DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-106, June 14, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3f.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 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 In case anyone be confused, previous issues were 3-102 and 3-103, tho the subject line of the first one read 3-012. Evidently all other references and hyperlinx were correct (gh) NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1186: RFPI: Sat 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0730, 1330 7445 15039 WWCR: Sun 0230 5070, 0630 3210, Wed 0930 9475 WJIE: Sun 1030, 1630 7490 13595 [maybe] WBCQ: Mon 0445 7415 WRN: Rest of world Sat 0800; Europe Sun 0430; North America Sun 1400 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1185.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1185.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1185h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1185h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1185.html WORLD OF RADIO on WWCR [non] WOR not heard Sat 0600 again --- I just checked the tape and found that once again, something other than WORLD OF RADIO was broadcast UT Saturday at 0600 on WWCR (John Norfolk, OKCOK, June 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) For the second week in a row. We are making enquiries (gh) MUNDO RADIAL en UNION RADIO Gracias Glenn. Puedes anunciar con toda confianza la transmisión de tus informaciones a traves de la señal de Union Radio Porteñas 640 para todo el oriente de Venezuela é islas del caribe. y en internet a traves de la siguiente dirección: http://intranet.unionradio.com.ve/intranet/Default.htm haciendo click en audio de emisoras y luego en AM 640 Atte: (José Elías, Venezuela, DX LISTENING DIGEST) JIM CONRAD Fw: Update on Jim Conrad -- Just letting you know about this, Glenn. Thanks to you for letting me meet Jim back in 1992(?) in the Wisconsin Dells for Jim's Conrad Family Reunion. As I get more information on Jim I will pass it on to you. 73's, (Joe Olig, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Gerry Dexter called yesterday to let me know our friend Jim Conrad had suffered a heart attack. Apparently Jim and his mom were going out to dinner when he collapsed. His heart stopped and he had to be zapped three times before he came back. He was taken to the hospital and placed in intensive care. Mom is staying with him in a "companion" room. Today Jim was moved from ICU to a regular patient room. I talked to him for a few minutes. He's awake and alert when I called and seems upbeat. He's wearing a cardiac monitor but is not hooked up to a bunch of machines. He said he's eating full meals (actually, more than he usually eats at home!), and not in discomfort because of the medications he's on. His sense of humor is intact, and he's making wisecracks. Gerry and his wife drove to Waterloo and are going to see Jim later today. I'll keep you posted on how Jim is doing. This past year has been difficult for him, with his dad Wendell passing away, then Mom fell a couple of times, and then she broke her ankle. Jim is one of the good guys, so please keep him and his mom Lee in your thoughts and prayers. 73s from (Evelyn Hampton, June 12, via Joe Olig, DXLD) ** ANGOLA. 4950, Radio Nacional de Angola Full data (wrong date however) tri-lingual computer generated QSL card in 4 months for a fresh report after numerous follow-ups since 1997 went un-answered. A big thank you to Marcelo Toníolo who helped me translate my report to Portuguese (George Maroti, NY, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) 11955.7 kHz, Radio Nacional De Angola, full data RNA Tower Globe Card, no V/S, In 7 months, for English report and 2 IRCs, received a short letter in Portuguese. The station had addressed the QSL to a wrong address, the envelope was stamped "Mail Delayed Wrong Address And Postal Code", then my correct address was written on the envelope by someone. The return address typed on the envelope is: Radio Nacional de Angola, Rua: Rainha Jinga, C.P: 1329, Luanda-Angola. Angola is my 32nd African country verified. This QSL report is NOT meant for DXpress/DXplorer publication! (Joe Talbot, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Cumbre DX et al via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Re: UZBEKISTAN(non): New schedule for Voice International in Hindi: 1100-1700 on 13635 via DRW 250 kW / 303 deg ||||| cancelled Please note the Voice International Hindi transmission at 1100-1700 on 13635 still continues and has not been cancelled. Regds, (Alokesh Gupta, India, June 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. And...they DID give the frequency, for this new community FM station in Sydney. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) BETTER LATE THAN NEVER After years of setbacks, Sydney's first community station dedicated exclusively to local music and culture is set to launch ... almost. Sue Javes reports. The studios in Alexandria are not quite finished, some announcers have yet to sign on, a key part is missing from the transmitter and the playlist is still being fed into the computer. Nevertheless, barring disasters, Sydney's long-awaited community station FBi will start broadcasting at 94.5 FM, at least in test mode, from June 28. The official launch is set for August 29. . . http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/11/1055220640167.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Saludos colegas diexistas. El pasado Sábado en el programa: El Buzón Internacional de Radio Austria, la amiga y colega locutora Isabél Miró dijo lo siguiente: "Quiero anunciarles que nuestro último Buzón Internacional, no tendrá lugar el último Domingo de este mes de Junio, sino un poco antes, es decir el dia 22 de Junio, porque los dos últimos dias de las emisiones, el sabado y domingo últimos de este mes estarán dedicados a dos emisiones especiales, así que para estar con nosotros, para que nos podamos despedir como hay que hacerlo, estén aquí con nosotros en la emisión del 22 de Junio.....será nuestro último Buzón" De acuerdo a lo escuchado en emisiones anteriores, este dia se sorteará un radio receptor Grundig como agradecimiento a todos los oyentes de radio Austria por haberlos acompañado durante tanto tiempo, así como otros regalos cortesía de la emisora. Atte: (José Elías, Venezuela, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. TRANSATLANTIC TV DX --- CONCLUSION Well, I thought I'd write to CKCW and I had a reply in a matter of minutes! The guy must have been sat on the computer checking his e mails at the time! The reply ... Hello John Thank you for your inquiry concerning distant reception of Channel 2 I've listened to your audio file and I'm happy to report that you did indeed listen to the ATV signal last Saturday morning. I was able to hear the on air announcers in Halifax during the promos that ran. The programming for CJCH and CKCW is identical except for the occasional commercial spot. Unfortunately I was not able to discern any local commercials on the file which would allow me to say conclusively that you were watching Channel 2, however we are the only high power Channel 2 in the ATV system in Atlantic Canada so I would say you were indeed listening to our transmitter signal. The CJCH signal is Channel 5 and the CJCB signal in Sydney, Nova Scotia is Channel 4. A few facts about Channel 2. Perhaps you already have them. Power 56,000 ERP Visual -- 9200 ERP Aural. Transmitter located in Albert county New Brunswick on Caledonia Mountain. Elevation 1300 feet, tower height 300 feet. Antenna is a GE Ultra Power 4 slot. Transmitter is a Larcan 12 KW. I've checked out your web site. Very interesting. If you have any more questions about our system please don't hesitate to contact me. Hope this helps. I've attached an ATV/CTV logo. atvjpeg.jpg Carson McDavid Director of Engineering ATV/CTV Moncton New Brunswick It's great to hear this straight from the station. I'm not really a QSL collector, but I suppose this actually counts as a QSL. What a catch! I could even print off the e mail attaching the logo they sent! So the station itself is confirmed but not necessarily the actual transmitter, though with this being the only high powered CKCW station on the channel.... Hmmmm! Wonder what the lower powered ones are at? a few hundred watts?? It was really bizarre to be able to listen to the audio from such a distant signal for the best part of two hours. I guess we're talking at least double hop, possibly triple since the theoretical limit for double from New Brunswick would place the signal roughly at the west of Ireland. I'm sure there will be a repeat performance sometime. After all, TA on 6 is fairly regular throughout the summer months, so fingers crossed! A VERY BIG THANKS to everybody who has given help on this. Good DX (John Faulkner, john.faulkner@skywaves.info http://www.skywaves.info June 12, WTFDA via DXLD) ** CANADA. Here's a good DX challenge for you this weekend: "Radio Grand Prix" is on the air until Sunday night in Montreal on 104.7 broadcasting in French and English in mono. This is the official radio of the Canadian Grand Prix. Technical info from last year: CKGP-FM - ERP: 40 watts - EHAAT: 12 meters! Reception here is pretty good, I'm one mile away from the race track! There is also lots of activity in the 450 to 512 MHz range. LOTS of international broadcasters feeds. Channel 14, 15 and 20 on TV are showing lots of interference!! 73, (Charles Gauthier, St-Lambert, PQ, June 13, WTFDA via DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. Very good article on the future of DAB in Canada and IBOC in the US. At the National Association of Broadcasters massive convention in Las Vegas this year, rumour had it that DAB - Digital Audio Broadcasting, the Eureka standard adopted by most of the world including Canada - is dead. Um, not exactly. In Ottawa, CBC services are now available on the second of three DAB transmitters planned for the region. The third transmitter is scheduled for switch-on before the end of this year. . . http://www.broadcastdialogue.com/magazine.asp (Second story down) (via Brian Smith, ODXA via DXLD) ** CANADA. GLOBAL VILLAGE SPREADS ITS WINGS WITH AN EXCITING NEW CONCERT SERIES, GLOBAL VILLAGE IN PERFORMANCE, FRIDAY NIGHTS AT 8 P.M. http://www3.cbc.ca/sections/newsitem_redux.asp?ID=2871 Global Village, CBC Radio's award-winning world music program, premieres GLOBAL VILLAGE IN PERFORMANCE, beginning Friday, June 27 at 8 p.m. on CBC Radio Two, during the regular timeslot of the preeminent concert program In Performance. GLOBAL VILLAGE IN PERFORMANCE is an eight-part series of culturally diverse world-music concerts recorded in Canada and presented by Global Village host Jowi Taylor and special guest co-hosts. The works in this series will include: Tasa, a Toronto-based jazz fusion group rooted in the classical traditions of north India; co-hosted by Ghazal singer Kiran Ahluwalia Maria del Mar Bonet, a heroine of Catalan culture; co-hosted by Catalan broadcaster Margarita Ramón* Liu Fang, an internationally recognized master of the Chinese pipa and guzheng; co-hosted by Chinese musician Jie Hong The Istanbul Oriental Ensemble, injecting Turkish classical music with gypsy spirit; co-hosted by Brenna MacCrimmon, musician and Global Village correspondent* Desandann, a Cuban vocal group dedicated to the preservation of their Haitian heritage; co-hosted by Haitian musician, songwriter and presenter Ronald Jean* Misia, an inspired approach to Portuguese Fado by an international star; co-hosted by actress and playwright Aida Jordao from Portugal* Masters of Persian Music, who draw from ancient Sufi texts and contemporary poetry to produce neo-classical Persian music; co-hosted by journalist Maryam Aghvami from Iran The Global Divas, who offer music that blends elements of Cuba with India, Portugal, Venezuela, Brazil and more; co-hosted by Claudia McCoy, a writer for Urban Mix Magazine* ***These concerts will also be broadcast during August on Global Village, which is heard Wednesdays at 8 p.m. during the summer and Saturdays at 7 p.m. throughout the year on CBC Radio One. Says