DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-142, September 11, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@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/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.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 1147: BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Thu 2030 15825, Sat 0500, Sun 0230 5070, 0630 3210 BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Sat 0100, 0700, Sun 0000, 0600 on 7445, 15038.7; webcasts also Sat 1800, Sun 1200, 1830? ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [from Friday] (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1147.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1147.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1147.html WORLD OF RADIO on WWCR: The Wednesday 0930 airing on 9475 was replaced by something else Sept 11 (Chris Hambly, Australia) Temporarily? ** AFRICA [and non]. [HCDX] AFRICA BANDSCAN DURING AURORA CONDITIONS In 7th September 2002, sun erupted. Northern Lights reached even Southern Finland providing some majestic entertaiNment on clear, moonless night sky. At the moment I was in a DXpedition in Western Finland with Pauli Holm. Equipment used were Yaesu FRG-100 receivers and two 700 metre long wire antennas directed to 60 and 240 degrees. Earlier in day we had already dismantled two other wires as the DX-pedition was near the end. After the solar effect began with full force, Russian and West European stations practically disappeared on dial. Mediumwaves were dominated by Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Romania. On shortwaves some rare African SW stations, logged last time here years ago, became suddenly audible, some of them with astonishing strength. It was a pity that the real session began only after East African stations had closed down. The following bandscan is by no means complete, but we think it gives a pretty good idea about the SW activity in (West) Africa right now. All stations logged On 7th September 2002. All times UT. HEARD [gh inserted country subheadings for future ease of reference] NAMIBIA 3290 2100 R Namibia, Windhoek. Surprisingly now here, 3270 was perhaps off? SOUTH AFRICA 3320 2230 R Sonder Grense. Meyerton. No difference in reception. Signal strength was average, if not even less than average. NIGERIA 3326 2127- FRCN Lagos. Strong distortion in audio. Long time no hear. DJ said that they have made some improvements and they asked reception reports from shortwave listeners! Send your report now! *wink* GHANA 3366 2120- GBC Accra. Solid as usual. NIGERIA 4770 2200- FRCN Kaduna. Really good signal, and nice audio, unlike other Nigerians. MALI 4783 2130- RTM Bamako. As //4835, 5995 BOTSWANA 4820 2130- R Botswana, Gaborone. MALI 4835 2130- RTM Bamako. Hi-Fi number 1. MAURITANIA 4845 2130- ORTM Nouakchott. Hi-Fi number 2. GHANA 4915 2100- GBC Accra. No problems ever here. ANGOLA 4950 2230- RN Luanda. I had hoped that these conditions would improve the signal of Luanda, but it didn't happen. Weak as usual. BENIN 5025 2107- ORTB Parakou. Holy smoke, said Batman. In summer I spent numerous nights here, hearing only a couple of minutes of national anthem. Now Parakou was booming with only a slightly less force than Burkina! BURKINA FASO 5030 2100- R Burkina, Ouagadougou. S9+30 dB. LIBERIA 5100 2308- Liberian Communications Network, Monrovia. ID as "International Service" (of R Liberia or of LCN). In summer BBC Listening Post in Caversham reported they hadn't heard this since early spring. Is operating still - or again. Everything spoken live to microphone was very silent, but music pieces and prerecorded programmes were heard normally. MALI 5995 2130- RTM Bamako. NIGERIA 6050 -2147* FRCN Ibadan. Humorous DJ, I would say. "Yay yay yay, it's Saturday night!" he said, closed the station, and off he went - to spend Saturday night, perhaps. GUINEA 7125 2230- R Guinea, Conakry. "Radio Guineé". BENIN 7210 -2259* ORTB Cotonou. Can't even remember when this was heard last time in Finland. Talk show. UNCERTAIN 4850 2150- UNID. It sounded like French, occasionally. It sounded like vernaculars, occasionally. But it was very distorted and weak. CRTV Yaoundé? Even if it was, and that would be first Cameroon logging for years in Finland, reception was practically useless. SEMI-ACTIVE CONGO 5985 2200- RTV Congolaise: Not here that night. Has been heard occasionally. Not operating every night, but was logged frequently during summer and again in the end of August. NOT HEARD These stations are apparently inactive. [TOGO, SIERRA LEONE, LESOTHO, CHAD, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, NIGER, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, IVORY COAST] 3232 2200 R Kara: NOTHING. [used to be 3222 per WRTH 98 – gh] 3316 2200 Sierra Leone BC: NOTHING. 4800 2200 R Lesotho: Only very weak Chinese here. 4905 2130 RN Tchadienne: Only station here was very weak Tibet. 5003 2130 RN Bata: NOTHING. 5020 2130 RN Niger: NOTHING. 5035 2130 Radio Centrafique: Only station here was Radio Aparecida. 5047 2130 RN Togolaise: NOTHING. 6015 2130 RT Ivorienne: NOTHING. 6250 2200 RN Malabo: Some very weak station was playing Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly, but we believe this was an European pirate. 7215 2130 RT Ivorienne: NOTHING. 11920 2130 RT Ivorienne: NOTHING. TO RECORD To illustrate the situation, here is also a gigantic 49 mb bandscan, including every station heard between 5800 and 6300 kHz at 2330 UT: (unID = unidentified = station with signal hanging at s/n level) 5960 unID 5995 Mali 6005 Deutschlandradio 6025 unID 6060 unID 6075 DW 6085 MDR-Info 6095 Spanish 6135 unID 6200 Iran Now that is what I call impressive. 73's (Jari Lehtinen, Sept 10, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Voice International, Darwin schedule off their web site. New On air Schedule/Program, effective 1 Sept 2002. English Freqs UTC Hours of bc Target 17775 kHz 0130 1/2 hour duration China 13685 kHz 0900 4 hour duration China 13685 kHz 1300 2 hour duration Indonesia/India 11930 kHz 1500 4 hour duration Indonesia/India Indonesian 21680 kHz 0530 1/2 hour duration Indonesia 17820 kHz 0600 2 hours duration Indonesia 15365 kHz 0900 4 hours duration Indonesia 13660 kHz 1300 5 hours duration Indonesia Hindi 13635 kHz 1100 6 hours duration India Chinese 13640 kHz 2200 3 hours duration China [but to be replaced by 15165 soon/already, wb] 13775 kHz 0900 5 hours duration China 17560 kHz 1400 3 hours duration China (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Sep 2 via DXLD) ** BELARUS. In reply to Johan Berglund about the poor reception of R. Minsk in Sweden on 1170 kHz: this transmitter is operated with a highly directional antenna to the SW at 244 , with very little radiation towards Scandinavia (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Sept 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS/RUSSIA. 4890 / 4982 : Seit wann sendet R Russia auf 4890 kHz um 0410 UT aus Weissrussland? bzw. 4982 R Majak - auch noch mit Sinpo "O=4" (gleiche Zeit aus gleichem Land). Auf 4982 wird im Zeitbereich 0300-1800 unregelmaessig das Programm von R Mayak im Relais uebertragen, oefters \\ zu 5134. Es soll sich um weissrussische Militaersender handeln, die seit Jahren in SSB das Programm von Mayak, dem weissrussischen Rundfunk und Privatsendern ausstrahlen. Weitere Frequenzen waren 2338, 2382, 2593.5, 2738, 2829, 3346, 3355, 3564, 4264, 4541, 4795.5, 4855, 5134, 5256 kHz, wobei es Sommer- und Winterfrequenzen gibt. Diese sind in der TBL uebrigens detailliert gelistet (Willi Passmann, Germany, A-DX Sep 4 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. 3850, R. Independente Meka Mui [sic], 1018 Sept 10, with fair to good signal and a song "the islands I love", all in pidgin with frequent clearing of the throat by the announcer (David Norrie, Auckland NZ, AOR 7030, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 1180 é agora Rádio Viva Rio, parceria entre a Globo, dona da fq, e a ong [sic] Viva Rio. Programação tipo radio comunitária, música jovem e informação --- http://www.radiovivario.com.br/ (Rocco Cotroneo, Brazil, Sept 9, radioescutas via DXLD) That`s a high power outlet, tho not that easy in NAm due to QRM (gh, DXLD) ** BURMA [non]. Re: ``DVOBurma in Burmese cancelled txion via RAN 100 kW / 325 deg: 1430-1530 on 9500 / 15620. (R BUL Observer, Ivo Ivanov and Angel Datzinov, BC-DX Sep 6)`` UNIDENTIFIED station with music: 1430-1445 on 12090 (54444) 1445-1500 on 15600 (55444) [ex-15620, see above] (R. Bulgaria Observer, Ivo Ivanov and Angel Datzinov, BC-DX Sep 10) According to Adrian Sainsbury of R. NZ International the Democratic Voice of Burma transmissions were cancelled 4 weeks ago due to poor propagation (Erik Køie, Denmark, OZ3YI, BC-DX Sep 10 via DXLD) DVB - Democratic Voice of Burma used Rangitaiki station, New Zealand, on 9500 kHz till mid August, daily 1430[1418-]-1530 UT, \\ Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 5910 (x5945, and 5905 in B-02 season), and Madagascar 17495 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Sept 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CAMBODIA. Radio Broadcasting in Cambodia: http://www.dxing.info/articles/cambodia.dx (DXing.info via DXLD) ** CANADA. This week on Quirks & Quarks our feature item is: "The Answer to Green Energy is Blowing in the Wind". Who has seen the wind? Well, anyone looking at our energy future, apparently. Wind energy has gone from a green fad in the 70's to the world's fastest growing alternate energy source. The technology is solid, reliable, renewable and benign. So why is wind energy still waiting for its big break? Tune in this Saturday and find out where the wind power answers are blowing. Plus - putting a new face on wasps. All this and more, on Quirks & Quarks, Saturday right after the noon news on Radio One. Bob McDonald Host (Q&Q mailinglist via DXLD) ** CHINA. New transmitter sites in China The ITU list of shortwave transmitter sites at http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/terrestrial/broadcast/hf/refdata/reftables/index.html (go to Transmitter sites) has had some interesting additions in recent months. Of special interest are three new registrations for China as follows: DOF Dongfang 18N54 108E39 GEM Geermu 36N24 094E59 XIY Xingyang 34N49 113E23 These three were added on 25th June 2002. Dongfang is the already wellknown site in the western part of Hainan Island. So far these transmitters, as it appears, have only been used as jammers, usually with nonstop Chinese classical music. During the testing period last fall the evening signal strength at my location was often S9 + 40 db, apparently on a beam intended for NW China. Ge'ermu is better known as Golmud. It is an important town in central Qinghai at the intersection of a N-S and a E-W highway. An educated guess is that 4800 and 3985 (day frequencies unknown) originate from this site. At least it is clear that these two frequencies are used from a site in the far west. Xingyang is a small town some distance west of Zhengzhou in Henan province. What they are beaming from this site remains to be seen when the B02 HFCC schedule becomes available (Olle Alm, September 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 684 800 kW: Dongfang on the island in the South Chinese Sea is