All-English TBS eFM Falls Short of Expectations
By Ines Min
Contributing Writer
It's 9:32 a.m. on a weekday morning and TBS eFM, Seoul's only all-English radio station, is playing Abba's "Dancing Queen." Twenty minutes later, Celine Dion's "I'm Your Angel" hits the air.
The eight-month-old station is still working out kinks and trying to nuzzle into a comfortable niche somewhere between the city's expatriate community and native Koreans. Although the target audience is foreigners living in Seoul, Koreans also tune in to practice their English skills, or just out of curiosity.
Listeners seem to share similar opinions about the radio station's overall potential, though some comments in other areas greatly contrast due to cultural differences.
Eric Kim, a native Korean and published writer of language test-prep books, has found the station to be informational, but that its quality has yet to reach the standards of larger broadcasting services.
"The station is engaging to some extent, but it does not offer as wide a variety of programs as those provided by the other radio stations," Kim said in an e-mail response to a Korea Times inquiry. The 35-year-old's favorite program is National Public Radio's All Things Considered, based in the United States.
"In general, the host's commentary is somewhat informative and helpful," Kim said about the The Evening Show on eFM, which offers tips on daily living for foreigners.
TBS eFM offers a range of shows, from news programs to music-dedicated hours. One particular note of interest to English-speakers is the coverage of cultural events and festivals that may otherwise be difficult to keep up with through Korean media.
The downside to hearing news on the city-funded station is that the commentary is not always conducive to extended listening. The hosts of the news programs often seem to fall short of objectivity and fair reporting, according to Kim.
"The hosts do not seem to have keen insights into the issues they deal with," he said. " It has sometimes been the case that their commentary reveals their narrow-mindedness and their pro-government bias."
Kim began learning English when he was seven years old and is now a fluent speaker. He reads English-language publications daily and keeps up with news in both languages via the popular Web site www.naver.com, the SBS homepage and The Korea Times.
Matt Flemming, a Canadian expat, has been living in Korea for less than four months. He first heard about the station from a friend and has since listened to The Evening Show several times.
"The sports segment on the evening program is sort of informal," he said, which has both negative and positive aspects. "It's basically two guys chatting about sports, which is something I can relate to." However, he added that he doesn't rely on the station for his dose of daily news. "It's enjoyable to listen to, but I wouldn't think of it as a source of information."
Flemming noted that the programming sounded more like community radio than conventional commercial stations, which are often filled to the brim with advertisements. It was a welcome change, but the 26-year-old found the incongruent use of Korean advertisements on the station a little odd.
"I kind of wondered what the purpose would be of having Korean advertisements," he said. "It wouldn't mean anything to me."
Kim found the use of Korean-language commercials to be somewhat distracting.
"I wondered, 'Is this some kind of joke?"' he said. "What is the point of advertising in a language that few listeners can understand?"
Opinions vary most on the subject of music, as there is a wide range of genres throughout the programming. From pop hits played on the program Kickstart to the jazzy edge of On the Pulse, eFM might have difficulties bridging the gap to find a solid base of loyal listeners.
"(The station) included a variety of songs from many different countries," Kim said. "Thanks to the show, I was exposed to underground music, which was quite an experience."
Flemming, on the other hand, was not a fan of the selection he was exposed to while tuning in.
"I heard Elvis Presley, I heard Coldplay and they were playing Cotton-Eyed Joe a little bit," he said.