UCLA Asia Institute
Asia via Web Radio/TelevisionUntil recently, shortwave radio was the most convenient source for news updates from Asia. Such news and other programming, however, wasn't always easy to pick up. Broadcast times were restricted, some transmitters weren't sufficiently powerful, sun spots and weather could affect signal strength. Today, however, we can hear (and often see) programs via the internet at our own convenience. Whereas shortwave radio was dominated by state supported (and often controlled) stations, the relative ease of digitizing a signal is bringing more and different stations online. In addition to keeping one's language abilities sharp, some sites are being developed to use web radio to teach languages. Ocrat is one such site, using VOA broadcasts to teach Mandarin.
You can scroll down and simply browse these listings, or click on a topic/place in the list below to speed to a particular destination.
Software
(free downloads necessary to listen or view)India Papua New Guinea Asia, General
(includes non-Asian sources)Indonesia Singapore Burma Japan Taiwan Cambodia Korea Tibet China Pakistan Vietnam Software
To listen to web radio broadcasts or to watch web television broadcasts, you need a piece of software known as a player. You can download a player without charge from the Real Networks website. Windows 98 includes the Windows Media Player needed for some sites. Some sites have Quicktime movies available. Download the Quicktime viewer from Apple. Of course, much of the text on these sites is in Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Download the NJWin viewer for a free trial to permit you to do this.
Asia, General
To listen to web radio broadcasts or to watch web television broadcasts, you need a piece of software known as a player. You can download a player without charge from the Real Networks website. Microsoft's Windows Media Player is required for some sites. Some sites have Quicktime movies available. Download the Quicktime viewer from Apple. Of course, much of the text on these sites is in Chinese, Japanese or Korean. You should configure your browser to automatically detect and display these texts (for Internet Explorer, see Tools | Internet Options | General | Languages; for Netscape Navigator, see Edit | Preferences | Languages) You may also find viewers such as those offered by Nanji Win and Twinbridge useful. Both offer free trials. RichWin offers a free viewer that works with Windows 95/98.
Asia, GeneralThis English language internet specific program provides news and comment about East Asia. A week's worth of archived programs is also available for listening. There's also a special section devoted to the 1998 Hong Kong election. In addition, stories included in the BBC World News broadcasts are can also be heard and read.
CNBC Asian Business News
US cable financial news channel CNBC has a useful site. Standard sections include "Money Talks", "Asian Executive Poll", "Business Traveller", and a program guide. No live or archived feeds yet available.
Deutsche Welle
This German government international broadcaster offers programs in 35 languages, including Mandarin, Urdu, Hindi, Japanese, and Indonesian. Links to some of these are provided in the national/language sections below.
Radio Australia
Established in 1939, this is overseas service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. In addition to broadcasts in English, the service broadcasts in Mandarin, Indonesian, Khmer, Vietnamese, and Tok Pisin (one of the languages of Papua New Guinea). It provides strong coverage of events in Asia and the Pacific. Live audio feeds of the English service are available. The service also offers transcripts of past programs.
Operated by the U.S. government, RFA broadcasts via shortwave and via the web (Real Audio and MP3 formats) in Mandarin, Cantonese, Burmese, Khmer, Korean, Lao, Tibetan, Uyghur, and Vietnamese.
Radio Japan
Radio Japan is the international broadcast service of the Japanese national broadcaster NHK. Programs are broadcast in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Bengali, Burmese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese and English. Radio Japan has been broadcasting since 1925, but has not yet begun to put its programs on the net.
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand has recently cut back on shortwave service in various Asia Pacific languages, but its website is outstanding. A live audio feed is available as are archived video feeds.
United Nations Radio
This link takes you to the UN news page, which includes audio feeds. Obviously, there won't be an Asia story everyday, but Asia is often in the news. Visit the archives to hear stories dating back to the beginning of UN internet radio in November 1997.
VOA Asian Language Broadcasts
The Voice of America, part of the United States government's United States Information Agency, broadcasts in many languages. Some broadcasts are relatively short, others go beyond news to include cultural programming. Click here to see a list of new programs available for net-listening. The VOA broadcasts in Bangla, Cantonese, Mandarin (world news and news with a China focus), Hindi, Korean, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Some VOA English broadcasts focus on Asian issues as well.
