DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-127, July 16, 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/dxldtd3g.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 FIRST AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1191: Wed 2200 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB [and 5100-CUSB?] Thu 2030 on WWCR 15825, Sat 1030 on WWCR 5070 Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0800, 1400, 1730, 2330 ... on RFPI 7445, 15039 Sun 0032 on WINB 12160 WRN ONDEMAND [from Fri]: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA]: [from early UT Thursday] Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1191.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1191.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1191h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1191h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1191.html [from Thu] WORLD OF RADIO ON 7485, 6200: Re DXLD 3-124: The relays of World of Radio on 7485 Sunday mornings UT are being made by Irish pirate Ozone Radio International. They have now moved to 6200 and heard announcing they would be relaying World of Radio 0925 July 13th (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, July 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. Radio Nacional de Angola, en 4950 kHz, el 15/07, a las 0437 UT, con SINPO 35433. Usualmente ni se escucha por estas latitudes; captación excepcional. Noticiero a las 0500 UT y comentarios sobre una feria internacional que se lleva a cabo en Luanda (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARUBA. Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. La emisora Antillana 1270 kHz (PJ-8), de Aruba, ahora se identifica como "KISS 107.5 MHz" y algunas veces como Radio 1270 AM STEREO. Captada el pasado 12/07, a las 1721 UT. Transmitía soka y música POP. SINPO 33553. Ignoro desde cuándo se llama así (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CABINET MAY UPHOLD RADIO RULING --- By SIMON TUCK, With a report from Shawn McCarthy, Wednesday, July 16, 2003 - Page A7 OTTAWA -- The federal cabinet is expected to announce today that it has upheld an earlier decision by its broadcast regulator to grant a licence for a radio station to a Toronto company that says it has been unfairly linked to terrorists. Ottawa will say that it found no evidence that a numbered company behind a bid for a new ethnic radio station in Toronto is affiliated with the World Tamil Movement, government sources say. The WTM is believed to be a key fundraiser for the Tamil Tigers, a rebel group that has been fighting a bloody civil war in Sri Lanka for more than three decades. The new station is to be launched this fall over the FM band at 101.3, a rare licence opportunity in the area. S. Sivakkumaran, chief operating officer of Canadian Multicultural Radio, the group behind the radio station, denied any connection between his company and any terrorist groups. He said members of the Sinhalese-Canadian community and Tamil groups that had also wanted the radio station licence started the rumours. "It's a whole big smear campaign." The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the federal broadcast regulator, approved the licence application in April despite the objections of some Sri Lankan Canadians. After its initial ruling, the government received 47 petitions asking for a reversal. The federal cabinet, which has come under some pressure in recent months to outlaw the Tigers, discussed the matter earlier this month and has until midnight tonight to rule on the matter (Globe & Mail July 16 via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) The original CRTC decision approving this station may be found on their website: Search for Broadcast Decision 2003-115. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. CHINA RADIO INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS MW/SW BROADCASTS TO EASTERN EUROPE China Radio International will soon increase its medium wave broadcasting to Europe though WRN Transmission. Starting from 15th July WRN will provide high power medium wave transmitters in Eastern Europe for broadcasts to former Yugoslavia in Serbian, to Romania and Moldova in Romanian and to South West Russia and Ukraine in Russian. The broadcast in Russian will be a new 2-hour programme on news, current affairs and features about China. Times and frequencies are: Romanian: 1700-1730 UT (2000-2030 Bucharest local time) on 1548 kHz Serbian: 1730-1800 UT (1930-2000 Belgrade local time) on 1548 kHz Russian: 1430-1630 UT (1830-2030 in Western Russia, 1730-2030 in Ukraine) on 1467 kHz AM This extension to the east follows on from the highly successful use of a facility in Luxembourg on 1440 kHz (208 metres), which has greatly increased CRI's audience for its English, French and German programmes in Europe. Medium Wave broadcasts has been used in Europe because there are far more radios with the AM band than SW. Kind regards (Tim Ayris, Broadcast Sales Manager, World Radio Network, July 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Let`s see --- 1548 would be Moldova 1000 kW; and 1467 Moldova 500 kW, right? What about the expanded SW referred to in the headline? (gh, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. La Voz de tu Conciencia: Here is part of a recent mail from Russell M. Stendal: 6010 has been silent for a while, and Stendal is out at Lomalinda right now to fix the transmitter. 5910 will soon be ready with programs for listeners abroad, partly in English (Henrik Klemetz, July 3 via Dxplorer via DSWCIDX Window via Cumbre DX via DXLD) We just got back after putting 6010 on the air. One of our engineers made an impedance bridge that allowed us to fine tune the antenna so that it now resonates exactly on our frequency (it ended up about 50 cm longer than what we had calculated according to theory). Here in Colombia the performance improved noticeably (it will be interesting to see if there is any improvement internationally). We also made some adjustments to the height (now at 11 meters) and to the angle (the delta is pointing due north with the orientation of the dipole exactly east-west) and to the overall impedance (now at 550 ohms). The power is at 4200 watts and as soon as we install a new voltage regulator we may be able to up the power by a thousand watts or so (we are licenced for 5000 watts and I believe the specs say plus or minus ten percent). (via Klemetz Jul 5 via Dxplorer via DSWCI DX Window via Cumbre DX via DXLD) "Alcaraván Radio se ha movido a la frecuencia de 6009.96 kHz". Así escribí en mi mail anterior. Era en la mañana, en la noche la misma fecha de nuevo estuvo en 6009.78 kHz. Hoy, hace una hora aproximadamente la encontré en 6009.98 kHz, exactamente en la misma frecuencia como Parinacota. Solamente he notado HCJB a veces y muy temprano en la mañana con "bajo alemán" en 6010.00 kHz (Björn Malm, Ecuador, July 15, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** CONGO. Buena señal de Radio Congo, Brazzaville, en los 5985 kHz, a partir de las 2030 UT aproximadamente (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. 7435.0, RTNC, Lubumbashi, 1755-1810 (fade out), Jul 13, Vernacular talk, Congolese instrumental music and pop song by choir. Best before 1800 when Voice of Russia signed on with German on 7440. Until then: 13232 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. 6105, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, good signal, well understood. Heard in Honduras (Cerveglieri, DSWCI DX Window via Cumbre DX via DXLD) Reactivated! (DSWCI Ed., ibid.) ** CUBA. Heard Radio Rebelde with ID and Mesa Redonda Informativa on July 14, 1149-1215 on 9600 and also 11655. I haven't found the 11655 listed anywhere (Silvain Domen, temporarly on hoilday in Camden, NC- USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) We`ve had several reports of it in DXLD ** CUBA. Jamming US satellite broadcass to IRAN: q.v. ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Desde Santo Domingo, SUPER Q FM (100.9 MHz), captada el 15/07, a las 0326 UT, en los 4959.86 kHz. Emitía un tema de Sérgio Mendes (remix) y la canción de Avril Lavigne "Complicated". SINPO 45533 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. A recent report doing the rounds in the international DX news outlets indicated that R. Oriental in Tena, Napo was currently off the air. However, I noted it in operation on July 13 and then again tonight (July 16), at around 1000 on both occasions. Fair level on 4871.4 (Rob Wagner (VK3BVW), Australia, EDXP via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Deutschlandfunk Longwave Donebach 153 kHz is cut off daily (weekdays Mon-Sat) approximately 0610-1900 UT due of the ANNUAL maintenance by TELEKOM T-systems. This lasts weekdays till July 28th, 2003. Sehr geehrter Herr Bueschel, Ihre Vermutung stimmt, der Sender wird durch die Telekom gewartet, und ist deshalb bis zum 28.07. immer von 08:10 Uhr bis 21:00 Uhr ausser Betrieb. Das sind Richtzeiten. Wir bedanken uns für Ihr Verständnis. Mit freundlichen Grüßen Bernd Förster DeutschlandRadio Sendernetzbetrieb Tel.: +49 30 8503 8112/8113 Fax.: +49 30 8503 8119 e-mail: bernd.foerster@dradio.de (via Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, July 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. Re unID 2859.98: Mark, Big signal here this evening, spoiled by incessant QRN. Lots and lots of "R Cultura" IDs, but nothing else I can parse out to ID further. My latest WRTH is 99 - nothing likely in there. 73 (Jay Novello, NC, via Krueger, DXLD) Logged here GMT 0155-0259* 16 July. No solid info for you yet --- but I can tell you it's definitely Honduran. Frequent female canned "Cultura, Cultura, Radio Cultura" slogans, live M DJ with a couple of clear mentions of Honduras. At 0252, "Radio Cultura... potencia en vatios" and at 0258, closing ID by M mentioning "HR(-- H?)... la voz... muy buenas noches." Then off without anthem at 0259. Nothing in the 2003 WRTVH that matches, though of course several 1430 kHz entries. Lots of over-Florida and post Gulf hurricane QRN to mess things up, though the signal was quite strong and on 2859.98 here as well. Format mostly SP dance/"urban"-type (whatever that sound is called -- really noticed a proliferation of that on most XE FM'ers during E-skip a few days ago; not much of the old norteñas/tejano/ranchera stuff of past left, it seems). (Terry Krueger, Clearwater FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. WHY NO NEWS IS BAD NEWS The Economic Times (India) Wednesday, July 16, 2003| DEVLIN ROY TIMES NEWS NETWORK [WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2003 02:27:29 AM] NEW DELHI: The morning papers are full of news, the internet streams news from all over the world, TV carries news live, even mobile phone SMSs carry news. But there's no news on India's new private FM radio channels. Why? Because when the government decided to open FM radio to private entry three years ago, it barred private FM broadcasters from broadcasting news and current affairs. This return to the command and control mindset of the 1970s lets state-owned radio broadcast news but excludes private channels from this activity. The government has no FM policy: instead, there are agreements between the government and FM broadcasters. These are governed by the archaic Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 and Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1933. Clause VII of the main agreement states that the license is for free-to-air broadcasts of audio, excluding news, current affairs and any other services under jurisdiction of the department of telecommunications (DoT). Meanwhile, schedule A of the agreement has a different spin, defining 'broadcast channel' as FM radio stations and their services as 'provided by the licensee, including entertainment, education and information dissemination...excluding news and current affairs.' But what's