DX LISTENING DIGEST JANUARY 2003 ARCHIVE HOME presents...
DX LISTENING DIGEST JANUARY 2003 ARCHIVE
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-017, January 30, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3a.html [note change] For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1167: RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 WRN: Rest of world Sat 0900, Eu only Sun 0530, NAm Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1167.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1167.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1167h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1167h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1167.html ** AFGHANISTAN. If you still need this ham country, look for YA6RF around 1200 UT on 28485; QSL via F6IPO, or is it F6IDO? (George McClintock, Ask WWCR Jan 17-31 via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHAN PRESIDENT CHANGES INTERIOR MINISTER The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, has replaced his Interior Minister, Taj Mohammad Wardag, with a former resistance leader. The new minister is Ali Ahmad Jalali, who was a senior military commander in the mujahideen rebellion against Soviet occupation in the 1980s. He has recently returned from the United States where he was head of the Pashto and Persian service for an international radio station (Voice of America). The ministerial change follows criticism of the way Mr Wardag handled student demonstrations in Kabul last year in which at least one person was killed. There were also complaints about the security situation in Afghanistan From the newsroom of the BBC World Service Jan 28 (via Ulis Fleming, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHAN RADIO CHIEF EAGER TO START UP FOREIGN BROADCASTS AGAIN | Text of report by Afghan newspaper Arman-e Melli on 29 January The press and journalism has been age-old in our country. The establishment of the printing press in the era of Emir Sher Ali Khan [1825-79, Emir of Afghanistan (1863-79), son of Dost Emir Muhammad Khan] was the official start of journalistic activities in this country. A 16-page journal was published every 10 days. From that time on, this country has presented its moral, historical and political wealth to the world. Alongside the journalistic and historical achievements, our radio is taking effective steps in the arena of broadcasting. The radio [Afghanistan] had as many listeners as they could gather to listen to the radio broadcasts under the loudspeakers placed at several spots in the city in previous years. Unfortunately, the 23 years of war neither spared the radio programmes that quite in keeping with people's enthusiasm, nor the speakers that allowed people to listen to radio broadcasts for hours. The correspondent of the daily [Arman-e Melli] has interviewed Esteemed Shams Rad, the head of foreign broadcasting of the radio [Afghanistan], which is as follows: With regards to the radio's foreign broadcasts that have long been in abeyance he said: Sixty-five years ago, Radio Afghanistan started a programme broadcasting news and political issues in English, Urdu, Russian, German, French and Arabic. There were eight presenters and translators who prepared programmes for foreigners and those interested in foreign languages inside Afghanistan. Foreign broadcasting has completely ceased operating for the last year and a half. A bomb targeted the short-wave broadcasting unit and still no step has been taken to reactivate it. Seeing the rising demand of local and foreign listeners for those programmes, we hope that the authorities will take steps to coordinate with friendly countries to restore this section of the radio. Source: Arman-e Melli, Kabul, in Pashto 29 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. The "mysterious" transmissions on 4050 kHz (identifying as "Hit Shortwave" and "Hits on Shortwave" in between music titles) seem indeed be targeted at Afghanistan. The language that is used in the spoken word programmes (which were added recently) has been identified as Dari by a WRTH correspondent in Tajikistan. Dari is almost identical with Tajik, and is the language spoken by ethnic Tajiks in Afghanistan (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Jan 29, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sample station ID: http://www.dxing.info/audio/clandestine/4050_Hit_Shortwave.rm (DXing.info via DXLD) ** ALBANIA. Frequency change for TWR via Cerrik: 1715-1730 Czech Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri and 1730-1800 Hungaian Daily NF 6115*, ex 5860 *co- channel Belarusian Radio in Belarusian (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29 via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. Aquí van más noticias... La dirección de correo-e de La Voz de Armenia: pr@armradio.am (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 11770: HCJB Australia is expected to start using this new frequency from 0700 UT on Sunday 2 February. This will replace 11755 which has suffered severe interference from co-channel Radio Finland since the new transmitter site at Kununurra began operations on 5 January (Bryan Clark, New Zealand, Jan 29, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Why wait? Having just read through DXLD 3-016 tuned into 15480 and found HCJB Australia testing 1255, fair signal strength on clear channel and was able to use a wide filter as BBCWS 15485 quite weak here (Mike Barraclough, Jan 29, BDXC-UK via DXLD) HCJB tests to Asia on 15480 kHz from Kununurra, Australia currently audible (1220 UT 29 Jan). Programme of continuous music, religious messages and announcements in English with 'phone numbers and email to report "reception problems" - english@h... [truncated] Fair signal strength, moderate fading and clear apart from slight splatter from BBCWS (Skelton) on 15485 (so HCJB best on LSB). (Alan Pennington, Caversham UK AOR7030+, longwire, Jan 29, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Hallo vrienden dx-ers, Vandaag heb ik tussen 1340 en 1401 UT (=s/off) kunnen luisteren naar HCJB vanuit hun nieuwe zenderlokatie in Australië. Frequentie was 15480 kHz SINPO: 33333. Programma was non- stop instrumentale muziek met om het kwartier een identifikatie, een telefoonnummer en het e-mail adres voor ontvangstrapporten: english@hcjb.org.au 73, (Hugo Matten - Veurne, Belgium, Jan 29, BDXC via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Brisbane, R. 1701 kHz, Indian talk 1521 1/30. The best of the DU X Banders as usual. This one gets out! Drake R8 EWE Antenna (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, KAVT Reception Manager, DX LSITENING DIGEST) ** BELGIUM. POLICE ARREST RADIO PRESENTER LINKED TO ABU HAMZA AFTER FATWA BROADCAST | Excerpt from report by Belgian RTBF radio on 25 January [Presenter] The presenter of a Belgian Arab language radio station broadcasting to the Brussels area - Radio Salam - has been arrested by police. He is reportedly accused of broadcasting a fatwa - that is, an appeal for a holy war - against non-Muslims. Here is Francois Louis [phonetic] with the details: [Louis] Several radio stations broadcast in Arabic in Brussels and the police have been keeping a watch on some of them for a while now. The Islamist activists are suspected of using the air waves to broadcast messages of indoctrination to the immigrant population. Several Arabic-speaking anti-terrorist investigators were instructed to monitor certain broadcasts and as a result they heard a presenter on Radio Salam inciting people to commit violence against the non-Muslim population in the form of a fatwa - an appeal for holy war. The man arrested is said to have close links with Abu Hamza al-Masri, the imam at the very radical mosque in London's Finsbury Park district... The police say that the man who was arrested also made death threats against the investigators of Arab origin who were tasked with questioning him. Source: RTBF Radio 1, Brussels, in French 1200 gmt 25 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) AUTHORITIES TO ASK ARAB RADIOS TO AVOID INFLAMMATORY PROGRAMMMES [sic!] | Text of report by Belgian newspaper De Standaard on 27 January The legal authorities in Brussels want to start a dialogue this week with the managers of various Arab radio stations in order to request their cooperation in preventing the broadcasting of inflammatory comments. Brussels Investigating Magistrate Lugentz arrested Ali M. (aged 31), a manager at Radio Salam, after he had threatened an anti-terrorist detective. The legal authorities went to see M. after another detective had learned that M. had issued a death sentence on Radio Salam, a Brussels-based Arab radio station. Originally, the death sentence came from a radical London-based imam against all European police and intelligence services, which stand in the way of the rise of Islam. M.'s reporting sounded sufficiently alarming to the ears of the Belgian government to have detectives investigating terrorist movements like Al-Qa'idah follow a self-defence course from the federal police's special unit. Up to now, detectives are not aware of any further inflammatory reports from local radio stations or other media. Therefore, they are not considering looking at the broadcasting licences of these stations. It is not the first time that the content of some Arab radio stations programmes have caused unease. At the end of last year, Home Affairs Minister Antoine Duquesne (MR [Reformist Movement]) said during a debate on a television programme on RTBF [French-speaking Belgian Radio and Television] that he was concerned about the "extremist nature of some broadcasts by these stations, broadcasts which sometimes sound outright anti-Semitic, or encourage people to reject the values of western civilization." His analysis ran into strong opposition from the Arab radio stations, although Radio Salam's competitors, like Radio El Manar or Radio El Watan, say that Radio Salam sometimes uses "tough language." Source: De Standaard, Groot-Bijgaarden, in Dutch 27 Jan 03 p 2 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. RADIO CENTENARIO "LA NUEVA" 4865.0 kHz Radio Centenario "La Nueva", Santa Cruz de la Sierra; I visited the station on January 3, 2002. According to David Manzana (Director Gerente), the station changed its shortwave frequency from 4855 kHz to 4865 kHz on August 1, 2000, under the frequency reassignment, performed by government authorities as part of a countermeasure against interference due to an increase in the number of broadcasting stations in recent years. Radio Centenario "La Nueva" broadcasts at 0900-0100 from Monday to Friday, 1100-2300 on Saturday and Sunday simultaneously on medium wave and shortwave. The shortwave outlet was formerly on the air in two time slots: 0900-1400 and 2000-0100, but it broadcasts uninterruptedly as of January 2002. The shortwave outlet is equipped with a "Crown" brand transmitter of 4 kW and a 1/2-wave H type dipole antenna (18 meters high above the ground). The medium wave outlet is equipped with a "HUGHES" brand transmitter of 5 kW, HC07 model and a 1/4-wave vertical antenna (64 meters high above the ground). The transmitter is installed at the site called Plan 3000 in the Departamento de Santa Cruz. It is situated directly at 10 kilometers south from the studio. The studio and the transmitter site are connected by a STL transmission on 462.8 MHz with a "McMarti" transmitter of 10 watts. Radio Centenario "La Nueva" was established by Carlos Ramsay on June 1, 1991. (The former Radio Centenario was founded by Gustavo Bush many years ago.) Studio: Avenida Grigotá s/n 4to Anillo UV64, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The attached file is a Bolivian station's survey prepared by local- monitoring, realized from December 29, 2000 through January 6, 2001. It may be an old record, however, it has several interesting informations about local broadcasters specially for Latin American DX funs. Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, Editor of RELAMPAGO DX E-mail: inoue@ipcjapan.com http://www.ipcdigital.com Attachment: RELAMPAGO DX BOLIVIANO (1).doc Description: Binary data (Takayuki Inoue Nozaki - Japan - Relámpago DX Jan 27 at hard-core-dx via DXLD) Maybe you can get it to open properly via: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/index.php?topic=relampago (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURKINA FASO. Has anyone heard R. Burkina 5030 lately? Was coming in strong from 2000-s/off this summer/ fall. Haven't heard them in at least 6 weeks (Scott R Barbour Jr, Intervale, NH, Sangean ATS 818; RF Systems MLB-1 antenna kit; RS longwire w/ RDA balun, hard-core-dx via DXLD) You are right: R. Burkina has been off the air for 3-4 weeks on 5030! I hope it will return soon. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, ibid.) ** COLOMBIA. Hola Glenn... Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. El 29/01 fue captada en 6140 kHz, Melodía AM, "La radio líder", transmitiendo en paralelo en 730 kHz (HJCQ), a las 2300 UT. Según las identificaciones, la potencia en Onda Media es de 100 mil watts. Emitía el himno nacional y luego el programa "El mundo al día". Las siglas de la onda corta 6140 kHz, son (HJQR). Estación perteneciente a la Cadena Melodía de Colombia. SINPO 43433. Parece una prueba del transmisor ya que salió varias veces del aire y al ser buscada una hora más tarde, ya brillaba por su ausencia (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. FARC SE APODERA DE EQUIPOS DEL CANAL RCN EN EL ARAUCA "THE FARC GUERILLA SEIZED SATELLITE COMMS EQUIPMENT IN ARAUCA" Bogotá.- La guerrilla de las FARC se apoderó de un vehículo y varios equipos de comunicación y transmisión por satélite del Canal RCN de Colombia en el conflictivo departamento del Arauca, denunció hoy en Bogotá esa cadena de la televisión privada, señaló Efe. El Canal RCN precisó que el grupo rebelde despojó de ese material a un equipo periodístico conformado por cinco personas, que la emisora había desplazado el pasado fin de se... Lee el artículo completo en: http://www.eluniversal.com/2003/01/28/28012003_44667.html Copyright 2002, Reservados todos los derechos (via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. ELN ANUNCIA LIBERACIÓN DE PERIODISTAS EXTRANJEROS The ELN clandestine station in the Arauca area is called Radio Libertad, says one of their commanders to RCN Radio. El Ejército de Liberación Nacional (Eln) anunció en RCN la pronta liberación de los periodistas del diario "Los Angeles Times", la británica Ruth Morris y el fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton, secuestrados la semana pasada en Arauca. El anuncio fue hecho este martes por el guerrillero "Antonio García", uno de los principales jefes del Eln, en una conversación telefónica con RCN. "Ellos están muy bien y en los próximos días, en uno o dos días, van a estar en libertad", declaró el líder rebelde, cuyo verdadero nombre es Erlington de Jesús Chamorro. Morris y Dalton fueron retenidos el pasado 20 de enero cerca de la localidad de Fortul, en el departamento petrolero del Arauca, fronterizo con Venezuela. "Antonio García" declaró que los periodistas ingresaron a una zona "en la que hay bastante militarización y, como es un área de conflicto, fueron retenidos por las unidades del Eln. Ellos se encuentran bien de salud y en los próximos días van a ser puestos en libertad", aseguró. En su diálogo con RCN, el líder del Eln reveló que Morris se comunicó el lunes con su padre, "que cumplía años, a través de nuestra emisora regional 'Radio Libertad'". "Esperamos que en los próximos días podamos dejarlos en libertad, pero, de todas maneras, hay una situación crítica de confrontación", expresó "García", quien añadió que "la voluntad y decisión del Eln es que ellos estén en libertad en los días siguientes". Indicó que "los compañeros de Arauca" se encargarán de los detalles y "van a entregar algunos mensajes" al diario "Los Angeles Times". Según el comandante rebelde, durante el cautiverio Morris y Dalton pudieron tener "una versión del conflicto, lógicamente desde la óptica del Eln y en las áreas por donde el Eln tiene influencias política y militar". El secuestro de los dos informadores extranjeros ha sido rechazado por el Gobierno de Colombia y las asociaciones locales de periodistas y los corresponsales extranjeros, así como por el Departamento de Estado de EEUU y asociaciones periodísticas de América y Europa. (RCN Radio website, Jan 29 via HK) El Espectador newspaper says the station is known as La Voz de la Libertad. This may account for the previously mentioned slogan La Voz de la Liberación, which seems to have been a mistake, as this slogan has been "copyrighted" by a religious program sponsored by the Brazilian IPDA Church which can be heard in many countries in Latin America (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. La Voz de los Trabajadores, emisión disidente hacia Cuba, escuchada el 27/01, en 9955 a las 0040. Con repetición a las 0200. Nunca falta el jamming. Saludos, (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRMI; según el horario actual de los lunes TU, son dos programas distintos: 0000-0100 Radio Revista Lux (español) -- Programa de noticias y actualidades del Sindicato de Trabajadores Eléctricos, Gas y Agua de Cuba en el Exilio. Productor: René L. Díaz. Locutor: Marcial Ontivero. Dirección: Radio Revista Lux, 7175 SW 8 Street, Suite 213, Miami, Florida 33144 EUA. Teléfono/Fax: +1-305-262-6050. ... 0130-0230 Radio Oriente Libre (español) -- Una transmisión de la Asamblea Provincial de Oriente en el Exilio para sus compatriotas en Cuba. Dirección: 15611 SW 48 Street, Miami, Florida 33185 EUA (from http://www.wrmi.net/pages/714011/index.htm Jan 27 via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. ON THE WHOLE, IT SOUNDS LIKE A NET LOSS http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A57958-2003Jan28?language=printer Radio Martí and its television counterpart have a well-deserved reputation for being state-of-the-art when it comes to technology. So it's no surprise that Radio Martí is announcing in a new promo that its programs are available on the Internet as well. The promo begins with a frustrated fellow named Manolo working the dial of his squawking radio, trying to tune in to Martí. His much more techno-astute wife, upon seeing what he's doing, tells him: "You don't need a radio anymore to listen to Radio Martí." What's more, she says, "Radio and Television Martí are also on the Internet without interference" from government jamming. At this, Manolo gets so excited, he logs on and then we hear a loud crash as he tosses his radio out the window. Ain`t technology grand? Couple of small problems with this: First, hardly anyone in Cuba has Internet access, and most of those who do are government-approved. Also, there are, last we checked, only three Internet service providers in Cuba, all of them controlled by the commies. They can and do block the site and they can -- though maybe without the sophistication of the Chinese -- monitor who logs on. "Although Internet usage in Cuba remains small," an International Broadcasting Bureau official said, "we believe we should be using every available technology to reach Cubans on the island." There are about 40,000 people logging on "clandestinely," the official said, citing Cuban government numbers, and "government controls are not perfect." And maybe folks in other countries -- even in Florida -- if they are interested, would be able to log on thru http://www.martinoticias.com For now, let's hope Manolo has a friend in the radio repair business. (via Brock Whaley for DXLD Jan. 29, 2003) ** CUBA [non non]. Special event amateur station CO ZERO JMP is on the air at the time you are listening to this show. The station was set up by the PLAZA Radio Club here in Havana to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Cuba's National Hero, José Martí Pérez. The station is on the air on SSB and CW, and will be operating on bands from 40 meters to 2 meters, providing those who work it or monitor it with a very nice special event QSL card. So look for CO Zero JMP on the ham bands during the next two days amigos; the QSL card is a very nice one, and CO Zero is a special event prefix used by Cuban radio amateurs (Arnie Coro, CO2KK, RHC DXers Unlimited Jan 28 via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC [non}. Note that the new WRMI schedule in last issue no longer shows a beam change on 7385 from LAm to NAm at 0330 between the Spanish and Czech R. Prague relays. Wonder if this was ever really in effect? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 6210, R. Fana Jan 27 1447-1457 33433 Amharic, Ethiopian music and talk.. // 6940 (Kouji Hashimoto) 9561.5, R. Ethiopia Jan 24 *1600-1610 34333 English, 1600 s/on with IS. ID. Music. Talk (Kouji Hashimoto) 9704.2, R. Ethiopia Jan 27 *1459-1505 33432 Amharic, 1459 with IS. ID. Tree gong. Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Dear Mr. Chakroborty, You mention a 60 minute Mailbag and, of course, this is not possible but Ms. Thofern was referring to a whole slot in our programming and perhaps not taking into consideration the technical aspect of changing over to satellite and/or different frequencies. However, our editors and planners of the English Service are looking into how we can make the turnover at the end of the slot shorter, making some of our programmes a little longer! [+ standard formletter] Regards, (Margot Forbes, DW via Swopan Chakroborty, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. I went over to the other side of the island and wanted to see if there were any changes with KTWR or some of the other shortwave stations. Radio Barragada [sic] was still the same as it was several weeks ago, and AWR was also still the same. I am happy to mention that driving by KTWR, it looked like all 5 antennas were back to normal as compared to what it was like during the storm. I noted some wires between 2 towers that appeared to have been used for transmitting purposes but it was not the same design as the others. So it looks like they got things back to pre storm status. I was noticing that most of the island still has many wires down but not as much as it was before. Lights are still upside down. The weather station a few weeks ago after the last TS was off the air about 1 or 2 days. And was also hardly heard on the south side of the island. I listened close around the areas of KTWR and found no signals. This is about 30 miles south of the station. During that storm only one ship got underway to get out the storm`s way in case it came in. One hour after it left, port control lifted the storm warnings. Also the 2nd repeater on the island is back up and running. Meaning the Echo link (145.430 MHz) is now in service but the owner runs it at certain times, and it`s just as weak on some portions of the island as the other repeater. I may be wrong but they may be only experimenting with it to see what happens and may put it into full operation soon. KGUM radio ran a survey as to what the island may do to boost the economy, and several comments were 1. Geiko chips (those lizards) 2. Brown tree snake jerky (yummy). We may go to Saipan some time but that`s just a possible rumor. The sailboat nicknamed Lucky is still beached but they are still working on it. Waiting for more rain maybe, as the weather is a warm, 85 during the day. 73 from Guam island and hope to give more later; today`s my day off again (Larry Fields, n6hpx/du1, Jan 29, swl via DXLD) ** HAWAII. The Buzz, BY ERIKA ENGLE, Wednesday, January 29, 2003 http://starbulletin.com/2003/01/29/business/engle.html RADIO STATION KAIM RETURNS TO THE AIR, BUT VERY, VERY QUIETLY Hawaii's only 50,000 watt radio station is back on the air, sort of. "KAIM-AM (870) is running a loop right now of praise music while we have a petition before the FCC to relocate over here," said General Manager TJ Malievsky. The Molokai-based transmission equipment for the former Bible- broadcasting blowtorch was fired up to a barely audible 1,000 watts in November, but will remain there "only for a season," Malievsky said. "It's not really meant to be on for commercial purposes, it's really meant to keep the signal going. "What we had to do is put it on the air in a very small wattage situation to fulfill license requirements to keep it on the air for another year," he said. KAIM-AM is owned by Calif.-based Salem Communications Corp. The plan is to relocate the transmitter to Salem's tower in Kunia, which also radiates the signals of KHNR-AM 650 and KHCM-AM 940. Malievsky hopes to resume operation of the station on Oahu at 10,000 watts and believes federal approval will come within the next couple months. The format has not been finalized, he said. Of Salem's other stations, KGU-AM 760 is beamed from tower at Kewalo Basin, while the antenna for KAIM-FM 95.5 is in Palehua, home to the broadcast equipment of numerous other FM stations. Salem took KAIM-AM dark on Dec. 31, 2001, to accomplish two goals. The company wanted to eliminate the $12,000 to $13,000 monthly electric bill for the Molokai facility. KGU's electricity costs about $1,000 per month, station officials said at the time. Salem also wanted to boost its KRLA-AM 870 in Los Angeles to 50,000 watts, but there was concern the Hawaii and L.A. signals would interfere with one another. The Los Angeles population reached by KRLA-AM clearly provides much greater revenue potential for Salem than Hawaii's KAIM-AM audience. KAIM was formerly owned by the Minnesota-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which boosted the station's power to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the islands of Hawaii and the Pacific. It sold KAIM-AM/FM to the publicly traded Salem in October of 1999, but still owns the Molokai land and transmitter building. At the time the company announced plans to take the powerful AM off the air, then-General Manager Doug Campbell said there were no plans to bring it back (via Brock Whaley for DXLD Jan. 30) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET [and non]. Mike Cooper said: "The Internet is clearly clumsy, imperfect and unreliable -- using a bucket-brigade chain instead of efficient electromagnetic transmission through thin air. What are the international broadcasters thinking?" But be reminded that shortwave isn't perfect either: SW reception can be quite frustrating when the sun enters its temperamental phases... (Ricky Leong, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. Subject : satellite radio I just would like to quickly weigh in on the question of satellite radio that came up on DXLD Jan. 28. I use an MPEG-2 free-to-air satellite receiver in order to listen to WRN-1, Radio Sana'a, Al Quran/Al Kareem R. (location unknown), and of course DW-radio, in German. There is no encryption of many of the channels, and therefore requires no monthly subscription. Aside from the fascinating television that is also available off of Telstar 5, being able to listen to a station like Radio Sana'a just about anytime is very nice, as I like their music. By the way, I checked the satellite channel of Radio Sana'a against 9780 kHz, and it was indeed a live feed on the satellite, with the satellite feed lagging 31m by about 1.5 seconds. Free-to-air satellite TV can be very interesting to anyone with an interest in how TV is done in other countries. Countries such as Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Georgia, and many others run one of their national TV services on this satellite, too. i, however, view this medium as a complement to, not a replacement of, shortwave radio. I have been frustrated with the lack of portability of internet radio, not to mention the sterile quality of both internet and satellite radio. Shortwave just has a "feel" that is difficult to describe, almost like being in contact with another far-off nation, free from gatekeeper technology. I still sleep with a shortwave receiver next to the bed (an ATS 505), and even built a 25m-to-1710 kHz converter for use on a sensitive, selective MW receiver that I use on my bike. Conventional portables are difficult to use on a bike, and this layout is ergonomically more friendly, as well as safer; sure beats listening to the MW locals, too! Sorry for the lengthy post, but just wanted to speak up. I too regret DW's decision to axe SW service to NAm, and will always remain an adherent to the time-proven technology of the analog AM medium. 73 (Steven Zimmerman, Milwaukee, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. LAUNCH OF KURDISH-LANGUAGE SERVICE OF ISRAELI RADIO SUSPENDED | Text of report by independent Iraqi Kurdish newspaper Jamawar on 26 January According to a declaration by the Kurdistan Jewish Organization in Israel and the Kurdish-Jewish Friendship Association in Israel, the decision to set up a Kurdish service of the Israeli radio by the government of that country has been suspended. Initially, it had been decided to open a Kurdish service of the Israeli radio on 1 January 2003, but so far the reasons for the decision [to suspend the opening] are unknown. Source: Jamawar, Arbil, in Sorani Kurdish 26 Jan 03 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Greetings from Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Listening to Kol Israel at 1100 on 17525, reception was quite good at 453 and very readable, much better than 15640 which was only 252 at the same time and could not understand much at all, they came on with Hebrew with music and ads until 1100 then were French till 1115 when they went into English news. Best wishes, (Michael Stevenson, Sangean ATS-909 with 15 metre longwire, Jan 29, EDXP via DXLD) ** ITALY [and non]. Hi all, I've just published a list of Italian area stamps about radio and television (in Italian, sorry!). The URL is http://portale.italradio.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sezioni&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=1&page=2 I remember that Italian Area is: Kingdom of Italy ("Regno"), Italian Colonies (Eritrea, Somalia, Cirenaica, Tripolitania), Italian Republic (Italia), Republic of San Marino (S. Marino), Vatican City (Vaticano), Trieste A, Trieste B, SMOM. I hope it useful. Best regards (Paolo Morandotti, radiostamps via DXLD) ** IVORY COAST. CÔTE D'IVOIRE: BBC, RFI RELAYS STILL OFF AIR AS RADIO NOSTALGIE VANDALIZED The FM relays in Abidjan of the BBC World Service (on 94.3 MHz) and Radio France Internationale (97.6 MHz) continue to be unheard. These relays were forced off the air on 22 September 2002, three days after the start of the military uprising. Meanwhile, transmissions by an independent station in Abidjan, Radio Nostalgie, have been observed to be off the air since 26 January when its broadcasting equipment was vandalized. The Ivorian newspaper Soir Info web site on 27 January reported that the previous day "the premises of Radio Nostalgie were the target of uncontrolled [pro-government] demonstrators, who set the broadcasting equipment on fire... Passers-by who said they witnessed the incidents told us that young men armed with clubs and stones destroyed and burned everything, shouting anti-French slogans. They [the young men] said that Hamed Bakayoko (the station manager) was a rebel leader." Sources: Monitoring research 26-29 Jan 03 Soir Info web site, Abidjan, in French 27 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** JAPAN [non non]. Dear Mr. Joe Talbot, Thank you for your inquiry to Radio Japan. As for your question, please be advised that we no longer use the relay of Dhabbaya, United Arab Emirates for our services. Best regards, -- Radio Japan info@intl.nhk.or.jp (via Talbot, Jan 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. Glenn, Radio Mauritanie heard here sporadically for the past couple of weeks on 7245 after 0800. 1/30 was probably the best signal so far, with the carrier snapping on at 0804, then directly into Arabic programming with North African music. Good signal to begin with, but it faded quickly with local sunrise at the transmitter. This might not be news to anyone, but it's a new one for me. Have also noted occasional openings to S Africa, especially the Beeb's African stream from the Meyerton transmitters. Given the noise level in my apartment building (City Light handed out a lot of compact fluorescent bulbs during the power "emergency" two years ago, and they have yet to die), I'm lucky to hear anything most nights (Chuck Albertson, Seattle, Wash., Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. RADIO NETHERLANDS REORGANISATION PLANS TO BE RE-CONSIDERED The management, editor-in-chief and departmental heads at Radio Netherlands have agreed a formula to break the impasse over proposed reorganisation. A draft plan presented by management on 15 January met with widespread dissatisfaction amongst all sections of staff, including the editor-in-chief and the heads of departments. In addition to possible job losses, there were also serious concerns that the plans might pose a threat to the station's journalistic independence. Management have now formally withdrawn the plan in its current form. The heads of department and editor-in-chief Freek Eland will work on the details of a new plan for the future of Radio Netherlands. Their proposals will then be presented to management. The Dutch Union of Journalists has welcomed the outcome of the negotiations. A mass meeting of staff will be held tomorrow (Thursday) at which the latest developments will be discussed (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 29 January 2003 via DXLD) I suspect a letter-writing campaign could be counterproductive, as RN very much values its independence from political control (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES [and non]. MAINTENANCE WORK AT BONAIRE 3-7 FEBRUARY 2003 Maintenance work at our Bonaire relay station necessitates some schedule changes between 1057 UT on 3 Feb and 1125 UT on 7 February 2003. During this period, the long-term DRM tests from Bonaire will not be on the air. 6165 will be replaced by Flevo (500 kW) for all transmissions between 2327 and 0425. 50 kW instead of 250 kW will be used for the following Bonaire transmissions: 0357-0456 Dutch on 11985 0457-0545 Deutsche Welle on 11795 1057-1125 Spanish on 15450 2027-2125 Dutch on 15315 2227-2325 Spanish on 11730 (Radio Netherlands Media Network 29 January 2003 via WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI on 6095 today! More Cyclone Warning reports. RNZI 6095 is on again tonight! (Jan 29 in UTC). Great signal into Europe at about 1500-1657 UT on Monday 27th. Was missed yesterday Jan 28th. 1306-1657 6095 To All Pacific -- Usual Closedown is 1305 UT -- this frequency is for occasional overnight broadcasts to the Pacific for Sports commentaries or Cyclone Warnings. RNZI 6095 kHz -- There is a tropical cyclone near the Solomon Islands and between Fiji and Tonga. RNZI is on 6095 kHz until 1657, when the usual morning transmission begins. The program is the overnight National Radio transmission, the announcer reads the cyclone warnings after the news at the top of the hour. Heard also at 1620 on Monday. 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 29, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. New Zealand; 6095; 1345-1400; SINPO 44434; music; OM with ID TOH; then news and marine weather (Al Menzl, Seattle, USA Jan 29, R-75 16m horizontal loop, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. I had previously associated a big, dirty carrier on 15120 with Cuba, but Jan 30 at 2250 found very undermodulated news in English, mainly about Europe, from V. of Nigeria, as IDed after 2255, to return at 0500, devotional, 2300 half-minute anthem followed by 5 minutes of tone until carrier off. The modulation was so marginal that readability varied depending on which announcer was speaking (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. RENDA Oldies KOMA-A[M 1520]/OKLAHOMA CITY is flipping from its Oldies simulcast with FM sister KOMA-FM [92.5] to News/Talk on MONDAY (2/3). The 50,000 watt station will be spearheaded by News Dir. BOB SANDS, formerly of KKNG (KING COUNTRY 93.3), and will continue to carry WESTWOOD ONE's BILL O'REILLY and CBS NEWS as well as the late night "THE EDGE" sci-fi/paranormal talk show, all of which have been airing on the AM side in breaks from the simulcast (from http://www2.allaccess.com/via Brock Whaley, Jan 30, for DXLD) ** OMAN. Hi, the apparently current schedule of Radio Oman, as taken from their page http://www.oman-tv.gov.om/rdara/radio_frq_channel.asp is as follows (assuming the time given being local time UT +4): 02-04 6085 15355 04-06 9515 17590 06-14 13640 14-18 13725 15375 18-20 6190 15355 20-22 6085 MW: 576, 738, 1242. Yours, (Eike Bierwirth, 04317 Leipzig, DL, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) *** Find the current overall shortwave schedule on http://www.eibi.de.vu/ Well, the English hours at 03 and 14 have always been on only one of the frequencies shown, the higher one (gh, DXLD) ** PERU. Una emisora andina que se me ha hecho IMPOSIBLE identificar, ha sido la de 6797.5kHz, a la cual hago un seguimiento desde el 27/01. El horario de mejor recepción es entre las 2300 y las 0100 UT. Con comentarios de un hombre y una mujer, y música indudablemente de la región de Los Andes. Incluso grabé unas horas y al escuchar la cinta una y otra vez, sin embargo es incomprensible. La razón: un sistema de radiotelegrafía en el mismo canal, alternándose con radioaficionados (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sin que se haya cambiado de dueño, siempre en esta frecuencia se halla, según afirmado en la lista LA-DX de Mark Mohrmann: 6797.5 PERU Ondas del Rio Mayo, Nuevo Cajamarca [0919-1150/2205- 0330](varies 96-98.7) (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. RADIO LIBERTY BROADCASTING "NOT LIKELY" TO EXPAND IN RUSSIA - MINISTER | Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 28 January: Radio Liberty's broadcasting is not likely to expand in Russia, said Russian First Deputy Press Minister Mikhail Seslavinskiy. Seslavinskiy made this comment while meeting director of broadcasting for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Jeff Trimble in Moscow today, the Press Ministry press service told Interfax. The meeting touched upon the possibilities of expanding Radio Liberty's broadcasting to Russia. Seslavinskiy said that Russian radio stations, in particular the Voice of Russia, still do not have free access to the US radio market due to restrictions in the US legislation. "Any steps in this direction should be mutual," Seslavinskiy said. "Russia made this step long ago by enabling Radio Liberty to broadcast on its territory. Now, a lot depends on the USA and its preparedness to promote an appropriate Russian information presence on the territory of the USA," Seslavinskiy said. The meeting participants also discussed issues relating to the prolongation of Radio Liberty's broadcasting licenses in 2003, the press service said. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1604 gmt 28 Jan 03 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) Russia`s Press Ministry favours an increase in the broadcasting hours of ``Radio Liberty`` in Russia and ``The Voice of Russia`` in the United States on a parity basis. This came in a statement by the first deputy Russian Press Minister Mikhail Seslavinsky following his meeting in Moscow with a member of the US Broadcasters` board Geoffrey Hirschberg and one of the heads of ``Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe`` Geoffrey Trimble. Mr. Seslavinsky pointed out that Russia has already granted ``Radio Liberty`` an opportunity to broadcast from inside this country. Now, he said, the ball is in the court of US law-makers who are expected to lift restrictions from Russia`s information presence in the United States (VoR News, January 29, 2003 via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) Is this an excuse, or do the Russians really not realize that there is no such thing as domestic broadcasting by the federal government in the USA, and thus the feds are not in a position to offer such an exchange. Now, some of the excess capacity at Greenville and Delano could be used for relays of Russia on SW, which seems only fair for all the RL relays within Russia! (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** SAIPAN. NORTHERN MARIANAS: New updated B-02 schedule for KFBS, Saipan: 9465 1400-1530 Russian Daily 1530-1545 Udmurt Sun/Tue Tatar Mon Mari Wed Uzbek Thu Kyrghyz Fri Chuvash Sat 1545-1600 Udmurt Sun Tatar Mon/Tue German Wed Ossetic Thu Kazakh Fri/Sat 1600-1630 Russian Sun-Fri Ukrainian Sat 1630-1830 Russian Daily 1830-1845 Russian Sun/Tue/Thu/Sat Ukrainian Mon/Wed/Fri 1845-1900 Russian Sun/Thu/Sat Ukrainian Mon-Wed German Fri 9855 1615-1630 Uzbek Sat/Sun Ossetic Mon Kazakh Tue/Wed Kyrghyz Thu/Fri 1630-1645 Udmurt Sun/Thu/Fri Mari Mon Ukrainian Tue Chuvash Wed Tatar Sat 1645-1700 Udmurt Sun/Fri Tatar Mon/Sat German Tue-Thu 11580 1000-1600 Mandarin Daily 1600-1615 Uighur Daily 11650 0900-1100 Russian Daily 1100-1130 Mongolian Daily 1130-1400 Russian Daily 12090 2230-2330 Vietnamese Daily 12120 1300-1430 Vietnamese Daily 15380 0800-0830 Banjarese Daily 0830-0900 Gorontalo Daily 0900-0930 Makassarese Daily 0930-1000 Bugisnese Daily 1000-1030 Sundanese Daily 1030-1100 Javanese Daily 1100-1230 Indonesian Daily 1230-1300 Bakui Daily (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29 via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. COLOMBO PROMISES CONSTANT MONITORING OF LTTE FM STATION A Sri Lankan government press release on 29 January said that the Ministry of Mass Communication will "constantly monitor the transmissions" of the Tamil Tigers' (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE) FM broadcasting station, the Sri Lankan newspaper Daily News web site reported on 30 January. On 16 January the LTTE's newly licensed radio, Voice of Tigers, began broadcasting on 98 MHz using a five- kilowatt transmitter. Action would be taken against any violation of both the licensing conditions and frequency allocations, the statement said. Source: Daily News web site, Colombo, in English 30 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN --- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: Swedish Cooking Special Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: We link up with other international broadcasters as "Network Europe" includes the controversy over Iraq Sunday: Religious diversity and Kenny Bräck are among the topics for listeners "In Touch With Stockholm" (George Wood, SCDX/MediaScan Jan 29 via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. RADIO LIBERTY WANTS TO BROADCAST IN TAJIKISTAN | Text of report by Tajik news agency Asia-Plus Dushanbe, 28 January: The management of Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has applied to the Tajik government to consider the possibility of broadcasting the radio station's Tajik programmes on MW and FM wave bands in the country. A source at the Tajik service of Radio Liberty has told Asia-Plus that RFE/RL programmes are planned to be broadcast on the entire territory of the country, including in Dushanbe. In the opinion of the staff of the radio station, which is financed by the US Congress, Tajikistan's participation in the antiterrorist coalition and the expansion of the country's cooperation with Western countries contributed to the creation of favourable conditions for the broadcasting of Radio Liberty's programmes in Tajikistan. In an application addressed to the Tajik head of state, the management of the radio asks to have a meeting to discuss the issue. Source: Asia-Plus news agency, Dushanbe, in Russian 0905 gmt 28 Jan 03 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. TURKMEN WRITER CALLS FOR EXTERNAL RUSSIAN-, ENGLISH- LANGUAGE BROADCASTS | Excerpt from report entitled "The whole world prefers news from radio" by Turkmen newspaper Turkmenistan on 24 January: As is known, God blessed the Turkmen nation with the best position located in the very heart of Central Asia. This advantage of our location has been recalled many times over by our wise leader, [Turkmen president] Saparmyrat Turkmenbasy [Nyyazow] the Great, who makes such remarks with the great art of poetry and as a far-sighted politician. [Passage omitted: recap on Turkmenistan's advantageous geographical position] Here I have a proposal linked to the radio. At present there is no miraculous means in the world except the Internet (which some journalists ironically call the World Wide Web) which can surpass radio in delivering news to everyone. This is the reason why all developed states carry out radio broadcasts in many languages, intended not only for their own nations but also for others. Of course, in doing this they are pursuing their own goals and also making themselves known to the world. Many of their programmes are in Russian, which is known to be one of the working languages of the UN. Such are Radio Liberty, Voice of America, the BBC and many others. Though their broadcasts target mainly the states of the former USSR, their audience also includes many Russian-language listeners beyond this area. Unfortunately, some of these "voices", particularly since recent times, regularly disseminate groundless gossip about our beloved homeland. For cases such as these we have our own place in the world of the airwaves, too. The nice voices of our Turkmen national radio currently extend almost round-the-clock (let us recall that during the USSR period Turkmen radio had to stop its broadcasts at midnight sharp). Indeed, it is true that there are listeners of our radio in other countries. But they are mainly in the neighbouring countries. Whereas the greater part of the world is unaware of our country's progress, its law-governed society, our perfect domestic and foreign policies, their logic and content, just because they do not understand our language. This fact itself is a serious justification for creating a biased and unclear view about our country in the world. My proposal is: it would be expedient to launch external Russian language (initially for an hour) and English-language (initially for half an hour) radio programmes with two or three repeats and with a total duration of four to five hours a day. [Passage omitted: lack of information leads to misinformation; there could be a large audience for external broadcasts] [Author] Annaberdi Agabayew, people's writer and merited elder of Turkmenistan, recipient of the Magtymguly [literary and art] prize. Source: Turkmenistan, Asgabat, in Turkmen 24 Jan 03, p4 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. Re new VOA broadcast to Zimbabwe which started this week (see DX Listening Digest 3-016): The half hourly news magazine "Studio 7" in English 1730-1800 UT heard on 17895 kHz at 1734 tune-in today (29 Jan). Later announced 17895 from Morocco, 13600 from Botswana (also audible here) and 909 mediumwave from Botswana (Alan Pennington, Caversham UK, AOR 7030+, longwire, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Some changes for Voice of America: 1200-1400 Korean on 5985 7235 9555 11895 extended, ex 1300-1400 1600-1700 Hindi on 6060 9815 11730 new transmission 1630-1700 Hindi on 6060 9815 15130 cancelled 1730-1800 Hindi on 7280 9855 12040 cancelled 2100-2200 Korean on 5995 7110 12065 extended, ex 2130-2200 1830-1900 Azeri NF 11770, ex 12030 \\ 9695 9750 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29 via DXLD) VOA Hindi also have retimed some of their programs and introduced some new programs including a new serialised program on AIDS on Fri night. VOA Hindi chief Mr Ashok Sarin is presently touring India and will be addressing three listener meetings at Lucknow, Patna (on 2nd Feb) & Jaipur. Source: on-air announcements. Regards, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Ex-VOA guy becomes interior minister: see AFGHANISTAN ** U S A. RADIO SAWA LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM ON DEMOCRACY Radio Sawa is introducing new programming. "The Free Zone" was launched last week. On the program's debut, Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Middle Eastern leaders to support democratic principles such as free elections and free media. "Men and women have certain universal rights ... and we believe that democracy is the best way to allow (people) to have those rights," stated Powell. "The Free Zone" is a weekly 30-minute program that airs on Radio Sawa, a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week Arabic-language radio station. The program aims to address topics relating to freedom, such as human rights, women's issues, press freedom, civil society and elections. (RW Online Jan 27 via Ulis Fleming, DXLD) So, WHEN is it on??? ** U S A. Is there a program schedule somewhere on the WBCQ.com website? I looked for one and could not find a pointer there anywhere that led me to one. I did drop them a feedback e-mail asking about it; we'll see if anything comes of that. (I think I saw or heard a reference to a "WBCQ.net" website, but trying that gets an error screen.) I've been listening to that Alan Weiner discussion of old radios that precedes WoR on Wednesday on 17495 kHz and at first tried to call in to contribute to the discussion. I then discovered that it appears to be the same program on tape repeated over and over at 2200 UT multiple days of the week. Is it EVER on the air live so that we can call in? Also, I heard the announcement of the new "Doom & Gloom Hour" that was supposed to be at 2230 UT Thursday, but it wasn't on last week (just the same old-radio tape cited above). So is it coming on or not? (It sounded that it might be amusing, so I wanted to give it a try.) 73, (Will Martin, MO, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I believe the show filling in before WOR for a few weeks was Allan Weiner Worldwide, which airs live most UT Saturdays at 0100 on 7415. AFAIK there has never been any useful info at the http://wbcq.com site, the one run by Scott Becker. The http://wbcq.net site is gone, since the webmaster who donated his services wasn`t getting coöperation from HQ. This has been covered previously in DXLD. The new site, http://wbcq.us has been down most of January, but now I see is back, with some schedule updates at last (e.g. WOR at 0545 instead of 0515 UT Mon.) but obviously not entirely accurate or complete, (e.g. WOR Wednesday at 2300 on 17495 is not shown.) Other than that, there is nothing to listen to on 17495 except on UT Saturdays: Available Time Slot 1400-1600 The Kitchen Militia 1600-1700 Allan Weiner World Wide 1700-1800 Zombo's Mondo Record Party 1800-1900 Radio Timtron Worldwide 1900-2000 Pan Global Wireless 2000-2030 Old Time Gospel 2030-2100 There is even less on 9335 --- just R. Caroline, M-F at 2100-2200, so contrary to Tim`s 75m remarks it is still on the station, but no longer on 7415. The Gloom and Doom hour is also shown Sundays at 2100 on 7415. Here`s the portion of the posted schedule, avoiding gospel huxters and far- right shows, tho some with incongruous names may have slipped thru: UT SATURDAYS The Lost Discs Radio Show 0000-0100 Allan Weiner World Wide 0100-0200 Tasha Takes Control 0200-0300 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Alex Jones - Info Wars 2100-2200 Think Tank North America 2200-2300 Radio TimTron World Wide 2300-0000 UT SUNDAYS The Real Amateur Radio 0000-0030 Fred Flintstone's Music Show 0030-0100 A Different Kind Of Oldies Show 0100-0200 Marion's Attic 0200-0300 The Alan Sane Show 0300-0400 You Are What You Think 0400-0500 Tom And Darryl 0500-0600 Juliet`s Wild Kingdom 0600-0630 Gloom And Doom Hour 2100-2200 Radio Free Euphoria 2200-2300 UT MONDAYS Le Show with Harry Shearer 0000-0100 Radio New York International 0100-0500 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Radio D.C. 0515-0545 Glen[n] Hauser's World of Radio 0545-0615 The Jean Shepherd Show 2200-2245 Pocket Calculator Show 2300-2330 UT TUESDAYS Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Available Time Slot 2230-2330 UT WEDNESDAYS Good Morning Maine 0100-0200 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Glenn Hauser's World Of Radio 2300-2330 Goddess Irena 1 music show 2330-0000 UT THURSDAYS Off The Hook 0000-0100 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 The Gloom And Doom Hour 2230-2330 Uncle Ed's Musical Memories 2330-0000 UT FRIDAYS Steppin` Out Of Babylon 0030-0100 Cut The Crap with A.J. 0400-0500 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Pan Global Wireless 2200-2230 The Pab Sungenis Project 2230-2330 WDCD 2330-0000 (wbcq.us website Jan 30 excerpted and cleaned up by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The Green Party response to the State of Union address was read on "ieAmerica Radio Network"'s Peter Werbe show noon-3 pm (EST). After reading and saying the Green party is the party of Peace, he asked "Where is the Democratic Party on the war?" His show and the Mike Malloy show, after from 3-6 pm are national radio shows that represent a progressive, or liberal point of view. Both are very anti-war and have many good links for progressive web sites. Malloy presented a "a Progressive View of the State of Union." Both are commercial call-in shows, with Labor news updates, and excellent guests from very progressive groups. Both shows are repeated from 6 pm till midnight. (EST) Both are getting more and more callers from Green Party members from the internet and a small group of over the air stations across the nation. I call both shows, about every other day, with a Green Party point of view. You can listen to the shows on the internet, while doing other work on the net, like reading emails or surfing. It`s very easy. Go to ieamerica.com or search for PeterWerbe.com and follow the directions. I listen with the "Real Radio" player. It`s a great alternative to "Flush Limbaugh" or NPR's coverage of square dancing or something else non-political. And you get to call in with YOUR point of view! (Tim McKee, okgreens via DXLD) Don`t find ieamerica.com – how about a complete URL?? But here`s a progressive talkshow, with lots of anti-war, anti-Bush material: http://www.peterwerbe.com/ THE GREEN PARTY'S OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT BUSH'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS and much more: http://www.greenpartyus.org/ a.k.a. http://www.gp.org – not to be confused with gp.com which is Georgia- Pacific! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KAHN VS. IBOC --- YEA! Engineer and creator of one of the original AM Stereo systems LEONARD KAHN has filed an objection to the FCC's approval of iBIQUITY's IBOC digital radio system HD RADIO, reports INSIDE RADIO. KAHN's filing argues that the use of iBIQUITY's system can only work in daylight hours on AM, takes up too much bandwidth, and costs too much. The filing proposes a new panel of ex-Commissioners and experts to replace the industry committee that recommended the iBIQUITY system. (http://www2.allaccess.com/ via Brock Whaley for DXLD Jan. 29, 2003) Re comments about Leonard Kahn, DXLD 3-016: Leonard Kahn pioneered AM stereo back in the 1950's with his patented system of independent sideband transmission. The upper sideband was the right channel; the lower sideband was the left channel. It was a compatible system in that a mono receiver tuned to the center frequency would receive equal components of right and left signals. (I remember sending him a letter requesting a job interview in the late 1950's. I never got a reply.) The system was ahead of its time in that today's Costas loop detector can produce a high fidelity rendition of the original stereo signal but Costas had only invented his detector a few years earlier and it took a lot of tubes to implement. Today it could be done easily in one IC. To say Kahn was responsible for the failure of AM stereo seems to me to stretch the facts. But if he was responsible, who could blame him. The FCC chose a different system backed by the big bucks of Motorola. Kahn was a victim of powerful powerful big-money interests -- maybe he wanted revenge. Motorola and the FCC simply incurred "The Wrath of Kahn" which became the inspiration for one of the better Star Trek movies. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ He was wrong on AM stereo, but right on the mark here. IF you want IBOC to have a REMOTE chance of working on the MW band, you take 4000 of the 4800 stations off the air. I wonder if he's had death threats yet on this petition? (Powell E. Way III, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. A LOOK BACK AT THE GOLDEN DAYS OF RADIO From http://www.theday.com BY BILL STANLEY, Day Guest Columnist, 1/26/2003 Once Upon A Time, there was no television, and radio was king. It was a time when The Day was an afternoon newspaper and when, on the radio, Gabriel Heeter and Lowell Thomas would present the news. Radio was big with the people. Everybody listened to radio, and there were teams: Burns and Allen, Amos and Andy, and, of course, Fibber McGee and Molly. These are all names that young people never heard of. In the movies, there were Laurel and Hardy, and Abbott and Costello. From the comic strips, do you remember Dagwood and Blondie, and Maggie and Jiggs? The music world knew teams also: George and Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, and later, Rodgers and Hammerstein. The mention of all of these teams is just to remind you of what used to be when we were younger, before TV, and when color movies were a big deal. "Gone With the Wind" in color was a major breakthrough. Morning radio also had its teams. On New York's number-one station, WNEW, there was Clavin and Finch, and in Boston, I believe on WEEI, there was Bob and Ray. Locally, I was part of a morning team known as Bill and Jim. The reason for all of this reminiscing is twofold, because a couple of Sundays ago, almost 200 people gathered at the Waterford Library to enjoy a program arranged by Judy Liskov featuring Tom Goulding, the son of Ray Goulding of the famous Bob and Ray radio team. It was an hour and a half of laughter and remembering the golden days of radio. Tom Goulding was beautiful. He is a chiropractor, you know, and lives in Waterford with his wonderful family. Tom brought back the days of Bob and Ray with tape recordings of some of the more hilarious skits. There was the flavor of his father when Tom opened the program and said, "Talking about my dad, let's start at the beginning. He was born at home, because he wanted to be near his mother." Bob and Ray were American classics - legends, if you will. They made fun of all of us and themselves, and they were completely spontaneous. There was Wally Ballou, the newsman played by Ray Goulding. To change his voice, he simply held a drinking glass to his mouth, and they would conduct the broadcast. I remember one so clearly. "This is Wally Ballou broadcasting from Times Square. Let me talk to one of the tourists," and at that point you could hear sirens in the background. He would say, "What is your name, and where are you from?" In the background, you could hear a voice saying "Get the fire trucks over here, and get the ladders up." The man would say. "I'm George Smith from Erie, Pennsylvania, just visiting New York." Then you would hear pistol shots in the background, police sirens and the crowd screaming. Wally Ballou would say, "How do you like New York?" Before the interview was done, half of New York was on fire with all kinds of rescue vehicles, and Wally Ballou returned to the station saying, "Just another quiet day on Times Square." Nobody could do it as well as Bob and Ray. They also played a big part in my life. My brother Jim and I were on morning radio. Jimmy was a genius with comedy, and I was his straight man. Jim could find humor in everything, but he, like Bob and Ray, was completely spontaneous. Tom Goulding, that Sunday afternoon in Waterford, mentioned how his father always had what looked like a script in his hands. One day, after a broadcast, a member of the studio audience noted they left the script behind, and he thought it would be a great souvenir. So, he went up to retrieve it and found that Bob and Ray had nothing but blank paper in their hands. Everything they did was spontaneous. Well, it was 1955, and a fellow named Jack Sullivan, sales manager at WNEW, called us saying that he had heard us on the radio as he was driving back to New York from Boston. He liked our show and asked if we would come down and audition at WNEW. The hottest radio show in New York was Clavin and Finch, but apparently, while they were funny on the radio, WNEW was afraid the team was about to break up. If that happened, they had to be ready, and so, for nine weeks, my brother Jim and I worked with a wonderful producer named Bobby Hodges, who trained us to take the place of Clavin and Finch, should they break up - which they did. Clavin decided to go to the networks. Finch stayed at WNEW - or was it the other way around? Jim and I were disappointed, because it was a lost opportunity. A few weeks later, we got a call from Allen Ludden, who was then program director for CBS Radio. Bob and Ray were killing CBS coast to coast on Mutual Broadcasting, and Allen Ludden said, "WNEW said you fellows might compete with Bob and Ray," and so we auditioned. It was before the days of big television, and Allen Ludden told us, "We need you. We have heard your show and love it, but you have to work with a script." Jim's comedy, like Bob and Ray's, was spontaneous. A script would kill the spontaneity. Jim was right, but CBS was boss. We didn't know it at the time, but my brother, Jim, had dyslexia. He couldn't read, and in a show of independence he said, "Take me as I am or leave me be." Married with three children, I couldn't afford that independence. Although CBS wanted us, and it was the greatest opportunity of our lives, they said they couldn't do business with us without a script. My brother and I split up. Jim went to New York where he managed the Tower of Light at the World's Fair, and I continued for five more years to wake up eastern Connecticut as a solitary morning man. Jim died young, but he was the most wonderful brother and an incredible radio personality. He was as good as Bob and Ray, but it was only after his death that we learned of his disability. Today, I have the same problem with dyslexia, but I have memories of those wonderful days in radio when the audience was big, when teams were funny, and when everybody listened to radio. (Bill Stanley's book, "Once Upon A Time," is available at the Lawrence & Memorial and Backus Hospital gift shops, Suburban Card & Gifts, Magazines & More, Johnson's Flowers & Gifts Shop in Norwich, Dime Savings Bank, or by mail by calling 1-800-950-0331. You can reach Bill Stanley by e-mail at gatewayair@aol.com ) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Sign the anti-voicetracking petition if you oppose voicetracking. It will eventually be forwarded to Congress, the FCC, and major media companies. Sorry, you have to include your email address. Spread the word. http://antivoicetracking.tripod.com/ (Adam Rivers, Chicopee, MA, Jan 25 NRC-AM via DXLD) The FCC has on countless occasions refused to intervene in issues related to how programming is produced, no doubt deeming it a Constitutional issue which would be tossed out in a hurry. Voicetracking is a term that came up in the 90's but which represents something that has been done since the later 50's... the partial or total automation of broadcast programming via the use of transcribed announcing and production. This is not new, and it is probably no more prevalent than it was in the 60's, 70', 80's or 90's. It's simply a way, just like national syndication of shows like Limbaugh, Dr. Laura and Imus, to cover airtime with better quality talent and programming at the best possible cost. In the 70's, every market had one or more leading stations doing beautiful music from Shulke, Bonneville, Kala, Churchill, TM, FM 100, RPM, IGM, Peters and others that usually ran "voice tracked" 24/7 except in the largest of markets (the syndicators usually provided both music and voice track tapes). These and other syndicators like Drake Chenault often offered as many as 6 or 7 other formats, all run 100% voiced tracked and automated in most places. In the 80's, we got satellite delivered formats that often replaced tape-delivered ones. Now, we do the same thing using a WAN or the Web. I collect old Broadcasting Magazines (if anyone has pre-70's issues, I buy them!) and the 60's issues always have ads for automation equipment that permitted stations to use technology to produce better programming. Translation: Voicetracking. You truly think the FCC or Congress will care about something that has been done successfully for 40 years? I don't (David Gleason, ibid.) This is very true. The FCC is going to look at the petition and toss it aside. Instead of wasting time on something that is being done on thousands of radio stations and isn`t illegal as some would like to state, let`s spend our boredom trying to draw up a petition to stop IBOC dead in its tracks. At least that would be doing something useful (Bob Carter, Operations/Engineering--Max Media Radio Group, ibid.) The first voice tracked station I ever heard was WZEE (Z-104) in Madison WI in the 70s. Of course voice tracking was just called automation in those days. It immediately became my favorite station. It carried the great Drake Chenault light rock format of the period and I thought it was perfect radio with very little talk and more of the music that I liked. Of course I had never heard of voice tracking and I didn't know it was voice tracked until I visited the station and was given a tour. I was in absolute awe of the technology. I watched the huge room full of automation equipment with multiple rack mounted cart carousels and reels running entirely by itself for hours until they finally got tired of me and tossed me out. The next one I saw was WYBR (the Yellow Brick Road) in my home town, Rockford IL. The station was located in the largest mall in northern IL at the time. The mall actually put a yellow brick road in the floor that you could follow to a window that allowed you to view the automation equipment in operation. The station is long gone but the yellow brick road is still there. Of course today all you see is a desktop computer running the show. Not nearly as impressive. But I still have to admire the technology. Although voice tracking killed a lot of announcer jobs, it also helped to keep a lot of stations on the air that wouldn't have been able to make it with a larger payroll when budgets got tighter. I think it has its place when implemented properly (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, ibid.) I'd better not, I might lose my minimum wage job with no benefits, voice tracking 20 stations.... ]:) (Powell E. Way, NRC-AM via DXLD) I am ambivalent when it comes to voicetracking. I've heard it done right, to the credit of a very few stations, and I've heard it abused more often than not. It was good old voicetracking that knocked me out of a job years ago, and none of the talking screen reader manufacturers have a clue how to make the stuff work with today's radio automation systems. I think, if done right and with some full service in the mix, voicetracking is tolerable. But the way it's done today, with folks from the big companies voicetracking for stations all over the US, well, that's just not right. These people can't care and don't care about individual markets. Will the FCC do anything? No, they haven't cared about broadcasting for years. Sometimes, even if something is done right, that doesn't make it the right thing to do. 73, (Jim Wiskow, ibid.) When I worked for KPEN (now K-101) in SF in 1961, I played one of the co-owner's voice tracks on Saturday night (Gary Gielow's, not Jim Gabbert's). No computerized timing devices; he checked the cut timings pretty closely and there never was a problem (breaks were every ten minutes). Later on at KFOG, I cut my own for playback on Sunday mornings (so I could get a day off). The guy at the station who was on duty, Tom Edwards, was a radio nut and took great pride in not screwing up. Breaks were more or less after every three cuts; I programmed the music 24/7 as well. At the TOH/BOH breaks, I would add a short selection so if there were insufficient ads, it would get played. At the start of these breaks, I would refer to it first, but in such a way that this reference could be eliminated if there wasn't time for the cut. I would do the same sort of thing with phrases like "It's a foggy day in San Francisco" (or a "sunny day") at the other breaks; Tom would roll it only if it were applicable. The only time we weren't live was on Sunday mornings (me) and evenings when we ran CE Ernie McDaniel's "play the stereo ping-pong demo records" show and our public service programs. When KFOG and WJIB started Schulke/SRP programming in the early 70s, we always had people on duty and did live breaks. However, the 104.5 facility in SF which we bought in 1962 - it was originally KBAY - was automated. KABL 960 was also automated. Their blatant cue tones contributed mightily to our success. I don't think many of the Schulke stations were automated (wasn't the phrase "live assist?") (Pete Taylor, Tacoma, ibid.) Pete, I think you've hit it the trouble with the current age of voice tracking --- there's nothing live about it anymore. The program's recorded in advance and played by a computer. No human's looking out the window to check the weather --- and that's where I gently move the dial to a station where someone's very obviously home. When I can find one (Gerry Bishop, Noicetodayville, FL, ibid.) The Shulke stations were automated outside of the larger markets. I know they let Miami do tracking for most of the day, although Jim insisted on live drives. Pittsburgh was probably the smallest all-live market, and that was top 20. The legendary KRFM in Phoenix was live for some years, then started to go to tracking. Eventually, the owners and Shulke parted company and KRFM did Churchill, successfully, against Bonnevile on KMEO. I remember a story of "Wish" in Pittsburgh. The AM CHR gang at 13-Q was pretty rowdy, and they spliced an Iron Butterfly cut into one of the Shulke reels and changed the printed cue list the announcer had so he could backsell... the guy must have been reading the paper or in the can, but the cut played, and he backsold it. "All day, all night, all nice. Wish! We heard Moon River from Mantovani, Innagaddadavida from Iron Butterfly, The Last Farewell from Roger Whittaker and the Percy Faith Orchestra concluded with "Moonglow." Or something like that (David Gleason, ibid.) ** U S A. YOUR DREAM OF OWNING A RADIO STATION CAN COME TRUE, IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=1098704&ClientType=Printable It's a tiny building with big talk inside. WGAB broadcasts to 22 tri-state counties. "We are talk radio. We carry Bill O'Reily, Sean Hannity and Michael savage," WGAB General Manager Jeff Davis says. 27 year old Jeff Davis is the station's general manager. "I remember growing up, playing radio station in my room," Davis says. Davis's father started Newburgh Broadcasting up which owns WGAB. "We started in 1984 doing adult standard, doing Frank Sinatra, that type of music," Davis says. The station has had various formats through the years. "Adult standards, sports talk, oldies and religion," Davis says. For the past year the station has been all talk all the time. Now another change for the family business. "If someone pays the right price for it, we'll pick up and leave," says Davis. Davis put WGAB up for sell on Ebay, an on line auction. The bidding started at $50 thousand, so far it's up to $100, 800. You can buy it now and end the auction for $2 million. Davis says they aren't selling because of money problems but admits it is hard competing with other stations. "We are doing all right. We'd like to do more with advertising. That can get your payments reduced," Davis says. Davis has five employees at WGAB. From college students to retired school teachers like Joe Winchell. Winchell has worked at WGAB for about a year and a half. "I was hired in and basically knew nothing about it. I enjoy it, it's 20 hours a week of quiet and peace, not like having 20 children," Winchell says. Winchell says he won't lose any sleep over a possible change in his part time job. "It's not like missing a meal or anything. I wonder what I'll do if this doesn't exist," Winchell says. If Davis doesn't get the price he wants for WGAB he says they'll keep on with the big talk. If he does, he has a plan. "Write me a check for $2 million and I'll be in the Caymans," says Davis. The Ebay auction ends February 12th. (Daytimer on 1180. 675 watts non-DA. No PSA, PSSA. via Brock Whaley for DXLD) No one ever gets around to mentioning explicitly *where* WGAB is, a datum that might be of interest to buyers. There must be hundreds of `tri-state areas` in the US. MSD 2000 says this is in Newburgh, IN (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO TOWERS WOULD SPOIL SNOHOMISH RIVER VALLEY David Matthews, Guest Editorial KRKO radio wants to increase its broadcast signal to reach a wider area with more clarity. In order to do so, it proposes erecting four broadcasting towers to increase its power from 5,000 watts to 50,000 watts. We at Citizens to Preserve the Upper Snohomish River Valley (CPUSRV) have no objection to KRKO's desire to expand its coverage. However, we do strongly oppose its plans to construct these antennas in the upper Snohomish River Valley, located next to Deb's U-Cut Trees and across Short School Road from Craven Farm. This valley is rural and unspoiled. In fact, Snohomish County has invested approximately $3 million to create Bob Heirman Wildlife Park here. Many species of wildlife currently occupy the area -- particularly birds including eagles, raptors, herons, migrating passerines, thousands of ducks and hundreds of trumpeter swans. Anticipated impacts as a result of the antennas are a part of the testimony previously offered in the hearing. The loss of these birds, whether due to direct impact or the change in migration patterns that result from their attempts to avoid the tower area, will be greatly detrimental to the quality of life here as well as to Bob Heirman Wildlife Park. Bicycling, skydiving, hot-air ballooning, fishing, boating and hiking are a few examples of the recreational activities visitors can enjoy in the valley. Additionally, each autumn, busloads of school children and carloads of families travel to the valley to find their Halloween pumpkins or to select their annual Christmas tree. These visitors not only enjoy the valley's natural beauty but also help our local economy with the dollars they spend. The current proposal will have a negative impact on all of these interests and activities. Today's farmers have had to change and adapt in order to preserve their way of life. Direct farm markets have sprung up all over the valley, allowing them to sell directly to the public. Tourists visit the farms because they love the open space, the beautiful views and the crops growing in the fields. All of these help market the farms and their produce. The proposed antenna towers will have a negative impact on local agriculture. The scenic view will be gone; further, the radio frequency interference will disrupt the farms' electronic equipment. These proposed towers do not protect agriculture. Instead, they will aid the destruction of what residents in this county love: the unspoiled open spaces and beauty that the farms provide. Contrary to recent claims, the proposed site is not the only feasible site. Formal testimony during the hearing examiner's review included the documentation by CPUSRV's expert witness (who is, incidentally, a former radio engineer for KRKO) of a suitable area located 1,000 feet north of the current 5,000-watt KRKO antennas! This site is in the preferred wet ground area and is already near similar structures, i.e. other antennas and power lines. Additionally, it was stated that broadcast coverage would be equal to or better than the site currently proposed in the upper Snohomish River Valley. The Snohomish County Council has an obligation under county code to protect the environment and quality of life that the citizens of Snohomish County have come to expect. Specific to the antenna site, this includes the open spaces uncluttered by industrial installations, the territorial views of the Cascades, preservation of parks and indigenous wildlife, and opportunities for eco-tourism to thrive. Does anyone really think that this issue is only about the four or eight antennas currently proposed, when the FCC encourages co-location of any future antennas in the area and this precedent could make them a certainty? Does a forest of industrial steel red and white towers with flashing lights seem compatible with the pastoral setting of this area? Of course not! As initially stated, CPUSRV does not object to KRKO's desire to increase its broadcast power. We oppose the proposed towers, not simply because they can be seen, but because of the cumulative impacts on farming, wildlife, the economy, radio frequency pollution, recreation, real estate values, the aesthetic impacts for the entire area and the direct impact on the survival and maintenance of the valley itself. We believe the hearing examiners' decisions should stand with the full support of a council that recognizes its responsibility to preserve the quality of life for us all, now and in the future. David Matthews is secretary of Citizens to Preserve the Upper Snohomish River Valley. (Everett WA Daily Herald via Artie Bigley, DXLD) KRKO TOWERS --- COMMERCIAL NEEDS WOULD RUIN VALLEY We are against radio station KRKO's proposal to erect several towers in the upper Snohomish River Valley for the following reasons: We are concerned that the radio frequency pollution will affect our computer and other electronic equipment and possibly our health. Radio engineer George Frese says the radio pollution will cause such equipment to malfunction, and we use our computer daily for business purposes. We are also concerned about the effects of 50,000 watts of radio- frequency power on the health of our children and grandchildren, who live in our neighborhood. We are concerned that the radio towers with blinking lights will negatively impact birds that use the valley as a migratory path. Such wildlife includes a large number of trumpeter swans, tundra swans, ducks, geese, hawks, and eagles that find refuge in the nearby Bob Heirman Wildlife Park. We are concerned that such towers will violate the current agricultural zoning of the Snohomish Valley. Once an exception is granted, other applications are sure to follow. Let's not allow commercial interests to ruin this beautiful valley (JOHN AND AGNES LAWLESS, Snohomish, letter to the Everett WA Daily Herald via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. Look for ABC legend PAUL HARVEY to visit CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" TONIGHT (1/30) at 9p ET (Brock Whaley, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I have been watching while finishing up this issue. Repeats at 0500 and 0800 UT Friday Jan 31 (gh, DXLD) ** VANUATU. VISIT TO RADIO VANUATU by DSWCI member 0480 George Brown, Scotland At the end of November 2001 I visited the headquarters of Radio Vanuatu while on holiday in Port Vila. Vanuatu is a "Y" shaped chain of 83 islands running north and south in the Coral Sea 2,500 kilometres north-east of Sydney (Australia), 2,000 kilometres north of Auckland (New Zealand) and 800 kilometres west of Nadi (Fiji). Port Vila is located on the south-west corner of the island of Efate which is roughly at the join of the legs of the "Y". Entrance to broadcasting HQ. [caption] The headquarters on the west side of Port Vila contained administration offices, radio and television studios and facilities tor producing programmes. The station is on the air from 1900 hours until 1115 hours UT Monday to Saturday and from 1900 until 1000 on Sunday. Vanuatu is 11 hours ahead of UT. Most of the programmes are in the national language of Bislama, which sounds like English since 85% of the vocabulary is English based. There is a daily relay of Radio Australia News and Pacific Beat at 2000 and BBC World Service news at 2200 except Sunday. A daily relay of news in French from RFI is broadcast at 2100. In addition, there are broadcasts of programmes produced by Radio Australia, the BBC and VOA in English and RFI in French at various times. Willie at the studio contra! Desk [caption] The transmitter site is on Emten Lagoon about 5 kilometres south east of Port Vila. The site houses a transmitter building containing two short wave and one medium wave transmitter and their associated antennas. The programmes are broadcast on shortwave from a 10 kW two channel Energy Onix Broadcast Transmitter Model HF-10K-2 tuned to 4960 and 7260 kilohertz. The signal is fed via coaxial cable to dipole antennas directed north and south to the islands in the group. 7260 kilohertz is used from 1900 until 0600 hours UT, switching to 4960 at 0600 hours until the end of the transmission. If one of the channels develops a fault, as happened on 7260 kilohertz while I was there, the other frequency acts as the standby. There is a standby transmitter tuned to 3945 kilohertz, but this is currently out of service because of shortage of spare parts to make it operational, and the date for its return to service is unknown. Willie repairing SW transmitter at Ernten lagoon site [caption] The station will answer correct reception reports with their QSL Card. The organisation had not returned to normal operation last November after the journalists strike in the earlier part of 2001 and some of the locally produced scheduled programmes were not on the air. Consequently, I recommend that you address your reception report to the Radio Technician, Willie Daniel. Willie is familiar with the verification of reports, although he was unable to locate the stock of cards while I was there. However, he is fully occupied keeping the studio and transmitting equipment operational as well as presenting the occasional programme, so don't expect a prompt reply. The station appreciates the inclusion of a self-addressed envelope and return postage costs. If you can obtain postage stamps, the cost of a 20 gram letter by air to Europe is 135 Vatus; the current exchange rate is approximately 200 Vatus to One Pound Sterling (Dec DSWCI SW News via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Ya que las direcciones electrónicas de Radio Nacional de Venezuela no responden, nunca es tarde recordar su dirección postal: Apartado 3979, Caracas 1010, VENEZUELA. Saludos, (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** WALES. MP PLANS TALKS OVER RE-OPENING RADIO STATION WREXHAM MP Ian Lucas is to meet BBC bosses next week to press them about re-opening a local radio station in North East Wales. He will raise his concerns with Mannon Williams, BBC Wales director of public affairs, in Cardiff on February 4. The MP told a House of Commons debate last week he has received more letters about the issue than the possibility of war in Iraq. Culture Minister Kim Howells, responding for the Government, said he would do everything he could to persuade the BBC to start broadcasting in the region. Radio Clwyd was taken off the airwaves in the mid-90s, but Labour MP Mr Lucas argues there is demand from listeners wanting to keep abreast of news in North East Wales. "I had a very strong response when I first raised the matter and a large number of people signed a petition that was sent to the BBC. The feeling among a lot of people is that Radio Wales is not relevant to the North East." Thanks to Mike Terry for the above from Jan 28 2003 Daily Post via uk- radio-listeners@yahoogroups.com (PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. ZBC WORKERS DOWN TOOLS Last Updated: Wednesday, 29 January 2003 Herald Reporter ZIMBABWE Broadcasting Corporation workers downed their tools yesterday demanding a 150 percent salary increment. However, the strike did not affect broadcasting at the stations as all radio channels --- 3FM, Radio Zimbabwe, FM Zimbabwe and Spot FM and the television channel were working normally. ZBC chief executive Mr Munyaradzi Hwengwere said the workers took management by surprise since they had not communicated their decision to strike. "This strike is unfortunate and surprising," said Mr Hwengwere. "As I speak, we have not received any communication from the workers and we do not know who is in charge. "As far as we know, the workers just came in the morning, disembarked from the company buses at the gate and decided to sit there." Workers at the broadcasting station`s studios in Bulawayo and Gweru did not join the strike. The strike came just as the corporation was planning to go on the market next week to raise about $1.7 billion for recapitalisation purposes and other financial obligations. It was expected that part of the money would be used to buy equipment and meet other operational needs. The corporation`s restructuring, which saw it scaling down its workforce by almost 50 percent to 400 employees last year, enabled the public broadcaster to streamline and maintain thresholds between revenue generation and expenditure. "We know that after the retrenchment, workers thought salaries were going to be reviewed," said Mr Hwengwere. But you retrench because you cannot pay." He said the corporation was functioning with a few workers who did not heed the call to strike and personnel from management. "ZBC has resolved to declare this strike illegal," said Mr Hwengwere. "We have no notice from the workers and even if you want to strike, you have to first reach a deadlock, but there was no deadlock reached." He said the strike was surprising because the workers were awarded a 20 percent salary increment in December 2002 which was back dated to July that year and a further 10 percent this month. Negotiations for increments for this year were expected to start at a date that was to be agreed upon between management and the workers. Some workers at ZBC, Mr Hwengwere said, were still living with the mistaken belief that ZBC was receiving grants from the Government. ZBC corporate secretary Ms Jennifer Tanyanyiwa said management remained committed to dialogue with the workers. "We would like to ensure our valued listeners, viewers and customers that the strike will not affect our programming," she said in a statement. "We will continue to flight programmes as scheduled." (via Ulis Fleming and http://allafrica.com/stories/200301290380.html via Scott Morgan, DXLD) What tools? Microphones? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COMMENTARY ++++++++++ THIS SIDE OF THE DIAL WHY ARE THERE NO SHORTWAVE LISTENING COLUMNS IN HAM RADIO MAGAZINES? I have a beef with the amateur radio leadership. Before I begin, let me point out that I know very well there is a difference between shortwave listening and amateur radio. I guess I am lucky, or crazy, but I enjoy both very much. I know there are many very serious SWL DXers that have zero interest in ever becoming a radio amateur as much as their counterparts in the ham radio world do with SWLing. There is nothing wrong with this. Both sharing the HF radio spectrum, buying radios in many cases made by the same manufacturers, studying propagation, international goodwill and the plain wholesome love of radio. Two similar hobbies but completely different. What really bugs me is how the amateur radio leadership and publications seem to be totally ignorant of the fact that there exist shortwave listeners or for that matter a shortwave listening hobby. Perhaps they are just plain ignoring the shortwave hobby? Who knows? Pick up most any amateur radio magazine and there is zero coverage about shortwave or MW listening or DXing. Why is this? It's a shame because unlike 20 years ago, just about all transceivers made these days have a good general coverage receiver incorporated in the radio. I know the focus of these magazines is amateur radio but certainly out of all those fabulous glossy pages they could dedicate a page to shortwave listening. If the object is to keep radio amateurs interested in radio and selling subscriptions, wouldn't having a page dedicated to SWLing, say in QST, make sense? SWLing would offer another alternative when the amateur radio bands are not propagating well. Heaven forbid if they should enjoy shortwave listening and become informed about global events. And maybe, just maybe sell a few more magazines? Let's turn this around. Pick up just about any of the large SWL/Monitoring magazines and you will find a column dedicated to amateur radio each and every month. Maybe they have figured out that SWLs are pretty well rounded folks and not afraid of learning about amateur radio. Up until the mid-70s, many radio amateurs started their radio experience as a shortwave listener. There are a thousand and one stories how the SWL back then made the next step to amateur radio. Maybe it was stumbling across a radio amateur's QSO, or reading about amateur radio in a shortwave newsletter or perhaps meeting the ham neighbor down the street? SWLs were considered good amateur radio prospects. Then something changed. The CB craze hit sometime in the mid-70s. Many of these CBers, the ones who could read and write, became radio amateurs. Somewhere in this mess in the last 25 years, the SWL was downgraded to a "ham wannabe" or just forgotten altogether. Too bad the amateur radio leadership has forgotten their roots. Shortwave listening can be a lot of fun and informative; but most of all, keep you "radio active". In a few months I will celebrate 25 years of being a ham. In those 25 years I have "shifted gears" more than a few times and pursued different interests in the radio hobby in both shortwave listening and amateur radio. When I was a kid I was just plain DX and QSL happy. The more wallpaper I could collect and the hardest to hear then the better. I couldn't get enough of it. Later on while away at college, since I could not get on the air very often, I always had on my desk in my dorm room a shortwave radio (Uniden CR-2021). College girls aren't too impressed with a shortwave radio in a dorm but it did help me to stay informed on what was going on in amateur radio and the world around me. I read faithfully each month all the radio magazines I could get my hands on. I wasn't very radio active "on the air" but I knew what was going on. After graduation until the present moment, I have "shifted gears" more than ever and explored different aspects of amateur radio. Life's priorities change, marriage, income, location, etc but in the past 25 years I think I can thank SWLing for keeping my radio love affair going (Ulis Fleming, http://www.radiointel.com December 11, 2002 via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATION +++++++++++++++++++++++ POWERLINE -- : SWISS FIRM ASCOM: RETREAT FROM POWERLINE COMMUNICATION (PLC) ASCOM put out of work 500 people, half of them in Switzerland. Mostly afflicted are 50 people in the PLC department, only 10 will remain their. This means more or less a RETREAT from this technique (Neuen Zuercher Zeitung newspaper, 29.01.03; via Anders Brandborg-SUI, A-DX Jan 29 via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) [A-DX] Ascom: Rückzug aus Powerline Communication (PLC) Ascom in der Schweiz baut 500 Stellen ab, die Hälfte in der Schweiz, wo z.Z. 2500 beschäftigt sind. Besonders betroffen ist PLC, wo 50 Stellen gestrichen werden und weniger als 10 Mitarbeiter bleiben, die mehr oder weniger einen Rückzug aus dieser Technik begleiten sollen. Die Technik wird nicht weiterentwickelt, und für Vertrieb, Industrialisierung und Produktion sucht man einen Lizenznehmer. (Auszug aus der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung 29.01.03) (via Anders Brandborg- SUI, A-DX Jan 29 via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) Strange how PLC`s fortunes in Europe and North America seem to be running 180 degrees out of phase, if you will pardon the expression (gh, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 29 JANUARY - 24 FEBRUARY Solar activity is expected to be mostly low with occasional moderate levels during the period. The active regions that produced the M-class flares during this past week are all in decay. Further M-class activity from these regions is unlikely. No greater than 10 MeV proton events are expected during the forecast period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux is expected to reach high levels on 01 - 02 February and again on 16 - 22 February due to recurring coronal holes. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet to isolated major storm levels during the period. Isolated active conditions are possible on 30 - 31 January due to a small recurring coronal hole. Minor storming with isolated major storm conditions are possible on 15 -22 February due to a returning equatorial coronal hole. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2003 Jan 28 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2003 Jan 28 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2003 Jan 29 130 8 3 2003 Jan 30 135 12 3 2003 Jan 31 140 12 3 2003 Feb 01 145 8 3 2003 Feb 02 150 8 3 2003 Feb 03 155 8 3 2003 Feb 04 160 10 3 2003 Feb 05 165 10 3 2003 Feb 06 170 10 3 2003 Feb 07 170 12 3 2003 Feb 08 165 10 3 2003 Feb 09 160 8 3 2003 Feb 10 155 8 3 2003 Feb 11 145 10 3 2003 Feb 12 135 10 3 2003 Feb 13 130 10 3 2003 Feb 14 125 10 3 2003 Feb 15 120 12 3 2003 Feb 16 125 15 3 2003 Feb 17 125 15 3 2003 Feb 18 120 15 3 2003 Feb 19 125 20 4 2003 Feb 20 120 20 4 2003 Feb 21 120 15 3 2003 Feb 22 115 15 3 2003 Feb 23 120 12 3 2003 Feb 24 120 10 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio Jan 28, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) And now amigos as always at the end of the show, here is DXers Unlimited's Propagation Update and Forecast... Expect solar activity to start moving up again soon, with the next peak to happen between February 6 and 8, winter conditions continue to provide nice propagation on the AM broadcast band, and the 160 and 80 meters amateur bands, only affected by slight geomagnetic disturbances, solar flux should be in the region around 130 units, still nice enough for those 10 meter band openings to happen... (Arnie Coro, CO2KK, RHC DXers Unlimited Jan 28 via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-016, January 28, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3a.html [note change] For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1166: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html FIRST AIRINGS OF WOR 1167: Wed 2300 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2130 on WWCR 9475 Fri 1930 on RFPI 15038.6 ** AFRICA. Several pages have just been updated on the British DX Club club web site at http://www.bdxc.org.uk Africa on Shortwave - by country Africa on Shortwave - by frequency These lists, which give times and frequencies for all known African domestic and opposition broadcasters on shortwave, have been fully updated by Tony Rogers. They can be found on the Articles Index Page (Dave Kenny, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ALGERIA. For those, like me who do not miss the 252 Team Talk try the QRG and have superb daytime reception of Algiers Chaîne 3, French with loads of US rap music at 1330, news at 1400, followed by more music. It was interesting to notice that the severe ME situation was not the top story in the news , but an Italo-Algerian trade and culture treaty, then an item concerning the Sarahoui question. So priorities are of course different in let`s say Kuwait and in Algiers. Although my French is rusty a spot just before the news seemed to be a very commercial one. 73 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, Jan 28, AOR AR7030, K9AY, longwire, EDXP via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. Hi Glenn, 28 January, 2106, LRA36 R. Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel reactivated; just heard signing off at 2106 on 15476.1 kHz. Audio is very distorted, worse than normal, weak signal with noisy band conditions (Stuart Austin, Blackpool, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. The US base at McMurdo has been heard using 7995 and 9032 kHz USB to work aircraft and remote ground operations in various parts of the continent. Callsigns continue to be associated with ice and snow, such as SKIER and SKATER. South polar summer brings the iceberg season, when the bergs drift free of melting sea ice. The Argentine Navy has South Atlantic ice reports on 4305 and 8448 kHz CW. Argentina and Chile, both of which reach to South America`s extreme southern tip, conduct an international ice patrol, similar to the more familiar operation by the US and Canada in the North Atlantic ice season... (Hugh Stegman, HF Communications, Feb MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. With RHC off 11705-USB past several months, it`s nice to hear RAE, English hour to NAm at 0200 on 11710, weekdays, not UT Sun and Mon (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA [and non]. Dear friends, It is a pleasure to contact you. As a manager of http://www.deradios.com a place exclusively dedicated to growing Radios in Argentina and Latinoamerica, I would like to propose you to visit the web site and publish an banner on it. If you are interested in the strong diffusion of your event we could make the arrangements for it. I hope to hear from you. Best regards Queridos amigos, Es un placer contactarme con Uds. Como Director General de http://www.deradios.com, un lugar dedicado exclusivamente a las crecientes Radios en Argentina y Latinoamérica, me gustaría proponerles que visiten el sitio en la Web y publiquen un banner en él. Si están interesados en su fuerte difusión podríamos coordinar algo para ello. A la espera de vuestras noticias. Los saluda cordialmente (Darío Durán, Director GeneraL, http://www.deradios.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 1701 kHz, Radio Brisbani (probably) 0940, 25th Jan, Australian Indian station, big, big signal DXing at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, AOR 7030, 300m long wire (until stolen) then 50m on ground through balun (David Norrie, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Here's a message from Anker Peterson regarding HCJB- Australia tests on 15480. I also heard the tests at 1305 playing some music with SINPO of all 4 although I missed the first half hour of the test as I was at office. Went off the air at around 1326 (do no remember the time exactly). Regards (Alokesh Gupta, Jan 28, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Thanks to Alokesh, I have since *1230 today (Jan 27) been listening to the first test from HCJB Kununurra on 15480. It is a test program in English with announcements requesting reception reports to a phone number or an e-mail address, and playing hymns and music. Reception here in Denmark on 15480 which is clear itself, is much disturbed by BBC Skelton on 15485 (QSA 3) carrying its World Service in English towards Europe. SINPO of HCJB is: 23343. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, via Alokesh Gupta, ibid.) HCJB Asia was heard here too, from 1220 to 1320 rather more or less with the same reception quality as Anker Pedersen reports. BBC WS 15485 QSA 4 could be avoided thanks to LSB mode. Mostly Christian songs and music, but also a good old cha-cha-cha. Repeated announcements giving mail address english@hcjb.org.au and phone numbers. A couple of short religious messages also heard. My mail to them has so far not bounced. 73 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, Jan 28, AOR AR7030, K9AY, longwire, EDXP via DXLD) I listen with SINPO 25322 in the 15480 in Santiago, Chile, South América, 1235 UT Music and ID English. R-5000, dipolos "V" (Hugo López C. SWL - CE3 TIB, Jan 27, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Currently testing on 15480 1230 27 Jan. Very nice signal here in "DXers Paradise". SINPO 55544 or better. Lots religious music and IDs as "HCJB Australia testing on 15480..." giving a phone number and english-@hcjb.org.au email addy. Featuring none other then our own famous newsreader, Roger Climpson with a religious pre-recorded message. "In Touch with Roger Climpson". They seem to be tweaking their equipment as there are occasional sudden changes in the signal or audio quality. All good fun. 73 de jem Cullen, Australia, ARDXC via DXLD) Sounds like this Asian service does better within Australia than the Pacific service! (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. MEDIUMWAVE NEWS --- I'm not sure if this is common knowledge, but I'm informed that 4KZ is now on air from Ingham [Queensland] on 1620 kHz (Ian Baxter, Jan 28, [Pacific FM Megabase - Research] http://www.fmmegabase.cjb.net ARDXC via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Here in Melbourne, the fall-out from the Alpine fires has resulted in smoke, haze, and ash over the city (and most of the State as well). On two mornings, visibility was down to less than 1 km across the city - normally 50 km. Our members outside of Australia may not be aware of the terrible damage caused by the fires, which continue to burn in several States and territories. In the Australian Capital Territory alone, over 500 homes were destroyed in one day and the world famous Mt. Stromlo Observatory has been almost totally lost. Here in Victoria, over 20 houses in rural regions have been burnt out, and more than 383,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed. The toll of the native animal population is incalculable. There has been an incredible level of deployment of volunteers and equipment for fire control and containment; here in Victoria, the efforts of the Country Fire Authority have been untiring, in relentless heat, often topping 40 degrees, day after day. Last Saturday, the shade temperature reached over 44 degrees (about 112 F.) here in Melbourne, the second highest on record. The temperature in the open in my back garden was OVER 60 degrees C! I had to spray the budgerigars to keep them from melting - the cold-water goldfish in their aquarium were given iceblocks throughout the day and night as their tank water temperature went up to over 30 C. At one point I thought that I had lost the two cats, but they survived by hiding under the zucchini plants and ferns. The temperature has dropped to the mid-20's, but is expected to rise to 40C tomorrow. Yesterday was a Public Holiday, to commemorate Australia Day, but many activities and festivals were cancelled, and the usual holiday atmosphere was very much subdued, out of respect for the thousands of people involved in fire control, and who had lost their homes and property. During this protracted period of very hot and extremely dry weather, with dense bands of swirling smoke, ash, and haze across Melbourne, low-angle HF daytime propagation has not been affected. Daytime HF conditions on the bands below 12MHz have resulted in no DX signals at all on 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 MHz between 0000-0400 UTC, which is a pattern similar to the previous summer. There have been some interesting DX openings on 9 and 12 MHz during the day, but not enduring. The bands can be very active at one moment, but a few minutes later, nothing!!! The continuing and increasingly high level of power-line noise around Melbourne is appalling. Regards! (Bob Padula, Mont Albert, Vic, Australia, Jan 27, EDXP via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4930, Radio San Miguel, 0931, big, clear ID on two evenings (21st and 25th Jan) at sign on and huge signal here, no mention of Bolivia, nothing on 4926. Move up from 4926? DXing at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, AOR 7030, 300m long wire (until stolen) then 50m on ground through balun (David Norrie, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. PNG, 3850, R. Independente, Bougainville (presumed), 0951 25th Jan, weak even here, South Sea island music, AM signal. DXing at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, AOR 7030, 300m long wire (until stolen) then 50m on ground through balun (David Norrie, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** CANADA. CFAN closure I was sorry to read in Glenn Hauser's DX Listening Digest 3-015, January 26, 2003, of the impending closure of CFAN AM 790 kHz. For 9 months after the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960's I was working at RCAF Station Chatham as a field engineer for Hughes Aircraft Company. Hughes built the RADAR fire control system and air-to-air missiles used on the CF-101B interceptor aircraft based at RCAF Chatham. In those days I lived in a farm house on the only highway between Newcastle and Chatham. Miramichi was not yet a town, just a beautiful river I could see out the front window where the annual breakup of the ice was a welcome harbinger of spring. In those days this station was the only one I could hear reliably during the daytime. There was no FM in that region at the time. I remember an interesting program they used to run on Sunday afternoons. Somebody from the station would visit the homes of old timers in the region to record songs from the late 1800's and early 1900's when the region was a big coal mining empire. The songs were usually sung without benefit of instrumental accompaniment. The recording were assembled into 15 minute programs presented on Sunday afternoons. The project reminded me of the recordings John Lomax and his family made for the Library of Congress in Washington DC back in the 1930's. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lohtml/lojohnbio.html He traveled all over the South and the Appalachian Mountain regions of the eastern USA capturing music that would otherwise have died with the old timers who remembered those songs. I wonder if the tapes of those shows from the early 1960's have survived the years. I hope they have survived as they would be a treasure of Canada's heritage. Thanks for organizing the DX test. Here in southern Delaware WNIS in Norfolk Virginia dominates the 790 kHz frequency but maybe I will luck out and get a geomagnetic storm this week. They often enhance the level of Canadian MW stations down here. As I was typing this, a country music station faded in with a weather report saying the high temperature tomorrow would be minus 16 degrees. That is more like it. They just ID'ed; it is CIGM in Sudbury, Ontario which is listed at 50 kW. 73, N2JB [to Brent Taylor] ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ ** CANADA. Re NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR, 3-015: Anyone who routinely mails parcels to Canada knows all too well that Sue Hickey's experience is hardly the exception -- indeed, she got off easy. Not only are exhorbitant customs fees the rule, but major delivery delays, damage, and even outright thievery abound. A set of 5 books I shipped well-packaged and protected arrived with the box opened haphazardly and barely re-sealed, a third of the styrofoam peanuts missing, and the books strewn about with pages creased and dust jackets ripped. I am currently on my 3rd attempt to ship some videotapes (fortunately dubs, not masters) to a gentleman who lives TWO BLOCKS from the International Bridge in Windsor -- the first two shipments simply vanished. The 3rd attempt was made 15 days ago via Registered Air Mail, and they have still not arrived. If you have to send something of value to Canada, and the recipient is within 50 miles of the border, consider shipping it to a U.S. facility and having it hand-carried across the border (Stan Jones, Orlando FL, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. PAK-CHINA AGREE TO ENHANCE MEDIA COOPERATION Updated on 2003-01-16 11:07:58 BEIJING, China: Jan 16 (PNS) - China and Pakistan on Wednesday agreed to enhance media cooperation to further strengthen the existing bonds of friendship... ...During the meeting with Chen Min Yi, Vice President of CRI, it was decided to take steps for improving the voice quality and reception of their radio programmes. They will consider setting up strong news boosters at appropriate places for improving signal receiving system. Chen said that CRI is also considering increasing its Urdu service from 30 to 60 minutes daily keeping in view its growing popularity in Pakistan... http://www.paknews.com/main.php?id=4&date1=2003-01-16 (via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** CONGO DR. 9550, 11.1 2015, Radio Okapi, also here with one or another western pop tune among the hot African rhythms. Fantastic how this station now can be heard once in a while after trying so hard to finally get a report. But you have to use antenna pointing towards Africa. QSA 4. Unreadable on the other antennas. JE/RFK (=Jan Edh + Ronny Forslund, SW Bulletin Jan 26, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** CUBA [and non!]. CUBANS TO REMEMBER HERO JOSE MARTÍ By ANITA SNOW Associated Press Writer HAVANA (AP) -- The little yellow house with blue trim where Cuban independence hero and poet Jose Marti was born 150 years ago is a shrine visited by hundreds of people every day... http://www.austin360.com/aas/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V1770.AP-Cuba-Jose-Marti.html (via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** ERITREA. VOBME sure used to be a lot easier to hear. Best I could do tonight was to catch their IS at 0326 on 7175 underneath presumed Radio Free Iraq. 7100 much weaker but clear as co-channel presumed Voice of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq didn't come on till 0330 Jan 27 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Stations heard regularly with programming: Laser Hot Hits currently 24/ 7 (24 hours a day) on 3970, 6219, 7465, and 9385 from unknown location, reputed to be Eire. There are certain times of the day even the long established 6220 is susceptible to Middle Eastern QRM, as is 9385. Weekend Music Radio still active every few weeks on 7525.7 wmrsw@37.com Wrekin Radio still logged 12256.5 Sensation AM noted recently on 15725/ 30 area. Radio Black Arrow and friends also noted in this part of the band, around 15810. Radio Brigitte still continues sometimes, with signals noted Dec 1st on 6373.5, 8th on 7540.3. Assume station uses the old PO Box 12, Rouveen, NL address?? Ozone Radio can turn up almost anywhere on 48 or 41m, from Dublin, Eire (Ken Baird, Unofficial Radio, Dec DSWCI SW News via DXLD) ** FIJI. HALF COUNTRY STILL WITHOUT RADIO FIJI AFTER CYCLONE | Excerpt from report by Radio New Zealand International audio web site on 27 January Efforts continue to restore services in northern and eastern Fiji, which was hit by Cyclone Ami nearly two weeks ago. Most of the town of Labasa is still without a clean and safe supply of water. Savusavu town [also on the main northern island, Vanua Levu] is also without water because of damaged equipment... Meanwhile, efforts also continue to re-establish radio services in the cyclone-hit areas. Radio Fiji's chief executive officer, Francis Herman, says about half the country has been left without the services of the country's public broadcaster as masts were blown down and transmitters damaged. Mr Herman says this has affected the easternmost islands in the Lau group [in the southeast], Rotuma in the very north and much of Vanua Levu. He says he hopes that despite the poor weather the service for Vanua Levu can be restored. [Herman] Our engineers, as we speak, are trying to get the only [presumably heavy-lift] helicopter that's operating in Fiji right now to ferry the mast and the transmitters up to the mountain. The roads leading up to the mountain have been washed away. Source: Radio New Zealand International audio web site, Wellington, in English 0431 gmt 27 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) To state the obvious(?), all of Fiji could be covered with *one* tropical band SW transmitter --- but SW was deemed obsolete there sesquidecades ago (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Hello Mr. Hauser, Received an e-mail response from Margot Forbes of DW in response to my letter and e-mail to them lamenting their decision to end SW to N America/Australia. Here's an excerpt: "DW plans to introduce digital shortwave transmissions to East Asia and Europe with analogue shortwave transmissions to Asia and Africa continuing for the foreseeable future. However, shortwave broadcasts to the highly developed media markets of North America and Australia and New Zealand will be terminated. Instead, DW will focus on expanding the number of radio stations, like Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC News Radio, who rebroadcast DW-Radio's programmes successfully. Listeners in those regions will of course still be able to hear us via satellite or by means of our Internet page at http://www.dw-world.de/English." I AM listening to them via satellite, but it's a Grundig! Regards, (Ben Loveless, WB9FJO, Michigan, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE US ACTUALLY LISTEN TO SATELLITE RADIO? I am still confounded by DW's belief that satellite radio (combined with far too few rebroadcasters) can pick up the slack from dropping their SW broadcasts. I think I know a fair amount of people through community organizations, local government, and friends, and I have yet to meet one person who has a satellite dish with an MPEG decoder and listens to international broadcasting. On the other hand, several people within that group do listen to shortwave radio. Am I just mixing with the wrong people? If anyone out there has some sense of how many people here in the US are listening to these types of broadcasts via satellite please respond... Or, are there any stats on the sales of MPEG decoders versus shortwave radios over the last few years? I have heard that the sale of shortwave radios has increased since September 11, 2001, but haven't seen any stats for that or the sales of MPEG decoders for satellites. Please post your thoughts and comments! (Matt L., Jan 27, swprograms via DXLD) I just don't get it either. I have introduced many people over the last few months to shortwave radio here just in my area. I have also told the same people they can hear these broadcasts over their computer but they don't seem interested in that concept at all. I can safely say listenership of international broadcasting with RADIOS has grown exponentially as of late here in the West Kentucky-Tennessee area. To think that I have to explain to these new listeners and friends that stations I have been listening to since I was 10 years old (I am now 26) have decided that these new listeners are not worth broadcasting to just makes me sick. I can not carry my satellite receiver or computer around to different rooms of the house, out in the yard, or out to my shop for that matter. People can say whatever they want to about internet, satellite, and other forms of broadcasting but there is not and will not be anything with the convenience of a RADIO. OK, enough rambling, time to go bed and fall asleep listening to yes, a RADIO (Ryan Ellegood, Northwest Tennessee, USA, ibid.) ** GRENADA. GRENADIAN MEDIA FIRM RESOLVES LABOUR DISPUTE | Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) news agency on 25 January St George's, Grenada: An agreement has been reached ending two weeks of protest action at the Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN), led by workers aligned to the militant Technical and Allied Workers' Union (TAWU). Under the agreement announced late [on] Friday [24 January], as the dispute headed to the Office of the Prime Minister, the company has agreed to withdraw all letters of termination issued to the protesting workers, to make way for a full resumption of duties on Monday 27 January. However, ten workers, whose planned retrenchment by the media company triggered a work stoppage at GBN on 7 January that later escalated in a full blown strike, will not be required to show up for work until 31 March 2003. They will be paid their full monthly salaries from January 2003 and for the period they are off-duty they are entitled to travel overseas or to engage in any form of employment up to that period. "Within a period of fourteen (14) days from the execution hereof, the parties shall recommence discussions about the proposed retrenchment by the company, which said discussions began on Thursday 7 January 2003," the agreement further states. It said discussions shall be terminated at the end of March, unless otherwise mutually agreed between the parties for termination at an earlier date. However, it was made clear that the final decision on retrenchment rests with the company. At the end of the discussions with the union, GBN may therefore decide to issue three months' notice of retrenchment to workers or make payment of three months' salaries in lieu of notice, together with any other benefits to which workers are entitled under the Collective Agreement. "All workers, other than the ten who are being proposed for retrenchment, shall be paid salaries for the month of January 2003, less payment for the period during which they were engaged in work stoppage at the company, [that] being 8 January to 24 January 2003," the agreement adds. GBN is 60-per-cent owned by the Trinidad based Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) and 40-per-cent owned by the Grenada government. Source: Caribbean Media Corporation news agency, Bridgetown, in English 2004 gmt 25 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Saturday's massive outage shows the folly of international broadcasters' reliance on the Internet (and faulty Microsoft product). Internet traffic was brought to a near standstill in the U.S. for a 15-hour period. Problems persisted days later in some parts of the world. And broadcasters think this method of delivery adequately replaces shortwave radio?!? Thanks to the Internet disruption, I was unable to access content from major Internet sources and service providers for many hours. Every page at Radiofrance.fr was completely 404. Forget listening to a Webcast! And of course, if you can't get on the Internet, you learn that the Internet has been rendered useless and you're wasting your time going there. The international broadcasters apparently think that what they have to offer is so trivially insignificant that we can do without it for, er, 15 hours. Observers describe the Internet attack as the "most damaging ... in 18 months" and warn it could have been a lot worse. Compare this transmission method (business model?) to shortwave radio! The Internet is clearly clumsy, imperfect and unreliable -- using a bucket-brigade chain instead of efficient electromagnetic transmission through thin air. What are the international broadcasters thinking? Are we supposed to move to Africa to listen to them? (Mike Cooper, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Radio Caroline back on the airwaves Jason Deans, Monday January 27, 2003, Guardian Radio Caroline, the original pirate radio station that launched the careers of DJs including Tony Blackburn, Tommy Vance and Kenny Everett [wrong!! - Mike], is back on air - and this time permanently. The station, which broke the BBC's monopoly on UK radio broadcasting when it launched in 1964, based on a ship moored outside British territorial waters, is broadcasting on Sky Digital's network. It has not yet been awarded a slot on Sky's electronic programme guide, but can be tuned manually. Radio Caroline purists may quibble with the fact that the station is now broadcasting from a studio in Maidstone, Kent, rather than a ship. But securing carriage on Sky Digital gives Radio Caroline its first regular transmission slot after a decade in which the service has been only been on air intermittently via analogue satellite and a series of 28 day restricted service licence broadcasts. Radio Caroline, a non profit-making organisation, is branding itself as "Europe's first and only album station" and has a 24-hour daily schedule that majors on easy rock. The service is also available via satellite to dedicated Worldspace radio sets in the UK and Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. Radio Caroline has always had a precarious existence since launching at Easter 1964, with Simon Dee presenting the station's first show. The first Radio Caroline ship, Mi Amigo, sank in a storm in 1980. Radio Caroline was back on the air three years later, broadcasting from a new vessel, Ross Revenge. But that ship ran aground on the Goodwin Sands in 1990, effectively ceasing regular Radio Caroline broadcasts. Ross Revenge was towed to Dover harbour and has now become something of a Radio Caroline museum, maintained by enthusiasts. The ship is currently moored on the Isle of Sheppey (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Radio Caroline are planning a second specialist service which will be broadcast via satellite. This will be in addition to the main Caroline service currently available via the Eutelsat and Hot Bird satellites, as well as on the Worldspace platform. Peter Moore, Radio Caroline's station manager, revealed the plans while speaking on The Media Show on Laser Radio. He said that the new service would also use the Eutelsat bird at 28.5 East. "If you look at the comments about Caroline there's always a lively debate about whether we're playing the right kind of music," Moore continued. "It's long been our ambition to have a Radio Caroline 2 or a specialist Caroline that concentrates on a focused kind of music." (From Radiowaves via Mike Terry, Jan 26, DXLD) ** IRAN. MPS TO PROBE INTO THE JAMMING OF SATELLITE TV SIGNALS | Text of report, entitled: "MPs will follow up the issue of the centres that jam satellite TV signals in Tehran"; published by Iranian newspaper Iran web site on 28 January We found out yesterday that a number of MPs are planning to hold talks with the president and other high ranking officials about the jamming of some satellite TV channels. A parliamentary source said yesterday: After some satellite TV channels were jammed, investigations were made about the sources of jamming. It was made clear that an organization is producing the jamming signals in seven areas in Tehran. He said that the stationing of jamming centres could create very serious and dangerous physical [health] problems for the citizens. He added: What is important is that mainly the satellite TV channels with political content are being jammed and the networks known for their unethical content are not affected by jamming. Source: Iran web site, Tehran, in Persian 28 Jan 03 p2 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. ANTI-SADDAM OUTPUT ON ARABIAN STAR BROADCASTING SATELLITE TV The satellite TV channel Arabian Star Broadcasting (ASB), in Arabic, was viewed by BBC Monitoring between 1830 and 2035 gmt on 23 January. The output appears to be intended to oppose Saddam Husayn and the Iraqi government. One of the satellites on which ASB can be viewed is a Hot Bird satellite, at 13 degrees east. It can be received in Iraq, but at lower signal levels than those available in Europe. Satellite receivers are not normally available for sale in Iraq and the public is not permitted to receive satellite TV channels directly. According to the Lyngsat satellite information web site, the ASB digital signal on the Hot Bird satellite is uplinked from Spain and is part of a multiplex, a bundle of TV channels which is digitally combined, operated by Telefonica Servicios Audiovisuales of Madrid. Information on the Lyngsat web site also lists ASB TV on the NSS 806 satellite at 40.5 degrees west. That satellite normally carries communications and TV across the Atlantic Ocean, and the ASB signal could be received in Iraq on a dish several metres across. The Lyngsat web site indicates that the ASB signal on the NSS 806 satellite is part of a multiplex of signals uplinked by Globecast America from the Hero Teleport uplink station in Miami, Florida. When compared side-by-side, the ASB signal uplinked from the USA is observed to be broadcast a few moments ahead of the Spanish uplinked version, which could indicate that the signal from Spain is sourced from the USA signal. However, it is not yet clear which country the station operates from. An article in the London-based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat web site on 22 January said that ASB was London-based and originated from offices in London. It said the station was run by a group of British journalists led by a British politician known for his opposition to the war on Iraq. BBC Monitoring has learnt that the station is not been licensed to operate from the UK by the British TV regulator, the Independent Television Commission. Programme output The first monitored item on 23 January, which was already in progress when monitoring commenced at 1830 gmt, was a report over video footage condemning "barbaric" human rights violations by Saddam Husayn and his regime against those who oppose the regime. The item recalled the elimination of opponents and the use of chemical warfare against Iraqi Kurds. The item reported oppression of Iraqis by Saddam and his regime, and showed pictures of people executed by hanging. The next item ridiculed Saddam Husayn. It showed a picture of Saddam on a palace wall, with his lips apparently moving (through TV special effects) as he addressed the Iraqi people, denying all reports of his health being poor. The character representing Husayn said that his health is very good and the proof of this is that he swims 50 metres every day and he moves huge sums of money by transferring billions abroad, saying that this miracle has led people to worship him. It also said that he does not use his heart, to let it rest, and that is why it is strong, by not showing mercy to the people. He also says that he moves daily from one palace to another, not out of fear, but to give jobs to people as he has 50 palaces. He also says to his people: "You need me to show you what is right and what is wrong." There followed miscellaneous items of minor international news and then an item in which Saddam Husayn blamed UN sanctions for the lack of food and medicines in Iraq; however, the report said that all Arab countries have no doubt that Saddam has spent huge sums of money on chemical and other mass destruction weapons and has built large and very expensive palaces. There followed an interlude and "Information Circus" - a programme about painters and paintings. Next, there was a report over video saying that Iraq had agreed to buy food and medicines as part of the oil for food programme, but the report said that Saddam and his aides even steal children's food, by misusing huge sums of money, as these have been used for acquiring weapons and building palaces; Saddam and his regime are responsible for the paralysis of the Iraqi economy and starving the Iraqi people, the report said. There then followed an Arabic language teaching programme, a report over video on the Philippines, an Arab song and a musical interlude before monitoring ended at 2035 gmt. Source: Arabian Star Broadcasting in Arabic, 1830 gmt 23 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. The Reshet Bet live feed is now available in both RealAudio (as before) and in Windows Media (which you can use from inside more corporate firewalls then Real). http://bet.iba.org.il You'll see the Real and Windows Media icons on top of the "Reshet Bet Chai" (Hebrew) "Live" (English) graphic. The 'on-demand' Reshet Bet broadcasts and other languages, are still only available in Real. Direct links (as of now, at least) Windows Media mms://a1371.l856922155.c8569.