Editing International broadcasting (section)

=== World War II ===
During the [[Second World War]], Russian, German, British, and Italian international broadcasting services expanded. In 1938 the British [[BBC World Service|BBC]] launched international services in [[BBC German Service|German]], French and Italian. In 1942, the United States initiated its international broadcasting service, the [[Voice of America]]. In the Pacific theater, General [[Douglas MacArthur]] used shortwave radio to keep in touch with the citizens of the Japanese-occupied Philippine Islands.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Several announcers who became well known in their countries included [[British Union of Fascists]] member [[William Joyce]], who was one of the two "[[Lord Haw-Haw]]"s; Frenchmen [[Paul Ferdonnet]] and [[André Olbrecht]], called "the traitors of [Radio] Stuttgart"; and Americans [[Frederick William Kaltenbach]], "Lord Hee-Haw", and [[Mildred Gillars]], one of the two announcers called "[[Axis Sally]]". Listeners to German programs often tuned in for curiosity's sake—at one time, German radio had half a million listeners in the U.S.--but most of them soon lost interest. Japan had "[[Tokyo Rose]]", who broadcast Japanese propaganda in English, along with American music to help ensure listeners.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

During World War II, Vatican Radio's news broadcasts were banned in Germany. During the war, the radio service operated in four languages.<ref name="Levillain 2002: 1600"/>

The British launched [[Radio SEAC]] from Colombo, [[Ceylon]] (Sri Lanka) during World War II. The station broadcast radio programs to the allied armed forces across the region from their headquarters in Ceylon.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Following the war and German partition, each Germany developed its own international broadcasting station: [[Deutsche Welle]], using studios in [[Cologne]], West Germany, and [[Radio Berlin International]] (RBI) in East Germany. RBI's broadcasts ceased shortly before the reunification of Germany on October 3, 1990, and Deutsche Welle took over its transmitters and frequencies.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}