 hours a day, other stations provided a few hours a day.
WZHF is a regional radio station founded in 1947, under WEAM sign installed 1355 Addison Rd S in Capitol Heights, Maryland at 38°52'09"N 76°53'46"W.
Sputnik was buying airtime from the stations, through an American broker, RM Broadcasting. This is actually a paid advertisement in the service of Russian interests. The amount paid ranged from $35,000 to $50,000 per month
It was in 2011, that WZHF began broadcasting the Voice of Russia programming in English.
After resuming a Spanish-language format around 2015, WZHF resumed broadcasting Radio Sputnik, the successor to the Voice of Russia in November 2017.
In 2019, RM Broadcasting was forced to register with the government under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. She stated that she received, between November 24, 2017 and June 2019, $1,427,016.29 from the "Federal State Unitary Enterprise International Information Agency" owner of Radio Sputnik
Last month, the wind has turned: the US State Department has introduced new sanctions against Russia-backed broadcasters.
These new sanctions, against the Russian government, have just forced the liquidation of Radio Sputnik's US operations and the closure of its studios in Washington.
(R Magazine)
