This is a letter from Brian Anderson, producer of the "Hello From Britain" Radio Programme. This programme is the longest running foreign radio co-operation in Shanghai and in China, and has been on air for 11 and a half years.
Dong Fang Radio 101.7FM suddenly stopped broadcasting the programme from the beginning of January and we are not sure of the reason.
I write this letter not only for myself but on behalf of the many hundreds of thousands of listeners and friends we have made in Shanghai.
I first came to China in 1988 to make a Radio programme about China for British radio.
As part of your "Open Door" policy Radio Shanghai offered me the chance to produce programmes for them but said they could not pay me. I would have to pay THEM by selling advertising.
I believed this was a good and interesting opportunity to do something useful with my life. I started my own company, Window Communications Ltd. DHL agreed to support a weekly "Hello From Britain" programme in Shanghai.
I returned to Beijing and Shanghai in May and June 1989 during the Student Demonstrations, to sign a contract and was also a guest of the 1989 Shanghai International Radio Music Festival.
At this time many people in Britain were criticising me for co-operating with China but I believed that a simple entertainment music programme could promote greater understanding between us.
Hello From Britain began in August 1989 and the listener response was fantastic.
In 1990 Nescafe agreed to support extra programmes.
In 1992 we began providing programmes to other cities in China.
At the end of 1998 we were hit by the Asian Economic Crisis and lost most of our contracts. Business can go up and can go down. That is a fact of life. However, we retained our DHL sponsorship and our "Hello From Britain" programme continued.
My FIRST principle for starting my company was, as I mentioned earlier, to do something useful and interesting with my life. I have never had any desire to become rich. For the past two years I have been earning very little from my work in China.
In the past 11 and a half years I have given more than THREE MILLION DOLLARS to Chinese Radio Stations as payment for airtime.
In 1992 we also won an International Award – The New York Radio Festival. I believe this was the first time Chinese Radio has ever been recognised Internationally.
There is no doubt whatsoever that my programmes have been a great influence on the present style of Music Radio in China.
There is also no doubt whatsoever that the present commercial success of Music Radio in China BEGAN with the success of "Hello From Britain" "Nescafe Music Time" and the "Sony Double Countdown.
Shanghai is an International City and I have provided an International Music Radio programme which has become a part of the lives of many people in Shanghai.
The programme is regarded as a FRIEND by many many ordinary people. It tries to TEACH nothing and influence nobody. It merely exists to make people feel HAPPY and lets them feel a part of the International community of music fans. It also helps people understand a little about the lives of ORDINARY people in Britain.
Nothing lasts for ever. If we were to loose the sponsorship we would accept the failure. If we were to lose the audience we would accept the failure.
To have been taken off air with no warning or reason is unfair.
It is no way to treat the Shanghai listening public.
It is also no way to treat someone in a country many miles away, who has worked so hard to prove that although there continue to be differences between us, there ARE at least some areas in which people of two different cultures truly CAN understand each other, and improve the quality of their lives.
YOU are the people in power. Ask your STAFF or even your CHILDREN if they have heard of "Hello From Britain"
Then tell THEM and ME………..
WHY has it been taken off air?
BRIAN ANDERSON January 2001