also home of one of the strongest CRI Mediumwave stations for external service, in use for Vietnam and SE Asia target on 684 kHz, 14-15. Also in use for RFI Paris in French 13-14 towards Vietnam. MW V of Russia 603 kHz and RFI 684 kHz both DongFang site. (B-99) French via Donfang Hainandao Isl to S Vietnam MW 684 800 kW, 180 degrees, 1300-1400. And DW technical table had an entry of Donfang 684 kHz relay for DW, with 800 kW and 180 degrees of course. But relay exchange between China and Germany never realized. I guess the 800 kW unit is Made by France (Thomson CSF / Thales) ? Alan Davies heard this station first around 13 May 1999 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: 603, V. of Russia Vietnamese 1200-1300 UT. Also in use for RFI Paris in French 13-14 towards Vietnam. CRI 1400-1700 Vietnamese. CRI Beijing in Vietnamese recently noted on MW 684 at 1400-1700, first heard around 13 May. Presumably the new transmitter in [Dongfang coast on] Hainan finally on air. Weak signal here compared to powerhouse 1296 in Yunnan; impossible to determine whether this channel carries RFI earlier in evening as per schedule due to QRM from Thai stations (Alan Davies, Thailand, May 22, 1999 via Bueschel, DXLD) ** CHINA. CREATING "GREAT WALL AROUND ITS INTERNET" - BEIJING IT ANALYST | Text of report by staff reporter in Beijing entitled: "Google replacements spin web of confusion" by Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post (Business Post supplement) on 10 September Adding confusion to frustration, the Google.com Internet search engine blocked in China last week has been replaced by randomly generated Chinese search engines and other Web sites. Analysts think the government replaced Google to encourage use of Chinese search engines or defuse anger that Google no longer works. Internet users on the mainland who enter http://www.google.com or a derivative such as www1 see Chinese-language search engines such as Tianwang and Baidu. A spokeswoman for one Web site, Beijing-based IT consulting firm Guigu Dongli, said she did not know how her page became linked to Google and guessed it was randomly generated. A Baidu spokeswoman said her US- registered search engine did not approve the hook-up, was not given a reason and does no business with Google. The government regularly blocks Web sites that cover anti-government information, and an article in the Beijing Morning Post last week said foreign search engines had been blocked to keep out "unhealthy" sites, including pornography. Yesterday, a Google user in Beijing who spent part of her morning looking at the pages she was directed to from Google said she did not know what to think. Internet experts in Beijing are also unsure. Some suspect a hasty government decision and say the action violates internationally accepted Internet rules of Web site sovereignty. Beijing-based IT analyst Craig Watts said the Google blockade marked the start of more thorough Internet restrictions. He said China was positioning to be the first country to approve "its own rules on the Internet". "This is the beginning of the great wall around China's Internet," he said. Source: South China Morning Post (Business Post supplement), Hong Kong, in English 10 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 4799.69 (tentative). HJNF Radio Súper, Cali, (harmonic 4 x 1200), 0857, Sep 9, Spanish talk, ads, 0859 ID "Súper... 1200 kilohertz..." 0900 more ads and announcements. Poor signal. There is also a Radio Super 'K' listed from Sangolquí, Ecuador in WRTH 2002. But this matches Malm's June 2002 log which is more likely (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, NRD 535D V-Beam 140m @180 deg., harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Christer Brunstrom's Christian Shortwave Report is about La Voz de Tu Conciencia. Over the years, a number of missionaries have been captured by Colombian rebels and imprisoned for long periods of time. American missionary Russell Martin Stendhal was one of those who were kidnapped. According to an article by noted Swedish DXer Henrik Klemetz, Stendhal was in captivity for 2 1/2 years. Stendhal had been associated with the Wickliffe Bible Translators, which decided to leave Colombia after two of its missionaries were killed. However, members of the Stendhal family decided to stay to work with the Cogi Indians in the Sierra Nevada region of northern Colombia. Russell now uses the former Wickliffe compound in Loma Linda in southeast Colombia. He plans to start schools, day nurseries, and a home for the aged. He plans to do this despite the heavy guerrilla and paramilitary activity in the area. Stendhal's new radio station is also in Loma Linda. Björn Malm first heard this station on June 6th on 6064.5 with Christian messages and llanera music. IDs were quite hard to find, and the proper name was not found until DXer Rafael Rodríguez did some investigating. It had been a station called "El Caraván," and had some ads for a Christian bookstore in Bogotá. Rodríguez visited the bookstore and found out about Stendhal running the station. Henrik Klemetz was able to contact Stendhal by e-mail and got more information. The station's transmitter had formerly been used by the Colmundo network in Bogotá. In late July, they changed frequency to 6060.2 to avoid interference from WYFR. They also changed to their present name of "La Voz de Tu Conciencia," or "The Voice of Your Conscience." 6060 is also being used by stations in Argentina and Brazil, so it is not ideal. 6060 can be heard best in Europe after 0400, when RAI from Italy leaves the frequency. Programming consists mostly of Christian music in Spanish, llanera music, Bible study lessons, and short Christian messages. The station is fully automated, with the voice tracks being recorded in studios in Bogotá. Stendhal and a partner also run a ministry that distributes Christian teaching on cassette tapes. They also supply free Christian literature that can be requested through the Colombia Para Cristo boosktore in Bogotá. Stendhal mentions that he plans to include some English programming on the station; North American listeners have been asked to suggest suitable times for these English broadcasts. He also plans to have QSL cards ready soon (Christer Brunstrom, HCJB DXPL Sept 7, notes by Marie Lamb for Cumbre DX, via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI Fiesta Update. Hi Glenn, Well, here's our plan. RFPI will not break with tradition and will have a Fiesta on the Air this year, albeit a modified version. Our plan is to begin at 0000 UT [Tue] September 17 (8 p.m. Eastern, [Mon] 16 September) for three hours. But because of our current financial crisis, we are not able to offer a toll-free number as in past years. Listeners who wish to call direct to speak with the staff and volunteers in the studio may call +11 506-249-1344. Phone lines will be open 0000-0300. Those wishing to contribute financially may send a check to our Oregon office: RFPI, PO Box 1094, Eugene, OR 97440. If they have a Visa or MasterCard their contribution will reach us much faster if they go to the RFPI website and access the PayPal system there. We look forward to sharing with our listeners a celebration of 15 years of providing a unique broadcasting service -- with hopes for many more. Yours in Peace, Joe Bernard -- Radio For Peace International, P.O. Box 88-6150, Santa Ana, Costa Rica Central America PH: +506/249-1821 Fax: +506/249-1095 e-mail: info@rfpi.org * WWW: http://www.rfpi.org * ON-DEMAND REAL AUDIO: http://www.rfpi.org/webcast.html * LIVE STREAMING IN MP3 at http://www.rfpi.org available 2200-1400 UT M-F, 24 hours Saturday/Sunday _______________________________________________ * Join our mailing list for weekly program previews, schedule and frequency updates and more: http://www.boinklabs.com/mailman/listinfo/rfpi-announce (Joe Bernard, RFPI, Sept 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 2540.0, Radio Reloj (harmonic 2 x 1270) Camagüey, 0824, Sep 6, talk, time pips and "RR" ID. Very weak. 3550.0, Radio Rebelde (harmonic 5 x 710), 0942, Sep 9, Very weak // 5025. 4970.0, Radio Rebelde (harmonic 7 x 710), 0951, Sep 9, Poor signal // 5025 (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 degrees, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** CUBA. Radio Reloj, Cuba, 0650-0700 UT Septiembre 8; SIO : 344; Idioma : Castellano; Modo: USB; Frecuencia : 9665 Khz. Lectura de noticias de corte local. Al fondo se escuchaba un tic-tac permanente. Identificación con hora local (de Cuba). ICOM IC-r71a, Antena : Hilo de Cu. 10 mts. 73's (Alfredo ``SPACEMASTER`` Cañote, Lima, Perú, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** CUBA. Cuban jammer on 9805 and odd 11847.00 kHz - against R Martí USA - was heard loud and clear around 0600-0900 UT Sept 8; it's a 24 hrs operation I guess. Radio Martí in Spanish scheduled 11845 at 1300- 1700 UT time span only (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CUBA. CUBA TO INAUGURATE ANTITERRORISM WEB SITE | Text of report by Cuban news agency Prensa Latina Havana, 10 September: Cuba will inaugurate on Friday [13 September] in the capital an Internet site against terrorism, with an online forum sponsored by journalists, academics and local communicators. According to a report released here today, the sponsors of the new web page are members of the Work Group Against Terrorism and the site can be accessed at the address http://www.antiterroristas.cu Ricardo Alarcon, president of the Cuban parliament, will attend the opening ceremony and reply to questions from those who link up to the site in order to debate the topic: "Cuba versus terrorism: Five Cuban prisoners in the United States". Computers will be set up for the forum in order to allow journalists to take part in the online forum and ask Alarcon questions, the text adds. Fernando González, René González, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labanino and Antonio Guerrero were tried in 2001 by a Florida federal court which accused them of an making attempt on the national security of the United States. Havana maintains, however, that these people were only gathering information on the terrorist acts which antiCuban groups based in Miami were planning against the island. Late last year, the Cuban parliament declared these Cubans, who are considered political prisoners here, Heroes of the Republic. A text issued at the time by the legislature states that these young people "are victims of an infamous and colossal injustice which signifies the beginning... [ellipsis as published] of a new, crueller and shameless stage in the long and dirty war which the United States wages against the people and its revolution". Cuba has always said the open and frank truth: We have never made an attempt on the national security of the United States, the declaration stresses, while recalling, on the other hand, the policy of systematic aggression deployed by Washington against Havana for more than 40 years. A web site was recently created in the local press in this country in order to disseminate the truth about the judicial process followed in Miami, described by local authorities as rigged and politicized. The digital version of the newspaper Victoria, from the Isle of Youth south of the capital, inaugurated an Internet site which