DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-145, September 16, 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: Wed 0930 9475 BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700 on 7445, 15038.7; webcasts also Sun 1830, Mon 1230, Wed 1300 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1147.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1147.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1147.html BILL FLYNN. The biscuit [forest, wild-] fire is 98% contained -- no damage near here. On Aug 17, they hauled me off to the hospital, respiratory arrest, heart attack. On Sept 4, I returned home. Please understand that my recovery will be lengthy. I will not be doing any DXing for a long time. Regards, Bill, Sept. 8, 2002, Cave Junction OR. Bill has been one of our most faithful contributors. We wish him a good and faster than expected recovery! (Glenn) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Re DXLD 2-144, Magrib prayers: Hello Glenn, With regards to your question about Maghrib prayers, it is one of the daily prayers performed by a Muslim. Each prayer is known by a different name. First prayer (Subur): one hour before sunrise (around 5.30 am) Second prayer (Lohor): noon time Third prayer (Azar): late afternoon (around 5 pm) Fourth prayer (Maghrib): early evening (around 8 pm) Fifth prayer (Isyak): late evening (around 9 pm) If you can't remember the names, just remember that the first letters of all the words form the word "Islam". In communities where the Muslims form the majority, radio stations would broadcast the azan (prayer call) at the appropriate prayer times. The exact timing variates every day and the radio broadcast is thus a convenient tool to determine the prayer time. 73s (Richard Lam, Singapore, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Very interesting; are the Moslems really into acrostics, or is it totally coincidental that these spell out ISLAM? Oh, oh, watch out: (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Gospel broadcast into Afghanistan Americans are in a somber mood today, with the advent of the one-year anniversary of the deadly September-11 terrorist attacks. Gospel For Asia's KP Yohannan says they're also marking the date, but with a milestone of hope. Beginning today, they are broadcasting the Gospel into Afghanistan. "We are airing this broadcast on a 500-thousand watt short wave station, which is going to be heard brilliantly. With what is happening now, we are believing the Lord to see, literally, thousands of people turn to the Lord and find hope." Yohannan believes the people are ready for the hope of Christ. He says there is still a lot of work to do and asks for support. "There are 400 or so Afghani believers that are said to be in the country. Pray that somehow, the Lord will raise up a few of them to follow-up and do things, in terms of planting churches." (Guess what --- MNN forgot to mention frequency again. -- BA) (Mission Network News via Bruce Atchison, AB, Sept 16, DXLD) That`s not all they forgot to mention. I`ve found it`s the rule rather than exception for religious programmers to be exceeding vague about the details of their broadcasts. Could it be they really don`t want to encourage donors to try to tune in? (gh, DXLD) ** ALGERIA. ARGÉLIA/ UTILITÁRIA. 6932 7TF - Boufarik Radio, Boufarik - Recebida carta QSL full data. em torno de 43 dias. V/S: Azmedroub - Hocine, Le chefe de centre Enviado IR e carta em francês. Não foi enviado IRC's ou dólares para as despesas postais. Escutada transmissão em CW. A antena usada pela emissora é uma Conic (J.R.C.) com 5 kW de potência. Segundo o V/S a estação só trabalha em HF: A1A, J3E, F1B e F4. Tráfico rádiomaritimo com barcos no mar. QTH: Centre Radiomaritime, Le Chef de Centre, BP 234, 09400 Boufarik, Argélia (Rubens Ferraz Pedroso, Bandeirantes, PR, @tividade DX Sept 15 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Interestingly, with the big AM, Radio 10 [710 kHz], in Argentina, we had the original choice of being non-directional with that power. We decide to go directional to push the power East over the city, then to the ocean. There is nearly no place in the market that you cannot hear us beautifully. We lost millions of people outside the city, but made the station a better contender in the city. Proof: Buenos Aires has 13 all talk AMs, and there is 40% AM share. We have 38% of it. However, impossible to do in the US, as the station has 130 employees, and just the morning show has over 30 between on air (including staff comedian) and reporters and writers (David Gleason, Palm Springs CA, Sept 15, NRC-AM via DXLD) QSL from R. Diez: http://www.kbonet.com.br/radiowaysqsl/RDiez.jpg (via gh, DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. 4880v, Bangladesh Betar, no sign of this one this season. Not propagating or off? (Hans Johnson, WY? Cumbre DX Sept 16 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 6085.35, Radio San Gabriel 0930 OM, YL, ID as "...San Gabriel" 0937 on the Drake R7. 4716.84, Radio Yura, 1005-1023, good signal, OM with music, "...hermanos en bolivia...Radio Yura" (Bob Wilkner, FL, R-75, R7, NRD 535D, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL [and non]. Rudolf Grimm`s website includes photos of a number of DXers, mostly from Brasil, whose names you have seen here, under RADIOAMIGOS e SAUDADE: http://www.radioways.cjb.net (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST, tnx to tip from @tividade DX) ** BRAZIL. A programação levada ao ar, em 4845 kHz, é a da Rádio Ternura FM. Foi captada, em Porto Alegre (RS), em 14 de setembro, às 0905, com a identificação: "Na Ternura FM, mais música no programa Seu Ritmo!". A emissora é de Ibitinga, São Paulo (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Sept 15 via DXLD) That would be the seldom-reported one previously known as R. Ibitinga, or R. Meteorologia Paulista, listed by PWBR as 1 kW on the strange schedule of 0700-2100 UT, and not to be confused with R. Cultura, Manaus, also on 4845, and per Shortwave Guide with 250 kW at 0800-0200 while SWG says Ibitinga runs 0800-2300. Note also that the Manaus frequency varies on the high side (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Olá, Hoje cedo em conversa com a direção da Rádio 9 de Julho, 1600 kHz AM de São Paulo, SP, fui informado da implantação até Março de 2003 de uma frequência de transmissão em Ondas Curtas, faixa de 31 metros, nos 9820 kHz. A homologação da frequência já foi feita pela Anatel e espera-se apenas autorização para iniciar a construção de um sistema de antena e transmissor para esta frequência. Seu sinal em AM é gerado da Zona Norte de SP, região da Freguesia do Ó. Estuda- se a possibilidade de levar suas transmissões para o distrito do Jaraguá. Também nesta manhã, a direção da Rádio Capital AM, 1040 kHz informou que seus sinais de 200 kW transmitidos desde a cidade de Taboão da Serra, grande SP, serão modernizados. Seus atuais transmissores VP100A, fabricados pela Harris, de 100K, serão substituídos no segundo semestre do ano que vem por um único transmissor Nautel de 200 kW. A Rádio Cultura FM continua com problemas no seu transmissor de OC na faixa dos 16 metros (freq de 17815 kHz). Duas válvulas de saída haviam sido trocadas e seus sinais já estavam no ar desde Maio deste ano em caráter experimental. Nas últimas semanas, com uma forte chuva que ocorreu em SP, um cabo de transmissão provocou um curto-circuito em um dos sistemas de geração e o transmissor foi danificado. Ainda não se sabe se a Funmdação Padre Anchieta, proprietária da emissora vai conseguir incluir esta manutenção em seu orçamento deste ano. Possivelmente não. Forte 73' (Denis Zoqbi S 23 40' 33" W 46 45' 21" --- Se o mundo não muda, mude você! Radioescutas Sept 16 via DXLD) I wonder if 9 de Julho are aware of other stations already using 9820, such as Cuba? (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. On a couple of occasions that past week, I am hearing some very nice, I presume, Chinese music on 17640 from about 1630 to 2000 UT (on one day a sign off, unheard, just before 2000). Having given away my Passport to Worldband Radio in Mexico, I have no current reference to check. The program is strictly music, largely strings, flutes, orchestral. No break on the hour or half hour, no announcements or IDs. A good signal with a touch of flutter, occasional brief breaks in transmission similar to the skipping on Real Audio. This is likely an outlet of China Domestic Radio network? (Roger Chambers, Utica, NY, Sept 16, ODXA via DXLD) Hi Roger: In fact, it's a jammer --- and one heckuva powerful one. It's covering Radio Free Asia and if you listen carefully, you'll notice that it's actually a loop that runs around 7 minutes, if I recall correctly. The fact that we can hear it in midafternoon all the way from the Chinese mainland makes one wonder just how many kW are being pumped into the ether! (John Figliozzi, NY, ODXA via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI`s September-November block program schedule, including WORLD OF RADIO, Sundays at 1830+, no longer temporary: http://www.rfpi.org/quarterly-sked.html As this issue first goes out, a reminder that RFPI`s 15th anniversary Fiesta on the Air, is underway, booming in on 7445 and 15039, 0000- 0300 UT Tue Sept 17. Prepaid calls welcome to 011 506 249 1344, or info@rfpi.org (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS. My interpretation of Ydun Ritz' mail: that means, IBB/VoA's Radio Sawa is using the reserve mast of Radio Monte Carlo Middle East site ? on 981 kHz - as temporary matter. They never could really erect a new mast in such a limited time there. Glenn, Why chop? I guess that's not an original IBB/VoA mast, in use at present, the RMC ME reserve mast is adjusted for that operation, maybe ??? 