Voice of Russia
Formerly Radio Moscow, VOR broadcasts in many languages, including English, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Mongolian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Bengali, and Hindi. Audio feeds are available in English, Spanish, German, and Russian.
Operated by the U.S. government, Radio Free Asia broadcasts in Burmese in Real Audio and MP3 format.
News reports in Khmer are available on-line. No audio feed in Khmer is currently available.
Operated by the U.S. government, Radio Free Asia broadcasts in Khmer in Real Audio and MP3 format.
News and music from Cambodia. The site also offers information about recent Cambodian history and the Cambodian constitution
Academia Sinica ServiceAcademia Sinica is the foremost research institution in Taiwan. RealPlayer is required to hear a variety of recorded speeches.
BBC Chinese BroadcastsThis Hong Kong company broadcasts a number of radio programs in China (EasyFM, YesFM, JoyFM, and SmileFM). Although heard in a number of Chinese cities, it does not yet offer internet listeners any programming.
World news as well as China news broadcasts are available. Story summaries and details are presented in Chinese on web pages that do not require a special reader. Special features are also broadcast. Cantonese and Mandarin broadcasts are available.
BCC (Broadcasting Corporation of China) (Taiwan)
Taiwan broadcaster offers news and music feeds via RealPlayer.
Central Chinese Television (CCTV-4, Beijing)
The CCTV website provides a variety of video feeds, including a live broadcast, news, history, cartoons, and other features. Employs Windows Media Player.
China Radio International (91.5 Beijing)
This was once known as Radio Beijing, the official overseas radio voice of the PRC government. CRI's predecessor began broadcasting in 1947 during the Chinese civil war.
This site is temporarily relocated to: http://wwwora.cri.com.cn/news/expe
Chinacast
This U.S. based company provides both audio and video feeds in Mandarin.
CHMB AM1320
Based in Vancouver, this radio station once offered audio feeds in different languages at different times: Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean. Perhaps they will restore this service.
Chongqing Commercial Radio (95.5 FM, Chongqing, Sichuan Province)
Includes call-in talk programs among its offerings. Real Audio format.
Chongqing Radio (105.5 FM, Chongqing, Sichuan Province)
The voice of the Chongqing government offers streaming audio in Real Audio format.
Deutsche Welle Chinese Broadcasts
Beginning with classical music, these broadcasts from Germany are 30 minutes in length. Deutsche Welle began broadcasting in Chinese in 1955.
This company owns radio stations in three Canadian markets. The Toronto AM station streams Chinese broadcasts using RealPlayer.
RFI's Chinois Service usually has two or more programs available for downloading. These are available in a zip format.
Hong Kong Commercial Radio
The two stations operated by Commercial Radio primarily feature music. The stations also produce news programs, though, and these Cantonese broadcasts are available over the net.
Hong Kong Radio and Television
Inside China Today
This news service produces a four to five minute English video broadcast daily. It consists mainly of a single talking head, but the service does draw on a vast area of Chinese and foreign news services.
KMNY 1370
This California radio station has Mandarin news segments (world, US, and China), music, and live programs available for listening.
Radio Australia -- Mandarin service
Radio Australia broadcasts in Mandarin and the website provides news scripts in Chinese. No audio feed is currently available in Mandarin.
RCI offers audio feeds from this page in several languages including Mandarin. The daily Mandarin program is about a half hour in length.
Operated by the U.S. government, Radio Free Asia broadcasts in Mandarin and Cantonese. News reports are available in Real Audio and MP3 format.
Radio Xihu (105.4 fm, Hangzhou)
Click on "Listen" to hear streaming audio in Real Audio format.
The Shanghai Daily website includes a link to a daily 20 minute English language newscast. Past programs are available via the index located on the home page.
This website offers a number of audio-video feeds (with the emphasis on news features) using RealPlayer.
TVB
This Hong Kong television station now broadcasts via satellite all over the world. Click here to get access to this week's top news, broadcast in Cantonese. Click here for access to music video clips.
Voice of America Chinese Broadcast Scripts
The current week's Chinese scripts are available in Guo Biao format.
An operation named Ocrat has created a website which uses VOA Mandarin broadcasts as part of a language teaching program. It is not affiliated with the VOA, but is well worth a visit.
Indian radio broadcasts began in 1927 and All India Radio began broadcasting in 1936. The state service now reaches roughly 90% of all Indians. This is a rich site with a great deal of information about domestic and international listenership.