joins the international campaign for the liberation of Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, René and Fernando. With more than 300 digital pages, the supplement contains all the information on the truth of this trial, the biography, testimonies, family information, photos, arguments and messages sent from jail. It is possible to access the site via the electronic address http://www.victoria.islagrande.cu which also includes the content of televised informational roundtables, as well as the opinions of respected lawyers and other experts. There are currently 40 committees of solidarity for the release of the five Cuban patriots in 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela and Colombia, as well as Italy, Belgium, Denmark and Yugoslavia. Source: Prensa Latina news agency, Havana, in Spanish 2038 gmt 10 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CYPRUS. Re Ydun Ritz` report: that means, IBB/VoA's Radio Sawa is using the reserve mast of Radio Monte Carlo Middle East site ? on 981 kHz (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) ** DENMARK. The strike among journalists at Danmarks Radio DR seems to be ended. DR and the journalists on strike early this morning have made an agreement, which has to be confirmed by a majority of journalists in a ballot. If agreed, the journalists will resume work on Monday September 16th after three weeks of strike. DR in the News (11/9-2002 Mediumwave News by Ydun Ritz, via DXLD) ** FINLAND. GERMANS LAUNCH A CAMPAIGN TO SAVE RADIO FINLAND German DX club ADDX has begun to collect petitions against the closure of the German service of Radio Finland (YLE). Club members are appealing to YLE's leadership, the Finnish Embassy in Germany and the Finnish Tourist Board. ADDX (der Assoziation deutschsprachiger Kurzwellenhörer) members are worried that from the end of October daily news in German will no longer be available from any source, and also that the decision of YLE to close down its foreign service will set an example and have wider implications in the international broadcasting scene. ADDX provides an online form http://www.addx.de/aktion.php to collect signatures to reverse YLE's decision. A source at YLE tells DXing.info that activity from listeners' part only serves to assure YLE's leadership that the decision to drop German was right, if it is perceived that only DXers are interested in maintaining the German-language service. To be viewed as a mainstream service in the eyes of YLE leadership, and to guarantee funding, Radio Finland has been careful to distance itself from radio hobbyists also in the past (DXing.info, Sept 11 via DXLD) ** FRANCE. RFI French service began (0000 UT Tuesday) 48 hours of special programming as part of media rush to pointlessly rehash one- year anniversary (Mike Cooper, Sep 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 6085, Ismaning Open Door Day, Sat Sept 21, 2002. Informationen zur Sendeanlage BR Ismaning u.a. KW 6085 finden sich unter http://www.br-online.de/br-intern/technik/ismaning.html http://www.br-online.de/br-intern/technik/kw.html http://www.asamnet.de/~bienerhj/6085.html bzw. /0801.html (Dr. Hansjoerg Biener-D, ntt Sep 2 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** HUNGARY [non]. "Clandestine to Hungaria" to come? Right-wing Hungarian journalists claim that they will operate a shortwave station called "Voice of Freedom" from Austria. Former ROI director Paul Lendvai says that it will be hardly possible to carry out such a plan, other Hungarian journalists consider the announcement as a mere bluff: Rechte Journalisten wollen Radiosender in Österreich gründen Ansuchen an Österreich um "politisches Asyl" geplant Eine Gruppe von rechten ungarischen Journalisten will nach eigener Aussage von Österreich aus einen ungarischen Kurzwellensender mit dem Namen "Stimme der Freiheit" starten. Dies gab Istvan Lovas, einer der führenden Persönlichkeiten der Gruppe, am Freitagabend in Budapest bekannt, berichtet die ungarische Internetzeitung "Index". Seiner Meinung nach hätten in Ungarn jene Journalisten, die mit der Politik der sozialliberalen Regierung unter Peter Medgyessy nicht sympathisierten, keine Möglichkeit mehr, in den elektronischen Medien ihre Meinung kundzutun. "Bluff" Die Gruppe will außerdem am 14. September in St. Margarethen (Burgenland), nahe der ungarischen Grenze, symbolisch um "politisches Asyl" in Österreich ansuchen. Das Vorhaben eines ungarischen Radiosenders aus Österreich werde jedoch kaum umzusetzen sein, sagte Paul Lendvai, ehemaliger Intendant von "Radio Österreich International" (ROI), in der Montagsausgabe der Tageszeitung "Nepszabadsag". Die Neutralität Österreichs würde es gar nicht erlauben, sich von seinem Gebiet aus in die inneren Angelegenheiten eines anderen Landes einzumischen, erklärte Lendvai gegenüber der Zeitung. Außerdem sei ROI derzeit ohnehin in einer schwierigen finanziellen Lage. Von ROI hieß es am Montag übrigens, dass bisher kein derartiges Ansuchen an den Sender eingereicht worden ist. Ungarische Journalisten meinten, dass es sich lediglich um einen "Bluff" der rechtsgerichteten Journalistengruppe handle, um auf sich aufmerksam zu machen, und nicht um ein ernsthaftes Projekt. Istvan Lovas war bis vor Kurzem Leiter der Fernsehsendung "Presseclub" gewesen, der jeden Freitag vom ungarischen Privatsender ATV ausgestrahlt wird. Die Teilnehmer des Clubs - allesamt bekannte rechtsgerichtete Journalisten - wurden in großen Teilen der ungarischen Presse regelmäßig wegen ihrer antisemitischen Töne und ihrer aggressiven Haltung gegen linke und liberale Strömungen kritisiert. Lovas wurde durch die Führung von ATV nach internen Konflikten Ende August abgesetzt. Die Leitung des "Presseclubs" wurde vor Kurzem dem gemäßigten konservativen Publizisten Jozsef Debreczeni, ehemals Berater der konservativen Regierung von Viktor Orban, übertragen (APA via Michael Fuhr via Ludwig) Comment by KL: Who said that this group intends to use ORF transmitters? Probably the announcement is indeed just a bluff, but it is also possible that these gentleman know about the shortwave airtime available at every corner (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Friends, The tests by AIR Bangalore with 500 kw for National Service on 9425 and 11645 concluded yesterday. Regular transmissions of the National Channel on 9425 at 1350-0043 will commence in the near future. However, regular daytime service on 11645 or on any other 11 MHz frequency will start only later (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, India, Sept 10, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. BROADCASTERS CRITICAL OF DRAFT MEDIA LAW | Text of report by Singapore newspaper The Straits Times web site on 7 September Jakarta: Indonesian broadcasters are outraged by a draft law that proposes to limit the broadcasting of foreign programmes and allows for the establishment of a new censorship board empowered to shut down local media outlets. The government, fearful of the influence of foreign news reporting on Indonesia, is considering a law to forbid dozens of local TV and radio stations from re-broadcasting foreign news programmes by the BBC, Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Australia. The broadcasters slammed the proposed law as draconian, and compared it to the strict press laws introduced by former president Sukarno in the 1960s. But Mr Djoko Susilo, a member of the drafting team, explained that the proposed law was meant to address "the inequality of information flow from developed countries to developing countries". He added: "We are concerned that with 150 local stations broadcasting foreign news services that these stations are becoming franchises of the BBC or VOA." The draft law proposes a ban on direct relaying of foreign news programmes, and recommends that foreign entertainment programmes be limited to 40 per cent of all content broadcast. Foreign sports programmes would, however, be exempted. The proposed law is also aimed at tackling biased reporting of Indonesia and the promotion of Western viewpoints, Mr Djoko said. "Why are the Western news agencies always talking about Islamic militants? The parliament thinks that if people have a lot of BBC, people will think Indonesia is a centre for terrorism," he added. Local broadcasters are lobbying the government to re-draft the law, saying it limits Indonesians' access to quality international news and current affairs programmes. Indosiar news director Nurhadi Purwosaputro asked: "Why in the era of globalization do we have to limit the knowledge and opinions of ordinary Indonesians?" Both the BBC and Radio Australia also countered that local stations were not dominated by foreign broadcasters as the local stations could pick and choose content, as well as the amount of airtime they devote to foreign news services. Radio Australia head Jean Gabriel Manguy argued that the company's broadcasts were tailored to an Indonesian audience and avoided delivering international news that focused on the northern hemisphere. "We don't try and impose a global news agenda, the focus is on the Asia Pacific region. We also cover issues which are of interest to a Muslim audience, such as the Middle East," he said. One of the most worrying aspect of the proposed bill, say broadcasters and critics, is the establishment of a broadcasting authority with inspectors who have the power to investigate any media outlet and temporarily shut down broadcasters if they violate the bill. "This is like turning the clock back to 1942 when the Japanese military were the occupying authority and they assigned civil servants to every newsroom," says Mr Leo Batubara from the Community Press and Broadcasting Society. The team who drafted the law argues that outlets would only be shut down in cases of extreme violations of the broadcasting laws. But even Mr Djoko admits that a violation under the broadcasting law is unclear. For instance the law forbids the broadcasting of pornography and sadism but has not defined what constitutes pornography and what levels of violence would be considered sadistic. Broadcasters are also up in arms about a proposal which demands that national broadcasters become regional broadcasters, forming partnerships with local companies and broadcasting separately to each region. "Television stations are a capital investment. We can't become regional broadcasters overnight. It will be too expensive," says Mr Nurhadi. Source: The Straits Times web site, Singapore, in English 7 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. Radio Caroline noted at 0840 on Worldspace today with live announcements and a proper breakfast station - and two Caroline presenters talking. Mention also about the forthcoming encryption. The Waffler is going to dip into the free to air transmissions but drop out when they charge unfortunately. With DAB I have access to Planet Rock and Arrow. Caroline may not be as professional at time but its variety of announcers bring both bad and exceptionally good radio to the airwaves. I expect some people will be annoyed that the lady has not come back on am (medium wave) where everyone can hear her! Emails and faxes have come in from Los Angles and South Africa. Tony Christian doing mid morning show - not sure who did the breakfast show but OK! Not sure either who Tony Christian is either! Long Live Caroline and let`s hope she will be able to be free to air somewhere eventually. It also sounds like the station is on the Ross Revenge from the few comments I have heard on air. They are still "testing" though according to the breakfast presenter. Thanks to the note below I now know that it was Nigel Harris on breakfast. I look forward to catching Johnnie Lewis this afternoon. Interested in radio? try http://wirelesswaffle.0catch.com (Keith Knight, BDXC-UK Sept 10 via DXLD) Re: ``And what he doesn't say is "we start charging you for the dubious privilege of listening to a station which always used to be free and proclaimed the liberty of the listener" Oh how Mammon triumphs!