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Maybe so; perhaps they can electronically compensate for the mast being the `wrong` height for the wavelength, or simply ignore it with all that power (gh, DXLD) ** CYPRUS. From BC-DX #591: OHR - Over Horizon Radar at Cyprus heard during summer on the ham radio band frequencies of 14350, 18070, and 21370 kHz (German bandwatch in FUNK magazine, Sep 2002 via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Este é o site para download do programa DXHCJB que conta com a participação de Célio Romais: http://www.hcjb-brasil.org/audio.htm (Rogério Krüger, Radioescutas, @tividade DX Sept 15 via DXLD) ** EUROPE. De European Medium Wave Guide (EMWG) heeft nu z'n eigen domeinnaam. Wijzig daarom uw favorieten, links, enz. naar het unieke internetadres: http://www.emwg.info De EMWG heeft ook een nieuw e-mail adres: cont-@emwg.info [truncated] Naast de oude getrouwe PDF-versie (gratis te downloaden), zijn nu ook de nodige voorzieningen aangebracht voor een on-line versie. Deze is echter nog in opbouw. Niettemin kan je op de webstek al een goed idee krijgen van wat het uiteindelijk zal worden. Ter herinnering: de European Medium Wave Guide is een overzicht van letterlijk alle lange- en middengolfstations in Europa, Noord-Afrika en het Midden Oosten (Herman Boel, BDXC via DXLD). ** GERMANY. Pictures of the Wertachtal site are here: http://www.volk-muenchen.de/ Some comments: http://www.volk-muenchen.de/DCP_4800.jpg http://www.volk-muenchen.de/DCP_4829.jpg http://www.volk-muenchen.de/DCP_4830.jpg Old class-B modulation transmitters from 1972/1974, the original fitting of the station. http://www.volk-muenchen.de/DCP_4827.jpg http://www.volk-muenchen.de/DCP_4828.jpg New PDM transmitters, added in 1987/1988 when the station was extended to 16 transmitters altogether. http://www.volk-muenchen.de/DCP_4804.jpg "SArt": I guess an entry there means that another mode than DAM (AM with dynamic carrier control) is in use, at least the "AM" entries fit to low transmitter numbers one would expect to belong to the old class-B rigs. "Leist" = power, no entry no doubt means 500 kW, the single "P/M" entry is the RNW transmission on 9860, using 125 kW. "Ltg" = feed circuit. http://www.volk-muenchen.de/DCP_4806.jpg The note taped on the console deals with fax reports to the regulation authority required for other transmissions than Deutsche Welle ones (the "Jülich business" to put it simply). By the way, I just prepared an audio file of Ismaning 6085 and found that they apparently use an audio bandwidth of 6 kHz, not 4.5 kHz as earlier reported (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Subject: Besuch bei DTK Wertachtal Yesterday, some German DXers visited the DTK Deutsche Telekom site Wertachtal, which belongs to T-Systems MediaBroadcast. 80 hectare wide. 39 antenna masts up to 122 meters tall. 13 transmitters of 500 kW each. T-SYSTEMS MediaBroadcast staff of 21, but on weekends only a single guy on duty. Digital pictures on homepages: http://www.volk-muenchen.de http://www.marko-koenig.de/wertachtal (via Lutz Andreas, Germany, Sep 15, via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ** GERMANY. According to the German "Kontakter" magazine, VIVA TV now confirmed that the VIVA-Radio project is dead, at least for the time being. This concerns Jülich 702 and Nordkirchen 855, both 5 kW. Reportedly the transmitters were already installed (at the shortwave site and the existing 549 kHz site, respectively) and at least 855 was already on air with 1 kHz tone. It is uncertain so far what will happen with these frequencies now. Berlin mediumwave sites: http://funk.breloehr.de/fotos-b/b_schaef.htm Schäferberg; picture of the wire antenna for 891 and 1485 (both DRM tests only) on the bottom of this page. See also http://funk.breloehr.de/fotos-b/b_scat.htm for the old 2 GHz scatter link facilities, also at the opposite station in the Harz montains. http://funk.breloehr.de/fotos-b/b_frohn.htm Frohnau; old microwave link site, now containing cellular phone facilities and another really tiny mediumwave antenna for 1485. http://funk.breloehr.de/fotos-b/b_britz.htm http://home.snafu.de/wumpus/rias.htm Britz; main masts for both 990 and 855 with screening towards Romania on latter frequency at night (but in fact 855 now operates ND all time since only 25 kW are in use anymore), vertical incidence cross dipole (it is prohibited to use this antenna anymore due to concerns about electromagnetic pollution), 6005/6190 dipoles (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. About AFN feeds: AFRTS programming is fed to Frankfurt via the Intelsat bird at 1 degrees west (this *could* be the bird IBB uses to call AOR) in Musicam format with 128 kbit/s only. AFN Europe programming is distributed from Frankfurt to the other AFN stations via Eutelsat Hotbird, using Musicam 128 kbit/s, too, resulting in noticeable delays of transmitters elsewhere in Germany compared with Frankfurt 873 / 98.7. All satellite links are encrypted of course. When listening to the 98.7 outlet recently I found the audio quality of both satellite-fed and locally produced stuff remarkably low; some clips contained so much noise that one could believe they were recorded with the cheapest ghettoblaster. Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE [non]. One of my favorites on the car radio is 17705, V. of Greece via Delano, which often plays great Greek music, and the signal is superb. But showing just how lacking is ERT`s commitment to what little English broadcasting they have, Sat Sept 14 during the 1600 hour, when Hellenes Around the World normally airs, there was instead some extremely excited play-by-play in Greek, no doubt some stupid ballgame, preëmpting, we hope (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. Radio K`ekchí in Guatemala is back on the air with the old Gates transmitter after a technician on loan from TGN installed a replacement capacitor which I had shipped down to them via another member of a volunteer team. I was supposed to have taken the part down and installed it the last week of August -- but just couldn't afford another trip so soon after returning from Honduras on the 17th. The Pastor of Radio Amistad says that they are only operating the 4700 kHz rig during daylight hours --- they are using it primarily as an "STL" to get the signal over the mountain/volcano to be rebroadcast on a little 25-watt AM transmitter on 540 kHz --- because their main FM signal on 97.6 (that`s right, .6 ) can't be heard beyond the mountain range. The little AM transmitter is being used in a "carrier-current" system in which the 25-watts of RF is fed directly into the AC power lines rather than into an antenna. Radio Amistad is located on beautiful Lake Atitlán at San Pedro La Laguna in south-Western Guatemala. The FM signal reaches into a dozen or more towns and villages around the lake. Well, that`s about all the news from the "field", Glenn. 73, (Larry Baysinger, KY, Sept 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tnx, Larry; agree about Atitlán, loved my visit there (gh) ** INDIA. AIR-KOLKATA`S GLORY A THING OF THE PAST 15/9/02 ------------------------------------- KRISHNENDU BANDYOPADHYAY TIMES NEWS NETWORK [WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2002 1:53:41 AM] KOLKATA: Seventy-five years after beginning its eventful journey, Akashvani Kolkata is merely a shadow of its glorious past. Shelved projects, funds cr-unch and dearth of talents now mark an organisation which once attracted luminaries of Bengali culture. ``People like Nazrul Islam, Premendra Mitra, Nripendra Krishna Chattopadhyay and Birendra Krishna Bhadra had worked here. Nirad C. Chowdhury worked in the news section as a correspondent who later specialised as a war analyst,`` said joint director (news) Sunit Chakraborty. In course of its 75th anniversary celebrations, the AIR held a series of programmes over the past one year. Old programmes were broadcast again. Nostalgic addas were held. But no new ventures came up. Among the pending projects are `Radio on Demand` and `Radio News On Telephone`. Station director As-im Rej, however, claimed the former has already taken off. ``You have to check out the technicalities with our engineers,`` he said. ``We are also talking to our news section so that `Radio News on Telephone` can be given a shape.`` ``As people come to us, we have stopped going to them long ago,`` a senior AIR official said. And real talents by nature are shy of projecting themselves, he added. Official paraphernalia keep talents away. ``One has to wait for years to get an audition,`` an officer said. Discussions among the staff generally centre around promotions and postings. Chakraborty reminded that AIR Kolkata had a rich archive. ``If used properly, it can earn fabulous amounts and end the AIR`s paucity of funds.`` All-India Radio`s first director general and one of its key architects, Fielden, returned to England in 1944 and predicted that AIR would become just another bureaucratic organisation. He was right, fear AIR insiders (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA. Current regular channels during the 1200 and 1300 hour are 4760, 4775, 4800, 4840, 4850, 4860, 4880, 4910, 4920, 4970, and 5040. No much luck in 90 mb as of late. 4820 Kolkata used to be much better, nothing heard under the Chinese here though. 4940 just a het here, 4950 nada, always tough, ditto 5050. 4960 seems irregular (Hans Johnson, WY?, Sept, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER QUESTIONS PROPOSED BAN ON FOREIGN BROADCASTS Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2002 -- In an interview this week in Washington with the Voice of America, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hasan Wirajuda criticized efforts to curb foreign radio and television broadcasting in his country. Speaking with VOA Indonesian Service reporter Irawan Nugroho, Mr. Wirajuda questioned the plan by the Indonesian parliament (DPR) to launch a new broadcasting bill that would curb the relay of foreign broadcasting by local radio and television in Indonesia. "Any form of censorship, limitation or curbing of foreign broadcasting in this new world of the information superhighway will only be counterproductive," Mr. Wirajuda told VOA. "If the bill is passed by the DPR," he continued, "this kind of censorship, limitation or any kind of curbing of the free flow of information will not be effective or enforceable. This new law will merely be a piece of paper. Why should we produce a law that is not effective and enforceable?" Mr. Wirajuda added, "The legislative move by the DPR to curb foreign broadcasting is against the spirit of reform in Indonesia that the government has encouraged. "Technically," he asked, "how can we limit that kind of broadcasting? It is hard to understand. This borderless world has changed, and the free flow of information has bombarded the Indonesian public for so many years. Compared to the neighboring countries, Indonesia is left behind in this new world of information. Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand have moved far beyond this kind of censorship." Mr. Wirajuda was in Washington to meet with members of Congress and to attend a dinner hosted by the United States Indonesian Society (USINDO). He is scheduled to address the UN general assembly meeting in New York on Sept. 18 (VOA Press release Sept 16 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. EUROPE - GLOBAL RADIO LEARNS FROM U.S. SATELLITE RADIO MISSTEPS September 13, 2002 12:00 am, Phillips Publishing International, Inc. Interspace via NewsEdge Corporation : By Stephen A. Blum The most complex satellite broadcasting system ever proposed is under development in a nondescript office building near Luxembourg's airport. Global Radio intends to provide subscription radio service throughout Europe, beginning in 2006. It will use a powerful three- satellite, inclined orbit constellation, with each bird delivering eight beams. The manufacturer has not yet been selected. One beam will provide continent-wide service, while the other seven will focus on specific language regions. Crafting the programming line-ups will be equally challenging, balancing the near-term objective of drawing in early adopter ex-pats looking for native language programming with the long range goal of providing mainstream service to the entire European market. Content and distribution are the two primary factors that determine the success or failure of satellite delivered subscription services. These two factors explain the way the DirecTV-EchoStar battle has played out over the years and account for the failure or success of direct to consumer satellite systems in markets as diverse as Japan, Latin America and Africa. With specific programming plans yet to be drawn and distribution still in the conceptual phase, it is difficult to make system-specific forecasts for subscriber growth. However, it is possible to look at the overall European market and apply assumptions made and lessons learned in the United States during satellite radio's introduction over the past year. The result isn't necessarily a specific projection of how Global Radio will fare. Rather, it indicates what might happen in Europe if a satellite radio system were built using U.S. business models and was as well suited to the European market as XM and Sirius are to the United States. To some degree, Global Radio anticipated some of the hard lessons Sirius and XM are learning about distributing satellite radio hardware to consumers. The company is building its business plan around some cold, hard facts of the automobile industry, which remains its primary target market. Unlike the consumer electronics industry, which drives satellite television take-up in most countries, the automotive industry does not gracefully go through a complete product design cycle on an annual basis. Three to four years is more typical for carmakers. One solution for Global Radio is closer cooperation with carmakers during the development phase of its business. By the time it goes to market chip sets should be small enough and cheap enough that all in one, in dashboard receivers will be available at market launch, which would avoid a problem that XM and Sirius are currently having in the United States. Their add-on black box is a much tougher sell to automobile manufacturers. Another approach Global Radio plans to take is extended beta-testing, which will delay its full scale service launch but, it is hoped, will allow the product and service to come to market better coordinated with automotive manufacturers and distributors. On a top-level analysis, Europe has many similarities with the United States, but also very significant differences that will impact the growth of a satellite radio service. Europe and the United States have similar numbers of registered automobiles, similar annual new car sales, and similar profiles for some key early adopter segments such as long-haul truckers. On the other hand, Global Radio's total service area has significantly more TV households and roughly twice the population as the United States, but with lower gross domestic product per household. From an automotive and consumer electronics distribution standpoint, Europe sorely lags the United States. The European Union not withstanding, European retail chains and wholesale distributors still tend to be broken up into small, national operations, unlike the continent-wide retail infrastructure in the United States. Another key difference may help offset that problem, though. Viewed as a whole, the European radio market is more thoroughly divided into different language, music, sports and cultural segments than the U.S. market, where regional differences tend to be ones of seasoning rather than substance. Given radio's proven effectiveness at delivering niche programming and serving thinly segmented audiences, aggressive vertical marketing programs can go a long way towards offsetting a fragmented mainstream retail environment. Adjusting a U.S.-developed satellite radio forecasting model for the European market requires changing several assumptions, beyond population and income statistics. A European satellite radio operator will likely have to contend with slower consumer electronic manufacturer adoption and more gradual diffusion of product through retailing channels than XM and Sirius, who are already struggling with a more stubborn manufacturing and distribution system than the satellite TV had led them to expect. Targeting ethnic niches, such as the 4.5 million Turks in Germany, will probably mean more in-home subscribers, although mobile users will still be slightly in the majority. Less dependence on cars for commuting will further tip the balance. These projections indicate that a business case can be made for a Europe-wide satellite radio system to gain more than ten million subscribers within five years of launch. It quantifies a general set of assumptions about satellite radio subscription growth. Before it can be applied to Global Radio, a more specific programming line-up and beam loading plan has to be factored in, as well as specifics about distribution plans and vertical market strategies. Another unknown is potential competition. Global Radio might or might not have the European satellite radio market to itself. One potential competitor is WorldSpace. Most of the European market is above 45 degrees North Latitude, which means a geosynchronous satellite like WorldSpace's AfriStar is at a serious disadvantage when targeting mobile users. However, it's less of a problem for the in-home market, which could represent roughly half the total. Global Radio's most critical next step is locking down a second round of financing. Fund raising success will depend on Global Radio's ability to make its subscriber growth case, which in turn depends on how well it fine tunes its content and distribution strategy to capitalise on Europe's particular market advantages, while avoiding the pitfalls. XM and Sirius are also looking to the financial markets for vital additional funding. Mixed early results and a rough financial environment are making that task very difficult, but the basic assumptions that underpin the satellite radio business still appear valid and there is good reason to continue pushing forward. Stephen A. Blum is president of Tellus Venture Associates, a Marina, Calif.-based satellite consulting firm. He can be reached at email steveblum@aol.com or by phone at 831/582-0700 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRAN. WINTERTIME BEGINS ON 21 SEPTEMBER | Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA Tehran, 15 September: Wintertime in Iran will start from 21 September, Iran's Presidential Office's Public Relations Department said in a press release here on Sunday [15 September]. According to the approval of the cabinet in 1991, the clocks are be pulled forward by one hour at 2400 (2030 gmt) on 21 March, marking beginning of the Iranian calendar year and is pulled back an hour on 21 September each year. The daylight saving programme will end at 2400 (2030 gmt) on 20 March 2003, the press release said. Source: IRNA news agency, Tehran, in English 1218 gmt 15 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) End? They mean resume. And it`s shifted, not saved! So the Sept 21 change is from UT plus 4:30 to UT plus 3:30. Why don`t they make this clear? Unlike so many other international broadcasters, notably the Zionist Entity, however, VOIRI timings do not shift, or shift much, depending on local time (gh, DXLD) ** IRAN [and non]. CLANDESTINE from ? to IRAN, 17510, KRSI. Sedeye Iran, 0230 hearing a bubble jammer on 17509.3 most nights, but have only heard KRSI here once in the last week. Nasty het between jammer and KWHR on 17510 (Hans Johnson, WY? Sept, Cumbre DX Sept 16 via DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. CLANDESTINE from PAKISTAN to INDIA, 5102, Voice of Jammu and Kashmir Freedom (Presumed), 1255 Sept 16 with hummy open carrier, start of chorus at 1300 and then talk by man. Weak, but better by 1320 (Hans Johnson, WY? Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** KENYA. BBC MONITORING'S GUIDE TO THE KENYAN MEDIA This guide was written in September 2002. It updates and adds to one published in March 2002. Contents: Introduction Media freedom Media laws Regulation of the broadcast media Self-regulation Radio and television Profiles of some Kenyan broadcasters The mainstream press News agencies "Grey literature" Appendix 1: Full list of FM radio stations in Nairobi Appendix 2: Full list of terrestrial TV stations in Nairobi Introduction The Kenyan media is the most diverse in east Africa, reflecting the existence of a sizable middle class that provides a base for substantial advertising revenue. It also reflects the rich and vibrant culture of a country that contains over 40 ethnic groups, and where many people can read, listen to or watch the media in at least three languages: their mother tongue (that of their ethnic group), Swahili (east Africa's lingua franca) and English (the language of government, of the formal business sector, and one increasingly used in everyday life). Kenyan journalism can be insightful, well written and attractively presented, but observers remain concerned over aspects of media freedom. Most Kenyans rely on the traditional broadcast media (particularly radio) for news. Outside the main urban centres the distribution of newspapers is limited. Substantial levels of illiteracy and the high cost of the papers relative to local incomes further limit readership. Recent liberalization of the broadcasting sector has had a profound effect in the capital, Nairobi, but has made much less impact in most of the rest of the