Executive Producer Ann MacKeigan: "This series is a wonderful opportunity to present listeners across Canada with a culturally diverse series of concerts, and to provide them with meaningful context for the music." Global Village has broadcast reports from 331 places in 110 countries around the world. It is a unique hybrid of radio program and Web site produced at the CBC in Toronto, Canada. It is broadcast weekly across Canada on CBC Radio One, to most of the world by shortwave and satellite on Radio Canada International, and in streaming RealAudio from the main pages of both cbc.ca and rcinet.ca GLOBAL VILLAGE IN PERFORMANCE is produced by Ann MacKeigan, Paolo Pietropaolo, Andy Sheppard and Malcolm Gould. An extensive Web site on the project can be found on ARTSCANADA at cbc.ca (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CHINA. CRI English programs: all transmissions start with 30 Minutes of NEWS AND REPORTS (China Related News, World News, Sports News, Business News, News On Culture --- Showbiz, Sci-Tech, Press Clippings.) On Sat & Sun reduced to 15 minutes and includes: China Related News, World News, Sports News. Feature programs: Mon: PEOPLE IN THE KNOW Tue: BIZ CHINA Wed: CHINA HORIZONS (Zhejiang Special, Nanjing today, Wuxi Journal, Changzhou Report, On the Road) Thu: VOICES FROM OTHER LANDS Fri: LIFE IN CHINA Sat: CUTTING EDGE, LISTENERS` GARDEN (You Ask Us -- You Tell Us, Chinese Folk Song, Idioms and Their Stories, The Week Ahead, Learn to Speak Chinese) Sun: REPORTS ON DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, IN THE SPOTLIGHT (Cultural Carousel, In Vogue, Writings from China, China Melody, Talking Point) (via Michael Beesley, June World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Catia La Mar, Venezuela. RCN "La Voz de Guaviare", captada en los 6039.99 kHz, a las 2220 UT, el 12/06. Anunciaba el teléfono 58-40-154 para mensajes al programa "Campesinos, buenas tardes". SINPO 5/4. Mejor que la señal de Caracol 5958 kHz. Promoción al aire de un concierto del venezolano Reinaldo Armas, a realizarse el 21/06 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CROATIA [non]. HRT via DTK T-systems Germany as revised 23 May, showing lots of overlap on 9925, two targets at once: A03web05 23.05.2003 Gesamtplan frq start stop ciraf ant azi type day from to loc pow broad 9925 2300 0059 11 - 16 202 230 218 1234567 300303 261003 JUL 100 HRT 9925 0100 0400 11 - 16 202 230 218 1234567 010503 261003 JUL 100 HRT 9925 2300 0100 6 - 10 112 300 216 1234567 010503 261003 JUL 100 HRT 9925 0100 0259 6 - 10 112 300 216 1234567 300303 261003 JUL 100 HRT 9925 0300 0459 2 - 10 119 325 216 1234567 300303 261003 JUL 100 HRT 9925 0500 0700 2 - 10 119 325 216 1234567 010503 261003 JUL 100 HRT 9470 0400 0500 55,59,60 202 230 218 1234567 010503 261003 JUL 100 HRT 9470 0500 0659 55,59,60 202 230 218 1234567 300303 261003 JUL 100 HRT 13820 0600 0700 58,59,60 208 270 218 1234567 010503 261003 JUL 100 HRT 13820 0700 0859 58,59,60 208 270 218 1234567 300303 261003 JUL 100 HRT 13820 0900 1000 58,59,60 208 270 218 1234567 010503 261003 JUL 100 HRT (via Alokesh Gupta, India, DXLD) ** CUBA. A las 1230 UT quedó fuera del aire la señal de radio Rebelde por los 11655 kHz; de repente se escuchó la identificación musical de Radio Habana Cuba, comenzaron a indicar sus frecuencias y cuando las decían, la transmisión se cortó quedando fuera del aire la señal mencionada. [10 minutes later at ``7:50 am``, whatever yahoogroups zone that be] De nuevo en el aire la frecuencia 11655 kHz con la señal de Radio Rebelde. Indicaron el número telefónico de la radio: 554360. Hubo una llamada de un oyente que dijo que Radio Rebelde es la Radio de la Revolución. Y el locutor dijo luego, que les importaba poco y que hablaran lo que les dé la gana el pueblo norteamericano sobre las marchas del pueblo cubano el día de ayer. Hubo una identificación musical de Radio Rebelde que dice: Manténgase en sintonía con Radio Rebelde. La grabación está a la orden. Atte: (José Elías, Venezuela, June 13, radioescutas via DXLD) During Tip for Real Living on DXPL, June 14 at 1250, I tuned over to 11655 to check for R. Rebelde, but no sign of it, just Australia on 11650 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Cuban TV listings can be found at http://www.jrebelde.cubaweb.cu/sumarios/tv.html BTW, there is a new 3rd network - TV Educativo - which is mainly UHF, although I think there is a Channel 8 Santiago de Cuba and possibly other VHFs. There are plans for a 4th network soon. Ch 6- could be CMJB Camagüey, I think Havana is 6z. These offsets are from 20-year old WTFDA publications, so who knows what the current situation is. On my trip to Cuba, they had only 2 Cuban stations on the hotel cable (others mainly US/Latin) - there was Channel 2 Havana, which is Tele Rebelde - except it breaks for local programming (called "Tele Centros") from 4:25 to 5:55 E[D]T, such as CHTV for Havana, Tele Camagüey for Camagüey, etc. Channel 6 Havana is Cubavisión. I don't know what channel is used in Havana for TV Educativo. The 2 networks Tele Rebelde and Cubavisión sometimes have identical programming - especially for Castro speeches and news discussions. (VEM3ONT22, William Hepburn, WTFDA / CIDX, Brampton, Peel, ON, CAN, WTFDA via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. U.S. TAXPAYERS PAY FOR A CUBAN BROADCAST THAT NO ONE SEES --- From ABC.com June 13, 2003 TV Martí is a U.S. government-run TV station in Miami used to promote democracy in Cuba. It costs U.S. taxpayers almost $10 million a year to keep TV Martí going. But few - if any - Cubans see it. (ABCNEWS.com) Newscast to Nowhere --- By Jeffrey Kofman Fifty-five reporters, editors and producers --- all U.S. government employees --- work seven days a week in a television newsroom in Miami. Each day they earnestly assemble, record and broadcast 4½ hours of news and information programming in Spanish. And no one sees it. The intended audience is the people of Cuba. Like those Voice of America radio broadcasts the United States used to beam across the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, TV Martí is meant to promote democracy in Communist Cuba. But since it began in 1990 the only thing it has successfully promoted is scorn here in the United States. Because from the beginning, the Castro government has successfully blocked the TV Martí signal. It costs the Cuban government just pennies a day to operate the jamming antennas that are strategically perched on top of Havana's highest buildings. It costs U.S. taxpayers almost $10 million a year - more than $100 million since TV Martí began - to keep broadcasting TV Martí's anti- Castro invective into the ether. ABCNEWS Havana producer Mara Valdes checked to see if people on the streets of the Cuban capital had ever heard of the U.S.-based newscast that is produced just for them. "No," said one man as he shook his head, "because I haven't seen it on TV." "Never," added a woman, "because it can't be seen." 'Never Been Seen in Cuba' "TV Martí has just never been seen in Cuba," said Republican Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., one of chorus of congressmen who think TV Martí's funding should have been cut long ago. His conclusion: "It's a jobs program. Frankly, I think it's a political payoff." According to Flake, TV Martí is zealously protected by Miami's three Cuban-American congressional representatives who reward their hardline supporters with jobs. "I'd like to say it's something different, but given the amount of time and effort we put in trying to change it and the resistance we had, you can only conclude that it's a jobs program," he said. The newest director of TV Martí and its sister operation Radio Martí (which is heard in Cuba, although even U.S. reports suggest it has very few listeners) is Pedro Roig. A real estate lawyer with no broadcasting experience but deep roots in the anti-Castro exile community in Miami, Roig gets a salary of $132,000 a year. "I am not looking at the past, but at the future," said Roig when asked what he has to say to critics of his newscast to nowhere. "And my answer to the critics is this: This could be a valid criticism. Give us a few months. Give us time." Roig wants time to explore alternative methods of transmission. Possibly from a satellite - although few Cubans have satellite dishes - and possibly from a U.S. government broadcast plane that would make daily flights just outside Cuban airspace. He doesn't know what that would cost. And while he and others explore options. The news goes on. To nowhere. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Saw this on World News Tonight, June 12 (gh) ** CZECHOSLOVAKIA. Here's the BBC story on the jailing of Karel Hoffman for shutting down Czechoslovak radio in 1968. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FIRST JAILING OVER PRAGUE SPRING --- THE FIRST SENIOR CZECH COMMUNIST OFFICIAL IS JAILED IN PRAGUE FOR HIS ROLE IN THE 1968 SOVIET INVASION http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/europe/2978008.stm (via Westenhaver, DXLD) COURT: HOFFMAN ABUSED POWER COMMUNIST-ERA OFFICIAL SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS FOR STOPPING BROADCASTS By Kevin Livingston, Staff Writer, The Prague Post, (June 12, 2003) The June 9 conviction of former Telecommunications Minister Karel Hoffman spawned mixed reactions from former political prisoners and the office in charge of investigating communist crimes. Hoffman, 79, was sentenced by a Prague City Court to four years in prison on charges that he abused his authority during the 1968 Soviet- led Warsaw Pact invasion when he ordered Czechoslovak Radio off the air. . . http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2003/Art/0612/news3.php was sent to you by: (Westenhaver Bill, DXLD) ** DENMARK. Re: ``I am sure that it would be possible to reactivate the transmitter at Kalundborg which was previously in use on LW 243 kHz during morning hours.`` To avoid possible misunderstandings: 243 is still on air as always. By the way, this outlet is operated at Kalundborg with a certain Telefunken transmitter model of which only three ones were built at all (the other two ones are the 153 and 207 units here in Germany). (Kai Ludwig, Germany, June 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, As far as I am informed Danmarks Radio still uses the frequency longwave 243 kHz from Kalundborg. (Listening in when writing these lines). It is on air from 05.34 to 00.30 local time (UT +2 during summer) with as well P2 as P1 and Special programs. More to be found here (unfortunately in Danish) http://www.dr.dk/pubs/nyheder/html/programmer/kortboelge/Kalund.jhtml Best 73s (Ydun Ritz, Denmark, June 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR [non]. This week I actually monitored DX Partyline at 1230 UT Sat on 15115 --- excellent reception; can`t tell me this is not really for NAm. Finally revealed identity of US station to carry the show; surprise: WINB. But no details yet of day, time, frequency or start date. 15115 went off afterwards by 1300* (Glenn Hauser, OK, June 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, I heard DX Partyline this morning June 14; tuned at 1250 UT when they had the South Pacific DX report. After that Allen Graham read some tips from a South American DXer; then at signoff said they would be back one week from today with the Electronic DX Press report and off the air at 1300 on 15.115 MHz. No other programs heard but DX Partyline (Ron Trotto, Waggoner, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT. Hi Robertas and Glenn. Re item Egypt on 9755 in DXLD 3-104. On 13 Jun at 1710 tune in there was a program in English with terribly bad modulation. Features, Arabic, Italian and African songs. I kept the audio on (what a pain) while doing some other things. Could not catch the ID but just prior 1830 when heard Radio Cairo mentioned within closing announcement of English program. 1831 there was a program in some African language. So, as Robertas said, this seems to be Radio Cairo. 