`` This sounds very lyrical, Mark, but it is a rather rose-tinted view of Caroline's history. Caroline is still available free on Astra and the internet and has now increased its hours of transmission. Unlike the other major UK offshore broadcasters Caroline had it roots, mainly through Ronan O'Rahilly, in the late 60s counter culture. However it has always had to be financed which has created tensions throughout the stations history. Among other avenues finance has come through: Plug records both in the days of Caroline North/Caroline South and when the Ross Revenge Caroline was in its prime and had a decent sized audience, remember, for example the endless adverts for the Dubliners and Irish country acts which sounded so out of place on Caroline South after the MOA. Religious programmes on Viewpoint 963 which the presenters objected to due to the anti homosexual views expressed by some of the preachers. Endless promotions for the Canadian lottery. So Mammon has always played a part in Caroline's history because it has to exist in the real world but, through the majority of their programmes, they have promoted their original ideals and relied through the majority of their lifetime on practical and financial support from their supporters including the staff working without financial payment. But as I have posted before someone has to pay for the Worldspace transmissions and, in my view, it is not a huge amount of money. The audience at the moment will not attract advertising, if it ever does they can think about running unencrypted. They also wish to work outside the rest of the UK Radio Industry which is now controlled by a small number of conglomerates who own The Arrow and Planet Rock which have been quoted as alternatives for example. They would have been unable to retain their all important independence within the present UK licencing system (Mike Barraclough, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Caroline is in parallel now on all of its four outlets: WorldSpace, Satellite, Internet and not forgetting good old medium wave - 1593.2 kHz via Ireland in the evenings - this is not a bad signal - best on USB to null out any interference from other stations on 1593. I much prefer to listen on real AM radio - Caroline just doesn't sound right on satellite or Worldspace! The web site http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk gives satellite details as Astra 1G 11.992 H, symbol 27500, FEC ¾ (Dave Kenny, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** IRAN. New schedule for Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran on 15084v: 2230-0527 Farsi ||||| DELETED 0530-0827 Bosnian/Italian/German 0830-1157 Farsi ||||| DELETED 1200-1257 Italian 1300-1627 Farsi ||||| DELETED 1630-2227 Farsi/German/French/Farsi/Albanian/Bosnian (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 9, via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. 17510, V. of Iran, Aug 30 *1529-1541 33332 Farsi, 1529 s/on with Opening music. ID at 1532. Talk. (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via Gaku Iwata, Cumbre DX) Had been *1630 on 17525 (Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** IRAQ. Baghdad on 11786.83 kHz before cl-down at 0800 UT Sept 8 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Some changes for Kol Israel effective from July 28 (not July 21): 0415-0430 French 9435 15640, ex 0500-0515 15640 17545 1000-1015 French 15640 17545, ex 1000-1030 15640 17545 1000-1025 Yiddish 15655, ex 1700-1725 9435 15640 1015-1030 English 15640 17545, ex 1030-1035 15640 17545 1025-1040 Ladino 15655, ex 1645-1700 15640 1530-1545 French 11605 15640 17545, ex 1530-1555 11605 15640 17545 1545-1555 Spanish 11605 15640 17545, ex 1635-1645 15640 1625-1635 Moghrabi 15640 CANCELLED 1630-1645 English 15615 17545 NEW TXION 1700-1715 Spanish 15615 17545 NEW TXION 1700-1725 Russian 9435 15650 NEW TXION Frequency change for Kol Israel Reshet Bet in Hebrew effective from Sept. 1: 1800-0500 NF 9345, ex 15760 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 9, via DXLD) ** JAPAN. According to an E-mail from Mr. Nobuya Katou, a member of the Japan Shortwave Club, Radio Japan will have a special program for the Japan Shortwave Club 50th Anniversary on September 14-16. The 12 minutes program in "Hello from Tokyo" He has just made at Radio Japan studio on Sep. 10. Hosts: Mr. Akira Satou (program director) and Ms. Hisako Tomisawa (announcer). Guest: Mr. Toshimichi Ootake of JSWC. The JSWC will provide special QSL card to Reception Reports. Send them to: Japan Shortwave Club, Minato P. O. Box 138, Yokohama 231-8691, JAPAN. Required 1 IRC or 1$ (Dario Monferini, Cumbre DX via DXLD) See previous item for full sked; and slightly different address (gh) ** KURDISTAN [non]. SITE? The TDP website list a Mezopotamian Radio & TV from 1700-1800 T/W/F on 12115 in Kurdish. (This is the same time frequency that Netsanet Radio was on Wed and seems to confirm that the latter is indeed off.) (Hans Johnson, Sept 11, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. Hi Glenn, I use to read your DXLD, but this is the first time I contribute with some news. The reason is that I got an e-mail confirmation from Radio Sawa which I have not seen before in any DX bulletin (of course I haven't read all) but anyway. I heard Radio Sawa on 1548 kHz beginning of August and I sent an e-mail report to comments@radiosawa.com because I could not find a mailing address. After some e-mail exchange with R Sawa I finally got this e-mail last week: "Dear Lennart, Many thanks for your e-mail dated 11th August 2002. We should like to confirm your reception of our station on 1548 kHz Kuwait as outlined below. Date: 11th of August 2002 at 00:42 to 01:10 UTC. Language of transmission: Arabic We hope this will be sufficient as proof that you heard our station. Best regards, Radio Sawa" Hope this news is something for DXLD. 73 de (Lennart Weirell, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LAOS. Radio Broadcasting in Laos: http://www.dxing.info/articles/laos.dx (DXing.info via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. R Veritas: I haven't had any luck in reaching them by phone, but my money is on them using one/two of Star Radio's SW transmitters. Veritas' had old Collins transmitters that were beyond repair and in my past conversations with them; they weren't having any luck finding support (Hans Johnson, WY, Sept 6, Cumbre DX via DXLD) [Later:] While Steve Kenneh is no longer with the station, I was able to speak with the station's engineer, Francis. Although they came back on the air on August 18th, they are off for the moment, due to failure of modules in the transmitter. The unit is a new Omnitronics 10 kW run into a dipole. The station is in contact with Omnitronics for spares. Finances were always a problem for them and he didn't want to say where the money came from. Their old Collins transmitter remains off due to lack of spares. Once they return, their schedule on shortwave is: 0600-1700 6090 kHz, 1700-2300 5470 (Hans Johnson, WY, Sep 11, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 6090 was an old ELBC frequency! (gh, DXLD) ** LIBYA. V. of Africa, 15435, Aug 30 0330. Decent reception (SINPO 45344); good signal strength, good propagation; major problem was a very annoying hum on the frequency. I caught about ten minutes of a discussion of the principles of the Revolutionary Committee, by alternating male and female announcers, then a switch just after the bottom of the hour to another language, presumably Arabic. Can anyone support me with a postal address or email address for reception reports? I gather that there's a Tripoli and Malta address, but I'm unsure which one is best/quickest, or if an email report gets better results. Thanks in advance! (David Hochfelder, Sony ICF-2010 with stock whip antenna, New Brunswick, NJ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MACEDONIA. New schedule for Radio Macedonia External Service via new MW transmitter 1200 kW on 810: 1800-1830 Bulgarian ex 1800-1820 1830-1900 Greek ex 1820-1840 1900-1930 Albanian ex 1840-1900 1930-2000 Serbian || NEW SERVICE All transmissions are on air Monday to Saturday (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 9, via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. Radio Broadcasting in Myanmar: http://www.dxing.info/articles/myanmar.dx (DXing.info via DXLD) ** NEPAL. 6100, R. Nepal finally heard // 5005 at 1237 Sept 6 with music. Most days just open carrier that is R. Malaysia with *1300 on 6100 (Hans Johnson, WY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. R. New Zealand is holding an Open Day at its Henderson AM transmitting station in Auckland on Sunday, 22 Sept at 1000-1600 local time. There are currently 10 AM transmitters there feeding into two vertical towers, one of which has 6 transmitters using it --- quite a technical achievement. As well there is quite a lot of vintage radio equipment there including old transmitters that will be on display. The transmitting site is about 10 km from Auckland City alongside the North-western Motorway and is easily found as the transmitting towers are clearly visible from a wide area. Leave the motorway at the Lincoln Road exit (NWDXC, Sep 8 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. The TDP website give the schedule of Jakada Radio International as 0600-0630 M-F on 15695 and 1900-1930 M-F 12125, but other sources report this one as off. Can anyone hear them? (Hans Johnson, Sept 11, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 9675, NBC, 0656-0702 Sept 1. Excellent levels, overcoming CNR Beijing 1 cochannel. PNG pop music (string bands) into bird call at ToH/ID and then news in English by male. Election news, Congress and United Party. Indonesian police have drawn up plans against the Papua independence movement. More news (Don Nelson, OR, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Radio Nacional Paraguay, 9737.16, yet starting drifting up a little, heard 11 September at 0045-0130 UT with sport live football play Deportivo Libertad - Cerro Porteño for Copa Sudamericana. Final result 1 to 0. Very good signal here in Italy (Dario Monferini, Italy, RX= JRC 525 20 mt wire, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PERU. 4856.14, Radio La Hora, 1001 Sep 9, Andean vocal carrier drifting downwards slightly. 