country owing to continuing licensing difficulties, which have raised suggestions of government foot-dragging. The bulk of rural dwellers have no easy domestic alternative to state-owned KBC radio. The print media remains dominated by two commercial publishing houses, both of which also have substantial broadcasting interests. Poverty and a poor telephone infrastructure mean that Internet access is largely restricted to an urban elite, and is likely to remain so for many years. It was reported in August 2002 that less than 15 per cent of the Kenyan population had access to the national electricity grid, which further limits Internet usage and television viewing. Media freedom Journalism as practised in the private media is often lively, informed and stylish. However, most political reporting tends to be reactive and heavily focused on personalities. There is little solid, in-depth investigative journalism, particularly on issues which lack a clear focus on an individual political leader. The climate of media freedom has improved although incidents continue to be reported in which journalists are arrested and harassed. The era of obvious self-censorship has largely passed, although behind-the- scenes pressures on reporters, editors and proprietors remain. All mainstream media outlets are heavily reliant on revenues from advertising, and this leaves them vulnerable to the heavy influence of politics in Kenyan business life. Journalists' salaries are low, which is an inducement to corruption. The work of reporters is hindered by a culture which favours the hoarding of information. Neither the presidency nor any ministers have official spokesmen who can speak on-the-record to the media. Media laws New media legislation passed by parliament in May 2002 and signed into law by President Moi the following month raised widespread concern and criticism in Kenya and abroad. The main purpose of the new regulations - contained in the innocuous sounding Miscellaneous Statutes (Amendment) Act - is to eliminate the so-called "gutter" press (see below under "Grey literature") by increasing the registration requirements for the print media. The new law requires publishers to submit two copies of each of their publications to the Attorney-General's Office. They must also keep copies of their own publications for six months. The bond for book and newspaper publishers was raised from 10,000 shillings (about 125 dollars) to 1m shillings (12,500 dollars), which effectively locks small publications out of legitimate business and discourages micro- investment in the media sector. Those failing to meet this requirement face a fine, imprisonment and a ban on future publishing activities. Also criticized was the law's requirement that newspaper distributors and vendors (who in Kenya are generally informal one-man operators selling a bundle of newspapers by the roadside) ensure that they are selling a bonded publication, facing a fine of 20,000 shillings (250 dollars) and/or six months' imprisonment if they do not. The law also bans the screening of films, TV programmes or advertisements without a licence. In practice, the regulations are merely a minor irritant to the mainstream press and the "gutter press" publications continue to be available. But the new law does reveal a bias towards authoritarianism. In a separate development, concern has also been raised over the increasing readiness of the Kenyan civil courts to award very heavy damages in libel claims against the press. The criminal courts are also used to prosecute alleged incidents of defamation. In August 2002, an MP was jailed for six months for "publishing a alarming article" which had alleged that President Moi was responsible for tribal clashes in 1992. In separate recent cases, successful prosecutions have been brought for publishing "false" reports. Regulation of the broadcast media The regulatory body for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries is the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK). In theory, since its creation in 1998 the CCK should have acted as a one-stop-shop for those wishing to establish a radio or TV station. In practice, the CCK has limited its role to a technical one (assigning frequencies) and has referred decisions on granting operating licences to the Ministry of Tourism and Information. Inevitably, this puts the decision in the political arena. The most publicized case where this procedure seems to have failed to ensure the granting of a licence to a bona fide applicant is that of the Nation Media Group which for some time has often stated its desire and ability to operate radio and TV stations with nationwide coverage. However, the relevant licences have yet to be granted and so Nation FM and Nation TV remain only on the air in Nairobi. The suspicion is that this is because of the Nation's reputation for good news reporting. Meanwhile, other operators (perhaps seen as less controversial in their output) have been granted authorization to operate outside the capital. Further confusion over broadcasting regulation has been caused by the apparently overlapping remits of the Ministry of Tourism and Information, and that of Transport and Communication. In a move that may clarify the situation, the minister of transport and communication indicated in August 2002 that both the issuing of licences and the assigning of frequencies would become the responsibility of the CCK. However, as the head of the CCK will remain a government appointee, its licensing decisions will still be seen as political. In July 2002 the information minister stated that 25 licences had been issued to operate FM radio stations and another 19 to run television stations. He noted that a number of licences had not been taken up by their applicants. Self-regulation In June 2002 an independent Media Council was launched by various industry players with the stated aim of raising ethical standards in the profession, handling public complaints and defending media freedom. The launch was seen, in part, as an attempt to pre-empt moves for state regulation by having self-regulation in place. The council's members, who include lay persons as well as those from the media, were nominated by the industry's representative body, the Media Industry Steering Committee. Radio and television Residents of Nairobi and its immediate surroundings have access to 19 radio stations on FM and seven free-to-air terrestrial television services (see appendices below). Listeners and viewers elsewhere have much less choice, with the state- owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) providing the only domestic radio and TV for most of the country. There are no restrictions on the use of satellite dishes, although their cost puts them out of the reach of all but a small minority in a country where the GDP amounts to about one dollar per day per person. Despite this poverty, the ownership of radio and TV sets is widespread. In rural areas (where most Kenyans live), TV usage is often constrained by limited access to mains electricity. Cable TV penetration is very limited. The BBC World Service (in English and Swahili) is relayed around-the- clock on FM in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya's second largest city. The Voice of America (also in English and Swahili) is available on FM in Nairobi. Radio France Internationale (RFI) has applied for a licence to be relayed on FM in Nairobi but this is currently stuck in the regulatory bureaucracy. Listeners throughout the country can hear the BBC and other international radio stations on shortwave. Radio stations from neighbouring countries (Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia) are also sometimes audible, particularly in border regions. Profiles of some Kenyan broadcasters Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) The KBC is the state-owned national radio and TV service, although it has stated recently that it no longer receives any state funding, relying instead on advertising revenue. Until the media and political liberalization of the 1990s, the KBC (known between 1964 and 1990 by the name Voice of Kenya, VoK) held the legal monopoly of all broadcasting in the country. The KBC's news output continues to give heavy prominence to government activities, in particular those of President Daniel arap Moi. If newscasts report Moi's statements or activities, however routine, such items always lead the bulletin. It does report opposition activities, though with much less prominence. The KBC's principal strength lies in its broad transmission coverage of the country. The corporation has published varying figures on coverage, with one set claiming that more than 95 per cent of the population can hear KBC radio programmes (with over half being able to do so on FM) while over 70 per cent are in range of signals from KBC television. This contrasts strongly with the country's private broadcasters, which are restricted in their transmission coverage to the Nairobi area and, in a few cases, some other large towns. As the Kenyan population remains largely rural, this means that KBC is still the only "national" broadcaster. For most Kenyans in rural areas, the only alternative broadcast media to the KBC are foreign stations. In addition to a national TV service in English and Swahili, and two separate national radio channels in these languages, the KBC also broadcasts a variety of regional and local radio services in 15 other indigenous languages. This is another strength for the KBC in an ethnically and linguistically diverse country. The KBC also has a second TV service, the entertainment-oriented Metro TV. At present this is only available in Nairobi, although an extension of coverage is planned. KBC television airs a higher proportion of domestically-produced material than its privately-owned rivals, which rely heavily on imported programming. This may make it a more authentic reflector of the nation's culture. Like some of the private stations, KBC TV relays CNN for part of the day. News from Germany's Deutsche Welle TV and China's CCTV is also carried. A similar relay arrangement with BBC TV collapsed some time ago. Perhaps the KBC's main weakness is that it is seen as the voice of the government and the ruling KANU (Kenya African National Union) party, which has held uninterrupted power since independence in 1963. The KBC's style of news presentation also seems wooden and old- fashioned when compared to the more lively feel of the private stations. Indeed, in August 2002 the outgoing