So it was a pleasure to open Robert Seward s Radio Happy Isles to find an excellent summation of some of the intricacies of radio media at work in the small island countries, both below and above the Equator. It also contains references to Australia and New Zealand, as both run a regular short-wave service with programmes aimed at audiences at the Pacific region. Robert Seward is an academic, but writes like a journalist. His easy sentences, numerous anecdotes, details of events, radio personalities and the love of radio broadcasting flow throughout this book. It is informative and easy to read.
Many Pacific stations are still under control of governments, either directly or indirectly.
Money to run the small stations is always on the agenda. Seward notes how Radio Tonga runs a store selling electric appliances and services other electronic equipment. There is a brief look at American influences on radio in Hawaii and the Marshall Islands with its mixture of public service radio, commercial broadcasting and automated satellite radio feeds for United States military personnel and families. Seward seems less concerned with the USA model and more interested in the countries where radio has been influenced by the colonial history of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. He says the public service model based on Britain and France is the most common in the Pacific.