1006 canned ID. Very good signal (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 5500, 0106-0130 Sept 10, R. San Miguel Pallaques. Some very nice Peruvian music heard with S5 signal level. Male announcer at 0109 with station ID as Radio San Miguel. Some short program announcement and jingles at 0112 during tune. Ranchera type music. Fair copy with some static crashes heard and appears to be improving at 0116. Interesting catch as have not logged this one before (Bob Montgomery, Levittown PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 4795, Buryat Radio first time this season at 1241 Sept 6, // 5940 with R. Rossii. 4795 was in USB +carrier nothing in LSB (Hans Johnson, WY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [non]. Re VOR in English to S America [no change]: 1900- 2100: 15735 is via Yerevan site (Wolfgang Bueschel, BC-DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. LFBC good this morning (Tuesday) Hi, This Tuesday morning was good again for LWBC from Russia. Two frequencies were heard, 180 and 279. 1122 UT, 180 was first noted; at 1142 levels were fair to medium. At 1155, 279 was at medium to good level, with 180 now at "almost armchair copy" level. (153 noted at very poor level briefly at this time too.) Five time pips on the 1200 hour noted, then into presumed-news. At 1200 279 now poor level. At 1214 180 was at medium level, slowing degrading; 279 at fair level. At 1225 they had reversed, with 279 better at weak level; 180 at weak level. At 1242 180 was gone, 279 at poor to very poor level. I didn't listen after that. No Alaskans were heard this morning. I found a Reprint from the AMBCB DX club IRCA, titled "Russian Far East Stations". I don't know how old it is, but it references the "Leningrad DX Club list" for the info on frequency and location. It agrees quite closely with the info I posted (corrected) several days ago. Here's that info from this Reprint list, for possible interest: Frequency/Location/Station 153 Komsomolsk-na-Amure--- Khabarovsk Radio, Khabarovsk 180 Petropavlovsk--- Kamchat Radio, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy 189 Belogorsk--- Amur Radio, Blagoveshchensk 234 Magadan--- Magadan Radio, Magadan 243 Vladivostok--- Vladivostok Radio, Vladivostok 261 Kruchina--- Chita Radio, Chita 279 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Sakhalin Radio, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Steve Ratzlaff, E. Palo Alto, CA, Sept 10, ndb list via Phil Atchley, swl via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. BBC TEAM RETURNS FROM TWO-WEEK PROJECT IN SOLOMON ISLANDS | Text of report by Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation text web site on 10 September Solomon Islands will be shown to millions of people in the world in December when the BBC Television three-man team returns home. The team including Producer Alex Leger left Honiara today for Britain after a two-weeks tour of the islands filming people as they go about their daily lives. Mr Leger says Solomon Islands will be featured prominently in several programmes over a number of BBC Television channels to millions of viewers both in Britain and Europe and possibly the United States of America. But Mr Leger adds that while Solomon Islands should take advantage of the free advertising of the country by BBC TV, those [who] engage in criminal activities must stop. He says many people overseas, especially tourists, are likely to be attracted after seeing the programmes to visit Solomon Islands but they cannot come if fighting among certain groups continues. Leger says Solomon Islands is a lovely country which has big prospect as a wealthy nation with a lot of resources but it cannot be prosperous without peace and law and order. Leger adds that Honiara City must be kept clean and tidy than it is now. He says overseas visitors don't want to go to places where rubbish is all over the place. Source: Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation text web site, Honiara, in English 10 Sep (via BBCM vi DXLD) ** SOMALIA [non]. SITE? The TDP website is now listing Radio Hargeisa as a programmer. Nothing on their schedule page indicating if this is a relay and when it airs if so (Hans Johnson, Sept 11, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. 4902, SLBC, still no ID, but I am getting audio here 6 out of 7 days. Seems funny, changes in this transmitter and/or antenna. Been listening for this one for years, it is even hard from Hawaii, so very surprised to be hearing it so much now. Also tentative 4870 about 4 days a week (Hans Johnson, WY, Sep, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN -- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: In "GreenScan" an assessment of the Earth Summit Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: Our monthly current affairs magazine "Sweden Today" Sunday: Coverage of the Swedish elections Please be with us on Sunday for our coverage of the Swedish elections. Our regular broadcasts before 1730 UT will be looking back at the campaign and the party positions. The 1730 broadcast, which ends just as the polls close, will include an update on turn-out and other political news. Note that our local broadcast on 89.6 MHz FM at 21:30 local time is being replaced with other programming on September 15. We expect to have election results for you at 23:30 local time instead. International and Internet broadcasts are unaffected, and we expect to have extra RealAudio updates, as well as ongoing coverage on our website at http://radiosweden.org We will also have an extra shortwave broadcast to Europe on election day at 1930 UT on 5840 kHz. Our satellite channel on Hot Bird and Sirius will be relaying election coverage in Swedish between 1800 and 2130 UT (George Wood, SCDX/MediaScan Sept 11 via DXLD) ** TURKEY. Just in is programme schedule for second half of 2002 from V. of Turkey. Last Week, Review of the Foreign Media, Letterbox, Turkish Album, DX Corner, Outlook, Hues and Colours of Anatolia, Turkey, a Haven for Tourists, Notes from Turkey, Balkan Turks are some of the programmes. They have also introduced some new features for this term. Some of them are: The Bosphorus Steamboat, Pre-historic addresses in Turkey, Modern Turkish Literature, and Instruments in Turkish Music (Christopher J. Williams, Sept World DX Club Contact via DXLD) No further details ** U K [non]. New special transmission for BBC in Farsi on Friday only: 1100-1300 on 17845 Dhabayya 500 kW / 045 deg and 21515 Rampisham 500 kW / 095 degrees (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 9, via DXLD) ** U S A. 2430.0, (very tentative), WGY, Schenectady, NY (harmonic 3 x 810) Sporadic weak talk "similar" to 810 WGY (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, NRD 535D V-Beam 140m @180 deg., harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** U S A. SEPT. 10, 2002 TOWN HALL MEETING AT VOA HQ Six members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors took part in a Town Hall meeting at VOA headquarters on Tuesday, answering questions from the audience and a panel of journalists from VOA, RFE/RL and RFA. The first question was to the new Board chairman, Ken Tomlinson, who was asked about reports of a ``strategic plan`` that would result in VOA being split up into regional services similar to Radio Sawa. ``VOA will not be left behind,`` Tomlinson said. ``We will do everything possible to make VOA part of the future,`` he continued, adding that VOA would be taking part in a number of ``joint ventures`` with RFE/RL and RFA in a way that will allow ``VOA to retain its traditional role.`` Board member Ted Kaufman was asked if VOA was part of the State Department`s ``public diplomacy`` project and gave the following answer: ``The State Department should do what they do and we should do what we do. We`ve got to think of ourselves as separate from public diplomacy. We`re (members of the Board) going to fight to the death to protect you journalists so you can do what you do. We`re going to fight to keep you free to do what you do.`` Chairman Tomlinson was asked if there would be RIFs in 2003 or other major changes in VOA`s structure and replied: ``I don`t know. I hope not.`` He added, however, ``We have to be able to move people around, to be flexible.`` Asked about a report that 12 staffers in News Now might be RIFed, Board member Norm Pattiz said, ``We don`t know anything about it,`` and compared that report to one that five overseas News Division bureaus would be closed. There was much discussion about plans to combine VOA Farsi and RFE/RL Persian into a new 24-hour radio service to Iran. Board member Pattiz confirmed this was in the works and that the new service would have a music format similar to Radio Sawa to attract young listeners. ``Music is a toll to attract the audience,`` Pattiz said. ``A music-driven format will deliver a large percentage of the target audience. We have an obligation to deliver our message to the largest possible target audience.`` Pattiz said that a greater proportion of news is being introduced into Sawa programming, but acknowledged that ``as we add more policy programming, the (focus group) interviewees indicate they listen less.`` Gov. Pattiz was asked about reports that Radio Sawa`s news output was considered U.S. propaganda by some listeners in the Middle East and replied, ``We don`t do propaganda in international broadcasting. Without credibility, we may as well pack it up and go home.`` Asked why Sawa doesn`t use VOA`s News Division news product, he said, this could be done by Sawa or the new Farsi service if the News Division product was in the proper format. Chairman Tomlinson was asked about the possibility of political interference in the VOA News Division news product. He denied this was a factor, saying the News Division should produce ``splendid news, straight, straight, straight.`` (via DXLD) ** U S A. BUSH’S NEXT WEAPONS AGAINST AXIS: POP STARS President Bush`s latest weapons in the war against terror are going to be Britney Spears, `N Sync, and the Backstreet Boys. Two American funded radio stations aimed at the population of ``Axis of Evil`` power Iran are planning to ditch their all-news format and switch to playing popular music. Changes to Voice of America`s Farsi service and Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty`s Persian service, which together cost American taxpayers $5.4 million annually excluding the costs of transition, are being championed by Norman Pattiz, a Clinton-appointed member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He masterminded the conversion of VOA`s Arabic language service to a new, music-heavy format called Radio Sawa, which broadcasts only five to 10 minutes of news per hour. In an interview with The New York Sun, Mr. Pattiz confirmed that the new 24-hour a day Farsi service could be launched as soon as six months from now. News of the change comes amid criticism that the Iranian people are tuning out of these American-funded news services because they are not giving a strong enough voice to pro-democracy, pro-freedom Iranians. Ratings are low and some Iranians refer to the RFE/RL as ``Radio Khatemi`` because they say it promotes the line of the current Iranian president. If the changes are successful, they could help topple the regime in Tehran the way that Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty helped defeat the Soviet Union in the Cold War. That could mean more freedom for the Iranian people and a reduced terrorist threat to America and Israel. Critics, however, warn that the