1630-1830 transmission to Africa in English moved from previous 15255? With this kind of horrible audio --- what a waste of time, money, program producers` efforts, etc. Jees (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, June 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The modulation on the day I listened to was rather good, compared to their other frequencies. Is this changing from day to day, or does it depend on the receiver? (Robertas Pogorelis, Belgium, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Typically it does, on other English transmissions (gh) ** GERMANY. Bonn 774 is off, perhaps permanently since it is no longer announced in the special VERA service (all traffic jam announcements all the time) WDR carries at times on mediumwave; since yesterday they mention only 720 anymore (Stephan Kaiser, June 14 via Kai Ludwig, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUYANA. Voice of Guyana con señal algo deteriorada en 3291.26 kHz, a las 2237 UT. SINPO 2/2 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HUNGARY. R. Budapest 0100 UT 9590 kHz. No, this isn't another complaint about the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran causing moderate to severe QRM to R. Budapest. I have a question about the transmitter site for the R. Budapest broadcast. Is this via a transmitter in Hungary? Reason I ask is Radio Canada Int. is on 9590 kHz until 0100 UT. I do not notice a change in transmitter signal before Radio Budapest begins transmission. 73, (-.. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, VA, June 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Kraig, If this is a relay, they`ve really pulled a fast one. I suspect the two signals overlapped so it seemed like there wasn`t a break. You might try watching the S-meter closely and on different dates when there might be a significant difference in signal level if Europe is not propagating so well. 73, (Glenn to Kraig, DXLD) Glenn, Thanks for the reply. I will check again, if thunderstorms allow! I noticed, turning my weekly monitoring of R. Budapest, the immediate switch from RCI to R. Budapest for quite some time now. Today was the first I remembered to email about it. I also emailed R. Budapest asking about the transmitter for the 0200 UT 9590 kHz broadcast. Hopefully, I will receive a reply. [Later:] Glenn, OK. I checked on June 14, 2003. RCI, until just about 00:59:55 with a max reading of S9 +50 dB. Then R. Budapest begin, around 00:59:56 with a max reading of S9 +40 dB. The RCI transmitter really cuts things close. 73, (-.. . Kraig Krist, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HUNGARY. BBC AND RFI LAUNCH MULTILINGUAL RADIO BROADCAST BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -- Two international broadcasters on Wednesday jointly launched a 24-hour, multi-lingual radio channel in the Hungarian capital Budapest, officials from the two broadcasters said. The British Broadcasting Corporation will broadcast in English and Hungarian, and Radio France International will broadcast in French and German on the 92.1 FM frequency. "The service will bring ... an international perspective that makes us unique in the broadcasting world," Nigel Chapman, the deputy director of BBC World Service, said. With the exception of some locally made programs from the BBC's Hungarian Service, most programs will be taken from the normal international programming of the two companies, focusing on news, current affairs and culture. Chapman said the service was being launched at a time when Hungary is preparing to join the European Union and that several programs will be focused on the issue. Hungary is expected to join the EU in May 2004. Jean-Paul Cluzel, the head of RFI, said the new service would add to the information channels available to Hungarians. "We want to contribute to the pluralism of information in the world," he said. The new channel will reach around 650,000 people in Budapest, though the broadcasters hope they will be allowed to extend the reception area in the future. The license to broadcast is valid for seven years. Originally, German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle planned to take part in the project, but later withdrew due to financial considerations. (kpk/rp) (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** INDIA. BBC COULD SOON AIR ON YOUR LOCAL FM STATION 13th June '2003 NEW DELHI: Your daily dose of FM could soon include music, plays and entertainment programmes from none other than the BBC, if the Prasar Bharati Board has its way. A move is under way to bring BBC radio programming to All India Radio's FM channels and, while the Board has approved the idea, the BBC is said to be open to exploring all possible opportunities before it spells out its mind. Prasar Bharati CEO K S Sarma will be flying to London on Saturday, armed with the Board's nod to work out a deal which will be mutually beneficial to both broadcasters. Said Sarma, ``We are looking at equal time programming, by which AIR will supply programmes to the BBC and the latter will do the same with no money involved in the arrangement.'' Sarma also said, that while the BBC was open to the idea of sharing AIR's news, the latter was bound by law not to outsource its news and current affairs content. ``We can have their music while we give them the news from here'', said Sarma. AIR's aggressive forays with the BBC comes in the wake of the plight private fm operators in the country find themselves in today. While Win 94.6 radio station in Mumbai shut its operations in Mumbai only a few days ago, unable to pay up the steep licence fee, other private FM operators are lobbying hard for the reduction of what they call ``steep licence fees'' for private FM operators. Ever since the Government auctioned frequencies in March 2000, a group of private companies submitted huge bids in their bid greed to capture the virgin FM market _ but since then they have been asking for help from the Government. Review of the annual licence fee (ranging between Rs seven and 12 crores with an annual 15 per cent escalation cost) _ is top of the agenda. With most of the operators pegging their cumulative losses at Rs 120 crore last year, they are hoping the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will come to their rescue. (newindpress.com - 13 june'03) Regds, (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. U.S.-BASED TVS ON FRONT LINE OF IRAN PROTESTS By Firouz Sedarat DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Reuters) - U.S.-based Iranian television stations got prime-time billing this week when they helped rally the biggest protests Iran has seen for months, filling a gap left by stifled local media and weakened opposition groups. But analysts said it remains to be seen if these satellite stations can overcome infighting and heavy jamming by Iran to make a lasting impact on a public hungry for uncensored news and change in the 24 year-old Islamic republic. Thousands of Iranians, many heeding calls from the dozen or so TV and radio stations, demonstrated for a second night against clerical rulers in the capital Tehran in the early hours of Thursday. "The U.S.-based stations owe their success to internal media not covering political issues adequately and reformists and dissidents having very little room left to maneuver," said Paris-based veteran Iranian journalist Safa Haeri. Hard-line courts have closed scores of newspapers and jailed dozens of reformers and dissidents, while the exiled opposition is highly split. PASSIONATE CALLS While state media condemned the protests as instigated by the United States -- Iran's arch foe -- the exiled stations carried impassioned calls for people to take to the streets. "When America backs movements toward regime change in Iran, we appeal to our dear viewers to please also support students -- our sons and daughters -- marching against dictatorship," an announcer said on a Los Angeles-based television station. The protests were also widely covered by Radio Farda, a 24-hour station set up by Washington to try to woo young Iranians with a mix of pop songs and news. It has largely steered away from political advocacy. "I'm standing near the Gisha bridge where a lot of the protesters have gathered, you can probably hear their slogans," a caller using a mobile phone told the Prague-based station. The station could get more funds if the Congress passes the Iran Democracy Act, proposed as Washington has toughened its rhetoric against the Muslim state, which it brands part of an "axis of evil." U.S. hawks have called for actions aimed at destabilizing Tehran's government. One analyst said the stations could play a role similar to that of tapes of speeches by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in the 1979 Islamic revolution. The secretly distributed cassettes helped mobilize ever-growing protests. "Their outreach is even wider than tapes. But these stations are their own worst enemies when they bicker against each other or exaggerate the news," the Tehran-based analyst said. Haeri said exaggerations also had other drawbacks. "Some of these stations are reporting the protests as a definite final countdown for the regime. This has prompted senior Iranian officials to plan a violent response," he said. Iran, where satellite television is illegal but widely used, has intensified its jamming of the stations and started blocking Internet sites deemed immoral or subversive. The measures drew criticism from reformists who voiced concern over the possible public health dangers of radiation from powerful jamming transmitters. Iran's powerful hard-liner say the curbs are needed to fight Western cultural influences and disinformation by enemies. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Hey, BBG too!: U.S. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTERS SPOTLIGHT ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN IRAN Washington, D.C., June 13, 2003 --- U.S. international broadcasting`s Persian-language services are providing detailed, comprehensive coverage from Tehran and around the world of the on-going anti- government protests in Iran. ``Please cover this revolution,`` one listener emailed Voice of America`s Persian Service http://www.voanews.com/persian/ which, along with Radio Farda http://www.radiofarda.com has filed numerous stories on the student-led protests which began June 11 in Tehran. Both stations have made interviews, discussions and analyses available on the Internet. VOA has broadcast them as well via direct-to-home satellite television. ``We are aggressively covering events in Iran on radio, television and on our Internet sites,`` said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors http://www.bbg.gov The BBG oversees all U.S. nonmilitary international broadcasting, including VOA and Radio Farda, a partnership of VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty http://www.rferl.org ``We`re providing accurate news and information that Iranians intent on more freedom are unable to get from their own media,`` he said. Correspondents for Radio Farda, a round-the-clock service aimed at young listeners, have filed dozens of reports from reporters on the ground using mobile telephones. The stories, filled with background noise, honking cars and people shouting pro-democracy slogans, have described the mood of the demonstrators, and the location and nature of the clashes between protesters and security forces. Protest leaders are interviewed regularly throughout the day. One spoke of the ``bankruptcy of the Iranian political system,`` while another described tactics used by security forces against protesters. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who has urged the Bush administration to pay close attention to protests in Iran, has been interviewed by both services. In his interview with VOA, he said, ``We should have an official clear policy that our position towards Iran is to support those who support democracy.