Belarusian service of Swedish Radio to be closed
7- 25.06.2009, 9:58
The radio company leadership thinks the situation has changes over the recent years and it has become unnecessary to continue the service in Belarusian.
The Belarusian service of Swedish Radio started broadcasting in November 2004. Journalists told Belarusian audience about the life of the Swedish society and about Belarusian-Swedish relations.
“Our objective was to promote democratic development of Belarus telling about Sweden as a neutral and democratic country. We told how the democratic society in Sweden lives and covered different aspects of Belarusian-Swedish relations,” producer of the Belarusian Service of Swedish Radio Zmitser Plaks told “BDG”.
In 2006, leadership of Swedish Radio recognized popularity if the Belarusian service and increased broadcasting time in Belarusian. But the acting radio company’s leadership finds work of the Belarusian service to be unprofitable. Zmitser Plaks supposes closing the Belarusian service may be caused by a thaw in the relations between Belarus and West.
“In my view, closing the Belarusian service of Swedish Radio is connected with a thaw in Belarus-West relations. As a result, work of the Belarusian service in a democratic direction was found unnecessary,” Zmitser Plaks states.
The Swedish radio company recommends the Belarusian audience to listen to the Russian service from September 1, 2009, when the Belarusian service will be closed. Discontinuing the service in Belarusian means that the Belarusian audience will listen to programmes in Russian, but won’t be able to get regular information about Belarusian-Swedish relations.
“We told about Belarusian-Swedish relations, the theme which won’t be a main one of the Russian service. The Russian service has a far more important aim – to cover Russian-Swedish relations,” Zmitser Plaks says.
The producer of the Belarusian service says it’s a pity for him that a project he started must be closed. “The Belarusian service of Swedish Radio is my project, it’s unpleasant that it is decided to shut the project I initiated,” Zmitser Plaks said.