the difference between news and information? Dictionaries say that news is 'information about important or interesting recent events or newly received or noteworthy information.' Information is defined as 'items of knowledge or news'. Are government rules, which allow FM to air information, but not news, all about semantic quibbling? Can news be broadcast as long as it's called 'information'? Worse, Article VI of the agreement says that licensees shall emphasise programming to promote national integration, religious harmony, scientific temper and Indian culture. If a scientific programme about India's projected moon mission is broadcast, will the law be broken? Radio reaches more people cheaper than newspapers, the internet or TV programming. Given that, blanking news and current affairs from radio makes no sense. Radio programming becomes a featureless hotchpotch of bhangra and film music. Ironically, while Indian-owned channels can't broadcast news, dozens of overseas radio and TV channels, including BBC, Voice of America, CNN, Fox News and even PTV are free to broadcast to Indian homes. These restrictions have also strengthened the monopoly powers of state-owned AIR, which operates FM, MW and SW frequencies through 333 transmitters, dishing out popular music, news and other content to nearly 99% of the population. In a 1995 judgement, the Supreme Court, alarmed at the government's grip on broadcasting, said that airwaves were public property to be used to promote public good and expressing a plurality of views, opinions and ideas. In practice, organisations that are considered mature enough to provide news through print and TV, are barred from doing the same over radio. No other democratic country has similar curbs. None of America's 14,000-plus radio stations, 2,000-odd stations in Spain or the 1,000-plus each in Italy, France, Greece and Australia are barred from airing news and cultural affairs. In fact, many stations are solely news channels, including specialised ones for community radio. Remember, even tiny Sri Lanka has about 20 radio stations. In Nepal, Radio Sagarmatha, run by a body of environmental journalists, broadcasts 10 news and sports bulletins, two news magazines, a current affairs' morning show, editorials, Newari language programs and 75 minutes of BBC Nepali service every day. There are regular programs on good governance, gender issues, environment and other public matters, folk music, weekly live classical recitals, contemporary music and regular programs on the visual and oral arts. Even in Pakistan, which has recently issued FM licences to 60-odd private players, the government has said that there will eventually be no control over airing of any sort of content over private TV or radio stations, music or news. Given these global trends, should India lift senseless curbs on FM news? Or should it continue with curbs on the freedom of speech and expression, eroding the foundations of our democracy? (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. WILL THE REAL VOICE OF INDONESIA PLEASE STEP FORWARD If you've ever tried to find some information on the Voice of Indonesia, you've probably, like me, ended up with lots of links to the Indonesian language http://www.rrionline.com website. Following an e-mail from the Voice of Indonesia's English service, however, it turns out that their official site can be found at: http://www.rri-online.com (note the subtle difference) which has news from Indonesia and information about VOI in English, French, German, Chinese and Indonesian. Curiously, if you search for this site in Google it doesn't come up at all, and everyone seems to link to the Indonesian only site. One for the bookmarks! (Daniel Atkinson, England, July 16, swprograms via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. AS SATELLITE ORDERS SLUMP, LORAL AND BOEING FACE TROUBLES --- July 16, 2003 By BARNABY J. FEDER Weakened by a long slump in new orders, two large companies that manufacture satellites, Loral Space and Communications and Boeing, released bitter financial news. … [registrastin required] http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/16/technology/16BIRD.html?ex=1059355716&ei=1&en=316b95abd10860b3 (via Jim Moats, DXLD) ** IRAN. BBG CONDEMNS CUBA'S JAMMING OF SATELLITE TV BROADCASTS TO IRAN Washington, D.C., July 15, 2003 - The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) today condemned Cuba's jamming of U.S. international broadcasts to Iran, calling the action a "deliberate and malicious" effort to block Iranian audiences from gaining access to truthful news and information. The BBG, the federal agency which oversees all U.S. non-military international broadcasting, also urged providers such as Intelsat and Eutelsat to stop giving service to countries that have jammed satellite transmissions to Iran, where pro-democracy advocates have staged repeated demonstrations against the ruling Islamic government. "The BBG calls upon the international community to censure the states that have caused the interference," the nine-member board said in a unanimous resolution. "The BBG strongly condemns the deliberate and malicious interference with its legitimate efforts to impart truthful, objective, and balanced news to its Iranian audience." "Cuba's jamming of satellite transmissions is illegal and interferes with the free and open flow of international communications," said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, the BBG's chairman. "This action is illegal, represents a major threat to satellite communication and must be stopped." The jamming was first detected on July 6, the day the BBG's Voice of America (VOA) launched a daily, 30-minute, Persian-language television news and analysis program, News and Views, aimed at providing information to the millions of people who have access to satellite TV in Iran. The program, broadcast from 9:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. in Iran, features original, in-depth news reporting from Iran, world news round-ups, analyses of issues and events and special interest and cultural features. Two other weekly VOA Persian-language television programs, Next Chapter and Roundtable with You, are also jammed. The BBG said service providers have said the source of jamming is located near Havana, Cuba, which is about 90 miles from the coast of the United States. The resolution urged the State Department and the Federal Communications Commission to "lodge an appropriate formal protest against the government of Cuba for this unwarranted and wrongful interference." (BBG press release July 15 via DXLD) Plus: RESOLUTION ON THE JAMMING OF SATELLITE BROADCASTS TO IRAN Whereas: http://www.bbg.gov/_bbg_news.cfm?articleID=86&mode=general (BBG press release July 15 via DXLD) ** IRAQ. STATE-RUN INTERNET SITE RESURFACES WITH NEW CONTENT, DESIGN The internet site of the Iraqi State Company for Internet Services at http://www.uruklink.net/ is back on the web with a new design and content. It provides links to eight Iraqi newspapers, publications and news sites, including links to: - Al-Zaman, an independent newspaper run by Sa'd al-Bazzaz that prints in London, Baghdad and other locations, at http://www.azzaman.com/ - Nida al-Rafidayn - newspaper of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq - at http://www.nidaa-arrafidain.com/ - Al-Naba, a Shi'i news network associated with Ayatollah Sadiq al- Husayni al-Shirazi, at http://www.annabaa.org/index.htm - Al-Majrashah, an Iraqi satirical newspaper issued by a number of volunteer journalists abroad, at http://muntada.net/maj/index.html - Al-Nahrayn Encyclopedia, an extensive Iraqi news site and portal, at http://www.nahrain.com/ - The Iraqi Home, an Iraqi bimonthly (once every two months) newspaper issued by the Iraqi community in the Netherlands, at http://iraqhome.8k.com/ - Iraq Today, an internet news page that focuses on Iraqi affairs and developments, at http://iraqtoday.net/ - Iraq For All Network, a news network, at http://www.iraq4allnews.dk/ The site also provides active links to the BBC Arabic Service, Radio Sawa and Radio Monte Carlo. It also provides links to two web-based e-mail services - one for inside Iraq at webmail.uruklink.net:8383; and one for outside Iraq at mail.uruklink.net:8383 The site features a "news" section, which appears to be under construction. The following copyright information is observed: State Company for Internet Services (Iraq) SCIS 2003 Prior to the fall of Saddam Husayn's regime, the site http://www.uruklink.net hosted all official Iraqi daily and weekly newspapers, all Iraqi government web sites and several sites for Iraqi universities and organizations. The site disappeared from the Internet just before the fall of Saddam Husayn's regime on 9 April. Source: BBC Monitoring research 15 Jul 03 (via DXLD) ** IRELAND. RTE Radio 1 is again broadcasting on LW 252 kHz. I noticed transmissions started at 9 am (0800 UT) today (Tuesday). Yesterday RTE was on all afternoon from approx 1300-1615 UT. The audio on 252 is very good - it sounds much better than BBC R4 which is noticeably muffled on LW compared to the RTE transmissions (Dave Kenny, July 16, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. ISRAEL SAYS BBC TV CAN RESUME "BALANCED, FACTUAL" REPORTING Israeli Government Press Office director Daniel Seaman has said the BBC can resume its reporting in Israel if it observes neutrality. He said the corporation was biased against Israel and he accused it of favouring the Palestinian version of events. He said instead of fair criticism, the BBC "crossed the line into vilification and demonization of the State of Israel". The following is the text of a commentary by Seaman in English published by Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post web site on 15 July: Media reaction to Israel's decision to re-evaluate its relationship with the BBC has tended to ignore the reasons why it was taken. While the decision's merits can be argued, any evaluation of Israel's grievances should be based on whether the BBC adheres to universal standards of journalistic ethics. In short: Does BBC coverage of Israel meet the tests of integrity, impartiality, honesty and accuracy? Recycling malicious falsehoods that have been documented and independently disproved is a clear measure of lack of integrity. Months after a UN investigation concluded there was no evidence of a massacre in Jenin, BBC anchors and the BBC web site still implied doubt as to what really happened. In a recent programme allegations were again raised about Israel's use of a "mysterious" gas in Gaza, ignoring the fact that medical experts refuted this hoax over two years ago. Adopting the narrative and terminology of one of the sides to a conflict is not impartiality. The BBC goes out of its way to state that the Temple Mount is called "Haram al-Sharif" by the Arabs, implying an Arab claim to the site. This in itself is not a problem - except that the same consideration is not extended to Israel. The West Bank is never "known by the Jews as Judaea and Samaria". The BBC goes so far as to accommodate the Hezbollah terror organization when it describes the UN-recognized Israeli border with Lebanon as "disputed." Similarly, Israeli settlements are "illegal" and the territories "occupied" rather than disputed. Undermining the credibility of sources by implying doubt, by questioning and conditioning is disingenuous, especially when it is applied to only one side of an issue. Israeli sources reported by the BBC almost always "allege," while Palestinians "report." When hard evidence is presented by Israel, such as the photo of an infant Palestinian dressed as a homicide bomber, its authenticity is questioned. Yet Palestinians levelling the most ludicrous of accusations against Israel are quoted verbatim. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is often assigned a militant adjective such as "extreme right-wing" or "former general," something that is almost never done when describing a Palestinian leader. Those working in television are keenly aware that how something is said or what is shown can be much more important in creating and solidifying an image than actual content. In this respect the Israeli position repeatedly suffers in the BBC's treatment of regional stories, a fact readily demonstrated by any objective analysis of its videotape archives. The use of camera angles, hidden cameras, cinematographic techniques of insinuation and innuendo, intonation - even rhetorical questions - can create a sinister, even diabolical image of an interviewee, cast doubt on his point of view and raise unofficial concern about his character and intention. Beyond that, Israel's position has repeatedly suffered through the focus on only those points that support a particular view. Contrary information is omitted in a manner that can only be regarded as knowing and deliberate. Such treatment of highly complex Middle East issues does not represent "legitimate criticism." It is not an objective attempt to expose the truth, but defamation aimed at creating prejudice. This kind of reporting does not require an official Israeli response; it demands a legal defence. To discuss or debate such baseless accusations only lends them credibility. In the past, defamation of Israel was neatly packaged in the claim of holding Israel to a "higher standard." Such pretense has now evolved into "creative journalism," in which all means are justified in order to depict Israel as a sinister society, one whose arrogance and total disregard for international law is the real menace to world peace and stability. Thus the BBC can draw a moral equivalence between the premeditated murder of innocent men, women and children in Israel by Palestinians and their supporters and Israel's justifiable actions of self-defence. Criticizing Israel's policies is the BBC's prerogative. However, an accumulation of grievances over a number of years leads us to believe that the BBC has crossed the line from valid criticism into vilification and demonization of the State of Israel, to such an extent as borders on delegitimization of the nation itself. A direct cause of incitement, such treatment reinforces acts of anti-Semitism and violence against Israelis and Jews worldwide. The BBC can continue to operate freely in Israel. Israel is an open democracy embracing freedom of the press. But only at such time that the corporation acknowledges its responsibility to provide its viewers and listeners with an honest, balanced and factual account of events in the Middle East will the government of Israel restore cordial cooperation. Source: The Jerusalem Post web site, in English 15 Jul 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. PLANS FOR WEEKLY PRESIDENTIAL RADIO ADDRESS DROPPED | Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap President Roh Moo-hyun has shelved his plan to make a weekly radio address beginning this week because of differences with a broadcaster over how to handle the programme, a presidential press secretary said Wednesday [16 July]. Acting on a request from the presidential office of Chongwadae [Blue House - presidential offices], state KBS Radio 1 had scheduled to air the president's pre-recorded speech for about five minutes between 0700 and 0800 every Friday. "The president has pushed for the radio address as a way of personally explaining public issues to the people, but provisionally cancelled the plan due to a difference of opinion with the broadcasting station", said Lee Hae-sung, the chief presidential spokesman. "KBS radio producers seemed to view the radio address as part of their news programmes, in which the president simply appears as a guest", Lee said. The KBS radio producers wanted to discuss the subject of Roh's speech every time before it is delivered, while the president simply wanted to borrow the media as a way of delivering his speech, he added. The spokesman hinted, however, that Roh may change his decision, saying that there is still "much room" for negotiations. Source: Yonhap news agency, Seoul, in English 0813 gmt 16 Jul 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. See UGANDA ** MADAGASCAR. Otra cosa increíble --- Radio Madagasikara (¡al fin la capto luego de 17 años!) en la frecuencia de 5010 kHz, a las 0412 UT. Locutor y temas musicales autóctonos de la isla. Muy interferida por la ahora sobremodulada YVTO, 5000 kHz. SINPO 22432. Desvanecimiento contínuamente acentuado, hasta desaparecer a las 0432 UT (15/07). 73's y buen DX (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [non]. FCC rules signal confusion for cross-border broadcasting Clear Channel's stations in Mexico may cross the line By Rachel Laing UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER July 15, 2003 http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20030715-9999_1b15radio.html Clear Channel Communications' grip on the San Diego radio market could be loosened by the Federal Communications Commission's recent media- ownership rule changes. The San Antonio-based radio conglomerate, which owns or operates 11 local stations, might be forced to sell or end leasing agreements with at least four stations under the new FCC rules. The changes to the FCC rules affecting San Diego concern Mexican radio stations that Clear Channel operates. Before the rule changes the FCC approved early last month, stations broadcasting from Baja California did not count in the U.S. ownership limits. Those limits allow a single company to own or operate up to eight radio stations in a market, with no more than five stations per band. While Clear Channel owns only seven U.S. stations that broadcast in San Diego – five FM and two AM – it was able to increase its presence in the market legally through operating agreements with four Mexican FM stations that broadcast out of Tijuana but whose operations are in Clear Channel's Kearny Mesa complex. The arrangement has given Clear Channel an estimated 45 percent share of the San Diego market, which is about three times the share held by Jefferson Pilot Communications, Clear Channel's closest rival here. With the new rules not taking effect for two years, Clear Channel lobbyist and spokesman Andy Levin said it's too soon to tell what action the company will take to comply. "There are several options to get to the right number," Levin said. "You can terminate contracts with Mexican stations or sell our owned stations. That's a decision to be made." Darrel Goodin, general manager of Jefferson Pilot in San Diego, said the company had filed a grievance with the FCC a year ago, asking the agency to close the loophole that allowed Clear Channel such a dominant position in the local market. Goodin said that while Clear Channel is not in violation of the letter of the law, exemption of foreign-owned stations from the ownership limits allowed the company to skirt the "intent and spirit" of the law. "They have nine FM signals, and that enables them to control the competitive environment" in precisely the way regulations had been drawn up to prevent, Goodin said. According to Goodin, controlling five FM stations in a market forces a company to focus on finding the profitable niche for each station, which serves the marketplace by offering variety. But he asserted that with nine stations, Clear Channel has the luxury to wield its influence for the express goal of stifling competition. Goodin contended that after leasing Mexican station XHCR, which had a classic country and oldies format, it immediately changed the format to mimic the contemporary country format of Jefferson Pilot's KSON. This was not an effort to compete head to head with KSON, Goodin said, but rather an effort to gain just enough of KSON's audience to knock the established country station out of the top five FM stations so that another Clear Channel station could take its place. Advertising buyers who purchase air time are often under directives to buy spots in the top five stations for a particular age group or other demographic. But Mike Glickenhaus, who manages the local cluster of stations for Clear Channel, said Goodin's assertions were nonsense. "It is totally absurd that any company would take a multimillion- dollar radio property just to screw around with another company," Glickenhaus said. "That would not be a good business decision by any measure." Glickenhaus said it's not worth speculating at this point on how Clear Channel will comply with the new regulations because it's still unclear precisely how the company would be in violation. That's because the new rules change how markets are defined, and that may lead to some haggling over how far over the limit the company is in San Diego. The current rules define market boundaries by the intersection of signals in an area, whereas the new rules define a market based on geographical regions drawn by the Arbitron radio ratings service. Foreign stations that are considered to be part of a particular market by the media research firm BIA will no longer be exempted from ownership rules as they currently are. In most markets, holdings that exceed the limit under the new market definitions will be grandfathered in. But foreign-owned stations won't be. Glickenhaus said some stations could be difficult to define. For instance, he said, the company's XTRA AM sports news station is Mexican-owned and broadcasts from Tijuana, but all its sales operations, programming and most of its listeners are in Los Angeles. The company considers it a Los Angeles station. But it still has a listener base in San Diego, he said, which means it could possibly be counted as a San Diego station. "There are going to be a number of situations that don't fit the mold," he said. "It's a little too early to tell where this will go." (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. While this is somewhat a work in progress, most of Radio Netherlands' programming can now be enjoyed on-demand, with the latest edition of each feature program now available -- no longer do you need to figure out which archived English broadcast contains the program you're looking for. Not all programs are available yet -- Newslink was one program absent when I just checked -- but the basic framework is in place. I've already sent Andy Sennit and Pepijn Kalis some organizational ideas -- e.g. making sure the existing individual program web pages link to the most recent audio -- but it's great to have RNW join the ranks of the on-demand world! http://www.rnw.nl/distrib/realaudio/html/english.html (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, swprograms via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Radio Kaduna, 4770 kHz, fuera del aire a las 2247 UT. Parece que no hay señal desde hace horas (12/07). (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4770, R. Nigeria, Kaduna, 0532-0545, 16/07, English. Continuous pop ballads by YL, ID over music, "This is the English service of Radio Nigeria, Kaduna", followed by an unintelligible announcement. I think this is signing on at 0530 instead of usual 0430 as I have not logged this at 0430 in over a week; can anyone else verify this? I will check tonite (Scott R. Barbour Jr., NH, Sangean ATS 818, RF Systems MLB-1, RS longwire w/ RBA balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. On July 14 I received a verification letter for an E-skip reception of KOTV, channel 6, Tulsa OK on May 30, 6:22 AM CDT. The letter was sent by Gerald Weaver, Asst Director of Engineering. Nothing unusual about that. But, in addition, he also sent me a video tape of a segment of the 6 o'clock news in which the local news anchors try to stump the weather guy about the "E Layer", and quote extensively from my QSL letter. Over his head with the subject, confusing ducting with skip, the weather guy finally refers to me as the Einstein who can explain it. They put my screen shot photo on camera showing their morning sports guy. They were quite amused by my old TV set which has knobs and dials, and suggest that in addition to the verification, the station should also send me a new TV. The female anchor says that my reception of the station is better than hers down the street from the station. My TV, by the way, is an old GE B&W model, vintage unknown. Perhaps this is a first, an on-air TV verification? Scott, too bad I didn't have this in time for the WTFDA convention! (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, July 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Oriente 99.5 MHz, escuchada en los 6190 kHz, el pasado 12/07, a las 2219 UT. SINPO 33532 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Radio San Antonio (desconozco el QTH), transmitía boleros y anulaba totalmente a Radio Amazonas de Venezuela, en 4939.97 kHz, a las 2345 UT, el 12/07 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Russian International Radio --- Here is their current MW schedule: 1143 kHz via Kaliningrad/Bolshakovo 1200-1700, 1800-2100 1215 kHz via Kaliningrad/Bolshakovo 1900-2100 1386 kHz via Kaliningrad/Bolshakovo 1200-1500, 1900-2100 1494 kHz via St.Petersburg/Popovka 1500-1700; 2000-2100 (from August 10) (Mikhail Timofeyev, Russia, hard-core-dx via DXLD) see TANNU TUVA ** SAO TOME. MILITARY COUP IN SÃO TOMÉ Diplomats seek talks with army officers after they seize power in the West African state of São Tomé and Príncipe. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/3070355.stm [illlustrated] Efforts are under way to hold talks with the leaders of the coup which toppled the government of the West African island state of Sao Tome and Principe on Wednesday. Rebel army officers in the tiny former Portuguese colony seized the prime minister and other cabinet members in the dawn coup which appears to have been largely bloodless. Gunshots and exploding rockets and grenades were heard around 0300 GMT and sporadic firing continued throughout the morning but there are no indications of casualties. The Portuguese ambassador is due to meet the coup leaders later on Wednesday to discuss their grievances and Sao Tome's foreign minister, speaking from Lisbon, said his government wished to open a dialogue. Portugal is calling for condemnation of the coup by its other ex- colonies and Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano has already appealed for a speedy return to "constitutional order". Sao Tome and Principe, one of the world's poorest states, has offshore oilfields which are due to begin producing within the next four years. Alex Vines from the Royal Institute for International Affairs told BBC World that he suspects that control of the oil money is behind the coup. OIL-FUELLED FUTURE Sao Tome has one of the world's highest foreign debts Oil production expected to start in 2006-7 The auctioning of oil permits in 2004 is due to net $100 million Sao Tome will receive 40% and Nigeria 60% of eventual oil revenue Last year, the United States was considering increasing military co- operation with the Sao Tome Government amid reports that the US was trying to buy more West African oil. The rebels appear to have exploited the absence of President Fradique de Menezes who is reported to be on a private visit to Nigeria. The rebels took control of government buildings, state TV and radio, the central bank and the airport. Their leader, named by the Portuguese news agency Lusa as Major Fernando "Cobo" Pereira, made a speech on national radio ordering all members of the government and parliament to report to police stations. 'People on streets' Political analyst Antonio Agiar in Sao Tome told the BBC's Network Africa programme that the capital was pretty calm by around 0700 GMT and the sound of shooting had stopped. "There are people on the streets but less than usual," he said. The Portuguese ambassador in Sao Tome, Mario de Jesus Santos, said there had been only sporadic shooting and that he was unaware of any "physical confrontations". Mr Santos was due to begin talks with the coup-leaders around midday, Portuguese Foreign Minister Antonio Martins da Cruz said in Lisbon. His Sao Tome counterpart, Mateus Meira Rita, said his government also wanted to engage in talks aimed at the "immediate restoration of constitutional order". Mr Meira Rita said the coup had been led by a unit of soldiers who had received training in South Africa. 'Violation' The Portuguese news agency Lusa reports that Lisbon is set to urge condemnation of the coup at a meeting of the Community of Portuguese- Speaking Countries (CPLP). A Portuguese "official source" told the agency that an emergency meeting of the CPLP had been convened to discuss the "unacceptable violation of a democratic regime". Along with Prime Minister Maria das Neves, National Assembly President Dionisio Dias, Defence Minister Fernando Daqua and Natural Resources Minister Rafael Branco were also seized. Mr Branco is considered a key member of the government as he handles the oil portfolio. Published: 2003/07/16 12:05:02 GMT © BBC MMIII (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) SAO TOME, São Tomé and Principe - Troops rebelled and detained the prime minister Wednesday in São Tomé and Principe (search), a tiny island nation off western Africa and one of the world's poorest countries, which has been in turmoil since the recent discovery of oil. Shots were heard before dawn, and Prime Minister Maria das Neves was arrested by renegade soldiers, Portuguese state radio Radiodifusão Portuguesa reported. Other senior government officials, including Oil Minister Rafael Branco, were also detained. Sporadic gunshots could still be heard six hours later in the capital São Tomé, though it was not clear whether the shots were from fighting or were fired into the air as a warning. No injuries were reported. The streets of São Tomé and Principe's capital were mostly empty. Public buildings and shops remained closed. In a brief statement read over state radio Rádio Nacional de São Tomé, Maj. Fernando Pereira - the head of military training and a participant in the rebellion - ordered all government officials and lawmakers to report to police headquarters. Health Minister Claudina Cruz and Justice Minister Justino Veiga, as well as about 30 lawmakers out of the 55 who sit in Parliament, handed themselves over to the mutineers, a police source said on condition of anonymity. President Fradique de Menezes was out of the country, on a private visit to Nigeria. The rebels have not said why they mutinied, nor was it immediately clear who was leading the rebellion. Soldiers in recent months have complained about low pay and poor living conditions. The country's armed forces number about 600 troops. The Portuguese ambassador in São Tomé, Mário de Jesus Santos, was due to meet the leaders of the revolt later Wednesday to discuss their grievances. Army officers rebelled in 1995, forcing the government to step down and hold new elections. They gave up their attempt to take power after the United States and the European Union threatened to cut off vital aid. The rebellious soldiers took control of the presidential palace, the parliament building and the airport. They also seized the central bank and the state radio and television headquarters in the capital of the former Portuguese colony. The Portuguese ambassador said the city was calm. "We are waiting for some clarification from the leaders [of the revolt] as to what they want," he told Portuguese radio. Das Neves was the country's first woman prime minister, appointed in October. Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, who is also president of the African Union, urged the mutineers to give up their apparent power grab. "We condemn this coup and demand that its perpetrators restore constitutional order," Chissano said, quoted by the Portuguese national news agency Lusa. São Tomé and Principe, off the coast of Gabon, has a population of about 140,000 and is one of the world's poorest countries. But recent discoveries of oil in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea have brought hopes of quick economic advancement. The United States has made diplomatic overtures toward São Tomé and Príncipe hoping it and other countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea can provide a more stable source of oil than the Persian Gulf. But feuding among rival political parties over the oil wealth has caused political instability in recent years. The turmoil has stalled plans to explore the oil reserves. Since Menezes began his term in September 2001, he has fired four prime ministers and dissolved Parliament once. In January, Menezes revoked a decree that called for early elections and the dissolving of Parliament after striking a deal with lawmakers eager to trim his powers. Offshore development had been planned in conjunction with Nigeria. International tenders for development of the oil reserves were recently opened, though the results are not yet known (Fox news via Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) COUP IN SÃO TOMÉ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/16/world/main563537.shtml (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) RADIO IN SAO TOME SAID STILL ON AIR, APPARENTLY "INFILTRATED" BY COUP MAKERS | Text of report by Portuguese TV for Africa on 16 July News just in - which has been confirmed by RTP's [Portuguese TV's] correspondent - is that a coup has been carried out in Sao Tome and Principe. There are soldiers on the streets and leaders have been detained, including the prime minister. The coup took place at 0300 [local time, the same as gmt [sic]] today, at a time when President Fradique de Menezes is out of the country on a private visit to Nigeria. The soldiers - and everything points to the fact that it was the soldiers who carried out this coup - have taken control of the television and the radio, and their broadcasts have been suspended [as heard - see further reporting below]. According to what is known, the situation is still very confusing as it is not known who has really taken over power in the country. On the line I have our correspondent, Ricardo Mota. Good day. Is there any more information about what is happening? [Mota] No. Here in Sao Tome and Principe it is 6.30 in the morning and the information is very scarce. Everything indicates, and as you have just said, that the coup started at three o'clock. Gunshots were heard sporadically throughout the capital city. I have just arrived at the RTP Africa offices and during my journey I saw some soldiers, but there is no panic or open conflict. I can confirm the detention of Prime Minister Maria das Neves, as well as some ministers, namely the infrastructure and natural resources minister, defence minister, as well as the interim president, who is the National Assembly president, Dr Dionisio Dias. The information is scarce in terms of who is carrying out this coup. Everything indicates that the command forces within the armed forces are not involved in this coup, but rather another faction. This is information that I state with some caution as there is no confirmation. No communiqué has been issued by those who carried out the coup. Meanwhile, the people woke up a little shocked by the gunshots that were heard sporadically during the night. To date and according to the scarce information, there is nothing serious taking place. It can be confirmed that the detained government members have been taken to the barracks, which has also been taken over by a faction of the armed forces. [Announcer] The information is scarce because, I'm not sure if you have been able to confirm, but the radio and television have suspended broadcasts. [Mota] In relation to the television this has not happened. At this moment I can say that I am watching RTP International which is broadcast via (?TVS) [presumably state-owned Televisao Sao Tome e Principe] as (?TVS) only starts broadcasting at 1800. Right now I am also watching RTP Africa. Therefore, if the television has been taken over it is still functioning normally. In relation to radio, I heard the radio from 4.30 this morning. I had the perception that the radio has been infiltrated [by the putschists]. Meanwhile, there are people who have said that a warning was issued, asking the people to stay at home and not to take to the streets. The information that we have been receiving comes from people who have gone to work. They say that in certain sections of the city the concentration of troops is more significant, especially close to public buildings and ministries. I saw two jeeps with troops, but this seemed normal. [Presenter] We are certainly going to follow what is happening in relation to this coup as it is still not known who is trying to take over power. Source: RTP Internacional TV, Lisbon, in Portuguese 0630 gmt 16 Jul 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) SAO TOME RADIO NOW SAID TO BE OFF THE AIR FOLLOWING COUP State radio in São Tomé is now off the air, Portugal's RTP Internacional TV reported at 0855 gmt on 16 July as part of its coverage of the overnight coup. (Earlier, an RTP reporter in Sao Tome had said that the radio was still broadcasting.) Source: RTP Internacional TV, Lisbon, in Portuguese 0745 gmt 16 Jul 03 One wonders if there will be any effect on the VOA relay. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, July 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Here`s the current IBB schedule for ``SAO``; of course, if the station is off, some of the same transmissions could be backed up by other sites, such as ASCENSION, BOTSWANA, MOROCCO, etc., without notice or any local IDs, depending on transmitter availability. 15410, for instance is normally taken over by Morocco after 1700, but something was still audible there at 1600. Current Frequency Schedule Report Jul.16,4:40:0,2003.GMT [all VOA] FREQUENCY TIME NET LANG XMTR AZI DAYS 1530 0300 0430 B ENGL SAO A 040 1530 0430 0500 F PORT SAO A 040 1530 0500 0530 F HAUS SAO A 040 1530 0530 0600 F FREN SAO A 040 12345 1530 0600 0630 B ENGL SAO A 040 1530 0630 0700 B ENGL SAO A 040 67 1530 1600 1700 B ENGL SAO A 040 1530 1700 1800 F PORT SAO A 040 1530 1800 1830 F PORT SAO A 040 12345 1530 1830 1900 F FREN SAO A 040 1530 1900 2000 F FREN SAO A 040 1530 2000 2200 B ENGL SAO A 040 1530 2200 2230 B ENGL SAO A 040 12345 4950 1900 2030 B ENGL SAO 05 030 4950 2030 2100 B ENGL SAO 05 030 67 4950 2030 2100 F HAUS SAO 05 030 12345 4960 0400 0430 B ENGL SAO 05 030 4960 0430 0500 B ENGL SAO 05 030 4960 0500 0530 F HAUS SAO 05 030 4960 0530 0600 F FREN SAO 05 030 12345 4960 0600 0630 F FREN SAO 05 030 12345 6045 0500 0530 F HAUS SAO 01 000 6045 0530 0600 F FREN SAO 01 000 12345 6045 0600 0630 F FREN SAO 01 000 12345 6080 0300 0430 B ENGL SAO 04 138 6080 0430 0500 B ENGL SAO 04 138 6080 0500 0630 B ENGL SAO 04 138 6080 0630 0700 B ENGL SAO 04 138 67 6095 0330 0430 F KNKR SAO 02 100 6095 0430 0500 F PORT SAO 02 124 6095 0500 0530 F HAUS SAO 02 020 6095 0530 0600 F FREN SAO 02 020 12345 6095 0600 0630 F FREN SAO 02 020 12345 7290 0300 0430 B ENGL SAO 03 138 7290 0430 0600 B ENGL SAO 03 138 7290 0600 0630 B ENGL SAO 03 020 12345 9710 1500 1530 F HAUS SAO 04 020 9830 1600 1700 B ENGL SAO 01 335 9830 1700 1800 F PORT SAO 01 335 9830 1800 1830 F PORT SAO 01 335 12345 9830 1830 1900 F FREN SAO 01 335 9830 1900 2000 F FREN SAO 01 335 9830 2000 2030 F FREN SAO 01 335 9830 2030 2100 F FREN SAO 01 335 67 9830 2030 2100 F HAUS SAO 01 335 12345 9830 2100 2130 F FREN SAO 01 335 12345 9850 1600 1700 B ENGL SAO 02 138 9850 1700 1800 B ENGL SAO 02 138 9850 1800 2200 B ENGL SAO 02 138 9850 2200 2230 B ENGL SAO 02 138 12345 11975 1700 1730 B1 SHON SAO 04 138 12345 11975 1730 1800 B1 ENGL SAO 04 138 12345 11975 1800 2200 B ENGL SAO 04 100 11975 2200 2230 B ENGL SAO 04 100 12345 11990 1500 1530 F HAUS SAO 03 335 12035 2100 2130 F FREN SAO 03 020 12345 13695 1500 1530 F HAUS SAO 01 000 13725 0330 0430 F KNKR SAO 01 114 13725 0430 0500 F PORT SAO 01 114 15410 1600 1700 B ENGL SAO 04 124 15730 1630 1700 F1 SWAH SAO 03 100 15730 1700 1730 F1 SWAH SAO 03 100 12345 15730 1730 1800 F PORT SAO 03 100 15730 1800 1830 F PORT SAO 03 138 12345 15730 1830 1900 F FREN SAO 03 076 15730 1900 2000 F FREN SAO 03 076 15730 2000 2030 F FREN SAO 03 076 15730 2030 2100 F FREN SAO 03 076 67 15730 2030 2100 F HAUS SAO 03 076 12345 (excerpted by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Monitoring 15730, the usual VOA sign-on procedure was heard weakly at 1628 July 16, *not* including ``This is the Voice of America transmitter in São Tomé, signing on!`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAUDI ARABIA. SAUDI ARABIA TO UPGRADE DAMMAM BROADCASTING STATION Saudi Minister of Culture and Information, Dr. Fouad bin Abdul-Salam Al-Farsi, signed an 80 million Riyal (US$21.4 million) contract on Tuesday for setting up a new radio transmission station in Dammam to replace the existing one. The project, which is scheduled for completion in 30 months, will broadcast three services on mediumwave and three on FM to cover Dammam city and the surrounding region (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 16 July 2003 via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. See CANADA ** SWITZERLAND. Dear Mr. Harms, Thank you for your email. swissinfo/ SRI radio programmes will continue until 2005; however we no longer broadcast on shortwave to North America. Some listeners in North America have been able to pick up our programmes directed to South America at 2330 UT via 9885 KHz (Sottens) and 11905 KHz (Montsinéry). You may also want to visit our website http://www.swissinfo.org You'll find our radio programme, text, pictures and videos online. Sincerely, English Department swissinfo/SRI (via Bill Harms, MD, DXLD) Does this mean that SRI will stop broadcasting on SW? (Bill Harms, Elkridge, Maryland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Bill, Nice to hear from you. Yes, they are phasing out SW area by area (gh to Bill, via DXLD) That would be a serious mistake if SRI were to give up SW entirely (Harms, ibid.) ** SYRIA. OVERVIEW OF THE MEDIA - JULY 2003 | Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring Media Services on 16 July 2003 Overview The government and Ba'th Party own and control most of Syria's print and broadcast media. The domestic and foreign press are censored for material deemed threatening or embarrassing to the government, and criticism of the president and his family is not permitted. In 2000, after Bashar al-Asad became president following the death of his father Hafiz al-Asad, he authorized the country's first private and non-Ba'th Party newspapers in nearly 40 years. Political discussion groups mushroomed, and media reform appeared to be under way. However, after a brief period of increased press and political freedom, the efforts to consolidate reform stalled - a situation many analysts blamed on Bashar's dependence on his late father's ageing conservative support base. Following a crackdown that began in early 2001, during the following year the government prosecuted and jailed several pro-democracy activists. In the words of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), "the state-owned papers that had exhibited uncharacteristic panache in their opinion pages in 2000 today reflect the rigid style of previous years, displaying unwavering support for the government. Although the satirical weekly Al-Domari has mocked officials and some government policies, it, like all newly licensed private and party papers, largely avoids criticizing the regime." The passage of a new press law, first announced by Bashar in 2001, dashed all hopes of a media revival. The law imposes a range of restrictions against journalists, including requiring periodicals to obtain licences from the prime minister, who can deny any application not in the "public interest". Publications can be suspended for up to six months for violating content bans, and the prime minister can revoke the licences of repeat offenders. To date, some 15 private newspapers and magazines have been established, and publications from abroad are allowed to circulate. Curbs on the broadcast media are less onerous than on the print sector. Many TV viewers have access to foreign TV broadcasts, usually via satellite. Private, commercial FM radio stations are being licensed, but they cannot broadcast news or political content. Internet access continues to expand, and the country boasts dozens of internet cafes. The government remains Syria's sole internet provider. The press There are three main newspapers: Al-Ba'th (Ba'th Party paper); Al- Thawrah (The Revolution - government daily); and Tishrin (October), as well as the English-language Syria Times. Recent years have seen a modest proliferation of privately-published newspapers and magazines, the first such titles to be openly circulated since the early 1960s. In 2000 and 2001, three new party papers and two private papers were introduced in the country. There were new press laws in 2001. But while they permitted independent publications, they also spelt out the penalties for crossing the political line. New papers Sawt al-Shaab and Al-Wahdawi are pro-government and lack a critical edge, according to the CPJ. An independent, and at times satirical, voice was Al-Domari (The Lamplighter), edited by sacked Al-Thawrah cartoonist Ali Farzat. "Although we are an experiment and in terms of popularity it has been a success, we face many official obstacles. But what we have done is break the barrier of fear," said Farzat. However, Information Ministry rules limited its distribution, and the state advertisers' slice of the profits and pressure to censor some of the content led to the suspension of the paper, reported the World Press Review web site and Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres. In 2002, the government licensed at least three additional private publications - an insurance magazine, an advertising publication, and a political-cultural magazine called Abyad wa Aswad (Black and White), which is run by the son of the Syrian army chief of staff. Links: Al-Ba'th - http://www.albaath.com Al-Thawra - http://www.thawra.com Tishrin - http://www.teshreen.com Syria Times - http://www.teshreen.com/syriatimes Television Many TV viewers have access to foreign TV broadcasts, usually via satellite. There are no restrictions on the use of satellite receiving equipment. State-run Syrian TV operates domestic channels broadcasting in Arabic, English and French, and a satellite service which offers news bulletins in English, Hebrew and Spanish in addition to Arabic- language programmes. Improvements in the three state TV channels and pan-Arab news and entertainment channels have built ever-greater TV audiences. Links: Syrian Arab television - http://www.rtv.gov.sy Radio Syrian Arab Republic Radio is the state-run broadcaster, which also operates Radio Damascus, the external service, which broadcasts in several languages including English. In 2002 the government set out conditions for licensing private, commercial FM radio stations. But it ruled that the stations could not broadcast news or political content. In May 2003 the government gave initial approval to license four private commercial FM radio stations. Arabic-language programmes from Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East, the Arabic-language French radio station of the Radio France Internationale (RFI) group, have been audible on FM in Damascus since March 2003, when the station set up a relay station in Ajlun in Jordan. In September 2002 a clandestine opposition radio targeted at listeners in Syria was monitored broadcasting material condemning the Syrian government and its human rights record. The station, which identified itself after a few weeks as The Arabic Radio, has a web site