`` The interview will be broadcast in its entirety Friday on VOA`s radio/TV/Internet simulcast, Roundtable with You. Both services have scored interviews with key figures in the protest movement as well as with analysts and experts. VOA interviewed Amin Bozorgian, a student editor in Iran, and Heshmat Tabarzadi, head of the Iranian Democratic Front. He called for students and people inside and outside Iran to unite in a fight for democracy. Radio Farda`s Iran This Week program featured an interview with, among others, Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah of Iran. Police in Tehran have cracked down heavily on the student-led protests, which began June 11 and attracted up to 3,000 demonstrators one night. The protests, which first arose over student concerns about reported plans to privatize elements of the state university system, have escalated into criticism of the country`s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as of reformist President Mohammed Khatami. On Friday protests were smaller in number. Police fired tear gas at student demonstrators who lit fires inside the Tehran University campus and anti-riot squads kept cars from getting too close to the university. Khamenei has accused Washington of trying to drive a wedge between the Iranian people and the government. Radio Farda is a 24-hour service available on shortwave and medium- wave (AM). VOA`s Persian Service, broadcast on shortwave, airs six hours a day. It has two weekly Persian-language TV programs, Roundtable with You and Next Chapter. (BBG press release June 13 via DXLD) Trouble-makers ** IRAN [non]. Voice of Mojahed back? I was about to ask this question whether Radio Mojahed is back on the air. Soon after the war began the station went off the air and our favourite ham band for local contacts 7 MHz became absolutely clear of any jamming and the cat and mouse game between V. of Mojahed and Iranian jammers. Now the jamming is back which is severe and I can't get any ID or distinguishable audio from VOM. I suppose the CIA wants to use it to destabilize Iran. Jammers heard at 1630 on 7029 (by 1645 moved to 7010. Other jammers heard at 1630 UT 8900 8530, 8320, 5630 (G. V. A. Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, Jun 5, 2003 for CRW via DXLD) ** IRAQ. THE STATIC-FILLED FACE OF FREEDOM -- IRAQI TV STATION POOR BUT THRIVING --- By Anthony Shadid, Washington Post Foreign Service, Friday, June 13, 2003; Page A12 KARBALA, Iraq -- Unshaven, imperious and weary from overwork, Khalil Tayyar lives in a cloak-and-dagger world, rife with conspiracies and hidden agendas. He casts a wary eye at the Americans and their designs on Karbala TV, the fledgling station he set up a week after the fall of president Saddam Hussein's government. The Iranians, he insists, are not far behind. Ever so lightly, he has negotiated with the clergy, who wield great authority in a city considered one of the most sacred in Shiite Islam. . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52268-2003Jun12.html 73, (-.. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN [and non]. Reference the Belgian contributor to DXLD 3- 104 regarding Manx Radio on 1368 kHz, there are in fact 3 BBC stations on that channel, namely Southern Counties radio, Radio Lincolnshire and Radio Wiltshire. Here in NW London, Manx Radio often dominates the frequency during the hours of darkness, even sometimes well past sunrise (I guess the skip distance must be just right). (PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. N. KOREA ACCUSES US OF INFILTRATING RADIOS From various agencies: 14 JUne 2003 SEOUL: North Korea said yesterday it had found a new enemy in its territories: tiny transistor radio sets that bring outside news into the world`s most isolated, communist country. For months, US-based human rights activists have said they planned to send thousands of tiny, solar-powered radios into North Korea so people can listen to foreign stations, such as Washington-based Radio Free Asia or Voice of America. North Korea tolerates no independent news media and no public Internet access. Control of information buttresses Pyongyang`s totalitarian rule of the hunger-stricken nation of 22 million people. Yesterday, Pyongyang`s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun said the United States is waging ``psychological warfare`` against the North through Radio Free Asia, which was created by the US Congress in 1996 to give information to Asian nations without a free press. ``Recently, the US imperialists brought a great number of transistor radios into the DPRK to destabilise the DPRK, while letting the radio broadcast in Korean day and night,`` Rodong said in a commentary carried by North Korea`s main news agency KCNA. (DPRK is the acronym for the North`s official name, Democratic People`s Republic of Korea). (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Really? ** LEBANON [non]. 11645, V. of Liberty, Jun 9 *1600-1610 33232 Arabic, 1600 s/on and ID. Music. ID. Arabic music. 1609 ID (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium, via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. I've posted some photos of Voice of Liberty, Liberia at http://www.dxing.info/community/ See the Africa forum (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland via DXLD) http://www.dxing.info/community/viewtopic.php?t=968 ** NETHERLANDS. Hello from Hilversum, There's never a dull moment for those of us who work in the Dutch media. Wednesday's "non-story" about Radio Netherlands on the TV programme Nova was picked up by some media Web sites and mailing lists, but the press release and special Newsletter we sent out yesterday managed to kill the story. Yesterday evening I added some personal thoughts on the matter in the Media Network Weblog. http://radio.weblogs.com/0121781/ COMMENTARY: NEVER LET THE FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY That seems to be the motto of some Dutch TV journalists and, sadly, of those who have chosen to convey their message to the world beyond The Netherlands. If you've been looking at media-related mailing lists or Web sites today, these are among the statements you may have read: "Dutch Television programme Nova just announced that in a still secret report can be read that there is an advice to stop many activitities and cut in the money of Radio Nederland." "Management consulting company McKinsey has produced a report aimed at dramatically cutting costs at Radio Netherlands." Both these statements are wildly inaccurate. The McKinsey report is not "secret". It's due for publication by the end of June, at which point it will be in the public domain. It's only "secret" in the sense that tomorrow's newspaper is a "secret". Its existence can hardly have been kept from Radio Netherlands, since Radio Netherlands was one of the organisations that commissioned it! Neither is the report "aimed at dramatically cutting costs at Radio Netherlands." The report is aimed at examining possible ways of saving money in the public broadcasting sector as a whole. Now, the people who wrote the report are not broadcasting experts, they're number crunchers. You can tell they're not broadcasting experts because they've came up with the fanciful notion that the information Radio Netherlands provides can be provided by other means - and as an example they mention Dutch embassy Web sites!! So why did Nova pick on Radio Netherlands? That's an easy one. While Radio Netherlands has already embarked on a cost-saving restructuring, the domestic public broadcasters - and there are a lot of them here - have just begun to think about it. And, as Corporal Jones would have said in Dad's Army, "They don't like it up 'em." Now, it so happens that McKinsey - as they were asked to do - produced various scenarios that would deliver the required savings. One was the almost complete elimination of Radio Netherlands. And why is this option interesting to the domestic broadcasters? Simply because, if it was chosen, they would be left virtually unscathed. Can't you see what's going on here? As the report nears publication, the public domestic broadcasters, concerned about their own future, have tried to seize the agenda and put ideas into the heads of the politicians. Their tactics were crude. Last night's programme used black and white footage from the 1950's of a Radio Netherlands broadcast in Afrikaans! It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. What saddens me is that today I have been receiving a constant stream of E-mails from people, some of them personal friends, who believe there can be no smoke without fire. Well, that depends who started the fire, and for what purpose. There are ways of saving money in the public broadcasting sector. Domestic public broadcasting here is saddled with a structure that dates all the way back to the 1920's. It may be democratic, but it sure isn't efficient. But will the different public broadcasting organisations be prepared to look at cost-savings through structural changes? Don't hold your breath. (Disclaimer: These comments are entirely my own, and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of Radio Netherlands). (Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) TIME TO GRASP THE NETTLE --- Why Dutch broadcasting needs a regulator The Zerobase project was supposed to sort out the mess on the Dutch FM band. But it has created new problems. Andy Sennitt makes the case for a media regulatory body. (13-06-03) http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/ned030613.html (Media Network June 13 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. RADIO 538 TO PRESS CASE FOR CLASSICAL CHANNEL Dutch commercial broadcaster Radio 538 has informed the Dutch government that it intends to press the case for the awarding of a licence to run a popular classical music station in the commercial sector. Although a package of frequencies has been reserved for a classical station, no licence was awarded for the eight year period that started on 1 June because of a clause in the legislation stipulating that no broadcaster could have more than two national stations. Sky Radio, which had been running classic FM, was awarded the golden oldies licence ahead of Radio 10 FM, and chose to accept that licence at the expense of Classic FM. The other applicants for the classical licence similarly fell foul of the rules. Classic FM had a market share of 3%, and Radio 538 believes that it can run such a station economically (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 13 June 2003 via DXLD) What is the significance of ``538`` in the name? Not a frequency (gh) ** NEW ZEALAND. RADIO NZ NEWS CHIEF TO HEAR IF SHE CAN LEGALLY RETURN TO WORK --- 13.06.2003 By MATHEW DEARNALEY Radio New Zealand's news chief, who has accused her boss of harassment, should hear today whether she is legally entitled to return to her job. . . http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3507216&thesection=news&thesubsection=general (via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Radio América, del Paraguay, está realizando algunos cambios en sus transmisiones. Aquí las novedades, extraídas de parte de un correo electrónico que me envió hace algunas horas el amigazo Adán Mur, encargado técnico de la joven estación paraguaya de ondas cortas: "...Lastimosamente, una tormenta eléctrica, de las cuales tenemos muchas, ocasionó daños, durante la semana pasada. Estamos operando con potencia reducida, en la onda corta. Las transmisiones actuales son así: 1480 KHZ, 1 KW, Omnidireccional, Ñemby. 1590 KHZ, .2 KW, Omnidireccional, Villeta. 