Iranian people might interpret the changes as a sign that America is abandoning the struggle for freedom in Iran. ``The changes in the Iranian service are a reflection of things that are happening in other places. Sawa is proving to be a tremendous success. The demographics of the region -- 70% of the population of Iran is under the age of 20 - makes it clear that the kind of approach we are using, putting on a 24-hour service that is music-driven, would have great merit in Iran just like it is working in the Middle East,`` said Mr. Pattiz, who chairs the BBG`s Middle East subcommittee and co- chairs its language review subcommittee. ``We`re in the business of fulfilling our mission. Our mission is to promote freedom and democracy through the spreading of information about America and the news to overseas countries. If we can do a much better job of attracting people to that message through American contemporary culture like music, as we are doing in the Middle East, obviously it`s something we should do,`` Mr. Pattiz, who was recently reappointed to the BBG for a second term by President Bush, said. Reaction to the changes appears to be mixed, with many insisting that some hard news content is essential, and that the Iranian population is far different than those listening to Radio Sawa. A Georgetown University professor who studies American-Iranian relations, Rob Sobhani, said the music service would only have a positive effect if it were combined with substantive public affairs programming. ``There has to be content attached to that music, there has to be some quality programming that talks about the values we stand for,`` Mr. Sobhani said. ``We can`t just play Michael Jackson and Britney Spears…what is getting the people of Iran excited is Bush saying `we support you,` not the latest Britney song…they want moral clarity from us, just as we are demanding from the rest of the world.`` Mr. Pattiz said that the new format would replace the RFE/RL Persian service. The VOA Farsi service will contribute news and information programming to the new service, and the VOA`s Farsi short-wave services will continue. Some critics of the plan to move to music cite the differences in the mindset between Arab countries and the Iranian people as a reason that the new Farsi service will not thrive like Sawa. They say, for instance, that the Iranian people are supportive of America, unlike in Arab countries, where anti-Americanism runs rampant amongst the populace. ``These rumours are terrible, the people are very worried that the American people are going to abandon them,`` said Ali Reza Nourizadeh, an Iranian journalist living in London. ``Iranians have lots of music already, what they need is good comment, interviews, a program that deals with the issues. It`s not just a radio, it represents a policy, a country,`` he said. In response, Mr. Pattiz said that news would make up a large part of the new service. ``The music is a tool to deliver the target audience so our news will be heard by a large audience and have a large impact. With Sawa we are broadcasting into a region where America and American policies are very unpopular. In Iran, it appears as though there is much less opposition to America, so less soft-pedaling is needed. Of the overall 24-hour day, probably one third will be news, informational or policy programming,`` Mr. Pattiz said. Mr. Pattiz said the board`s decision to create the new Farsi service was unanimous. ``I think the new Farsi service will be at least as successful as Sawa, maybe more, given the demographics and the pro- American feeling in Iran,`` he said. Mr. Pattiz said that early market research into Radio Sawa`s impact, which was launched March 23, 2002 and is available on FM, AM and digital audio satellite throughout the Middle East as well as the Internet and short-wave, shows it gaining tremendous popularity. ``I think what Sawa has proven is that if you put together a 21st- century modern broadcast operation…you can deliver a really large audience,`` Mr. Pattiz said. Although the research is only preliminary at this point, he said weekly research on the 15 to 30 year-old audience shows the radio is gaining in popularity. ``In the research that we were doing in Amman, in Kuwait and in the Gulf, we started asking if they listen to news, and our target audience originally said 1% listens most for news, but by August 12, that number had gone up to 18%, and the number has remained at 18% for the last two weeks. We are the number one source for news in the 15 to 30 age group in the countries that are now being surveyed. … We don`t want to make much of this because it`s a small sample, but it`s a good indication. Over 50% of our target audience looks at us as their favourite station, over 80% said they listened yesterday,`` Mr. Pattiz said. An August 20 article in the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat quotes a young Iraqi man saying that 85% of the Iraqi people tune into the station at night and that the station has become more popular than Sawt al Shabab, a radio station run by Uday, the eldest son of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. ``I`m thinking of having T-shirts made up saying `No. 1 in Baghdad,``` Mr. Pattiz said laughingly. Sawa is the Arab word for ``together.`` Mr. Pattiz said the name tested well in pre-launch research for the Arab service. ``The station has a slogan, ``you listen to us, we`ll listen to you.`` You can`t talk at these people, you have to talk with them, you have to engage them, you can`t go in with a sledgehammer. Their local media is bludgeoning us all the time. We have to go in and attract and audience, we have to show them what a free press in the American tradition really is,`` Mr. Pattiz said. The funding for the new Farsi service will come from redirecting already-appropriated funds. No new money will be spent, Mr. Pattiz said. People inside the VOA who are familiar with the situation say there was no consultation with employees or staff or input from service managers. ``We are treated as if the Farsi service was a failure. VOA research has shown that Farsi was one of the two most listened to radio stations in Iran,`` said one source, who did not want to be identified. ``If they do it would be a big mistake --- the Iranian people want comment, political views, and political commentators. They are very happy with this, I think they should increase comment rather than decrease it,`` said Dr. Assad Homayoun, the president of the Azadegan Foundation, an organization based in Washington dedicated to the promotion of democracy, human rights, and the establishment of a secular government in Iran. The disclosure of the Farsi service`s impending change comes on the heels of the departure of VOA director Robert Reilly. It also comes as the chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Rep. Henry Hyde, successfully steered legislation through the House that would see a massive reorganization in public diplomacy, including publicly funded foreign broadcasting. Copyright 2002 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC. All rights reserved (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. The Radio Sawa website is now listing the 981 kHz medium wave transmitter from Cyprus. Don't know if it's in full service or still testing. http://www.ibb.gov/radiosawa/radiosawa_english.html Yes, to anyone familiar with radio, it reads as 981 megawatts, 1260 megawatts, and 1548 megawatts. They mean "medium wave" by MW, but the syntax is all ahoo (Glenn Hauser, Sept. 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CYPRUS ** U S A [non]. RFE/RL NEWSLINE Special Report 11 SEPTEMBER: ONE YEAR AFTER This is a special report from RFE/RL's Regional Analysis Department http://www.regionalanalysis.org/events/briefings/2002/09/special0911_1.asp (via Fred Waterer, DXLD) ** U S A. VOICE OF AMERICA MUSEUM, PARK BECOME COMMUNITY EFFORT Associated Press Last updated 03:11 AM, EST, Monday, September 9 WEST CHESTER, Ohio (AP) -- Development of a museum and park on the site where Voice of America radio broadcasts were beamed behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War has become a community effort in suburban West Chester Township.... http://www.indystar.com/data/wire/out/0909ap_m883fo1009.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Hello Glenn, I don't believe this has been in DXLD. With Minnesota Public Radio's 24 hour classical music service it may not be totally necessary but I won't complain. WCAL can be heard well here in Arcadia but it does fade now and then and a beam antenna on the roof is a highly recommended for a reliable signal but there are still some fades. Between classical music on Minnesota Public Radio, WCAL, partial day on Wisconsin Public Radio I couldn't ask for a much better location to live. Then you can't forget there is also two hours daily on the Winona State University station (KQAL), except they mix it in with new age and world music and KNXR Rochester, MN, has a couple hours of classical music on Sunday evening (Dan Sampson, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ---------- From the Radio/DX Information from Wisconsin website http:/www.angelfire.com/wi/dxing/index.html was this news item. MN NORTHFIELD WCAL 89.3 GOES ALL-CLASSICAL AS "CLASSICAL 89.3" along with simulcasting KMSE 88.7 Rochester (Upper Midwest Broadcasting) --- Here's more info from the WCAL website. More of What We Do Best: Introducing Classical 89.3 - Music & Ideas Dear 89.3 listener, Classical 89.3 - Music & Ideas is here. It's new, but it's the same. WCAL has been winning friends and making great radio since its first voice transmission 80 years ago. The board, staff, and longtime donors of WCAL have great respect for that remarkable legacy. This station has truly touched many lives, in many different ways, over the past eight decades. Facing forward, in this new millennium and in this new climate of multimedia, we want to build - really build - on our strengths. Who can tell us what those are? Why you, of course, and your fellow listeners! Over and over you have reported to us that our presentation of classical music makes an important difference in your life, whether you use us as background or when, occasionally, we cause you to stop in your tracks and devote yourself to listening. You tell us that it's not only the time-tested music you care about so deeply but also the sincere, funny, articulate, and knowledgeable hosts whom you hear on our airwaves: Bill, Stephen, Melissa, Steve, Karl and, soon, another bright voice - Stephanie Wendt - to be added to our announcing staff. It's this special brand of classical music radio that has allowed us to grow, in every sense of the word. It's this delightful, emotion- stirring, colorful music legacy that has allowed us to build our reputation beyond the "Twin Cities' best-kept secret" and take our place among the wide circle of outstanding Minneapolis/St. Paul art organizations that flourish here. It's why we are now moving a few things around and adding a short list of additional music-lover's programs. And it's this particular talent for bringing you centuries of the world's best music that has led us to change our name to reflect what we do: Classical 89.3 - Music & Ideas The name may be new, but our emphasis remains the same: marvelous companionship and music that embellish your day. Please don't hesitate to give us your reaction. And please keep listening, contributing, writing, and spreading the word about Classical 89.3. (via Dan Sampson, Prime Time Shortwave, http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. Here`s the page about Pacifica`s 9/11 special and a list of stations carrying it, including RFPI: http://www.pacifica.org/info/releases/specialprog_sept11.html (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. TRYING TO HIT THE RIGHT NOTE, ALL DAY LONG By Paul Farhi, Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, September 9, 2002; Page C01 For TV and radio news stations, the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks will be a nonstop blur of memorial events, emotional reminiscences and related news stories. Their challenge: Cover the occasion without bludgeoning it. Everyone else in radio and TV -- those normally devoted to playing cartoons, comedy shows or Kenny G songs -- faces a different challenge: Ignore the anniversary without seeming callous or mindlessly irrelevant.