KBC managing director, Joe Khamisi, acknowledged that the corporation was "at least a decade behind" in terms of modern broadcasting technologies and also lagged in other areas, including the packaging and presentation of news. He conceded that the KBC's staff had not yet reacted to the emergence of competing stations by changing their approach to think commercially rather than bureaucratically. However, KBC radio's rather pedestrian style of presentation can be more attractive to less well-educated listeners, who may prefer it to the fast pace of many private stations which use presenters who rapidly switch between various languages. The KBC maintains a text web site, known as KBC Online, at http://www.kbc.co.ke The site mainly consists of information about the KBC, but it does also carry textual news items. It has been noted that, on occasion, these items give a fuller account of the news than the broadcast version. The current managing director of the KBC, appointed in August 2002, is Caxton Mwangangi Munyoki. Formerly the deputy MD, he has a background in business management. His replacement as deputy MD is Eric Muthuuri Nyamu, formerly with the KANU party newspaper, the Kenya Times. Kenya Television Network (KTN) KTN is owned by Baraza Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Standard newspaper group (see below). KTN opened in 1990 (under different owners), becoming the first station to break the state broadcasting monopoly. At that time its open, lively and inquisitive style of reporting and presentation, and its coverage of opposition activities, contrasted strongly with the output from the KBC. The latter was stilted and generally ignored opposition activities and other news unfavourable to the government. KTN is still seen as having a much more responsive and less rigid news agenda than KBC. However, its geographical transmission coverage is less extensive than the KBC's. In addition to Nairobi, it can also be seen in and around Mombasa and Nakuru (capital of Rift Valley Province), and it has announced plans to extend transmissions to Western Province by the end of 2002. That will still leave most of the country unserved. Where it can be seen, KTN claims to be the market leader. KTN broadcasts news in both English and Swahili. Most other programmes are in English, with a heavy reliance on material imported from the West. This emphasis on English, and the fact that the bulk of its audience is in Nairobi, means that its audience profile is more upmarket than that of KBC TV. Since its inception, KTN has run a 24 hour-a-day operation, relaying CNN when not airing its own programmes. Nation FM and Nation TV These are popular FM radio and TV stations in Nairobi operated by the Nation Media Group, east Africa's largest private media company and the publishers of Kenya's highest selling newspapers (see below). They currently only broadcast to the Nairobi area. The official regulatory authority (the Communications Commission of Kenya, CCK) has so far refused to grant the group licences for national transmission, a decision the Nation Media Group's chief executive described in March 2002 as "political". Nation TV's early evening (7 p.m. local time) news bulletin in Swahili claims to have the highest ratings in Nairobi at that time (when KTN and KBC also have news in Swahili). Overall, Nation TV and Nation FM claim to occupy "the number two slots" in the Nairobi market. This places Nation immediately behind the market leaders, KTN television and Kiss 100 radio. Nation TV appears to have followed a strategy of matching some of KTN's most popular programmes with versions of its own. Kiss 100 Launched in July 2000, Kiss is now rated as Nairobi's most listened-to radio station. Its success lies in an up-tempo mixture of music presented by lively and stylish personalities. A key feature of Kiss's output is regular quizzes with large cash prizes. News output is limited to brief but regular bulletins during the peak breakfast hours. Kiss has recently embarked on an expansion programme to give it nationwide coverage. It opened a relay station in Mombasa in July 2002 and less than two months later was reported to have become the coastal city's third most popular station, behind Christian station Baraka FM and the KBC's Swahili Service. Kiss also has licences to be relayed in Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri and Eldoret. Kiss's success in Nairobi has been at the expense of Capital FM, which in September 1996 became the first private radio station to break the KBC's monopoly. A number of Capital's presenters and managers later moved to Kiss. By the mentions that each gives to the others, Kiss appears to have a business relationship with Standard newspapers and Standard-owned KTN television. The Kiss web site is at http://www.kissfm.co.ke Kameme FM Among the many private FM radio stations currently on the air in Nairobi, one which will be of particular interest during the coming presidential and parliamentary elections is Kameme FM. Kameme was launched in March 2000, becoming the first private station to broadcast in Kikuyu, the language of the country's largest tribe, and one strongly associated with the political opposition during much of President Moi's rule. According to Kameme's own figures, about two- thirds of the six million people who live in the greater Nairobi area speak Kikuyu. The Kikuyu factor in the coming elections has been sharpened by Moi's choice of Uhuru Kenyatta, a Kikuyu and son of Kenya's first president, as his preferred successor. Kameme's launch sparked a debate about broadcasting in languages other than English and Swahili. It was suggested by some, including Moi, that broadcasts in vernacular languages could be a cause of inter- tribal conflict. However, moves to ban such broadcasts by private stations came to nothing. (State-owned KBC has long broadcast in Kikuyu and other vernaculars. Following Kameme's launch, the KBC set up a separate station, Coro FM, to broadcast exclusively in Kikuyu.) According to its web site - http://www.kameme.com - Kameme FM's signal on 101.5 MHz covers a radius of over 90 km from Nairobi, with reception being reported from as far as 160 km away. The information on the web site was compiled in 2000, at which time the radio had a deliberate policy of not broadcasting "political news or programmes of a political nature". That has changed, however, and Kameme now broadcasts news in Kikuyu (at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.), Swahili (at 1 p.m.) and English (at 5 p.m.). Aside from Kameme, another Nairobi private station - Radio Citizen - also broadcasts in Kikuyu. The mainstream press Four daily English-language newspapers are published (all from HQ in Nairobi): the Nation, Standard, Times and People. However, only the Nation and the Standard can claim anything approaching reliable and widespread circulation throughout the country. Both these papers are lively, with a spread of news, comment and features. News coverage and editorial comment focuses on the endless machinations of the Kenyan political elite. One obvious gap in the press market is the lack of a serious news weekly. Two titles that used to fill this gap - the Economic Review and the Weekly Review - folded in 1998 and 2000 respectively. The closure of the Weekly Review, which had been publishing for a quarter of a century, was a particular loss for those seeking intelligent political analysis. The Weekly Review's publisher, Hilary Ng'weno, is the founder of the Stellavision (STV) channel. Most of the Weekly Review's top writers now pen weekly columns in the Nation or Standard. Another gap is the absence of any press (other than a few "grey literature" titles) in African languages other than Swahili. Daily Nation and Sunday Nation These are the largest circulation newspapers in Kenya, published by the Nation Media Group (listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, with a substantial block of shares reportedly controlled by the Aga Khan). They claim to have around three-quarters of the Kenyan newspaper market. The Nation is seen as an independent, respected and balanced newspaper, with good journalistic standards, wide news coverage and space for a variety of opinions on political and social affairs. Its editorials are frequently critical of the government, although its columnists reflect a spread of views. The Nation Media Group also publishes the weekly EastAfrican newspaper (see below) and a daily paper in Swahili, Taifa Leo (which has a much smaller circulation than its English-language sister). Taifa Leo is currently the only non-English daily paper in Kenya. On Sundays, the Nation publishes the Swahili-language Taifa Jumapili. The Group also operates Nation TV and Nation FM radio (see above). The Nation is available at its web site - http://www.nationaudio.com In addition to being Kenya's largest commercial media house, Nation Media Group also has interests in Uganda, where it owns a stake in an English-language newspaper (The Monitor - the country's main independent paper) and one published in the Luganda language (Ngoma). It also operates Monitor FM radio in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Nation Media Group has stated its intention to invest in the Tanzanian media market. The East African This is a weekly English-language newspaper published on Mondays by the Nation Media Group. Coverage is focused on Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, and to a lesser extent on some other regional countries, and the paper circulates within this regional coverage area. The East African is available from the Nation's web site although the Internet version of the paper does not always update promptly. Like its cousin, the Nation, the East African enjoys a professional reputation for good journalistic standards. East African Standard and Sunday Standard The Standard is Kenya's second-largest circulation paper, after the Nation. It is the country's oldest newspaper, now in its second century of publication. At one time it was noticeably more cautious and conservative than the Nation, and much more likely to avoid open criticism of the government. It now gives coverage to a variety of opinions. The Standard was sold in the 1990s by the Lonrho group to a consortium of unnamed investors, rumoured to include Kenyan politicians at the most senior level. This does not seem, however, to have affected its editorial line to the extent that might have been expected. A wholly owned subsidiary of the Standard, Baraza