9983 KHZ, .2 KW, Dirigida hacía los 90 y 270 grados. [ex-7371v] 15185 KHZ, .2 KW, Dirigida hacía los 184 grados. Todos los transmisores están en marcha, las 24 horas. La programación de ZP20 Radio América se transmite en los 1480, 9983 y 15185 KHZ. La programación local de Radio Villeta se transmite en los 1590 KHZ. Hemos substituido la frecuencia 9983 por los 7370, experimentalmente. Yo sé que tendrá ninguna dificultad, durante las horas de luz. De noche, naturalmente, tendremos problemas, desde Noruega y los EUA. Los 9983 kHz funcionan con una antena dirigida, de polarización horizontal, orientada hacía los 90 y 270 grados. La antena tiene una ganancia teórica de 3.16 dBi, o, apróximadamente, un aumento de dos veces la potencia de transmisión. La frecuencia de los 15185 kHz está dirigida directamente hacía tu casa, utilizando nuestra antena más potente: un reflector de esquina de 25 dBi de ganancia. Teóricamente, la potencia se multiplica por 316 veces, o un PIRE de 63.2 KW. La antena es bien grande: 82 metros de largo, en tres lados, por 26 metros de alto. Se integran cuatro torres; tres soportando 184 reflectores, en tres lados, y una torre alimentada, al punto de 3,8 longitudes de onda, en la boca de la antena. Estamos en camino hacía los aumentos de potencia. Hemos mejorado la protección contra rayos, y los transmisores en Villeta están listos para operar con 5 kW, cada uno. Faltamos algunos semiconductores, únicamente..." (via Arnaldo Slaen, June 14, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PERU. Radio Atlántida "La Fabulosa", en los 4790 kHz, a las 0034 UT, el 13/06. Transmitía el programa "Guía Informativa". SINPO 3/2. Radio Santa Cruz, captada el 13/06, a las 0950 UT, en los 6134.8 kHz. Emitía música andina y la lista de precios en mercados de Santa Cruz, Lima y Cochabamba. SINPO 3/3. Primera vez que escucho esta emisora. 73's y buen DX... Saludos, (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AMERICA. From the South American Andes SOUTH AMERICAN PIRATES --- Times UT --- RADIO COCHIGUAZ probably will be active today night hoisting the pirate flag, testing on 11440 kHz USB, at 0200-0300 (June 15), on this opportunity, with our good friend Jorge García of Radio Piraña Internacional on board at this time, as DJ of the program. For reports write to: (Please add return postage) Radio Cochiguaz, Box 159, Santiago 14, CHILE. Radio Piraña Int., Box 159 Santiago 14, CHILE. RPI e-mail: rpi@writeme.com FFFR, ;-) Cachito Radio Cochiguaz op. http://www.geocities.com/rcochiguaz (via hard- core-dx June 14 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. A partire dal prossimo 1 luglio, Radio Taipei International assumerà la nuova denominazione di Radio Taiwan (Roberto Scaglione http://www.bclnews.it bclnews yahoogroup via DXLD) Ayer día 12 de Junio escuché Radio Taipei Internacional. Informaban que a partir del 1 de Julio pasaría a llamarse Radio Taiwan. 73 DX (José Bueno EA7-0641-AER, Córdoba - España, June 13, noticias dx via DXLD) Awaiting any equivalent news of this in English ** TOGO [non]. Under Togo (non) / South Africa: ``2000-2100 Sunday on 12125 (55444)`` -- Probably this one originates not like 21760 from Meyerton but from Russia instead? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, June 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Because, I suppose, a number of other clandestines in this 12 MHz range are via Russia, a somewhat flimsy assumption (gh) ** U A E. Glenn, I would like to know if United Arab Emirates Radio in Dubai has a web site and if so do the stream audio? I hope that you can be help locating this site. Thanks for all your work (John Galeota, June 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There`s a link at the Media Network hitlist, and yes, there is stream of the 92.0 FM English service, tho the program schedule for that does not show news and features at the times we hear them on SW, and I have not checked to find out if those are actually on the stream (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. John Tusa, former managing director of BBC World Service, has received a knighthood "for services to the arts." He is now director of the Barbican Centre in London. http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page3913.asp 73 (Kim Elliott, June 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The Queen's Birthday Honours List was released at 2300 UT on 13 June, and amongst the zillions of names included therein are 2 radio-related personalities. John Tusa, former MD of the BBC World Service, receives a Knighthood, which means we now have to get used to say "Sir John Tusa". David Willie, BBC Correspondent in Rome for an absolute eternity, receives an OBE (Order of the British Empire). There may of course be others I don't know about (PAUL DAVID, Chairman, Brent Visually-Handicapped Group, Registered Charity No.: 272955, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. I tuned into the BBC World Service just before 0906 UT on 13 June expecting to hear Science in Action. However, at the end of the news there was a *considerable* period of silence, both on DAB and MW. Eventually, after what seemed an eternity, instead of Science in Action, the BBC WS cut into the middle of an interview from Brussells conducted by William Horsley as part of World Update, which I think is carried on all other streams of BBC WS as well as PRI in the US. We stayed with World Update until the half-hour break, when we heard a trail for the programme The Ticket, followed by the News Summary, and then into Westway, as scheduled. At no time during this period was there any explanation for the change in programme, either by host Vicky Barker, nor the Continuity Announcer on the half-hour. Is it conceivable that nobody at Bush House even knew of the change. I do of course have 3 further chances, at least according to the schedule, to hear Science in Action, but I am not holding my breath. Let's hope the programme appears at least once when it is supposed to. (PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There is no substitute for having a genuine human being control operator on duty at all times and paying attention to what is going on the air. This is so obvious, but so seldom the case any more, both at domestic and international broadcasters (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. "RADIO THEATRE -- LIVE!" RETURNS TO WASHINGTON Washington, D.C., June 12, 2003 -- "Radio Theatre-- Live" is back! The Smithsonian Associates and the Voice of America present the L.A. Theatre Works production of William Inge's "Bus Stop," starring Anson Mount ("Crossroads"/"Urban Legends: The Final Cut") and Rachel Miner ("Bully"). Performances will be held on June 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Voice of America Auditorium, 330 Independence Avenue S.W. (entrance on C Street). "Bus Stop," which opened on Broadway in 1955 and later released as a film starring Marilyn Monroe (as Cherie, the saloon singer), centers on a group of five bus passengers trying to sort out their lives as they wait, stranded by a snowstorm, in a Midwestern diner. Washington's own Nick Olcott will direct the performance under the auspices of Ford's Theatre. Some of Washington's most talented actors, selected by Casting Consultant Beverly Marable, complete the cast: Megan Anderson, Terrence Currier, Kyle Pure, Lynnie Raybuck, Jefferson Russell, and Gary Sloan. "Radio Theatre-- Live" offers audiences a fascinating, behind-the- scenes view of live radio drama in production and a chance to be part of the studio audience for the future broadcast on the Voice of America worldwide and on public radio in the United States. General admission tickets are $25 and Resident Members tickets are $20. For tickets, call The Smithsonian Associates at (202) 357-3030 or visit http://www.residentassociates.com. The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and The Hotel Rouge are providing support for the performances. The Smithsonian Associates provides educational and cultural programs that highlight and complement the work of the Smithsonian through a wide variety of formats that range from lectures and courses on the National Mall to study tours around the world. L.A. Theatre Works is a pioneering laboratory for playwrights, directors and other theater artists committed to the discovery and development of contemporary work in theater and radio. Executive Producer Susan Albert Loewenberg began producing radio drama in 1987, resulting in more than 500 hours of award-winning programming including 320 plays, two full-length novels, and many short stories. (VOA press release June 13 via DXLD) But when to be broadcast???? ** U S A. Voice of America (VOA) lists current frequencies and times for its transmissions to Zimbabwe. Shona/Ndebele : 1700-1730 UT (Local time 7 pm-7:30 pm) on 909 kHz (Medium Wave), 15730 kHz and 17895 kHz (Shortwave). English to Zimbabwe : 1730 UT (Local time 7:30 pm-8 pm) 909 khz (Medium Wave), 15730 kHz and 17895 kHz (Shortwave). Information from their website. What is interesting to note is that VOA is using 909 (Medium Wave) for these transmissions. This would most likely be their facility in Botswana, a neighbouring country. These transmissions will be more easily heard and more have greater coverage in Zimbabwe than the Shortwave transmissions. Most rural people with radios will have those with FM/MW (Medium Wave) reception capabilities rather than SW (Shortwave). VOA has announced an 'English to Zimbabwe' service using the same frequencies from 1730-1800 UT. This is listed separately to their 'English to Africa' service and programming. (DXLD contribution: David Pringle-Wood, Harare, Zimbabwe) ** U S A. Regarding the maritime station for the Great Lakes that closed down back in November of 1997 that you mentioned on WOR # 919 if my memory is still good. It's now back on the air, but I have not heard it yet. It's broadcasting in SSB, but not voice, but SSB HF e- mail. 73's, (Joe Olig, June 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WOR summary archives don`t go back quite that far even at the angelfire site. Details? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. REACTION TO DAVID BRINKLEY'S DEATH Thu Jun 12, 6:17 PM ET NEW YORK "I was a high school sophomore watching the first night (Huntley and Brinkley) came on the air, and it really changed my life. A small bulb went on in the back of my mind and I thought, `That's the kind of work I'd like to do.'" — Tom Brokaw, NBC News anchor. ___ "One of the loveliest men in this business, one of the most generous and greatest reporters." — Barbara Walters, ABC News. ___ "David was a good friend and a fierce competitor with his famously dry wit and deep wisdom. He once told me that he was weary of the wit appellation. `Can't they think of any other adjective for me?' he said." — Walter Cronkite, former anchor, CBS News. ___ "It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of David Brinkley. I had great respect for David. Both Barbara and I considered him a friend. We admired his fairness and the integrity that he brought to his profession. Journalism, electronic and print, now cries out for more David Brinkleys. We will miss him." — Former President Bush ___ "He set a shining example for everyone in broadcast journalism. ABC News has a richer heritage because of his many contributions to the network. I will miss his grace, elegance, wit and, above all, his tireless devotion to world-class journalism." — David Westin, ABC News president. ___ "His signature was crisp writing and a distinctive clipped delivery. At least two generations of broadcast journalists, especially those at NBC, honored him by trying to emulate his style ... David Brinkley was a fierce but fair competitor." — Dan Rather, CBS News anchor. ___ "He developed a style of delivering television news that you can still hear echoing across the business. That kind of clipped, witty, sardonic way of delivering the news became almost a generic definition of what a news guy sounds like. When people are doing a parody of what a news broadcaster sounds like, they're doing Brinkley and they don't even know it." — Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television. ___ "David Brinkley served NBC with style and aplomb for almost 40 years, and in the process had a tremendous influence on the profession of broadcast journalism. With his keen intelligence, dry wit, and crisp delivery, David Brinkley set the standard for those who followed in his path." — Bob Wright, NBC chairman. ___ "His career was remarkable for a lot of reasons. One is the sheer length of it. Television is an ephemeral medium and he had four decades in it." — Jeff Greenfield, CNN. ___ "When he teamed up with Chet Huntley for the 1956 political conventions, America saw something brand new: reporting that brought personality and intimacy to the screen and at the same time was of impeccable accuracy and authority." Neal Shapiro, NBC News president. ___ "Until David came along, broadcast writing was nothing more than rewriting what was written for print. It was David who pioneered the idea that seems so obvious now: that you ought to write for broadcast the way you speak for broadcast ... He set the style of broadcast writing that is taught in every journalism school in the country."