with the following URL: http://www.arabicsyradio.org Links: Syrian Arab Republic Radio - http://www.rtv.gov.sy The Arabic Radio - http://www.arabicsyradio.org News agency The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) provides general news services in Arabic, English and French. Links: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) - http://www.sana.org Internet Internet access continues to expand; the country boasts dozens of internet cafes. In December 2001 some 60,000 people were estimated to be online. An April 2002 forecast said the number of Internet subscribers would grow at an annual rate of 43% between 2001 and 2006. The government is Syria's sole internet provider and blocks content about Israel, sex and Syria's human rights record, as well as sites that allow access to free internet e-mail. However, web surfers appear to have little trouble evading the restrictions by using proxy sites or dialling into internet service providers outside the country. Source: BBC Monitoring research 16 Jul 03 (via DXLD) ** TANNU TUVA. RUSSIA. Effective 1 July, transmitter in Kyzyl, Tuva (6100 kHz) is on the air with Mayak audio, instead of relaying Radio Rossii. According to my S meter, they increased the power to approximately 10...15 kW. Now frequency is steadily audible in Novosibirsk during the daytime. Broadcasting time must be 2200-1400. (open_dx - Igor Yaremenko, Novosibirsk, Russia, via Signal July 16 via DXLD) ** UGANDA [and non]. Dear Partners, In our previous newsletters we have told you of our work in Monrovia, Liberia. We wanted to establish a beachhead there so that we could once again blast the Word of God back into the Middle East. However, Doc Burkhart, our shortwave manager here in Louisville, Kentucky, telephoned me and asked that we urgently pray for our staff and friends in Liberia. Terrorist activities and threats of war had caused an evacuation of all Americans in Liberia. This information quickly brought back a flood of memories of all the heartache and difficulties High Adventure had suffered only three years before in May of 2000. At that time, Isaac Gronberg had telephoned me to say that former Prime Minister Ehud Barak was pulling the Israeli Army off the South Lebanon/Israel border. The High Adventure Lebanese staff had to run for their lives. Our American Engineering staff hurriedly moved our equipment to the safety of Israel. Suddenly, the ferocious terrorists took over the area where we had been for thirty years. Now, once again, we had anticipated a secure, safe location in Liberia but heard the all too familiar terrorist activity and threat of war. Doc and I continued with our conversation. I reminded him that we had not been comfortable for several months with the deteriorating situation in Monrovia. I recalled that Don McLaughlin, the Director of High Adventure Global Broadcasting in Canada, recently told me of an open door in Uganda in which the government would grant us a license to broadcast from Kampala. God has sent a great outpouring there and a base has been established – a place where we could now raise up a tower and transmitter to reach the world. The Lord was right on time! Doc ended his conversation with me and called Don in Canada. They discussed the upheaval in Liberia. Bob Rodgers was contacted and it was agreed that the Holy Spirit was forbidding us to go any further into Liberia. We had a problem, however, as Paul Hunter was loading the equipment at that very moment into a huge shipping container directed toward Monrovia! We found out later that Hunter was only minutes away from completing the shipment information when an inspector informed him that he did not have all of the documentation that was needed. The shipment would be delayed until the next day. God had sovereignly stepped in and stopped the delivery. The equipment was immediately redirected to Uganda and our staff returned safely to America. Now, from Uganda we will be able to provide superior coverage to the Middle East as our weapons (transmitters) of mass salvation and deliverance beam a more powerful signal from Uganda. In Uganda, we have partnered with Bishop Grivas Muisisi. The Bishop oversees twelve rapidly growing churches and provides housing to 375 children who have been orphaned by the AIDS virus. In addition, he has 20 children in his own home. Uganda President Yoweri Museveni is addressing the AIDS epidemic in his country with United States President Bush. We have been told that there are hundreds of documented healings of this disease in Uganda. Many Christians there are crying out to God for a great revival. Post Office Box 197569 • Louisville, KY 40259 • Phone (502) 968-7550 • Fax (502) 968-7580 http://www.highadventure.org • Email: mail@highadventure.net (Jackie Yockey, July High Adventure Ministries newsletter, tnx to tip from Andy Sennitt, via DXLD) ** U K. BBC vs ISRAEL: q.v. [held over from previous issue] ** U S A [and non]. Hello Everyone, woke up early this morning, and I decided to monitor the WYFR 3955 kHz Merlin Skelton tests at 4-5 UT. 75 mb log at 0350-0357 UT: 3975 S9+20 dB on Kenwood (7 diodes shining on Sony 2010) R Budapest in Spanish til 0357 UT c-down. 3995 S9+60 dB on Kenwood (10 diodes shining on Sony 2010) DW Wertachtal, powerhouse as usual. 4005 S=6-7 thiny Vatican radio in un-readable language. Noisy. 75 mb log at 0400-0500 UT: 3955 S9+30 dB on Kenwood (7-8 diodes shining on Sony 2010) WYFR GERMAN service, Crash start at 04.00:09 UT! Program audio four[!] seconds behind \\ 9985 kHz direct from Florida. Latter starts S9=+40 dB til 0420 UT, then decreasing to S=9 +0 dB, like \\ 9355 Engl sce. But WYFR 7355 English still keeps S=9 +30 dB til 0500 UT. WYFR 3955 cut midst in playing WYFR hymn at 05.00:01 UT 3995 S9+40 dB on Kenwood (10 diodes shining on Sony 2010) DW Wertachtal, powerhouse as usual. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, July 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Rush Limbaugh, big fat liar, claims still to be on WRNO SW! (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) His official site still lists WRNO: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rush.guest.la.html ``Our international audience can hear Rush Limbaugh on a commercial shortwave radio station out of New Orleans USA: station WRNO Monday thru Friday 1200 to 1500 (12noon to 3PM) New York City time - 1600 to 1900 UTC. as of October 25, 1998 to March 28, 1999 10:00AM - 5:00PM CST (1600-2300 UTC) - 7.395 MHZ* 5:00PM - 10:00PM CST (2300-0400 UTC) - 7.355 MHZ 10:00PM - 10:00AM CST (0400-0600 UTC) - 7.395 MHZ *This is a temporary frequency allocation. Please stay tuned for an announcement of our return to 15.420 MHZ`` (via Andy Sennitt, DXLD) ** U S A. 5100, USA, WBCQ (tests), 2302-2333, 15/07, EG. Christian Media Network programming with ads for colloidal silver, water filters, religious program mentioning broadcasting on "WBCQ 9335", real "fire and brimstone". Good (Scott Barbour, NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, I also noticed 5100 paralleling 9335 instead of 7415. The RTTY on the lower side continues to be an annoyance (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. KCBQ, 1170, San Diego CA gets to stay on the air after its current transmitter site gets paved over. The Salem station told its listeners it might have to go dark in September, when its six-tower site in Santee is due to become a Home Depot --- but now it`s won a reprieve. While KCBQ fights with county officials about its plans for a new site up in the hills above Santee, it`ll operate at much lower power form the tower of Clear Channel`s KPOP, San Diego (1360), covering the city but losing its suburban signal after dark. KMYR, 1410, Wichita KS, has returned to air June 6 with Adult Standards, ``Music You Remember``, just six days after losing its transmitter building in a fire. Instead of its pre-fire 5000/1000 watt direxional signal, the standards station is running under STA with 250 watts into a single tower until it can get more of its transmission facility rebuilt (M-Street Journal via Domestic DX Digest, NRC DX News July 14 via DXLD) ** U S A. KTIM, 1510, San Rafael CA, 6/30, format has returned to Classical, ex-C&W (100000watts.com via Domestic DX Digest, NRC DX News July 14 via DXLD) Yay! ** U S A. KFUO AM WENT WITH IBOC There was a blurb in the business section of the St. Louis Post- Dispatch for Tuesday July 15th that KFUO-AM, 850 kHz, has started using IBOC. (They phrased it as HD Digital Radio from Ibiquity.) Since that is a daytimer, I suppose it isn't of much import to the MW DXing community. I tuned across the 830-870 kHz spectrum after reading that during the day and did hear the buzz on adjacent frequencies, but there seemed to be an awful lot of noises and buzzes and distinguishing the IBOC-caused noise from all the others was beyond me. The blurb seemed to imply that this was the first AMer here in St. Louis to implement IBOC. If it does improve their signal quality for the small amount of classical music they do air on the AM side, and if it is daytime only, I suppose it is a good thing. I seldom tune KFUO- AM myself, but KFUO-FM is our only classical resource left and one of the few local stations I listen to with any frequency. 73, (Will Martin, St. Louis, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. HOUSE COMMITTEE VOTES TO BLOCK FCC FROM EASING LIMITS ON TV STATION OWNERSHIP --- By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press, 7/16/03 12:56 PM WASHINGTON (AP) -- A House committee voted Wednesday to block federal regulators from letting companies purchase larger numbers of television stations, ignoring a Bush administration veto threat and handing a setback to the commercial television networks. By a bipartisan 40-25 vote, the House Appropriations Committee voted to derail a new Federal Communications Commission rule that would let a single company own TV stations reaching 45 percent of American households. That new rule replaced a 35 percent limit, which has been favored by smaller broadcasters and an amalgam of groups ranging from the National Rifle Association to consumer advocates. The Appropriations Committee's approval of the provision, which was attached to a must-pass spending bill for the Commerce, Justice and State departments, breathed new life into an effort by congressional opponents to undo the June 2 FCC decision. Separate House and Senate bills to thwart the new FCC have bogged down, having run into opposition from pivotal committee chairmen. Even so, with the White House threatening a veto, House Republican leaders backing the administration and continued opposition from the major commercial broadcast networks, the prospects for the provision approved on Wednesday were unclear. Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., sponsor of the amendment, cast it as an attempt to keep national corporations from dictating what will be aired on local television stations. He and others complained about prime-time broadcasts of Victoria Secrets models and other programming they said was unsuitable for young children. "I don't want ownership factors to get in the way of districts like mine from being able to preserve their own cultural attitudes," Obey said. Supporters of the new FCC rules said they reflected the growing competition that large network broadcasters face from cable and satellite television and the Internet. Blocking those rules won't change the programming, they said. "It doesn't matter whether they're owned by a guy in that town or a conglomerate," said Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas. Obey's amendment did not affect other parts of the FCC decision that ended many of the prohibitions against a single company owning newspapers and broadcast stations in the same community. Prior to approving the amendment, the committee by voice vote killed an effort to broaden it by also blocking the part of the FCC ruling having to do with joint newspaper-broadcast ownership. The sponsor of that amendment, Rep. Anne Northup, R-Ky., said she wanted to contain the expansion of all media organizations, not just television networks. But Obey said her proposal, if approved, would have spelled the defeat of the entire amendment by increasing the number of groups -- and lawmakers -- opposed to it (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. BERKELEY RADIO PIRATES BROADCAST DESPITE FCC INTERVENTION, THREATS --- By AL WINSLOW Special to the Planet (07-15-03) Berkeley Daily Planet Edition Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2003 http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=07-15-03&storyID=16999 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been trying to silence Berkeley`s pirate radio broadcasters for 10 years. The broadcasters continue to broadcast, but they say it`s getting harder. ``[The FCC] is starting to pick on people who have property, who have something to lose,`` said labor activist Michael Delacour, who quit Berkeley Liberation Radio (104.1 FM) last year after being threatened by the FCC with a fine of up to $100,000. ``I was afraid they were threatening my retirement,`` said Delacour, 65, who receives a pension from the Boilermakers` Union. A current broadcaster—``Captain Fred``—said the ranks of Berkeley Liberation Radio have thinned and that some local pirate stations—such as Queer Kids Radio and Vulcan Radio, an anarchist music station—went off the air entirely after getting an FCC letter. ``Typically, what happens is they get a letter called a notice of liability and a letter threatening dire consequences if they don`t go off the air,`` Captain Fred said. Another broadcaster—``DJ Advocacy``— added: ``Usually, for most people, that`s all the warning they need.`` DJ Advocacy said broadcasters use pseudonyms because, ``Basically, the FCC doesn`t know who we are. They didn`t know where to send the letter to, so they sent it to Delacour.`` The May 6, 2002, letter to Delacour, five-time Peace and Freedom Party candidate for mayor and Berkeley`s best known usual suspect, reads: ``[The FCC] has received complaints from residents ... concerning interference to reception of FM broadcast signals ... investigation revealed that you lease space at Skyline Studios ... and that that space is used by the illegal radio station known as Berkeley Liberation Radio ... You are hereby officially advised that operation of radio transmitting equipment without a valid license ... may subject the operator to penalties of a maximum criminal fine of $100,000 and/or one-year imprisonment, a civil forfeiture up to $11,000 or seizure of the equipment for the first offense.`` When shown the letter, the Berkeley civil liberties lawyer David Beauvais said, ``They`re intending to chill people out with it. That`s the point.`` The radio station is breaking the law, he said, and the FCC is enforcing it. ``It`s a civil disobedience kind of thing, and when you do civil disobedience, you`ve got to take your lumps,`` Beauvais said. The FCC made good on its ``seizure of the equipment`` threat Dec. 11, storming the Berkeley Liberation Radio station at 2427 Telegraph Ave. at 55 Street. The pirate station now operates in another location. The station has no paid employees and costs $600 a month for rent and $20 for a phone, according to Captain Fred. What is broadcast is virtually anything. Berkeley pirate broadcasters have aired a Marxist interpretation of the news, regular readings of articles from the local newspapers, shows on animal rights, parenting, bicycle liberation and the experiences of gay Afro-Americans, articles by adult film actress Nina Hartley, programs by the Peace and Freedom Party and the Libertarian Party, and an on-air appearance by then- Mayor Shirley Dean. A lot of it is for enjoyment, Delacour said. ``It`s a form of therapy. You can sit in a room and talk for a couple of hours without anyone interrupting. You can be the disc jockey you always dreamed of since you were a kid.`` Tony McNair, a Berkeley homeless activist, was alone in the one-room station at 11 a.m., broadcasting the tape of a San Francisco anti-war rally. He said about a dozen men in blue jackets with FCC or U.S. Marshall written on them, came in carrying sledge hammers and a battering ram. ``They yanked me out by the shirt and slammed me up against the wall and held guns pointed at my head,`` McNair said. ``They kept saying, `Who are the leaders? Who are the leaders?``` McNair said the raiding party turned off the station and removed all the equipment, including a computer and its records. He was let go an hour later, after an Oakland policeman ran a warrant check on him, he said. The station, though, was back on the air in four days and continues to broadcast. It now costs about $1,000 to fully equip a micropower station and the cost is about to plunge again, according to Free Radio Berkeley founder Stephen Dunifer. Barred by federal court order from broadcasting, Dunifer is collaborating with other transmitter engineers throughout the country to find ways to reduce equipment costs. ``We`re ready to introduce a $100 kit that, with other equipment you can get at a hardware store, will let you broadcast four to six miles, which is really all you need, for $500,`` he said. ``As long as equipment costs can be kept low, these raids are really not that effective. They cost a lot and there is the indirect cost that storm troopers coming in and stealing a microphone is not the best image the FCC wants to project in terms of free speech issues,`` Dunifer said. Dunifer advocates flooding the country with so many micropower stations the government will be powerless. ``If it becomes popular enough, mainstream enough, the FCC could face having to go into a rest home to stop an 80-year-old woman from broadcasting Glenn Miller,`` he said. Because they come and go so often, it`s hard to estimate how many unlicensed stations operate in the country. Dunifer estimates hundreds. One Web site lists 21 by name in California, including six in the Bay Area. The FCC regularly reports shutting down about 200 a year. Broadcaster Suzan Rodriguez, using her real name --- ``I don`t care who knows who I am`` --- said prior to her regular Friday morning show on Berkeley Liberation Radio, ``We`re not going to just roll over.`` ``Micro-radio is the last platform for the people to have a voice in a country where the government is bent on gagging our voices. Dissent is the American way. Our country was founded on dissent,`` she said. Meanwhile, it`s not certain the FCC has rid itself of Delacour. ``Actually, I made a bad decision,`` he said about quitting the station. ``I had other things going on, like fighting an eviction, but I wish I`d stayed with it and not chickened out.`` (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) It looks like Frank Charlie Charlie is now saying you can make big fines slow through repeat offenses. I wonder if they're going to make any decisive moves against the well-known pirates in San Francisco and Berkeley any time soon (Joel Rubin, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT ORDERS CIVIL JUDGMENT AGAINST RICHARD I. ROWLAND FOR UNLICENSED RADIO OPERATION. The FCC announced that in the US Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division, US District Judge Honorable Gregory A. Presnell granted judgment in favor of US to collect a civil penalty against defendant Richard I. Rowland in the amount of $10,000. News Release. News Media Contact: David Fiske at (202) 418-0500 EB. Contact Lisa Fowlkes at (202) 418-7450, TTY: 1(888) 835-5322 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-236551A1.doc http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-236551A1.pdf http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-236551A1.txt (via radioman390 via Joel Rubin, DXLD) ** U S A. TODD MUNDT SHOW: Our final show is July 25th. Nothing lasts forever, except maybe an Adam Sandler movie, which only SEEMS that way. And like all things - summer, the sweet innocence of childhood, "Hee Haw" - the Todd Mundt Show is ending on July 25th. Todd has decided to do other things. He will continue to host Morning Edition on Michigan Radio from 5am to 9am. He will also be working with our sister station, Michigan Television on various public television projects. It`s been a good run. (from http://www.toddshow.org/goodbye.asp via DXLD) ** U S A. REUNION --- ALUMS RECALL WEBR'S SWITCH TO ALL-NEWS By JOHN F. BONFATTI, News Staff Reporter, 7/13/2003 Some of the more familiar voices in Buffalo news radio history filled Romanello's Roseland restaurant as alumni of WEBR radio gathered for a reunion Saturday night. Gathered by former WEBR anchor Mark Hamrick, about 20 former staffers glanced through a scrapbook of photos and reminisced about the days after the station switched from an oldies format to an all-news format in 1976. "That station was such a unique situation because we had a lot of young, highly talented people working together at a special time," said Hamrick, who went on to work for AP Broadcast in Washington, where he has been business editor for the past seven years. WEBR, located at 970 on the AM dial - a spot now used by its successor, WNED - was one of the first radio stations in Buffalo, originally going on the air in 1924. It was the first commercial radio station to be purchased by a public radio station in 50 years when the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association bought it in 1975. The switch in formats the next year made it the first public all-news station in the country. more at: http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030713/1035826.asp (via Fred Waterer, DXLD) ** U S A. INTERVIEW --- CIGAR DAVE, TURNING OVER A FAMILIAR LEAF By ANTHONY VIOLANTI, News Staff Reporter, 7/14/2003 The legend of Cigar Dave started in North Buffalo nearly 30 years ago. It all began when little David Zeplowitz would climb up on his grandfather's knee. Grandpa Abe used to smoke Gold Circle cigars, and young Dave relished the smell of a stogie wafting across the room. "My grandfather always smoked cigars and I loved to be around him, and I loved the aroma," said Zeplowitz, 39, known to radio fans as Cigar Dave. He now lives in Tampa and hosts the weekly Cigar Dave Show, syndicated to nearly 100 hundred stations, with an estimated audience of about 800,000 listeners. The two-hour program has been on the air for eight years and is heard locally at 7 p.m. Saturdays on WBEN-AM 930. Zeplowitz as Cigar Dave offers a throwback to the Rat Pack era, a time of smokes, cocktails, thick steaks, off-color jokes and guy talk. On the air, Cigar Dave is known as "The General," and weaves tales of sports, good times and a "harem" of female admirers, not to mention detailed information on the art of smoking cigars. Some may call the program politically incorrect, but Cigar Dave couldn't care less. "My show is about going back to simpler times and I'm unapologetic about it, no matter what the pleasure police say," Zeplowitz said in a telephone interview. And just who are the pleasure police? "All those nannies telling you what not to do," Zeplowitz said. "Too many people think that we shouldn't do anything that is enjoyable. Their lives are so miserable the only way they feel good is to make people unhappy. Let me worry about myself. I have the right to smoke cigars and eat steak." He admits that high doses of beef and tobacco can clog the arteries and the lungs. "I tell people to enjoy things in moderation," said Zeplowitz, who only smokes a few cigars a week. "A little steak, a little wine, a good cigar; what's wrong with that? Have it in moderation and you will be fine." more at: http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030714/1048822.asp (Via Fred Waterer, Ont., DXLD) ** U S A. NASHVILLE SKYLINE: Anarchy on the Airwaves Chet Flippo 07/10/2003 (NASHVILLE