Ltd, owns KTN television (see above). The Standard is available at its web site - http://www.eastandard.net The Kenya Times This is the newspaper of the ruling KANU party. In 1986, Mirror Group Newspapers of the UK (at the time owned by Robert Maxwell) acquired a stake in the Kenya Times and invested in the paper to make it the first in Kenya to have colour printing. Following Maxwell's death and the legalization of multipartyism in 1991 the paper went into decline, losing its best journalists and most of its sales. It also ceased publishing its Swahili edition, Kenya Leo. The circulation and influence of the Times is now far less than that of the Nation or Standard. The Times is available at its web site - http://www.kentimes.com The People Daily This is a daily newspaper owned by prominent veteran opposition figure and businessman Kenneth Matiba (runner-up to Moi in the 1992 presidential elections and currently leader of the unregistered Saba Saba Asili party). Its reporting strongly favours the opposition to President Moi. It has a much more restricted circulation than the Nation or Standard. Until late 2000, the People was a successful weekly with a good reputation for investigative journalism. Sales have fallen since it moved to daily publication. At present, the People does not maintain a web site. News agencies The only domestic news agency is KNA (Kenya News Agency), which is run by the government's Directorate of Information (part of the Ministry of Information). As this has offices in every district it is an important source of news - as seen from the government's perspective - from many of Kenya's remoter regions, where the private media cannot afford to deploy correspondents. Nairobi is the east African base for the major international news agencies. AFP (France), Ansa (Italy), AP (USA), DPA (Germany), Kyodo (Japan), Reuters (UK) and Xinhua (China) are among the agencies with bureaus in Nairobi. "Grey literature" Alongside the well-established and mainstream press titles are a large group of news sheets and papers which may be said to fall into the category of "grey literature". Titles include The Independent, Kenya Confidential, Kenyan Monitor, The Kenya Star, The Mirror, New Guardian, The Metropolitan, The Reporter, Tribune and Weekly Citizen. These news sheets cannot normally be bought from shops or most street vendors. Instead they are only usually available from those street vendors in the centre of Nairobi that offer a larger range of newspapers and magazines. Other characteristics of the news sheets fit them for the description of "grey literature". They are printed on cheap, poor-quality paper, the quality of printing is often low and the standards of layout and presentation do not normally match those of mainstream papers. Their articles and reports are generally unsigned, and some of the news sheets do not even carry the names of their publisher. The distribution of the news sheets is erratic and it is necessary to visit several street vendors to obtain the full range of publications. Some vendors only stock previous editions of a title but not the current one; and vice versa. The news sheets specialize in three subjects: the analysis of current political developments, usually from a supposedly inside knowledge of behind-the-scenes events; scurrilous and frequently defamatory exposes of the alleged misdeeds of prominent political figures; and other gossip about the famous. The news sheets, even those which carry lurid headlines about the supposed activities of leading government figures, are openly displayed and sold, apparently without fear of interference from the authorities. Most of the news sheets are in English, though examples in Swahili and other African languages have been seen. Although the torrid and scandalous reports in these news sheets provide entertaining reading, their value as serious providers of reliable news and thoughtful analysis is questionable. Appendix 1: Full list of FM radio stations in Nairobi \ \ 88.0 - Sound Asia. \ 89.3 - KBC Swahili Service (also available in Nairobi on 92.9 FM and 612 kHz mediumwave; broadcast throughout Kenya on other mediumwave and FM frequencies; also available via the WorldSpace satellite system). \ 89.5 - KBC Eastern Service in Somali, Boran, Rendille, Burji and Turkana (also on 4915 kHz shortwave). \ 89.9 - KBC Central Service in Kikuyu, Kamba, Maasai, Meru and Embu (also on 1269 kHz mediumwave). \ 90.0 - Biblia Usema Broadcasting (Christian station). \ 91.9 - Coro FM in Kikuyu (KBC-operated station; also on 99.5 FM). \ 92.9 - KBC Swahili Service (see entry for 89.3). \ 93.7 - BBC World Service in English and Swahili. \ 94.7 - East Africa Radio in English and Swahili (based in Dar es Salaam and broadcast simultaneously on FM frequencies in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala). \ 95.1 - Iqra FM in English, Somali, Swahili and Urdu (Islamic station). \ 95.6 - KBC English Service (also available in Nairobi on 97.3 FM and 747 kHz mediumwave; broadcast throughout Kenya on other mediumwave and FM frequencies). \ 96.4 - Nation FM in English and Swahili. \ 97.3 - KBC English Service (see entry for 95.6). \ 98.4 - Capital FM in English (also broadcast via the WorldSpace satellite system). \ 99.5 - Coro FM in Kikuyu (see entry for 91.9). \ 100.3 - Kiss 100 (also broadcast via the WorldSpace satellite system). The market leader in Nairobi, this largely English-language music-based station now provides news at peak listening periods. \ 101.1 - Kameme FM (largely in Kikuyu). \ 101.9 - Metro FM in English and Swahili (KBC-operated station; also relayed on FM elsewhere in the country). \ 103.9 - Family FM (Christian station). \ 106.0 - East FM (Asian station; also broadcast via the WorldSpace satellite system). \ 106.7 - Radio Citizen (came back on the air in January 2002 after being away since the previous April when it was forcibly closed down by the authorities; also broadcasts on FM in Nyeri and Nakuru, the capitals of Central and Rift Valley Provinces respectively; programming includes relays of Voice of America in Swahili). \ 107.5 - Voice of America in English and Swahili. Appendix 2: Full list of terrestrial TV stations in Nairobi \ \ KBC Channel 1 (on VHF channel 4, with seven relay stations elsewhere in the country). The local rebroadcasting partner of the African Broadcasting Network, ABN, entertainment channel. \ KBC Metro (on UHF channel 31). An entertainment service. The local rebroadcasting partner of South African entertainment channel MNet. \ Citizen TV (on UHF channel 39). Operated by the same company that runs Radio Citizen. Uses CNN as a sustaining service. Operates erratically. \ Nation TV (on UHF channel 42). Operated by the Nation Media Group. Uses CNN as a sustaining service. Also relays Deutsche Welle TV news. \ Family TV (on UHF channel 45). A Christian station, linked to Family FM radio in Nairobi) \ Stella Television, STV (on UHF channel 56). The local rebroadcasting partner of entertainment channel TV Africa. Uses Sky News from London as a sustaining service. \ Kenya Television Network, KTN (on UHF channels 59 and 62, with relays in Mombasa and Nakuru). Uses CNN as a sustaining service. Source: BBC Monitoring research Sep 02 (via DXLD) ** MEXICO. XEDD, 800, Montemorelos, Nuevo León; power given as "10 mil watts" (10 kW), so it`s not a HIGH POWER outlet as I had thought; still, it puts out a GREAT SIGNAL. 73 de Steve/AB5GP (Steven Wiseblood, Boca Chica Beach, TX, IRCA via DXLD) ** MOZAMBIQUE: STOLEN NATIONAL RADIO TRANSMITTER COMPONENTS REPLACED | Text of report by Radio Mozambique on 14 September Radio Mozambique's Antena Nacional today resumed its short wave [as heard] service. The station had been forced to interrupt the service due to the theft of equipment at the Matola transmitter site. Radio Mozambique's engineers had to manufacture and install a number of key components for the transmitter that had been tampered with, notably coils, capacitors, transformers, and lightning arresters. Fernando Canana, a spokesman for Radio Mozambique's board of directors, says measures have been taken to put an end to the theft of equipment at the station's transmitter site in Matola. [Unidentified correspondent] Now that the medium wave service has been restored, what measures have been taken to curb the theft of equipment at the Matola transmitter site? [Canana] The station and the police have taken steps to curb the wave of theft. We have approached influential members of civil society to try to find ways of putting an end to theft of equipment at the Matola transmitter site. The latest incident reached alarming proportions. Yet, in less than a week our engineers were able to restore Antena Nacional's medium wave service. Source: Radio Mozambique Antena Nacional, Maputo, in Portuguese 1730 gmt 14 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) This isn`t the first time R. Moz has been ambiguous about SW and MW -- it seems the station has no clear sense of the distinxion between them! (gh, DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 5985.8, Radio Myanmar worth a listen after 1300 in September for the music. Clear channel in USB. 6570, Defense Forces Station (Presumed). 1328 Sept 16 steady tone, 1329 IS and then talk by woman (Hans Johnson, WY? Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NEPAL. Radio Nepal, Kathmandu, gave good results during the evening on 5005, as heard across Indo-China and Thailand [in July]. It has extended its telephone call-in shows, and best heard between 1230 and 1300, in English (Bob Padula, Sept 14, EDXP via DXLD) ** NEPAL. MAOISTS BOMB RADIO STATION Kathmandu, Sept. 15: Maoists insurgents in Nepal blew up a radio relay station and a telephone exchange in a remote village while four explosions rocked the capital on Sunday, even as security forces stepped up vigil ahead of a nationwide strike called by the guerrillas on Monday. Insurgents exploded a bomb at the relay station in Parwanipur village in Bara district Saturday night, Radio Nepal reported on Sunday adding that broadcasting in three districts of Bara, Parsa and Rautahat were disrupted as a result of the explosion. The Maoists also exploded two powerful bombs at the telephone exchange centre and mobile exchange centre in the village on Saturday night, snapping telecommunication links in the three Terai districts mentioned earlier, it said. In Kathmandu, four bombs went off in commercial areas on Sunday causing no damage or injuries. From Deccan Chronicle newspaper, Hyderabad http://www.deccan.com (via Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india, Hyderabad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEPAL. INSURGENTS BOMB RADIO RELAY STATIONS | Text of report by Nepalnews.com web site on 15 September Maoist rebels made two bomb attacks at the exchange transmission and mobile telephone exchange towers of the Nepal Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) in Parwanipur of Bara District [south-central Nepal, bordering India] Saturday night [14 September], causing heavy damages, the Radio Nepal reported. The bomb attack has also caused extensive damage to the FM relay station of the Radio Nepal located inside the NTC building in Parwanipur. Following the bomb attack the transmission of FM radio in Bara, Parsa and Rautahat [neighbouring districts] has been closed down altogether. The destruction of the telephone tower has led to the closing down of telephone services in Nijgad, Chandranigahapur, Jeetpur, Simara and other areas of the three districts. The bomb attack has resulted in a loss of 2.9m rupees to the Radio Nepal. The amount of loss incurred by NTC is yet to be assessed. In another attack, the rebels Saturday night fired indiscriminately at the Bara District Court injuring Chandra Mali, peon at the court. Mali is undergoing treatment at the Kalaiya district hospital. Security personnel have been searching for the rebels who unleashed both the attacks. The police have taken into custody watchman Sitaram Khadka from Lalitpur who was looking after the telephone tower. Khadka has been held for interrogation. Source: Nepalnews.com web site, Kathmandu, in English 15 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PERU. 4461.6, R. Norandina, Celendín (presumed), 1038 Sept. 16, Nice to hear this one again. Beautiful Andean folk music, with occasional comments in Spanish by announcer; however, I did not catch an ID. Signal peaked around 1045 as is usually the case. Fairly good signal strength but ute QRM (David Hodgson, Nashville, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND. THE MEDIA GOT IT WRONG: CARDINAL GLEMP NOT SHUTTING DOWN NATIONAL RADIO MARYJA POLSKA Warsaw, Sept 11 (CRU) Widespread international reports to the contrary, Cardinal Józef Glemp, the Archbishop of Warsaw, has not ordered the national Radio Maryja Polska network off the air by October 1st, Catholic Radio Update has been informed by a Polish correspondent. But he is ordering the local Radio Maryja station off the air by October 1st. ``As far as I know,`` the correspondent writes, ``there was nothing about the Cardinal`s ordering to shut down the network. Everything is connected with its local offices in Warsaw and the area around it. By October 1st, Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, the director of Radio Maryja Polska (Radio Maria Poland) or the pastor of the church (offices are usually located on the property of parishes) have to ask permission to exist.`` ``The Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita was the first to report about the closing,`` our correspondent reports, ``and there was a lot of false information in the article. Other newspapers, magazines, and TV stations went the same way. Most of the journalists haven`t even read the Cardinal`s announcement, which concerned only the offices of Radio Maryja in Warsaw, not all of Poland.`` Radio Maryja Polska, a member of the World Family of Radio Maria, this past week was reported to have been ordered off the air nationwide by Cardinal Glemp. The network has a long-standing battle with many, but not all, bishops in Poland. They see it as arch-conservative, political, divisive, and a thorn in their sides. The liberal international press, secular and Catholic, has long decried it, and such reports have been picked up by international media, including National Public Radio during the recent visit of the Pope to Poland. The American Bishops` Catholic News Service (CNS) was among those reporting that Cardinal Glemp had ordered the station off the air (see its webpages at http://www.usccb.org --- the Bishops` website is complex and difficult to navigate, but click on the News Button, bottom right and then search for the news button on the right side of the next page). Catholic Radio Update reported extensively on the animus that exists between Radio Maryja Polska and certain members of the Polish hierarchy in May 2001 (#122-125). Radio Maryja Polska is solidly Polish and traditional, and its interpretations on the way Poland should take to stay that way have engendered the controversies. RMP is opposed to the westernization of Polish culture, not that Poland is not western, but in the sense that, since the fall of Communism, the nation has been invaded by the glitzy, hedonistic, consumerist, shallow values of the United States and western Europe. Further, globalization and the European Union have introduced greater international control over many of the matters that individual European nations could decide for themselves in the past. The Union treaties guarantee such things as abortion, easy access to divorce, the secularization and --- as the last century has shown us - -- eventual privatization and minimization of Christianity in what were once solidly Christian nations. Father Rydzyk, the staff, listeners, and supporters of Radio Maryja Polska have serious problems with this course of events, and they are not alone in this. Ireland, still one of the most Catholic nations in the world, also has a problem with certain aspects of the European Union. In Greece, where the Greek Orthodox Church enjoys a privileged status as the religion of 90 percent of its people, there has been strong opposition to the de facto secularization of Greek society that EU membership will require. Secularized critics of the European Union see it as the removal of local and national decisionmaking powers to that of a faceless bureaucracy in Brussels. The Pope, himself laudatory of the European Union initially, has in recent years repeatedly decried the ostracization of Christianity as a unifying factor and a recognized value in European organs of union and association. Just this past week he warned that if Europe continues to deny its Christianity, it will lose its identity. In a much-ignored comment to Polish youth at a large rally in Poland, the Pope warned them not to succumb to the temptations of a tired liberalism and globalism that will only bring more problems and sorrow. ``It is true that Radio Maryja opposes the European Union,`` reports our correspondent. ``It often goes into politics. But many Polish bishops --- even the Pope, when he was in Poland --- say that we must be very careful when we `join` Europe, mainly because of the [guaranteed] rights to abortion, pornography, and so on. The situation is complicated, because Radio Maryja sometimes stands in opposition to the Polish bishops and the Polish Church.`` Why then the problem? Our correspondents sums it up: ``Father Rydzyk is sure he owns the only truth. It`s like the Church inside the Church, the `Other Church,` a `better one.``` Database Nationwide network -- Radio Maryja. Torun: Radio Maryja: Ul. Zwirkl i Wiguri 80, 87-100 Torun, Poland. Tel 0+48 56 6552361, fax +48 56 6552362. E-mail: info.pol@radiomaria.org Website: http://www.radiomaryja.pl Audiostreams on the Internet. On the air on December 8, 1991. Transmitters (TPO, not ERP): Barlinek 107.2 FM (3,000); Biala Podlaska 87.8 FM; Bielsk Podlaski (Hajnówka) 102.0 FM (5,000); Bialystok 101.3 FM (3,000); Bielsko-Biala 88.4 FM (1,000); Bogatynia 100.3 FM (2,000); Braniewo 94.5 FM (1kilow); Bydgoszcz 88.5 FM (300 watts); Bystrzycz Klodzka 90.1 FM; Chelm 102.8 FM (2,000); Czersk 101.4 FM(500 watts); Dêbno 98.9 FM (4,000); Deblin 107.9 FM; Dolsk 104.0 FM; Drawsko Pomorskie 104.7 FM (1,000); Elblag 94.1 FM; Elk 102.6 FM (3,000); Gdansk (Sleza) 88.9 FM (5,000); Gdynia 102.3 FM (300); Gizycko (Wegorzewo) 100.2 FM; Glogów 100.6 FM(1,000); Gniezno 95.4 FM (1,500); Golonog 103.3 FM (1,000); Gorzow Wielpolski 98.8 FM; Grojec 99.8 FM; Gryfice 102.9 FM; Hrubieszów 107.5 FM (300); Ilawa 96.9 FM; Jelenia Góra 100.5 FM; Jemiolów 100.0 FM; Inowroclaw 66.17 FM (300); Jastrzebe Zorov 102.5 FM; Kalisz 105.6 FM ; Kalwaria Zebrzydowska 94.3 FM (300); Katowice 103.7 FM; Kazmierz Dolny 89.9 FM (200); Kêdzierzyn- Kozle 104.6 FM; Kielce 107.2 FM; Klodzko 106.3 FM (1,500); Kolobrzeg 100.0 FM; Konin 105.1 FM (1,000); Koszalin 107.4 FM; Koszêcin 107.0 FM (4,000); Kraków 90.6 FM (300); Krosno (Miejsce Piastówe) 100.6 FM (1,000); Krynica 93.1 FM; Kutno 88.3 FM; Kwidzyn 107.4 FM (300); Lezajsk 106.3 FM (1,000); Lêbork 92.7 FM; Lidzbark Warminski 106.2 FM; Lódz 87.9 FM (400); Lomza 73.1 FM (1,000), 103.6 FM (1,000); Lubaczów 102.3 FM (1,000); Luban 95.2 FM; Lublin 97.0 FM; Mragowo (Mikolaji) 88.4 FM (300); N. Ruda 99.4 FM; N. Targ 95.5 FM; Novo Sacz 99.1 FM; Nysa 100.4 FM (1,000); Olkusz 104.6 FM (100); Olsztyn 107.7 FM; Opole 98.2 FM; Ostrów Mazowiecka 100.4 FM (1,000); Ostró Wielkopolski 88.2 FM; Pila 100.4 FM (100); Piotrków Trybunalski 95.7 FM (200); Pisz 101.6 FM; Plock 106.3 FM; Poznan-Oiatjowo (Srem) 106.8 FM (5,000); Przemysl 105.1 FM (1,000); Rabka (Lubon Wielki) 100.7 FM (2,000); Rzeszów 100.9 FM (1,000); Siedlce 107.7 FM; Sieradz 95.2 FM; Slubice 92.3 FM; Slupsk 102.0 FM (1,000); Stalowa Wola 104.4 FM (200); Starogard Gdanski 87.6 FM; Suwalki 107.9 FM (2,000); Szczecin 101.6 FM(1,000); Szczecinek 95.0 FM; Szczytno 88.1 FM (300); Swinoujscie 87.7 FM (1,000); Tarnów 99.9 FM; Torun 100.6 FM (5,000); Walbrzych (Góra Chelmiec) 107.4 FM (1,000); Warsaw 73.7 FM (10,000), 89.1 FM (1,000); Wloclawek (Szpetal Górny) 100.9 FM (1,000); Wlodowa 104.5 FM (1,000); Wolsztyn 98.7 FM (100); Wroclaw 88.9 FM; Wysoka Wies 100.4 FM (1,000); Zagan 101.2 FM (1,000); Zakopane 98.- FM ; Zamosc 96.5 FM (1,000); Zielona Góra 90.3 FM ; Zlotów 101.1 FM (300). (1996: Count 134 stations, including. 