_ Joseph Angotti, chairman of the broadcast program at Northwestern University and a former Brinkley producer at NBC. ___ "One of the great dilemmas about working with Brinkley over many years was to sit beside him for long periods of time on Election Night or a political convention and be absolutely certain that before too long you were not trying to talk like him. It was very distinctive and unmistakable." — Peter Jennings, ABC News anchor. ___ "I always thought that ABC News made him a star but NBC made him a legend" — Jane Pauley, former "Dateline NBC" host. (Source? via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** U S A. NYC PIRATES There's one on 91.9 now --- they're calling it "Warp Radio Underground." It's probably in NYC and is even stronger here than the 87.9 one, which is also on the air right now. Both are playing hip-hop and r&b, but the 91.9 one is a little more uptempo. Keep them in mind during Es openings (Eric Fader, Briarcliff Manor, NY, June 13 2033 PDT, WTFDA Topica list via DXLD) ** U S A. CHICAGO AREA PIRATE ON 87.9, RADIO EUROSTAR For the past few days I've noted a pirate with Czechoslovakian music and a Slavic language on 87.9 FM. It is strongest is the northwestern Chicago city limits and makes it all the way to the loop and is still heard somewhat in Arlington Heights. Surprising, I have yet to hear it at home (about 30 miles away) with the DX set up. I'd estimate that it gets out like a 25 watter. The ID's sound like Radio Eurostar and there's an occasional ID in accented English ``only Czechoslovakian radio station, Radio Eurostar, 87.9``. [Later:] I found a website for this station !! http://www.eurostarfm.com/lide.html They are also in weakly here in Barrington this morning on the DX setup. (APS 13 and modified Onkyo T-4711) I cannot believe this station is legal! 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, IL, June 14, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U S A. WGN ENTERS DIMENSION OF RADIO'S 'TWILIGHT ZONE' June 11, 2003 --- BY ROBERT FEDER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST http://www.suntimes.com/output/feder/cst-fin-feder11.html Cue the scary music: The nationally syndicated radio version of "The Twilight Zone" will finally be available to Chicago listeners, thanks to WGN-AM (720). Starting July 5, the hourlong science-fiction drama series will air at midnight Saturdays on the top-rated news/talk station. [UT Sundays 0500-0600; also webcast?] Based on Rod Serling's original scripts from "The Twilight Zone," which aired on CBS from 1959 to 1965, the radio series is produced by Carl Amari's Schaumburg-based Falcon Picture Group and hosted by Stacy Keach. Since its debut last October, the series has been airing on more than 100 radio stations nationwide and on XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio and the American Forces Radio and Television Service. But until WGN signed on this week, "The Twilight Zone" had been without a local outlet in its home market. "We're thrilled that Carl [Amari] has brought it to this level," said Todd Manley, production director and assistant program director at WGN. "We see this as a way to support something that's brand new from one of the cities that gave birth to early radio drama. It's really an exciting thing for us." After obtaining the rights to Serling's scripts, Amari and producer Roger Wolski lined up an impressive array of stars to bring the classic stories to life. Among them were Jason Alexander, Jane Seymour, Lou Diamond Phillips, Ed Begley Jr., John Ratzenberger, Adam Baldwin, Daniel J. Travanti, Stan Freberg, Morgan Brittany, Shelley Berman and Orson Bean. Amari's credits include creating and syndicating the old-time radio series "When Radio Was," "Radio Movie Classics" and "Radio Super Heroes." He sold his first company, Radio Spirits Inc., to Audio Book Club in 1998 for $12 million. Amari's adaptation of "The Twilight Zone" marks the first time since "Have Gun Will Travel" in the 1950s that a television series has been turned into a radio show. For more information about the radio series and the sale of audiocassettes and CDs, see: http://www.twilightzoneradio.com (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U S A. DESPITE RULING, TNN STILL PINS HOPES TO SPIKE TV Filmmaker Spike Lee has gone to court to keep TNN from appropriating his first name. (File Photo/Markus Schreiber -- AP) [caption] Saturday, June 14, 2003; Page C07 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57478-2003Jun13.html TNN yesterday lost its appeal on the temporary injunction that prevents it from changing its name to Spike TV on Monday. But the network says it will go ahead with its scheduled rollout of new programming that was to have closely followed the planned name change. The first of the programs, a block of animated series, will debut on June 26. "We are continuing on our path to build the first network for men, and we will proceed on schedule with the premieres of our exciting new programs," the network said late yesterday in a statement. "We are pleased that our argument will be considered by the full panel of the Appellate Division next Tuesday, and we trust that the Court will agree with us. Until this matter is resolved, we will remain The New TNN." On Thursday, a judge of the State Supreme Court in Manhattan granted filmmaker Shelton "Spike" Lee a preliminary injunction that prevented TNN parent Viacom from changing the cable network's name to Spike TV. Lee and his lawyer, Johnnie Cochran Jr., had successfully argued that Shelton Lee has the corner on the name "Spike." At a hearing earlier in the week, the two men testified that Lee believed Viacom took the name for the male-skewing channel from him; he prefers the name Spike, by which he is commonly known. This may have surprised the millions of kids who have doted on Viacom's "Rugrat" dog, Spike, for about a dozen years. (Spike, by the way is starring in a new Viacom movie, "Rugrats Go Wild," and actually speaks, with a voice provided by Bruce Willis rather than Shelton Lee.) The judges' decision also may have been a head-scratcher for the millions of fans of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- which aired on Viacom's UPN network -- who think of Buffy's main vampire squeeze when they think "Spike." State Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub, in granting Lee's request for a temporary injunction, ordered him to post a $500,000 bond to cover Viacom's costs in case the studio prevails. Which would so not cover Viacom's costs if it has to start over on its new-name awareness campaign. Whether it's called Spike TV or TNN, the cable network still plans on June 26 to debut animated "Gary the Rat," "The Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon" and "Stripperella" -- all shows with which Shelton Lee said he did not wish to be associated. © 2003 The Washington Post Company (via Kraig Krist, DXLD) Let this be a warning, before any cable network tries to rename itself ``Glenn TV`` (gh) ** U S A. Portland's KBPS is moving to buy its FM station from the city's public schools for $5.5 million. The school board will vote on the sale Monday. http://www.allclassical.org/KBPSSale.php (via Current, DXLD) ** U S A. WMHT in Schenectady laid off four on-air radio staff yesterday in an effort to break even financially. The station had already laid off 16 employees last month. http://www.wmht.org/May03LRelease.htm (via Current, DXLD) ** U S A. NEW MEXICO FM RADIO STATION FOR SALE - asking $295,000 This FM Radio Station is KFLH in the resort and summer home community of Chama, New Mexico. KFLH is the only radio station in the market, with yearly cash sales over $200,000 deposited in the bank. KFLH is a Class "A" FM station with 1000 watts effective radiated power and outstanding coverage from its solid-state transmitter on Rabbit Peak, and may be upgraded to Class "C3" or "C2" up to 50,000 watts. The station was built in 1999, and since has become the center of the community. The station has a live morning program and various live specialty programs, as well as Jones Soft AC. KFLH-FM is an excellent opportunity with substantial business in place. For more information please e-mail or call (505)837-0301 and leave a message which will be returned promptly. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2537592374&category=11762 (Ebay June 14 via DXLD) ** U S A. ALGORITHM CONCERNS SLOW HD RADIO IBOC Standard-Setting Temporarily Suspended' By NRSC by Leslie Stimson Has radio's digital rollout hit a slight pause, or a big glitch? That depends on who's being asked. Standards-setting activity for IBOC was suspended temporarily in May by the steering committee of the National Radio Systems Committee's DAB subgroup. After a private demonstration at National Public Radio, several NRSC sources said they found the artifacts in the system using the PAC audio coding algorithm "unacceptable." In a memo to fellow members of the DAB Subcommittee, the steering committee stated: "DAB Subcommittee members who attended the NPR demonstration do not consider the audio quality demonstrated by the Ibiquity 36 kbps PAC technology to be suitable for broadcast." . . . http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/iboc/iboc-06.04.shtml (via Rich Toebe, IRCA, June 13 via DXLD) FIXING THE HD RADIO BREAKDOWN -- Guy Wire We were just getting ready to leave the on-ramp and join all the other electronic media racing down the digital super highway. Uh-oh. Funny noises coming out of the PAC transmission suddenly have forced HD Radio to the emergency lane in need of repairs. This is not merely about hitting a pothole or changing a flat. There is a flaw in the vehicle that needs fixing. As first reported by Radio World, the NRSC has temporarily halted the standards-setting process for HD Radio. The leaders of the DAB Subcommittee said the 36 kilobits-per-second PAC compression algorithm used for AM radio is simply not good enough to use as a systems standard. At least not yet. Up until this bombshell, radio stations had been ordering and installing HD Radio transmission gear and receivers were promised for delivery to store shelves this summer. Many industry participants anxiously await the rollout of radio's most important technological innovation in more than 50 years. How damaging is this revelation to the HD Radio rollout? Will Ibiquity Digital be able to fix the problem quickly as promised? Only time will tell. We fervently hope they'll deliver on that promise, but it will not be that easy. . . http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/guywire/gw-06-10-03.shtml (via Rich Toebe, Davis CA, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. [Note: this is totally biased publicity puff, not a news item, and is greatly at variance with the above --- gh] BROADCASTERS SEEING SUCCESS WITH IBIQUITY DIGITAL'S HD RADIO(TM) TECHNOLOGY; TRANSITION TO DIGITAL BROADCASTING YIELDS SIGNIFICANT TRIUMPHS COLUMBIA, Md. and WARREN, N.J., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- iBiquity Digital Corporation, the sole developer and licenser of HD Radio(TM) technology, announced today that broadcasters implementing the HD Radio system are seeing rapid success with the transition to digital broadcasting. According to a number of recent reports from converting stations, which are available at http://www.ibiquity.com/hdradio/SuccessStories.htm broadcasters spanning diverse markets on both the AM and FM band are excited about their experiences with HD Radio technology. From sound quality improvements to ease of installation to excellent digital coverage and new promotional opportunities, radio stations are seeing the benefits of digital broadcasting. KROQ-FM 106.7 - Los Angeles, CA Now known as the "World Famous" Alternative Rock station, KROQ has established itself over the decades as a place on the FM dial where