SKYLINE is a column by CMT/CMT.com Editorial Director Chet Flippo.) http://www.cmt.com/news/display/1473736.jhtml In the fascinating Stanley Kramer doomsday movie On the Beach, there`s a pivotal scene where a submarine crew -- survivors of a nuclear holocaust -- scan the radio waves in vain looking for signs of life elsewhere in the world. Finally, a ray of hope! There`s a mysterious signal coming over the airwaves -- but it`s a sort of clicking, like Morse code. A search team from the submarine goes ashore in San Diego to find the source of the signal. And they find it. In an otherwise lifeless city, in an otherwise lifeless radio station, there`s a Coke bottle that`s become entangled in the window shade cord and -- blown by the breeze through the window -- it`s tapping out a nonsensical message through the radio`s board. Is that where big radio is headed? A signal with no message? Mainline radio executives this week appearing before Congress to defend their boycott of the Dixie Chicks sounded defensive and finally … afraid. Their justification of the Chicks boycott as a business decision rather than a political one is shamefully transparent -- especially when they claim that listener response ``forced`` the boycott. And it is demonstrating to listeners that big radio is not responsive to their wishes. As corporate radio increasingly becomes homogenized and chases the dollar through any means necessary, listeners increasingly look to alternatives. Not just in country radio, where airplay at major stations equals chart success equals album sales and ticket sales on tour. That`s still the mainstream model -- but it should not be the only country outlet for listeners. These days though, it`s not so much a case of ``either or`` -- having to choose between either mainstream or underground radio. It`s now a case of having a much larger tray to elect from. Not since the days of true pirate radio with offshore stations like Radio Caroline have so many alternatives to big commercial radio been emerging. Country fans, especially, are looking to satellite radio such as XM and Sirius. And more and more, people are turning to the Internet for radio alternatives . And size no longer matters When your favorite radio station is on wheels, what does that tell you? In a world of 100,000- watt mega stations, tiny WDVX transmits with a puny 200 watts from a 14-foot trailer in rural Tennessee. Thanks to the Internet, though, WDVX.com is a giant among stations. It`s nonprofit and commercial-free and it plays many strains of American music, with a focus on bluegrass. That WDVX trailer will be rolling into downtown Knoxville later this year. It`s been lured away from its spot at the Fox Inn Campgrounds in Clinton, Tenn., as part of the development of the Gay Street area of downtown Knoxville. WDVX has already been transmitting live concerts from downtown Knoxville, and its new site will have an adjacent 75- seat auditorium for live shows. Internet stations such as WDVX and lively WNCW on the campus of Isothermal Community College in Spindale, N.C., are proving that size doesn`t matter. As long as they can exist with even marginal support, such viable alternatives are going to be sought out by listeners with an ear for adventure. You should be able to hear George Strait and Bruce Springsteen, Merle Haggard and Norah Jones, Joe Nichols and Alison Krauss, Delbert McClinton and Allison Moorer, Roscoe Holcomb and Lightnin` Hopkins, Tracy Chapman and Ben Harper, Ani DiFranco and Willie Nelson, Dierks Bentley and Ralph Stanley, Billie Holiday and Charley Patton, T-Bone Walker and Lyle Lovett, Dolly Parton and Etta James, Miles Davis and the Carter Family, Bill Monroe and the Jayhawks. Specialized radio outlets for that music are here and they`re growing. In this limitless future of MP3 streams, iPods and satellites, personal radio is an inevitability. Our own CMT.com radio stations have demonstrated the enormous listener appeal of customized radio. The day is coming when your personal iPod will transmit your own personal radio favorites to you on demand. Visitors to Microsoft founder Bill Gates` mansion are given visitors` passes that are embedded with chips containing the visitors` own personal preferences in music and art. Each room in the house is programmed to play that music and show those images on the wall. That`s about as personal it gets -- until the day when you get your government-provided computer chip installed in your brain. Let a thousand radio alternatives bloom (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. WORKER DIES FROM 450-FOOT RADIO TOWER FALL http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/6309282.htm Posted on Tue, Jul. 15, 2003 Associated Press HOOKSTOWN, Pa. - A worker repairing an antenna on a radio tower Tuesday morning fell about 450 feet to his death, authorities said. The 26-year-old man, believed to be from Paducah, Ky., was pronounced dead at the scene before 11 a.m., the Beaver County Coroner's office said. The victim's identity was being withheld pending notification of family, state police Trooper Randall McPherson said. The worker, a subcontractor for World Tower Co. Inc. of Mayfield, Ky., was working on a 490-feet-tall radio tower in Greene Township, near the Ohio border. Another man working on the tower at the time said he believed each man was secured to his harness, McPherson said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was investigating, McPherson said (via Mike Terry, DXLD) What station??!! News - 400-Foot Drop Kills Radio Tower Worker" The link: http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/2334066/detail.html State Police, OSHA Investigating GREENE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A man died Tuesday morning after falling about 450 feet from a radio tower while he was repairing an antenna, WTAE's Sheldon Ingram reported. Authorities say the 26-year-old man, believed to be from Paducah, Ky., was pronounced dead at the scene in a remote area of Greene, Beaver County. His name has not been revealed. The man was working on a tower used by WOGF Froggy 104, of East Liverpool, Ohio. He was a subcontractor for World Tower Co. Inc., of Mayfield, Ky. State police Trooper Randall McPherson said the man and a co- worker were apparently both wearing their harnesses and were attached to the tower, looking at each other, when the fall happened. As of now, the death is being considered an accident. State police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are continuing to investigate. Oddly enough, this station is currently running a promotion called "Leap for Life"! (via Jerry Rappel, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) ** U S A. STILL NO WORD ON WHY TOWER FELL Shiloh Woolman, Managing Editor http://www.theomahachannel.com/ketv7/2315531/detail.html POSTED: 12:15 p.m. CDT July 7, 2003 UPDATED: 5:25 p.m. CDT July 8, 2003 OMAHA, Neb. -- Crews returned to the site of Friday's KETV tower collapse at 72nd and Crown Point Monday. They are hoping to determine what brought down the 1,200-foot tower and begin to assess how and when the station will be able to rebuild. Slideshow: Photos From The Tower Collapse http://www.theomahachannel.com/ketv7/2315531/detail.html http://www.earthsignals.com/add_CGC/KETV_TWR.jpg The main broadcast tower for Channel 7 fell to the ground Friday at 11:09 p.m. Neighbors reported hearing the guy wires snap, but they mistakenly thought the noise was fireworks. "All of a sudden I heard this noise like a jet and the tower just fell on top of itself," said Tracy Oliver, a witness to the collapse. "The lights went out as it went down." KETV was upgrading the tower with new HDTV technology. No one was hurt in the fall and Channel 7 is still being broadcast from an auxiliary tower near the station at 27th and Douglas streets. KVNO is not so lucky, however. The classical music station had an antenna on the tower and it has no backup location. For the indefinite future, KVNO can be heard on the Internet KVNO (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. HAM RADIO ASSISTS RELIEF EFFORT AS CLAUDETTE HITS TEXAS COAST NEWINGTON, CT, Jul 15, 2003--Now that Hurricane Claudette has made landfall at Matagorda Bay on the middle Texas coast, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has secured operations, and Amateur Radio Emergency Service teams have begun to aid relief organizations. The HWN had activated on 14.325 MHz to gather observed or measured weather data and storm damage reports as the stormed headed toward the Texas coast. When a storm threatens, HWN relays reports to forecasters via WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. ``We secured the Hurricane Watch Net as Hurricane Claudette has moved inland near Port O`Connor, Texas, and ceases to be a serious threat,`` said HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP. The National Hurricane Center expects Claudette to weaken as the storm`s eye moves further inland. ARRL South Texas Section Manager Ray Taylor, N5NAV, says the storm came ashore a bit earlier than anticipated. The ARES station at the Texas State Emergency Operations Center has been on the air since July 13, he said. ARES crews also have been helping the Baptist Men`s Kitchen, Red Cross and The Salvation Army relief efforts. An FCC-declared general communications emergency for the Texas coastal area for 7285 kHz (days) and 3873 kHz (nights) remains in effect. The FCC says amateurs are required to refrain from using those frequencies, plus or minus 3 kHz, unless they are taking part in the handling of emergency traffic. The declaration remains in effect until it`s rescinded. A hurricane warning remains in effect along the Texas coast from Baffin Bay to High Island. A tropical storm warning remains in effect north of High Island, Texas, to Sabine Pass. As of 1600 UT, Claudette was some 15 miles west-northwest of Port O`Connor, Texas moving to the west-northwest at nearly 12 MPH and packing maximum sustained winds near 80 MPH with higher gusts. Intense rainfall resulting in possible flooding seems to be the major threat, with the NHC predicting up to eight inches of rain along with storm surge flooding of four to six feet above normal. Isolated tornadoes also are possible. Taylor said parts of South Texas already are saturated from previous heavy rains. WX4NHC has requested that amateurs submit weather and damage reports from affected areas via the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz and via IRLP SKYWARN Node (Dallas Reflector) 9455. Non-IRLP repeaters will be linked via the Cactus Intertie System to cover a large area of Texas. Texas Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) Coordinator Mel Goodwin, KI5WT, has advised SATERN members to listen to the emergency net on 7.285 MHz daytime. The SATERN net meets on 14.265 MHz weekdays at 1500 UT. The Salvation Army has put disaster relief teams on notice for immediate activation. Canteen units are equipped with Amateur Radio gear. The Salvation Army already has opened two shelters in Corpus Christi and another in Freeport is housing some 25 residents mostly from the flooded Surfside area. Another shelter was scheduled to open in Lufkin. The Salvation Army reports it has four shelters on standby in Cameron County and another in McAllen to handle any storm-related evacuees. The International Space Station crew of Commander Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUO, and NASA ISS Science Officer and Flight Engineer Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, were able to see Hurricane Claudette from their unique vantage point 240 miles above Earth. NASA says the Expedition 7 team captured ``spectacular video`` of the storm as it made landfall. (The video will be broadcast on NASA Television.) Copyright © 2003, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (via John Norfolk, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###