Josh, you are correct, I noticed this when I was in India and Pakistan, many people, who had the money to buy batteries, still using shortwave receivers in villages and semi rural areas.
Same applies to the majority of islands in the Pacific, many villagers in remote islands that have no aviation service and only get a ship every two or three months still rely on shortwave radio to stay abreast of events. They were shocked when Radio Australia pulled the plug back in January.
Not long back some aid agency was giving away "wind up" power shortwave receivers to some islanders, a similar programme operated in Africa some years back I recall.
Now there's not a lot for the Pacific islanders to listen to, just Radio New Zealand, Radio Vanuatu and Solomon Islands BC on shortwave, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Caledonia have terminated their outer island services on HF altogether.
However, with a decent piece of wire strewn through the coconut palms they tune Australian and other Pacific stations on Medium Wave, better than nothing. 
Hi LookingGlass,
Wasn't aware that Pacific Islanders had any concerns about Radio Australia discontinuing... I figured they would, but hadn't heard it expressed in fact.
Luckily New Zealand is serving the islands. Sounds like they don't have any intentions of stopping, at least for the next few years.
The islands seem to have a strong connection with NZ, I know that Pitcairn, at least, was administered through an office in NZ (if memory serves).
I wonder which MW stations can be received in the islands with a good portable, without an external antenna.
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