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A54915-2002Sep8?language=printer (Washington Post Sept 9 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. TELEVISIONARY: Decades after the fact, the world is just tuning in to the work of TV inventor Philo T. Farnsworth By Don Aucoin, Globe Staff, 9/7/2002 On this day 75 years ago, television as we know it was born in a laboratory outside San Francisco, the brainchild of a 21-year-old genius named Philo T. Farnsworth. For much of the 20th century - a century shaped, and in some ways defined, by his invention - Farnsworth would largely be forgotten. By 1957 his identity was so obscure that he stumped panelists when he appeared as a mystery guest on the CBS game show ''I've Got a Secret.'' (Struggling for a clue as to who he was, one panelist asked ''Dr. X'' if his invention caused pain. Farnsworth answered dryly, ''Yes. Sometimes, it's most painful.'') But of late, American culture has seemed eager to make up for its neglect. No fewer than four books about Farnsworth have been published in the past year, including ''The Last Lone Inventor'' (HarperCollins) by Brookline author Evan I. Schwartz. A Smithsonian Institution exhibit on the information age includes several of Farnsworth's picture tubes, and in 1999 he earned a place on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the century. ''It's a long time coming,'' Elma ''Pem'' Farnsworth, the inventor's 94-year-old widow, says in an interview from her home in Fort Wayne, Ind. Pem Farnsworth was among a handful of people present when her husband, whom she called Phil, succeeded in transmitting the first electronic television image (a simple line that they saw move) on Sept. 7, 1927. She would later become the first woman to appear on her husband's invention. ''Even before Phil got his first transmitter, he told us what television would do for the world,'' she says, her voice strong and clear. ''Everything that he said would happen, happened.'' On the July day in 1969 when the technology he created made it possible to see Neil Armstrong walk on the moon, Farnsworth turned to his wife and said, ''This has made it all worthwhile.'' He died two years later. Visionary though he was, Farnsworth could not have foreseen the lengths that RCA president David Sarnoff would go to in order to be seen as the father of television. Schwartz says Sarnoff wanted to extend the monopoly RCA enjoyed in radio to the new technology, and he was not about to let some unknown upstart control the patents to that technology. ''He started making his own myth. ... He maintained the position that everything good was invented at RCA,'' says Schwartz. ''So when the next big thing is coming down the pike - television - Sarnoff at all costs had to have it.'' In what Schwartz calls a bid to copy Farnsworth's idea, Sarnoff sent his top engineer, Vladimir Zworykin, to Farnsworth's lab. Then Sarnoff himself paid a visit. Still unable to match Farnsworth's work in RCA's labs and unwilling to pay him royalties, Sarnoff tied Farnsworth up in a court battle that hamstrung the inventor for many years. ''Sarnoff was a good businessman, but his ethics were not on Phil's level,'' Pem Farnsworth says. Her 66-year-old son, Russell Farnsworth, of Brownfield, Maine, is blunter. ''Sarnoff was not the kind of guy you messed around with,'' he says. Even though the US Patent Office eventually determined that Farnsworth was the true inventor of electronic television, the massive RCA publicity machine ensured that Sarnoff would receive credit for bringing television to the world. That PR campaign peaked with a much- ballyhooed demonstration of a TV at the 1939 World's Fair. ''This started at the World's Fair, when Sarnoff announced that RCA was now introducing television - a series of untruths that were accepted by everybody and are still accepted, and are in the history books,'' says Russell Farnsworth. Meanwhile, Philo Farnsworth slipped from public view. Often strapped for cash, he battled alcoholism, ulcers, depression; at one point, he suffered a nervous breakdown. ''There is a sense of tragedy there,'' says Schwartz. ''In a sense, he was written out of history.'' The birth of a medium Not everyone sees Sarnoff as the villain of the piece. Donald G. Godfrey, a professor at Arizona State University and author of ''Philo T. Farnsworth: The Father of Television,'' says Sarnoff and RCA ''were doing what any big company would do in the 1930s, and what any company does today. ... It wasn't a boxing match. It was corporate competition.'' Sarnoff deserves to be remembered as ''one of the central figures in broadcast history,'' says Godfrey. He notes that Zworykin and others made significant contributions to the invention of television. ''It's important to recognize Philo, but he was not the single inventor,'' he says. But it was Farnsworth who first figured out how to scan, transmit, and receive moving images electronically. The idea came to him when he was just 14. While plowing his family's potato field in Rigby, Idaho, young Philo theorized that perhaps he could reproduce images for TV by shooting a beam of electrons against a light-sensitive screen, line by line - just like the field. A year later, he sketched a diagram for a TV system on a high school blackboard in front of his astonished teacher. Six years after that came the breakthrough. With the help of Pem and her brother, Cliff Gardner, Farnsworth pioneered the technology that would catapult television from an experiment (various forms of mechanical television, reliant on spinning discs, had been in the works for years) to a commercial medium that would transform the world. That transformation wouldn't always be for the better - and Farnsworth was prescient in recognizing that as well. His wife says he enforced a no-TV rule in their household when their children were young. ''He wanted to teach them that you had to be active yourself rather than be acted upon,'' she says. In the beginning, she notes, Farnsworth wanted the medium ''to be all cable, because otherwise it would be in the hands of the advertisers, and he didn't like that.'' Schwartz says Farnsworth ''was very idealistic about how TV should be used. He thought it was a great gift to mankind that shouldn't be abused.'' As he grew older, Farnsworth grew disheartened by what he considered the dumbing-down of the medium. A rich legacy At Schwartz's urging, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has invited Pem Farnsworth to Los Angeles to attend this year's broadcast of the Emmy Awards on Sept. 22. She says illness will probably prevent her from attending. Her presence would be rich in irony: The Emmys will be telecast on NBC, the network founded by Sarnoff. To Schwartz, 38, a former editor at Business Week, the saga of Philo T. Farnsworth illustrates the shift away from innovation by ''lone inventors'' such as Thomas Edison and Samuel Morse to the corporate control of technological research through well-funded labs. On that newly corporatized playing field, an idealist such as Farnsworth wasn't equipped to compete. To illustrate his point, Schwartz points to a combination TV set and radio in his Coolidge Corner office. The ''Capeheart Deluxe'' was designed and manufactured by Farnsworth. In order to make the sets, with their elaborate cabinets, Farnsworth bought a furniture company rather than devoting that money to hiring more lawyers to get his patents upheld. Though he virtually vanished from public view, Farnsworth did not stop inventing. According to Schwartz, Farnsworth spent the last two decades of his life trying to create a nuclear-fusion energy device that he named the Fusor, which he believed could be what Schwartz calls ''a safe way of generating cost-free energy.'' At the end of his life, says Schwartz, ''He believed he was on the verge of a breakthrough.'' Pem Farnsworth thinks her husband should be remembered for the full scope of his work, which included patents for the invention of the first cold cathode-ray tube, an air-traffic control system, a baby incubator, the gastroscope, and the first electronic microscope, as well as the development of the basics of radar, black light for night vision, and the infrared telescope. ''They're making a big thing about television,'' she says. ''Of course, his television invention was only a beginning. He did so much that helped industries and technologies in the whole country.'' Philo T. Farnsworth and David Sarnoff both died in 1971. The latter's place in history was secure; the former's was precarious. Pem Farnsworth has fought to change that. A decade ago, she wrote a self-published memoir of her husband's life called ''Distant Vision.'' In Schwartz's view, few lives have been more remarkable. ''You can change the world with one idea. That's what's inspiring about Farnsworth's story,'' he says. http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/250/living/TelevisionaryP.shtml (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) The LDS certainly haven`t forgotten, and even exploit him: http://www.kbyu.org/membership/ptfsoc/story.html (via gh, DXLD) ** U S A. FCC MAY LOOSEN MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES By DAVID HO, The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal regulators will take a new look at rules limiting ownership of newspapers and television and radio stations, with an eye toward loosening restrictions. The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to begin a rule- making process Thursday that is widely expected to produce new regulations that will make it easier for large media companies to merge. ``The clear direction of this is deregulation,'' said Blair Levin, a former FCC official and now an analyst with Legg Mason. Levin said the agency will have to address whether eased regulations may limit media diversity. ``What would people say if their cable companies, one newspaper in their town, half of the radio stations and 30 percent of the TV stations were all owned by the same company?'' he said. ``Where do the new lines get drawn?'' The FCC said in June that it would use this week's meeting to begin official reviews of two rules - one concerning the number of