43 OIRT transmitters, 18 of which have no co- located standard FM stations. NO change to WRTH 2001). Shortwave: The station is also heard on shortwave on leased Russian transmitters, on frequencies that change according to season. Currently, they are 15455 kHz at 7 am-10 am, and 7400 kHz at 7 pm- midnight. See the frequency page in Polish (linked below). Satellites: Eutelsat II-F2 satellite (digital), Galaxy 7, and the Hot Bird satellite (analog). In the United States it can be heard via the Dish Network. Galaxy 7: 91 West, Tele-Dubai transponder. Reception frequency 4040 MHz, horizontal; audio frequency 8 MHz. Eutelsat II-F2: 10 E, transponder 45, reception 12538.787 MHz, vertical polarization. Hot Bird: 13 E, TV Polonia transponder; reception frequency 11471 MHz, horizontal polarization; audio frequency 7.92 MHz. Covers from the North Pole to North Africa, Ural Mountains to the Canary Islands. Dish satellite (USA): for information call Centrala Radia Maryja w Chicago, tel. (773) 385-8472. U.S. & Canada AM stations: WCEW 1450 AM Chicago, Mon-Fri. 7pm-8pm, Sat 6pm-7pm, and Sun. 4-7 pm. WNZK 680 AM Detroit, Sat-Sun 8pm-9pm. WWSR 980 AM Pompano Beach, Florida, Sat-Sun 7:30pm-8:30pm. WNJR 1430 AM Newark-New York City, Sat 8pm-9pm, Sun 8:30pm-9:30 pm. WPRX 1120 AM New Britain, Conn., Sat-Sun. 7:30pm-8:30pm. CKJS 810 AM Winnipeg, Sat. 7pm-8pm, CJMR 1320 AM Toronto Mon.-Fri. 8pm-9pm. CKSL 1410 AM London, daily 8pm-9pm. See the website at http://www.radiomaryja.pl/newv/pol/info/czestotliwosci.htm (Mike Dorner, Sept 16 Catholic Radio Update, Sept 14 via DXLD) 15455, RUSSIA, Radio Maryja via Krandosar 9/10 0512-0534 in Polish. Religious hymns and choir with male conducting religious service. Mention of "R. Maryja" during talk @ 0525 and 0528. Service still going after 0534. Fair (Scott R. Barbour Jr, NH, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** SPAIN. Um espaço interessante na Rádio Exterior de España é o programa Con Respuesta, apresentado por Wenceslau Pérez Gómez. Ele responde cartas, lê poesias e opiniões de ouvintes. Destaque para os muitos pedidos de divulgação de características pessoais e endereços, que alguns ouvintes, especialmente de Cuba, mandam, com o objetivo de encontrar amizades ou futuros compromissos, leia-se casamentos. É isso aí: o rádio em ondas curtas também serve de cupido! Con Respuesta vai ao ar, nos sábados, às 1100, em 21570 kHz, para a América Latina (Célio Romais, @tividade DX, Sept 15 via DXLD) [Cubans use this show as a dating service, even arranging marriages] ** SRI LANKA. I continue to receive SLBC on 4870 and 4902 during the 1200 and 1300 hours. The channel I am not receiving is the listed English service on 4940 (Hans Johnson, WY? Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. Radio Free Asia continues to use the relay in Taiwan. This is currently on the air on 11605, with Vietnamese, 1400-1500 and 2330- 0030 (Bob Padula, Australia, Sept 15, EDXP via DXLD) ** UKRAINE [non?]. According to an email from Radio Krishnaloka [nominal 7410], the station is broadcasting from "Eastern Ukraine". The staff is very interested in receptions reports which may be sent to Aradhana Priya at scsm@peterlink.ru (speaks English). A reply from "Shammohan" schyammohan@ukr.net is giving the frequency as 7415 kHz. The letter adds that the station is planning to change to "different equipment". (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I assume `loka` does not mean `wacky` in Russian? One place on the website mentions both 7415 and 7400, evidently as variable range; another says 7410. What does ``even days`` mean? Even days of the week? month? year? julian? Previous log on Sept 15 was certainly not an even day of the month. The Hare Krishnas are hardly a novelty in the West, tho passés (gh, DXLD) Información originada primeramente por MIKHAIL TIMOFEYEV, RUSIA, aparecida en DXplorer del 15 y 16/9: 7416.5v - 7418.3v khz - RADIO KRISHNALOKA Se trata de una nueva emisora con programas en ruso: De acuerdo a su sitio de internet (informa Mikhail), la misma transmite de 0300-0500 y 1300-1500. http://www.harekrishna.ru/news/krishnaloka.shtml e-mail: schyammohan@ukr.net Escuchada en la frecuencia variable mencionada durante sus dos bloques horarios con señal pobre en Rusia. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** U S A. 9465, WMLK now says they are waiting on parts for the 250 kW transmitter; hope to be on at the end of the month with it. While they are working on it, operation is between 1600-2200 and is irregular (Hans Johnson, WY? Sept 16, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Pix of their new 250 kW transmitter have been up on website for months (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. U.S. TRYING TO MARKET ITSELF TO YOUNG ARABS, By JANE PERLEZ AMMAN, Jordan, Sept. 14 -- Tony Sabbagh, a veteran market researcher who positions American brand-name consumer products from Beirut to Bahrain, has been listening to the latest American promotion here: that of the United States itself. Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, combined with news at the top of the radio hour, as a way to sell the United States in a skeptical Arab world? Nice try but try again, says Mr. Sabbagh of Washington's effort to convince skeptical young Arabs of America's good intentions through a new radio station that combines pop music with news snippets and is now broadcasting in five Arab nations. "You cannot create a product out of an image," said Mr. Sabbagh, the director of Middle East Marketing and Research and who has plugged cigarettes, colas and cars across the region. "You can only promote a product if you have one." ... http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/16/international/middleeast/16ARAB.html?ex=1033164075&ei=1&en=2ad367651dea0ea5 (via Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, USA, and Daniel Say, SFU, BC, DXLD) ** U S A. UTILITÁRIA -- 22387.8 - United States Coast Guard NMN, Chesapeake-VA - 123 dias. Recebido cartão QSL full data, carta confirmando todos dados da escuta e informações sobre transmissões digitais. V/S.: Joseph F. Loverti, Telecommunications Specialist Third Class (Ânderson Assis de Oliveira, Itaúna, MG, @tividade DX Sept 15 via DXLD) ** U S A. 4440, WGFY (harmonic) 1480 x 3 Charlotte, NC, 1055, Sept 16, State news over "North Carolina Network" around 1055, state tourism promo then old Coke ad. Station ID at 1100, then into national network news. Good copy here (David Hodgson, Nashville, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KOMO made a slight format change a few days ago, from newstalk (mostly talk) to all-news. They're heavily promoting 24/7 news weather and traffic, IDing as "Komo 1000 News". Art Bell moved to KVI a couple of weeks ago, now we know why. The change makes sense - Seattle lacked a decent full time all-news station (KIRO is news during AM/PM drive, KKNW is CNN Headline news, and KNWX is business news/talk), plus the old format had them competing against their sister station KVI (Bruce Portzer, Seattle WA, Sept 15, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. WSMV CHOOSES VETERAN AS VICE PRESIDENT AND GM By RICHARD LAWSON, Staff Writer Nashville television station WSMV-Channel 4 has hired veteran TV news executive Steve Ramsey as its new vice president and general manager. Ramsey fills the spot vacated in July by Frank DeTillio, who resigned amid falling ratings, financial challenges and staff departures. Channel 4 parent Meredith Corp. of Des Moines, Iowa, told the station's staff yesterday. Ramsey starts Sept. 23, leaving his post at Chicago-based Tribune Broadcasting, where he oversaw news departments at 23 stations across the country. Tribune's flagship station is WGN, a ''superstation'' available on cable systems in Nashville and across the country. Before his Tribune corporate post, the 27-year TV veteran had been station manager for the company's KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, which had been the first station in 1991 to air footage of police beating motorist Rodney King. He also has run news operations for WGN and stations in Houston, San Diego and Raleigh, N.C. DeTillio had been with Channel 4 for seven years (Tennessean via Charles Gossett, DXLD) ** U S A. From The Washington Post - Howard Kurtz's Media Notes column, Sept. 16, 2002. DEALING WITH STATIC The radio industry has been taking a battering as big corporations have gobbled up more stations, imposing a one-size-fits-all formula, and satellite radio has been making inroads. The National Association of Broadcasters' solution? Soliciting bids for a $250,000 public relations contract that would: "Address and neutralize negative perceptions about the industry; "Promote positive media stories about the unique value of terrestrial radio; "Provide 'rapid response' to attacks from competitors and industry critics." That should take care of it (Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, USA, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM. The Voice of Vietnam, Ha Noi, continues to be plagued by technical problems at the Son Tai transmitting site, used for the HF relays of the Domestic Service. There are bad spurious radiations 15 kHz either side of the nominal carrier frequencies of the transmitters on 6020 and 7210. These show up on 6005, 6035, 7195 and 7225, for the broadcast period 2200-1600. VOV Domestic Service also has programming in languages other than English. These are carried on the Network-2, such as English, French, and German, and heard on the HF relay on 6020 between 0630-0700, which is 1330-1400 local time. I think these are educational programs for schools. The VOV Hmong Network has expanded its services (see EDXP 267). The midday service was discovered on two new frequencies in the 31 metre band - 9855 and 650, from 0430-0600. Previously this service was only broadcast on 49 mb - 6165 - which is no longer used for the midday service. The morning and evening services continue on 5035 and 6165. Interestingly, the 31 mb HS relays don't seem to propagate outside of the Indo-China region after about 2300. All of the frequencies 5920 5975 6020 7210 and 9530 are usually OK here in Melbourne for the first hour 2200-2300 and again in our evenings after about 1100. Now that the Hmong Network is using 31 mb for its daytime service, from 50 kW transmitters at a place called Xuan Mai, it will be interesting if these can make it into eastern Australia during our "Daytime Summer Mode" survey! My advance information is that VOV may be abandoning all of its overseas relays for the B-02 season commencing on October 27 (Bob Padula, Sept 13, EDXP via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 5005.68, Latin American. R. Jaen [PERU]??? 1010-1022, 16 Sept. End of LA Romantic song, possible canned announcement by Woman, another Romantic song, 1014 Man announcer in definite Spanish followed by soft-spoken Woman announcer at 1016. More talk by Man till fade out between 1020-1025. Been noting this weakly every morning but never strong enough to copy. Anyone know who this really is?? 73's (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and 50 meter slanted folded Tee Cumbre DX via DXLD) ###