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Sound of Hope (SOH) is a global, non-profit provider of radio news, lifestyle and cultural programming, talk shows and commentaries. SOH was established in June 2003, and along with New Tang Dynasty Television and the The Epoch Times, are part of a network of media organizations established by Falun Gong practitioners, in an effort to create media that is an independent of the pressure or influence by Chinese government. It now has operating teams spread across North and South America, Asia, Australia and Europe.

SOH Network radio programmes are primarily in Chinese varieties (Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien), but also offers a multilingual service that includes English, Spanish, French, Vietnamese and Korean programming.

SOH has two main operational arms. There is the Chinese side, known as The Sound of Hope Radio Network, and the Western side which is led by the English-language SOH Network, headquartered in Sydney, Australia.

The Chinese version of SOH is a non-profit radio network based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. In San Francisco Bay Area, SOH broadcasts through KSQQ FM 96.1 and KVTO AM 1400 during afternoon and evening hours and has grown to be the largest Chinese radio in the region, providing news, music and information that is pertaining to daily life of local expatriate Chinese. It covers a range of major issues that are of particular concern to local Chinese listeners, such as SCA-5 debate, California drought, Cupertino city redevelopment, election participation and civic engagement, etc.

SOH tries to establish itself as the first Chinese America public radio, by focusing on the issues mostly cared by Chinese Americans and also introducing the public policies, services, and organizations of the US to Chinese listeners. It is the only Chinese radio which conducts English-language interviews and translates the content on-the-fly to Chinese listeners. Its flagship programs are Engage with America, 360 Car Talk, The Garden Talk, and Wealth Talk. Its stream can be heard at http://sfshow.bayvoice.net/gb/listening-onlin

Operating from January 2004, the radio network also provides around-the-clock broadcasting through shortwave to mainland China, delivering mainly news, interviews and commentaries related to China and current affairs.

Chinese version of SOH operates two websites, http://www.soundofhope.org to serve mainly China and http://www.bayvoice.net to serve San Francisco Bay Area. It has also an Apple and Android app which can be found and installed freely by searching "SOH" in AppStore and Google Play.

The two sides of SOH are currently broadcasting in about 10 cities worldwide through local AM/FM radio, as well as to mainland China through shortwave radio and to a worldwide Internet audience via online streaming. It reaches a worldwide audience which includes millions of expatriate Chinese and tens of millions of listeners in mainland China.

General

Sound of Hope, along with NTDTV and The Epoch Times, were listed as "Falun Gong affiliated" media in a U.S. Congressional report on Falun Gong and China. It was the last of the three media to be established, beginning operations in June 2003, supported by a network of volunteers that continue to maintain the station's programming. In 2005, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the boards, including Allen Zeng and its reporting staffs of 20 are composed of Falun Gong practitioners.

Their programs in English include a weekly segment entitled "Speaking of Asia," concentrating on Asian news and culture. English programs also cover traditional Chinese stories and originally included a segment on learning to speak Chinese. The French version includes weekly recipes. Programs can be heard on the internet and is broadcast in a number of major cities, including Sydney, Chicago, and New York. Sound of Hope also provides several podcasts with an Asian focus, as well as on more general interest topics.

The station is critical of the Chinese government and favorable of human rights, Falun Gong, and other suppressed beliefs in China. It has also come out with an audio version of the Nine Commentaries, a critical works on the Chinese Communist Party and its actions throughout history. The service broadcasts to mainland China for 15 hours a day and is regarded as the largest non-governmental short wave radio broadcast to China. As a result of this and regular attempts to broadcast into China, their China-directed airwaves have been interfered with, and radio reception of the station in China is not good. In depth reporting also focuses heavily on reported human rights abuses by the Chinese government against dislocated residents, practitioners of Falun Gong, and on current efforts to withdraw support of CCP leadership following the publication of the Nine Commentaries by the Epoch Times.

References

1. ^ Lum, Thomas Congressional Research Service, page CRS-8, list of Falun Gong-affiliated media in United States
2. Hua, Vanessa (18 December 2005). "Dissident media linked to Falun Gong / Chinese-language print, broadcast outlets in U.S. are making waves". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 9 December 2006.

External links

• Sound of Hope Radio Network
• Chinese Consulate Rejects Reporter's Visa Application
• Another foreign radio station falls victim to "Great Wall of the airwaves"
• Nine Commentaries

• Use dmy dates from February 2011
• Falun Gong
• Radio networks