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1371/8569/v0001/reflector:22155 Real Audio. http://bet.iba.org.il/reshetbet.ram (Daniel Rosenzweig, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. The latest info from BEZEQ is that 17525 will be used to test reception conditions in Australia from today 27/1 until Thursday 30/1. Time is 1100-1130 (Craig Tyson, WA, Jan 26, EDXP via DXLD) ** ITALY. Methinks something`s up at Rai, Radio Roma. Their North American service in English is daily 0055-0110 on 9675 and 11800. Lately I`ve tuned in and no shows. At times only on 9675, at times only on 11800; at times on neither (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAMAICA. RADIO STATIONS RESTRICTED TO SINGLE FREQUENCY ON FM BAND STEVEN JACKSON, Observer staff reporter Wednesday, January 22, 2003 http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20030122T000000-0500_38440_OBS_RADIO_STATIONS_RESTRICTED_TO_SINGLE_FREQUENCY_ON_FM_BAND.asp THE Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) has been restricting existing stations to a single frequency band in a bid to free up room on the overcrowded FM band spectrum. This move comes against the background of a growing demand for radio licences by new operators trying to get in on the shrinking FM-band spectrum, which the SMA feels could be distributed more efficiently to accommodate new stations. Presently, some stations broadcast the same programmes on scattered frequencies on the FM dial, utilising more space than is necessary, according to Roy Humes, the SMA's chief technical director. Consequently, the SMA has started a clean-up programme dubbed "channel rationalisation", which will essentially place each station in a single dial location, while at the same time making room for new ones. "What we are doing now is clustering the channels so that they would use just one sub-band. For instance, a station may be scattered across the FM band on 88.1, 93.5 and 101.1 bands, we would make that station control the entire 88 band (88.1 88.3 88.5 88.7 88.9)," he explained. Humes said between four and five bands were expected to be cleaned up within the year, just enough to allow new players access. In fact, Humes told the Observer that a "major broadcaster" was requested to stop operating on a number of sub-bands as of New Year's Eve. "We are now going to monitor whether they have moved based on our paper trail and investigations. (So that) in February when someone asks if they can get a certain band, I can say that it is available for broadcast," Humes added. He pointed out that there were several people lining up to get spectrum space, while the Broadcasting Commission told the Observer that it received three applications for commercial radio licence last year. "The commission has completed evaluation of the applicants. The next stage of the process is for the minister of information to decide whether to accept the commission's recommendations," said Sonia Gill, assistant director at the Broadcasting Commission. But some operators have not welcomed the move to expand the radio arena. Unhappy at being bounced from their spread on the spectrum, some operators have argued that the reduced space will increase issues of interference between stations. For example, last year the Broadcasting Commission recorded a total of 16 complaints of interference from Radio Mona, Irie-FM, Zip-FM and Radio 2 FM. But Humes said that while there was a possibility that the complaints of interference could increase as more people rushed to fill the remainder of the spectrum, the SMA had a responsibility to ensure its efficient usage. "There are several people asking for spectrum so what we now have is a situation where we are trying to make more available for those that request it. "Persons realise that once the spectrum is licensed out there can be no more unless companies fold," he added. The FM band in theory can accommodate approximately 20 nationwide stations without interference, one megahertz per station between the 88 to 108 megahertz frequency -- 16 stations now bombard the airwaves, most with nationwide coverage, four launched last year alone. Prior to the liberalisation of the industry in the early '90s when space was not an issue, the SMA allowed broadcasters such as Jamaica Broadcasting Company (JBC) and Radio Jamaica (RJR) to have scattered frequencies. "How it occurred in the first place was that there was only three channels but when the government opened up the market 10 years ago and a slew of others came in the market. They are now being asked to come to a different location so that there can be more room for others." (via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. CLANDESTINE from ? to SOUTH ASIA: 9890, Voice of Kashmir (tentative) getting closer, 0237 Jan 27 with man and woman talking and sub-continental music. Still there at 0300 but fading by then (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. Reception, propagation has not been the best here on the east coast. I`m not getting RKI Seoul at 0200 via Sackville very well lately, 9560 in English; I have to rely on their 1130 via Sackville 9650 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non]. [notes accompanying an audio file] .MP3 7560 kHz Voice of Komalah, 'Aira Dengi Komala' Hello Glenn, here is another recording of todays's outlet for your selection. 2 min. 39 sec recording of station of Jan 26th, 2003, 1659- 1757 UT, Sundays only. At start of the recording you can hear a jump-over 'Overload' program of just nine seconds from ISDN feed at Kvitsøy, from nearby Voice of Eritrean People program in Tigre [of 7530], which was noted at 16.59:30 to 17.00:20 UT also on 7560 kHz. 73 Wolfgang - - - - - Since Sunday, November 3, 2002 on Suns via frequency 7560 kHz on installations of Norskring from Kvitsoe Norway. Voice of Komalah, 'Aira Dengi Komala' Denge Mezopotamya, Kurdish/Persian 1659-1757 UTC, Suns only 7560 KVI There are two Komala stations, [exSoviet ties]: http://www.komalah.org http://www.komalah.org/English/English.htm and radio station page http://www.komalah.org/Kurdish/Kurdi.htm --- and separate Chinese? ties of http://www.komala.org or http://www.radiokomala.org http://www.komala.org/radio/rindex.htm All addresses on http://www.komala.org/adress/adress_index.htm E-mail: komala_int@hotmail.com Radio Komala E-mail: komala_radio@hotmail.com Fax: 001-561-7605814 - - - - - And Robertas Petraitis wrote this: Komala-Revolutionary Organization of the Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan. ID (Kurdish): "Eira dengi Komala, dengi azadi e socializmu" (English translation: Voice of Komala, voice of freedom and socialism). ID (Farsi): "Radio Komali" also "In seda-ye Radio Payama, Radio Payam- seda-ye parezgaran-e azadi Kordestana, seda-ye amnestizi y irbayda ..., seda-ye azadi e socializmu". I think (I'm sure for about 80%) that the reported station is operated by ANOTHER organization of Komala. http://www.komalah.org -"your" Komala in Intel; has a link to CPI - Comm. Party of Iran http://www.komala.org -another (2nd) Komala is presumed broadcasting on 4615/ 6810 kHz I think Komala (1st) runs a station Voice of Communist Party of Iran (as noted in Organization) and maybe also Voice of Iranian Kurdistan. The 2nd Komala has been established after summer 2000 when the majority of members of Komala left the C.P.I. and formed the new Komala (2nd). see: http://www.komala.org - English - A brief history And the new radio station has heard soon after the mentioned time - in 2001... I suggest to put the reported schedule under the head "Voice of Kudilara" (existing now in Intel) but to change that name to "Voice of Komala" (last time I didn't hear ID "Voice of Kudilara"- anyway the station is Voice of Komala). (as reported by R. Petraitis, Lithuania, Feb 22, 2002 for CRW, via Wolfgang Bueschel) ** MEXICO. It seems I`m not the only one hearing XEP-1300 with its supposed 500 watts night power... (gh) 1300.0, XEP, R. 13, Ciudad Juárez; 0529-0540, p/f on 12/30. "Sintonizan XEP R.13, 1300 de amplitudo modulada con 50 mil watts de poder musical emisión(?) de su señal .. 23-29 colonia .. Chihuahua ..R. 13, tu música. Grupo Radio México." (H. Watanabe, Japan : AR7030Plus, Corazón DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO [and non]. XEPRS 1090 operated through last week with a US sales agreement granted to an LA group that programmed La Gigante Tropical. The licensee, in Monterrey, has yanked the rights from the US group as of last Monday. The old programming remains, but the staff was notified that they are now part-time only. A new format, rumored to be Sports in English, is coming. If it is sports, it makes sense. XEPRS does not cover LA, but is a big San Diego signal. Clear Channel recently combined 1150 in LA with 690 in San Diego with one format; there is little local sports in SD. Noise levels of the 90's and today are so high that unless a station has a pretty consistent 10 mv/m signal, it is no longer listenable. Some engineers in LA believe that a 15 to 20 mv/m signal is a minimum for receivability above the noise level created by computers, dimmers, ignition, medical equipment, motors and deteriorating power line maintenance. XEPRS u7sed to show in the LA book; it has not appeared for about 10 years, maybe longer (David Gleason, CA, Jan 27, NRC-AM via DXLD) I wondered how long it would be before that sports-talk gap would be filled. I also wonder if there might be a long-term strategy regarding XETRA, because the recent simulcast doesn't seem to make sense for the San Diego market. Regarding 1090, though, XEPRS doesn't even seem to have the signal strength it did when I moved to Phoenix in 1993. I wonder if their facility has deteriorated significantly, like XEROK's in Juárez has. If so, maybe maintenance or upgrades would make sense before a format change takes place (Rick Lewis, AZ, ibid.) The signal needed today to overcome urban noise and cochannel interference has gotten out of hand. KCOH 1430 Houston has just submitted an Amendment to their nighttime request for 1000 watts, up from 330 watts and the Interference Free Nighttime Contour is 27.8mV/m! Even with 1000 watts KCOH will only cover about 10% of the population within the Houston city limits and the transmitter is within the city limits on the near east side. When KCOH first went to 330 watts in 1996 IIRC, the signal was normally usable. Now until after midnight and sometimes all night, the signal is heavily QRM'd. I've noticed much more QRM on many Houston stations, much of it from low power non directional stations and to a greater extent Mexico and Central America (Mike Westfall, Houston, ibid.) ** MEXICO [non]. El pasado sábado, 25 de enero, logré captar muy claramente a la emisora colombiana, que eliminó por completo la señal de Radio Mil, ¡aqui en la misma ciudad de México! Desde las 5:30 hasta pasado de las 06:00 UTC, que estaba monitoreando la frecuencia (Héctor García Bojorge, DF, Jan 27, Conexión Digital via DXLD) sorpresa, no ** NETHERLANDS. EXTRA RNW SHORTWAVE COVERAGE ON 1 FEBRUARY This week is the 50th anniversary of the North Sea floods which devastated The Netherlands, covering 7.8% of the total land area, with the loss of 1835 lives. In all, approximately 600,000 people were affected. The anniversary will be marked by special programmes in all our language services. For the Dutch service, there will be additional shortwave coverage on 13700 kHz at 1100-1300 UT on 1 February (Media Network 27 January 2003 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. REORGANISATIE WERELDOMROEP VOORLOPIG VAN DE BAAN De omstreden reorganisatieplannen voor de Wereldomroep zijn voorlopig van de baan. Dat zijn de directie, de hoofdredacteur en de afdelingshoofden overeengekomen. Afgesproken is dat hoofdredacteur Freek Eland en de afdelingshoofden een nieuw plan gaan uitwerken over de toekomst van de Wereldomroep. Het oorspronkelijke reorganisatieplan van de directie zorgde voor veel onrust onder het personeel. Er zouden onder meer zestig arbeidsplaatsen worden geschrapt, en veel radio-uitzendingen zouden verdwijnen. Daarnaast maakte het personeel zich ernstig zorgen over de gevolgen van het plan voor de journalistieke onafhankelijkheid. Al deze onderdelen zullen nu door de hoofdredacteur en de afdelingshoofden worden herzien, en vervolgens worden voorgelegd aan de directie. De journalistenvakbond NVJ heeft verheugd gereageerd op het bereikte resultaat. Glenn, the above just in my mail-box and is translated as follows: REORGANISATION RNW WORLDSERVICE DISCONTINUED FOR THE MOMENT The plans for reorganisation of the Worldservice are temporarily off the table. This is agreed with the directors, Chief editor and department managers. The agreement is that Chief editor, Freek Eland, and the department managers will think of a new plan about the future of the worldservice. The original reorganisation plan caused a lot of concerns with personnel. 60 members of personnel would lose their job, and a lot of radio programmes would disappear. Personnel were also very concerned about the plan regarding independent reporting by journalists. All of these parts will be reviewed and brought under the attention of the Board of Directors. The union representing journalists were pleased to hear the achieved result. Regards, (Harm Deenen, Ireland, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Good news! Tnx, Harm, this scoops even the RN/Media Network websites, where I find nothing about this yet, in English, as of 0040 UT Jan 29 (gh, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. DEFENDAMOS A RADIO NEDERLAND --- Nuevos datos de contacto con los Países Bajos Organization: Grupo Pasteur Buenos Aires, 28 de Enero de 2003. Amigos de la lista: Para ampliar la información suministrada en el día de ayer, se entrega la nómina de embajadas, consulados generales y consulados de los Países Bajos en el continente americano, España y Portugal --- con excepción de Argentina, cuyos datos ya fueron ofrecidos --- a los efectos de llevar adelante una campaña de cartas, faxes y correos electrónicos dirigidas a las autoridades del Reino de Holanda en defensa de Radio Nederland. Esta emisora sufrirá una serie de recortes en su plantel de trabajadores de la prensa y en las emisiones al exterior por ondas cortas. Porque la peor opinión es el silencio, quienes quieran emitir su voz lo pueden hacer a las direcciones que se ofrecen. Un abrazo para todos y suerte con la campaña (CLAUDIO MORALES, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) [gh excerpted only these from long list of Iberoamerican consulates and embassies] {See remark in 3-017 that this may be counter-productive} CANADÁ: Embajada Website: http://www.netherlandsembassy.ca/ Embajador: J.G.S.T.M. van Hellenberg Hubar Dirección: 350 Albert Street Suite 2020 Ottawa On. K1R 1A4 Tel. 00-1-613-2375030 t/m 5035 Fax. 00-1-613-2376471 E-mail: nlgovott@n... [truncated] ESTADOS UNIDOS: Embajada Website: http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/ Embajador: Mr. B.J. van Eenennaam Dirección: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20008 Tel. 00-1-202-2445300 Fax 00-1-202-3623430/ 3631032/ 2378303 E-mail: nlgovwas@n... [truncated] Fuente: (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de Países Bajos, adaptación y traducción de Claudio Morales, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI 6095 kHz: It is probable that RNZI will be on air overnight tonight and the next few nights as well, as I have just heard on the midday news that there is a tropical cyclone near the Solomon Islands and a second is forming between Fiji and Tonga. RNZI is on 6095 kHz until 1650 UT when the usual morning transmission begins. The programme is the overnight National Radio transmission, the announcer reads the cyclone warnings after the news at the top of the hour. I wonder if you will hear any of this in Europe? Too much QRM I would think! (unattributed, via Büschel, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hello Everyone, at 1400 UT nil, but at 1500 UT fade-in and solid S=8 signal here in southern Germany. Carrying National program with some rock-n-roll music at 1530 UT, female announcer. News at 0500 local time Tue in NZ (1600 UT). Very exciting signal. Never heard RNZI with such strong signal in the 49 mb, here on the antipode, some 23.000 kilometers away. 73 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 27, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Last week I received a nice e-mail QSL from Katsina State Radio and Television Service (they use this name on the air!) 972 kHz which was heard on May 25th, 2002 at my home QTH between 2211-2300 UT. This QSL includes the following information: "...Your report in respect of our radio station is correct. We are transmitting on 972 KHZ in the medium wave Band. As you rightly observed the strength of our signal was fluctuating between poor and fair. The reason for such poor reception has to do with the fact that our Radio station is transmitting on short Wave band (AM) [sic] and using a very old 50 KW Transmitter (13 years old), which is being powered at half strength. After going through out transmission log book, we found out the voice of the man you monitored speaking in Hausa to be that of Salele Yan- Kyaure who was presenting a Hausa request programme and the Duty continuity announcer, but made the closing announcements in English is called Mustapha |Sallau Jibia. Your letter was read on our Radio station and acknowledged on 20th January 2003 at 11:15 (Nigeria time). Please continue to monitor our station. We received similar letters from some listeners with a similar hobby from South Africa and Namibia. It is normal for radio signals to stay to places beyond the coverage area of the station especially at night or early morning hours, depending on the atmospheric condition. Once more I wish to confirm to you that your reception is correct and we thank you most sincerely for writing to inform us. Please keep it up. Yours Faithfuly, Musa Muhammad Kankara, Managing Director." _________________ (via Jari Korhonen, FIN-82500 Kitee, dxing.info via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. See CHINA ** PALESTINE [and non]. Subject : Alleged BBC bias - DXLD3014.txt After giving so much space to the extremely biased view of the BBC coverage of the Palestine/Israel situation submitted by Joel Rubin (he wouldn`t be Jewish by any chance?) I think that you should give as much prominence to a view that at least corrects the balance. There are many who look at the occupation by force by the Israelis since 1967 of land that was supposed to be the basis of a Palestinian State as an outrage that should long ago have been reversed. I am trying to think of an analogy that might enable some people to focus on this. Suppose all those years ago, North Korea had seized control of the entire Korean Peninsula and had subjugated the South Koreans with tanks, helicopter gunships and the like ever since. If the South Koreans had fought back with mortar attacks and even suicide bombers, I think that the UN, perhaps the USA unilaterally would long ago have gone in to help them and removed the North Koreans. So why is the world standing by while Israel continues its illegal occupation and the denial of all efforts to negotiate by the Palestinians to have their own sovereign state free from all incursions by the Israel Defence (so-called) Force? In view of the above, I consider that the terminology used by the BBC in describing events in the Israel/Palestine conflict has been very moderate. I guess that it is difficult in any one issue of DXLD to balance one extreme view with another, but I hope you will redress this very soon (Morrison Hoyle, Victoria, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It was already redressed in the intervening issue, and let`s not get into a flamewar here over the Israel/Palestine issue. The article was from Jerusalem Post, merely forwarded by Joel and even by BBCM (gh) ** PHILIPPINES. 15120, 0200, Radyo Pilipinas English with a big splash opening then the news 353 in // 15270 353 but no sign of 12015 (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie NSW, Jan 27, EDXP via DXLD) QATAR: ** RUSSIA/QATAR. AL-JAZEERA TV NOT AWARE OF ITS RUSSIAN NAMESAKE WEB SITE | Text of report by Russian TVS television on 24 January [Presenter] A web site publishing news broadcast by the most powerful mass media outlet in the Islamic world, the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera, has begun operating in the Russian Internet. The news is translated into Russian and - but for one thing - one could say that Al-Jazeera has begun its expansion to Russia. However, when we asked the Al- Jazeera Moscow bureau for comment, its representatives said that they had learnt of the existence of the new web site from us. Our correspondent Oleg Goryunov has been investigating the scandal. [Correspondent] A year ago the little-known Arab information agency Al-Jazeera became world famous after it had become the first agency to publish interviews with terrorist number one Bin-Ladin. The source of this information still remains a secret for all secret services. Five days ago, Al-Jazeera's Russian mouthpiece, as it were, came into being in the building behind me, in the very centre of Moscow. The office of this Internet site is located on the second floor of a private school for rich people's kids. The site is called Al-Jazeera and has a staff of 12 people. The editor in chief, Vadim Yegorov, is a teacher by education. He is known to have tried himself in business but in August 2002 he became the head of the Centran information agency. He says that the idea to set up a Russian-language site named Al-Jazeera belongs to him. [Vadim Yegorov, editor in chief of the Centran information agency] Yes, we know that - or is it being said that - it [Al-Jazeera] became known largely in connection with terrorist activities, in particular, after the well-known events in the USA. Nevertheless, especially after the interview given by the head of their Moscow bureau, we understood that they have a claim to objectivity or at least so they declared. [Correspondent] Yegorov said that the web site under the notorious name is owned by - I quote - a group of individuals. He added that despite its youth, the website has many hits, that is over 1,000 people visit it daily. The web site's staff do not write the news but translate it from Arabic. Two people do it from home. It is surprising but despite the fact that the site is clearly anti-American and anti-Israeli in tone, not a long time ago an Israeli paper, although a Russian-language one, addressed the virtual Al-Jazeera with a request to reprint its news. As for copyright and registration issues, the websites' representatives say that everything is in order. [Malik Aminov, system administrator of the website] We registered a long time ago and our domain is registered. It is a standard procedure - through the ROSNIIROS [Russian Institute for Public Networks]. [Correspondent] The Al-Jazeera [TV] Moscow bureau - incidentally, the television company, like the Russian web site of the same name, is also very young, only six years old - had the following to say on the situation. [Akram Khuzam, head of Al-Jazeera Moscow bureau, in Russian] There are a lot of thieves everywhere, not only in the MID [as received, Russian: Foreign Ministry] but also in economics, in politics, in the social sphere and so on. So yesterday I learnt from you that such a website exists. When I had a look at it, I was horrified. Only today - again from you - I learned the telephone number of their office. If they carry on like this, then on Monday [27 January] I will file a lawsuit. [Correspondent] The story of the mysterious appearance of the Al- Jazeera site among the Russian media would be incomplete but for one little detail. During a preliminary discussion with the web site administrators, their offices were adorned with pennants and calendars of the Russian FSB's special unit Vympel. With the arrival of our camera, they for some reason were put out of view. [Video shows the website offices, computer monitors with http://www.centran.ru and http://www.aljazeera.ru websites on screen.] Source: TVS, Moscow, in Russian 1400 gmt 24 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** RUSSIA/U S A. MOSCOW INSISTS ON "RECIPROCITY" IN ISSUE OF ENLARGING RADIO LIBERTY BROADCASTING IN RUSSIA MOSCOW, January 28, 2003. /from a RIA Novosti correspondent/ - Mikhail Seslavinsky, Russia's first deputy minister of information and press, met with member of the US Board of Directors for Broadcasting Issues Jeffrey Hirshberg and Director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Broadcasting Jeff Trimble in Moscow on Tuesday. During the meeting the American side raised a question of enlarging RFE/RL broadcasting on Russian territory. At present it is "hard to expect a positive decision on the issue", Seslavinsky said. First of all, this is caused by restrictions in American legislation. Because of the restrictions Russian radio stations "still do not have free access to the American market". Furthermore "any steps in this sphere must bear a reciprocal character", Seslavinsky pointed out. According to the official, "Russia took its step when it entitled Radio Liberty to broadcast on its territory". At present much depends on whether the American side is ready "to promote Russia's adequate informational presence on the US territory", the Russian representative said. (RIAN.ru via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Jan 28, DXLD) see also UKRAINE/RUSSIA ** SAINT HELENA. I heard a ham on 20m out of this South Atlantic island, Barry, ZD7MY, on 14217 around 0100 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAINT LUCIA. Another country now webcasting: see RSL, The Sun Station: http://www.rslonline.com/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SLOVAKIA. En un reciente mensaje, el diexista Karl Michel de Reims, Francia me informó haber escuchado, a través del espacio semanal "Intermedia" de Radio Austria, la noticia referente al anunciado inicio -por primera vez- de las transmisiones de Radio Eslovaquia Internacional en idioma español dirigidas a Europa y América del Sur a partir del 30 de marzo de 2003. Frecuencias y horarios desconocidos por el momento. Internet: http://www.slovakradio.sk/rsi Cordiales saludos (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Hi Glenn, Last night while testing a new South America facing EWE antenna, Radio Sondergrense came in loud and clear. 1/25/03 0317 - 0410 UT, 3320 kHz. SINPO 34333 in Afrikaans with Afrikaans and English pop music, ID, News (presumed). (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN. 7200, R. Omdurman: I think they are now *0400, ex *0300. Hard to tell Jan 27 as channel is blocked. Perhaps to coincide with sign on of Voice of New Sudan on 6985 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. CLANDESTINE from ERITREA? to SUDAN: 6985, Voice of New Sudan, 0355 Jan 27 tune in to music. 0400 clock chimes and start of programming in Arabic. Nice signal the last few nights (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** TURKS & CAICOS. Radio Turks & Caicos, now webcasting; see: http://www.turksandcaicos.tc/RTC/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE/RUSSIA. The Russian President Vladimir Putin is beginning his working visit to Ukraine... Meeting on the fringes of the next Russian-Ukrainian summit in Kiev on Monday and Tuesday, the heads of the VOICE OF RUSSIA and THE NATIONAL RADIO COMPANY OF UKRAINE, Armen Ogsnesian and Victor Nabrusko, will sign a deal to exchange important relay services. Transmitters in Ukraine will relay VOICE OF RUSSIA radio programmes in Russian, and transmitters in Russia, Ukrainian programmes for listeners in Asia. Ukraine is a great strategic partner of Russia, and THE VOICE OF RUSSIA attaches great importance to covering every aspects of tries [sic!] between the sides (Voice of Russia News, Jan. 27 2003 via Sosedkin...) Actually, Ukraine has been relaying the VoR on AM and SW for some time now. I guess Russia might re-start the SW relays of RUI to the West Coast of North America (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Russia`s state-run radio company ``The Voice of Russia`` and Ukraine`s National Radio Company have signed an agreement on cooperation in Kiev today. The two sides have agreed to exchange information and relay services, aiming to strengthen the long-standing friendship between the two states and to give a boost to economic and humanitarian contacts. The Voice of Russia President Armen Oganesyan has characterized this achievement as a breakthrough in information exchanges between the two countries. This agreement will step up the development of contacts in other fields as well, he said. Armen Oganesyan emphasized that his company would pay paramount attention to the harmonization of the Russian and Ukrainian cultures and to the strengthening of the two countries` age-old relations. An agreement on cooperation between the ITAR-TASS and the UKRinform news agencies was signed on the same day as well (VoR News, January 28 2002 via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Jan 28, DXLD) ** U K. A NEW `RADIO` STATION FROM THE UK Mediasound.net is a brand new internet radio station from the UK, which plans to offer 40% of its time for music, 60% of its time for speech programming from local community groups which would like to be heard around the world. Test transmissions are currently airing from 1000 to 2300 UT, and if you would like to hear the station, go to:- http://www.mediasound.net You will need to be equipped with a computer which has the winamp programme, but I believe you can download this from the site if you don't already have it installed (Paul David, Wembley Park, England, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. UK CLUB ASIA PREPARES FOR 2003 LAUNCH CLUB ASIA is preparing for its launch next year, after winning the London wide licence from Liberty Radio. The bid was one of a total eight applicants applying for the re-advertised AM licence, which was then awarded last week. The sound of the station will be urban and contemporary and CLUB ASIA will play Bhangra, Modern Bollywood, Asian dance and pop, as well as mainstream RnB. CLUB ASIA has been campaigning for nearly two years to win this licence and has had strong support from the Asian and mainstream music industry. The Chairman is Baroness Flather, the country's first woman ethnic minority peer. The group also includes founders Sumerah Ahmad and Humerah Khan; the country's biggest selling Asian newspaper, Eastern Eye; Infinity Radio; radio professional John Ogden; and the Chief Executive of Sunrise Radio Yorkshire, Usha Parmar. Part of its application process involved taking airtime on Spectrum Radio for a year, and also broadcasting on Sky Digital 895 and via the web at: http://www.clubasiaonline.com Music and Promotions Director Sumerah Ahmad said: "One in eight Londoners are Asian and 70% per cent of them are under 34. Until now they didn't have a radio station they could call their own- but all that changes with this award CLUB ASIA will promote the exciting new wave of Asian music as well as tackling the important social issues confronting young London Asians." CLUB ASIA's Business Development Director John Ogden said: "We are absolutely delighted to have won this licence. It reflects the strength and experience of our board, the fact that we did the biggest research project ever undertaken into Asian tastes, and the professionalism and commitment of all the team. CLUB ASIA knows its audience and has huge support. The new station is destined to become an important part of this great city!" The new station will take over from Liberty Radio, broadcasting on 963 and 972 AM, in the New Year. Via Radio Newsletter (Dec DSWCI SW News via DXLD) ** U K. Since I've complained in the past about some Outlook programmes, let me send you my complements on the programme aired on Jan 27 2003. This one was excellent, and contained all the positive things that made Outlook one of my favorite BBC programmes in past years. This is what Outlook should be ALL the time: a pleasing mix of human-interest (the Mexican surgeon's story), music (the Quebec band), and food (the banana discussion and cooking/sampling), with NO politics or social-agenda issues that you've been spoiling Outlook with over the recent years. The next day's edition was less enjoyable, with the suicide discussion, but even that would be OK if it came once a week or so amongst a continual series of shows as good as the one I cited above. I hope to hear more of the good stuff (William Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri USA, Jan 28 to BBC, cc to DXLD) ** U K. BBC LICENCE FEE UNDER FIRE AGAIN Monday, 27 January, 2003, 13:01 GMT The BBC licence fee has come under attack from the deputy chairman of Channel 4, who said it should be abolished and part-funded by a subscription instead. Barry Cox described the BBC as a "cultural tyranny - a largely benevolent one, admittedly, but a tyranny none the less". But he added that its "great creative strength" across a whole range of programmes meant "it can and should afford, in the digital world, to rely on our willingness to pay for it voluntarily". The BBC is overwhelmingly funded by the £2.3bn a year it receives from TV households paying the licence fee. This is not the first time the fee has been criticised - more than half of people polled about it suggested it should be abolished, according to survey in the Daily Telegraph last October. As well as his post at Channel 4, Mr Cox is also chairman of the digital TV stakeholders' group, which was set up last year to promote digital TV and advise the government on policy. Writing for The Guardian, Mr Cox said that when TV switches from analogue to digital, which he thought would be in 10 years' time, the majority of homes in the UK "will effectively become electronic retail outlets". While this would be a "highly positive development", he cited three major obstacles "which could frustrate such an outcome" saying: The law prevents ITV and Channel 4 from charging for any of the programmes on their core services The BBC licence fee would have be replaced by subscription. Viewers have to pay for channels they do not watch on cable and satellite TV in order to watch premium channels, such as sport and film networks' They would end up restricting their programmes to those that appeal to the most valuable audiences, such as younger people, he said. This would mean that programmes such as expensive drama, comedy and documentaries would "rarely find a place on channels in the digital era". Mr Cox said a way around this would be for ITV and Channel 4 viewers to pay directly for such programmes. Another suggestion was for the existing pay-TV market to be "substantially reformed" so viewers could pay for individual channels rather than whole packages of channels on offer. At least two competing "impartial and high quality news and current affairs services" would have to be available to everyone free, while a range of "other culturally desirable services" would need to be free or "at an affordable price". The BBC was unavailable for comment (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K [non?]. 4009.74, 11.1 1945, Laser Hot Hits here. Quiet on 6219, but later in the evening also returning back there. QSA 2-3. JE/RFK (=Jan Edh + Ronny Forslund, SW Bulletin Jan 26, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** U S A. VOA BEGINS SPECIAL ZIMBABWE BROADCASTS Washington, D.C., Jan. 28, 2003 – The Voice of America (VOA) yesterday launched a new, five-day-a-week, half-hour English-language program for Zimbabwe called Studio 7. The new program, which can be heard on shortwave and medium wave (AM) from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. Zimbabwe time and on demand on the Internet at http://www.voanews.com/EnglishtoAfrica provides listeners with accurate, balanced world and U.S. news and information along with reports from Zimbabwe and the region. Health reports on subjects such as AIDS, polio, and child nutrition will be regular features. "Our new programming will be for all Zimbabweans," said VOA Director David Jackson. "We`ll offer news and information about issues that matter to them and to their lives. Free, credible and unbiased information is sorely needed in Zimbabwe to counteract the government repression of media there." The VOA Zimbabwe Broadcasting Project, which will eventually expand to one hour every day with programming in English, Shona, and Ndebele, is funded by a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). VOA has hired a group of journalists specifically for the project, including Ray Choto, one of Zimbabwe's best known print journalists. Mr. Choto, formerly the principal reporter for the Standard newspaper in Harare, was arrested in 1999 for allegedly violating Zimbabwe's Law and Order Act, which prohibited journalists from writing and publishing information "likely to cause alarm and despondency among members of the public." (VOA press release Jan 28 via DXLD) Time would be 1730-1800 UT; WTFK? Would it be too much trouble to possiblize actual intuning? IBB schedule does not break this out, so if still part of regular English to Africa service: 1730-1800 UT 13710 15240 15445 17895 1730-1800 UT M-F 909 [Botswana] (gh, DXLD) see also RUSSIA/USA ** U S A. [White House press briefing:] Q. On this new White House Office of Global Communications, how big will it be, who is going to head it, and does it have authority over the VOA or the IBB? MR. FLEISCHER: No, on the last part. It's about a dozen people. It will be headed by Tucker Eskew, very well known to people here -- Deputy Assistant to the President who has very ably been involved in this area for quite a considerable period of time. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030121-7.html (via Jill Dybka, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. DIFFERENT KIND OF OLDIES SHOW Program News Update: 1/28/2003 In repeats on live365.com: Last weekend's "Mish-Mosh" show and The Vault Of Vintage Vinyl show from 1/25/03. Starting this Saturday night, 2/1, We will begin our live feed over live365.com at 7:30 PM Eastern time with an Old Time Radio show. Join us this week for "Gangbusters". This Saturday, 2/1/03: February 9th is Carole King's birthday and February 11th is her ex-husband and writing partner, Gerry Goffin's. For the next two weeks, the D*K*O*S show will feature their hit music as performed by the artists that made them hits. While the early hits will be featured on the WBCQ portion, most of the later, longer songs of the 70's, will be on our 2nd live365.com only hour. Next week, 2/8/03: More of King & Goffin's hits, but his time we'll feature the versions from Carole King's solo career of the 70's. To listen to the D*K*O*S show on Saturday nights, tune in to WBCQ @ 7415 kHz Shortwave at 8 PM Eastern Time/0100 UT (Sunday Mornings). If we are broadcasting live, and we usually are, you can also hear us in MP3 Streaming audio on the net by way of live365.com. The net broadcasts run 24/7 and are reruns of the previous Saturday night show, usually starting on Sunday morning and also our Sunday afternoon show starting mid week. These repeat broadcasts are in mono over a 33.6 dial-up. Live broadcasts are now in stereo and require a 56kb modem or better line. To listen via the net open up the url http://www.live365.com/stations/15660 in your browser. This may not work if your firewall rejects the cookies. Live365.com now requires first time listeners to register in order to listen and offers an audio ad blocking option for a fee. This fee is purely voluntary on your part. We suggest you use the url http://www.live365.com/play/15660 as the "open location" in your MP3 player program to go directly to the audio stream without the graphics, registration or pop-up ads, (this option may not work with Real Player). "The Vault Of Vintage Vinyl" show is heard on Sundays at 3PM, Eastern by way of Doo Wop Café Radio AND is now also simulcast on our live365.com station in stereo, (56k modem minimum connection). To listen to the V*O*V*V show follow the above procedures to listen via live365.com or go to http://www.doowopcafe.net. You can also open the url: http://www.doowopcafe.net/doowop.ram in your Real Player. For the complete program schedule go to http://www.doowopcafe.net/schedule.html Check the Doo Wop Café website out for more information, the club has exclusively moved to Yahoo! While the DJ's are on the air, our members can use the chat room to be interactive with the host, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/doowopcafe is the url. Sunday nights at 8 PM, (Midnight UT Mondays), I play side kick to Johnny Lightning on his A Little Bit Of Everything Show, a/k/a The 11- L Network presents Radio New York International on WBCQ. For live talk, news commentary and outrageous humor tune into WBCQ or listen on the net at http://www.live365.com/stations/222095 Vintage Johnny Lightning, 11-L RNI shows are now being presented over the net 24/7. To listen, copy and paste this URL into the "Open Location" window in Winamp, (or most other MP3 players): http://64.185.135.77:9292 You can also do a search at http://www.shoutcast.com for "lightning". The rerun service is limited to 6 listeners at any one time and is operated by Joel Glickman. Remember to tune in Dave Kirby, N1DK, and his Cybershortwave Live program on live365.com Join him at 11 AM Eastern, 1600 UT, on alternate Sundays. The next scheduled program is on Ground Hog Day, February 2nd. During the week the program repeats on Live365.com along with many old time radio classics. Go to http://www.n1dk.com for the latest schedule. If you're reading this on our website or on a newsgroup but would like to get it in your mailbox instead, please write me back |^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| | "Big Steve" Coletti | | A Different Kind Of Oldies Show on WBCQ, 7415kHz Shortwave | | Saturday Evenings at 8:00 ET, 0100 UTC-Sunday | | E-mail: bigstevecole@email.com - http://www.dorsai.org/~bigsteve | | US Mail: P.O. Box 396, New York, NY 10002 | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Big Steve Cole, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WSRR - 7355 - Solid Rock Radio. Jan. 26, 0634-0705 UT, fair on AM with non-stop rap and hip-hop songs, "WSRR, Solid Rock Radio" IDs by male dj, asked for reports to Box 1, Belfast, NY 14711 address (maildrop used by U.S. pirates). Promos for http://www.solidrockradio.net web site. Mentioned 104.9 FM simulcast. (Mike Brooker, Ont., Jan 27, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Are you sure this wasn`t on 7385? SRR is a scheduled broadcast at that very time, UT Sundays on WRMI, as recently reported in DX LISTENING DIGEST (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Yes, I did hear SRR on 7385, not 7355. Typing error. If this is a "legit" station, why are they using one of the maildrop addresses favored by the many hobby pirates on 6955? 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, ibid.) WRMI is a legit station, and SRR is a program on WRMI. As for what else they do, I don`t find any listing of a 104.9 in the Buffalo NY area, and the real WSRR-FM is in Millington TN on 98.1. According to the blurb on the http://wrmi.net website, mail is to be addressed c/o WRMI, so it seems they don`t want to give out their true postal address. So apparently their FM broadcasts in Buffalo are piratical... 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** U S A. WRMI Schedule/Horario Effective January/Enero 27, 2003 Days are local days in the Americas; times are UTC. Días son días locales en las Américas; horas son UTC. [gh deleted gospel huxters and far-right talkshows, leaving...] MONDAY-FRIDAY/LUNES-VIERNES To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1100-1130 La Voz de la Junta Patriotica Cubana (español) 1130-1230 Entre Cubanos (español) 1230-1300 Viva Miami (English/español) Note: This transmission at 1000-1300 UT is temporarily not aired on Tuesday and Thursday. To North America on 15725 kHz/ Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1430-1530 Stock Talk Live (English) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/ 7385 kHz hacia Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): Note: following are Tuesday-Saturday UT. Los siguientes son martes-sábado UT. 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) SATURDAY/SABADO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1030 Viva Miami (English) 1130-1200 Wavescan (English) 1200-1230 Viva Miami (English/español) To North America on 15725 kHz/ Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-2300 Music 2330-0000 Wavescan (English) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: The following are Sunday UT. Los siguientes son domingo UT. 0000-0100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) 0100-0130 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 0130-0145 La Hora de Chibás (español) 0145-0200 La Verdad Para el Mundo (español) 0200-0300 Radio Revista Lux (español) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/ 7385 kHz para Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0430-0500 Viva Miami (English/español) 0500-1000 Solid Rock Radio (English) SUNDAY/DOMINGO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamerérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) To North America on 15725 kHz/ Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-1400 Viva Miami (English) 1400-1430 Wavescan (English) 1500-2100 Solid Rock Radio (English) 2200-2230 Wavescan (English) 2230-0000 Viva Miami (English) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: The following are UT Monday. Los siguientes son UT lunes. 0000-0100 Radio Revista Lux (español) 0100-0115 Radio Vaticano (español) 0130-0230 Radio Oriente Libre (español) 0230-0300 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/ 7385 kHz para Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0445-0500 Radio Naciones Unidas (español) 0500-1000 Jupiter 400 (English) And details about the last entry, something new: Jupiter 400 - The International Mélange of Talk and Music. Jupiter 400 Presents (English) The flag ship broadcast and yes it's "LIVE" and brought to you via your shortwave set weekly. This is a 5 hour variety show with music, phone interviews, powerful commentary, talk and of course ............. comedy bits and humor seeks to entertain the listener. So, whether it's serious discussion with political leaders or ordering a pizza for delivery to Pakistan from Domino's, you the listener are there "LIVE". Your hosts Susan and the Bee Man guide you through the journey that is the Jupiter 400 experience. Yes!! Jupiter 400 Radio Network is broadcasting via shortwave from 0500 to 0959 UT Monday on the North American Beam at 7385 kHz from WRMI in Miami, FL. Send reception reports and e-mail to: shows@jupiter400.net. Part of the Jupiter 400 time block will include the "Edge of Reality" show hosted by Dr. Wayne E. Haley. Dr. Haley has been a professional psychoanalyst and paranormal researcher for over thirty years. Recently retiring from the University of California system, Dr. Haley now works exclusively on research in the area of the unusual and bizarre. He is presently the Director of HRL, Inc. a not-for-profit scientific research organization. Over the past twenty years he has written books, screenplays and various professional articles. He is still practicing analysis in the State of Washington where he specializes in UFO abductions and with patients that have had unusual encounters with the paranormal. His current late night radio program is designed to introduce listeners to the strange and unusual world as well as the enigmas that surround us all. http://radio.jupiter400.net (WRMI website Jan 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. WHRI on 5745 kHz seems to have been off the air for a week or two continually; it was back as of this past weekend but was off again last night (UT Jan 28). Anybody know what happened? I expected some explanation or discussion of it on the last Cumbre DX broadcast, since that's one of their main outlets, but nothing heard (Will Martin, St. Louis, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See DXLD 3-013 ** U S A. ENFORCEMENT: FCC CANCELS EXPERIMENTAL LICENSE WC2XZV The FCC has cancelled an experimental license to California company because the agency says its being used for other purposes. According to the CGC Communicator, the FCC cancelled experimental authorization of WC2XZV after Enforcement Bureau monitoring confirmed the operation. In a short letter dated January 17th, the Commission stated that the California station's emissions were not in compliance with the terms of its experimental radio license. But a story on recnet.com says a lot more. It says that that there were published reports of an alleged pirate station operating in the Antelope Valley area prior to the experimental license grant. The station was operating on 104.7 MHz and identifying as Frequency Radio with its website at http://www.1047.fm A check of the website makes no mention of the experimental license or the FCC action to cancel it. A copy of the FCC's letter is posted in cyberspace at http://www.recnet.com/fcc/wc2xzv_cancel.pdf (CGC Communicator via Amateur Radio Newsline via DXLD) ** U S A. From this morning's "Inside Radio" headlines e-mail: ENGINEER LEONARD KAHN PETITIONS THE FCC TO HALT THE ROLLOUT OF IBIQUITY'S HD RADIO Kahn lists a menu of alleged problems, including the "huge costs" and "dramatic increase in interference" in AM signals, which he says "may force many independent rural stations out of business." (Wally Wawro, WFAA-TV Dallas, TX, NRC 2003 in Big D, NRC-AM via DXLD) Wow. Leonard killed AM stereo, now he wants to kill Ibiquity's project. Someone should tell him to retire and go to Cape Coral and buy a home (David Gleason, ibid.) ** ZAMBIA. Hello Glenn, Just a quick note to report that I am hearing Radio Zambia nightly on 6,265 kHz from as early as about 0300 to past 0430 UT. Some periodic ute interference. Programming is mostly very nice local music with man announcer in heavily accented EG, also the occasional longer talk. Signals have varied from poor to quite listenable. I'm currently located on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, NW of Seattle. Regards, (Ed Tilbury, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. CLANDESTINE - 7119.97, V. of the People, 0334-0400+ 1/26. Tuned in to what was presumably the final transmission in this time slot. Missed sign-on; tuned in at 0334 to a typical discussion with mentions of "elections," "constitutional crisis in Zimbabwe," etc. Music break at 0342, then back to talk at 0347. VG signal but local noise problem here. Had faded somewhat by 0400 (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX via DXLD) MADAGASCAR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POWERLINE COMMUNICATION +++++++++++++++++++++++ GOODBYE DX? POWER LINES SPARK NET ACCESS By Associated Press 03:45 PM Jan. 15, 2003 PT Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57240,00.html WASHINGTON -- The same power lines that bring electricity to televisions and toasters may become the next pathway into homes for high-speed Internet access, federal officials said Wednesday. They said the technology offers an alternative to cable and telephone lines as a way to get broadband service, with its ability to quickly deliver large amounts of data and high-quality video signals. "Every power plug in your home becomes a broadband connection," said Edmond Thomas, chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology. He said companies developing the technology have overcome many hurdles in the past year. "It's starting to look like a very viable technology," said Thomas, who described the technology in a presentation to the agency's five commissioners. "We're very excited." But it is uncertain whether most consumers will get to use it anytime soon, said Mark Uncapher, senior vice president with the Information Technology Association of America, a Washington-based trade group. "It is still very much an open question just how commercially feasible it is," he said. "It's going to need a company or companies that are really going to champion it." Internet access over electric lines would be similar in capability to connections over cable modems and telephone DSL, Thomas said. Such an alternative could lead to more competition and lower prices, Uncapher said. The FCC has been studying the technology for several months and will pay more attention to it this year, Thomas said. He said no regulations prohibit the technology, but the agency is concerned that Internet transmissions carried over power lines could emit signals inside and outside the home that could cause interference. "We want to make darn sure this isn't going to cause problems to your TV," he said. Utility companies PPL in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Ameren in St. Louis are conducting trial programs with consumers to test the technology, representatives of the companies said. "It is working," said Alan Shark, president of the Power Line Communications Association, which is promoting the technology. The trade group includes Internet companies including Earthlink and 11 utility companies that provide power to about 30 million homes. Earthlink, the No. 3 Internet service provider, has been in talks with utility companies, exploring partnerships to develop and market the technology, said Dave Baker, the company's vice president for law and public policy. "The engineering challenges are largely being overcome," Baker said. "The biggest challenges now are getting the product to market." Shark said the technology works by sending information over existing electric power lines. Cables carrying high-speed Internet information would likely be linked to electric lines after they have left power stations. Internet connections could then flow directly into the power outlets in homes and offices or to an outdoor pole that broadcasts a wireless broadband signal to a neighborhood. The current technology cannot send signals over high-voltage lines that carry greater amounts of electricity to isolated areas, Shark said. Shark said the technology has other potential benefits, including helping utilities monitor the condition of power lines and providing a backup communications system for communities worried about terrorism, natural disasters or other emergencies (via David Crawford, hard-core- dx, and Mike Terry, DXLD) In case you'd like to comment: POWER LINE COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION 200 N. Glebe Road Suite 1000 Arlington, VA 22203 Phone: (202) 331-7773 Fax: (202) 331-9062 Email: plcaonline@plca.net President, Alan R. Shark (202) 835-7814 Email: shark@plca.net Director of Strategic Comms., Craig E. Schaar (202) 835-7819 Email: schaar@plca.net Chairman, Keith Brightfield (314) 554-3464 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (David E. Crawford, Titusville, Florida, hard-core-dx via DXLD) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ GRUNDIG INTRODUCES SATELLIT 900 AT CES 2003 Dear Jim, Thank you for your interest in Grundig Eton. Enclosed with this e-mail you will find our press release regarding the Satellit 900. We will also be notifying you again with updated information and the final details one month prior to the release of the S900 to market. Thanks again for your interest. Best regards, The Eton / Grundig Sales Team ************ LAS VEGAS, Nevada, January 9, 2003 --- Grundig today unveiled the new Satellit 900 AM/FM/SW Radio, the premier microprocessor-controlled, fully frequency synthesized, high performance world band receiver. With continuous frequency coverage between 100 kHz and 30 MHz plus FM broadcast band coverage the Satellit 900 sets the standard for high performance receivers of the future. "Grundig represents the leader in shortwave technology and the Satellit 900 delivers the ultimate in world radio enjoyment," said Esmail Hozour, Grundig - Eton Corporation's CEO. "Whether you're an experienced shortwave listener or a newcomer to the wonderful world of international broadcasting the Satellit 900 is an exciting radio with performance standards of sensitivity, selectivity and dynamic range." Sharp, sleek yet compact, the Satellit 900 pairs highly intelligent design with the power of its predecessor, the Satellit 800, known as "the best radio on the planet" by Passport to Worldband Radio. With the large dot matrix liquid crystal display with backlighting, the Satellit 900 provides clear display of all radio modes and settings. The built-in ferrite rod antenna and telescoping whip antenna for longwave, medium wave, shortwave and FM frequencies in addition to the external antenna connector and switch-selected preamp allows customers to optimize reception of hard to pull in stations in spite of location. Tuning abilities have also been revolutionized with the Satellit 900. In addition to tuning by the rotary main tuning encoder or by direct numeric keypad frequency entry, customers can also select stations with the convenient channel increment select keys. This innovative new feature simplifies the tuning process and enables users to scan and store up to 500 of their favorite channels. Attendees of the International Consumer Electric Show were among the first to test the new Satellite 900 for themselves. Release of this simple and intuitive to use Satellit 900 Radio is expected for the fourth quarter of the 2003 fiscal year. About Grundig /Eton Corporation Grundig/Eton Corporation - With headquarters in Palo Alto, California, Grundig/Eton Corporation is a leading manufacturer of shortwave audio and portable audio products for the consumer market. Its focus is to keep customers informed through a variety of shortwave radios, which receive local and international stations from around the world. Information about Grundig Eton and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.grundigradio.com (via Jim Dickey, DXLD) XM SATELLITE RADIO RECEIVERS Wall Street Journal tech reporter Walt Mossberg has changed his tune on XM Satellite Radio, since the introduction of the Delphi SkyFi receiver. Mossberg especially liked the easy-to-read display and compared the unit favorably to the Bose Wave radio ("which is stuck playing FM and AM"). Read more in today's issue of "RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter," online at http://www.kurthanson.com "When I reviewed XM last year (Wall Street Journal subscription required here; see RAIN's coverage here), I gave high marks to its 100 channels of programming (now 101), which feature dedicated stations for everything from classic country, folk, comedy and oldies to multiple flavors of rock, rap, jazz and blues... "But I panned the actual radios that were being sold to receive all this stuff... "Today, however, I am pleased to say that the hardware has caught up to the content. XM's rich programming is now available through a new, very well-designed radio that works in a car or a home and is much less expensive -- around $200. And that makes XM Radio a service I can wholeheartedly recommend. "The factor that changed my mind is a product from Delphi, the Detroit auto-electronics giant, designed in close collaboration with XM. It's called the Delphi XM SkyFi Radio. The SkyFi system consists of a small, palm-size modular satellite receiver you use in conjunction with various home or auto adapter kits... "The receiver has a roomy screen that shows at a glance the channel you're on, and the names of the song and the artist...Not only that, but the new SkyFi receiver can display channels either by name, or by the names of the artists or the titles of the songs playing at any moment, a brilliant way to help drivers make quick choices. If you're using the SkyFi at home, the text on the screen can be blown up to a size large enough to read from across a small room... "There are $70 kits for hooking up the radio in a car and for connecting the SkyFi to your home audio system. "But my favorite is a $99 kit called the SkyFi portable audio system, which turns the little receiver into a tabletop radio, or boombox...It can run on either batteries or via an included AC adapter and is relatively wire-free, except for the wire leading to the small satellite antenna. With the remote control, it makes a great tabletop radio -- better, in my view, than the heavily touted $350 Bose Wave radio, which is stuck playing FM and AM." Read Mossberg's entire column in the Wall Street Journal (via Mike Terry, DXLD) DRM +++ Hi Chaps, I've given in to temptation and bought myself a DRM receiver. It's a modified Yaesu FRG-100, which has turned out to be a nice little receiver in its own right. If anyone wants to hear the results of my tinkering so far I have set up a web page on my site at: http://www.owdjim.gen.nz/chris/radio/DRM/ I was going to put the DRM logo on this page, but it has to be referred to the Euro lawyers first apparently... Cheers, (Chris Mackerell, P.O. Box 2241, Wellington 6015, New Zealand Telephone: +64 (4) 232-4216 Fax: +64 (4) 232-4218 http://www.owdjim.gen.nz Mobile & SMS: +64 (21) 238-9861 Email: chris@owdjim.gen.nz & chris@radiodx.com ICQ# 91488073, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-015, January 26, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3a.html [Note change; first issues of 2003 are now there] For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1166: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Mon 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html ** ARGENTINA. Estimado Gabriel: Por que a RAE não tem um site na Internet? 73's (Jorge Silva, Webmaster SRDXC, Jan 23, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Eso depende pura y exclusivamente de las autoridades de LRA1 Radio Nacional de quien depende RAE; siempre primero dan prioridad a Radio Nacional. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, ibid.) En el sitio de Radio Nacional http://www.radionacional.gov.ar hay un espacio para la RAE pero me parece que está en construcción porque el enlace no funciona (ARIEL CROCCO, Rosario, Argentina, http://www.arieldx.com.ar http://www.emisoras.com.ar ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB Asian service: Changing originally planned 15130/15135 to 15480 required retuning the antenna, as originally it would not go that high in the band. Further delays in January: Latest problem was an arc in the antenna which burned up an insulator; climbed tower to repair. One of the arms from the tower holding up the antenna collapsed. No one hurt. Busy reconstructing that now, causing another delay until Feb 2. Struxural damage to antenna wires too. (Doug Weaver(?), HCJB frequency manager, on DX Partyline Jan 26, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1/26. HCJB-Australia tests on 15480 expected on 27th Jan, quoting below message received from Mr Williams : ``It now looks like being the 2nd Feb but I believe there will be some test transmissions as early as the 27th, so it would be great if you could have a listen around 1230 UT. I will keep you updated as information comes to hand. I will be most anxious to get signal reports on this transmission and appreciate your valuable assistance. Best wishes, Ian Williams, Frequency Manager, HCJB Australia`` Regds (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) HCJB Australia is about to change its allocated frequency of 11755, for the South Pacific release 0700-1200, to avoid co-channel interference from Pori in the primary target areas of NZ and Australia. The change cannot be effected until formal authorisation has been received from the Australian Communications Authority, and approved by the ABU-HFC and HFCC/ITU. The new channel proposed is 11770, with 11805 as an alternative. The Indian service has been delayed until at least February 2, 1230- 1730, to use 15480. The original channels were 15130 and 15135, but these were not considered suitable due to IBB using 15130 1630-1800 from Udorn and from Briech 1400-1600. The new channel of 15480 was originally used 1300-1500 by IBB- Philippines for B02 from Oct-27 until Oct-30, but was then made available to HCA. Antenna input power is currently 13 kW, and modulation depth is maintained at 85%. The transmitter is capable of DRM excitation, and ultimately for full operation with 100 kW. Four 100 kW transmitters will ultimately be available. Frequency agility is not a problem, and an antenna switching unit is being constructed in conjunction with a second antenna. Antenna design characteristics enable efficient operation up to approximately 100 kHz without retuning. Programming in Oromo for East Africa is planned, 1730-1800, which will be produced here in Melbourne at the HCJB studios in Kilsyth. Introduction of this language service will maintain continuity following the closure of FEBA-Seychelles, which currently provides this broadcast via an evening service 1700-1730 on Fridays and Sundays. Antenna towers at Kununurra were those originally used at the Australian Army's Transmitting Centre at Digger's Rest, Victoria, following the closure of that facilty some years ago (Bob Padula, Melbourne, Australia, EDXP Newsplus Jan 26 via DXLD) ** BELARUS`. Starting 3 January, 6115 kHz has been reactivated, 75 kW, 252 deg. 7210 kHz only carries the foreign service, relaying of domestic broadcasting (BR1) is not planned at present time. 6080 kHz, 150 kW transmitter, signal beamed to Ukraine. Relay of BR1 for Western Europe, with 150 kW power goes out according the following schedule: 0500 - 0700 7170 kHz 1000 - 1200 11960 kHz 1400 - 1700 7105 kHz (including a regional insertion, see below) 1700 - 1800 7255 kHz 2000 - 2200 7105 kHz Each oblast of Belarus` has its own day of the week (Mo-Fr), when its regional broadcast is inserted into the above relay on 7105 kHz. Time is 1600-1640 (some days till 1700). Morning program from Hrodna studios is again available in SW. Low- power shortwave transmitters in Hrodna are again active according to full schedule, i.e. 0400-2300. Local programs go on the air twice a day, the remaining time is used for BR1 relay. Frequencies are 6040 and 7110. During some latest months both transmitters were on only after 1600 (Sergei Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus`, Signal Jan 26 via DXLD) Re ``BR1 relay to Western Europe with 150 kW: 0500-0700 on 7170, 1000- 1200 on 11960, 1400-1700 on 7105, 1700-1800 on 7255, 2000-2200 on 7105; acc. to Sergei Alekseichik, Belarus` in active_dx, 19 Jan.`` I just tried it: 7105 was until 1700 blocked by Radio Liberty via Jülich. Now from 1700 there is indeed BR1 on 7255, but with a weaker signal than on 6115; really beamed to Western Europe? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Later:] 7105 is actually planned for the Radio Belarus` foreign service 2000-2200 rather than BR1. After 2030 I found only a faint carrier on 7105 while 7210, scheduled to carry Radio Minsk, too, was completely empty. This left 1170 as only audible frequency, as scheduled carrying the German program where both 7105 and 7210 were still announced. There is obviously no audio gain control in use at all; the console operator also failed to compensate for the soft voice of an announcer by turning up the fader, resulting in the audio level at times hardly exceeding -10 db compared with the peaks of the interval signal, all but not ideal for AM of course. Find enclosed a record of the frequency announcement (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. RÁDIO CANÇÃO NOVA TAKES OVER RÁDIO GAZETA IN SÃO PAULO ON JANUARY 1; FOURTH IN A YEAR Cachoeira Paulista, SP, Jan 24 (CRU) --- One of Brasil`s two big Catholic networks, Rádio Canção Nova, took over powerful ZYK690 Rádio Gazeta 890 AM in Brasil`s largest city, São Paulo, on January 1st. It is the fourth new station on the ``totally Catholic`` network in a year. ZYK690 Rádio Gazeta broadcasts with 50,000 watts day, 10,000 watts night. The network website does not indicate whether or not Rádio Gazeta`s three shortwave transmitters are included. These are ZYE963 on 9685 kHz, ZYE964 on 15,325 kHz, and ZYE965 on 5955 kHz, all operating with 10,000 watts (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Jan 27 via DXLD) Yes, as reported here as recently as 3-013, except for 15 hours a week of areligion; my impression was that the `takeover` is merely a leasing of airtime (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. CFAN-790 TEST ARRANGED AT LAST MINUTE I will put this info on IRCA's web page ASAP, but I thought I'd better make sure this got out right away... Lynn. ---- Hi Ron (and Bill and Lynn and all), My attempt to arrange a test for soon-to-be-dark CFAN, 790, Newcastle- Miramichi, NB has just been approved by station programmers. I recorded a one-minute test ID for the station a few weeks ago, and the CE just informed me they are going to run it "several times through the night between midnight and 6AM starting Sunday 26th January 2003...(and we)...intend to run it for all of next week." NOTE: His email to me references Atlantic Standard Time, so make that 11pm-5am Eastern, and 10pm-4am Central, etc. [0400-1000 UT] My 60-second tape consists of full legal ID, frequency, three Morse code IDs, a statement that the test has been arranged on behalf of the National Radio Club's Courtesy Program Committee, and the station's email address (twice) at the end. The station will be running full power (actually about 4200 watts) and will still be on the DAYTIME PATTERN (one tower is out of service, so they're onmi off the other one). I know this is short notice. The idea began just a few weeks ago when the FM transmitter went up, and CFAN started making plans to leave AM. The CE is a friend of mine, although he was not working there when I was working at CFAN in 1980. I met him through amateur radio much later, and he will be looking forward to reception reports. My only regret is that they were unable to provide me with exact times. The full script of the 60-minute test ID appears below. I recorded it in an acoustically-poor room on short notice, but it should come out clearly. DX Test: "This is Radio Station C-F-A-N, Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada, broadcasting on an assigned carrier frequency of 7-90 Kilohertz. "The following is a DX Reception test arranged on behalf of the Courtesy Program Committee of the National Radio Club." (Morse code) "de CFAN CFAN CFAN" "If you are able to receive this DX Listening test, you are invited to contact CFAN by eMail, at cfan@nb.sympatico.ca that's cfan@nb.sympatico.ca This ends the test." Brent Taylor, VE1JH Doaktown, NB (NRC, IRCA) btaylor@nbnet.nb.ca (via Lynn Hollerman, DXLD) ** CANADA. Information on the upcoming CHWO - AM 740 DX Test Test Date: Sunday Morning, February 2, 2003 Test Time: 1230 AM to 0130 AM (EST) [0530 to 0630 UT Sunday] --------------------------------------------------------------------- How Test Will Run: (all times are EST and approximates) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Time: 12:29 AM EST - Announcement of DX test. Time: 12:30 AM EST - CHWO voice and code identifiers. Music for 15 minutes beginning with these two songs: Beer Barrel Polka - Andrew Sisters Ricochet Romance - Teresa Brewer Time: 12:45 AM EST - CHWO voice and code identifiers. Music for 15 minutes beginning with these two songs: St. Louis Blues March - Glenn Miller Spin, Spin - Gordon Lightfoot Time: 01:00 AM EST - CHWO voice and code identifiers. Music for 15 minutes beginning with these two songs: The Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton Something To Sing About - The Travellers Time: 01:15 AM EST - CHWO voice and code identifiers. Music for 15 minutes beginning with these two songs: Colonel Bogey March - Mitch Miller California Here I Come - Al Jolson Time: 01:30 AM EST - Announcement of thank you for listening to the DX test. ---------------------------- You can mail or email me all reports and they will be forwarded to the station engineer. And don't forget Lynn too ircamember@ircaonline.org Brian Smith am740@rogers.com Box 161, Willowdale Stn A Toronto, Ontario Canada M2N 5S8 Reception Report Manager for CHWO AM 740 http://www.odxa.on.ca/chwo.html (Brian Smith, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** CANADA. FOUR SECONDS THAT GRAB YOU AND DON'T LET GO CBC Radio gets a fresh theme song to herald the news James Cowan, National Post, Wednesday, January 22, 2003 http://www.nationalpost.com/search/site/story.asp?id=E1B227F0-A486-4C7B-BE74-C3B96157B9FD The new CBC Radio news chime is meant to be epic, compelling, grave and grandiose. It has been conceived to tell listeners that what they're about to hear is important and that they should -- nay, must - - pay attention, for if they miss the coming newscast, their lives may crumble under the sheer weight of their ignorance. It's also designed to deliver this dramatic statement in less than 10 seconds. According to the jingle's composer, it took quite a bit of work to cram the tune's message into a tiny package. "I find it's just as much of a challenge to write a five-second bit as it is to write a three- and-a-half-minute-long tune. The music just gets crammed into this short moment in time. It's concentrated," said Adam Goddard. As part of an ongoing revamping of CBC Radio -- which has thus far resulted in the reconfiguring of local programming and the creation of two new national morning shows -- the public broadcaster has replaced its seven-year-old news jingle with a newer, sleeker tune. The new theme debuted at six o'clock Monday morning, accompanying newscasts on both CBC Radio One and Two, with a variation on the theme playing before World Report. Over the next year, variations on the tune will be introduced for Canada at Five, The World at Six and The World This Weekend. By the end of 2003, all CBC Radio news programming will be sonically linked. According to memo circulated to CBC staff, the new themes are meant to "command attention, convey urgency and represent a voice of authority." "The theme was composed to emphasize the distinctive voice and sound of the CBC Radio News service," states the memo, co-written by Adrian Mills, the executive director of programming for CBC Radio, and Robert Renaud, the area head of CBC Radio News. The search for a new jingle began last fall, when the public broadcaster issued an open call for musical proposals. Fifteen composers submitted samples of their work and suggestions for a newsworthy theme. Goddard said the broadcaster was seeking a tune that would "grab you by the sleeve," while not trivializing the newscast's content. "An air of importance was one of their primary requests, because it is news and it is information that we need to know," he said. For his part, Goddard entered three musical "ideas" for consideration, and the CBC programming staff eventually selected one of his proposals as best suited to their needs. The composer then returned to his studio and, over the course of several months, experimented with different sounds, speeds and instrumentations, eventually testing dozens of variations on his original theme. Finally, Goddard returned to the CBC with a bundle of his best work, and senior staff winnowed his final submissions down to the half-dozen or so that listeners will eventually hear. The hourly news jingle is only four seconds long, but as the network introduces its various permutations, listeners may be treated to longer versions -- some of which may last an epic seven seconds. Different variations will be heard before different news programs, but there will also be slight changes throughout the day in the jingle that proceeds the hourly newscast. "At the start of the day, the jingle needs to be like an alarm. It needs to wake you up but not whack you over the head. But later in the day and evening, I think it's going to be more broad sounding to give it a 'wrapping up' feel," explained Goddard. Overall, the different themes will be bound together by, according to the CBC internal memo, a similar "mnemonic," along with an emotional neutrality that Goddard says is essential for music of this nature. "To write a functional piece of music for news that is useful, you have to write something that doesn't sound positive or negative, happy or sad, because the subject matter of a newscast changes so much from day to day," explained the composer. Goddard's work is already familiar to the regular CBC listener. He composed not only the themes for The Current and Sounds Like Canada, but also the requiem that played during CBC radio's Sept. 11 commemorative coverage. He had also produced two radio documentaries, including The Change in Farming, which won the Prix Italia in 1999. When not working for the Corporation, the composer has produced music for CIBC and Chrysler Canada. Goddard's new music -- like any change at the network -- has garnered some complaints from devoted listeners who like their CBC just the way it is, but sources inside the corporation said the negative reaction so far has been relatively muted. The composer welcomes the suggestion that his tune may join Moe Kaufman's Curried Soul theme for As It Happens or the much-beloved Morningside piano in the ranks of great CBC themes. "The Moe Kaufman theme for As It Happens is one of my favourite CBC tunes," said Goddard, "It's rockin' -- I like it a lot. So it would be great to be like that." (© Copyright 2003 National Post via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANADA. Searchword is "Shelagh" at the web site of the Globe and Mail http://www.globeandmail.com/ The results gives 2 stories... CBC RADIO HOST TAKING LEAVE ON MD'S ORDERS By MICHAEL POSNER ARTS REPORTER; With reports from Gayle MacDonald and Sandra Martin Saturday, January 25, 2003 - Print Edition, Page A2 Shelagh Rogers, host of CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada, is taking a medical leave for "a month or two," her lawyer and agent Michael Levine said yesterday. The medical condition is said to be her high blood pressure. Refusing to comment on rumours that Ms. Rogers is unhappy with the show and her diminished role, Mr. Levine said his client was very tired and suffering from stress. "We had an ebullient conversation today, but she is genuinely exhausted. I can't say a great deal, but I believe the leave will be relatively brief, a month or two." Ms. Rogers herself said yesterday that she is "on medical leave. It is not a stress leave. It is because I have high blood pressure, although I don't really think that's anyone's business." There have been rumours almost since Sounds Like Canada went to air last October that Ms. Rogers was growing disgruntled. Her show, a successor to This Morning, had been cut to two hours from three to accommodate the more hard-hitting The Current (8:30-10 a.m.). And large parts of the Rogers show have been effectively moved outside her domain, produced as shows-within-the-show; Ms. Rogers simply introduces them. Recently, another segment was carved out to provide 10-minute local news updates. There have also been whispers that Ms. Rogers is feuding with executive producer Michael Karapita. He could not be reached for comment. "She's used to working hard, but she's miserable," said a Rogers pal, who speculated that the amiable radio personality might not return. But Ms. Rogers said her condition is not "because there's now a 10- minute newscast taking . . . my precious, precious time." She said: "I have a history in my family of early deaths from heart problems, so I'm being very serious about it. It happens to coincide with everything else. So that is the reason and it is on my doctor's orders. "There's the whole truth. No matter who else tries to get information out of my other friends, that is it. They may have their speculation, but it really is all about me. And aging too rapidly in terms of my veins and arteries." CBC spokeswoman Ruth Ellen Soles said yesterday she expects Ms. Rogers will be gone "for at least two weeks but that's not a given. Whatever rumours are going around simply aren't true. Shelagh is coming back, and we hope it's really soon." Mr. Levine said he plans to meet with CBC Radio executive Jane Chalmers to discuss the case. Although Ms. Rogers is actually on air far fewer hours now than she was when she hosted Take Five, a five- hour classical music show, Mr. Levine said: "People don't get tired from hard work. They get tired from stress. I work all the time, but I love what I do and I'm never tired." Said a former CBC Radio executive: "The new structure at the CBC is so top down that the program is a mess. It's violating every rule of radio. They have no respect for the intelligence of the listeners." -- and --- ROGERS ON LEAVE FROM CBC HOSTING DUTIES Saturday, January 25, 2003 - Print Edition, Page R13 Toronto – CBC's Shelagh Rogers is on a two-week leave from hosting duties at her new Radio One morning show, Sounds Like Canada (10 a.m. to noon). Sources indicate her doctor mandated the time off because the radio personality currently suffers from extremely high blood pressure. Andy Barrie, host of CBC Toronto's Metro Morning, will fill her shoes next week. Staff (both via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CUBA. Salomón Olvera Acosta nos indica que el pasado domingo escuchó a Radio Habana Cuba entre las 0217 y 0231 por los 6195 con el programa "El mundo de la Filatelia". Anunciaron estas frecuencias de transmisión: 5965 9505 9550 11760 11875 11970 15230 (Conexión Digital Jan 25 via DXLD) Most except 15230 imaginary now? (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. CUBAN GOVERNMENT RELEASES LIST OF 'TERRORISTS' Cuba Claims Listees Acting Against Castro Regime --- NBC 6 Reporter Hank Tester POSTED: 6:51 p.m. EST January 21, 2003 UPDATED: 1:56 p.m. EST January 22, 2003 MIAMI -- The Cuban government has released a list of people it calls terrorists. The list, containing 64 names, was released late Sunday by the Cuban Government and printed in the state controlled newspapers. If you live in Miami the list may contain the name of someone you know, or perhaps a relative -- certainly it contains someone you have seen on television or read about in the local papers. The list is the lead story on local talk radio, certainly on Spanish language television, and is getting mention on some English language newscasts.... http://www.nbc6.net/hanktester/1927005/detail.html (via David Crawford, FL) There is a link in this story to the site for the list, http://www.antiterroristas.cu but when I went there I could not find it. David appended the list, which is entirely too huge to run here. The most notable radio person on it is Ninochka Pérez Castellón, Voz de la Fundación. I`m surprised no one has pointed out that all the personal information on the subjects made public is probably to make them easier hit targets, or make them fear that (gh, DXLD) Hi Glenn, Meant to include that anyway but forgot (it was NOT as obvious as TV-man let on): http://www.antiterroristas.cu/index.php?tpl=noticia/anewiciaid=653¬iciafecha=2003-01-16 (David Crawford, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. A new series of Radio Prague QSLs, devoted to motor cycles, is available. See them at http://www.radio.cz (Vladimir Doroshenko, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Ukraine, Signal Jan 26 via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. Voice of Democratic Eritrea in Tigre language. Only Saturdays at 1500-1528 UTC in Tigre, followed by Sudanese Arabic from 1530 to 1557 UTC, towards Eritrean Diaspora in Europe. Identification in Sudanese Arabic "Idaatu Sawt Demokratiya Eritrea". Frequency is 5925 kHz via installations of T-systems Deutsche Telekom from Juelich Germany. Transmission towards Eritrea in NordEast Africa target is Mondays and Thursdays only, 1700-1800 UTC on 15670 kHz. 1700-1730 Mon/Thu Tigre 15670 JUL 1730-1800 Mon/Thu Ar 15670 JUL 1500-1530 Sat Tigre 5925 JUL 1530-1600 Sat Arabic 5925 JUL Address: Voice of Democratic Eritrea v/s Seyoum O. Michel Postfach 1946 D-65428 Ruesselsheim Germany. (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. RADIO FANA IS A LEGAL ORGANIZATION! (found on Ethiopian reporter) By Teteka Bekele, Acting Head, Programing Department We have given a sufficient, dispassionate and detailed account of our radio station's legal standing in the June 27 issue of the Amharic- language Reporter in response to an article published in the same newspaper a week before. As we had made it abundantly clear then, we have no intention of taking The Reporter as a neutral forum in which to put forward our case. Nor should there be such an intention. However, we had presented significant legal materials to inform the public, especially the readers of the newspaper, on the issue. But as the repetitious and patchy reproduction of the first allegations, which appeared in an article form on July 29 amply demonstrates, the paper has been labouring during the past month to open yet another polemic front. The author of these articles is still unable or unwilling to produce tangible evidence to support his interpretation and analysis of the relevant provision of the Press Law. Rather, he was more concerned to sideline the real issues of the debate and to concoct far-fetched and fanciful evidences in a bid to mislead public opinion. Radio Fana's stance is still the same - and clear. The law providing for the continued operation of "pre-existing press" did not distinguish between government, party, private or religious media. It did not discriminate between those set up in the city and those coming from the bush. And it did not choose between those utilized by the Dergue and those by the EPRDF. This being so, to engage in an exchange of polemics on the basis of this non-existent distinction would be a sheer waste of time, energy and space. In this regard, we would like to reiterate once again the fact that Radio Fana's legal basis is sound and that there's nothing illicit about the station. In fact, Radio Fana has been tenaciously fighting against any form of illegality - and is doing the same thing now. The history of Radio Fana is something to be proud of. It is not a cause for shame. We don't think that the author is unaware of this fact. It is, indeed, a fact of life that Radio Fana was conceived and born in the tide of popular struggle and not through legal proclamation. But even when it was under the wings of that popular movement, the radio was fighting tooth and nail for justice, equality and peace. And no one can construe this as a social transgression. Even today, the station has assumed the responsibility of fighting for the equality, progress and prosperity of the Ethiopian peoples. We have never been caught blowing with the wind in search of money or cheap propaganda. Our radio station has always been working hard to make sure that the rights of peoples as enshrined in the constitution are being fully respected. The radio is always faithful to its beliefs. When it finds something which goes against these beliefs, it criticizes by citing the facts. And we believe that this is what's expected of a balanced and neutral medium in view of the process of building a truly democratic culture. We advise the editorial committee of The Reporter to see itself through this mirror. As to Radio Fana being a forerunner in the field of investigative journalism in this country, we had said so not because we are short of records (we have piles of them) or many listeners who would testify to this without being asked to do so, but for the simple reason that we don't take this newspaper as a neutral, just, balanced ground to argue our case. Though we are ever curious to know what the author or The Reporter tries to achieve by dwelling on this issue, there is nothing new in the second article whose production has obviously taken them some time. In a sense, the author reproduces in July what was already said in June. To respond to the innumerable allegations, which are based on unfounded hearsay, would be tantamount to wasting our precious time. Any perceptive reader would not fail to notice that the author and/or the newspaper are squandering their energy on an issue which has no relevance to the people - and which has been clearly settled by the pertinent law of the country. What's more, even if it is true, it is meaningless all the same with only an ordinary accusation as its end. Hence, we don't feel particularly bound to waste our time by answering each allegation. We don't want to engage in a fruitless debate before a fanciful moot court whose agenda is yet to be defined. But we would like to mention the following points in order to home in on the fact that the author, who prides himself on using his "freedom of expression," is wasting the radio's as well as the readers' invaluable time on an issue of no relevance to his argument. 1. Radio Fana has never claimed to be a "private business organization." But the author would like the world to believe that it is. Our station has come about as a result of the unique historical circumstances of a popular movement. And it has been accorded the due legal recognition to continue to serve the public until the proper registration process is put in place. Accordingly, Radio Fana is seizing this opportunity to operate in a self-reliant manner. And it has never been - and has never claimed to be - a "private business organization." 2. It is true that Radio Fana is planning to begin a Frequency Modulation (FM) broadcast following the proper legal procedures. This is a plan not only of Radio Fana but also that of many investors (including, perhaps, the author). This being the case, however, Radio Fana has never imported any broadcast materials so far. The writer of the article has referred to "Fortune" to this effect. That newspaper was only able to provide him with a hearsay. On our part, we have dutifully provided that newspaper with information describing the exact state of affairs. In spite of that, "Fortune" wrote what it liked and how it wished things to be. If this, too, can be called "exercising one's freedom of expression," so be it. But the facts are otherwise; and the report is entirely unfounded. "Fortune," to be fair to it, had approached us to discover the real truth. Neither the author nor The Reporter, however, was able to do so with regard to the article which had taken them a month to produce. What's more, the author is trying to take this baseless report as a major reference for a debate he is trying to create. We believe that the reader would find it easy to comprehend the ultimate aim sought to be achieved by both the author and The Reporter in this light. 3. The author has also alleged that journalists from Radio Fana accompany high-ranking government officials in their working visits to foreign countries. But the fact is that at no time had journalists from Fana accompanied the Prime Minister or other government officials abroad. In the short span of its existence, there have only been two occasions when Fana's reporters were sent to cover events abroad. These were the international conference on HIV/AIDS (in Durban) and the Sydney Olympics. And the costs of these were fully borne by private sponsors and by the station. Not a cent was obtained from the government to finance the visits. The points raised above will indisputably prove the extent to which both the writer and the paper would go to mislead readers with their concocted and fanciful "evidences". And we have no intention of engaging ourselves in a debate over false allegations supported by non-existent facts. It is, therefore, our ardent hope that the author would refrain from such an irrational action and devote his full time and energy in the pursuit of positive things that would benefit the country and the people. We have presented a detailed account of the reality of the matter under discussion in our previous article. We hope too that our readers would gather sufficient information from this short response. It may be that the author is forced to fill his over-stretched column with such unfounded polemics for reasons of financial gains. We are not bound, however, to do it for him by replying to his unfounded and misleading accusations. This said, however, our door is always wide open to any one who is in quest of the right information (via Z. Liangas, Greece, for CRW via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Hi Glenn, concerning the recent news from Deutsche Welle you asked about the ``all-or-nothing shortwave approach``. That's something I wonder about, too. Reduced transmission costs are cited as one of the favours of the DRM system. But who in the world says an AM service requires to churn out 500 kW five times? When Deutsche Welle abandoned the Jülich site they argued that 100 kW are insufficient. In fact Jülich is a true powerhouse here when transmitting to Central Europe. Additional power is fine of course, but please, do not lament about the costs if you decide to use five hundred kilowatts. And you also pointed to the use of so many sites and frequencies. Of course I have no idea about the reception in North America, but wouldn't Antigua and Sackville be sufficient? So why burning money by using even more transmitters from Wertachtal and Sines? Speaking about costs, the public broadcasters here in Germany spend 70 millions D-Mark, oooops, of course 35 millions Euro anually for German TV, the TV program that has an audience of just 3,000 people so far. No surprise that no money is left for keeping a cost-effective shortwave service. Some further comments of the debate you documented: Deutsche Welle was described as one of those broadcasters who privatized their transmitters. Not so, the transmitters within Germany were never owned and operated by Deutsche Welle itself. In the past Deutsche Bundespost, the postal office, was responsible for transmitting Deutsche Welle programming from within the FRG. Back then Deutsche Welle time and again lamented about this political decision and the charges they had to pay to Deutsche Bundespost. Of course this was in fact a transfer of taxpayers money from the foreign ministry to another authority, so the question in this case is just if Deutsche Welle itself would have been able to do the transmissions more cost- effectively than the civil servants of the postal office. In the nineties the authority Deutsche Bundespost was turned into several companies, one of them is Deutsche Telekom AG or in short Deutsche Telekom (AG means Aktiengesellschaft = joint stock company). Let me mention that the official abbreviation for Deutsche Telekom AG is DTAG, the ´´DTK´´ frequently seen in the shortwave press is just the three-letter designator for frequency management purposes, like the ´´DWL´´ for Deutsche Welle which is otherwise abbreviated DW. And not long ago it was decided to assign the broadcast services to T- Systems, the DTAG subsidiary originally responsible for Internet solutions and similar things. John Figliozzi noted, ``the average profile of an SWL is decidedly male, roughly 40-50 years of age (if not higher) with an income level somewhere in the middle of the spectrum``. Is this just the profile of shortwave listeners? My impression is that it is in the developed countries in fact the average profile of the audience of international broadcasters altogether, completely independent from the distribution methods. Just let's take a look at the young crowd (I suppose I still belong to it): Do they listen to international broadcasters through the satellite equipment they own? Do they use any Internet offer of international broadcasters through the highspeed connections they have? I do not know anybody who does. It is my impression that the recent news from Deutsche Welle as well as RNW basically reflects efforts to deal with this matter. In light of the money spent for German TV the laments about budget cuts appear to be merely crocodile tears to me. It is my impression that the shortwave shut-down is primarily not a cost-saving measure but part of the ``facelift``. Ancient modulation shortwave is ``uncool`` of course, so throw it away to be up-to-date. Concerning RNW it is interesting that the Roughly Speaking kids (sorry) programme disappeared from their program line-up again, as if it was no big success. By the way, one of the already cited young guys in fact owns a shortwave radio. It is almost unemployed, because ``there is not much interesting to listen on shortwave``. Enough rant for now (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Subject: Don't Stop Shortwave Broadcast Please don't end your shortwave broadcasts to either North America or Australasia! I'm one of those radio fanatics who depends on your news & opinion programming! Regretted when you took me off your mailing list several years ago! Getting internet info just ain`t the same! `Twas bad enough losing our North American mail bag several years' back! Don't make a bigger mistake! Cut down to two broadcasts if you must! Here's hoping you reconsider your decision to end shortwave broadcasts to North America and Australasia! Just like with Auntie Beeb-n-S.R.I. you'll loose more in goodwill than you'll save in Deutsche Marks, er, Euros! Auntie Beeb has slightly capitulated with broadcasts ostensibly for "Mexico" and such! The only time I ever see Deutsche Welle television programming is when the channel 32 signal blows in from San Francisco! Don't make Deutsche Welle a fond memory after 30-plus years of listenership! Thanks from Sacramento-n-Ed Gardner !!! (Gardner, Jan 10 to DW mailbag, cc to DXLD) Standard reply form letter personalized with this: I would just like to add that we have continued supplying our listeners, viewers and users with printed programme information. Our biannual "DW pocket guide" and "DW Kompakt" containing information about our English language radio programmes and details of our TV programmes and info about our German language radio programmes etc., respectively, continue to be sent off to our friends as and when they request them. It is still not too late to receive a copy of the current brochure. Regards, (Margot Forbes, DEUTSCHE WELLE ENGLISH SERVICE via Gardner, DXLD) Et Tu, Brute??? Another short-sighted European broadcaster following the short-sighted lead of the BBC. Is there no end to this???? Maybe when these SHORT-SIGHTED Eurocasters find out there listenership on the "new media" is in a minority, they will wake up and smell the coffee (Vince Ponzio, KA3NRX, Pittsburgh, PA, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4780v, Radio Coatán has been off the last few days. Had been quite regular with a good signal (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** HAWAII [and non]. The DX around the Hawaiian Islands was interesting. This was our third trip there but the first on a cruise. As anyone who has tried DXing there knows, what you hear depends on which coast you're on and which side of the mountains. If you are on the east side of the mountains the North American stations just roll in but on the other side they are mostly absent. The TPs should be easier but there is the time difference to be considered. In Waikiki and Honolulu DXing is greatly hampered by all the locals on Oahu: 17 of them. Adjacent channel reception is almost impossible and you can't believe the signal mixing problems! Outside of Oahu all 27 Hawaiian stations can be heard all day in most areas. We also spent a day on Fanning Island, Kiribati, which is 1000 miles south of the Big Island, and reception there from North America is easy but I heard nothing from the other side of the Pacific, probably because I went to bed too early. The most reliable NAs most places were KBLA, KFBK, KSL, KNX and XEWA (Ben Dangerfield, Wallingford, PA, Jan 25, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** INDIA. The President of India's address to the nation on the eve of India's 54th Republic Day was offically broadcast/ telecast yesterday at 7.30 pm (1400 UT) by all stations of AIR & Doordarshan. However the text of his address was monitored earlier in the day at 3.15 pm (0945 UT) itself on AIR Delhi channel of 6190 kHz. They were announcing that it was a feeder for the AIR stations for translation into the local languages which was to be broadcast after the President's address was over. AIR Jammu's new transmitter is noted back on 4830 after some absence. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, Jan 26, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. THE HUBBLE SITE http://hubblesite.org/ Chances are you haven't seen what NASA's orbiting Hubble Space Telescope sees. Hubble sees the raw beauty of the universe from above Earth's atmosphere and sends back a portrait of the universe in exquisite detail. Here's your chance to leave the ground for a while... and see what Hubble sees. At the Space Telescope Science Institute, we`re working hard to study and explain the once- unimaginable celestial phenomena now made visible using Hubble`s cutting-edge technology. In the course of this exploration we will continue to share with you the grace and beauty of the universe? because the discoveries belong to all of us. Probe deeper! Explore the following links to learn more about who we are and what we do (via Sheldon Harvey, Jan Radio HF Internet Newsletter) ** IRAN [non]. V. of Southern Azerbaijan: Glen[n], The SANAM web site http://www.cehreganli.com mentions its transmission being at 9375 kHz. Sincerely, (P. Boselli, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. CLANDESTINE, 9715, 1651-, Information Radio, Jan 25. Presumed logging suffering from long/short path effect. DW is just barely audible underneath. In Arabic. Talk only heard. Signal otherwise about an S7. Nothing after 1700. DW Russian only then. (Walter (Volodya) Salmaniw, MD, Victoria, BC, Canada, DXing the world using AOR 7030+/ERGO, Rockwell-Collins HF-2050, Racal 1792, JRC NRD 535D, Kenwood R5000, Collins R390A, Sony 2010, and Sony 1000T with the following antennae: T2FD, K9AY, 60 meter horizontal loop, Eavesdropper, 25 meter dipole, 25 MHz vertical, and random wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. PORTRAIT OF THE VOICE OF IRAQI PEOPLE/VOICE OF THE IRAQI REPUBLIC by Achraf Chaabane, CRW North Africa (Tunisia). [Jan 12] The Voice of Iraqi People/Voice of the Iraqi Republic is supported by the CIA with facilities of Saudi Arabia. We can show that clearly in its news. It presents the freshest news concerning the special US actions in Iraq, before any other Iraqi clandestine station. For example, the station says that USA fell down 250,000 warning sheets in the north of Iraq. This news is broadcasted in 30/10/2002, but, for example, the V. of Islamic Revolution in Iraq broadcast it after 2 or 3 days. This station has a wide number of correspondents located in Iraq. The news reports broadcasted by this station are of great level of precision; it controls the situation in Iraq with the smallest details. It controls the mood of the people, economic situation, military movements, and even the simplest events happened in Saddam`s family. So I think that some of these reports are intelligence reports. For example, the station broadcasted in December 7 & 8, 2002, at 2330 UT, a very secret audio recording of a Saddam`s conference with his military commanders who commanded the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in 1990. The station said that this recording was "found" in Iraq in 1990, but something like that could not be found by chance. It`s a recording of an intelligence agent. The station has a program mocking from Saddam Hussein and his family. It describes them as killers, thieves; It has also a program called "Lies of the dictator"; it shows the "lies" of Saddam Hussein in his speeches. The station analyses the speeches of Saddam part by part, and it compares it to reality. The music broadcasted, are not related with the goals of the stations; it is, usually, old and new Iraqi songs. In my opinion, any Iraqi man how listens to this station and believe it, should hate Saddam and will, no doubt, participate in eliminating his regime. The station is now broadcasting in Arabic, Turkmen and Kurdish at 1300-0300 UT on 9563, 9570 and 11710 kHz. The ID is "Ida`at al- jumhuriah al-iraqiah min Baghdad, Sawt al-sha`ab al Iraqi". Quality of reception as monitored here in Tunisia is poor. You can listen to the station only at 1800 UT and after (Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. 5896.8, 0430-0530* 25-01, Voice of Iraqi People, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Party, Iraqi Kurdistan. Arabic talks about Iraq, frequent IDs: "Huna sawt al-Shab al-Iraq, idha'atu al-Hizb al- Shuju'i al-Iraq", Arab songs and more talks, closed with a short song // 3899.9 (first 35444, but then fading out) 34333 24433 AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX Jan 25 via DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. Looks like Musicmann [279] (or whatever they decide to call it) will be on the air by around October, possibly earlier. Phoned them the other day and they were still in the office at 9pm! so looks like they're getting busy planning the building of the 500 kw CFA and offshore platform. I would think it should be audible in North America if the aerial works well (Paul Strickland, Lancashire, UK, LWCA via Mike Terry, Jan 26, DXLD) ** ITALY. 6219.97, IRRS, 2050 Jan 18 with English "peace" program complaining about the U.S. Patriot Act, IRRS ID in English at 2100 with Milano postal address, then Italian-language religious program, mostly talk, some music, closing with program address at 2128. Off abruptly at 2129, no further ID. Fairly good signal, some ute QRM. Their website says they would be testing from Jan 18 on 6225, 2000- 2135, no further details. However, quick E-mail reply from them says it is 10 kW to Europe (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. CLANDESTINE from PAKISTAN to SOUTH ASIA. 5102, Voice of Jammu and Kashmir Freedom, nice reception of this one the last few days, including *1300. Audio and modulation seem clearer. Noted with open carrier as early as 1245 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Jan 26, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** KAZAKHSTAN [non]. CLANDESTINE TO KAZAKHSTAN. 9925, 1622-, Radio DAT, Jan 25. Good reception improving as I continue to listen. All in Russian. Many IDs, mostly brief 'Vy slushayte Radyo DAT', but a full ID at 1630 with frequencies, and internet information. Almost a RFE/RL format with many short pieces, with identical short musical piece between items, and usually also an ID. Has the location of this transmitter been identified? Best on LSB when TWR via Meyerton signs on after 1630 with IS on 9930. Off at 1658 (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) LITHUANIA. Should Dat really be all-caps?? This has nothing to do with --remember that? -- digital audio tape ** KURDISTAN [or non]. See IRAQ [non] ** MALI. 11960, 1722-, Radio Mali, Jan 25. Just great reception of Radio Mali with north African music. Always fun to monitor, especially if you can follow the French language programming! Exotic, and always strong before 1800 sign-off (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. HOLANDA - Conforme o jornalista Tarcisio Lage, que durante muitos anos integrou o Serviço Brasileiro da Rádio Nederland, a emissora lançou este plano bombástico de cortes radicais, demissão e extinção de departamentos com o objetivo de negociar. Segundo ele, os holandeses costumam sempre fazer "muito barulho", enviando releases e divulgando a notícia com destaque. Depois, acabam cedendo em alguma parte. Portanto, novidades podem estar a caminho! (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 25 via DXLD) Says the radical cuts announced are a negotiating ploy (gh) ** NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR. An item of interest received recently which should have made my day was a delightful gift from Deutsche Welle for my regular monitoring reports. The folks at DW had sent me a very nice Walkman and a CD of radio signature tunes; unfortunately I ended up having to pay $12.50 to Canada Customs to pick up the damn box from the post office. They had opened the box, searched it, took apart the Walkman, put it back together --- and charged *me* for the ``handling`` fee plus taxes! 9-11 security paranoia strikes again (Sue Hickey, Grand-Falls-Windsor, NL, CIDX Forum, Jan CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3290 Radio Central (presumed) incredible s9 signal here today // 4890 with pops and male announcer at 1246 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PERU. BM Bandscan SW 57 Jan 26: 2820.40(Harmonic?), Radio Olmos, el distrito de Olmos, la provincia de Lambayeque, el departamento de Lambayeque. Jan 2003 - 0100 UT. The station is not listed in WRTH on SW or on MW, at least I couldn`t find anything. I presume it is a harmonic from 1410.20 or 940.13 kHz. On 1410 there is listed a "Radio Ideal" in Lambayeque. ID "Transmite Radio Olmos la más poular" or "Radio Olmos la emisora del pueblo". The program consists of information from Olmos and music. Morning program "Alegre amanecer". A great thanks goes to our member Thord Knutsson/TK, at the WRTH staff, who gives has this comment: "Hello Björn! Thanks for some mail. Here is at last an answer. Regarding lists from the Departement I have nothing else than the one found in dxlinks for Peru: "Radiodifusion.com: Radios del Peru". There you can take a look. The big problem with Peru, also on MW, is the great number of unlicensed stations. TIN visited Peru some time ago. He reports 3 "new" stations in Huarmaca, Prov. Huancabamba, Dep. Piura and 3 "new" in San Miguel de Pallaques, Prov. San Miguel, Dep. Cajamarca. I don`t know if they are licensed or not, I have not looked yet. Your questions about stations: A while ago I was in looking at the list mentioned above. I found in Distrito de Olmos, Provincia de Lambayeque, Dep Lambayeque 2 stations: 930 OAU1X R La Favorita e.i.r.l. and 1510 OBU1B Sánchez Villegas Manuel Jesús. Unfortunately only company names are given. Maybe your Radio Olmos is one of those. 930 seems most likely. Not of much help I`m afraid." 73 Thord Knutson http://www.calle.com/world/ Global Gazetteer: Listening to Latin American radio stations often means uncertainty of the QTH. Many geographic names for instance in Peru sounds the same and it is easy to make a mistake. There is a good site listing nealry 3.000.000(!) towns and places all over the world. In for instance Peru no less than 41.000 places are listed. Not only longitude, latitude and height above sea level also the weather just now, weather forecast the coming 96 hours, different maps and an enormous amount of links are given which help you to dig down to "street level" everywhere in the world. Luckily enough it seems there is only one "Olmos" in Peru. Visit the above link and click for "Peru". It is necessary to know the first two letters in the geographic name. Click for "OL" where "Olmos" s listed among a bunch of the places in Peru starting with "OL". When you come to this site you can read the following: "This is a directory of 2.880.532 of the world's cities and towns, sorted by country and linked to a map for each town. This is data presentation demonstration only. No liability whatsoever is assumed. Presentation Copyright 1998-2000 by Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. August 5, 2000: Revised. A widespread and systematic bug in the altitude calculations was reported and corrected. January 19, 2001: Tabulated information on city names only can sometimes be found at http://www.nima.mil; look for the Geonet name server". Regards (Bjorn Malm from Quito, SW Bulletin Jan 26, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENINGN DIGEST) ** POLAND. RADIO MARYJA, POLAND`S CONTROVERSIAL CATHOLIC NETWORK, CONTINUES TO EXPAND, GOES ITS OWN WAY Warszawa, Dec 29 (CRU) --- Embroiled in controversy over most of its 11 years of life, Radio Maryja of Poland celebrated its anniversary last December 8th. It has a controversial international image, but whether that is born of a liberal, leftwing press that dislikes its conservative tenets or of legitimate complaints cannot be known outside Poland, at least on this western side of the Atlantic (see the series in Catholic Radio Update #122-124 in May 2001). The station has run afoul of some members of the Polish hierarchy, whose antipathy is well known. Last September, Cardinal Józef Glemp of Warsaw threatened to revoke his permission for the station to operate unless it made certain concessions (see Catholic Radio Update #192, September 16, 2002). Philip Lawler`s Catholic World News reported that Cardinal Glemp had hoped that other Polish bishops would do the same, but they did not. The end result was that Father Tadeusz Rydzyk CSSR, the station`s founder and director, came to terms with the Cardinal and the permission continued. Some time in the past year or so, Radio Maryja dropped out of membership in the World Family of Radio Maria, of which it had been part and of which its inspiration had been drawn. Radio Maria World Family has an international reputation of cooperating with local bishops, and it is a matter of policy that it opens stations only where the bishop welcomes them. What role Radio Maryja`s endless problems with certain members of the Polish hierarchy (and the Polish government) played in the end of that membership, and who initiated it, is not known. Radio Maria World Family confirmed that Radio Maryja is no longer a member, but did not answer anything more. Despite the endless controversy, the station is eminently successful in the number of listeners it has and in their support. In addition to an extensive nationwide network of FM transmitters, it is also heard on shortwave daily and on two satellites, as well as a cluster of American and Canadian ethnic AM stations at certain times of the day. Just how strong that support is can be seen in its fantastic growth over the last four years. Radio Maryja is truly a national radio station. Since 1998, Radio Maryja has put 33 new transmitters on the air. Six years ago, according to the World Radio-TV Handbook, Radio Maryja had 143 transmitters. Of that number, fully 43 were still operating in the old OIRT Communist-bloc FM band, 66-73 MHz. Two years ago, that 43 had been reduced to 2. Today, both are gone. All have been replaced by 88- 108 MHz band transmitters. Further, new 88-108 MHz transmitters have been set up in areas previously unserved. True, there are fewer transmitters now than six years ago, but the recent ones have generally been more powerful than the older ones they replaced, including many in the OIRT band. Of the 126 transmitters currently on the air, 12 have changed frequencies and 23 have increased their power, some considerably. You can find a color map of Radio Maryja transmitters at http://www.radiomaryja.pl/newv/pol/wersja2002/01.htm Shortwave: The station is also heard on shortwave on leased German transmitters, on frequencies that change according to season. Currently, they are 12060 kHz from 7am-9:15 am Mondays through Saturdays, and 7400 kHz from 5pm-midnight 7 days a week, and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. These frequencies are subject to change seasonally. CARDINAL COMMENT ``For Poland has learned and the world has learned what totalitarianism is, the Nazi system; for Poland has learned what totalitarianism is, the communist system, costing us millions of victims; but Poland has not yet recognized what the liberal system is, liberal totalitarianism. It is more dangerous than the other totalitarianisms`` --Father Tadeusz Rydzyk CSSR, founder and director, Radio Maryja (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Jan 27 via DXLD) Not German, but: ** POLAND [non]. RUSSIA, 7400, Radio Maryja, 2250 1/23, presumed news in Polish, bit of classical music, ID, frequencies in Polish then in English "Radio Maryja says goodbye to our listeners" and off at 2300 (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Radio Maryja: 12010 (Armavir, Russia) QSL letter in 160 days. Addr: ul. Zwirki i Wigury, 80, 87-100 Torun, Poland (Alexander Polyakov, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Signal Jan 26 via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. A Rádio Portugal transmite, nas terças, a partir de 0035, o programa Correio do Ouvinte. Destaque para o espaço DX/Internet, com informações sobre dexismo e ondas curtas. Eis as freqüências: 9715, 11655, 11980, 13700 e 13770 kHz. Todos os relatórios de recepção são confirmados com o devido QSL (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 25 via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. 9690, 1712-, Radio Romania International, Jan 25. Always impressed with the 'receivability' of this station at various times of the day, with excellent modulation. Fair to good signal strength with English programming, 'World of Culture' program (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. On 31 Dec heard a relay of Murmansk commercial station Power FM, at 0915 on 17302 kHz. Announced frequency 104.5 MHz. It's a curious continuation of Ukrainian tradition - remember FM relays carried out by Sevastopol` maritime radio (Alexander Yegorov, Kyiv, Ukraine, Signal Jan 26 via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. Voice of Reform: I can inform you that there is a new jammer of Voice of Reform (Monitored 11/01/2003 on 9925 kHz, at 2030 UT with SINPO: 54554). It's the Swept Tones Jammer. This is in addition to the Bubble Jammer (A. Chaabane, Tunisia, Jan 11, 2003 for CRW via DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES. 15445, FEBA, 1503 1/22, YL and OM in English talking about how color of room affects emotions. Best in SSB due to splatter. Fair to poor (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 5019.9, SIBC had been BBCWS during the 1200 hour and the 1300 hour till fading here. This was an extended schedule for them; I think there official sign off is 1100. Now the station is just running open carrier at 1200 and 1300 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. TIGERS RADIO EXCEEDS RANGE Tamil guerrillas who commenced operations of their radio station Voice of Tigers (VOT) this week in northern Sri Lanka have exceeded the range of their broadcast as stipulated by the licence granted by the government. The licence granted permission to operate the radio station for a radius of 20 km, but the reception of the VOT radio was being monitored over 70 km away from the radio station at Kilinochchi. The government late last month said the licence was issued by the government, subject to conditions that the radio station should be located in Kilinochchi, with a coverage area radius of 20 kilometres. But, the broadcast signals were being clearly picked up in the northern Jaffna peninsula, in the north western coast of Mannar and in Vavuniya situated in the north central part of the country. The issue of granting a permit to operate a radio licence led to a major controversy as the LTTE had already imported the equipment at the time of making an application for the licence. The Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo Jon Westborg was instrumental in clearing the equipment as cargo meant for the mission. Constitutional Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris assured this week that the radio station would be monitored and action taken if the provisions of the licence were violated. "The VOT transmissions are subject to the terms and conditions in the agreement. Earlier they were transmitting in a clandestine manner," he said. "It is helpful for the two parties to put forward their different points of view. It is not sensible to gag one of the two parties. Let the public decide whose point of view they agree with. I see it as a very healthy aspect. Let all points of view emerge. "Eventually the judges are the people and any final solution to the problem has to be approved by them at a referendum. There is nothing wrong in allowing the negotiating parties to express their point of view," the minister said. With the launch of the VOT on Thursday, after the government issued a licence to operate the services, the LTTE also has increased its broadcasting hours by three hours. Half an hour has been reserved for Sinhala programmes. The LTTE has lined up a series of programmes dealing with regional issues, dramas, sports events and children's programmes (Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire Jan 20, 2003 via A. Sennitt, Holland, for CRW via DXLD) ** SUDAN. 7200, Sudan National Radio, 0450 1/20, time pips and ID, mentioned Omdurman, Sudan, by OM in presumed Sudanese [Arabic?]. Music bumpers between OM and YL announcers, good (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SWAZILAND: TWR BUILDS NEW SHORTWAVE ANTENNA | Text of report by TWR Africa newsletter on 16 January Soon, South Africa and Zimbabwe will enjoy better reception, as engineers in Swaziland laid the foundations for a new antenna at the transmitter station in Swaziland the first week of November. The anchors and concrete bases for two additional towers for the Zimbabwe antenna have been poured, while preparations are underway to set up the antenna so it can be in service by January [2003]. The process wasn't without incident, as Steve Stavropoulos will tell you, after receiving an injury to his foot in the process. Steve is recovering well and is looking forward to completing the job. Please continue to pray for this project. Source: TWR Africa newsletter, Manzini, in English 16 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SWAZILAND/ANGOLA: TWR PLANS NEW ANGOLAN PROGRAM | Text of report in English by TWR Africa newsletter on 16 January TWR-Angola plans to begin a new programme in the Fiote/Mbinda language. The Evangelical Church in Angola, the strongest Christian fellowship in the region, will coordinate production. The Fiote people live in Cabinda, an oil-rich region of Angola. Most are farmers and fishermen, while some work for oil companies and the government. Preservation of tradition and language are important to the Fiote, despite pressure to modernize. In other Angola-related ministry news, TWR's Project Hannah, Canada is fully sponsoring the Portuguese version of Women of Hope in Angola, not only for its first year, but also on an ongoing basis. 60 per cent of Angolans speak Portuguese, and the programme began airing in October 2002 from Swaziland. Source: TWR Africa newsletter, Manzini, in English 16 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. 7245, 0200-, Radio Dushanbe, Jan 25. Fair reception with IS and presumed Farsi program. Music was heard before TOH, but not sure if it was them or another station. Pretty much faded out before the English service at 0245 (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE [and non]. Glenn, Radio Ukraine Int. 7375 January 26, 2003. During the 0100-0159 UT broadcast the RUI signal went off the air at approximately 0142 for a few seconds. During the outage I heard English on 7375 kHz. I had been hearing what I believed was English under the RUI broadcast since tune in at 0059 UT. Perhaps University Radio is back (the cause of RUI's QRM last Winter). [later:] Glenn, COSTA RICA. The station causing QRM to RUI 7375 kHz January 26, 2003 0100 past 0405 UT is Dr. Gene Scott University Network. Positive ID heard at 0400. Therefore, probably University Radio Costa Rica. In addition RUI's is very weak at 0400 with less than S4 reading (RUI is usually very strong, for me, at 0400). 73, (- .. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This should come as no surprise; TIRWR has been on 7375 for years. If Kiev is unaware of this, they are not paying attention, or relying on HFCC where DGS CTR frequencies fail to appear (gh, DXLD) ** U K. IS THE BBC BIASED AGAINST ISRAEL? Glenn, You published a long article from an Israeli newspaper claiming that the BBC is biased against Israel. Writing as someone who listens to (and watches) a great deal of BBC domestic and international broadcasting, I have to say that this is not my impression. First, it is extremely rare these days for the BBC to mention Israel's long-standing violations of UN Security Council resolutions, although reference to Saddam Hussein's possible violation of a more recent resolution is commonplace. Nor is equal time given to the assumption, held by many people espeically in the Middle East and the "Third World", that it is Israel rather than Iraq that is the major destabilizing factor in the region. Concerning the article's claim that BBC interviewers are "hostile, strident and clipped, without sympathy and empathy" for Israel, I should like to ask the author why he apparently considers that the BBC should be sympathetic towards, or show empathy for, ANY side. Surely, that it not its function. Moreover, the "hostility" he speaks about is often no more than a technique to secure a lively interview. It is by no means reserved for Israeli interviewees alone! As for the BBC not observing "the legal and dictionary definitions" of the word "terrorist" one should remember that dictionaries are written by people and that people have different political and ideological starting points. Nor is there a single, all-embracing legal definition of the term "terrorist". Mr Begin, the former Israeli prime minister mentioned in the article, was during his struggle against the British regarded by the British legal authorities as "a terrorist" and as a "freedom fighter" by his own people. So whose "legal" definition of the man and his violent underground activities, are we supposed to use? It simply does not help to resort to dictionaries or opposing legal definitions when we are considering conflicts between peoples and ideologies. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that the BBC is impartial. On the contrary, it is very partial against whoever happens to be the current hate figure of the British and American governments. I haven't, for example, seen much evidence of impartiality concerning its coverage of Iraq. I suggest that anyone who really wants to discover the "smoking gun" of BBC bias should look at how it treats Iraq and the coming war that the American and British governments seem hellbent on waging against that country (Roger Tidy, UK, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. 60 NEWS JOBS TO GO AT BBC John Plunkett, Saturday January 25, 2003, The Guardian The BBC is to axe 60 jobs in the news operation as part of a cost- cutting drive designed to save £160m. The head of news gathering, Adrian van Klaveren, blamed spiralling costs and "changes in programme requirements and aspirations". Further job losses are expected when the BBC's Ceefax and online news services are merged at the beginning of next year. "Although we cannot guarantee at this stage that there will be no compulsory redundancies within news, we are confident that we will be able to meet the majority of the savings through ... natural wastage," Mr Van Klaveren said in an email to staff. Twenty-six jobs will go within the news gathering department, where Mr Van Klaveren said there would be "significant changes in order to balance the budget and to meet changing editorial requirements". A recruitment freeze has also been imposed across the BBC news department. The redundancies come as the director general, Greg Dyke, seeks to save £160m. News and current affairs programmes had been expected to bear the brunt but the impact will be felt across the BBC. The budget shortfall in the news division is believed to be about £15m. The BBC director of news, Richard Sambrook, wrote to all his department's 3,300 staff at the end of last year inviting them to consider voluntary redundancy (via Mike Terry, Jan 25, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U K [non]. LASER RADIO, LATVIA 5935: From Laser Radio laserradio@yahoogroups.com Hello all once again. This Sunday on 5935 sees a new media show - featuring product reviews and an interview with Radio Caroline's Peter Moore - and great music from Geoff Rogers and Mary Warner as well as a second chance to hear Stewart Ross' Anorak hour from last week. SCHEDULE (All times UTC/GMT) 15:00 World Bible Radio Network (Relay service) 17:00 Geoff Rogers' music choice 18:00 Mary Warner's musical mayhem 19:00 Anorak Hour, with Stewart Ross (repeat from last week) 20:00 The Media Show - with Julian Clover - featuring Part One of an in-depth interview with Radio Caroline's 'Peter Moore'. 21:00 CLOSEDOWN As always the broadcast (of Laser proper from 1700 UT) will be simulcast via the website and repeated up to 0100 Tuesday morning. It will also be repeated from 1700 (note the new time) the following Saturday. (At the moment, you can hear last week's shows in a loop via the web site) Happy Listening, Geoff Rogers (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. Beginning January 27 (GMT) VOA will expand Korean broadcasts, adding 1200-1300 on 7235 and 9555 kHz 2100-2130 on 5995 and 7110 kHz. Beginning January 27, VOA's current Hindi broadcasts at 1630-1700 and 1730-1800 GMT will be replaced by a single hour at 1600-1700 GMT, on 6060, 9815 and 11730 kHz (Dan Ferguson, IBB, Jan 26, SWBC via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Probably the report about the RFE/RL test on 3985 in DXLD 3-013 should be completed: This was Biblis as announced by Kim Elliot in advance. They also tried 3980 with Ukrainian in the evening, noted here in eastern Germany with a strong signal and noticeable quick fading. Last regular 75 metres transmissions from Biblis (and the IBB altogether) took place in 1998 if my records are comprehensive (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WWKB - The rumors are true BUFFALO'S 'KB' RETURNS From 1958 until June 18, 1988, WKBW/Buffalo served 17 states and much of eastern Canada with Top 40 programming and was the home to such notable hosts as Joey Reynolds and Danny Neaverth. On Monday the 50kw Entercom station (currently known as WWKB) will drop its Business Talk format to go Oldies under Hank Nevins, who will serve as PD and host the 3-6pm shift. Neaverth, who joined WKBW in 1963 and worked at the station until its last day as a Top 40, will co-host the morning show with another longtime Buffalo talent: Tom Donahue. Neaverth held similar duties at Citadel's crosstown WHTT (Oldies 104) until spring 2002, when the station declined to renew his contract. Meanwhile, Reynolds' WOR Radio Networks-syndicated talk program will air in the 1-6am slot. The Buffalo News reports that the new WKBW will focus on hits released between 1958-74 and feature many of the original WKBW jingles and old commercials (from radioandrecords.com via Blake W. Lawrence, Jan 23, NRC-AM via DXLD) Also ... http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030122/1029537.asp NEAVERTH RETURNS TO A NEW WWKB By ANTHONY VIOLANTI, News Staff Reporter, 1/22/2003 KB music radio is back from the dead, and Danny Neaverth is back from a short-lived on-the-air retirement. "I've risen from the dead and so has KB," Neaverth said Tuesday. The spirit, sound and personality of the old WKBW-AM 1520, a Top 40 giant that dominated radio here from the 1950s until the early '80s, will return on Monday when Neaverth signs on at 6 a.m. WWKB (the station is negotiating to use its old call letters of WKBW) will switch from a business/talk format to a "KB classic format" that day. "Don't call it oldies, we don't use that word around here," said Greg Ried, who runs Entercom Radio, which owns KB. The playlist will feature music released from 1958 until 1974. The main attraction will be nostalgia - many of KB's old jingles and commercials will be played. "I guarantee you this will be the only station where you will hear a commercial for Sattler's department store," Ried said with a laugh about the long-ago closed store at 998 Broadway. Neaverth will be joined in the mornings by Tom Donahue. Both of them formerly worked at WHTT-FM 104.1, the city's dominant oldies station. Neaverth, who had been on the air since 1957, left WHTT in a bitter split last spring, when the station declined to renew his contract and also let go of his son and daughter-in-law, Dan Neaverth Jr. and his wife, Pamela. It was at KB where Neaverth built his remarkable career that earned him a place in the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He has also been recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland for his radio accomplishments. Hank Nevins, longtime local air personality, will program the station and also host afternoon drive from 3 until 6 p.m. Joey Reynolds, famed local disc jockey at the former KB, returns with his nationally syndicated all-night talk show from 1 until 6 a.m. But it's Neaverth who will be the centerpiece of the station. "We wouldn't be doing this if Danny wasn't available," Ried said. "We're going to let Danny be Danny," Nevins said. "Who can tell Danny Neaverth how to do a morning show?" Neaverth is not looking at KB as an opportunity for revenge at WHTT. John Hager, who runs WHTT, was unavailable for comment on Tuesday afternoon. "There's no need for revenge," Neaverth said. "I'm just going on the air to do what I always do. I think this can be special because of the history of the old KB. It touched a lot of people who grew up with the station and we want to have some fun." Neaverth believes the station can make money. "They've got nothing to lose," Neaverth said. "Right now, they're at the bottom of the ratings and nobody is listening to it. We can't hurt them, because it can't get any lower. "We can attract a niche audience. We can generate revenue. That's what this business is all about." The return has also inspired Neaverth. "This is rejuvenating," he said. "The best part is the way Entercom and Hank Nevins feel about bringing back the station. It's exciting to be working for people who are excited about radio." Ried agreed. "Radio today has become too sterile and predictable," he said. "We're not in this to find some magic formula and reach some magic ratings number. We want them to go out and have some fun with KB." (via Mark Hattam, UK, ibid.) I'll be rolling tape all day Monday, either from home (where I get a very respectable 1520 signal) or in Buffalo if I can get up that early (and if it's over 15 degrees out, hi!) In addition to Danny and Tom in the morning and Hank in the afternoon, the new 'KB will also feature Your LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEADER, Jackson Armstrong, at night - probably voicetracked from his current home base in North Carolina. In any case, plenty of tape will be available to anyone who wants to hear it... (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) As I listen to Jim Rome on WGR-550, I heard a promo for WWKB's return to oldies "coming to an AM radio near you..." The promos seemed to evoke nostalgia for the Buffalo of the early 70's, i.e. the French Connection era of the Buffalo Sabres (line consisting of Gil Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert), and "Two for McAdoo!!" (Van Miller's call of a basket scored by Bob McAdoo of the Buffalo Braves) I will be listening on Monday just out of curiosity. Even though their pattern should go this way, they don't put such a good signal into the Toronto area. Not to mention slop from CHIN-1540. I wonder how they ever gave CHUM serious competition in the late 1950s. 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, ibid.) KB1520's website is ready to roll folks ....http://www.kb1520.com will be the main page....but the good stuff is hidden and not directed to the kb150.com main page...yet.. http://www.kb1520.com/main.php --was hidden..hehehe..until now. A guy on the AM Stereo list found it... dunno how he did it... but thought everyone would like to peek (Bob Carter, Operations/Engineering--Max Media Radio Group, ibid.) I'll definitely make time to listen and send a reception report. Let's flood KB with letters of support for the return to the glory days. Looks like the Rockin' Robin on CHWO will have some distant competition! (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) Danny Neaverth (correct spelling this time) will be on the Sandy Beach Show at 3:30 pm Friday. Beach himself is a former KB jock, although he does talk radio now. The station will call itself "Classic KB 1520" The new/old format starts at 6:00 am Monday Jan 27 2003. They are running an ad on WBEN announcing this....in which they say they are taking Buffalo radio back to its glory days....back in time...to a time when "chicken wings were only served one way (sound of a guy screaming) and when Chippewa Street was well... umm... Chippewa Street" (female voice comes on and says seductively "Hello Sailor") Should be an interesting addition to the local radio scene. Beach mentioned at the end of his show today that "KB has 4 listeners right now and that he was confident that within a month Danny Neaverth could double that. :P (Fred Waterer, Jan 23, ODXA via DXLD) ** U S A. 720, WGCR, NC Pisghah Forest, 1/23 2335 [EST] good; dominant at times over WGN and way over CHTN. On emergency facilities because of severe cold weather; giving shelter announcements and offers of rides for people to get to shelters. New (DH-NJ) I'll be on the lookout for this and others, especially at the NC coastline with a foot of snow on the ground, later tonight. The announcer last night said that they would be on the air as long as people wanted them to be, and there was no regular programming, just the announcer giving very specific information about who was willing to give rides, so call this person's cell phone. Ah, small town radio... (David Hochfelder, NJ, NRC-AM Jan 24 via DXLD) ** U S A. Commentary SHEER POLITICAL BRAZENNESS IS SEALING UP AMERICA`S MEDIA FOR A FEW CORPORATE GIANTS It goes without saying to anyone who knows the American political scene that Republicans have historically been all too quick to give away America`s resources to their cronies in big corporate America under the guise of it being for the commonweal. It is happening again, this time through the combined efforts of every branch of Federal government: the legislative, the judiciary, the executive. Think I am being hyperbolic? Read on. Right now the FCC is reviewing public comments on changing its regulations limiting the amount of media any one owner can have in one market. It is looking at its existing limits on the number of television stations, the number of cable systems, the number of radio stations, cross-ownership of newspapers and local radio and television, and cross-ownership of cable systems and local television for any one corporate owner. FCC Chairman Michael Powell, who claims he is not in favor of giving away the house, lock, stock, and key, sure sounds like it. He has railed against the limits in many a purview, to be applauded by the major media conglomerates whose greed is insatiable. Chairman Powell, the son of the famous General Clayton Powell, is obviously a true believer in the Republican Gospel that turning everything over to businessmen will ensure great prosperity for all. I have read in the online trade press, however, that a number of Democrats are also in favor of loosening the media ownership rules. Carrion attracts all kinds of scavengers. The U.S. Catholic Bishops have decried this turning over our children`s assets to a relentlessly greedy bunch whose only concern is the bottom line and the Wall Street media analysts` latest diagnosis on corporate performance. ``Catholic Radio Weekly`` had an interview with a media attorney just recently on this quiet railroading of easement of ownership caps. The members of the Catholic Communications Campaign committee heard a presentation on the same topic by Cheryl A. Leanza, an attorney with the Media Access Project, in their mid- January meeting in Washington. She explained that the Telecommunications Act, which loosened up ownership restrictions --- up until then, no one could own two radio or television stations in the same town --- as requiring the FCC`s biennial review of media ownership. That is what the FCC is doing. But unfortunately, this comes in the wake of two judicial decisions in which a Federal Court has ruled the FCC`s restrictions as an infringement on the rights of corporate interests, and remanded the matter to the FCC, throwing out its ``arbitrary`` limits and demanding the FCC come up with justifiable limits. One example of a rule found illegal: the FCC would not permit one conglomerate to own several radio stations in a market unless these did not command more than (I think) 35% of the listenership. One expects better things of the courts. They are, especially the Federal Courts, to protect the interests of the American public. How the FCC can argue that, say half of the listeners in a market should not be commanded by one single owner and justify that to the court`s satisfaction, and not the present 35%, or for that matter, any percentage, escapes me. So, we have an ownership regulation review mandated by the legislative branch, Congress, to the FCC, part of the executive branch, and remands by the courts (judicial branch) to the FCC. On top of this, President George W. Bush has said that he is in favor of changing ownership restrictions. In face of this mounted assault by elected officials and the courts on the public electromagnetic radio spectrum, can the American citizen have any hope that the public`s interests will be protected in all this? Recently, the president of Clear Channel Communications, I believe it was, argued that megaconglomerate ownership wasn`t so bad, although he did not call it that, of course; he said that the top five media companies controlled only 10% of the radio stations in the country. Only. What he didn`t say was that that 10% comprises almost every single AM and FM station with any decent signal in the top 100 markets. Recently an Afro-American company running two black formatted stations in the Dayton market threw in the towel because it could not compete against the other stations in the market, all owned by media conglomerates. These were able to offer special discounts, ad rates, and ad packages that locally owned stations could not match. Congressman Billy Tauzin, the marvel from Louisiana, who is pushing digital television down the throats of the public whether they want it or not so that the administration can auction off more UHF television channels to wireless providers, had the effrontery to tell the National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE) Convention this past week that restrictions on the number of stations one owner could own was a blow against freedom of the speech! Really? Shutting out minority and local owners who cannot compete even if they could meet the astronomical prices of radio stations, prices driven up by the insatiable demands of the conglomerates, is promoting freedom of speech? The president of NATPE had just given a keynote address in which he attacked the loosening of restrictions on ownership because it would reduce the number of purchasers of independently produced programs and thus put producers, writers, and artists at the mercy of a handful of conglomerates. Mr. Tauzin ignored all this and declaimed for the free speech rights of the very conglomerates that the NATPE president was warning about! This kind of double-talk and double-think seems unimaginable in a free society, but that is the kind of political stuff the poor people of Louisiana are used to from their politicians. The nation`s citizens are getting their first dose of it. Mr. Tauzin, you recall, is chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. It was pointed out by Miss Leanza and the lawyer on ``Catholic Radio Weekly`` that there has been nothing of this in the media. Well, very little. William Safire, writing in the New York Times, by which he is employed, even joked about the fact that he was heroically attacking the media conglomerates, of which his own Times is one. Mr. Safire quoted USA Today, published by Gannett, another conglomerate that had the honesty to report what the others were ignoring: The top five conglomerates take in 55% of all revenue in local radio. The number of radio station owners has dropped by a third. ``The truth is,`` Mr. Safire concluded, ``that media mergers have narrowed the range of information and entertainment available to people of all ideologies.`` It was FCC Commissioner Michael Copps who, failing to get Chairman Powell to assent to holding public hearings on media ownership, decided to hold them on his own. The first was in New York, and the FCC got an earful. Study after study showed that the amount of serious news had declined, that the fluff was up; that the question of media ownership limits had gotten almost no mention on the major networks and in major press --- this from the media that pride themselves on serving ``the public`s right to know`` by reporting the today`s major issues and their impacts, and then fostering national debate. I rode in a Washington cab listening to the live broadcast of these hearings over Pacifica`s WPFW; the statements of the public were discouraging, to say the least. News coverage, serious programming, a wide range of music formats, offerings, and individual songs were found by analysis to be in short supply or non-existent. In addition, musicians and record labels complain that tight lists make it impossible for many artists, particularly new ones, to get a hearing. (He was an impressive taxi driver to be interested in such matters.) Mr. Safire quotes Mr. Powell as frequently saying, ``the market is my religion.`` Mr. Tauzin sees ownership caps as restricting the freedom of speech of his conglomerate friends, the executives of which he is fond of taking out on his boat to go deepsea fishing or of inviting to his big parties and Louisiana-style suppers. (Asked by a reporter if this was not a conflict of interest, since Mr. Tauzin`s committee ultimately regulates the media, one of the congressman`s loyal retainers replied, ``They don`t have to come. If they refuse, there are a lot others who will accept.``) The court wants proof that there is basis to FCC regulations. The poor man`s calf is ready for butchering. We shall see a day in which all our important media are controlled by a handful of international media outfits. Programming will be even more restricted to the least-common denominator; news will be geared to ``the useful,`` that is, endless health study reports, entertainment world news, and fluff. Journalists who revolt will find themselves on the street, unsuccessfully looking for a job where a few control all. Musicians will have to resort to other means to have their music known. Up until now, we have thought the greatest threat to our cherished liberty of speech and free access of information would be tyrannical governments! (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Jan 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. FCC FORCES PIRATE RADIO STATION OFF AIR After serving as a forum for Austin bands for 11 months, threats of fines cause KAOS to sign off By Katherine Pace (Daily Texan Staff) January 24, 2003 http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/01/24/3e30fae8d8580 Over two years ago, an Austin music lover, dissatisfied with mainstream radio, decided to learn the ins and outs of radio broadcasting. A year ago, after fund-raising parties, equipment purchasing and the installation of a 50-foot antenna atop a house roof, KAOS began its 11 months of broadcasting. The end came Dec. 16 after the station received a letter from the Federal Communications Com-mission threatening its producers with "monetary fines, in rem action against the offending radio equipment, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment" if they continued to broadcast without a license. Before it was forced off the air, KAOS, on 95.9 FM, broadcast 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Primarily a punk rock station, its music ranged from classical to hip-hop and offered Austin bands airspace they could not get from mainstream radio stations, said former KAOS DJ's. "There's never been a radio in Austin that's done what we've done at KAOS," said a DJ who asked to be referred to as Colonel House. "It's a severe loss to people that KAOS is gone." The stations DJ's, who aired shows including The Way Shit Is, the Best I Can Tell, Saturday Night Drunk Club, and Wet Salad Show, played the music because they loved it and not because they though it would sell, said another DJ, who called himself Chicken. "The point was to get away from the shit that's on other stations," Chicken said. The station was a product of demand created by dissatisfaction with mainstream radio, House said. "Once we got on the air, people came flocking, too many people," he said. DJ James C. Smooth was part of the flock. He and his friend broadcast what he called a "hippie show" of music by the Grateful Dead, Phish and other jam bands before moving on to old country and bluegrass music. "Once I did my first show, I was pretty much hooked, just being able to play the kind of music I and a lot of my friends wanted to hear," Smooth said. Chuck Doiron, drummer for the Krum Bums, a local Austin punk band, said KAOS was the only radio station to give his band air time. "Everybody got to hear some good old punk that doesn't get played," said Doiron, whose band has been together for about three years. Pirate radio stations like KAOS are essential to breaking the corporate radio monopoly created by FCC regulations, said Trey Smith, a radio-television-film senior who works with KVRX. "Pirate radio's amazing," Smith said. "It's vital that it exists because FCC regulations are biased against small-scheme radio stations. The very founding purpose of micro radio is to diversify in whatever way possible, and KAOS did that." Pirate radio exists more often than not for a communal purpose, Smith said. KAOS radio started out to serve a community of hard-core punk kids. Unfortunately, he said, these communities are not recognized by the FCC as deserving of a communal radio station. And without an FCC license, radio stations are forbidden to broadcast over a large radius. "For a station that had such a small radius, [KAOS] was really well- known," Smith said. "That dooms any pirate radio station." Jason Kane, regional vice president of programming for Clear Channel Communications, agreed FCC regulations have created an environment where large companies like Clear Channel, which owns six Austin radio stations and more than 900 stations nationwide, can be formed. However, he said he sees the situation as a positive one. "Consolidation has actually created more diversity because we are called on to give each of our radio stations a unique identity," Kane said. FCC regulations and its licensing process are essential to keep airwaves organized, Kane said. "Fundamentally, any society that is going to organize electronic media in some way needs an arbitrating body," Kane said. "If the FCC is not vigorous in cutting down pirate radios in today's environment, we will have anarchy." Pirate radio is a movement by people who simply do not want to play by the rules, Kane said. "What we're really talking about is that people in the movement have a socialist agenda. They are anti-corporate. That's way beyond radio and broadcasting," Kane said. "If these people are so concerned about diversity, they should go through the process." But the process is not so easy, said Jim Reese, chief engineer for Clear Channel Communications. FCC rules include a third-adjacent channel rule, which specifies distances allowed between radio stations. These distances are regulated up to differences of three frequencies, Reese said. The rule was created years ago when the quality of receivers was not good. With today's improved receivers, a large number of people think a second- adjacent rule would be sufficient. Petitions filed with the FCC to change the rules were rejected due to pressure from the National Association of Broadcasters, a powerful air-industry lobby group, because it would put more radio stations on the air, Reese said. "Technically, there is no reason why it wouldn't work," Reese said. KAOS operated only second adjacent to 95.5 FM without interfering, said Beer Princess, a person associated with the station. Instead, KAOS and other pirate stations are being shut down because they take audiences from mainstream radio. "We're taking away their audience because we're better than them," House said. Until the rules are changed, the FCC will not grant any new licenses in Austin, Reese said. Currently, the FCC is not licensing new stations anywhere in the country because, according to the FCC Web site, it is rewriting its licensing rules. The FCC did not return calls regarding its policies. Reese said he did not support total deregulation of the airwaves due to the need for a technically-sound operation, but many pirate radio broadcasters are technologically savvy. Until FCC regulations change, pirate radio will continue to flourish, Beer Princess said. "Once technology is available to people, they are going to use it no matter what legal pressure is applied against them." (via Brock Whaley for DXLD) ** U S A. LowFER beacon NWNJ is enjoying very low tree losses on its signal right now. The antenna current has doubled since Fall because the cold, dry weather is reducing the RF absorption from the hardwood forest here. NWNJ will be on-the-air from Friday (now) until about 10 PM-EST on Monday night. It will be sending CW at about 10 wpm. Its frequency has been running about 6 or 7 Hz higher than its listed 189.650 KHz due to the cold (TX is outside). All reception reports will be greatly appreciated and QSLed, if an address is provided. Thank you (Posted by John Bogath on January 24, 2003 at 17:30:06, LWCA via Mike Terry, Jan 26, DXLD) ** YEMEN. 9779.6, 0350-, Yemen Radio and TV, Sana'a, Jan 25. Fairly good reception with Arabic programming by man and woman. Probably a radio play. Frequency is from memory, as I lost an evening's worth of loggings when my computer crashed. Something to be said about written logs! (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. MADAGASCAR 7120, 0330-, Radio VOP, Jan 25. Transmitter problems tonight with breaks. Unfortunately too weak to hear the program. Did hear the usual sign-on tune, but not exactly at 0330 as is the usual. Not the 5-5-5 signal heard on the beach on Maui at sunset!!! (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5500: I think this might be a reactivated transmitter from Mekele in Ethiopia. It has been popping on with open carrier at the same times // 6360 [sic] comes on, but that`s all it does, open carrier. Need more work. 6350 was heard signing on at 0400 UT Sun with Voice of Tigray Revolution, usual cool IS and echo ID (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 27795 ? Was looking for Irish church stations this morning and found an American one instead. 1340 nice signal in the middle of his sermon and lost after about 5 minutes. It would be 8:40 AM in the Eastern time zone; that's my guess as to where this guy is (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DRM +++ The announced tests from Sveiø 2000-2300 on 6175 this week did not take place. If they really do it next week they will effectively kill Deutsche Welle in English to Europe 2000-2045 on 6180 from Sines, just to mention the most prominent victim. One guy already commented he would really like to read the faxes they will receive. Best regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CONTEST +++++++ VACATION BCL CONTEST 2003 Rules of new Vacation BCL contest 2003 http://swlcontest.homestead.com Thank you (Frank Parisot, France, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Flare activity remained very quiet until Jan 21; since that time there have been a few M class flares recorded. Coronal hole activity is causing depressed MUFs from Jan 23-25 with the solar wind speed elevated and mildly southward, southern region MUFs are being depressed by up to 20%. Similar conditions were experienced from Jan 18-20 due to another coronal hole. With all this equatorial MUFs have generally been mildly enhanced. Shortwave Fadeouts and flares remain possible for the first part of the coming week, together with continued coronal hole effects for the next couple of days and again Jan 30-31. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, Jan 25, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) TRANS-EQUATORIAL FM DX Últimas escutas realizadas em FM (escutas realizadas em Jaraguá do Sul/SC com receptor SONY ICF-SW7600G e antena telescópica do próprio receptor): 95.10 The Best Mix FM Trinidad and Tobago 22.01.03 02:03 mx, "Heaven" 97.3 Radio Saint Lucia Santa Lúcia 26.01.03 02:17 mx, "I'm alive", Celine Dion 100.1 Sun FM Antigua and Barbuda 02:34 mx estilo country (Márcio Roberto Polheim da Silva, Jaraguá do Sul/SC, Brasil, radioescutas via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-014, January 24, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1166: WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Sat 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN: Rest of world Sat 0900; Eu only Sun 0530; NAm Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html WORLD OF RADIO ON WMQM, 1600, 50 kW, MEMPHIS TN: Saturdays 10:30 am CST = 1630 UT (Adam Lock, WMQM) [week delay] ** AFGHANISTAN. SUPREME COURT ISSUES BAN ON CABLE TV The chief justice of the Afghan Supreme Court, Mawlavi Fazl Hadi Shinwari, banned five fledgling cable television networks in Kabul this week on grounds that some of the foreign programming being shown was un-Islamic. Shinwari has also refused to consider an appeal against an earlier ban he imposed on a cable network in Jalalabad. Shinwari told RFE/RL that there is no political reason behind his recent decrees and that he is not being pressured by any political or religious factions. He denied that he is trying to return Afghanistan to an era of restrictive interpretations of Islamic law such as those that existed under the Taliban regime. The chief justice said he is ready to resign if the Afghan people reject his decrees on what constitutes a violation of Islamic law. And he insisted that the partial nudity in foreign programs shown by Afghan cable do, indeed, violate Islamic law and traditional Afghan values. Shinwari said he is not concerned that his support for the decree could lead to cutbacks in Western aid disbursements, adding that he would resign if the edicts are rejected. The edicts may face just such a test in the near future, as Afghanistan's deputy chief justice, Fazel Ahmad Manawi, said Islamic scholars of Afghanistan should decide whether the ban is valid or not. ("Afghanistan: Ban On Cable TV Seen As Symptom Of Power Struggle," rferl.org, 24 January via RFE/RL Media Matters Jan 24 via DXLD) We keep seeing stories like this evidencing resurgence of Taleban Thought; for this we bothered? (gh, USA, DXLD) ** ALASKA. José Luis López informa sobre el esquema de la KNLS válido desde el 26 Enero: En inglés a las 08 y a las 13 por los 11.765 kHz, mientras que en 9.615 kHz, emite en ruso a las 09 y a las 11 y en mandarín a las 10, a las 12 y de 14 a 16 (Gabriel Iván Barrera, RN Radio-Enlace Jan 24 via DXLD) Ah, yes, KNLS` weird and frequent schedule change dates: from Jan 26 back on 11765 for both English broadcasts. Spring is on the way (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. A failure of an aerial at the RA Shepparton transmitters will mean that RA's English Language Service and the Chinese Service carried on 9475 kHz (1100-1900 UT) and 9500 kHz (1900-2130 UT) will be operating at reduced efficiency until further notice. The aerial which beams these programs on 329 degrees has a broken element and cannot be used safely. The temporary use of a rhombic antenna, on a bearing of 353 degrees, is the only alternative to suspending the broadcasts altogether. As advised by Radio Australia (John Figliozzi, NY, Jan 24, EDXP via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Glenn, HCJB-Australia was assigned the site indicator of "KNX" for Kununurra many months ago, for official frequency management purposes. "HCA" was allocated as the "admin" and "org" abbreviations. HCA advised Jan-24 that a frequency move from 11755 is urgently being sought 0700-1200, to avoid Pori co-channel. Reception in NZ is reported to be very poor. Here in Melbourne, it's virtually unusable, in the 0700-0930 period. I am in contact with HCA's Freq Manager and I will pass on any further news. Regards, (Bob Padula, Victoria, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 25 Jan '03 Dear All, I just heard in HCJB DX Partyline today that the startup for HCJB-Australia broadcasts to India on 15480 has been further delayed till the 2nd of Feb due to damage to the antenna. Regds, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AZERBAIJAN. What I assume Wolfy lists as the Assyrian Dem. Movement was heard on 9155.0 at 1725, but is not on air at 1800 re-check (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 18 via DXLD) Checked Ashur Radio too, V. of Assyrians ZOWAA at same time today, seems on air approx. 1600-1758 UT, but surprisingly measured on EVEN channel 9155.00 kHz, and only S=2-3, so it could be Azerbaijan site. Reminds me of George Jacobs activities via AZE in 1994-1996 ??? (Wolfgang Bueschel, Jan 18, BC-DX via DXLD) ** BHUTAN. Hi Glenn, I can confirm, Bhutan Broadcasting Service from Thimpu was well received here in SW Finland on 6035 kHz with s/on 01 UT this morning. Fortunately AWR via Abu Dhabi in EE on co-channel frequency just closed down. Bhutan carrier noted 0055. SIO 333 for BBS Thimpu 01 UT with quite heavy splashes from both sides. For some reason beautiful music came a lot stronger than the female announcer. I guess the language was Dzongha. Maybe I`m wrong. Definitely it was BBS Thimpu. Tnx Vlad Titarev for this tip! 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku FINLAND, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This ought to be possible in North America, but I don`t recall any reports of it --- too much QRM, I suppose; and it`s UT M-F only (gh) ** COLOMBIA. ELN: PERIODISTAS RETENIDOS Viernes, 24 de enero de 2003 - 05:29 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_2690000/2690025.stm El Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) de Colombia reconoció tener retenidos a dos periodistas que colaboran con el diario estadounidense Los Angeles Times. Durante una transmisión clandestina por radio, el grupo rebelde señaló que la periodista estadounidense de origen británico Ruth Morris y el fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton están cautivos desde el martes. En Estados Unidos, el periódico indicó que ambos se encontraban gestionando una entrevista, lo cual fue desmentido por el grupo guerrillero. Según se informó, ambos reporteros fueron capturados por un comando del ELN en una zona cercana a Arauca, situada a 450 kilómetros al noreste de la capital, Bogotá. En la emisión de radio, el ELN precisó que los periodistas serán dejados en libertad en su debido momento y se comprometieron a garantizar sus vidas. Por otra parte el grupo rebelde expresó en un comunicado que Arauca es una zona de guerra declarada por parte del gobierno estadounidense y el Estado colombiano (BBC Mundo.com via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ELN station not named above, but is named in El Tiempo report: COLOMBIA --- ELTIEMPO.COM - CONFLICTO ARMADO 5:10 p.m. EJÉRCITO DE LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL (ELN) RECONOCE QUE SECUESTRÓ A PERIODISTAS DE LOS ANGELES TIMES EN ARAUCA Se trata del fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton y la reportera británica Ruth Morris. Los "periodistas, sí, se encuentran en nuestro poder, pero en ningún momento venían a sostener una entrevista con los mandos del Frente Domingo Laín o el Frente de Guerra Oriental, dichos señores ingresaron sin permiso del Ejercito de Liberación Nacional a la zona y por tal motivo, en un retén de control y registro del Ejercito de Liberación Nacional, fueron retenidos'', dijo el grupo insurgente en un comunicado. La reportera británica, criada en Estados Unidos, Ruth Morris y el fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton estaban realizando un reportaje en el departamento de Arauca, cuando el martes en la mañana se toparon con un retén de guerrilleros a la altura de la localidad de Corocito. Una vez allí fueron internados en las montañas cercanas con los ojos vendados. En principio se les dijo que se les entregaría un mensaje para la prensa internacional. Posteriormente, el Ejército desvirtuó la versión del secustro, tras señalar que se esperaba el retorno de los dos comunicadores el miércoles en la noche. El Eln, la segunda guerrilla del país, sostuvo que los periodistas "en su debido momento se dejarán en libertad cuando las condiciones políticas y militares así lo ameriten". Además, en el mensaje emitido por la estación de radio clandestina 'La Voz de la Liberación' afirmaron estar "dispuestos a garantizarles la vida y seguridad a estos periodistas". El Eln considera que el departamento de Arauca, donde fueron secuestrados los periodistas, "es una zona declarada de guerra por parte del gobierno norteamericano y el Estado colombiano". Mientras el presidente Alvaro Uribe otorgó más poderes a los militares en tres municipios para frenar la presencia de la guerrilla ahí, recientemente llegaron unos 70 instructores militares de Estados Unidos que entrenarán a tropas locales en la protección de un oleoducto. Según el conductor del taxi que llevaba a Morris y Dalton, Madiel Ariza, los rebeldes que los detuvieron en retén, les "dijeron que los necesitaban para una entrevista para mandar a la prensa internacional", pedido al cual los periodistas accedieron. Ariza dijo que él y los periodistas se internaron en las montañas donde pasaron en la noche del martes en compañía de los guerrilleros. Esa noche fue la última vez que los vio, ya que fueron separados a la hora de dormir por un problema de espacio. La mañana del miércoles, un rebelde le indicó a Ariza que partiera sin los periodistas, ya que ellos seguían conversando con los comandantes. "A las 12 del día a mi dijeron que me viniera porque ellos se los entregaban al (Comité) Cruz Roja Internacional directamente", sostuvo Ariza. Precisó que en "en ningún momento los trataron mal", aunque reconoció que les cubrieron la vista al llevarlos al lugar del encuentro por razones de seguridad. Con AP (Via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) COLOMBIA REBELS: WE KIDNAPPED JOURNALISTS http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35246-2003Jan23.html By Andrew Selsky Associated Press Writer Thursday, January 23, 2003; 9:30 PM BOGOTÁ, Colombia –– An American photographer and a British reporter on assignment for the Los Ángeles Times have been kidnapped by Colombian rebels, the first foreign journalists to be abducted in recent memory in the country's long war. Scott Dalton, a native of Conroe, Texas; and Ruth Morris, a British national, have been "retained" by the National Liberation Army, or ELN, the guerrilla group said in a statement Thursday on a clandestine rebel radio station. The kidnappings come just days after three other Westerners were reported missing and believed taken by a Colombian paramilitary group in Panama, just north of the Colombian border. Robert Pelton, Megan Smaker and Mark Wedeven were reportedly seized by the right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. Pelton gained worldwide attention with an interview of American Taliban suspect John Walker Lindh while covering the war in Afghanistan for CNN. Dalton and Morris had been intercepted Tuesday at a rebel roadblock in Arauca state, one of the most violent regions of Colombia. They were led away from their taxi with hoods on their heads, but had been told they were being taken for an encounter with a rebel commander, their driver, Madiel Ariza, told The Associated Press. Ariza said the rebels told him to leave their encampment the following day, and that the ELN would turn over the journalists to the Red Cross within a day or two. But the ELN statement said the journalists were being held. "In due time, they will be freed, when the political and military conditions permit," the statement said. The Los Angeles Times said the pair were working for the newspaper. "The situation is very fluid, and our primary concern is for Ruth and Scott's safety," the paper said in a statement. The kidnapping comes as the United States is beefing up military aid to the Colombian government, which has been battling the ELN and a larger rebel group for 38 years. Last week, dozens of U.S. special forces trainers arrived in Arauca to train Colombian troops to battle the guerrillas. The Colombian soldiers will be tasked with protecting an oil pipeline in Arauca that has been sabotaged by the rebels numerous times. The kidnapping occurred on a road south of the Colombian town of Saravena, 205 miles northeast of Bogota. Several dozen of the U.S. special forces are to be stationed at an army base in Saravena, located near the Venezuelan border. The ELN statement said the two journalists had arrived in the guerrilla stronghold without their permission. "You must take into account that Arauca state has been declared a war zone by the American government and the Colombian state," the rebel statement said. "For that reason, the National Liberation Army is on a war footing and is (acting) in the defense of the dignity of all the people of eastern Colombia." The ELN said they were "prepared to guarantee the lives and security of these journalists," and did not issue any demands for their release. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota said it was following the situation. "We are concerned about the individuals who have been reported missing," an embassy spokesman said. "We continue to monitor the situation closely with the Colombian government and State Department in Washington to obtain the most accurate information." Both Dalton and Morris live in Bogota, the Colombian capital. Dalton, 34, is a freelance photographer. He had been a photographer for the AP for about nine years, based in Panama, Guatemala and then Colombia, until the summer of 2002. He left to pursue video projects while freelancing for Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Miami Herald and other media. Morris has written articles as a freelancer for the Los Angeles Times, Time magazine, the Sun-Sentinel in south Florida and other publications. She previously was a staff writer for Dow Jones Newswires in Bogota. The kidnapping came as a delegation of the Inter American Press Association was visiting Colombia to urge the government of President Alvaro Uribe to protect journalists operating in this South American country and punish those who kill and kidnap them. Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries to work in, but local journalists have been the ones usually targeted. Nonetheless, foreign journalists working in Colombia could be targeted at any time, warned Jack Fuller, president of Tribune Publishing Co., who was in the delegation. "We have to believe that if Colombian journalists are murdered with impunity, it raises the risk to all journalists who are here," Fuller told the AP on Wednesday. The Tribune Publishing Co. owns the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. Pelton, a 47-year-old freelance journalist, is also the author of "The World's Most Dangerous Places," a guide book to the world's conflict zones. Smaker and Wedeven are Pelton's traveling companions. The Colombian Red Cross said it was in contact with the paramilitary group for a handover of the three travelers (© 2003 The Associated Press, Washington Post, via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. Radio Bayrak International on 6153 at 0620-0900 UT. In English with music and IDs such as "This is R. Bayrak International, Northern Republic of Cyprus, Lefkosa. SIO 322. Heard on my Grundig Y. Boy R. Normally the frequency is 6155, modulation is not good and some times ORF Austria is on preventing us from hearing R Bayrak and then later in the afternoon R SNG is on the air using 6150. Today no news bulletin was aired, I wonder why (Costa Constantinides, Cyprus non-Turkish, BC-DX Jan 17 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. I am perplexed by DW's move to abandon several hundred weekly HF frequency-hours of English output to Australia, NZ and Americas, considering its strong support to introduce DRM transmissions mid-2003. DRM are HF services! Here in Australia, DW English programming is broadcast over the ABC's Newsradio for 10hrs 15mins weekly. Schedule includes one hour daily Mo-Fr, from 3 to 4 am Australian Eastern Summer Time, 4.30-5.00 am Sundays, and 8.15-8.30 am Sats. There's also 30 mins noon until 12.30 pm on Tu-Sa. Not really sure whether those timings would attract a regular audience! Newsradio has limited coverage, mainly in the capital cities on MW plus FM in Darwin and the Gold Coast. Alternatively, after March 29, I would be limited to RealAudio, costing me 20 cents per MB over a dial-up connection, but I think I will pass on that as the car is not so equipped! I will now need to get a DRM-fix as that seems to be where the future HF action will be... (Not really - will spend my time and money on better things, like watching the Australian Football League - gee, the pre-season Cup starts in two weeks!) Regards (Bob Padula, Victoria, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. We took the North American Mailbag off the air simply because we did not receive enough correspondence to fill the programme. Not because we had no interest in broadcasting to your part of the world. This decision had nothing to do with the present decision. If you would like to be informed about the facelift the English Service of Deutsche Welle (DW) will be experiencing with the start of summer time on 30th March 2003, just send an e-mail to: margot.forbes@dw-world.de - referring to: A Facelift for Radio Broadcasts in English and I will be pleased to send you the relevant information. I would also just like to add that our Distribution Department will be putting some information together about rebroadcasters and the times and details of DW programmes they will be featuring. I have your details on record and will send off further information as and when it becomes available. Regards, Margot Forbes DEUTSCHE WELLE (via Dean Bonanno, DXLD) We have received numerous copies of this form letter, altho with some variations, such as in this one about the Mailbag show. And now, a reply to her (gh, DXLD) Dear Ms Forbes, Many thanks for the letter of explanation regarding the imminent changes in English language programming on the Deutsche Welle. I am really puzzled by the use of the term "Facelift" because your English programs have been and are still very attractive and do NOT need a "facelift" but that's just a side issue. More importantly the matter of relying on local stations to replace daily English broadcasts from DW Radio should be closely examined. Our local Public Radio broadcaster, WUIS, Springfield, ILL has DW's "Inside Europe" at 6 AM on Saturday, not exactly a prime time slot! I seriously doubt whether WUIS will ever carry DW Programming during the morning or evening news slots when NPR is scheduled, so listeners to DW will NOT likely hear much from DW on local FM. You are making the same mistake which the BBC made, assuming that there are enough American public broadcasters who will carry your programs during prime or near-prime hours. Many areas in the USA don't even have local Public Radio outlets. That's why people still listen to SHORTWAVE. Luckily my fluent German will allow me to tune in to your programs in that language, but I feel sorry for those listeners who will lose your English programs on shortwave. Cordially, (Martin Gallas, Jacksonville, IL, to DW, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) DW is one of those who have privatized their transmission facilities. It happened indirectly -- Deutsche Telekom took them over several years back, and now Deutsche Telekom is all (or mostly) private...and in tough financial shape. Transmission fees now represent real, arms' length business transactions. Wry comment: T-Mobile, the wireless subsidiary of DT, uses "Get More" as its slogan (sultrily uttered by Ms. Zeta-Jones). In North America, we're "Getting Less"...of DW (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, swprograms via DXLD) Digital shortwave will be half that cost at least because stations can use lower power and probably fewer frequencies. I don't know the cost arrangements involved in being on WRN, but I would venture a guess that it's a lot lower than the cost of pumping all those electrons into the air. I agree that $700,000 a year doesn't sound like a big nut, but the real question is not the figure itself but the figure relative to what? Also, I haven't seen any research on this, but just from observing the clientele at each SWL Winterfest I would guess that the average profile of an SWL is decidedly male, roughly 40-50 years of age (if not higher) with an income level somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Now, I ask you: how many radio and TV stations in the US do you see targeting this profile??? |g| Sad but true (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) ** INDIA. India is celebrating its Republic Day on Sunday January 26, 2003. The running commentary of the parade in Delhi will be carried by all stations of AIR at 0350-0645 UT on that say. Here are details of additional transmissions then. Hindi Commentary: 11900 (plus 6155 9595 11620 normally used for Urdu service at that time and 15770 used for other External services to Middle then) English Commentary: 7140, 9910, 15020, 15050 (Bangalore). (Note: 7140 is scheduled via Hyderabad and Delhi simultaneously!?) External service in Hindi at 0315-0415 on 13695 will not be there on that day. With Republic Day Greetings, ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. JUMPTV.COM DEFIANT IN FACE OF CANADIAN WEB BROADCAST 23/01/2003 Editor: David Minto New laws in Canada outlawing unauthorised internet video retransmissions of TV programming that originates in the US have been swept defiantly aside by Canadian webcaster JumpTV.com. Canada`s broadcast watchdog, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), sided on Fiday with North American broadcasters, closing a `loophole` in Canadian law that would have allowed internet broadcasters to screen US TV shows without the permission of US networks. The loophole depended upon only Canadians viewing the broadcast shows, but the commission ruled that it could not be ensured that internet transmissions were so contained. Montreal-based JumpTV.com, however, has said it had abandoned any plans to bend Canadian TV programming retransmission rules in such a way last year. Instead the webcaster is concentrating on delivering a foreign channel service. Around 20 foreign channels are currently transmitted by the service and include broadcasts from Europe, Asia and South and Central America. CEO Farrell Miller believes he is tapping into a lucrative international market with subscribers paying up to E10 (USD10) a month for each foreign language signal. 80 percent of subscribers currently reside in the US, many of whom belong to large expatriate communities based there. Article location: http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=14562 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SATELLITE RADIO REPLACES AM, FM Two services offer car drivers the luxury of listening to the radio without commercials --- By Eric A. Taub, NEW YORK TIMES Jan 5 When Michael Scantlen purchased a Sirius satellite radio system for his car, he had to buy not only the equipment but extra gasoline as well. "The first week I got Sirius, I used up an extra half-tank of gas because I didn't want to stop listening to the programming," said Scantlen, 47, an electrical engineer in Agawam, Mass. "I haven't listened to regular radio since I bought it." Comments like Scantlen's must come as relief to Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, the two companies in the business of supplying an alternative to conventional AM and FM broadcast radio. Both have spent billions of dollars on satellites, transmission equipment, studios and programmers (and seen their stock prices plummet in the process) to create all-digital radio networks. Think satellite or cable television without pictures, and you will understand the digital satellite radio concept. Both Sirius and XM offer 100 channels of static-free radio reception in the car or at home, scores of unique and proprietary channels coast to coast, and excellent sound, no matter whether you are driving through Manhattan or the Arizona desert. Like satellite or cable television, satellite radio requires you to sign up as a subscriber (usually through a car audio dealer) and pay a monthly fee: $12.95 for Sirius, $9.99 for XM (Sirius offers discounts for long-term subscriptions). You also need to buy new equipment. Replacement receivers are available for cars (they also receive AM and FM broadcasts and come with the typical options like CD and tape players), as are adapter kits that work with existing audio systems, feeding the signal through the cassette player or over an unused FM frequency. Starting with the 2003 model year, many auto manufacturers are including satellite radios with certain cars. For the home, receivers are available that connect to stereo systems, usually through an auxiliary input. Sirius and XM use somewhat different satellite technology. Three Sirius satellites orbit the earth in a figure-eight pattern, with two of the three always over the United States. To ensure uninterrupted programming, all three transmit the same signal, but with a four- second delay between any two satellites. This allows a memory buffer in the receiver to smooth over any loss-of-signal problems. XM's network consists of two geostationary satellites hovering over the United States -- one over the East Coast, the other over the West -- that also employ a delay-and-buffer system. A small roof- or window-mounted car antenna picks up the signal. Since the radio signals travel by line of sight, both companies have also created a network of ground-based repeater stations to ensure that the signals can be picked up in the shadow of a mountain, in the steel canyons of New York or in other areas where the transmissions might be blocked. Similar services The similarity of the two services' programming outweighs their differences. Both have created extensive digital studios for live broadcasts and original performances. Both offer at least 60 channels of music plus 30 or more channels of news, talk, variety and sports; an uncensored comedy channel; children's programming; radio dramas; and news from the BBC, CNBC, CNN, C-Span and Fox News, among others. Fans of National Public Radio's signature news magazine programs, "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," won't find them on either service, although Sirius does offer NPR talk and variety shows. "Our news programs are staples of public radio, and it's important to keep them exclusive to our stations," said an NPR spokeswoman. Sirius hopes that will change. "Stay tuned," said Jay Clark, the company's vice president for programming. "We're having discussions with NPR about that." One difference between the services is in their policies on commercials. All of Sirius' 60 music channels are commercial free. XM runs ads on half its 70 music channels but pledges that it will never program more than six minutes per hour of commercial spots, which is one-third the amount found on standard commercial broadcast radio. Both companies emphasize the abundance of offerings to encourage listeners to surf the dial. Beatles fans listening to the group's songs on one channel might be directed to another channel to hear an interview with Paul McCartney. People who like one type of music may be advised that a similar group is playing on another channel. In that way, the companies hope to build loyalty to the service, not just one channel. Both companies offer a wide range of specialty music genres. Jazz and blues fans have a choice of seven channels on XM, and eight on Sirius. XM has separate channels playing the hits of each decade from the 1940s to the 1990s, while Sirius offers four similarly themed channels. XM and Sirius both classify 11 of their channels as rock- oriented, and both break down the genre into channels playing classic, heavy, album, alternative, soft and mainstream rock. Free samples Listening to the offerings is the best way to decide which service is most appealing. Customers can sample both services free at the companies' Web sites -- siriusradio.com and xmradio.com. XM offers a three-hour loop of each music channel, and Sirius simultaneously provides each channel's content in its entirety. To date, most subscribers have arranged to receive service by buying a replacement car radio or adapter. But both services are counting on licensing agreements they have forged with car manufacturers to push sales to their break-even point. BMW, Ford and DaimlerChrysler are offering integrated Sirius- compatible radios as a dealer-installed option on certain 2003 models. GM is offering XM-compatible radios on 25 of its models, including all Cadillacs. XM service will also be available as an option at many Toyota dealerships and to purchasers of Honda's Accord, Pilot and Acura MDX models. Nissan plans to offer Sirius and XM to customers on select 2003 models, and Volkswagen/Audi says it plans to offer both but has not specified when. Sirius and XM have agreed eventually to market a radio that can receive either service, but both companies say that it will not be available any time soon. Meanwhile, integrated dealer-installed radios for either service typically cost $325, and after-market add-on units can be purchased for $200 or more, including installation. To ease the burden for new-car buyers, manufacturers will often offer to fold the cost of the radio and a year's service into the lease or financed purchase price. Plenty of presets Is digital satellite radio worth the price? Some early adopters, frustrated with the limitations of regular commercial AM and FM radio, say it definitely is. William Dreskin, a rabbi in Greenburgh, N.Y., keeps his children content on car trips with the youth-oriented channels on the XM radio he bought when he leased a new car. "I've set six channel presets on children's programming for my kids, six for me and six for my wife. I like to listen to jazz, but with a regular jazz radio station, I never knew what I'd hear and if I'd lose the signal when I was driving to Queens or Long Island to serve my congregants." Brian Stafford, who owns a machine tool factory in Little Rock, Ark., and travels 200 to 300 miles a week on business, said: "Since subscribing to Sirius, I can't remember the last time I've listened to regular radio. The variety's unbelievable and I can hear the programming wherever I go. I haven't even bothered to reprogram my radio for the AM and FM channels I used to listen to." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRAN. IRANIAN LEADER LAMBASTS US BROADCASTS TO IRAN Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, Head of the Expediency Council of Iran, has said the United States is erroneously following policies aimed at restoring a secular system in Iran. He said US leaders have been listening to statements by a small group of opposition activists who possess propaganda means. Rafsanjani said the US has inaugurated a round-the-clock radio station in the Persian language [Radio Farda] to broadcast poisonous propaganda against Iran, a country rich in natural resources and with a strategic location in the Middle East (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 24 January 2003 via DXLD) ** IRAN. Just been listening to IRIB on the Grundig 600 and telescopic whip that is sat next to the main PC. English broadcast from 0030, still on at 0223 when I quit, 9580 kHz good signal, some fading, no noticeable interference. Announced frequencies as 6120 and 9580 for North America. Never thought I would hear pop songs by groups such as ABBA and the Shadows on an Iranian station, but that is what they use as signature tunes for their programmes! Much religious talk in amongst news and general interest programming. 73 (Sean G4UCJ Gilbert, UK, Jan 25, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Ashuria/ZOWAA 9155 : see AZERBAIJAN ** KASHMIR [non]. For almost one week now, I am getting a new station identifying as "Radio Sadaye Kashmir" on 9890 at 0230-0300 UT. 0230- 0310 it`s in Urdu and at 0310-0330 in another language. The carrier and test tone comes about 20 minutes before the program starts and it is very strong at my location in Hyderabad, S. India. Station identification is given only once at sign on during the entire program and no address is given. The sign on announcements includes the particular date of broadcast. The program consists of songs and easy going talks (not the hard type.) I did not see any reports on this station any where yet. Any more details are welcome. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J National Institute of Amateur Radio, Box 1555, Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082, India, dx_india via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Hi Glenn, just heard the .RAM file of WoR 1166. There was a slight update of the RFA Tinian frequencies at that hour. That`s 13625 from Tinian throughout 1400-1700 in Korean now. 1400-1500 KOREAN 5855U 7475Y 12000T 13625T 1500-1600 MANDARIN 7540D 9905P 11945T 13695T 13745T 15510T 17565T 1500-1700 KOREAN 11870S 13625T 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LEBANON. 837, Radio Lebanon (Ida`atu Lyubnian) booming in here with great signal at 1400 UT Jan 11, news in Arabic. At 1410 ceremonial announcement about new US made superpower transmitter of 1000 kW "covering Egypt, Turkey, etc." and mentioned Bulgaria already too. Reception without using loop-antenna, just built-in aerial (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** MALTA. From http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=117785 ISLAND SOUND RADIO OFF THE AIR 'TEMPORARILY' BROADCASTING AUTHORITY INVESTIGATING --Herman Grech Island Sound Radio is off the airwaves but the management has denied the station is closing down after 11 years of broadcasting. The station ceased its broadcasting schedule on Monday at 9.45 a.m., mid- way through Marisa B's programme and is now broadcasting Voice of America 24 hours a day. When contacted, station managing director Colin Tabone said Island Sound was off air "because we have some equipment parts missing that need to be imported". Mr Tabone said staff had been informed to take their leave but had not been laid off. There are 12 members of staff at the station, most of them part-timers. "Very soon we will be back on air, and, no, we are not negotiating with anybody," Mr Tabone insisted. A spokesman for Network Publications said however that negotiations were going on with a view to purchasing the station, though he would not give further details. The spokesman said the company was looking to further diversify its media product. Network publishes the Sunday newspaper Malta Today and The Sunday Circle magazine and produces the daily TV programme Reporter, among others. A spokesman for the Broadcasting Authority said the Island Sound case was being investigated. "Island Sound has a promise of performance. It cannot change the schedule content without the permission of the authority," he stressed. The spokesman said Island Sound had been issued a frequency provided it adhered to the "promise of performance". (via Mike Terry, DXLD) WTFK?? ** MONACO [non]. 1467 Superloustic, a station for children under 12, is back on the air after an 11 year absence. They are using the Monaco [sic, outside of Monte Carlo at Fontbonne on France soil, ed.] transmitter on 1467 kHz between 0530 and 1730 with 50 kW. This seems to be just a test and it is not clear yet how long it will last. They are actually testing the program they will put on the air if they are awarded a MW channel by the CSA next month (Remy Friess, France, MWCircle, via Mike Barraclough, UK, Jan 21 BC-DX via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. The limited series of special DRM tests from Bonaire 12025 0600-0655 to Aus/NZ, being in-band, have wrecked reception of anything else between 12015 and 12040, as anticipated. This stuff is broadband in 20 kHz "spectrum blocks". There are supposed to be spectrum masks to limit output, but this is not effective. These technology assessment tests ought to be out-of-band, or where they can do no damage (Bob Padula, Victoria, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See DRM sexion below ** PAKISTAN. Radio Pakistan noted on every Sat *1530-1600* on 4790, program in English and political commentaries. Just at 1600 there are the news on 4790 11570 15070 etc. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** SUDAN. Around 1700 UT on 7200 I picked up a station called (Voice of the Armed Forces) "Sout Alquwat al Musalaha" in Arabic; the program started with the National Anthem followed by an ID by a YL followed by Qur`an Reading and then program details by the same YL. ID followed by a patriotic song and then a program "Called with the Soldiers". They said the program is from 0700 till 1000 P.M Sudan time (1700-2000 UT). (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, SU1TZ, BC-DX Jan 19 via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. STRUGGLING FOR NEWS IN TURKMENISTAN By Michael Clarke Over the past four years, the Turkmen government has undertaken a systematic campaign to cripple the educational system and prevent any information from the outside world from reaching the people of Turkmenistan. But my personal experience in Turkmenistan -- I lived and worked there as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1998 until 2001 -- has convinced me that these efforts are bound to fail. Three months into my service with the Peace Corps, I began to understand just how hard it is to get real news on the radio. One evening, as a Turkmen friend and I sat watching the national television station, I naively inquired if he ever heard news from outside Turkmenistan. He mentioned ORT, the Russian state-owned television station that is broadcast throughout Turkmenistan (with a tape delay to allow the censors time to cut anything deemed inappropriate). Murat added that if you wanted factual news you had to listen to shortwave radio broadcasts from Prague. Cautiously, Murat fetched his weathered, battery-powered shortwave radio. He made sure all of his family was asleep, and he quietly turned on the radio. He warned me not to tell anyone about this, not even at school or in the Peace Corps. This was our secret, since if word got out that "the foreigner" was listening to underground radio with a local, there could be big problems for both of us. Nearly every night we listened to RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, as my friend translated Turkmen to help me follow the broadcast. Via those broadcasts, Murat heard news about the outside world that certainly would never pass the Turkmen censors. We listened to reports that included news of the opening of a new OSCE office in Ashgabat and Murat's favorite, the sports scores. There are only two radio stations widely available in Turkmenistan: the state-controlled channel and Radio Mayak from Russia. Most of the people I knew listened to Radio Mayak, broadcast out of Moscow, which can loosely be described as a Russian version of the U.S. National Public Radio. Mayak broadcasts every day throughout the former Soviet Union, offering music, news, and human-interest programs. Although, in theory, one can listen to Mayak safely, most people would turn off the radio if a neighbor stopped by. On paper, the Turkmen Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press. In practice, those who express views that differ from those of the state are subject to a range of reprisals: having their utilities cut off, losing their jobs, being exiled domestically, or ever being imprisoned. Throughout the time I worked in Turkmenistan, the government- controlled media intensified their focus on President Saparmurat Niyazov. There was not a public building, car, bus, train, airplane, newspaper, television program, magazine, book, or public event on which the president's photo was not prominently displayed. His portrait is literally everywhere. Toward the end of my time in Turkmenistan, underground cable operators began setting up illegal networks of satellite dishes able to receive a variety of uncensored news. Recently, Niyazov ordered more stringent controls on the broadcasting of Russian cable television, saying that these channels "are designed against Turkmenistan and are slanderous." Actually, these channels aired U.S. movies, Brazilian soap operas, and Russian variety shows. Newspapers are another way in which the media serve the state, particularly the president. Each day, a prayer appears on the front page of every newspaper praising Niyazov the Great and asking that terrible punishment come unto those who betray or disappoint him and/or the motherland. Every newspaper must display a front-page picture of Niyazov and cover his daily activities. Such "news" is so predominant that important world affairs are often not even mentioned or appear only on the back pages, as was the case with Turkmenistan's humanitarian involvement in the antiterrorism struggle. Newspapers and magazines from Russia used to provide embassies, Turkmen citizens, and companies with reliable information and a needed distraction from the perpetual onslaught of Turkmen propaganda. These periodicals were available at the bazaar for roughly half the average Turkmen monthly salary. But on 16 July 2002, the Turkmen Communications Ministry officially halted the delivery of all Russian print media into the country. Turkmen, the official state language, limits the range of information available to the people of Turkmenistan. Recent policies discourage children from learning foreign languages in another effort to isolate the country's population. The Turkmen government has also instituted the obligatory teaching of President Niyazov's "Rukhnama," a work Niyazov compares to the Koran or Bible. There are also state prizes for citizens who follow the "Rukhnama's" code. All high-level officials, teachers, and doctors are required to own the book if not to memorize it. The Internet poses a major headache for the Turkmen government. In May 2000, the government withdrew the licenses of all private Internet providers, leaving only state-owned Turkmen Telecom, which has set access fees so high that now the average citizen cannot afford to use the Internet. A few bustling Internet cafes did spring up around the capital city, Ashgabat, and several opposition websites were launched. Unfortunately, in June 2001 the government revoked all the Internet cafes' licenses and forced them to shut down Internet operations. Today, as far as I know, the only public-access Internet sites are funded by the U.S. State Department. Its Internet Access and Training Program provides academics, professionals, and other Turkmen citizens much-needed access to the world of Internet information. On 25 November, President Niyazov survived an alleged assassination attempt that left at least one bodyguard seriously wounded. Turkmen media, particularly state television, were deployed to show a series of Stalinist-style public confessions of the alleged would-be assassins. My experience in Turkmenistan clearly showed me that its people -- and its growing diaspora -- want to be part of the global information community and will persist in finding uncensored news. One personal example will suffice. On 9 September, I took part in an RFE/RL briefing in which three Americans discussed living and working in Turkmenistan. After that briefing was aired, Murat contacted me and let me know that he had been listening to RFE/RL that night and heard my familiar voice. Murat told me that he was proud to be a part of its message: that the people of Turkmenistan represent the country's best hope for the future. Michael Clarke is a development coordinator for the International Research Exchanges Board, a U.S. nonprofit organization (RFE/RL Media Matters Jan 24 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. BBCWS DRM on 6010 confirmed as Sackville tests: see DRM at bottom (gh) ** U K. ISRAEL/UK: EX-AMBASSADOR TO BRITAIN SLAMS BBC'S "UNBALANCED REPORTING" | Text of commentary in English by Yehuda Avner, who served as ambassador to Britain, entitled: "'Sherlock Holmes probes the BBC"; published by Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post web site on 17 January The BBC is a redoubtable establishment with a formidable reputation. Its World Service, which is currently celebrating its 70th anniversary, attracts an audience of 150 million listeners a week. One man who was quite partial to the British Broadcasting Corporation was Menachem Begin. The first thing he did upon rising at five each morning was to switch on the BBC and wash and dress to the intoning of the news announcer speaking with the imperturbability of a cricket commentator during a somewhat dull moment in the match. Begin loved the BBC's economy of style, its unexcitable precision and clarity of speech. His partiality stemmed from his days in the Irgun, when good English phrases were weapons, and he would sit glued to his wireless set in an inconspicuously cunning hideaway absorbing the bulletins and mastering the tongue. In later years he would talk whimsically of those BBC language exercises in the underground. And like an aficionado of history who adores lampooning the foibles of the long-gone famous, he would take pleasure in charming overseas guests with stories of knotty BBC vocabulary tests he had set himself, like Disraeli roundly trouncing Gladstone across the parliamentary aisle, saying: "The honourable gentleman is a sophistical rhetorician with the exuberance of his own verbosity." When the premier recited this nugget of hyperbole the words rolled trippingly off his tongue and his guests would lap it up delightedly. Begin considered the BBC's coverage of world news professional, factual and, by and large, trustworthy. On October 6, 1981, when word reached him that an attempt had been made on the life of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, he typically instructed his secretary to tune into the BBC. He himself used a special line to speak to the Israeli embassy in Cairo, but they could tell him nothing amidst the general mayhem. President Jimmy Carter broke in with a call from the White House to share the good news that Sadat had been only slightly wounded. The American ambassador in Cairo, Alfred Atherton, had told him so. As more initial reports came through, the prime minister's secretary fiddled systematically with the radio, monitoring other stations as he searched for the BBC. The Voice of America repeated what Carter had told the prime minister. Radio Monte Carlo, on the other hand, said Sadat was mortally wounded and might already be dead. Radio Free Europe alleged that the Egyptian president had walked away from the assassination attempt unscathed. And then the secretary finally alighted on the BBC, where its unflappable newsreader told his listeners that Anwar Sadat was dead, shot at the Cairo military parade that marked the eighth anniversary of the Egyptian crossing of the Suez Canal at the start of the Yom Kippur War. "Hinei, ha-BBC," muttered Begin, grimacing at the bad news. "Zo ha'emet. Sadat nirtzah!" ("That's the BBC. It's the truth. Sadat's been murdered!") He gave instant instructions to set in motion an emergency stratagem for fear a military coup was under way in Cairo. One could see the arteries throbbing in his neck as he gave the order. Such were the days when statesmen would sometimes make decisions based upon the reputation of the BBC. And whereas its commentators might spare no rod in criticizing this or that aspect of Israeli policy, its current affairs producers were for the most part impartial, accurate and balanced, bound by the ethic of fair play. A Royal Charter created the BBC in 1926. Over the years, in agreement with the British government, various procedures have been put into place to ensure accurate reporting, among them an official code of conduct called "the Producer's Guidelines". The Royal Charter requires the governors of the BBC to monitor and supervise compliance with this code. Chapter 2 of the Guidelines states that: "Due impartiality lies at the heart of the BBC. All BBC programmes and services should be open- minded, fair and show a respect for the truth. No significant strand of thought should go unselected or underrepresented on the BBC. The BBC is explicitly forbidden from broadcasting its own opinions on current affairs." Thus, impartiality, truth, dispassion, fairness, accuracy, context, faithful representation - these are the ethics of the BBC. Fidelity to that code is what gave the corporation its monumental reputation as the gold standard of current affairs broadcasting. Until the intifada, that is. Just at a time when the Israeli journey turned suddenly perilous, the BBC's coverage of it turned suddenly rough. While professing to blow trusty horns of impartiality, its interviewers have become hostile, strident and clipped, without sympathy or empathy. BBC announcers uttering the word "Zionism", "settler" or "Sharon" seem do so through a curled lip. Opinionated, slanted and emotional advocacy have replaced accurate, honest and straightforward journalism. Obfuscation has taken over from plain speech. Ian Duncan Smith, leader of the British Conservative Party, speaking in Cardiff on December 9, told the BBC: "Stop using platitudes and describing Hamas and Islamic Jihad by such euphemisms as 'radical' and 'militant'. Broadcasters should call these groups what they are: terrorist organizations. Such fudging of what Hamas or Islamic Jihad are confers a dangerous legitimacy on people who could easily extend their war of terror to this country." Internet "bloggers", fair-minded folk with no axe to grind, have been posting their outrage and compiling rap sheets of blatant bias against Israel from those who claim objectivity and then broadcast their political views as facts. The psychological tentacles of innuendo, insinuation and outright bias have seemingly so penetrated the BBC's corporate culture that some analysts conclude a pernicious virus has infected the system, malevolent to the Jewish state. Thus The Financial Times in its weekend edition of 16-17 November, wrote: "In a study earlier this year of the BBC's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the British lawyer Trevor Asserson and (his research assistant) the Israeli lawyer Elisheva Mironi, the authors found that the BBC breaches its license agreement to be impartial by 'incorporating use of language, unbalanced reporting, inappropriate selection of material and distortion or omission of facts a clear and significant trend of bias' against Israel and against Jews." The study in question was an analysis by a prominent highly respected London solicitor. He has now published a second report, working with an impressive committee of academics and lawyers. Oxford-trained and a senior partner in one of the world's largest law firms, Asserson first addressed the matter of alleged BBC bias in 1986, not with respect to Israel, but in the context of a British general election. He was at the time a member of the legal team instigated by former British Foreign Secretary David (now Lord) Owen to bring a high-profile action against the BBC for bias in its lack of coverage of the Social Democrats and Liberal parties in that election. The BBC settled the action and amended its policy rather than face its critics in the courtroom. Applying a similar forensic technique, Asserson has now authored two reports http://www.bbcwatch.com exhuming a pattern of BBC bias against Israel. As meticulously documented as a coroner's inquest, Asserson shows how Britain's only tax-funded broadcasting body, is, in fact, purveying biased views as news. "We have found," says his Executive Summary, "that the BBC preserves a superficial impartiality by allotting broadly similar time to supporters of each side to the conflict. However, against most other criteria we have found the BBC to fall consistently short in its aim of impartial and accurate reporting At times, by a mere selection or omission of facts, the BBC provides a report which portrays the very opposite of the truth. "Frequently, the BBC is misleading. At times it appears to invent material to suit its own bias." Over two randomly selected periods of time, Asserson and his team analysed the BBC's major coverage of the Middle East in its main news programmes. Then, collating their findings into the two reports, they documented in devastating detail breach after breach of the BBC Guidelines, among them: emotive use of language; unbalanced reporting; selective use of material; distortion and omission of facts; unfair choice of interviewees; an almost consistent sympathetic portrayal of Yasir Arafat with no corresponding profile of a major Israeli leader; refusal to use the legal and dictionary definitions of the word "terrorist"; calculated omission of Israeli viewpoints; suppression of stories that do not suit the BBC world view; the abusive use of pictures; biased reporters expressing personal views, and an almost automatic attempt to find an anti-Israel angle to numerous news stories. Asserson acknowledges that between the publication of his first report (March 2002) and his last (December 2002), a number of defects have become less blatant. For example, references to "occupied Palestinian land" are now rare. Instead, the less emotive "occupied land" is used. Arafat is now seldom referred as "president," but rather, correctly, as "chairman" of the Palestinian [National] Authority. This is fine. But when measured against the rich tapestry of partiality which the BBC weaves, it adds up to very little indeed. The overwhelming bias Asserson so conscientiously demonstrates, and which myriads of listeners and viewers sense daily for themselves, persists. Which is why the Asserson Report concludes: "The BBC has significant power, heavy responsibilities and clear legal obligations. By failing to break out of its own cycle of inaccuracy and partiality in its reporting of the Middle East the BBC is abusing its power, behaving irresponsibly and is in breach of its legal obligations. If it is to maintain its reputation for impartial and accurate reporting we consider it should now put its house in order." The question is, how? One answer may lie in the fact that, unusually for a news organization, the BBC's Guidelines are not mere aphorisms. They are mandatory. The BBC is a publicly funded body subject to legal redress enforceable in British courts. And Asserson, with his meticulous magnifying glass and assiduous nose for evidence, might well turn out to be the Sherlock Holmes of the case, who, with the help of some keen and generous Dr Watson, could unearth enough material to go to court. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1042690520257 Source: The Jerusalem Post web site, in English 17 Jan 03 (via BBCM and via Joel Rubin, DXLD) ** U S A. CHRISTIAN RADIO HOST TELLS LISTENERS TO ABANDON CHURCH Religion Today Associated Press http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/5014512.htm OAKLAND, Calif. - An influential Christian radio host, best known for his failed predictions of the second coming of Christ, has run into more derision and criticism for telling listeners to abandon the church. Harold Camping says his Bible studies have revealed that what he calls "the church age" has ended. He has told his worldwide radio audience that Satan has taken over all churches. For the past two years, Camping has been teaching that God wants people to worship privately in their homes instead - with no leaders, no baptism and no communion. "The Bible says God is not saving people any longer in the churches," Camping said in a recent interview at Family Radio's headquarters in Oakland. "They're being saved outside the churches." Critics call the idea heretical, and say the self-described Bible expert doesn't know what he's talking about. Some evangelical Christian leaders complain that his call is hurting their churches. "He's in critical locations in the United States and the rest of the world. He has a large listening audience," said David Clark, who tracks Christian fringe groups. "He's got pastors all over the United States in an uproar. He's gone over the edge this time." Camping, 81, parted ways several years ago with the conservative, evangelical Christian Reformed Church in which he grew up. Retired from his own construction business, he serves full time as the unpaid president of Family Radio, which he helped start in 1958. The network grew and gained international attention in 1994 with Camping's well-publicized prediction that the world would end that September. Since then, he has made several more apocalyptic predictions. Christ never came - but the radio network has thrived. From its base, a modest reddish-brown building sandwiched between a burger joint and an auto parts store on a road to the Oakland airport, the network has built a broad and powerful reach. Its signal is broadcast or relayed on more than 150 stations and translators in the United States. It airs in several major metropolitan areas, on the Internet and in Europe, Africa and Asia. It reaches mainland China from a station in Taiwan and is building a station to reach much of Southeast Asia. Its signature show - "Open Forum" - features Camping answering called- in questions, often rambling about obscure Biblical and religious references in his slow, deep voice. He repeatedly refers to Matthew 24, the Bible passage that speaks of how wars and other trials will precede Jesus' second coming. The Sept. 11 attacks were "a diversion from what the real terror is," he said. "When Christ comes, there will be no more mercy, no more Gospel, no more salvation. ... God always follows through." Devoted callers ask Camping - who graduated with a civil engineering degree in 1942 from the University of California, Berkeley - what the Bible says about everything from homosexuality to home schooling to financial planning. He also hears from his share of skeptics. "I understand you had some misunderstandings a couple of years ago. My only question is - should people follow you now?" asked one recent caller. It's not clear how many listeners are tuning in. Camping says he doesn't know. But donations, one measure of the network's effectiveness at reaching people, totaled more than $12 million in 2000, according to documents the nonprofit filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Camping this month released a book, "The End of the Church Age and After," one of many he has written but the first devoted to his new beliefs about the church. Church leaders have complained that Camping's teachings are costing them parishioners. Some are so angry that they have held special meetings to discuss Camping. Many affected congregations are tiny, and the departure of just a few people can have a devastating impact, said Dave Rastetter, 35, a deacon at Faith Presbyterian Church in Akron, Ohio, and the man behind http://www.familyradioiswrong.com - an anti-Camping Web site. Rastetter used to enjoy listening to Camping and stuck with him despite his failed predictions. But in 2000, he says, Camping became obsessed with teaching about Satan. At first, Camping said most churches were bad. Rastetter finally broke away when the radio host declared all churches bad, no exceptions. Rastetter believes Camping was "trying to save face" after his predictions had failed to materialize. Clark, who calls Camping "an authoritarian spiritual meathead," says the talk-show host keeps a tight rein on the radio network and refuses to answer his critics, who say they can find no trace of his teachings in the Bible. "I believe he can be destructive to churches and individual lives. His worldview is nonnegotiable," Clark says. Camping calls all the criticism "character assassination" but says he is not surprised that church leaders aren't embracing a teaching that, if true, would lead to their churches' dismantling. Of his critics, he says, "I worry about their standing with the Lord." (via Ulis Fleming, http://www.radiointel.com via DXLD) (Also a version of the above article appends this:} As for the second coming of Christ, Camping predicts it's not far away. "Most of the people living in the world today will be here when Christ comes." This time, he said, he won't predict the date (via Andy Sennitt, Brock Whaley, DXLD) BTW, Family Radio has a huge SW operation, out of Okeechobee, FL, known as WYFR, which AP didn`t think worth mentioning, and a growing SW relay network. But what, other than Taiwan, is this ``building a station to reach much of SE Asia``??? Obviously, wacky religionists attract equally wacky supporters (gh) ** U S A. KCRW GM Ruth Seymour talks with Norm Pattiz, who helped develop Radio Sawa and Radio Farda to bring American culture to the Middle East, on the Politics of Culture Tuesday (1/28) at 2:30 PM [PDT; 2230 UT] (KCRW Newsletter Jan 24 via DXLD) And should be % ondemand as most KCRW programs ** U S A [non]. 3980 Radio Liberty via Biblis in Ukrainian. 23 Jan. 1800-2100. Interference from 3985 DW and 3975 Budapest (Silvain Domen, Belgium, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Winter schedule for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Updated on Jan. 20 ALBANIAN 2000-2030 792 7180 9600 11765 ARABIC 0200-0300 5965 7105 7175 0300-0400 1314 5965 7105 7175 0400-0600 7115 9695 11970 0600-0700 11970 15255 17740 1400-1600 1314 6130 9685 11835 11965 1600-1700 6130 9685 11835 11965 1700-1800 9845 11725 11835 1800-1900 9785 11725 11835 2100-2200 9645 11965 2200-2300 6015 9645 ARMENIAN 0300-0400 6170 7120 1500-1600 11895 1700-1800 9825 11865 AVARI 0515-0530 9575 11705 11780 1815-1830 9615 11930 12130 AZERI 0400-0500 9605 1000-1100 15205 17670 21530 1400-1500 11795 15430 17605 1600-1700 9665 1900-2000 9670 BELORUSSIAN 0400-0500 612 1188 6140 9615 9835 0500-0600 612 6140 9615 9835 1400-1600 612 1600-1800 612 7190 9615 15460 1800-1900 612 6150 7205 9865 1900-2000 612 6150 7205 9865 2000-2100 612 1188 6140 7205 9845 2100-2200 612 1188 6010 6140 9845 BULGARIAN 0700-0730 9870 1100-1130 17730 1500-1630 9625 1630-1700 9625 Sat/Sun 2000-2030 9745 Mon-Fri CHECHEN 0530-0545 9575 11705 11780 1830-1845 9615 11930 12130 CHERKESSI 0545-0600 9575 11705 11780 1845-1900 9615 11930 12130 DARI* 0330-0430 801 6010 9825 12140 15690 0730-0830 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 0930-1030 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 1330-1400 801 15525 15690 17630 19010 21690 1400-1430 801 15690 17630 19010 21690 1730-1800 801 6170 11770 12140 15120 15690 1800-1830 801 11770 12140 15120 15690 2330-0030 801 972 5835 5910 7175 12140 GEORGIAN 0500-0600 9605 1600-1700 11895 2000-2100 9505 KAZAKH 0000-0100 6135 7145 9625 0200-0300 6135 7145 11795 1200-1300 9520 15110 17680 1400-1500 9660 12010 17680 1500-1600 4995 6055 17680 1600-1700 4995 7105 11920 KYRGHYZ 0100-0200 7295 9555 15590 0200-0300 5035 9555 15590 1300-1330 11660 15515 17750 1400-1430 12030 15515 17750 1500-1600 9540 11780 13865 1600-1700 7260 9595 9675 PASHTO* 0230-0330 801 6010 9825 12140 15690 0630-0700 15690 17595 19010 21690 0700-0730 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 0830-0930 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 1230-1330 801 1143 15525 15690 17630 19010 21690 1630-1700 801 11770 12140 15120 15690 1700-1730 801 6170 11770 12140 15120 15690 2230-2330 5835 5910 7175 12140 PERSIAN# 0030-0400 1539 1593 9515 9585 9795 0400-0600 1539 1593 9585 9795 0600-0800 1539 1593 9585 15290 17675 0800-0830 1539 1593 9585 13680 15290 17675 21575 0830-1400 1539 1593 13680 21575 1400-1700 1539 1593 9435 13680 15410 1700-1900 1539 1593 11705 11845 1900-2000 1539 1593 6140 11960 11985 2000-2130 1539 1593 11960 11985 2130-0030 1539 1593 ROMANIAN 0400-0430 6030 6130 Mon-Fri 1600-1630 7165 9725 1700-1730 7165 9725 1730-1800 7165 9725 Mon-Fri 1900-2000 7165 9725 Mon-Fri RUSSIAN 0000-0200 5985 6095 7155 7220 7235 9520 0300-0400 5955 6105 7155 7255 9520 9635 0400-0500 5955 6105 7220 9520 9680 11885 0500-0600 5955 7120 7220 9520 9680 11885 13810 0600-0700 7220 9520 9680 11875 11885 13810 0700-0800 7220 9520 9680 11875 11885 15205 15250 0800-0900 9520 9680 11885 15205 15250 15370 17845 0900-1100 9725 11930 15410 15445 1100-1300 9805 11885 15120 15215 15370 17805 1300-1400 7220 9805 11725 11885 15370 17730 1500-1600 7220 9520 11805 11885 15130 15370 1600-1700 6105 7220 9520 11805 11865 11885 1700-1800 6105 7220 9505 9520 11805 11885 2000-2200 5955 6105 7220 7265 9520 9620 9845 9865 2200-2300 5955 6095 6105 7220 9520 9865 2300-2400 5985 6105 7155 7220 7235 9520 RUSSIAN/CE.AS 0500-0515 9575 11705 11780 1800-1815 9615 11930 12130 SERBOCROATIAN 0330-0430 1197 0830-0900 9565 11730 15215 1400-1430 9555 11885 13650 1700-1800 1188 1197 7115 7245 9695 1830-1900 1188 7155 9705 11750 1900-1930 7155 9705 11750 1930-2000 1188 7155 9810 11750 2100-2200 7175 7265 9680 2230-2300 1188 2300-0100 1188 1197 6115 7115 9725 TAJIK 0100-0200 4760 6050 7275 0200-0400 6050 7275 11665 1400-1500 9695 15405 17660 1500-1630 9695 11705 11910 1630-1700 4760 9695 11705 TATAR-BASHKIR 0400-0500 7255 9635 0600-0700 11730 11855 1600-1700 6180 9505 2000-2100 7245 7295 TURKMEN 0200-0300 864 6160 7295 9680 0300-0400 9680 15470 17865 1400-1500 9565 15185 15345 1500-1530 9530 9565 11740 1530-1600 864 9530 9565 11740 1600-1800 9565 9770 11740 UKRAINIAN 0400-0500 6170 7245 9750 Mon-Sat 0600-0700 5980 7245 9695 Mon-Fri 1800-1900 5985 6170 9625 1900-2000 6170 7125 9625 2000-2100 6170 7125 9625 Sun-Fri UZBEK 0100-0200 864 0200-0400 7190 9725 21770 0400-0600 9725 17655 21770 1300-1400 1143 1600-1800 9835 12020 17610 *Radio Free Afghanistan #Radio Farda 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 24 via DXLD) ** U S A. COMMUNICATION CELEBRATION: BEDFORD MUSEUM SHOWCASES MARCONI'S BROADCAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS {WHICH Bedford? Must be the one just SW of Manchester NH, base of this paper, but there is also one NW of Boston MA; not New Bedford} By DAVE BROOKS, Telegraph Staff Wednesday, January 22, 2003 Staff file photo by Bob Hammerstrom The Marconi Museum in Bedford celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first two-way, transatlantic broadcast last weekend. Did you stop Saturday and honor the centennial of one of the great events of modern technology, a Cape Cod accomplishment that altered the world more than any three Internet discoveries combined? Well, don't be embarrassed. I forgot about the 100th anniversary of the first two-way, transatlantic broadcast, too. The neglect is shameful in the Nashua area, since we're a snowball's throw from the Marconi Museum in Bedford, which celebrates this event. And it's really bad for me, since I've visited the museum and you probably haven't. Hoo boy . . . call this column a makeup. At least the centennial was marked Saturday in a pretty cool way: Guglielmo Marconi's daughter went to Cape Cod on Saturday and sent a signal to the Space Shuttle. It wasn't exactly gooseflesh-producing copy - "Cordial greetings and good wishes," etc. - but verbal flourishes weren't needed, since the medium was the message. Those words came straight from the Morse-code message sent Jan. 19, 1903, from President Theodore Roosevelt to King Edward VII of England. Before that moment, it took at least a week to get a message from Massachusetts to Cornwall, England. Afterward, it took, for all practical purposes, no time at all. Humanity had never seen as great an improvement in communication times before, and unless we discover a universe-leaping wormhole, never will again. So why wasn't this centennial wildly celebrated - the way that, for example, the Dec. 17 centennial of the Wright Brothers' flight will be? Perhaps it's because the broadcast was part of a continuum. The first one-way broadcast occurred a year earlier, when "S" in Morse code was sent across the Big Pond; and regular transatlantic messaging didn't start up until some time later. Or maybe it's because the arrival of voice-carrying radio, which followed shortly afterward, is what sticks in our memory. Whatever the reason, just a couple hundred people - including many ham radio folks - showed up for the anniversary Saturday on Cape Cod, a few hundred yards from Marconi's original transmitting station, which is now under water because of erosion. They had to make due with a replica on the bluff above. If you head to Bedford, though, you can do better. The weird and wonderful Marconi Museum, in a former school, has one of the original signs from Marconi's station on its wall, and other paraphernalia as well. The founder, Ray Minichiello, snagged the material when owner MCI Worldcom took the station apart in 1997. In fact, the museum has enough goodies to keep fans of engineering, history, broadcasting and even popular culture agog for hours. Material ranges from crystal-receiving sets with "cat-whisker" tuners, to early "ready-made" radios by companies such as the Victor Talking Machine Co., through early transistor radios, and even old transmitting equipment from Nashua radio station WSMN. The museum was placed in the former schoolhouse by the 86-year-old Minichiello, a former General Electric engineer who as a young boy met Marconi. Minichiello collected most of the material before retiring to Bedford in 1990, because he liked the town. It isn't the best publicized, or organized, cultural facility in the region, which explains why it's such a hidden treasure. Even official Web sites of the centennial - such as the Cape Cod National Seashore site http://www.nps.gov/caco/news/MarconiIndex.htm - ignore it. We don't have to: Plan a visit, and soon. If nothing else, then you won't have to feel guilty about missing the centennial. Science From The Sidelines appears Wednesdays in The Telegraph (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Re Truckin` Bozo station list, 3-013: I would think KLAC would drop the Truckin' Bozo now that they're Adult Standards. (73 and good DX from Eric Amateur Radio Station N0UIH Bueneman, IRCA via DXLD) I've listened to KTDD-1350 on the internet quite a bit in the 10pm-1am time slot and have not heard Truckin Bozo or any mentions of it --- I doubt they are carrying it anymore (Don Kaskey, ibid.) ** U S A. RADIO DISNEY I used to always listen to the radio in bed during the early morning hours, through the earpiece of course as to not alert the parents that I was up. So it actually makes some sense to continue Radio Disney broadcasts through the night. Back when I was growing up, AM was the only choice. Now with FM, it's easy to question just how much of a listenership Radio Disney may have at any hour. In Boston, AM 1260 Radio Disney is heavily promoted on billboards and during weekday television cartoons. A couple of years ago while teaching fifth grade, there was a handful of students familiar with Radio Disney, AM 1560 WQEW in fact, but they were in the minority. Perhaps like many of the ethnic broadcasters in the Boston area, Radio Disney is looking ahead to AM IBOC digital (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, NRC-AM via DXLD) Guys, I am going to break the mold here and say something that might break ranks with all of you. Kids think that the programming sucks. That we all know. BUT! I know something else that many of you do not. I live in a predominantly Mormon and Catholic neighborhood. This means one thing. BIG families. I have families here with 10 and even 12 kids. There are kids everywhere and I talk to a lot of them. There are a LOT of kids who are interested in DX. A LOT. Most grow out of it about the end of the 8th or 9th grade but some don't as evidenced by all of us here.... The problem is that they are turned off by the (mail lists) clubs because they say they don't like the way they are treated. A large part of this is their fault because of the way they act, but a part of it is the attitudes some of us have with dealing with kids in general. There are a lot of kids who play around with radios at night to see what they can hear. Just because they think radio stinks, doesn't mean that they aren't into propagational aspects and hearing as far as they can. Most are amazed that they can hear things several hundreds or thousands of miles away. Sounds like a lot of us (Kevin Redding, Mesa AZ, ibid.) The entire Radio Disney thing is a strange anomaly. They have 50+ stations with plans to expand to 70 or 75. All but a handful are AM. Some have mentioned that the network might be sort of an advertising "write-off" for the Disney trademark. I guess that is a possibility. If you figure $3 million per station, the entire network was probably built for around $150 million which is not a big investment for a company the size of Disney. But even a company that size can't afford to just throw money away. They must be justifying it with some kind of benefit. There have been 2 full time Radio Disney stations (1550 and 1690 AM) operating here in the Denver market since 06/03/98. I don't think they have ever shown up on the local rating books. Yet I have visited several of their "remotes" (actually public appearances since they don't broadcast from them) and every one of them has always been absolutely jam packed with kids and adults from wall to wall. One I attended in a nearby suburb required the police for traffic control. As far as I know the only advertising for these events is one or two quick local promo inserts per hour on the Disney stations. It seems to me that most of the kids I have seen at these events are in the 8 to 12 year old range. My guess is that most of the listeners are moms in cars with kids on board. :-) (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, ibid.) Michael Eisner, the CEO of Disney, has said repeatedly that the Radio Disney branding is core to the overall maintenance of Disney as a brand in the entertainment business. They are, in fact, expanding to Argentina, Chile, and Guatemala and elsewhere in Latin America with Disney branded radio, mostly FMs. Remember that ratings don't measure kids under 12... the target of Disney radio. As to why they run overnight, an anecdote: One of my first FMs, HCTT [ECUADOR], ran 6 AM-midnight. One morning, at sign-on time, I got a call that the transmitter would not go on and that there was a strange smell. I suspected a component had shorted, got up and went over to the station. It seems that, at midnight, a rat had been attracted to the warmth of the powered down transmitter, and had gone to sleep in the power supply. When the transmitter was turned on, the rat presented a direct path to ground, and proceeded to heat up and explode all over the inside of the transmitter. Never wanting to clean a dead rat out of a transmitter again, I went 24/7 the next day. Power on is the most stressful point in a transmitter's life. Many a station has gone 24/7 just to avoid not going on in time for morning drive and its associated revenue. It's better to automate overnights and keep the transmitter running... breakdowns will be random happenings, not stressful pre-Drive Time emergencies (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) But at what age were you doing that ? Probably not at 6 or 7, which is about where RD aims its stuff. Much beyond 10, which is about when I started listening at night (of course that was about when I got my first portable), and kids are beyond Disney. I'd bring that downward. I cannot imagine a 12-year-old today being caught dead at a Radio Disney function. RD's aim is younger because they've already lost them by 12. How about ABC/Disney using this to keep the AM facilities warm for something bigger once IBOC becomes prevalent (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) My youngest (almost 13) says she doesn't particularly like Radio Disney, but when she comes back from a trip to see her cousins in Chicago, she'll turn on our local and listen to it because it reminds her of her aunt's car - she says it's always on in there for her 8- and 5-year-old cousins. Considering the amount of Disney videos, CDs, etc. that they have, it's a logical progression! (Lynn Hollerman, Lafayette, LA, ibid.) I just rechecked the interview with Radio Disney president and GM Jean-Paul Colaco in GM Journal from last October. He says their demographics show that they are reaching 2.7 million kids age 6 to 14 and 1.5 million moms each week. That indicates that over 1/3 of their audience are adults (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, ibid.) WRT late-night broadcasting on Disney affiliates... It seems to me the programming is by no means offensive to adults. It's a whole lot more listenable than an episode of "Barney". More than once I've found myself listening to a Disney outlet for 10-15 minutes, not as DX, but simply because I *enjoy the music*. And no offensive DJ's believing they need to find a way to be more offensive than the competition. I used to listen to 88.7 Way FM (religious rock) for that reason before they started carrying right-wing "preachers". I don't think it's a stretch to believe many parents are listening long after their kids are in bed. I wonder if the business model is simply to get the Disney name out there? Remember that commercial radio existed for years before the first ad was sold. The first commercial stations existed to promote the owners' products. The broadcasting effort itself was a money-loser, but money was made on increased sales in the company's other lines of business. Is it not possible Disney has concluded this business model can still work today? Disney has been in business for a long time. Of course every successful company occasionally makes a mistake, but IMHO there's no way they would have launched Radio Disney if they didn't believe, at the time they launched it, it would *somehow* improve the company's bottom line. They're not stupid, and they're not hobbyists (Doug Smith, ibid.) I tried Radio Disney on my kids at different times through the past years. My daughter who listens to 80s hits and Pop at the time didn't care for it - she was 15 when I first tried Disney on the radio (now she's 17). My two boys who at first listened to CHR/Pop listened a little, but didn't embrace it. They were 8 and 9 at the time. About a year afterward, the boys flipped from Pop (WAPE) to Active Rock exclusively (Planet Radio 93.3 Jacksonville, FL, Rock 104 WRUF-FM Gainesville, FL, and O-Rock 105.9 Deland-Orlando, FL.) When I put Radio Disney on now I get all-out protests. Sometimes I'll listen for some of the contemporary pop hits, I like the formatics and it's on AM. (Radio Disney either 600 WBWL Jax, and 990 WDYZ Orlando) (Ron Gitschier, Jacksonville - Satsuma, FL, ibid.) Kids are much more sophisticated these days (grow up too fast). It seems that most have their own radios by 6 or 7 years old. My niece at age 5 (she says "almost 6") has both the Barbie radio with microphone to sing along, and the Bratz car with its own factory installed radio. (I had nothing to do with it, although I'll likely buy her a shortwave portable someday.) She knows about Brittany Spears, boy bands, and similar pop music, probably more from watching TV and her gymnastics classes than from radio though. From my years with 10 year old 5th graders, I found that most the boys had already graduated to hard rock, punk, and rap, and they knew how to find rap with explicit lyrics on the Internet. The girls seemed to hang on to the danceable kid pop longer. And yes, my interest in radio and pop music didn't start 'til about 6th grade, age 11. Times have changed (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) To date in the past year there have been two major pieces in the local newspapers about Disney on local 1380, and by major, they fill up an entire page of newsprint with multiple pix, all very feature oriented, and seemed to me to be soft puff pieces. I always have suspected they got in there as a favor to someone. I personally have no tolerance for listening to them. Some time ago, my posting 'flashlights and headphones' set out my feelings about Disney programming encouraging small kids to listen late at night while supposedly being asleep for school the next day, against (presumably) their parents' wishes. What are the demos on this?? (Bob Foxworth, ibid.) ** U S A. IBOC News [STA = Special Temporary Authorization] I finally discovered how to get a list of the IBOC STAs that have been issued by the FCC. Here's what you do: go to http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_sear.htm and in the Application Search form, select "AM Digital" in the "Service" box (or "FM Digital" if you want FM IBOC). Leave all of the other fields blank, click the "Submit Search" button, and you should get a nice list of all of the AM IBOC STA applications, and whether they've been granted or are still pending. As of today, the database shows a total of 7 AM and 16 FM IBOC STA applications. The AM stations are: WKDL- 730 VA (DC) WSB- 750 GA KXNT- 840 NV WTMJ- 620 WI WTWZ-1120 MS WKAT-1360 FL WRHB-1020 FL The last two have not been granted yet. Note that this search does not show the experimental IBOC STAs that were issued to stations such as WOR and WCHB prior to the October 2002 FCC Report and Order on IBOC. In other news, the Greater Media group has announced that all 19 of their stations will go IBOC "in early 2003". This includes 4 AMs: WPEN- 950 PA WWTR-1170 NJ WMTR-1250 NJ WCTC-1450 NJ Other AM stations that have announced plans to run IBOC soon: WCGA-1100 GA KMRY-1450 IA And here's an interesting one: WJLD-1400 in Birmingham AL, claims to be the first non-experimental AM IBOC station, and they say they began IBOC operations on Dec. 20. However, the FCC database shows no STA for WJLD - in fact, no applications of any sort since 1996. So, either the FCC messed up and forgot to update the database, or the station is operating illegally (or not actually running IBOC as they claim to be). Hmmm... Th-th-that's all, folks... (Barry McLarnon, Ont., Jan 22, NRC-AM via DXLD) Hey Barry: I don't know what "AM Digital" means in this case but I don't think it means IBOC. Those "AM Digital" grants were listed before the FCC approved IBOC, and some of them (WSB, WTMJ, WTWZ) are stations that have had no known IBOC testing as best I know. KXNT did some IBOC during NAB if I remember correctly, and I know there was a Washington area station other than WTOP who was doing a bit of testing and assume it was WKDL (Chuck Hutton, WA, ibid.) Au contraire, Chuck... I'm quite certain that "AM Digital" does mean IBOC. The WKDL grant was in Nov., WSB and KXNT in Dec., and the others were just this month. These aren't former IBOC test stations, they're the first wave of non-experimental IBOC stations. KXNT is a special case, set up for the CES in Vegas. I've seen some of these stations (e.g., WTMJ) mentioned in other circles as going IBOC soon. BTW, the other DC-area test station was WILC, not WKDL (Barry McLarnon, ibid.) Sorry about that. WSB et al had been listed forever and I didn't re- check to realize there was a November / December / January update. So the FCC site is up to date. That's good news and thanks for spotting that (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) In the FCC CDBS public access database there's a field for "digital status" but I've checked those that have been testing IBOC and the field is blank. I've also noted that digital TV callsigns can't be searched. I've tried entering WBZ-DT, WCVB-DT, etc. and come up empty. There seems to be a void in the database regarding any sort of digital broadcasting (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) The DTs are in there, but they show up as part of the package under their "parent" analog status. So you'll find WBZ-DT by searching on WBZ-TV, etc. s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Voice of the People: This station, which broadcasts to Zimbabwe via the Radio Netherlands Madagascar relay station, will be changing its schedule as of Monday 27 Jan. The broadcasts will be Mon-Fri at 1655-1755 UT on 7120 kHz. The morning transmission at 0330 will be discontinued (Media Network newsletter Jan 24 via DXLD) Get them while you can, they have been pretty regular on 7120 at 0330. 1655 won't be for us in North America. Also seems like a bit of a cutback, I think they were daily at 0330 (Hans Johnson, TX, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ REALISTIC RADIO REVIEWS FROM A SERIOUS DX'ER Solder Drops Of Wisdom, Editors Comment - Duane Fischer, W8DBF Phil Atchley has owned/used more receivers over the four years that I have known him, than most retailers sell over a two decade period. He buys, fixes, sells or swaps them off faster than most of us change our underwear! He is a very serious short-wave, long wave and beacon listener. He has listened since about the time in history that some female decided that weird looking crud covering her cave mate should be called 'dirt'. Phil has logged, and verified by QSL card or letter, in excess of 160 countries. He has a USAF career background and is a very experienced and highly competent electronics repair technician. He has fixed things for me that absolutely nobody else could or even wanted to attempt. Phil has not made any attempt to do a typical radio review, as you can find them in many other places. What he has done is try to give you, the reader and short-wave listener, some personal, practical and real insights based on his listening skills and observations. He is a very demanding DX'er, far more so than most of us, but even the new comer can learn much by reading Phil's commentary. My personal thanks to Phil for taking the time out of his listening schedule to write this up. Somehow, I think, I am going to owe him a favor in return - (patented Fischer smirk) Here is that promised paper on what I Like, dislike, known issues etc on various receivers that I have owned in the past 4-5 years. If I missed any it's probably because after awhile some kind of fade into the haze. This posting just represents my "opinions" and not to stir up controversy or arguments. Phil KO6BB ... http://www.w9wze.org/SWL/Static.php?PathNom=Static/static.txt and page down a bit till you find this long sexion (via gh, DXLD) GRUNDIG YACHTBOY 400PE Just in case anyone wants more information, Nick Hall-Patch did a review of this model and his review is on the IRCA website (link is in my signature) as a .pdf file... (Lynn Hollerman, Lafayette, LA, hard- core-dx via DXLD) IRCA Web site at http://www.ircaonline.org The main reason is that Grundig has kept naming most of its portable radio receivers with different "Boy" names for decades, at least since the mid-sixties. I was a very happy owner of the Yacht Boy 300 since 1982. It gave me long hours of excellent SW/MW/LW reception, and really got me into serious SW DXing later. A fairly simple design, not too expensive, analogue of course (Sony ICF-2001 was like a Space Shuttle then), but still able to pull in a lot of stuff with just a telescopic whip (Igor, YT1MM, Pifat, Serbia-Montenegro, ibid.) DRM +++ This page last updated Monday, 20 January, 2003 Test Transmissions & Latest News Tests are just that. New software becomes available and equipment is tweaked. So sometimes, the transmissions listed below may not be there. Remember too, that consumer grade DRM receivers are not yet on the market. So the broadcasts are for "circuit adjustment purposes only". Extra DRM transmissions from Bonaire From Monday 20 Jan, Bonaire will conduct extra DRM transmissions towards New Zealand and SE Australia for a period of 7 days at 0600- 0655 UT at 12025 kHz. Programming will be in Dutch. DRM transmissions from Sveio Sveio, Norway is on air from 20-24 and 27-31 Jan at 0700-1000 UT on 5945 and 2000-2300 on 6175 kHz. Both transmissions are beamed 23 degrees to Scandinavia. DRM Long Term Test Transmissions Updated 17 January 2003 Long-term DRM tests from Merlin Communications, Deutsche Welle, Deutsche Telekom and Radio Netherlands Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles are continuing as follows: UTC Days kHz Beam Target AM Carrier Power (kW) Av. DRM Power (kW) Programme Site 24h daily 531 Burg 2 Multimedia- Medien-anstalt Sachsen-Anhalt 24h** daily 855 Berlin Deutschland Radio Berlin 0000-0100 daily 6010 268 E North America 250 70 BBCWS+ Sackville 0400-0500 daily 6010 253 W North America 250 70 BBCWS+ Sackville 0930-1200 daily 15440 040 Europe 250 70 DW English Sines 1000-1100 daily 15170 050 SW Europe 25 10 RNW Bonaire 1000-1200 M-F 9780 033 Scandinavia 75 30 BBCWS Rampisham 1400-1450 M-F 5875 105 W.C+SE Europe 75 30 BBCWS Rampisham 1305-1455 daily 5975 290 or 060 *) W Europe 100 40 Multimedia - T- Systems Media Broadcast Juelich 2130-2230 daily 11755 050 SW Europe 25 10 RNW Bonaire *) different beams in alternate weeks. **) may be interrupted for analogue coverage of special events +) temporarily a 5 minute tape loop. BBCWS relay will start soon (de http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/drm_latest.html Jan 20 via DXLD) I absolutely agree with Olle - that the DRM operators will need to clean up their transmissions to prevent such levels of spurious emissions. The wide bandwidth is bad enough. If several of these start regular operations at night on 41 and 49m the results can perhaps be imagined. The effects already experienced from some AM splatter are almost as bad as that from DRM via some stations (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 18 via DXLD) ADDX ACCEPTED AS DRM ASSOCIATE MEMBER The German listeners' club ADDX has been accepted as an associate member of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM). In a press release, the club explains that "Digital Broadcasting on frequencies below 30 MHz will be introduced at the World Radio Conference in Geneva in June 2003. The use of this new and impressive technology will be of major impact for national and international broadcasters and listeners. We are glad that for the first time a listeners club has a voice within this consortium." ADDX has approximately 4000 members, and its magazine Kurier has for some time been devoting considerable space to coverage of digital shortwave developments (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 24 January 2003 via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ MICHAEL SCHNITZER`S NEW HOMEPACE Hello everywhere, here you can see my new four-lingual internet presentation: http://home.arcor.de/mschnitzer/ The site contains information in German, English, Spanish and Italian concerning the following items: - view in my shack - a lot of background information about the EWE-antenna - all about the DX-Camp Bavaria - historical and present station recordings - historical log-book - rare QSL-cards and radio pennants Please have a look. Bye (Michael Schnitzer, hard-core-dx via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ BUSHFIRE DAMAGE TO IPS CANBERRA FIELD STATION Dear IPS Customer, You will be aware that the recent Canberra fires severely damaged the Mt Stromlo Observatory. IPS has a station located on the slopes of Mt Stromlo which provides data to our ionospheric and geomagnetic monitoring network. Fortunately, our station was not destroyed by the fires - there is some partial damage to the building on the site and there is damage to facilities in the area such as power and telephone supplies. IPS services remain as before, available through the Internet http://www.ips.gov.au or through direct consultation (02-9213 8000). The loss of data from the Canberra site only slightly degrades the general IPS HF propagation services. Such services are based on a network of stations and the loss of any one station is partly compensated by the remaining stations in the network. However, if you need information or advice specific to the Canberra region please contact us. IPS has equipment ready to restore the Canberra operations as soon as power and telephone is available. At this stage, we expect to have the site working within about two weeks. If you experience any difficulties related to IPS services please contact us by telephone on +61-2-9213 8000 or by email on office@ips.gov.au Patrick Phelan, IPS Customer Services, 24 Jan 2003 (via Robert Williams, Sydney, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-013, January 23, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1166: WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN: Rest of world Sat 0900; Eu only Sun 0530; NAm Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND from Friday: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html WORLD OF RADIO ON WMQM, 1600, 50 kW, MEMPHIS TN: Saturdays 10:30 am CST = 1630 UT (Adam Lock, WMQM) [week delay] UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL As a longtime SW listener, I find the WORLD OF RADIO program an invaluable asset. With the various times and frequencies being used, I always find at least one broadcast weekly that`s convenient to hear. I find the information to always be accurate and up to date (R. F. Gero, Pittsburgh PA, Jan 18) Along with a verifiable reception report for WOR on WJIE and WWCR, but I`ll have to disappoint him as no QSLs exist nor are offered (gh) ** AFGHANISTAN/UK. BBC WORLD SERVICE IS AFGHANS' FAVOURITE RADIO STATION - SURVEY | Text of press release by BBC World Service on 20 January An unprecedented 82 per cent of Afghans surveyed in the capital Kabul listen to BBC World Service broadcasts in Persian and Pashto every week, according to the first media survey in that country since the Taleban left power in 2001. The survey, conducted by independent market researchers last month, showed that BBC World Service is the leading broadcaster in the Afghan capital, beating all local and international broadcasters on both radio and television. It is an unprecedented level of market penetration for an international broadcaster. Since the fall of the Taleban, access to newspapers, television and local radio has been growing and market competition has increased. In Kabul, several new newspapers have started up. Afghans are now able to watch television, which was banned by the Taleban. In an extra boost to the BBC, the survey found that BBC World - the international television news and information channel - is the leading international television broadcaster in Kabul, with 15 per cent of the weekly television audience. "These survey results are excellent," said Baqer Moin, head of the BBC's Persian and Pashto language services. "The results confirm many anecdotal reports which reached us even during the Taleban days which indicated that BBC World Service is Afghanistan's favourite radio station. "Even more importantly, this survey confirms that BBC World Service is respected and trusted by Afghans for its objectivity and accuracy," he adds. "This is a great boost as we start to extend our FM transmissions to other cities over the next few months." The survey is the first independent research to be conducted for BBC World Service in Afghanistan since the Taleban fell in 2001. The survey showed: - There was almost universal awareness of BBC World Service - 98 per cent in Kabul - 82 per cent of all Afghans in Kabul listen to the BBC World Service, mainly on the new 88.9 [MHz] FM frequency which began in June 2002 - 44 per cent of BBC listeners in Kabul listen to Pashto broadcasts - 40 per cent of BBC listeners in Kabul listen to Persian broadcasts - 19 per cent of BBC listeners in Kabul listen to both Pashto and Persian broadcasts - 91 per cent of Afghans in the survey said they turn to the radio for news - 88 per cent of Afghans in the capital perceive BBC World Service as a high-quality, trusted source of relevant information The survey shows that Afghans are very interested in Afghan affairs and regional events and have a greater interest in international affairs than people in most other regions of the world. Four out of 10 Afghans say that they are very interested in events in neighbouring countries. Afghan's hunger for news has been stimulated by 23 years of war, a heavily censored domestic media and interest in the current transitional phase of government in the country. Source: BBC World Service press release, London, in English 20 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. RAE - Radiodifusion Argentina al Exterior Periodo A-03 30/03/03 al 26/10/03 Frecuencias: 6060, 9690, 11710 & 15345 khz Lunes a Viernes (dias local) Horas UT 1000-1200 Japones 11710 Lejano Oriente 1200-1400 Español 15345 America (incluido microprograma de lenguas aborigenes)* 1800-1900 Ingles 9690 15345 Europa 1900-2000 Italiano 9690 15345 Europa 2000-2100 Frances 9690 15345 Europa-N.Africa 2100-2200 Aleman 9690 15345 Europa-N.Africa 2200-2300 Español 6060 11710-15345 Europa-N.Africa 2300-2400 Español 6060 11710-15345 America- Europa (incluido microprograma de lenguas aborigenes)* 0000-0200 Portugues 11710 America 0200-0300 Ingles 11710 America 0300-0400 Frances 11710 America Sabados solamente: 2000-2200 6060, 11710 & 15345 khz * No confirmado aun! Telefono/Fax RAE: 54-11-43256368 Email: rae@r... [truncated] Politica QSLs: Actualmente se requieren 2 IRCs para una respuesta debido a la falta de presupuesto. V = QSL. *Direccion postal: RAE --- RADIODIFUSION ARGENTINA AL EXTERIOR, Casilla 555, C1000WAF Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Jan 23, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. Yes, even though the official Voice of Armenia schedule was created 20 December 2002 and is supposed to be a "new" one, they are still using 9960 instead of 11625 kHz. Please note that they list the German broadcast 2020-2040 also on 11625, not 15270 as written in my first posting. However, also this broadcast goes out on 9960 kHz. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I just checked Voice of Armenia in French, German and English: As always throughout 2000-2100 on 9960 and 4810 (first one certainly 500/1000 kW), neither 11625 nor 15270 are in use. Just reasonable, at least 19 metres would be a quite silly choice during winter nights (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) La Voz de Armenia, en español, 0330-0345, en 9965 (Adán González, Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA/ECUADOR. No signal on Jan. 19/20 for English to SAs of HCJB Australia: 1230-1730 on 15480 KNX 100 kW / 307 degrees (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) Because it was delayed again until Jan. 26 --- maybe. Note KNX is apparently the new abbr. for Kununurra, not to be confused with Los Angeles (gh, DXLD) ** BELARUS`. The morning schedule of MW 1170 noted as follows: 0200(?)-0400 VOR Sodruzhestvo, 0400-0500 VOR English, 0500-0700 BR1. BR1 high power also on 7170 until 0700 (Olle Alm, Sweden, 22 Jan, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BR1 relay to Western Europe with 150 kW: 0500-0700 on 7170, 1000-1200 on 11960, 1400-1700 on 7105, 1700-1800 on 7255, 2000-2200 on 7105; acc. to Sergei Alekseichik, Belarus` in active_dx, 19 Jan. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Ola Paulo, Gostaria de lhe informar que no momento a Radio Nacional OC está operando em 31 metros na freqüência 9665 khz e 25 metros em 11780 kHz, pois o transmissor de 49 metros está em manutenção e quanto ao [phone number, toll free?] 0800 617273 o seu funcionamento é de 05:00 às 18:00 hs, porém a Embratel está com problemas para colocar o serviço em busca automática, ou seja quando uma das três linhas telefonicas está ocupada não está sendo repassada para as outras linhas e sim colocando esta mensagem. Agradecemos a audiência e a mensagem, esclarecendo que todas as sugestões serão sempre bemvindas (Valmira Almeida, Chefe da Divisão de Ondas Curtas via Paulo Miled, Jan 23, radioescutas via DXLD) ** CANADA. Hi Glenn, You were wondering how accurate the times listed for "Imagination Theatre" in DXLD 3-011 [USA] actually are. The only ones I can comment on are those listed for CJAD-800 (Sundays 4 AM & 7 PM), and those are OK. CJAD does, though, occasionally do additional runs of "IT" as a fill-in, e.g. perhaps on one of those rare Saturday evenings in hockey season when the Canadiens aren't playing. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. BUILDER FINDS UNLIKELY ALLIES IN BATTLE WITH BUREAUCRATS -- - DEVELOPMENT ON CBC PARKING LOT STALLED AS BOROUGH AND PLANNERS DEMAND CHANGES By Mary Lamey, The Gazette, Thursday, January 23, 2003 The battle over a proposed condominium project has made unlikely allies of community groups in Montreal's Centre-Sud neighbourhood and the project's developer, Groupe le Versant. They are squared off against bureaucrats in the city's planning department and elected officials in the downtown borough of Ville Marie who have been holding up the project since the fall. The dispute has also pitted the borough against the CBC and has reached the office of CBC president Robert Rabinovitch... http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id=3CA22855-3342-4B8E-88EF-47EF900A74FE (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANARY ISLANDS. I had a good log today, 22 January 2003 of the Full Gospel Las Palmas Church on 6715 kHz USB from 2110 to 2136 UT. The usual gospel singing, and a presumed preacher. A good signal, and building till s/off at 2136, going a bit past their scheduled Wednesday s/off of 2130 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. VISTA ONLINE BLURB 4.0 January 2003 Saturday the 18th of January presented George Bush with a dilemma of sorts as millions of anti-war protesters rallied in cities big and small internationally, calling for a halt to George's polices and a return to sanity. Meanwhile, I sat in the Radio for Peace studios listening to a four-hour long live broadcast feed from Pacifica Radio of coverage from the massive anti-war protest in Washington DC, of which RFPI was relaying on shortwave. I was caught up with the passion and enthusiasm of the movement and the up swell of people to end war on the planet. A new realization has presented itself, a realization that regardless of the media being owned by corporate interest and lead around by top government officials cheerleading into war, people are becoming aware worldwide and are speaking out against such archaic mechanisms as war. During my school years I witnessed first hand the build up of the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War (funny we always call it the Vietnam war not United States/Vietnam War). The peace movement was slow in building momentum and only when a massive loss of life on both sides had been inflicted did it achieve an order of strength to turn the war machine aside. Today's anti-war movement has started with considerably more energy and is more widespread than in the past -- a sign of a good start. RFPI's staff had our own peace rally to attend; after the Pacifica broadcast was finished we all loaded into the RFPI minibus and headed off to San José, lending support to our Costa Rican brothers and sisters who had gathered in the city center at the Plaza de la Cultura. About five hundred people were in attendance carrying signs and giving speeches, while a group of musicians playing Andean music entertained a crowd of cheering, passionate people standing in a large circle. As I edged up to peer into the circle I was nudged and greeted by a "Hi Daddy" by my 14-year-old daughter Joanna, her Costa Rican boyfriend in tow. Surprised, I asked, "How did you get here?!" She replied, "By bus of course." And with a smile replacing my expression of surprise, we both reached out and gave each other a huge hug amidst the glow of the event. My thoughts drifted back to an earlier anti-war protest and a young 15-year-old boy who had ridden his bicycle, listening wide-eyed to the hopes and dreams of his generation to end war. It was an experience that would change his life, later providing him the courage to propose the creation of a radio station dedicated to peace. In Peace, James Latham CONTACT AND FUNDING As always, we would like to remind our listeners and supporters of our contact information where you can send us comments about VISTA Online, our programming or the radio in general. You can send us an email at: info@rfpi.org Or, you can send us 'snail mail' at our US mailing address: RFPI, Box 3165, Newburg, OR 97132, USA If you are interested in becoming a member, or in making a donation, send us an email at info@rfpi.org or log onto our website to find out how at http://www.rfpi.org. That's all for this edition. We look forward to contacting you again in the next few weeks (RFPI-Vista mailing list Jan 22 via DXLD) ** CUBA. Very good reception here in Bulgaria for Radio Havana Cuba in Spanish on Jan. 19: 1200-1400 on 15230 (55444)!!!. No signal on parallel frequencies: 6000 totally blocked by Radio Singapore International in Mandarin Ch 9550 totally blocked by Radio Bangladesh Betar in English and Nepali 11760 totally blocked by BBC WS in English and CRI in English (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) Well, hardly intended for Europe (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. Hola Glenn, saludos... -Radio Habana Cuba fue captada el pasado 19/01 (sábado local), en 6180 kHz, a las 0310 UT, en idioma español, en vez de la nueva 6195. Así se mantuvo el 20/01 (domingo local) y cambió de nuevo a 6195 el 21/01 (lunes local). En 6180 interfiere bastante a la Voz de Vietnam en 6175 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Now that Amazônia has evacuated 6180, RHC ought to keep on there, not 6195. AAMOF, RHC heard on 6180 at 1402 Jan 23 with IS, ID, but reception too poor to make out the announced frequencies. Or maybe not, as see BRAZIL above, they say their 6180 is just off for maintenance (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. Aquí van más noticias... Luego de una pausa bastante prolongada, pueden escucharse de nuevo las emisiones disidentes hacia Cuba, en 9955. Captada el 19/01 a las 00 y 0200. Se identificaba como "La Voz de los Trabajadores por el sindicalismo independiente en Cuba". (Adán González, Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRMI, of course ** ETHIOPIA [non]. CLANDESTINE/ETHIOPIA. V. of Democratic Path of Ethiopian Unity 11840 Nice n/d hand-written letter from the POB 88675 Los Angeles, CA address in 46 days for SASE (used). v/s Solomon G/S. Letter apologizes for late response, not sure what "SASE" means, though it was used for reply. Also notes that "we know acknowledgement of your successful recepiton of our transmission is important. However, we are not sure if this letter will serve that purpose. Please let us know if we need to do anything else". I'm sure a prepared card and polite QSL explanation would generate a reply. Does anyone know what "G/S" stands for? (Scott R Barbour Jr, Intervale,N.H., WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) General Secretary? (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX vi9a DXLD) ** FRANCE. 1557, France Info, Nice, Jan 21 0435-0705 - thanks to a tip from Barry in Ottawa on NRC's "dxtip" alert, I found this one with a man and woman talking over an extended period. Some fading, but at times quite strong. I was unsuccessful in trying to match the France Info web cast with this broadcast; the two seemed different (different, not delayed). No ID heard, although for the first two hours I was mistakenly listening for a Radio Bleue ID, so I'll have to listen to the tape I made. UK's Medium Wave News (JAN 2003) states that this transmitter is to go silent in the next few weeks, and will be replaced at a new site, the former Radio Monte Carlo site at Fontbonne. Not sure if my reception precedes or follows those "few weeks". [non] Weak audio was also heard during this time on 1503 (Spain presumed), 1512 (Belgium presumed), 1584 (Spain presumed). (Jim Renfrew, NY, Drake R8, longwires, Quantum Phaser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Dr Hansjörg Biener and others report that today at noon also the Nürnberg-based Megaradio transmitter was switched on. This is 1 kW on 945, the channel already in use at Munich. During darkness the transmitter has a reach of about 10 km (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [and non]. Up until now, there have been several claims made by various sources that DW would be shutting down its broadcasts to N. America this spring. DW would not deny or confirm this directly, until now. Below is an email to me which confirms the closure of this service to N. America. I hope you will take the time to write DW and express your concerns to them, as well as any other shortwave broadcaster you value. Aside from losing a great news resource in DW, I also fear is now that the biggest SW broadcasters from Europe, the BBC and DW, have stopped broadcasts to N. America, it will be very easy for smaller countries (e.g. Austria) to drop their service to us. Here is the webpage for emailing DW: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,266_K,00.html (Broadw, ODXA via DXLD) CONFIRMED: DW TO N. AMERICA ENDS IN APRIL Hi Glenn... I got this in my email today. Sad news indeed. Let's hope people start writing and put some pressure on (Matt L. in New York, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ======================================= From : "margot forbes" Margot.Forbes@dw-world.de Subject : English to North America I acknowledge receipt of your e-mail and can inform you that we will no longer be broadcasting per shortwave to your part of the world after the end of March. I have no exact details as yet but do know that we have many rebroadcasters in N. America and the Pacific - as well as satellite possibilities. I am sure something is being worked out to improve the satellite situation - not forgetting Internet! As you are probably aware, our budget has been slashed time and time again - by the German Government - leaving us with the problem of what we can cut down on. Shortwave frequencies are particularly expensive and the decision has been made to cancel some frequencies. I will make a note of your e-mail address and, as soon as I know anything definite about this, I will get in touch with you and let you know. Thanking you for your interest - and hoping you are in a position to "tune in" to us by some means, I remain, (Margot Forbes, DEUTSCHE WELLE ENGLISH SERVICE, via Matt, WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DW ENGLISH SERVICE FACELIFT, SHORTWAVE CUTS | Text of press release in English by Deutsche Welle on 21 January The English Service of Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany's international broadcaster, will experience the biggest facelift in its 40-year history with the start of summer time on 30 March 2003. There will be a substantial increase in the number of daily news bulletins from 13 to 24. "News on the hour every hour will be our visiting card," says Uta Thofern, Head of the English Service. "Newslink", the flagship current affairs programme, will be broadcast round the clock in the form of special editions tailored to meet the requirements of different audiences around the world. This means there will be three live editions of "Newslink" for the Asia-Pacific Region, two for Africa, with repeats, two for North America and two for Europe every weekday. Uta Thofern: "They will highlight not only top world, European and German stories but also news and developments in the respective target regions. In future we will be able to cover breaking stories faster and in greater depth than ever before." Changes will also be made to the feature programming with an increased emphasis on rebroadcasting successful programmes such as "Arts on the Air", "Living in Germany" and "Inspired Minds". The same applies to "Money Talks" or the science programme "Spectrum". "Africa Kaleidoscope", the weekly programme for and about Africa, will tackle the latest stories and developments. And last but not least there will be two new 30-minute programmes for Asia and Africa. This means that "development" will finally get a weekly slot and more attention will be paid to the environment. "In future our team of feature editors will have more time to devote to their successful cooperation with organizations like German Technical Cooperation, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and UNESCO," Thofern says. To date DW Radio's English Service has broadcast to all of its target audiences via the shortwave. As of 30 March 2003 this policy will change. In future Deutsche Welle will take into account the conditions prevailing on individual media markets and respond to new technical developments in the most appropriate fashion. DW also plans to introduce digital shortwave transmissions to East Asia and Europe, with analogue shortwave transmissions to Asia and Africa continuing for the foreseeable future. However, shortwave broadcasts to the highly developed media markets of North America and Australia and New Zealand will be terminated. Instead, DW will focus on expanding the number of radio stations, like Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC News Radio, who rebroadcast DW Radio's programmes successfully. Listeners in those regions will of course still be able to hear us via satellite or by means of our Internet page at http://www.dw-world.de/English Source: Deutsche Welle press release, Cologne, in English 21 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) Notice how they downplay to the last graf shutting off SW to North America, Australia and New Zealand! Always spinning, the wrong way. As I remarked on WOR a few weeks ago, but I think not yet here: Why this all-or-nothing shortwave approach?? Let`s face it, the three half-sesquihours in English to North America, mostly duplicated, on 5 or 6 frequencies each from as many relay sites, is overkill. We could make do with two, or even one broadcast, on perhaps two or three frequencies, like so many other SW stations. Look how well R. Netherlands has done for decades with only two frequencies per broadcast via Bonaire! The cut could back to that level, retain their audience and save a bunch of DM --- oops, Euri (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Wolfgang Büschel forwarded Craig Seager`s remarks in last DXLD to Margot and got this reply: Subject: Re: DW stellt Englischdienst für Australien und America ein. Hello Mr. Buschel, I am afraid Mr. Sieger [sic] is not entirely wrong. This is the information we are sending to interested listeners of DW English language radio programmes: "Many thanks for your interest in our programmes. In answer to your question about the future of DW-English language shortwave programmes to North America and the Pacific region, I would like to inform you that, to date DW-Radio's English Service has broadcast to all of its target audiences via the shortwave but, as of 30th March 2003, this policy will change. In future Deutsche Welle will take into account the conditions prevailing on individual media markets and respond to new technical developments in the most appropriate fashion. DW plans to introduce digital shortwave transmissions to East Asia and Europe with analogue shortwave transmissions to Asia and Africa continuing for the foreseeable future. However, shortwave broadcasts to the highly developed media markets of North America and Australia and New Zealand will be terminated. Instead, DW will focus on expanding the number of radio stations, like Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC News Radio, who rebroadcast DW-Radio's programmes successfully. Listeners in those regions will of course still be able to hear us via satellite or by means of our Internet page at http://www.dw-world.de/English If you would like to be informed about the facelift the English Service of Deutsche Welle (DW) will be experiencing with the start of summer time on 30th March 2003, just send an e-mail to: margot.forbes@dw-world.de - referring to: A Facelift for Radio Broadcasts in English and I will be pleased to send you the relevant information." Regards, Margot Forbes, DEUTSCHE WELLE ENGLISH SERVICE Tel.: +49 221 389 4144 Fax: +49 221 389 4155 E-mail: margot.forbes@dw-world.de Website: http://www.dw-world.de (via Büschel, DXLD) While, someday, unplugging analog shortwave is the right way to go, I still argue it's two years too early. In the case of Deutsche Welle, it seems silly that one of the streams earmarked elsewhere couldn't instead by directed to us in North America -- couldn't Africa or Asia live with two fewer frequencies for one hour a day? Or, perhaps DW should arrange for airtime targeting the Americas from a lower-cost, lower-power transmitter site closer to us. I would think 100 kW from WWCR is cheaper than 250 kW from Antigua -- assuming DW could find broadcasters willing to rent time from Antigua (Richard Cuff, PA, swprograms via DXLD) Relay exchanges, if they exist much any more, could put this reduction in transmissions on a nasty downward spiral. As each broadcaster pulls out, the reciprocal broadcaster's use of a facility, I would think, is also at risk. My impression is that many countries have privatized (outsourced) their transmission facilities, making the transmission costs a real cost, whereas before they weren't. Relays agreements, even if they still exist, would now be a line item open to scrutiny to a bean counter, whereas before they wouldn't have been. Purchase of time from Merlin, etc., would clearly be a transfer of funds to an entity not of your own country, not benefiting your own people through jobs, etc.... A sliding slope, maybe, of things to come (Kevin Anderson, Dubuque, Iowa, Jan 23, swprograms via DXLD) Fine, make the cuts. But don't pretend you won't lose listeners because of your extensive network of rebroadcasters. If DW is on any FM or AM stations in the US (I'm not sure what other rebroadcasters they mean -- unless there are some public TV stations that have them as a Second Audio Program?) it's not readily apparent from their web site. (There is a page explaining how wonderful the English service will be after the summer time change, tho they neglect to mention that the programming changes will be accompanied by the cutoff of NAm service. Though I spose I can't blame them for not wanting to rain on their own parade.) (Kyle Barger, Jan 23, swprograms via DXLD) BBCWS, DW, Swiss R. I., and YLE have fallen short. We listeners feel shortchanged because the decision making process has not been laid out to us -- perhaps because it frankly hasn't been thought through... and the broadcasters don't want us to know how capricious their decisionmaking process really was. I am not too surprised by all this. Germany's economy is in bad shape -- with higher unemployment, lower GDP growth prospects, and a higher (percentage) budget deficit than we face in the USA. The bleeding had to be stopped, and this was perceived as one way to do it. I will miss easy access to DW via shortwave. DW was one of the first broadcasters I listened regularly to when I first became interested in shortwave in the 1960s, and I latched onto DW again when my shortwave interest reawakened in the late 1980s. I am cautiously hopeful that some of the Pacific service (0800 UT?) [0900 on 6160, 9690] will remain, because that was the most audible service here in Pennsylvania aside from the 01/03/05 service (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, swprograms via DXLD) How expensive is it really to run these shortwave transmitters and antenna farms? I can understand how [not] transmitting shortwave would save money, but it seems like it might be a pittance compared to the larger costs of generating English programming in the first place. But then again how much programming costs would there be for a 45 minute radio broadcast each day? Maybe the costs of transmitter time really does outweigh the programming costs in this case. I have no real context to compare against, nor did I when BBCWS did their changes. Working for a educational institution that is involved in "budget health adjustments" (a fancy way to not say you are in a fiscal problem), I can respect what DW is dealing with. All too often the cuts easily identified, however, amount to a pittance and do little to change things. It is only when substantial changes in how one does business are identified does the real savings/efficiencies come out, other than just laying off people and making everyone work harder. Can some of you folks who actually work for an international broadcaster relay some costs? It would sure help me put things in perspective... Waiting for this nightmare to end... (Kevin Anderson, Jan 23, swprograms via DXLD) [And re Daniel Say`s remarks about cutting German language instead:] That`s only as he sees it; Amongst other aims, the Deutsche Welle law of 1954 as public external service broadcaster is not aimed to 85 millions inland, but to bring European culture to at least 30 million Germans outside our frontier as foreign workers, students and holiday makers annually, and to another figure of approx. 120 million foreigners worldwide who understand the German language. 700 millions EURO cost the DW service annually; and is a much better investment than the German army for example. I would wish the 15.000 Americans plus their relatives serving here at AAFES-Europe in Stuttgart had access to such a fine public broadcasting service like DW or BBC doing for decades (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY/PORTUGAL: During the HFCC meeting in Johannesburg Deutsche Welle will provide a DRM Test in English on February 3 and 4, 2003: 0900-1355 on 25800 SIN 250 kW / 145 deg to SAf 0900-1200 on 21820 SIN 250 kW / 145 deg to SAf ||||| (Alternative) 1200-1355 on 21735 SIN 250 kW / 145 deg to SAf ||||| (Alternative) (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) SIN = Sines ** GRENADA. STRIKING MEDIA WORKERS MARCH THROUGH THE STREETS OF THE CAPITAL | Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) news agency on 21 January St George's, Grenada: As an industrial impasse at the Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN) entered its second week, the militant Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) on Tuesday [21 January] stepped up pressure on the media company to accede to its demands. Around midday Tuesday, about 20 unionized workers marched through the streets of the capital, chanting and singing and bearing placards with anti-GBN slogans. The demonstration was to be followed by a picket of GBN's compound later in the day and a meeting of all union shop stewards scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Eastern Caribbean time. On Tuesday, Union activists also visited various workplaces across the country explaining TAWU's position in the dispute, as TAWU's General President Chester Humphrey served notice that the union was preparing for a general call out of its membership in support of the media workers. The stepped-up action follows a breakdown in negotiations at the level of the Labour Department. Labour Minister Lawrence Joseph, who intervened in the dispute over a week ago, has so far failed in his many attempts to broker a settlement. Among a series of recommendations proposed by the minister is for the union to call off its protests, which were launched on 7 January after GBN began issuing letters of retrenchment to 10 employees. The minister has further requested that the company withdraw letters of dismissal subsequently issued to all workers involved in the recent protest action, while the union agrees that the protesting workers would not be paid for the time off the job, except for those workers who were issued with retrenchment letters on 7 January and subsequently dismissed. Humphrey said the union was willing to accept the minister's recommendations but described as "repugnant" and "dehumanizing", a proposal by the company to send 10 workers on paid leave, while talks were scheduled to continue between the two sides on a policy of retrenchment. "We would be aiding and abetting in the subversion of the collective agreement, if we succumb to that," he told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) [this news agency]. Company officials were unavailable Tuesday for comment on the matter. GBN is 60 per cent owned by the Trinidad-based Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) and 40 per cent owned by the Grenada government. Source: Caribbean Media Corporation news agency, Bridgetown, in English 2112 gmt 21 Jan 03 ** GUAM. Some changes for KTWR Agaña in Mandarin Chinese: 7455 100 kW / 320 deg 1100-1700 (ex 1100-1615) ||||| extended 12130 100 kW / 305 deg 1530-1700 (ex 0915-1615) ||||| retimed (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. La Voz de Indonesia retoma la frecuencia de 15150 de manera irregular. Escuchada el 19/01 a las 2030, en inglés. SINPO 4/4 (Adán Gonzálex, Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET/TERRORISM. AL-QA'IDAH RESTORES INTERNET SITE, JIHAD ONLINE TO FOLLOW SUIT - ARABIC PAPER | Text of report from Cairo by Muhamad Salah published by London-based newspaper Al-Hayat on 19 January It appears that Al-Qa'idah organization has regained its "electronic" health, having succeeded in returning to the Internet, despite the sustained American offensive on its web site. The "Islamic Studies and Research Centre" site, that carries the name of "Al-Nida", has reappeared for all, after breaking through the American siege. It has resumed distributing the organization's statements and the speeches, interviews and addresses by its leaders, led by Usamah Bin Ladin and Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has had the biggest share of the site's volume. The book "Allegiance and dissociation are a copied faith without existence" [Arabic: Al-wala' wa al-bara' aqidah manqulah wa waqi' mafqud] has taken centre stage on the site's main page, which devotes a section for presenting the book in full. Al-Hayat provided a review last Tuesday [14 January] of the details and chapters of Al-Zawahiri's new book. It published excerpts in which the Egyptian Jihad group's leader who has become the number two man in Al-Qa'idah organization stressed his determination to continue operations against the Americans everywhere. "Al-Nida" site has been the target of American electronic attacks that have knocked it off the web about 20 times. But those in charge of the site have succeeded in refloating it every time by using a new server, the address of which contains no words indicating that it belonged to Al-Qa'idah or Islamists. The material disseminated by "Al-Nida" after its resumption has not been without threats to the Americans and incitement to the Muslims to "jihad against the infidel Crusaders". Naturally, a place is dedicated for all the audio messages of Bin- Ladin and Al-Zawahiri and their videotapes, plus statements by the organization in which it claimed responsibility for operations carried out over the past months. The site also contains a news bulletin and a follow-up to events in the Afghanistan arena, plus articles and analyses, some by American writers, on the confrontation between the United States and the Muslims in the world. American investigators had questioned officials at the Malaysian Image System [as transliterated] after it became known that fundamentalists had made a contract with it to disseminate "Al-Nida" site via its network. But the company's officials denied any connection with the material contained in the site. Investigations carried out some weeks ago established that Al-Qa'idah had used other firms in Caracas and Bangkok, succeeding each time in restoring the site after it was hacked. Fundamentalist sources say that specialists in electronic warfare at the US intelligence apparatus (CIA) have resorted to a trick to discourage visitations to "Al-Nida". They created sites having the same name but containing old material issued by the organization, without updating them. The aim is to discourage people from looking for the site. The sources said Jihad Online site would also return to the web within days to further fuel the electronic struggle between the two sides. Jihad Online had disappeared from the web after the Americans hunted it down following its dissemination, during the Id al-Fitr feast [festival marking the end of Ramadan], of an audio message by Sulayman Abu-Ghayth, Al-Qa'idah's spokesman. Source: Al-Hayat, London, in Arabic 19 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Voice of Southern Azerbaijan presumed the one on 9375 January 23rd, 1627 tune in carrier, 1631 announcement by man in Middle Eastern language with many mentions of Azerbaijan, democratia and a frequency announced in MHz, "Azerbaijan sud(?) radyosu" heard, then into commentaries and interviews with occasional musical bridges or music underneath, cut off mid sentence at 1700. Fair strength and steady signal, tinny modulation and some transmitter hum but easily readable (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ. Con pocas espectativas le escribí a esta emisora que, no siendo clandestina, está dentro de aquellas difíciles de establecer contacto, por lo menos a mi me ha pasado; le había escrito otras veces sin éxito. En mi opinion, son de aquellos países donde se juntan una serie de cosas que hacen difícil llegar. Por un lado el correo, que no siempre llega; depende mucho del país desde donde se envía el reporte. Esta QSL está escrita en inglés y a mano. En forma personalizada, agradece el reporte y envía saludos, informa de los distintos idiomas en que transmite por los 11.787 KHz: Inglés, Alemán, Francés, Turco y Árabe, de 1900 a 2000 UT en el primer programa y de 0100 a 0200 UT en el segundo programa. Firma Jamila y se despide diciendo que me considera más que un nuevo oyente, un nuevo amigo. La tarjeta está ilustrada en los dos lados, con un mapa del país y con dibujos de su cultura, en color. La confirmación corresponde al dia 7 de julio del año pasado, a la hora 1945 UT. Les envié el informe el dia 18 de agosto y me llegó su carta el dia 10 de diciembre. La dirección es la misma que la de Radio Bagdag: Salihiya, P. O. BOX 8145, Baghdad, IRAQ. (``Goncidani, location unknown, Conexión Digital via DXLD) {Victor G., Milano} ** IRAQ [non]. Hey Glenn, DoD yesterday said that all press briefings will now be broadcast via Commando Solo. This makes me want to DX those old "dollar thirties". (Wm. "Bill" Brady, Harwood MD, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: COMMANDO SOLO TO BROADCAST PENTAGON BRIEFINGS TO IRAQ By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2003 -- The citizens of Iraq received a taste of democracy in action as the news briefing today by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers was broadcast via Commando Solo aircraft to Baghdad. Rumsfeld, speaking at the Foreign Press Center here, said the department is doing this "because the truth matters." He said the Iraqi people should know and hear the truth. U.S. Central Command used Commando Solo II aircraft to broadcast into Afghanistan at the start of operations in that nation. Commando Solo aircraft are modified C-130s capable of broadcasting radio and television on a real time basis. The aircraft are part of the 193rd Special Operations Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. They are based at the Harrisburg International Airport. DoD officials will say only that the crews are operating "somewhere in the Gulf." Rumsfeld said broadcasting the news briefings shows democracy and freedom at work. Public officials in democracies are held accountable and must explain their actions to the people, he said. "Every week, General Myers and I stand in the Pentagon in front of independent journalists -- professionals -- and . try to answer their questions," Rumsfeld said. "Some of the questions are tough, many are insightful and all add to the information available to the American people and the people of the world." Rumsfeld said that once the reporters leave the studio they do not fear for their lives. "They know that they and their families will not be threatened and that no one will be beaten or punished." Truth matters in a democracy, he said, it is the foundation of justice. He contrasted that with Saddam Hussein's regime, which, he said, is built on "terror, intimidation and lies." In 1991, Hussein agreed to give up his weapons of mass destruction. "For more than a decade, his regime has refused to live up to his promises," Rumsfeld said. "Instead, it has fed the world a steady diet of untruths and deceptions." (via Mike Terry, and Kim Elliott, DXLD) BTW, VOA enhanced its reputation Jan 23 with a TALK TO AMERICA on the anti-war movement (gh, DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Received a vaguely worded eQSL for my report to the clandestine station Radio al-Mustaqbal (The Future), which apparently transmits from Kuwait using 50 kW of power. I heard the station on 1575 kHz. The following response came from Iraqi National Accord, the opposition group behind the station, from email address wifaq_ina@hotmail.com ``dear Mika Makelainen many thanks for your e mail in 16-1-2003 we would like to inform you that Al-Mustaqbal radio station usually broadcasts on the frequency 1575 - 1580 khz 0f (m.w) sometime a broadcast jamming may occur to it creating by baghdad radio station , running by Saddam's regime. we try to protect our broadcast which is the broadcast of the iraqi opposition from such interferences. Many thanks again and we hope that you won't stop writing to us best regards al - mustaqbal broadcast (via Mika Mäkeläinen, Finland, Jan 23, dxing.info via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Re tests to Australia: Craig, Thanks for the tip off on this one. Noted here last night (22/1) on 15655, 15640 and 17545 all in English at 1125. 15655 went off at 1134 after a closing announcement in Yiddish (or similar language) and some Israeli pop music. The other frequencies sign off around 1130. All channels noted at fair level with a bit of echo on the signals (possibly indicating some multipath reception). (Rob VK3BVW Wagner, Melbourne, Australia, FRG100, Sangean 909, Icom ham IC701 transceiver Dipoles and longwires, Jan 22, EDXP via DXLD) Thanks for the feedback Rob. The tests will continue until Sunday on 15 MHz and then further tests will commence on 17 MHz. A possible test frequency is 17525 1100-1130 (Craig Tyson, ibid.) Greetings to all from Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Listened to Kol Israel at 1100 on 15655, they were in French till 1115 then English, reception was fair with no QRM, quite understandable, 15640 was poor to fair, not as strong as 15655 (Michael Stevenson, Sangean ATS-909 with outdoor antenna 15 metres (did not have the old Sony fired up last night), EDXP via DXLD) À noter que le 22 janvier, la réception dans le centre de la France sur cette fréquence destinée à l'Australie était aussi bonne, voire meilleure que sur 15640 et 17545, longueurs d'ondes utilisées pour l'Europe (informations issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Another update on the royalties fight: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=252059 (Ha`aretz via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. Dear Sirs, Thank you very much for your daily support of our club activities. The special broadcast in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Japan Short Wave Club (JSWC) was scheduled on 15/16 December 2002 from Adventist World Radio, Guam, but unfortunately it was not held due to the heavy damage to the transmitters caused by a typhoon hit on the island in the beginning of last December. The Japanese broadcast of AWR was resumed a few weeks ago, and according to the AWR Reverend Masaru Kawagoe, the program will be on the air as follows. Station: Adventist World Radio from Agat, Guam Language: Japanese and English Date, time and frequencies: 25 January 2002 / 2100 UTC / 11960, 11980 kHz 26 January 2002 / 1300 UTC / 11755, 11980 kHz Program host: Masaru Kawagoe Guest: Toshimichi Ohtake (JSWC member) Program contents: Since our club`s special broadcasts have already taken place 3 times by the Japanese service of AWR in 2002, we have received many reception reports for the second broadcast on 19 August 2002 from all over the world. So this time, these reports will be introduced during the regular program by the Reverend Kawagoe, with a guest Toshimichi Ohtake, a senior member of JSWC. It is a special bi-lingual, an approximately 20 minutes-long program just after the opening ID at 2100/ 1300 UTC. A special QSL card from JSWC will be issued for correct reception reports sent to: Japan Short Wave Club (JSWC), 50th Anniversary Committee, P.O.Box 138, Yokohama Port, 231-8691 Japan. Please write your report in English and enclose 1 IRC or U.S. 1 dollar bill. Source of information: Masaru Kawagoe, AWR / Toshimichi Ohtake, a member of JSWC. It may be the final opportunity for you to get our special QSL card, so please do not miss to receive the program and send us your reception report !! Finally, we would like to express our deep gratitude to all of you who have heard our club's messages, as well as the broadcasters kindly cooperated to convey them in last year, 2002. And we hope your continuous support of our club activities in the future as well. With kind regards, (Nobuya Kato, A volunteer staff of JSWC 50th anniversary project e-mail: jsw-@par.odn.ne.jp [truncated] 22 January 2003 (via Johno Wright, ARDXC via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. U S A (non): Some changes for Radio Free Asia in Korean effective from Jan. 15: 1400-1500 NF 13625, ex 13790 \\ 5855 7475 12000 1500-1600 on 13625 ||||| additional transmission \\ ? 1600-1700 on 13625 ||||| additional transmission \\ ? 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 2390, Radio Huayacocotla, 2348 YL giving religious dedications between segments of music, constant mention of "El Salvador" in the religious sense, telephone numbers, numerous mentions of "Santa Cruz", 0005 YL and OM time checks, 0035 mention of a string of radio stations and "Santo Domingo, República Dominicana" for program. Clear ID as Radio Huayacocotla by OM 0041. Deep fading at times but overall good signal. NRD 535D R 75 R 7 Noise reducing antenna (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** MEXICO [non]. He notado que aqui en la ciudad de México, la señal de Radio Mil 6010, está completamente interferida por un zumbido o ruido desde las 0100 hasta las 500 UT aprox. también he podido escuchar que parte de esta interferencia es por una emisora religiosa (Héctor García Bojorge, DF, Jan 22, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Bien podría ser la interferencia de LV de tu Conciencia de Colombia; es la única religiosa en español que opera en dicha frecuencia. Aquí, lamentablemente, es dificilísima la escucha de Radio Mil; nos interfiere la Radio Inconfidência de Brasil. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, ibid.) Amigos, por aquí en Italia LV de tu Conciencia es la muy regular, en los 6010.9v. Desde esta "pequeña" diferencia el silbido que escucha Héctor. Saludos (Francisco Luis Clemente, ibid.) ** PAKISTAN. RADIO TO BE MADE "MORE PEOPLE FRIENDLY" Islamabad, 21 January: The Minister for Information and Media Development, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, has highlighted the need for making Radio Pakistan a more friendly and effective mode of information, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported. In an address to the officers and staff of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation [PBC] Shiekh Rashid Ahmed said, young blood having fresh ideas, coupled with the capabilities to meet the challenges in the field, should be part of the production centre at Radio Pakistan. Radio Pakistan should be made more people friendly as far as information and entertainment is concerned. An effort should be made for radio to attain the status of an all time companion, equally among the rural and urban population. APP also reported, that it is a false impression that TV has a bigger audience, and added that radio is still more effective and commands a larger listenership. It was announced that Radio Pakistan will make arrangements to upgrade it's Islamabad station to become a 24-hour broadcaster, and that existing budget allocations for programming within the news-sector would be doubled. Speaking live earlier at the FM 101 Studios, he said that his ministry is dedicating effort into making this channel more effective. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said, he was impressed with the performance of the FM broadcasts, and there was a need to have more dedicated FM channels in other parts of the country as well. The minister was informed that PBC owned a chain of 25 Radio Stations in almost every corner of the country. The FM services catered for around 96.5 per cent of the total population. The chain of FM-101 channels which were introduced initially in three cities: Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore has now been extended to eight cities including Quetta, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Sialkot and Peshawar. By 2010, he said, 22 more cities would be having the FM-101 network, the news agency reported. Source: Associated Press of Pakistan news agency, Islamabad, in English 1143 gmt 21 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PERU. 6324.4, R. L.V. DEL DESTINO. Nueva Cajamarca. 1030-1045 Enero 23. Música con el Comunero de los Andes, enviando saludos a varios lugares. "5 de la mañana con 45 minutos, el saludo cordial a los amigos campesinos que a esta hora ya están en la sintonía de su radio amiga, La Voz del Destino..." (Rafael Rodríguez, Colombia, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. FEBC. On 17th December I had the great pleasure of taking part in a prayer meeting and meal with David and Jan Bayliss, Australian workers with FEBC Manila, when they visited Adelaide for a few days. David is working on the digitalisation of FEBC's program production. Jan takes care of the mail in the English Language Department. Although there are no English programs from Manila at present, a lot of mail is still received from English-speaking listeners. Jan deals with reception reports, so if you have any problems in that respect, contact her. Jan said that she sends out QSLs for correct reports. If you haven't received QSLs for your reports, it is quite possible that the reports didn't even reach the station, so try again after a reasonable wait (Robert Chester, Cheltenham, South Australia, Jan 21, EDXP via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Frequency changes for RDP International Radio Portugal effective from Jan. 13: to Europe Mon-Fri 1700-2000 NF 11740* LIS 100 kW / 052 deg, ex 11800 1700-2000 NF 11960# LIS 300 kW / 045 deg, ex 13585 * co-ch Radio Liberty in Turkmen till 1800 and AWR in Arabic 1800-1900 # co-ch VOA in Arabic 1800-1900 and Radio Farda in Persian 1900-2000 to Europe Sat/Sun 1500-1758 NF 11775* LIS 100 kW / 052 deg, ex 13790 1500-1758 NF 11960 LIS 300 kW / 045 deg, ex 13660 * co-ch SLBC in Sinhala from 1610 and VOA in Portuguese from 1700 1800-2000 NF 9655* LIS 100 kW / 052 deg, ex 13790 1800-2400 NF 9880# LIS 300 kW / 045 deg, ex 13660 * co-ch VOA in Russian # co-ch Radio Kuwait in Arabic till 2130 to Brasil Sat/Sun 2000-2100 NF 11905* LIS 100 kW / 215 deg, ex 21655 *co-ch VOA in Arabic till 2100 and Radio Tashkent in German/English (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DXLD) Incredibly incompetent frequency management! (gh, DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO. Sunday, February 2, 2003 - WBMJ-1190, San Juan, PR and WIVV-1370, Vieques, PR will conduct a DX test from 12:00-2:00 am AST (11:00 pm-1 am EST) [0400-0600 UT]. This test will be run simultaneously on both stations. At 11:59 pm AST, the stations will come out of a youth program - "Life on the Edge" - and then run a minute of DX information, including Morse code IDs. Then the stations will return to their regular programming from the Moody Broadcasting Network. The same procedure will be repeated at 12:59 am AST and 1:59 am AST. WBMJ will be broadcasting at 5 kW; WIVV at 1 kW. Reception reports (with return postage) may be sent to: Bert Johnson Operations Manager WBMJ Radio/WIVV Radio P.O. Box 367000 San Juan, PR 00936-7000 E-MAIL: bjohnson@cem-wbmj.org (Arranged for the IRCA CPC) (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. SA`UDI ARABIA/UK: SA`UDI OPPOSITION SAWT AL- ISLAH RADIO OBSERVED ACTIVE Between 15 and 21 January 2003, the Sa`udi opposition's Voice of Reform [Sawt al-Islah], the radio of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA), was observed on both shortwave and satellite. The Movement is an anti-Sa`udi organization based in London. Sawt al-Islah broadcasts on both satellite and shortwave. Although the satellite feed is 24 hours daily the shortwave feed has only been heard on 9925 kHz between 1830 and 2130 gmt. When heard the shortwave feed is in parallel with the satellite feed. On satellite it is observed in digital format with good reception via Hotbird 6, at 13 degrees east, frequency 11.096 MHz, horizontal polarization. The satellite feed has also been noted off the air on occasion. Announcements indicate that on shortwave it broadcasts from 2200 to 0000 Sa`udi Arabian time (1900-2100 gmt) and that it can be heard on 7590 kHz. Checks on this frequency have proved negative. Programming Programmes last about five hours and are repeated throughout the 24- hour broadcasting day. They consist of talks and discussions, all critical of the Sa`udi regime and ruling family. Dr Sa`d al-Faqih, the head and spokesman of the movement, holds long discussions on subjects related to Sa`udi Arabia. The topic of discussion on 20/21 January lasts for around two hours and deals with the issue of the pilgrimage to Mecca. It is entitled: "The Sa`udi government's performance during the hajj season." It argues that the Sa`udi government fails to organize the hajj and serve the pilgrims in an efficient way. Al-Faqih says: "Our regime lives on misinformation and lies. When you expose this misinformation and these lies you will expose the schism between the regime and religion. You will demonstrate the regime's lies on the issue of implementing Islamic law, on implementing the Kor`an and the Prophet's tradition, and on the issue of monotheism. If we demonstrate that this regime is ruling by polytheism and infidelism and that it fights Islam, we will expose the regime and break this psychological barrier." Al-Faqih also answers listeners' questions. Programming also include readings from the international press on Sa`udi Arabia and remarks by prominent commentators on Sa`udi affairs. The only music heard on 20/21 January was a two-minute, religious song at the end of the programmes lamenting the state of affairs in Sa`udi Arabia and the Islamic world. Programmes and discussions are interrupted to accommodate a 10-12 minute news and press review. Slogans are occasionally heard promoting Sawt al-Islah. "The Voice of the Islamic Movement for Reform is a necessary step to break the unjustified barrier of fear that the rulers planted in people's hearts. Any participation by you is a continuation of efforts towards removing this barrier." In remarks he made during one of his discussions at 1055 gmt on 21 January, Al-Faqih describes the Sa`udi regime as "the ugliest regime" in the world in terms of its "racial discrimination," in humiliating the citizens, and in "considering the House of Sa`ud super-humans and the people slaves and servants". Announcements The radio carries the following announcements at the end of its programmes: "This is the Voice of Reform, the radio of the Islamic Movement for Reform [al-harakah al-islamiyah li al-islah]" and "the Islamic Movement for Reform is your arm by which you can effect some changes. Contribute whatever you can to save the country from the plot that is in store for it." It also announces the following contact details: Tel + 44 208 4520303, Fax: + 44 208 4520808 and E mail: radio@islah.org The Movement's web sites are located at http://www.miraserve.com and http://www.islah.org Both have Arabic and English versions. According to Al-Jazeera television, the station was launched at 1900 gmt on 7 December 2002. [Note: The Movement calls itself in Arabic "al-harakah al-islamiyah li al-islah" [The Islamic Movement for Reform], with the word Islamic describing the Movement rather than the reform. However, in English it identifies itself as the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia.] Source: BBC Monitoring research 21 Jan 03 (via WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES. David Bayliss [see PHILIPPINES] reported that FEBA Seychelles will be closing during 2003. The main reasons for closing are: (1) The antennae have come to the end of their useful life and it is too expensive to replace them. Also, housing is encroaching on the antenna site, bringing with it some concerns about electro-magnetic radiation from the antennae. (2) Power and licence costs are extremely high. It is felt that the wisest use of supporters' money is to close the station completely and buy time on the facilities of other broadcasters. It is anticipated that most of the transfer will take place by the end of June 2003, depending on arrangements with suitable stations. David said that the BBC is also finding it very expensive to stay in the Seychelles, so it seems that they will close their station, but no timeframe is known for that. I haven't heard anything definite about the BBC closing. However, I suggest that if you haven't yet QSLed FEBA and the BBC Seychelles, then send some reports now. This may be your last opportunity to QSL SW broadcasts from the Seychelles (Robert Chester, Cheltenham, South Australia, Jan 21, EDXP via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: The "S-Files" looks at religion in the Viking Age Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: In "Studio 49" the future of the monarchy and gay and lesbian adoptions Sunday: Another chance to hear "Sounds Nordic" on a new Swedish web portal, Eurovision Song Contest hopefuls, and Therese Grankvist (SCDX/MediaScan Jan 22 vias DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. There have been various reports in the last time about a speech program on 4050 kHz when usually the "Hit shortwave" program was heard at other times. If any reader of this mailing list has or will make a recording of this speech program, I would be glad to receive a short excerpt of it for further analysis, especially as far as the language is concerned. The timeslot in question has been especially 0300-0330 and 1730-. Thank you very much. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Vilnius, Lithuania, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U K [non?]. Hello! Looks like BBC seriously plan to serve North America on short wave, using the DRM standard. At least, transmissions are on the air 2 h/day now in 49 mb. More details later on (Magnus Wiberg, Jan 19, dxing.info via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) Hello (again)! The frequency should be 6010 kHz at 00-01 and 04-05 UT. Anybody who heard it ? (Magnus, Jan 20, ibid.) Magnus is the frequency manager at R. Sweden. I expect these are just more DRM limited-span tests. Could this be Sackville? They also use 6010 for relaying RN in Dutch (analog) between those times (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. GERMANY: Bible Voice Broadcasting Network/BVBN/ via Wertachtal, 250 kW / 120 degrees: 1900-1930 Thu on 9470 in new language - Arabic, ex in English (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. New additional transmission for Voice of America in Kurdish from Jan. 15: 1800-1900 on 6115 BIB 100 kW / 105 deg, 11805 and 12030 MOR 250 kW / 075 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DXLD) BIB = Biblis, Germany; MOR = Morocco ** U S A [non]. 3985 RFE/RL testing via ? 0519-0533/0552-0601*01/22 Russian. Continuous talks with piano music between items. Ham QRM too much by 0533. Re-check at 0552 to a clear signal with OM talk and field reports, music between items. Solid "Radio Svoboda" ID, announcement at s/off. Fair/poor (Scott Barbour, Jr., NH, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. Hi! To the WWCR web-site maintainers: Why, oh why did you change the PDF-format schedule pages from the previous fine four-page format to the new 8-page design? Some of your listeners use public- access computers, like I do here at the local library to access your web site. Some of these have to PAY for each page printed! (Luckily, the city libraries here print for free, but the county ones charge per-page.) You had a nice, compact 4-page format before, economically putting the maximum data on each page. Your new format is wasteful and no improvement. Please return to the 4-page format or at least offer it as an alternative to the new 8-page layout. (Even if you don't have to pay per-page, why waste paper? Who would want to have to shuffle through 8 pages when 4 would suffice?) (Will Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri, Jan 21, cc to DXLD) ** U S A. Joe, I haven't heard the WHRI Angel 2 transmissions on 13760 or 5745 in about a week. Has something changed, is something wrong, or is it likely just my conditions (Donald Wilson, North Hollywood, CA, to Joe Brashier, WHRI via DXLD) Donald, Angel 2 is down for repairs. We hope to have it up soon. Many of your evening programs from 6PM to 10PM Eastern time have been temporarily moved to 7.580 MHz [WHRA]. (Joe Brashier WHRI, Jan 20, via Donald Wilson, DXLD) ** U S A. 1670, KHPY CA, Moreno Valley 1/16 1956 [EST?] noted with Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" totally alone in KNRO's null. 1959:30 gave ID and made the announcement that this was their first day of broadcasting. Also noted that they would be dropping power at 2000 and to tune back at 7 am PST for return to full power. Went to and ad for "Penny Saver" and at 2001 singing ID "KHPY Moreno Valley 1670," into an oldies song I didn't know. Easily nulled from KNRO. Cut power at 2002 but signal remained good for a few minutes more before lessening, still alone in KNRO null at 2008. Thought it would be harder to dig out from KNRO (Donald K. Kaskey, San Francisco CA, IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) ** U S A. 1710, Lubavicher Radio (presumed) -- Site unknown. Jan 19, 0150 [UT?] Music and talk in most likely in either Yiddish and/or Hebrew, similar music. SIO=111 Note: this station comes in equally weakly at my home also. There is Lubavich community approx. 12 miles from my home and will see if I can narrow their QTH using a portable receiver on an upcoming Saturday night (Joe Miller, Troy Michigan and/or Brighton State Park Michigan using a Grundig Satellit 800 Receiver, Cumbre DX via DXLD) NY City, unless there is more than one of these (gh) ** U S A. TRUCKIN' BOZO RADIO NETWORK AFFILIATES 570 KLAC Los Angeles, CA * 630 KFXD Boise, ID 700 KWLW North Salt Lake City, UT 700 WLW Cincinnati, OH 1030 KTWO Casper, WY 1040 WHO Des Moines, IA 1130 KWKH Shreveport, LA 1170 WWVA Wheeling, WV 1180 WHAM Rochester, NY 1230 WTKG Grand Rapids, MI 1350 KTDD San Bernardino, CA * {*correxions in 3-014} (Art Blair (Boss Bozo), Folsom, CA, Jan 23, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. Listening to WBEN 930 this afternoon, it was announced that WWKB (formerly WKBW) clear channel 1520 in Buffalo is going back to the future.... Danny Nevereth (sp?) in mornings...Hank Nevins (sp?) afternoons and Joey Reynolds over night. I presume its going back to a music station. I wonder if the apparent success of AM 740 has had anything to do with this. Similarities: 50 kW clear channel, presumably older music, great DJs from the past. And KB was heard over a large area of the East Coast. Coincidence? The new format begins Monday morning Jan 27, 2003. KB was getting killed in the ratings last time I looked. It will be interesting to monitor what effect the format change will have on their ratings. (Fred Waterer, Ont., Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FCC PREPARING TO OVERHAUL TELECOM, MEDIA RULES From The Washington Post "If All Proposals Are Enacted, Major Firms in Field Will Be Less Regulated and More Free to Expand." By Jonathan Krim, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, January 3, 2003 Over the next few months, a single federal agency will begin to fundamentally alter the nation's communications and mass-media landscape, rewriting a broad swath of rules that affect the choices consumers have for getting online and the variety of television and radio programming they watch and hear. If all of the changes being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission are enacted as proposed, major telecommunications and media corporations will be less regulated, and more free to grow, than at any time in decades. The rules in question govern how much telephone companies need to open their lines to competitors for local phone and high-speed Internet service, set restrictions on how many TV and radio stations can be owned by one company, and determine whether a company can own both newspapers and TV stations that serve the same community. FCC officials say they expect to begin making decisions as early as February, after more than a year of intense debate and lobbying over sharply different visions of the best way to spur growth and competition in the country's information economy. Opponents of the proposed rules fear that, taken together, they ultimately could lead to a few powerful conglomerates controlling the flow of electronic information, from programming of television and radio news and entertainment to owning the pipes that connect people to the Internet. Those pushing for the changes argue that the old rules fail to account for emerging technologies that can provide a wealth of diverse information and means of communication. Burdensome regulation has stunted their deployment -- particularly of high-speed Internet access -- these people say, and this in turn has hampered recovery of the battered technology sector. "We've teed up a lot," said Michael J. Copps, one of two commission Democrats. "It's high noon at the FCC." With the stakes high, the corporate owners of three of the nation's major TV networks came together yesterday to call on the FCC to abolish its ownership rules. Viacom Inc., which owns CBS and the Paramount movie studio, joined with News Corp., owner of the Fox TV network and the 20th Century Fox studio, and NBC/Telemundo in arguing that the regulations are no longer needed given the "wealth of media available to virtually all Americans." Proposed rules often are modified through negotiations among the commission's five members, and FCC officials insist that final decisions have not been made. But analysts are increasingly convinced that, for the most part, the deregulatory agenda of Chairman Michael K. Powell will prevail, marking a definitive turn from the policies of the FCC during the Clinton administration. Powell and Republican commissioners Kevin J. Martin and Kathleen Q. Abernathy have a 3 to 2 majority, and while they don't always vote in lock step, they are in general philosophical agreement that less regulation is beneficial. Meanwhile, Powell's most powerful and ardent critic, Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.), lost control of the Senate Commerce Committee when the Republicans won a Senate majority last month. At one hearing last summer, Hollings all but called Powell a shill for big business in general and the large regional telephone companies in particular. Although the FCC is an independent agency, Congress controls its purse strings. Taking over the Commerce Committee is Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who championed Powell's nomination to the commission in 1997 and who shares his deregulatory instinct. McCain has promised hearings on several of the issues the FCC is grappling with. "The political environment has shifted significantly," said Nancy Kaplan, a Bethesda-based telecommunications consultant. "We'll see just how strong Powell really is." The commission's existing regulatory regime also has been under attack by the courts, which have issued key rulings challenging the commission's requirements on the sharing of telephone networks and its limits on media concentration. In an interview, Powell rejected the notion that he seeks mindless deregulation, or that the contemplated changes would necessarily shift the media and telecommunications balance in dramatic fashion. "No industry is so fraught with impassioned histrionics as this one," he said. Congress requires the commission to review many of its rules every two years, Powell said, and to toss out those that cannot be justified as providing benefit. But Powell said he is determined to keep the Internet relatively free from the decades-old, tightly regulated framework of local telephone service. He also disparages claims that changing FCC rules will mean open season for consolidation that will stifle competition. "That assumes that the antitrust division takes a pill and goes to sleep," said Powell, who once worked in that Justice Department division. He added that the FCC will continue to evaluate mergers to determine whether they are in the public interest. He cited the agency's recent rejection of the proposed buyout of Hughes Electronics Corp.'s DirecTV by satellite competitor EchoStar Communications Corp. as one example. But industry experts, consumer groups and several major technology companies aren't convinced. "The most important thing the Powell commission will do is eliminate all the rules that proactively prevent telecommunications and media companies from entering new lines of business," said Blair Levin, an FCC official in the Clinton administration who now analyzes regulatory policy for the investment firm Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc. "We are clearly going to have a lot of consolidation. The question is, is the nature of technology such that we can still get the vibrant competition that you would want?" Paul Misener, vice president of global public policy for Amazon.com Inc., who also worked at the FCC, said it is "an operating assumption" in his industry that there will be fewer Internet access providers in the future. Misener said the direction the FCC is headed creates the likelihood that while consumers will have a choice between high-speed Internet technologies -- via cable or souped-up telephone service known as DSL -- there will be only one or two Internet providers within each technology. That prospect has Amazon, Microsoft Corp. and a coalition of other technology companies worried that those gatekeepers could prevent users from looking at certain content. © 2003 The Washington Post Company (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. NYC REBUILDS WITH A NEW TV TOWER IN NEW JERSEY A broadcast tower almost a half mile high to replace the structure lost when terrorists felled New York's World Trade Center could rise across the Hudson river in New Jersey. This, as an alliance made up of eleven broadcasters release a report as to why they favor proposed site in Bayonne over one in Jersey City. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has more: -- In a 17-page letter to New Jersey's environmental commissioner, the broadcasting alliance says the new tower would restore quality television reception for about three quarters of a million people in the metropolitan area. This is especially important to the region`s poor and elderly who cannot afford to pay for cable or satellite reception. And the alliance called the Bayonne site far superior in terms of size, security, environmental concerns, cost and construction timetables. And the group`s president, Edward Grebow said the $200 million project would also be a boon to construction workers in the region. He also noted that the city of Bayonne wants to make the tower a central element in plan to transform the location into an area of offices, homes, stores and marinas. In addition to its television antenna system, the alliance suggests that the structure might also be used for scientific studies. This could include long term investigations into weather, climate and air pollution. If constructed the new tower would not only become the world's tallest free-standing structure. It would also be the worlds tallest broadcast tower built at near sea level. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, reporting. -- While New Jersey has the support of the region`s broadcasters, other locations are still believed to be under consideration by local politicians and community leaders (ARNewsline from listener reports Jan 17 via DXLD) ** U S A. BROCHURES DEFAME MLK, JR. Reporter: Andy Schroeder Owensboro, KY January 21 -- White power leaflets are turning up on Owensboro doorsteps, delivering scathing criticism of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It's not really clear who is behind the fliers. The brochures entitled "The Beast as Saint" began showing up stuffed in doors and mail boxes Monday. The 30-paragraph pamphlet targets the slain civil rights leader --- calling him a communist, plagiarizer and sexual degenerate. It's turned up on the doorsteps of mostly white families and appears to be totally unsolicited. The text of the hand-out comes from a white power radio show called American Dissident Voices. The pamphlet directs readers to a web site for the Aryan group known as the National Alliance. Did it stir up racial sentiment in Owensboro? The response so far seems to be no . "They just sneakily slide it under your door and hope that you read it and join their cause---but they didn't get anyone to join it here," Richard Thomson said. "It's not really worth mentioning," Rev. Larry Lewis said. "It's not worth the paper it's printed on." Whoever distributed these won't likely face any charges. This sort of speech is protected by the First Amendment and there is no city ordinance prohibiting its solicitation in Owensboro. The best advice that's out there...if you don't like it, put it in the trash (WTVW FOX 7 News, Evansville IN, Jan 22, via Ulis Fleming, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Radio Amazonas muy variable en frecuencia, para demostrarlo sólo 2 días: el 18/01, estaba en 4939.8 y el 19/01 en 4939.6 (Adán Gonzálex, Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Jan 21, WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. OPPOSITION, SUPPORTERS OF CHAVEZ FIGHT IT OUT ON THE INTERNET In Venezuela, the explosion of cyberspace as a centre for political confrontation began in 2001, according to researcher Morelis Gonzalo Vega, a Venezuelan newspaper has reported. Rapid dissemination of information is one advantage of the Internet but hacking into the web sites of one's opponents is also a way of putting that means of information out of action (the Venezuelan Ministry of Defence web site has been out of action since 8 December 2002 since it suffered an attack by hackers) or disfiguring it to provide false information. The following is the text of a report by Froilan Fernández published by El Nacional web site on 22 January; subheadings as published: One of the flagships of the opposition on the Internet is called Comacates.com [group of military commanders, majors, captains and lieutenants], a forum with up-to-the-minute updates on incidents related to the six-week-old strike. Meanwhile, on an opposing navigation channel [i.e. web site], the Revolutionary People's Assembly, the tanker Aporrea.org anchors with frequent dispatches in favour of the government and against "the squalid ones [a general derogatory term for the opposition] and the carmoníacos [a derogatory term for supporters of Pedro Carmona, who was declared interim president in the short-lived coup of 11 April 2002 and is now in exile in Colombia]." An examination of political propaganda sites similar to these, of which there are now more than 100, including e-mail forums, reveals new forms of political activity and the development of advanced expertise among webmasters and hackers, which guarantees continuous operation and neutralizes computer attacks by opposing groups. The explosion of cyberspace as a centre for political confrontation began in 2001, according to researcher Morelis Gonzalo Vega, who gave a presentation on the subject at the 1st On-line Congress of the CyberSociety Observatory, held on the Internet last September. Gonzalo Vega concurs with sociologist Tulio Alvarez that most ventures are personal initiatives, begun by cyberactivists who decide to provide a service to the groups to which they belong. Fernando Núñez Noda, a technology columnist and manager of ContenidoDigital.com, says that the political activism of the future will develop on the Internet. "What is most striking about the web is its effectiveness as a vehicle for political information," Nunez Noda says. A political activist, he says, can distribute a crucial document in a matter of minutes to thousands of people, each of whom can then re-send it to everyone in his address books with one click. This effective flow of information follows Metcalfe's Law to a tee, says Núñez Noda: "The effectiveness of a network grows exponentially according to the number of nodes or members of the network." A byte war The impassioned proclamations for or against the government are accompanied by two kinds of attacks: those meant to put enemy sites out of service and intelligence and counter-intelligence operations. In the archives of Aprorrea.org there are records of various incidents of attacks on government web pages, several of which occurred in mid- December. One description reads: "(08/12/02) The Ministry of Defence http://www.minidefensa.gov.ve page was hacked, presumably by computer terrorists from the opposition. We demand a rapid investigation as well as sanctions against those responsible." There are similar descriptions of "disfiguring" attacks (replacement of the original content with propaganda material) on pages belonging to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Venezolana de Television [state- owned television station], the Foreign Ministry and the National Assembly. The Ministry of Defence web site is inactive and one sees the following message there: "This site is being updated and is out of service." We find a notorious case of disinformation in the attack on the New York Bolivarian Circle [CBNY] web site, managed by Juan Carlos Medina. This web site was hosted on the free MSN server but an opposition hacker managed to get the administrator's password, which then prevented Medina from ever accessing his own web site again. The site now displays an apocryphal letter from Medina in which he renounces Chavism. Later, Medina created another site for the CBNY. Look who is sending messages Although anti-government web sites have been immune to attacks from hackers who sympathize with the government, such hackers have been very productive in infiltrating forums and sending misinformation that at first glance appears to have been sent by well-known members of the opposition or the media. Globovisión, Venevisión and El Nacional, among others, have made it clear to their audiences that they do not send e-mail messages. A recent example of this tactic: A message on a Globovisión letterhead, entitled "Survey makes politicians tremble," describes an alleged poll by the PolitikaPerú site on current voting preferences among Venezuelans. "The data provided by the famous survey service has made the directors of the [opposition] Democratic Coordinating Board change their strategy every time President Hugo Chávez's image improves in the study." E-mail political forums are more numerous than web sites dedicated to the subject, says Morelis Gonzalo Vega mgonzalo@cantv.net "Sometimes, updates of web sites occur at a furious pace and there are repetitions of contributions from multiple users. E-mail discussion lists allow calmer processing of information and, in this sense, they are more effective." Regarding the heated tones used on political web sites, Gonzalo Vega points out that "oral expression predominates there". He feels that the extreme language may be used to "release energy" and, in his opinion, serves as a catharsis for activists. Sources Núñez Noda, Fernando. Conspiracy on the Web. Published in the daily Tal Cual from 24 April to 29 May 2002. http://www.contenidodigital.com/articulos/tc-politica.htm Gonzalo Vega, Morelis. Cyberpolitics in Action: Venezuela is Also Fighting a Battle on the Web. 1st Online Congress of the CyberSociety Observatory. 9-22 September 2002. http://cibersociedad.rediris.es/congreso/com/ms/g14gonzalo.htm The following is a short list of the most prominent political sites. In the documents listed above, as well as on some of the following sites, more exhaustive lists of links may be found. Pro-government sites: Aporrea.org: http://www.aporrea.org Anti-squalid ones sites: http://www.antiescualidos.com Sovereignty: http://www.soberania.info Alternative media portal: http://www.geocities.com/pmavl/ National Forum: http://www.foronacional.gov.ve Rebelion.org: http://www.rebelion.org Pro-opposition sites: Democratic Coordinating Board: http://www.coordinadorademocratica The Firefly: http://www.gusanodelaluz.com We Want to Choose [Spanish: Queremos Elegir; a civil association] : http://www.queremoselegir.org Civic Alliance: http://www.alianzacivica.com Justice First: http://www.primerojusticia.net Comacates: http://www.comacates.com Democratic Military Officers [Spanish: Militares democráticos] (bilingual): http://www.militaresdemocraticos.com Sailing in turbulent waters If we take a step back from the current political situation, says Fernando Núñez Noda fnunez@contenidodigital.com we can see that political activity on the web allows accelerated democratization by providing access to information. "The ethical use of political information on the web will bear fruit for those who handle it properly." Núñez Noda points out that there is a considerable gap between the traditional parties, which have not been able to master the new tools, and the newest groups that do make intensive use of the new technologies. Some examples of effective cyberactivists, according to Núñez Noda, are: Justice First, Project Venezuela, Minister Felipe Pérez Martí and Elías Jaua. Some prototypes, according to Gonzalo Vega, are: Aporrea.org (pro- government) and The Firefly (opposition). Disfigured pages The most common attack on a web site is the so-called disfiguration, i.e. replacing content with offensive or propagandist information against the site. Every time someone asks to view a specific web page, there is an exchange of codes between the computer requesting the page and the site which hosts it. The everyday user does not see these codes but there are freely accessible tools on the Internet with which more advanced users can identify all the components running the web site: its operating system, the software handling the contents of the web page or the e-mail server, among others. Once the web site's technology platform has been identified, the hacker attempts systematically to gain control of the site through the known vulnerabilities of each of its systems. There are hundreds of security holes which a meticulous webmaster can close if he kept up to date on the updates continually published by software companies as the problems are made public. Also, configuring a web site is a complex process, in which any carelessness or inexact combination of certain parameters can inadvertently create a "back door" for hackers, who constantly monitor a set of sites in order to detect their weak points. Administrators also use tools to establish records of access. This software informs the administrator when there is an attempt to gain access to key archives, which are those that are generally the target of malicious attacks. "Disfiguring web pages is not the only goal of hackers," says Jose Blanco Oliver, manager of MonitoreoWeb.com There are also attacks, he says, against DNS [Domain Name Server] servers which control web page addresses. An attack against a DNS server can take users requesting a specific web page to another that contains offensive or pornographic content. "The original web page is not affected but the user is taken to another site every time he wants to access the site that has been attacked, which also means that there has been a failure on the part of the administrators." Source: El Nacional web site, Caracas, in Spanish 22 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. John probably a sub-harmonic of 32.24 [sic] MHz. Some of these baby monitors operate up there or on 27145 or 27095. Probably it is extremely close to where you are (Robin VK7RH Harwood, Tasmania, swl via DXLD) Heard on 16620, so double that is 33240 -- does that fit for baby monitors, or the third multiple as previously suggested? (gh) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHAT A DIFFERENCE A RADIO MAKES, by Bruce Atchison +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We sure have it good here in North America. Even our prisoners have a standard of living far higher than many third world people. Our pampered convicts would cringe if they suddenly were transferred to a prison such as the one in Kabwe, Zambia. Through a program sponsored by a religious rights organization called Voice Of The Martyrs, I received an address of a Christian inmate and contacted him. Geoffrey Sakala was very surprised and delighted when I wrote and even offered to send him a few things to ease his time in jail. Geoffrey and I have been corresponding for almost a year and he's told me a lot about his daily experiences. For example, the cell he's in is only 3 by 2 meters. The single window is a very small opening near the ceiling which is not much better than an air vent. He shares the cell with 5 other men due to the shortage of space in the Zambian prison system. There's no toilet in the cell so the men must use a chamber pot. No toiletries are provided and very little food is served to them. They have no TVs or radios and receive no news papers. In a certain catalog, I spotted a dynamo-equipped and solar-powered radio which needs no batteries. A minute of cranking charges up the radio's built-in battery and it plays for hours. Since it wasn't very expensive, I bought it and shipped it off to Geoffrey, along with some toiletries and a bunch of magazines. Months later, Geoffrey wrote and was so happy to get the receiver. In his most recent aerogramme, Geoffrey said that he now can learn what's going on in the outside world. Since batteries cost as much as a month's wages for some people, this little AM/FM receiver is like a window for my pen pal and his cell mates. Everybody admired the radio and Geoffrey was so happy to receive it. When I think of all the electronic gadgetry I have to entertain myself with, Geoffrey's experience has put things into perspective. Even when I was a child and received my first 6 transistor pocket radio, I still had plenty of other things to keep me amused. What a wonderful feeling it is to know that this relatively inexpensive gift from Canada has made such a difference in the life of an African prisoner. Yours in Christ's service, Bruce Atchison. ve6xtc@telusplanet.net http://gideon.www2.50megs.com http://help-for-you.com (DX LISTENING DIGEST) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ STAPLES CLOSING OUT GRUNDIG PORTABLES Some Staples office supply stores have placed two of their Grundig receivers on clearance. Both sell for $37.50 where available. The two models are the Yacht Boy 300PE (SKU 477139) and the Porsche-designed G-2000A (SKU 466981). You may need to ask a store manager or associate to search the stock room for remaining models. They are usually locked in a glass case with digital cameras, but many employees know little about the radios, so customers may have to ask an employee to check their store computer and stockroom for remaining radios. Neither is a stellar performer, but they are nice travel portables and might be a fine gift for those new to the hobby (Philip Dampier, NY, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) GRUNDIG YB400PE After 9½ years of service, several trips to the Kripalu Center and other yoga retreats, and a pilgrimage to India, my 1993 Panasonic RFB- 45 virtually died. One day it was working fine; I was listening to Imus on WFAN in the morning, but at lunch hour I tried to listen to Jim Rome on WGR-550 and found the tuning had completely conked out. (Since CHUM axed the sports, I've been taking my DX rig to work, just to listen to Rome!) Since the cost to have it fixed would be almost as much as a new radio, I chose the latter option. Yesterday I got a Grundig Yacht Boy 400 PE, for $CDN195 at Bay-Bloor Radio, a long- established electronics shop in downtown Toronto at -- DUH!! -- the corner of Bay and Bloor streets. The YB400PE is slightly larger and maybe an ounce or two heftier than the RFB-45, and takes 6 AA batteries, not 4. The jury is still out on battery life. I haven't done any serious DXing on it yet, but so far I like it. It's got some features the RFB-45 didn't have, like a clock display that doesn't disappear when the radio is turned on, 40 pre- sets (RFB-45 had only 18) and a dial light. Of course for serious AM DXing, it won't beat my trusty old 1978 RF-2200 that's been pulling in DX since the Carter administration. What's with the stupid name "Yacht Boy"? Why don't they call it a "Yacht Girl", given the typical male predilection for slapping feminine monickers on cars, boats, and other machinery. Hopefully this YB400PE will pick up as much good karma as my RFB-45 did. Maybe I will take it with me on another Indian pilgrimage, to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, later this decade! 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, Jan 23, hard-core-dx via DXLD) THE HUNT FOR RFI Unjamming a coast harbor. A team of engineers tracked down three rogue television antennas guilty of jamming GPS for months. Link to article in GPS World: http://www.gpsworld.com/gpsworld/content/contentDetail.jsp?id=43404 (via Craig Seufert, NH, swprograms via DXLD) From the article: "Source-2 varied in frequency and level. While on top of the L1 frequency, it had a level of 2106 dBm." 2106 dBm is an ungodly amount of power. An oscillator of the magnitude stated would have consumed enough power to melt the entire California power grid. I hope this paper is not representative of the quality of education being dispensed at the US Navy Post Graduate School. Unfortunately, the authors presented their credentials at the end of the article and four of them should know better. It doesn't say much for the technical prowess of the editor of GPS World either (Joe Buch, swprograms via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ SEATTLE GET-TOGETHER PRESIDENTS DAY WEEKEND Bruce Portzer sends word: "Hello Everyone-- It's time for my annual DX Get-together. This year it will be on Saturday, February 15, beginning at 2 p.m. Here's a chance to meet other radio listeners and talk about hobby stuff - medium wave, SWBC, utility, TV/FM, or whatever flavor of listening you like to do. "Feel free to bring stuff like receivers, QSL cards, antennas, and other paraphernalia to show off or demonstrate. Please bring a potluck snack or something to drink. At dinner time, we'll pass the hat around and order some pizzas. "My address is 6546 19th Avenue N.E. in Seattle. It's not hard to find, since the streets are numbered and parallel around here. But if you need directions, let me know. "If you have questions or want to RSVP, my phone number is 206-522- 2521. See you there. (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) THE 16TH ANNUAL WINTER SWL FEST The 16th annual Winter SWL Fest in Kulpsville, PA, is scheduled for March 7-8, 2003. With forums on shortwave, mediumwave, pirates, and—of course -- longwave, the gathering attracts DXers from all over North and South America, and frequently Europe as well. The Winter SWL Fest is sponsored by our sister organization, the North American Shortwave Association (NASWA). For details, visit: http://www.swlfest.com (via Mike Terry, DXLD) 2003 IRCA CONVENTION ANNOUNCEMENT The 2003 International Radio Club of America convention will be held on June 27-29 at the Best Western Merry Manor Inn, 700 Main Street, South Portland, Maine 04106. Phone number for reservations is 207-774- 6151. Mention the IRCA convention rate of $69 per night. This rate is good for your entire stay during or beyond the convention. The hotel is located near shopping, restaurants, radio stations, tourist attractions, the Portland Jetport, Greyhound bus station, Amtrak, and much more. Registration fee is $35, payable to host Mike Sanburn, KG6LJU. We will be officially welcoming the radio club "Decalcomania" as well. Their website is http://www.anarc.org/decal/ On the agenda are activities including station tours, the official business meeting, prize drawings, a guest speaker, the Saturday night Banquet, with the famous Auction following! The hotel can be viewed at http://www.seenewengland.com/merrymanor Tourist info can be found at http://www.visitportland.com If you've been to one of our conventions in the past, or if you are a first-timer, this is an event that is not to be missed. It is the 40th annual IRCA convention, but it is the first time that it has ever been held in New England. Specific questions can be directed to Mike Sanburn at mikesanburn@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 1256, Bellflower CA 90707-1256 (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) WRC 03 Glenn, Updating the story in EDXP-WBM 280, Venezuela has pulled out of hosting WRC-03. It will now be held in Geneva. See http://www.itu.ch/ Regards (Bob Padula, Ausralia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) EDXC CONFERENCE 2003 Dear Friends, our member club Rhein Main Radio Club has confirmed the EDXC Conference as planned in Germany on August 15th to 17th, 2003. On the newly designed http://www.edxc.org web portal you can find general information, the preliminary agenda and the registration form both in English and in German. Just point at the "Special Sections" menu on the left side of the first page. You will be guided to the Conference 2003 section. The Conference location Königstein is about 15 km North from Frankfurt, in and you find how to get there at www.ktckoenigstein.de The center hosts Congress and Meetings of European banking associations. The place is in very good conditions, with nicely equipped Rooms in a gree[n?] environment enriched by Sauna, Swimmingpool, Billard and every technical equipment.. The EDXC Conference 2003 in Germany is organized by RMRC e.V. in Co-operation with ADDX, AGDX, EAWRC, SWLXS and other DX clubs with the friendly assistance of Bosch Enterprises. The EDXC Conference is a unique opportunity to meet annually the specialists of long distance radio listening from everywhere in Europe. The Conference is the traditional workshop for exchanging experiences and finding new trends and looking at the future of dxing. After focusing on traditional dxing, this year`s conference concentrates on the future of the hobby as well as of Short Wave, Tropical Bands, FM-DX and Free Radio. See you in Germany, 73's (Luigi Cobisi, edxc sg (via Mike Terry, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ GEOMAGNETIC INDICES Phil Bytheway - Seattle WA - phil_tekno@yahoo.com Geomagnetic Summary December 31 2002 through January 20 2003 Tabulated from email status daily Date Flux A K SA Forecast GM Forecast Etc. 12/31 115 6 1 no storms no storms 1 1/ 1 115 8 2 no storms no storms 6 2 118 8 2 no storms no storms 6 3 138 15 3 no storms no storms 7 4 143 12 2 no storms no storms 5 5 148 6 2 no storms no storms 6 6 162 6 2 no storms no storms 7 7 163 8 2 minor minor 6 8 174 6 1 minor minor 6 9 183 5 2 minor minor 6 10 185 12 3 no storms minor 8 11 189 9 3 no storms minor 7 12 173 10 3 no storms minor 7 13 172 8 2 no storms no storms 7 14 164 9 1 no storms no storms 6 15 150 6 2 no storms no storms 6 16 145 5 1 no storms no storms 7 17 142 9 2 no storms no storms 5 18 137 13 3 no storms no storms 7 19 130 17 3 no storms no storms 6 1/20 138 16 2 minor no storms 6 ****************************************************************** (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-012, January 21, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1165: RFPI; Wed 0805, 1405 on 15039 and/or 7445 WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1165.html WORLD OF RADIO 1166 FIRST AIRINGS: WBCQ: Wed 2300 on 7415, 17495-CUSB WWCR: Thu 2130 on 9475 RFPI: Fri 1930 on 15039 CONTINENT OF MEDIA 03-01 is available from Jan 20: RFPI: Wed 0705, 1305 [special timings], Fri 1900, Sat 0100, 0700, 1300, 1730, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, Tue 2000, Wed 0200, 0800, 1400 (Download) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0301.rm (Stream) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0301.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0301.html [not yet available] UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Hi Glenn, I love reading your DX Listening Digest! (Eric Zhou, China) Escuchada este pasado Sábado 18 a WWCR 5070 kHz a las 0330 con el programa "World of Radio" # 1165 en Inglés con Glenn Hauser. Como siempre bien fuerte y fácil de sintonizar en esta parte de los EEUU. El mejor programa con info sobre el DX !!! (Dino Bloise, New Jersey, USA, Jan 19, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Thanks for your broadcast that I`ve been listening since it began. This is my first e mail ever. So keep up the good work. À la prochaîne. 73, good listening (Richard Casavant, Montréal, Jan 20) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. NORWAY: 18940, Radio Afghanistan (Presumed); 1352..1436, 18-Jan; Only now- familiar stirring IS tune. SIO=2+53 (Harold Frodge, Brighton MI DXpedition, Cumbre DX via DXLD) And also when I checked 1445 UT Jan 21. It`s really *incredible* this has gone on for so long, burning up kilowatts and dollars --- but whose? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 17705, R. Afghanistan. 0900 "This is radio Afghanistan, the net will be news" said in Pusthu. This was under help by an Afghan guy. Uncommon was that in 0945 I heard many times "R Azadi" (R Liberty) and I was much concerned by this... Local like signal in MVT7100 plus TV antenna (Zacharias Liangas, 20 [Jan], Thessaloniki Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Like many of your logs, I`m not quite sure what to make of it. Current IBB schedule does not include 17705 at this hour, but on 17710: 17710 0700 0730 RFE AFG PA HOL 02 077 17710 0730 0830 RFE AFG DA HOL 02 077 17710 0830 0930 RFE AFG PA HOL 02 077 17710 0930 1030 RFE AFG DA HOL 02 077 I.e. the RFE service from Holzkirchen to Afghanistan alternating Dari and Pashto. Was this a receiver with accurate frequency readout? Some of your others seem to be 5 kHz off (gh, DXLD) ** ARMENIA. Updated winter schedule received from Voice of Armenia: Armenian: Mon-Sat 1930-2000 on 4810/11625, daily to South America: 0300-0330 on 9965; Arabic: 1745-1815 on 4810/1314; Azeri: 1400-1430 (SS -1415) on 864/4810; English: Mon-Sat 2040-2100 on 4810/11625, Sun 0910-0930 on 4810/15270; Farsi: 0330-0400 on 864/4810; French: Mon-Sat 2000-2020 on 4810/11625, Sun 0830-0850 on 4810/15270; Georgian: Mon-Sat 1320-1330 on 234; German: Mon-Sat 2020-2040 on 4810/15270, Sun 0850-0910 on 4810/15270; Kurdish: 1445-1515 on 864/4810; Spanish (to South America): 0330-0345 on 9965; Turkish: 1430 (SS 1415) -1445 on 864/4810 (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Really on 11625 now? They keep listing it but not using it, as I recall (gh) ** ASCENSION. 6135, R. Japan via Ascension. Swahili 0345, fair. On only few days during midsummer, when all is still on the lower bands, signals from Africa will suddenly fade up out of nowhere in the 0200- 0430 period. This phenomenon has yet to be explained satisfactorily, and usually lasts for an hour or two, before 49, 41 and 31 metres become silent again (Craig Seager, Australia, Jan ADXN via DXLD) Date, then? ** AUSTRALIA. Progress report from Dennis Adams, HCJB-Australia. Everything going well; only a couple minor failures at the transmitter, really quite good. With fine tuning done, even at low power 25 kW, signal is stabilizing and stronger. Picking it up much better now in Melbourne, quite a distance from Kununurra. Engineers will be ready for Asian service to start this coming Sunday, 15480 full power 100 kW, 1230-1730. [NOT: delayed another week; see below.] Reception reports first two weeks, even with low power and antennas toward S Pacific, amazed that reports have come in from Japan, Scandinavia, India, Pifo. DX Partyline was sent last *Thursday* night, local time via ftp site, received OK on Friday Oz time, in plenty of time to get it on air as scheduled. [Wonder if show must now be produced a day earlier? --gh] Ethiopia test broadcasts? Date still not set, as putting all efforts so far into getting Asian antenna online. Then will turn attention to that, ASAP (DX Partyline Jan 18, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB-AUSTRALIA HCA plans to test its service to India from January 19, using 15480, 1230-1730. This frequency was originally used by IBB from October 27 2002 for VOA programming 1300-1500 via Philippines (Poro) with two transmitters, to India and the Middle East, azimuth 285 degrees and 215 degrees, but was withdrawn on October 30. The channel was then made available to HCJB-Australia HCA acknowledges that there is a possibility of interference from BBC 15485 via Skelton, servicing Europe. 11755 was chosen, 0700-1100, azimuth 110 degrees, to maintain frequency transparency with the previous Pifo (Ecuador) transmitter, and it has been acknowledged that Radio Finland, co-channel, might be a problem in the Pacific. If necessary, a more suitable frequency may be selected. I have urged that 11755 be changed, as it is not providing a reliable service across the primary target area of Australia and the Pacific. Interference from Radio Finland is annoying, with that transmitter running 500 kW 0600-2100, at azimuth 220 degrees, servicing western Europe. That heading is virtually straight into Melbourne via long- path! Here in Melbourne, the Finnish transmitter often overrides HCJB, especially for the first hour of the broadcast. I have suggested to HCA's frequency manager that long-path transmissions from Europe into eastern Australia on 12 MHz in the period 0600-1200 have been commonplace for decades, providing very strong and reliable signals throughout the year. I visited the Pori station last year as part of the EDXC conference, and I was impressed with the facilities, with 11755 running out of a slewable curtain. Let's hope that something can be done to resolve the problem on 11755, acknowledging Kununurra is presently using reduced power during the test phase. Increasing the antenna input power to 25 kW (from the present 13 kW), may improve audibility across the primary target areas. However, this has he potential to create co-channel interference to Finland service, due to the reciprocity pattern. When Pifo used 11755 to the South Pacific, it ran 100 kW, and put out a thumping big signal across NZ and Eastern Australia, a different set of circumstances as compared with 13 kW from Kununurra! (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 19 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB Australia [tentative] January 18, 2003, 11755 at 1039-1101. Announcers reminiscing about the hobby when they were young on "Ham Radio Today". Buzzing noise began around 1055. At 1057 the R. Habana Cuba ident signal begins on 11760. Is this the cause of the buzzing on 11755? I'm hearing the buzz from 11755 thru 11765. Perhaps dirty RHC transmitter? [No doubt – gh] HCJB Australia, January 20, 11755 at 1127-1131. "This is HCJB Australia..." by male announcer. Into "Word of God" program. SIO 252. 73, (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB Australia Update: The Asian service of HCJB (Australia) due to commence on January 12th has been delayed until January 19th. This is due to structural damage to the antenna system by a willy willy (strong but very small tornado type wind) Try 15480 1230-1730 on this date (Jan CQ SW News via DXLD) Later delayed to 26th as already reported in 3-011 (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. Signal quality from Kununurra has been variable in eastern Australia, to say the least, but this is no doubt partially due to the reduced power being used. It is certainly inferior to the signal previously provided from Pifo, also on 11755, and is subject to QRM from Finland co-channel. I must confess that I`m something of an occasional closet listener to HCJB. I don`t mind the folksy format of their mailbag program, DX Party Line sometimes has useful information, and any news and music from South America is a bonus. I guess that the overall message from the studios of the Australian operation is intended to be the same, but it`s not as sugar-coated, and I wonder if all the listeners, like myself, who have HCJB on in the background semi-regularly will be retained. -cs (Craig Seager, Jan ADXN via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. BEND OVER AUSTRALIA! An Arabic broadcasting group has paid a record price for a Section 40 AM 'off-band' radio licence bought from the New South Wales Labor Council. The Council sold its AM station 2KM 1620 to World Media for $2.1 million last week. World Media provides ethnic content to Pay TV, including a feed of the controversial Al Jazeera TV channel. The current music format, which plays "all time favourites" from the 1930s to the 1960s, will be dumped and replaced with Arabic programming. Three 2KM staff will be sacked. Sounds like ``The enemy within!`` ed. (Jan CQ SW News via DXLD) A touch of xenophobia there? ** AUSTRALIA. AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL DIALECTS There are innumerable dialectical differences and idioms used across Australia, with many instances of phrases and expressions being incomprehensible to speakers in different States and Territories The inhabitants of Melbourne speak a form of English which is unique to this part of Australia, heavily influenced in recent yeas by the increasing multi-cultural presence in this State. The ABC has a very useful and interesting interactive Website known as the "AUSTRALIAN WORD MAP". You will find there a big listing of regionalism's, words, phrases, expressions sued by particular language groups. Visitors may post their own additions with comments, or search to see what other people have submitted. I often see references in radio monitoring newsgroups and E-mail lists to "Aussie-accents", as heard over Radio Australia, Australian mediumwave broadcasters, or Australian internet broadcasts, but that is meaningless, as there is no such thing as s single "Aussie accent"! To see what this is all about, please visit: http://abc.net.au/wordmap/ Look for "potato cake"...!!! (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 19 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 1611, AUSTRALIA unID, JAN 10 1136-1208 - Presumed; fair carrier peaked briefly at 1202 with man speaking. Too weak to determine language or accent. This is a frequency to watch as it seems to have the strongest signal of the expanded band Aussies and the noise level is comparatively low (Ray Moore, N Fort Myers FL, NRC IDXD via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. ABC DASH FOR CASH TO FUND ITS DIGITAL VISION By Cosima Marriner January 18 2003 URL: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/17/1042520776307.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. BOOK: On History of Australian Broadcasting. ``When Radio was the cat`s whiskers``, by Bernard Harte. I received this book for a Xmas present from my sister in law, what a beauty! The book is written by someone who grew up with radio, (just like Alan), and details history of early radio broadcasting, and some later developments. The book is published by Rosenberg Press, and is distributed by Collins bookshops. In fact I found a girl I ``courted``, in my earlier days in Port Macquarie, in a photo. I didn`t know she was a descendant of radio pioneers! (unID writer, Jan Australian DX News via DXLD) ** BOTSWANA. R. Botswana, 4820, January 20, 2003 0401 UT. News read by female. "This news bulletin comes to you from R. Botswana, Gaborone" by female announcer. SIO 454 (-.. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Desde 6 de janeiro, a rádio Gazeta, de São Paulo (SP), leva ao ar, em 5955, 9685 e 15325 kHz, a programação intitulada Jornal da Gazeta AM Universitária. Emite no seguinte esquema: entre 0900 e 1000; das 1500 às 1600, e entre 0100 e 0200, de segundas a sextas-feiras. Nos demais horários, a programação apresentada é a da rádio Canção Nova. Monitorei, aqui em Porto Alegre (RS), a programação apresentada entre 0100 e 0200, em 18 de janeiro. O programa apresenta notícias do dia, futebol, de São Paulo e do mundo. Também leva ao ar entrevistas com músicos e um quadro sobre cidadania. Pude perceber que os apresentadores André e Emanuel são muito simpáticos e, a todo momento, faziam questão de saudar os ouvintes das ondas curtas: "seja muito bem-vindo você que está nos ouvindo em ondas curtas!". Entre as notícias, davam os endereços e formas de contato com a emissora. Inclusive, além de pedirem telefonemas, envio de cartas e mensagens pela Internet, convidavam os ouvintes a visitarem a Gazeta "para tomar um café!". Com toda essa simpatia, é possível que respondam aos relatórios de recepção. Endereços para contatos: Avenida Paulista, 900, 4º andar, CEP: 0310-940, São Paulo (SP). Telefone: (11) 3170.5801. Endereço eletrônico: radiouniversitaria@f... [truncated] (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 19 via DXLD) So the areligious programming on Gazeta has longer hours than previously thought (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. A rádio Nacional, da cidade de Tabatinga (AM), está trabalhando para reativar suas emissões em 4815 kHz, em 60 metros. A informação é do comunicador da emissora, Jocerli Rodrigues. Ele conversou com o dexista e biólogo Paulo Roberto e Souza, de Tefé (AM), que telefonou para a Nacional, em busca de novidades. Conforme o Paulo Roberto e Souza, a emissora já pertenceu à Radiobrás, mas atualmente está nas mãos da Prefeitura de Tabatinga. Opera, no momento, em ondas médias, entre 1000 e 0200, em 670 kHz (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 19 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Ao que tudo indica, a rádio Nacional da Amazônia, que transmite desde Brasília (DF), deixou de emitir em 6180 kHz, em 49 metros. Entretanto, tem sido captada em 9665 kHz, em 31 metros, além, é claro, de 11780 kHz, em 25 metros. Monitorei, aqui em Porto Alegre, em 18 de janeiro, os 9665 kHz, entre 0015 e 0100. Em dado momento, o sinal que sobressaía era da Nacional. Mas, em seguida, aparecia o sinal da Marumby, de Florianópolis (SC). Às 0052, abruptamente desapareceu o sinal da Nacional da Amazônia, que foi substituído pelo da Rádio Internacional da China, com sua programação em espanhol. Às 0100, ainda pude ouvir o encerramento da programação da Marumby, com o apresentador dizendo: "nos despedimos na paz do senhor!". E entrou no ar a programação da CRI em espanhol. (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 19 via DXLD) So Marumby is still on 9665 and Amazônia clashes with it. 9665 had been carrying CRI Spanish relay at 0100 for some time (gh, DXLD) Recentemente a Rádio Nacional de Brasília deixou de transmitir nos 6180 kHz e agora est