The BBC began its Indonesian service in 1949. The site offers programming info and a few audio feeds.
Radio Australia Indonesian Service
News texts are available, but no audio feed is available yet.
Radio Netherlands Indonesian Service
Radio Netherlands maintains an Indonesian language service. It includes an audio feed.
The site includes a guide to Japanese language programming, but as of yet, no direct audio feeds.
BeachFM
Deutsche Welle Japanese Broadcasts
Beginning with classical music, these broadcasts from Germany are 30 minutes in length.
FM-Champla (76.1 FM, Okinawa City)
Kansai TV
Like other Japanese radio and television companies, there is extensive information about on-air personalities. Among the things one can learn about Kansai TV's personalities is their respective blood types and the size and composition of their families. Click here to go to that portion of the site featuring Quicktime movies.
Katsushika FM (78.9 FM, Tokyo)
News 23
Part of the Tokyo Broadcasting Service, News 23's site doesn't have much to offer at present. The only video feed is a Quicktime movie of the graphics that open the broadcast.
NHK
Japan's national broadcasting service is also available via satellite. Click here for information on how to receive these broadcasts.
Radio Japan
Radio Japan is the international broadcast service of the Japanese national broadcaster NHK. It broadcasts in Japanese and English and more than a dozen additional languages. It is not yet using the net for its broadcasts.
RCC
Shibuya FM (78.4 FM, Tokyo)
TFM (80 FM, Tokyo)
Based in Vancouver, this radio station offers audio feeds in different languages at different times: Mandarin, Cantonese, and Korean.
KBLA
-- Radio Korea -- Radio KoreaThis is a Los Angeles based station (AM 1580). It offers news and entertainment programs in Korean. Much of the news concerns events in Korea.
Live audio feed.
English language website.KBS -- the Korean Broadcasting System
This is the South Korean state operated media system.
Live FM feed.
Live TV feed. This requires a Streamwork plug-in.MBC
-- the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation -- the Munhwa Broadcasting CorporationMBC is a large communications conglomerate with a sophisticated website.
Live AM 900 feed.
Live FM 91.9 stereo feed.
Live television feed.Operated by the U.S. government, Radio Free Asia broadcasts in Korean in Real Audio and MP3 format.
Radio Korea International
This is the overseas service of the state operated network. RKI broadcasts in several languages, including Mandarin. At various times, the audio feed accessed through the link below will be in different languages.
Live audio feed.
Link to English news, including some old audio feeds.SBS -- the Seoul Broadcasting System
Live audio feed
(792khz). (792khz).Deutsche Welle Urdu Broadcasts
The German network provides a 45 minute daily broadcast in Urdu, featuring news of South Asia.
PTV offers a wide variety of programming from news and music to soap operas.
Radio Australia Tok Pisin Service
Tok Pisin is among Papua New Guinea's languages. This site provides on-line news. No audio feeds are currently available.
Programs aimed at domestic and international audiences are broadcast in English, Mandarin, and Malay. In addition to news and music, the network also has chat programs.
Television Corporation of Singapore
Singapore's state owned television has put a large portion of their programing on their website. Programs in both English and Chinese are available. Click here to go to program archives.
Broadcasting Corporation of China (English)
An official arm of the government of Taiwan, the BCC website offers several channels of live audio and a couple of "on demand" services as well. The BCC broadcasts "the voice of free China" in English via shortwave, but not via the web.
China Television Service (CTS)
Chinese news and entertainment source, with several video clips available upon demand. Includes a vibrant English language teaching and "World Family" sections (free registration required). Be sure to visit the "Chinese television history" portion of the site.
FM 100 International Community Radio Taiwan (ICRT, Kaohsiung)
The website offers news in both English and Chinese, but the broadcasts are in English.
Operated by the U.S. government, RFA broadcasts via shortwave and via the web (Real Audio and MP3 formats) in Tibetan.
Up to date news stories in Vietnamese. No audio feed yet available.
Operated by the U.S. government, RFA broadcasts via shortwave and via the web (Real Audio and MP3 formats) in Vietnamese.
This page and the others in this Asia via the Web series are maintained by Clayton Dube. Send comments and suggestions to him at the UCLA Asia Institute (cdube@isop.ucla.edu).
Copyright ©1997-2000 by the UCLA Asia Institute