television and radio stations a company can own in one market, and another preventing any of the four major television networks from merging with each other. The agency will also examine two rules that were rejected by an appeals court this year and sent back to the government. Those rules involved restrictions on the national reach of companies that own multiple television stations and on companies that want to own two television stations in the same market. The FCC is already looking at a restriction that prohibits one company from owning a broadcast station and a newspaper in the same market, as well as a rule that limits radio station ownership. The agency wants to combine its work on the various rules to make the regulations more consistent and able to survive legal challenges. The FCC has said its combined study and any potential changes to the rules are expected to be completed by spring 2003. FCC Chairman Michael Powell has expressed skepticism about broad ownership limits and concerns that many of the agency's rules are based on hunches rather than facts. Powell's comments have led to speculation the rules will be relaxed or repealed, leading to a wave of media mergers. Consumer groups have warned that consolidation would lead to a handful of companies controlling all the information people receive as well as how they receive it. Some Senate Democrats, including Commerce Committee Chairman Ernest Hollings of South Carolina, have opposed easing restrictions on media ownership. They argue that there already has been too much concentration in the market for TV, radio and other services. A 1996 telecommunications law required the FCC to periodically review ownership rules in light of greater competition and other changes in the industry. On the Net: Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov 09/10/02 16:43 EDT (via AOL Canada via Fred Waterer, and via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** URUGUAY. I am not monitoring SW all day, every day, but haven't found some outlets to be active lately, or at least it's been a relatively long time since I don't hear them: 6010 Em. Ciudad de Montevideo 6155 Banda Oriental. Maybe country's economical crisis is limiting their possibilities. Active on 49m are: 6125 SODRE 6140 Montecarlo 1000-0300 rough listening period On 31m: 9620 SODRE, heard relatively well only during daylight, since spoiled completely by Spain during local evenings and night. No more stations to add (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, Sep 8 --on my 29th anniversary day as DXer!!!!! :)--, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** VATICAN. Some changes for Vatican Radio effective from August 1: 0230-0430(ex 0240-0440) French/English/Swahili/Amharic/Tigrina/French on 9660; 1430-1555(ex 1450-1610) Hindi/Tamil/Malayalam/English on 12065 13765 15235 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 9, via DXLD) Would someone mind specifying the English times? (gh, DXLD) ** VATICAN [and non]. Posted on Wed, Sep. 11, 2002 Newsmakers | VATICAN RADIO SKEWERS 'MAGDALENE SISTERS' By Murray Dubin, Inquirer Staff Writer Vatican Radio lambasted The Magdalene Sisters, winner of the Venice Film Festival's top honor, and the jury members who chose it because the film "likens the Catholic Church to the Taliban." Last week, a Vatican newspaper called it "an angry and rancorous provocation." Directed by Peter Mullan, the film tells the story of an abusive convent run by nuns on behalf of the Catholic Church. The last Magdalene convent closed in 1996 in Ireland. Mullan said the film was "about all faiths, all fundamentalist faiths, that believe they have the right to oppress young women." Vatican Radio said that "awarding top honors to Magdalene was the most offensive and pathetic page written by the jury." The jury was headed by Chinese actress Gong Li and included Easy Rider cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, French writer- director Jacques Audiard, actressFrancesca Neri, producer Ulrich Felsberg and Turkish director Yesim Ustaoglu. © 2001 inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.philly.com (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VIETNAM. 4795.9, Son La, 1200 heard about 5 out of every 7 days. Sweeper a pain, but decent mod and steady transmitter (Hans Johnson, WY, Sep, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. TAJIKISTAN: Radio Free Vietnam in Vietnamese via Dushanbe 200 kW / 125 deg: 1400-1430 on 15235 cancelled effective from August 12 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 9, via DXLD) This is via KWHR now, 9930 at 1230, M-F (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED station with music: 1430-1445 on 12090 (54444) 1445-1500 on 15600 (55444) (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 9, via DXLD) See BURMA [non]; wb implies it may have something to do with Democratic Voice of Burma, ex-New Zealand, being in the same time slot (gh, DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DRM +++ SPECIAL EDITION, IBC 2002 -- DRM TO DEBUT EQUIPMENT ON SEPTEMBER 14TH [much of the info duplicates that in 2-141, deleted] DRM Timeline: 1998: DRM Consortium Launched 1999: System Evaluation 2000: Early Field Tests Done, DRM Standard Submitted to ITU-R 2001: DRM System Description Ready, ITU-R’s Approval, Mobile Reception Unveiled, ETSI Publishes Standard 2002: Lab & Field Tests, IEC Publishes DRM Specification 2003: DRM Broadcasts To Launch A GLIMPSE INTO THE DIGITAL FUTURE: DRM’S CONSUMER RECEIVER The world-band consumer receiver, developed by Coding Technologies together with the BBC and German device manufacturer AFG, is based on a modular system design made up around standard components. It is a production-ready OEM receiver sample integrated in an enclosure of a commercially available multi-band radio receiver. It will debut at DRM`s press event at the DRM Booth (Hall 8, Stand 485) on September 14th at I B C . The DRM system also uses aacPlus by Coding Technologies as the standard audio coding format. aacPlus is a combination of MPEGAAC (Advanced Audio Coding) with Coding Technologies groundbreaking SBR"! (Spectral Band Replication) bandwidth extension algorithm. DRM To Demonstrate Audio and Multimedia at IBC 2002 An impressive array of brand-new DRM equipment will showcase live transmissions from leading broadcasters during IBC 2002. DRM`s members will send international and local transmissions into the convention, highlighting the DRM system’s audio and multimedia capabilities. "This year, DRM`s members will showcase more transmissions and equipment at IBC than ever before," says DRM Vice Chairman (and Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep CFO/CTO and Deputy Director General) Jan Hoek. "We invite IBC attendees to visit us and hear the remarkable clarity of DRM for themselves." At the DRM Booth Live, international, short-wave transmissions will be provided by DRM members. Transmissions will be sent by Deutsche Welle (from Sines, Portugal, 15230 kHz, 0930-1200 Sines 40 degrees HR4/4/.5, 15170 kHz 1200-1355 Sines 40 degrees HR4/4/.5), Radio Canada International/CBC (from Sackville, Canada, 9635 kHz, 0730-0859 UTC and 11775 kHz, 0900-1059 UTC), Radio Netherlands (from Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, 15425 kHz) 0700-1000), T-Systems MediaBroadcast (from Juelich, Germany, 5975 kHz direction 290, 0900-1155 and 1305-1455 UTC) and VT Merlin Communications (with BBC World Service programming, from Rampisham, U.K., 5875 kHz 1200-1450 UTC and 7320 kHz, 1500 to 1600). Additionally, Radio Netherlands will broadcast both audio and multimedia content from its low-power transmitter in Hilversum, Netherlands, demonstrating DRM`s local broadcasting capabilities. These transmissions (25970 kHz, 0700-1600) are done in cooperation with TELEFUNKEN SenderSysteme Berlin AG, Fraunhofer IIS-A and SWR Südwestrundfunk. The transmitter will operate on a frequency in the 11 meter short-wave broadcast band. Because of the special propagation conditions on this frequency band, it can be used for local purposes. At the DRM booth, receivers with multimedia capabilities will showcase Radio Netherlands’ transmissions from Hilversum. In a multi-media display featuring the Fraunhofer DRM ContentServer, visitors to the DRM booth can see their photo on a DRM receiver picking up the signal from Hilversum. The programming is broadcast using an exciter and modulator from TELEFUNKEN and an amplifier from SWR Südwestrundfunk. Fraunhofer will display its professional receiver called the FhG Software Radio. It will also present the brand-new DRM Software Radio. DRM’s first production-ready, world-band consumer receiver, developed by Coding Technologies together with the BBC and AFG, will debut at IBC. Also on show will be a semi-professional, off-the-shelf AOR7030 receiver, modified by the BBC to use one of the cards from the Coding Technologies modular receiver. The BBC will showcase the latest version of its professional DRM monitoring receiver, currently being used extensively in DRM’s field trials. It features support for 20kHz stereo modes and frequency diversity reception. Two Thales digital reference receivers will receive live transmissions. The widely used TSW 1002D, based on a professional portable PC, offers a 100% digital process including the RF front-end. The new TSW 1003D is based on a laptop PC connected to an existing analog RF front-end. This off-the-shelf solution prefigures Thales’ Software Receiver Solution to be delivered soon. At DRM Members` Booths Nautel Ltd. will showcase one of its XL series, DRM compatible MW transmitters, at its booth in Hall 5, Stand 227. TELEFUNKEN SenderSysteme Berlin AG will showcase DRM reception of Radio Netherlands’ audio/multimedia transmissions, at its booth in Hall 4, Stand 340. At its booth in Hall 8, Stand 161, Thales Broadcast & Multimedia will exhibit a complete DRM transmission chain: encoding, transmission with a Thales low-power MW transmitter, and reception with a Thales DRM test receiver. This is the first time live DRM transmissions are being conducted with a transmitter directly installed on the exhibition stand. DRM Live Demos at IBC 2002! DRM Booth, Radio Hall, (Hall 8), Stand 485 DRM Project Office, P.O. Box 360, CH-1218 Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland projectoffice@drm.org Phone: + 49 221 389 3510 Fax: + 49 221 389 3110 http://www.drm.org INCLUDEPICTURE http://www.drmrx.org/images/animdrmindex.gif Registration Form for the DRM Software Radio Project... If you are interested in receiving further details of the DRM Software Radio Project, please visit http://www.drm.org to register your interest. We will contact you once the software is available. DRM On Display: You’ll find DRM speakers or exhibits at these upcoming events: ISCE Conference, Erfurt, Germany, September 24-26, 2002, DRM Speaker IEEE Broadcast Symposium, Washington, DC, USA, October 11, 2002, DRM Speakers Africast 2002, Abuja, Nigeria, October 2002, DRM Speaker DRM & AM Broadcasting Conference, ESPOL Campus, Ecuador, October 14-21 DRM Speakers ABU General Assembly, Tokyo, Japan, October 31, 2002, DRM Symposium WRC 2003 DRM Launches For Immediate Release: September 10, 2002. Contact: Siriol Evans, pressoffice@drm.org, +44 1481 268246, mobile +44 7781 127019 (via DXLD) ###