new music fans can get the latest and greatest alternative sounds. Not only is the station at the forefront of new music, KROQ also prides itself on being at the forefront of new technology. As the first station to begin full-time operation of HD Radio technology on the west coast, KROQ has experienced extensive coverage with the digital signal, but without the static, hiss, pops, or fades often associated with analog transmissions. Scott Mason, west coast regional engineer for Infinity Broadcasting, remarked, "KROQ's HD Radio signal offers surprising coverage for such a low power level. Any doubt we had about coverage was erased when we heard from a local receiver manufacturing executive that he was receiving a perfect signal 44 miles away." WOR-AM 710 - New York, NY Dubbed "America's Talk and Information Station," WOR has been home to some of the greatest legends in broadcasting and owns a well-earned reputation as a broadcast pioneer. It was, therefore, no surprise when they became the first AM station in the U.S. to widely test the HD Radio system. Impressed with the technology and audio quality, WOR became fully-licensed in December 2002. Tom Ray, corporate director of engineering for Buckley Broadcasting (owners of WOR) says of HD Radio, "I love it. The digital signal has the same quality as FM radio, including stereo. This is the biggest improvement in radio, quite possibly, since FM stereo was introduced in the 1960's." WRAL-FM 101.5 - Raleigh, NC Serving the Raleigh community for over 55 years, Capitol Broadcasting's WRAL boasts over 200,000 weekly listeners for its adult contemporary format. As the first station in North Carolina to adopt HD Radio technology, WRAL viewed the transition to digital as the next step in providing its listener base with the highest quality audio and data services available. During the 2003 North Carolina Auto Show, WRAL demonstrated their HD Radio signal with a Visteon HD Radio Auto Receiver at their exhibit booth. Listeners were prompted to come by the booth for a listening demo during the on-air promotion campaign by station talent. In discussing the station's transition to digital, Ardie Gregory, Vice President and General Manager of WRAL-FM said, "We're proud and excited to be at the forefront of bringing this new technology to our listeners. It will allow us to provide even better service and a stronger commitment to the community -- not to mention a significantly improved audio product." WJLD-AM 1400 - Birmingham, AL WJLD has been serving the Birmingham community for over 60 years dating back to its first-ever broadcast on April 19, 1942. It was the first commercial AM station in the U.S. to convert to an HD Radio broadcast and has since reported full 15 kHz fidelity and stereo separation comparable to FM during listening tests through an HD Radio receiver. Gary Richardson, WJLD station owner and engineer, says of the station's transition, "Switching between analog and digital was like switching from AM to FM." He added that the time to install and implement the new AM HD Radio system took less than three hours from start to finish. ***** "The successes being seen by these stations clearly show the benefits to be realized by HD Radio -- for both broadcasters and their listeners," said Robert Struble, president and CEO of iBiquity Digital Corporation. "As we continue to license stations across the country, these types stories will become more and more commonplace." About iBiquity Digital Corporation iBiquity Digital is the sole developer and licenser of HD Radio technology in the U.S., which will transform today's analog radio to digital, enabling radically upgraded sound and new wireless data services. The company's investors include 15 of the nation's top radio broadcasters, including ABC, Clear Channel and Viacom; leading financial institutions, such as J.P. Morgan Partners, Pequot Capital and J&W Seligman; and strategic partners Ford Motor Company, Harris, Texas Instruments and Visteon. iBiquity Digital is a privately held company with operations in Columbia, MD, Detroit, MI, Redwood City, CA and Warren, NJ. For more information please visit: http://www.ibiquity.com SOURCE iBiquity Digital Corporation -0- 06/12/2003 /CONTACT: Gil Chorbajian, Alexander Ogilvy, +1-202-721-9725 (office), gil.chorbajian@@ogilvypr.com, for iBiquity Digital Corporation; or Laura Taylor, iBiquity Digital Corporation, +1-410-872-1555 (office), taylor@@ibiquity.com/ /Web site: http://www.ibiquity.com http://www.ibiquity.com/hdradio/SuccessStories.htm / CO: iBiquity Digital Corporation; KROQ-FM; Infinity Broadcasting; WOR- AM; Buckley Broadcasting; WRAL-FM; Capitol Broadcasting; WJLD-AM ST: Maryland, New Jersey, California, New York, North Carolina, Alabama IN: ENT RAD CPR SU: SVY (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. DETECTING DTV and PROSPECTS FOR OPEN VHF BAND I agree that it's not always easy to distinguish "regular" snow from DTV snow. I have a weak local here on channel 4, and I've tried to capture some images of what their DTV snow looks like during an Es opening. The result always ends up just looking like a weak Es signal. I guess DTV snow just doesn't photograph well :-) Here's how I detect DTV signals... I primarily use the WinTV-D "diagnostic" screen's Carrier Offset reading. A low, stable reading at or under 25.000 indicates a DTV signal is present. 1.250, 3.750, 7.500, 10.000 KHz are typical carrier offset readings when a DTV signal is present. A randomly fluctuating high number means no DTV is present. A stable high number (like 158.75), indicates that only an analog signal is present. The WinTV-D's carrier offset reading provides a *very* sensitive method for detecting the presence of a DTV signal. I've observed that DTV signals can be detected in this manner even through strong analog signals. This method takes a little practice, but is the best method I've found for detecting the presence of DTV signals. For a quick "heads up" I also use the audio and S-meter on my Icom R8500 receiver. If I'm watching Es on channel 2, I'm always listening to the audio on the Icom. If the picture disappears and the audio is covered by static, but the S-meter indicates a strong signal, it's a pretty good bet that a DTV signal is present (Girard Westerberg, Lexington, KY, June 10, WTFDA via DXLD) If and when all US analog stations are forced to abandon their analog channels and move to DTV, do you think it's possible we may return to the golden days of television when you could get easy double-hop Es on low band? Has anybody thought about this? Will the low band be as empty as it is now at that time? Will we all be getting Mexico and Canada interference-free? Or, like Bob Seybold and Bedford Brown, BRAZIL?? Sorry to sound like Bogdan :-). (Jeff Kruszka, June 14, WTFDA via DXLD) This is a Doug Smith question for as I understand it, the present (primarily UHF) DTV channel assignments are intended to be "interim" for as long as the analog stations continue to operate. Correct me if wrong please Doug, but as/after the analogs finally pull the big switch the "interim -mostly UHF" will have the OPTION of retaking their present (some VHF) channel assignments with their DTV service. In which case, what we MIGHT expect to see is less UHF but more or less the same number of Vs as at the present time. Now, will UHF DTVs actually spend millions of bucks to go back to their analog VHF channels? Lots of factors here including the costs. For example, if --- and surely it will happen --- the trend towards satellite and cable delivery continues past the present 85% or so homes-served level, and KCBS (for example) is already reaching the cable and satellite market even from its UHF-DTV channel, why should it bother to spend ANY money to go back to VHF as DTV? To catch the Radio Shack DTV-available hand held sets? To catch the in-car sets? To catch the (by then under 10%) of homes NOT taking their TV from satellite or cable? I consider that unlikely except --- EXCEPT --- in those situations where the "interim UHF" service is simply not working for them. But it only has to "work" to TWO receiving locations to by then catch 85-90% of their original analog homes-served coverage. Which two? The cable headend and the satellite uplinker's receive site. After those two, the one-by-one homes become very expensive on a per-home basis to even mess with or worry about. Add to that the trend for even cable systems to take the in-market satellite feeds from Echostar's DISH and Murdoch's soon owned DirecTV and you can eventually eliminate even getting "out" (transmitting as far as to) the cable headends in their market area. Why would a cable system in Bakersfield bother with an expensive off-air system to receive KTLA (which they now do) if they can spend $200 for a DirecTV package and get a much cleaner signal off satellite? Why should KTLA move back to channel 5 as DTV at tremendous expense if there are no financial benefits to do so?? Increasingly, with consolidation of broadcasters and conglomerates such as Murdoch expanding rapidly, TV is all about making money. Public servivce? Not now --- not EVER before making money! In the 1940s and 50s and 60s, on several occasions the FCC SERIOUSLY considered changing the allocations and moving all TV to UHF. In 1947 it was because the then-proposed CBS color system required between 12 and 16 megacycles (this was before megaHERTZ!) of channel width to produce color. In the later 50s it was because UHF stations were finding it difficult and often impossible to compete in mixed markets with existing Vs and the FCC wanted to equalise the stations at a technical level. Fresno (California) for example had a channel 12 plus several UHFs. Channel 12 was swapped for channel 30, the market became "deintermixed" and everyone was then on UHF making the stations more "equal" in coverage. In the 60s, the US military version of the FCC (yes --- there is a non-private version of the FCC even today --- called IRAC!) thought for awhile they would like to take over at least the low band TV channels and the FCC spent lots of money and time studying channels 7-83 with some additional VHF channels just above channel 13 thrown in to sweeten the pot at the FCC. So getting all TV off of VHF has been an FCC dream for decades. Now with DTV, they may finally mostly get what they first thought they wanted as far back as 1947! But not because it was a better idea - then or now. In this case, DTV made it happen. Clear VHF channels, reception like Bob Seybold's legendary stuff in the 50s from Brasil/Brazil? Well, that's a giant step of faith. Brasil, for example, is also adopting a version of DTV and it will mostly not be at VHF so there goes Brasil (their VHF analogs will ALSO shut down). The smaller the market, the more economically backward the market (for example Haiti), the longer analog will hang about. Take the Bahamas as an example. Assuming that in five years all Florida stations are DTV (and mostly UHF --- those with present VHF --- DTV assignments may find they are FORCED to move to UHF as well eventually), could not the Bahamas suddenly elect to create a chain of (analog) VHF channels because now they don't have to work around the pre-existing Florida VHF analog assignments? Perhaps. But in five years most Bahamians will probably be watching US programming via DirecTV and/or DISH anyhow so as "fall out" from the USA shift to DTV + cable + satellite, why should they bother? My forecast, and it is clearly that, is that by the time USA stations can reclaim their present analog channels for DTV, most will not and that will in turn allow the FCC to withdraw that possibility from broadcaster's options. And that will indeed leave for a period of time --- perhaps a decade --- the VHF channels largely (if not completely) free of (USA) stations making it possible for statesiders to begin (as in the 50s) to log those really long haul signals from places like Venezuela. If in Brasil the analogs stay on the air PAST the time point where the last channel 2 and 3 analog USA stations are on the air, a smaller but identifiable span of time where once again they will be possible as well. But longer term --- even Haiti will go DTV --- it is inevitable simply because at some point TV set makers will no longer offer low cost and eventually ANY COST analog TV sets. When digital set production equals analog set production in any given year, that will be the turning point for continued analog set production. Past that point, we will have analog sets in decreasing numbers and at increasing prices (hold onto those 1980 Zeniths and keep them in good running order!). Haiti and New Zealand (yes - this country is dragging their feet on terrestrial digital as well) and other "third-world-market regions" that delay too long the transition to digital will find themselves facing consumers who do not understand why analog TV sets have suddenly become so expensive. As the production of analogs goes down, more expensive sets (followed by NO sets at all!) is inevitable. Ten years? Perhaps. Twenty years? Probably. The changeover from analog to DTV has always had a master plan which has been little understood even at government levels. Whose master plan? Hard to say with confidence but one must at least suspect the TV set makers who have watched in some dismay as analog TV sets have dropped down to throw-away-when-broken pricing and the PROFIT motive for producing such sets has disappeared. Hey --- if you had a commodity which created millions/billions of dollars in profits per year in 1980, and you watched those profits slide into a fraction of that --- what would you do? If you had the opportunity to make all of those cheap products obsolete and restart your business with a similar but brand new line of goods that took you back to the profit levels of the 80s, what would you do? (Bob Cooper in New Zealand, June 14, WTFDA via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. Past weekend I was a-travelling with my friend Nicolás Eramo for a lot of small towns in the Buenos Aires province (Ayacucho, Las Armas, Maipu, General Guido, Dolores, Castelli & Chascomus). Saturday night and Sunday morning we were in Maipu, 276 km to southeast from Buenos Aires city. The very interesting logs include: 6155.1, Integración FM, Acegua, via Banda Oriental, Sarandí del Yí. 1111+, June 8. Spanish transmission. Horse`s competence. Complete ID as: Transmite Integración FM, con un agradecimiento especial a Sinfonia FM de Santa Clara de Olimar, en el punto 95,7 de FM, junto a Radio Sarandi del Yi y a Banda Oriental, la onda corta, para cubrir toda América, y CW121 Radio Libertador, de Vergara y 106,5 Boreal FM, Durazno". Local ads: "Panaderia y confiteria El Osito goloso, donde todo es mas sabroso". 44444 73's & 55's (Arnaldo Slaen, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Hay osos en Uruguay? ** VENEZUELA. Radio Amazonas con casi excelente señal, escuchada en los 4939.68 kHz, a las 2234 UT, el 12/06. Con el programa "La Verdad sin Tapujos". SINPO 5/4 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. See USA: VOA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE REPORT FORMS Here are some resources that will provide assistance in preparing reports in Spanish and Portuguese: 1. Ariel Crocco in Argentina has a useful little web site, which has samples of reception reports in Spanish and Portuguese. Click on: http://arieldx.tripod.com/english/manualdx/variantes/dxlatino.htm 2. The Hard-Core DX web site has the same sort of thing. This site is a bit of a "dog's breakfast" in the way it is laid out…… it's difficult to find things. But I have dig out the following link for you: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/dxlab/latinam4.html (Rob Wagner, Vic., EDXP HF Forum via DXLD) DRM +++ DIGITAL RADIO BRINGS NEW LIFE TO AM From http://www.electronicstimes.com/bus/news/OEG20030613S0008 By Christoph Hammerschmidt EE Times 13 June 2003 (9:45 a.m. GMT) MUNICH --- Long wave, short wave or mid-range wave -- hardly any listeners still tune their radios to these outmoded frequency bands any more. But new life is coming back to old waves, and the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) consortium is planning to revolutionize AM with digital technology. Next Monday (June 16th) DRM plans to commence transmitting. The consortium consists of more than 70 members including radio companies such as Deutsche Welle, BBC, Radio France International, Radio Vaticano, All India Radio and Voice of America. The cream of equipment manufacturers is also represented, for example Dolby Laboratories, Hitachi, JVC, Bosch and Sony. Chip manufacturers such as Micronas and Atmel are also represented, and the group photo is rounded out by international organizers like ITU or the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) from the USA. The consortium intends to replace AM transmissions gradually with new digital technology. Digitizing AM technology, which is about 80 years old, should offer advantages to all involved: for listeners, sound quality on a par with FM, improved reception conditions in the long, mid and short wave frequencies that are frequently subject to interference from loss of and mixing of frequencies, and more convenience -- radios could display additional information in the form of text, for example the transmitting station, but also stock quotes, traffic messages or other types of service information. The new technology should bring enormous energy savings to broadcast stations. Until now, the electrical bill of the most powerful transmitter networks has accounted for up to 80 per cent of operating costs. At the same time, the new digital technology allows for new business models, for example specialist programs intended for specific listener interests. Thus there are already plans in many European countries for a specialized radio station for long-haul truck drivers. It could be used as a guidance system for free truck rest stop spaces, for example. And equipment manufacturers are hoping above all for a new source of income. The revitalization of the AM range could also act as a shot in the arm for equipment sales for these broadcast ranges. AM frequencies are especially popular in the third world. So what is at stake is replacing a world wide installed base of 2.5 billion AM receivers -- a monumental business opportunity for manufacturers of chip sets and radio equipment. To satisfy contemporary demands for sound quality, DRM is relying on new modulation processes such as COFDM (Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing). But the greatest contribution to modernization will probably be made by the coding process for data compression. It is called aacPlus and represents a further stage in development of the well-known MP3 technology. This process is already in commercial use in the USA: XM Satellite Radio uses aacPlus to broadcast its radio programs. "Currently it is the most effective coding process by far", says Oliver Kunz, Vice President of Strategic Marketing at the Swedish- German company Coding Technologies. And Kunz is ready to back up his claim: aacPlus delivers CD quality starting at a data rate of 48 kBit/s. The MP3 process, which is popular because of the economical way it works with resources, requires 100 Kbit/s to do the same. That could be one of the reasons why aacPlus has become part of the MPEG-4 multi-media standard. The entire transmission process of DRM including its use of aacPlus has been recognized as a standard by ITU, ETSI and IEC. To promote greater acceptance, DRM will keep to the existing frequency grid and the normal AM bandwidths. "That makes it possible to effect the transition to digital technology one step at a time. For instance, a transmitter can broadcast a digital program on one of its frequencies and provide the same program in conventional format on another frequency", explains Kunz. The issue at hand now is to foster acceptance among those involved. This applies especially to equipment manufacturers. Coding Technologies has manufactured a small series of DRM receivers under its own direction and has brought them to market. Chip manufacturers like Texas Instruments and STMicroelectronics have already introduced corresponding chip sets based on DSPs. Now there are demands for the industry to deliver the second generation of devices. Nevertheless, in view of the huge installed base, no one is counting on AM technology being entirely replaced any time soon. Future DRM receivers will also allow for reception of AM programs and will include an AM section similar to today's radio equipment without buyers having to pay any more. But a rapid change is still illusory. "It will probably be at least ten years until the conversion is complete", says Kunz. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Why can`t DRM stand on its own merits (if any), without denigrating [analog] MW, SW and FM as ``outmoded``?? Note that IBOC and DTV as applicable to the USA are generally filed in the country section. U.S. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTERS PARTICIPATE IN DRM TESTS Washington, DC., June 13, 2003-- U.S. international broadcasters are participating in tests of Digital Radio Mondiale http://www.drm.org) broadcasts designed to provide potential listeners with improved shortwave and medium-wave (AM) reception. The Broadcasting Board of Governors http://www.bbg.gov which oversees all U.S. nonmilitary international broadcasting, said DRM planned to test broadcasts from Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Radio Sawa, the Arabic- language station, during June. "We're always interested in looking for new technology that will allow us to deliver accurate and objective news and information to more people around the world," said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, the BBG's chairman. DRM, a consortium of 80 members from 29 countries, is a digital system for short-wave, AM and long-wave with the ability to use existing frequencies and bandwidth across the globe. The BBG's engineering office was an early partner in the consortium, which started in 1998. The first DRM broadcasts are set to begin this month in conjunction with the World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Commercial DRM receivers are not yet available for sale (BBG press release via DXLD) Details?? RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ TESTING: POLICE WARNINGS THAT OVERRIDE YOUR CAR RADIO When an emergency vehicle driver puts on his lights and siren to clear a path, many drivers refuse to get out of the way. To remedy that, three Florida agencies are testing out a device that would broadcast warnings over car radios so that drivers would be more likely to yield to approaching emergency vehicles. The device would over-ride radio signals within 1,050 feet, broadcasting the message, "Police emergency, prepare to yield." The system wouldn’t work if the car radio was turned off, or if the stereo system was playing a CD or tape. This from the radio trade F.M.Q.B. on June 13. I wonder if it overrides the IF signal? (Brock Whaley for DXLD) The same question I raised, along with some other scenarios, the last time this came up a few weeks ago (gh, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ PROPAGATION REPORT Early in the week the geomagnetic field remained disturbed as forecast, with active conditions noted, ranging to storm levels at higher latitudes. MUFs were generally depressed at night and intense SpE noted on Jun 8 in some areas. Flare activity continued during the week with a number of C and M class flares reported, Jun 10 being particularly busy. Some X class flares were also noted on Jun 11. The coronal hole effects declined over the first part of the week, however the flare effects and coronal mass ejections have meant that geomagnetic conditions and propagation continue to be disturbed. Conditions will remain similar for the next few days depending on the flare activity noted. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, SA, June 14, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) SPACE WEATHER: CONTROLLABLE WITH RADIO WAVES? By Larry O'Hanlon, Discovery News http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20030609/spaceweather.html (via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ###