DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-188, October 23, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser IMPORTANT NOTE: our hotmail accounts are being phased out. Please do not use them any further, but instead woradio at yahoo.com or wghauser at yahoo.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 [note change] http://www.w4uvh.net/dxldtd3j.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 NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1204: WWCR: Thu 2030 on 15825, Sat 1030, Sun 0230 on 5070, 0630 on 3210, Wed 1030 on 9475 RFPI: Sat 0130, 0800, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Wed 0100, 0730 on 7445 [times nominal, subject to great variation] WRMI: Sat 1800+ on 15725 WBCQ: Mon 0515 on 7415, 5105 WRN : Rest of world Sat 0800, Europe Sun 0530, North America Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND [from Fri]: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html WORLD OF RADIO 1204 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1204h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1204h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1204.html WORLD OF RADIO 1204 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1204.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1204.rm UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS See also PROPAGATION (Fletcher) Hi Glenn, I can assure you that I read and use every DXLD that I get, maybe not the US and Oklahoma items so deep, and your bulletins are the best sources for me to keep up my DX-ing "level". I have been a DX-er since 1957, and today I got my 2000th station confirmed (from 216 EDXC-countries), so I need real challenges from reliable sources to get to listen to new stations. That`s you and the supporters of your bulletin. So please, let them go on coming! Best wishes and 73 from (Björn Fransson, DX-ing from the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea) Hello Glenn. I remember hearing you on Radio Canada International when Ian McFarland had the SWL digest program. That's been a while. I used to love RCI. I used to listen every Saturday on my FRG-7000 with great anticipation. Hope you're doing well Glenn! (DeWayne K9KZ, DX-398 yahoogroup) ** ARGENTINA. Para Horacio Nigro: Acerca de la emisora que escuchaste en 3040 khz como armónica de 1520 x 2, esta info que mandó Marcelo Cornachioni y que saldrá en la próxima edición de Conexión Digital seguramente te ayudará a aclarar la captación. 73's (Aarnaldo Slaen, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Viz.: Gran Buenos Aires: 1520 KHz, Radio Model se ha reactivado en esta nueva frecuencia (ex 1120 y luego 1140 KHz), operando en paralelo con su FM en 101.7 MHz. QTH: Fernando de Toro 1079, (B1842HXU) Monte Grande, Buenos Aires. Tel: (011) 4296-7214 y 4296-1687. Sus directores son: Marcelo O. Tonello y Delia Peralta (Marcelo A. Cornachioni, Argentina via Slaen, ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. A new relay transmission of Radio Australia's English language service to Asia will commence at 1400 UT Sunday 26 October 2003. The broadcast will run 1400-1600 UT daily, on 11750 kHz in the 25 m band. It is directed to central and west Indonesia and part of India. The signal comes from a 250 kW transmitter at the former Radio Australia transmitting station at Cox Penisula, Darwin and uses a bearing of 290 degrees which takes the signal through Java, Sumatra and southern India. Radio Australia leases transmission capacity from the owners of the Darwin transmitters, Christian Voice International (Nigel Holmes, Transmission Manager, RADIO AUSTRALIA, via Johno Wright, ARDXC via DXLD) ** CANADA. GOVERNMENT REPORT ON RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL I stumbled on this document this morning while looking up some history on RCI for an upcoming Mailbag report. I don't know if you've seen this before. I haven't fully digested it yet, but it looks interesting: http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/em-cr/eval/2003/2003_04/tdm_e.cfm (Sheldon Harvey, QC, Oct 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It starts out thus: Formative Evaluation of Radio Canada International (RCI) Executive Summary Radio Canada International (RCI) is an international broadcast service, established in 1942, that is located in the Société Radio- Canada building in Montréal. Its objectives are to develop and promote awareness of Canada abroad, furthering Canada's economic, social and cultural objectives, and connecting Canadians travelling and living abroad with developments in Canadian society. Besides French and English programming, RCI broadcasts programs in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian. There has been a longstanding uncertainty about funding for RCI, and several times the service seemed on the verge of closing. However, annual funding of $15.52 million from the Department of Canadian Heritage was announced in 1997, to be provided by means of a contribution agreement between the Department and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) providing input on geographic target areas and broadcast languages. The report that follows is a formative evaluation, assessing RCI's design and delivery and the likelihood of objectives achievement. It was produced by the Department of Canadian Heritage, based on research conducted by Consulting and Audit Canada during 2001 and 2002. It makes four recommendations, as follows: The rationale for the RCI service should be more clearly defined, and RCI, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation should together define expected results of RCI programming. If a contribution agreement continues to be the most effective mechanism to provide funding to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for RCI operations, the contribution agreement should set out clearly defined expected results, performance information that will be captured by RCI, and a plan for evaluating RCI's relevance, success and cost-effectiveness. Any future contribution agreement between the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation should set out RCI's reporting obligations to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as well as the information Canadian Broadcasting Corporation will provide to the Department of Canadian Heritage. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has an international broadcasting policy, and RCI's role and objectives in relation to that policy should be clearly defined. . . (Canadian Heritage via gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. QUIRKS & QUARKS Oct 25: Hello, This week on Quirks & Quarks our feature item is; ``Mind Control``. Imagine turning on a light switch - with only a thought. Or driving your car - with mental effort alone. The idea of controlling machines with brainpower has long been the stuff of magic and fantasy, but researchers have now made breakthroughs that could soon make the idea a reality. Scientists have actually wired a monkey's brain so that it can direct and control a robotic arm. We'll look at the promise and the challenges of this remarkable technology. Plus - Finding Nemo's transsexual siblings .... All this and more on Quirks & Quarks, Saturday right after the noon news on Radio One. Bob McDOnald, Host ____ Quirks & Quarks, CBC Radio One Saturdays at 12:06 online at http://cbc.ca/quirks Science mailing list Science@interact.cbc.ca http://interact.cbc.ca/mailman/listinfo/science (via DXLD) ** CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC [non]. Today, 23 Oct I received a nice QSL from Fondation Hirondelle in Switzerland for my 28 Sep report of R Ndeke Luka on 15545 kHz via UK. The QSL design is similar to their R Okapi QSL, but with Ndeke Luka logo and info in French. They also sent a nice Bangui 2002/Ndeke Luka postcard (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, Oct 23, dxing.info via DXLD) ** CHINA. ANALYSIS: CHINA'S PRESS FACES FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL | Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring on 22 October Sweeping reforms to China's press industry have threatened to put hundreds of regional newspapers out of business. In the media views are divided on the issue - while some welcome the shake-up of the country's unprofitable papers, others focus on the job losses that are likely to follow. In what has been described as the deepest reform of the press since the Communist Party took over political power, Beijing announced a series of reforms governing the newspaper industry in July. The reforms are set to come into play this autumn. They are aimed at bringing the industry in line with a free market economy and reducing government spending. Under the new regulations, newspapers must be financially independent from central government. Each province can fund only two publications and each city one. Government departments will also no longer be forced to buy the papers. The cherished Communist Party mouthpieces - the Renmin Ribao newspaper and Seeking Truth periodical - are the only publications to maintain their government lifeline. The Hong Kong-based newspaper Ta Kung Pao quoted government sources as saying that if state support was cut for publications with little market appeal, about 300 local newspapers and 500 periodicals would be forced to close. Local party papers are not the only publications under threat. Trade journals are also likely to suffer if government departments are not obliged to buy them. The publisher of Xinmin News, a trade journal published in Liaoning Province, was not optimistic about the chance of finding voluntary subscribers. "We've never been on a news-stand. Who in his right mind would buy our paper?" he asked the China Daily. Stop the press It seems that few of these papers will be missed and the removal of imposed subscriptions will be welcomed by many local authorities. "The burden resulting from imposed subscriptions is known to all and is very widespread," writes the popular southern newspaper Nanfang Zhoumo. It cites a provincial Communist Party official, who said he "thanked heaven" twice when he heard his department would no longer have to buy newspapers that went straight into the dustbin. Media analysts have also greeted the reforms enthusiastically. "We have a grand media machine, but there are a lot of faulty connections within it," Cao Peng, a media analyst at Hebei University told the China Daily. "Coercive measures" But the Hong Kong weekly magazine Yazhou Zhoukan points out that the reforms will result in around 40,000 journalists being forced out of a job. "For journalists, the competition environment will be harsher. If they cannot provide news that suits market demand, they will face the fate of unemployment and being laid off," it says. But Chinese TV has criticized "coercive measures" employed by certain publishers to find new subscribers. In one case in the northern Shaanxi Province, a tax bureau forced taxpayers to subscribe to a publication on tax affairs. It told businesses that unless they subscribed the bureau would not process their tax returns, for which they would be heavily penalised. China's journalists are themselves now making the news. Source: BBC Monitoring research 22 Oct 03 (via DXLD) ** CUBA. R. Rebelde, morning show with frequent EDT time chex, paranoia about US menace to Cuba [actually any menace is to the illegitimate Castro government, not Cuba itself --- we must remember if they won`t], on 11655 around 1245 UT Oct 23 \\ stronger 9600, off after 1300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. DEUTSCHE WELLE English-language programmes B03 (26.10.03 - 27.03.04) ================================================================ Target area Time /UTC Frequency Europe 0600-1000 6140 kHz Europe 1300-1600 6140 kHz South Asia 0000-0100 7290*, 9880 kHz South Asia 1600-1700 6170*, 7225, 11695 kHz South-East Asia 1100-1200 17670*, 21650 kHz South & South-East Asia 2300-2400 9815, 12035 kHz East Asia 1000-1030 6205, 15190, 17820 kHz East Asia 2200-2300 6180*, 6225 kHz Sri Lanka / South India 0000-0100 1548 kHz (MW) Sri Lanka / South India 1600-1700 1548 kHz (MW) West Africa 0500-0600 9565, 11805 kHz West Africa 0600-0700 7225, 11785, 15410 kHz West Africa 2100-2200 9615, 13780*, 15410 kHz East & Central Africa 1900-2000 6180*, 11865, 13590, 13780* kHz East & South Africa 0400-0500 6180, 9710 kHz East & South Africa 0500-0600 15410 kHz East Africa / Middle East 0400-0457 9545 kHz Central & South Africa 0500-0600 12045 kHz Central & South Africa 2000-2100 13590, 13780*, 15205, 15410 kHz * frequency ends 3 minutes earlier No direct target coverage, reception may be possible: North & Central America 0500-0700 15410 kHz North America 1600-1700 7225 kHz North & Central America 1900-1959 13780 kHz North & Central America 2000-2200 15410 kHz North America 0000-0059 7290 kHz Central America 2100-2159 13780 kHz South America 0600-0700 15410 kHz South America 2000-2200 13780 kHz South America 2100-2200 15410 kHz South America 2300-2400 9815 kHz Australia / New Zealand 0000-0100 7290, 9880 kHz Australia / New Zealand 1000-1030 6205, 15190, 17820 kHz Australia / New Zealand 1100-1200 17670, 21650 kHz Australia / New Zealand 1600-1700 11695 kHz Australia / New Zealand 2200-2300 6180, 6225 kHz Australia / New Zealand 2300-2400 7250, 9815, 12035 kHz Position as at: 14.10.2003 / sb Deutsche Welle Technische Beratung Tel: +49.228.429-3208 Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 3 Fax: +49.228.429-3220 53113 Bonn tb @ dw-world.de DW- Radio // DRM Sendeplan UTC Frequenz Sprache Station Target von bis 0600-1000 21675 kHz Englisch Trincomalee Süd-EU / NO 26.10.03 27.03.04 0800-1400 15440 kHz Englisch Sines Europa " " 1000-1200 6140 kHz Englisch Jülich Europa " " 1200-1300 6140 kHz Deutsch Jülich Europa " " 1200-1359 9655 kHz Englisch Wertachtal Europa " " 1400-1559 6130 kHz Deutsch Wertachtal Europa " " 1600-1729 3995 kHz Deutsch Wertachtal SW-Europa " " 1600-1800 6140 kHz Englisch Jülich Europa " " 1800-1900 6140 kHz Deutsch Jülich Europa " " 0900-1100 17700 kHz Englisch Sines Europa 27.10.03 27.03.04 Mo - Fr Nicht 17.-20.11. 1100-1155 17710 kHz Englisch Sines Europa 27.10.03 27.03.04 Mo - Fr 0600-1025 17700 kHz Englisch Trincomalee Südasien 17.11.03 Nur 17.-20.11. Entfällt: 21675 kHz / 0600-1000 2300-2330 9800 kHz Englisch Sackville Nordamerika 26.10.03 27.03.04 Stand: 20.10.2003 / sb (via Tina Krasnopolskaya - Technical dept. via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. To: Jari Savolainen, Finland. After I printed your email-letter and faxed it to RRI Bukittinggi in order they should know your report then gave him phone calls (more than 7 times), finally I got the reply of my fax with their official- seal of RRI Bukittinggi but no signature. They confirmed that their freq 3230 khz was regular one and other details you reported were correct. They also told their power of 2.5 kw of HARRIS brand with DIPOLE ROMBIO antenna. They asked you to send report to them directly. I think you should better tell the station-manager this news was from me in Jakarta in order to remind him that I'd ever contacted him before. The address: Mr. Zulkifli RRI Bukittinggi station-manager JL. M. Yamin no. 199, Bukittinggi, Sumatra Barat, Indonesia. Well, good DXing. From: (Lim Kwet Hian, Jakarta, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. "FREE THE AIRWAVES" Oct. 22, 2003 http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer&cid=1066715115041 Earlier this week Arutz Sheva was finally felled. It was defeated via a lawsuit submitted by Labor's Eitan Cabel to the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, which upheld his assertion that it was broadcasting illegally. Yet two decades ago Israel's Left mounted an aggressive campaign, both within and without the Knesset, to legalize Abie Nathan's Voice of Peace shipboard radio broadcasts. The argument was that Nathan proved his enterprise a commercial success, had an audience and several years in the business. He deserved, it was ardently argued, special consideration. It would have doubtlessly been granted, had Nathan not succumbed meanwhile to severe medical and financial problems. But the very same arguments raised in his favor are even more cogent for Arutz Sheva, which alone gives voice to settlers and their supporters. Without Arutz Sheva, that portion of the population popularly dubbed "the national camp" is effectively silenced. This station fills a niche and a need, which no other does, far beyond anything that Nathan could remotely claim. So it's no less than dismaying that the very Left which so enthusiastically lobbied for Nathan now so fervently fights Arutz Sheva's right to voice the opinions of its many adherents. It's difficult to escape the impression that what's really wrong with Arutz Sheva isn't that its ship didn't distance itself sufficiently from Israel's territorial waters or that studios in Beit El were used. What differentiated it from Nathan's venture was politics. Thus after 15 years on the air, during which the station proved itself financially viable, professionally capable, and exceptionally popular, it was silenced. Its loyal audience wasn't limited to the settlements. It was avidly listened to within the Green Line, as most taxi passengers can verify. Particularly disconcerting was Justice Minister Yosef Lapid's outburst against ministers who pleaded Arutz Sheva's case, warning that they'll have "blood on their hands" if a plane crashes due to radio interference. With all due respect, such scare-mongering is demagogic. Arutz Sheva never endangered aviation. Those who do are numerous small-time pirates with home-based transmitters, often operated by reckless teens. There are plenty of laws against such delinquents. They need only be enforced. Equating Arutz Sheva with them is a cynical red herring. Arutz Sheva has become a staple of popular culture and we consider it is grossly imprudent to close it precisely because it satisfied proven demand for its journalistic product. Denying the public what it wants and had grown used to will inevitably give rise to charges of politically motivated muzzling. No amount of legalistic sanctimony will erase this perception. This country urgently needs legislation to democratize the airwaves. This is the case elsewhere in the free world. It's time we live up to our liberal pretensions. A phenomenon like FOX Television would be impossible here. Nothing, however, prevented a television network with a different ideological bent from giving itself an electronic media platform in America. It's time our regulations tolerated radio offerings that appeal to a range of political and ideological preferences, as they do to musical tastes. There's no reason an outfit like Arutz Sheva should not be able legally to obtain a broadcasting license. At present this is nearly a mission impossible. Red tape and demands for competition in a tender load the dice. Entries for local radio tenders repeatedly feature varying combinations of the same groupings and individuals with identical political slants. Arutz Sheva is unlikely to prevail against them. With its record, it shouldn't now be forced into a contest. The uniqueness of Arutz Sheva's audience must be recognized. Likewise, there'd be no harm if the haredi community, the kibbutz movement, or any reincarnation of the Voice of Peace were also awarded radio licenses. Ideological pluralism must be promoted in a polarized society such as ours. A silenced plurality isn't in democracy's best interest. Those who do not wish to see extremism flourish ought to be the first to make sure that sizable segments of opinion, on the Right and Left, are allowed free expression. Citizens who feel stifled, marginalized, and delegitimized aren't likely to espouse moderation ([editorial] via Mike Terry, DXLD) WHY HAS ARUTZ 7 SUDDENLY STOPPED ITS RADIO BROADCASTS? TACTICAL RETREAT? --- Analysis by Andy Sennitt, 23 October 2003 The decision of Israeli offshore broadcaster Arutz 7 to switch off its radio transmitters after being declared illegal under new government legislation has taken most observers by surprise. It is out of character for the people behind the strongly Orthodox station to give in so easily. So are they really going off the air, or is this merely a tactical retreat? At any rate, their Internet stream is continuing... http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/isr031023.html (Media Network via DXLD) ** IVORY COAST. IVORIAN MINISTER SAYS DETAILS OF FRENCH REPORTER'S KILLING REMAIN UNCLEAR | Text of report by Radio France Internationale on 22 October Jean Helene was killed in a cowardly way in Abidjan yesterday, while fulfilling his duty. The tragedy occurred in the city centre. He received two bullets in the back of the head shot by a policeman who was immediately arrested. We at RFI are in shock, and we are also angry at what we can call a veritable execution. So what happened in Abidjan yesterday? Here is the first piece of information given by Martin Bleou, the Ivorian security minister, who arrived at the crime scene immediately. [Bleou] For now, the circumstances are unclear. We only have the version of the policeman who fired the shots. [Reporter Olivier Roger] Mr Minister, is this not the result of all these hate campaigns against RFI and other foreign media, especially by the state media in Cote d'Ivoire? [Bleou] I do not think so. It would be premature to say so. [Reporter] This policeman who fired the shots, what is his rank, his function, and what was he doing exactly at this place? [Bleou] According to the information I received, and I myself have seen the policeman, he is a sergeant, and he was there in the company of others to assure security at the criminal investigation department. He went outside twice. The director-general, who was in the building, ordered him to leave the journalist alone, and to allow him to do his work in peace. [Reporter] How can a policeman who receives such an order just go out and kill this journalist in cold blood? [Bleou] That is exactly the paradox that needs to be clarified. Source: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 0630 gmt 22 Oct 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) FRENCH MEDIA WATCHDOG SAYS IVORIANS MUST PROBE RFI JOURNALIST'S DEATH Excerpt from press release by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) on 22 October Jean Helene, Radio France Internationale's correspondent in Côte d'Ivoire, was shot dead on the evening of 21 October, near the national police headquarters, in Abidjan. "It is vital that an independent inquiry is conducted and that there should be ballistic tests and a post mortem to determine the exact circumstances of the journalist's death," Robert Menard, Reporters Without Border (RSF) secretary-general, said. "It the responsibility of the Ivorian authorities, and especially President Laurent Gbagbo, to ensure that this case is fully investigated. Exemplary punishments need to be handed down to the person or persons responsible for the journalist's death," he added. RSF pointed out that foreign correspondents working in Cote d'Ivoire have been regularly threatened for several years. A former RFI correspondent, Bruno Minas, was forced to leave the country under pressure. Since September 2002 and the start of the war, the situation has deteriorated still further, with the French media, particularly RFI, being accused of playing into the rebels' hands. [Passage omitted] Source: Reporters Sans Frontières press release, Paris, in French 22 Oct 03 FRANCE'S CHIRAC ASKS FOR THOROUGH PROBE INTO DEATH OF FRENCH JOURNALIST | Excerpt from report by French news agency AFP Paris, 21 October: President Jacques Chirac "learned with sorrow" of the death of RFI [Radio France Internationale] correspondent Jean Helene in Abidjan [Cote d'Ivoire]. He has asked the Ivorian authorities to "shed all possible light on this murder", said the Elysee's [presidential office] spokeswoman Catherine Colonna on Tuesday evening [21 October]. Jean Helene was shot and killed today, Tuesday, by a man in uniform near the national police headquarters, AFP learned from a police source. "The president learned with sorrow of the death of Jean Helene, a great professional, who has disappeared while practising his profession in the service of information on this African land which he knew so well," said the spokeswoman. "He is asking the Ivorian authorities to shed all possible light on this murder, which must be the subject of an immediate and rigorous investigation," she said. Mr Chirac expressed "his sad condolences to his [Helene's] family, to those close to him, and to Radio France Internationale", added Mrs. Colonna. [Passage omitted] Source: AFP news agency, Paris, in French 2247 gmt 21 Oct 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) FRENCH RADIO REPORTER SHOT AND KILLED AT IVORY COAST AT POLICE STATION; SUSPECT IS AN OFFICER - The Associated Press 10/21/03 7:56 PM ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) -- A French radio reporter was shot and killed by a police officer Tuesday at police headquarters in Abidjan, French diplomats and journalists said. Jean Helene, the regional reporter for Radio France Internationale, was waiting to interview jailed opposition figures in the country's commercial capital when he was shot, colleagues said. French President Jacques Chirac, about to begin a tour of West Africa, condemned the killing and demanded that Ivory Coast authorities "shed light on everything about this assassination." Sophie Malibeaux, a reporter for RFI based in Dakar, Senegal, said the French news organization did not know why Helene was shot in the head. A witness told The Associated Press that the radio journalist was shot from behind, "without any reason." Authorities said the policeman believed responsible had been arrested. French diplomats were in a meeting late Tuesday with Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, Michel said. Top RFI officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Ivory Coast is a former French colony, and French media are influential in the country, which was torn by a nine-month civil war that ended with a power-sharing deal brokered by France in January. The country has been wracked by allegations of coup plots and assassination conspiracies against Gbagbo and other officials. The 11 opposition figures whom Jean-Helene was reported to have been waiting to interview had been jailed since Friday in an alleged assassination plot. Helene was an experienced journalist in French West Africa and had served in several countries. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) FRENCH JOURNALIST SHOT, KILLED AT IVORY COAST POLICE STATION By BAUDELAIRE MIEUX Associated Press Writer ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) -- An Ivory Coast police officer was in custody Wednesday in the killing of a French radio journalist, accused of shooting the reporter in the back of the head with an AK-47 as he waited to interview jailed opposition figures. President Jacques Chirac, launching a West Africa tour Wednesday, condemned the killing of Jean Helene, a regional reporter for Radio France Internationale. Ivory Coast Security Minister Martin Bleou canceled a scheduled late Wednesday news conference on Helene's death. Aides said the Ivory Coast government was not yet prepared to speak on it. Helene, 50, died instantly Tuesday night on the sidewalk in front of a police station in the downtown of Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan. Helene and other journalists had been waiting outside the police station for the expected release of 11 opposition party members. The 11 had been arrested over the weekend in the latest in a series of coup-plot investigations in this tense West African nation, still divided despite July's officially declared end to a 9-month civil war. According to three police officials, all speaking on condition of anonymity, Helene had been in his car in front of the police station talking on his cell phone when one of the station's officers walked over to ask what he was doing. Helene said he was a reporter, waiting to talk to the opposition party members, the police officials said. The officer went back inside the station, then came back outside. The two exchanged more words, and then the officer fired twice with an AK- 47, hitting Helene in the back of the head, the police officials said. Fellow officers disarmed the policeman. Authorities on Wednesday were awaiting results of tests to see if the officer had been drinking or under the influence of drugs. Chirac, starting scheduled visits to Mali and Niger, demanded that Ivory Coast authorities "shed light on everything about this assassination." French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin sent a message of condolence to executives of RFI, saying in Helene, a longtime Africa reporter, "The African continent and the French press had lost this night an irreplaceable friend." French diplomats met immediately after the killing with Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo. Ivory Coast, a West African economic hub, is a former French colony, and French newspapers and radios are the most influential foreign media here. The nation remains divided between rebel-held north and government south after the civil war, and anti-foreign sentiment runs strong among many loyalists in the south. In the northern rebel stronghold of Bouake, rebel spokesman Sidiki Konate condemned the killing, saying, "The death of Jean Helene confirms the assassination of democracy in Ivory Coast." Helene is the first foreign journalist killed in Ivory Coast since the once-stable country fell into turmoil with a 1999 coup. Human rights groups report numerous jailings and beatings of journalists, especially Ivorian ones, since then. str-ek (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) FRANCE URGES IVORIAN PROBE INTO NEWSMAN'S KILLING By Clar Ni Chonghaile ABIDJAN, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Paris expressed sorrow on Wednesday over the gunning down of a French journalist by a policeman in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan and urged the West African country to investigate the killing. Jean Helene, a correspondent for Paris-based Radio France Internationale (RFI), was shot dead outside a police station on Tuesday night, Ivory Coast officials said. He had been waiting to cover the release of opposition party activists. Ivorian officials have said a policeman was being held, and President Laurent Gbagbo has promised an immediate inquiry. "Last night the African continent and the French press lost an irreplaceable friend," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said in a letter to RFI's head. French President Jacques Chirac sent immediate condolences and called for an investigation. Although the motives were unclear, the shooting highlighted anti- French sentiment that has been inflamed since a rebellion last year triggered civil war in the former French colony. The war was officially declared over in July but rebels still hold the northern half of the country. Media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders, RSF) also urged Gbagbo to shed light on Helene's death. "It is the responsibility of the Ivorian authorities and firstly of President Laurent Gbagbo to make sure light is shone on this affair," said Robert Menard, RSF secretary general. "Nothing can explain nor excuse this cowardly assassination. It's unacceptable," Communication Minister and rebel leader Guillaume Soro said. Gbagbo supporters and pro-government press have accused foreign, especially French, media of supporting the rebels. "The hateful campaign spread by the national press and by some leaders certainly prepared the ground for the execution of the crime," Soro told Reuters on Wednesday. ADMIRED BY COLLEAGUES Former Prime Minister Pascal Affi NGuessan and leader of Gbagbo's ruling Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) told reporters on Wednesday the crime must not go unpunished. Gbagbo's supporters blame France, which has 4,000 troops in the West African country, for not doing enough to beat back the rebels, while the rebels accuse France of propping up Gbagbo. "We want to know what the motivations of the policeman were. Did he get killed because he was the RFI correspondent or simply because he was a journalist?" Jean-Paul Cluzel, chief executive of RFI, told France's LCI television on Wednesday. Helene, whose used a nom de plume and whose real name was Christian Baldensberger, was admired by colleagues as a quietly courageous reporter who covered African conflicts for more than a decade, including Rwanda's genocide and Somalia's anarchy. The 50-year-old journalist's broadcasts and written accounts were invariably delivered in a measured and understated style. When possible, he avoided large packs of foreign journalists, preferring to work alone. France's culture minister, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, expressed sadness about the death of Helene, who risked his life many times for his work and was killed in what was once France's most prosperous and stable colony. "Once again, a journalist is paying a heavy tribute to the freedom of information," he said in a statement. (Additional reporting by Silvia Aloisi; Catherine Bremer in Paris and Nicholas Kotch in Johannesburg) (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) COTE D'IVOIRE/FRANCE. REMAINS OF FRENCH JOURNALIST FLOWN BACK TO FRANCE | Text of report in English by French news agency AFP Abidjan, 23 Oct: The remains of a French radio journalist shot dead by a police officer this week in Ivory Coast were Thursday being flown back to France. Jean Helene, 50, a correspondent for France's state-owned foreign news station Radio France Internationale (RFI), was shot in the head near the national police headquarters in Abidjan on Tuesday. A short ceremony was held for him early Thursday at the Abidjan morgue, attended by the president of RFI, France's ambassador to Ivory Coast, the head of French troops in the strife-torn west African country, as well as many of Helene's friends and colleagues. Helene's body was then taken to the city's airport to be flown out on board a French military plane. His death was the latest incident in a string of threats and attacks by security forces on foreign journalists in Ivory Coast, a former French colony where a rebellion in September effectively cut the country in two. Some 3,800 French troops are policing a buffer zone between the two sides. Source: AFP news agency, Paris, in English 0930 gmt 23 Oct 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Hoped to make a full week of tracking the XERMX blobmitter, but Oct 23 it was not to be found anywhere between 9 and 11 MHz in the 1300-1400 UT period (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Glenn, I've had my technical colleagues check the schedule we published yesterday, and there are a few corrections. In particular, since you raised the matter in DXLD, for the AWR transmission 150 is the power in kW, not a second beam. I was confused by the odd power level, but that's what it is! Also please note all Madagascar transmissions have been upgraded from 200 to 250 kW, except of course for those listed as 50 kW :-) As I get older, reading spreadsheets becomes progressively more difficult :-( 73, (Andy Sennitt, RN, Oct 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAUDI ARABIA. SAUDI GROUP SAYS RADIO REPORTS OF PRO-REFORM PROTESTS JAMMED --- By ASSOCIATED PRESS, RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Oct. 23, 2003 A group calling for political reform in Saudi Arabia has accused the government of jamming its radio station because it was spreading word of demonstrations planned in several cities Thursday. Saad al-Fagih, director of the London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, told The Associated Press Wednesday the government took the measure against Al-Islah radio station Wednesday to prevent people from getting information about the protests. Protests are banned in Saudi Arabia and a small one that al-Fagih's group managed to organize in the capital earlier this month resulted in scores of arrests. The Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia called for the protests after afternoon Muslim prayers in nine cities. Several Saudis interviewed said they planned to join them despite a warning by Interior Minister Prince Nayef Wednesday that protesters would be punished. Police cars blocked the roads to one planned protest site in Riyadh Thursday morning and buses ready to take away any detainees were parked nearby. "We will go ahead with it," said Fahd al-Khaldi from the city of Buraida, where one of the protests was planned. "We are going there to say, `Give us our rights."' Jarallah al-Zahrani, a mathematics teacher in Baha, another of the towns were protests were planned, said he has not been able to hear Al-Islah radio since Wednesday. But many Saudis already know about the protests, which had been discussed in previous days on Al-Islah and on the Internet. The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh posted a notice about the demonstrations on its web site Wednesday, saying it expected them to be peaceful but advising Americans to stay clear of the nine sites near mosques around the country where the protests were expected. The Sa`udi royal family has absolute power. Sa`udi citizens cannot hold public gatherings to discuss political or social issues and press freedoms are limited. Fear of domestic terrorism, though, which was brought home for Sa`udis after May 12 suicide bombings in Riyadh, has initiated an unprecedented public debate, with some arguing lack of democracy has made the kingdom a breeding ground for extremists. Economic problems in a kingdom where oil revenues no longer stretch as far as they once did also are believed to be fueling discontent among Sa`udi citizens. The Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia, which opposes the policies of the Saudi royal family, champions a liberal, moderate system of government and has never been linked to violence. However, some intellectuals in Sa`udi Arabia accuse the group of pursuing change with dangerous tactics. The group also sponsors a web site forum open to Islamic extremists, leading some to accuse it of encouraging terrorism. Turki al-Hamad, a prominent intellectual and writer, said the protests are a "sign that there are problems in society and not a sign of support for al-Fagih," the London-based leader of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia. Protests are rare in Sa`udi Arabia. The kingdom has seen big protests following the Arab defeat in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and labor demonstrations in the 1950s. During the buildup of Western troops in Sa`udi Arabia, a group of women drove their cars through Riyadh in November 1990 to protest laws banning women from driving. About 50 women were detained for the protest and lost their jobs and passports for two years. On Oct. 14, a Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia demonstration outside a government-sponsored human rights conference in Riyadh resulted in the arrest of 271 people. The Sa`udi Interior Ministry said Wednesday that 83 alleged protesters, including three women, are being investigated to stand trial for staging the protest. The Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia has said the purpose of the protests is to call for the release of political prisoners the government has arrested in its anti-terror sweep that began after the May 12 explosion in Riyadh (via Hans Johnson, Oct 23, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) This one is scheduled 1800-2000 on 15705; anyone still hearing them? (Johnson, ibid.) ** SCOTLAND. JOBLESS DJ SET UP PIRATE RADIO SHOW TO AIR TALENTS JOHN INNES http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/scotland.cfm?id=1169062003 A COURT heard an unemployed DJ described as the Boys from the Black Stuff character, Yosser Hughes, after he set up a pirate radio station to attract the attention of commercial station management. David Holgate formed New Skool FM from his bedroom in a Glasgow tower block to showcase his skills across the airwaves. Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday heard that Holgate, 26, wanted to impress management at Radio Clyde and Beat 106 FM with his DJ talents. Defending, Derek Williamson told the court: "Mr Holgate was fed-up being out of work and decided to buy equipment to set-up his own radio show. It was akin to the desperate man from Boys from the Black Stuff, who was always asking ‘gissa job’. Licensing authorities heard the broadcasts last June in a crackdown on pirate stations. Investigators found the transmitter and £300 worth of mixing decks in Holgate’s bedroom in Knightswood. The equipment was seized and later destroyed. Holgate pled guilty to a breach of the Wireless and Telephony Act. Temporary Sheriff Ronnie Watson agreed with Holgate’s lawyer that the station had been set up with "the best intentions". Admonishing him, the Sheriff said: "I do not know what harm you were causing to anyone. With your guilty plea and the fact your equipment will be destroyed, I do believe you have been punished enough." (via Gerald Pollard, DXLD) ** SYRIA [non]. "The Arabic Radio" which is targeted at Syria has added a number of email addresses for contacts on its webpage http://www.arabicsyradio.org: e.g. ced@arabicsyradio.org for "Chief editor" and ed@arabicsyradio.org for "Editor" (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Oct 23, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** TIBET. Xizang PBS Lhasa now starts its transmissions at 2150 UT (ex 2250) and closes down at 1730 (ex 1700). Observed on 4905, 4920, 5240 and 7385 kHz. ID: "China Tibet People's Broadcasting Station". (Karel Honzik, the Czech Republic (Czechia), AOR AR-7030, 30 m Long Wire, Oct 22, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. This week is the final week of commercial BA Concorde operations, and a number of extra flights are planned. Each day this week, between Monday and Friday (20th - 24th) there are Concorde 'Tour of Britain' flights to various other cities in the UK. Monday 20th - Heathrow - Birmingham - Heathrow Tuesday 21st - Heathrow - Belfast - Heathrow Wednesday 22nd - Heathrow - Manchester - Heathrow Thursday 23rd - Heathrow - Cardiff - Heathrow Friday 24th - Heathrow - Edinburgh - Heathrow On each day the flight will leave Heathrow in the morning for a supersonic flight over the Atlantic, and into the other city, landing later during the morning. Then, in the afternoon the aircraft will depart for a further Atlantic supersonic flight before returning to Heathrow in the late afternoon. These flights should all be less than 2 hours duration. As far as I am able to ascertain, all these flights will use the same callsign - BA9020C is the flight out of Heathrow in the morning, and BA9021C is the flight back again in the afternoon. The last commercial flights by Concorde will be on Thursday and Friday (23rd/24th). The regular BA001 flight (London - New York) will depart on Thursday 23rd at 18.30 BST, and the same aircraft will return as BA002 the following afternoon (Friday 24th); it is due to arrive back at Heathrow at 16.00 BST, but could be anything up to 30 minutes early. The normal BA002 flight departs from New York at 09.00 local (NY) time, which is 14.00 London time. This final flight should leave early - 07.00 NY time, 12.00 BST; if all goes according to plan you might start to hear Concorde about 20 minutes after departure as it talks on HF to Gander OACC. On the last day (Friday 24th) there is also an extra flight, a 'Bay of Biscay' supersonic flight departing from Heathrow, out into the eastern Atlantic, and back to Heathrow. This will be BA 9022C. The plan is for all three Concorde flights to arrive back at Heathrow at about the same time, so that there will be 3 consecutive landing Concordes. This should happen at 16.00 BST (15.00 UTC). (via Union des Ecouteurs Français via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) The above item was not properly attributed, since we see the same one, and not cutting it off before much more info to follow, including frequencies!! -- (gh) I understand that Heathrow has been very busy with spectators in the past week during the times that Concorde departs and arrives, and numbers are expected to swell as the week passes. One theory is that the final commercial flight back from NY on the 24th will do a flypast along the runway before landing, but that is pure speculation at the moment ( ... would be nice to see it do that though, get those cameras ready!). Hearing Concorde on HF is relatively easy, as the aircraft almost always uses 5.649 MHz when working Shanwick OACC, although it could also use 8.879 MHz. I have never personally heard any of the 'Bay of Biscay supersonic round-robin' flights, so I do not know if Concorde communicates with Shanwick on those flights, but knowing the above callsigns you should be able to tell! I would also expect that there will be some 'greetings' and 'farewell' messages from Gander OACC and Shanwick OACC for the final flight, whether it's a 'Biscay' or 'New York' flight. You might also hear some other commercial flights passing greetings messages to Concorde, so listen out for those too. I would also monitor the BA 'Speedbird' HF network, as there will doubtless be lots of last minute messages from BA London to Concorde as it crosses the Atlantic. These may be simple greetings messages, or messages to advise about the formalities and arrangements for its arrival back at Heathrow. Frequencies: 5.535, 8.921, 10.072, 13.333, 17.922, 21.946 MHz Needless to say, if you get the opportunity to record any of these transmission THEN DO SO! Run of the mill flights (Concorde or otherwise) are not really so interesting these days, but there is a great interest in extra-ordinary transmissions. And so endeth the story of Concorde commercial operations, and the end of Concorde flights. --- Or is it? Well, after commercial flying ceases the remaining aircraft will be going to various museums and collections in the UK and overseas, and Concorde will have to fly to their new homes. The following dates are not finalised, I don't know what time the flights will depart, and I don't know the callsigns either, but ... 27th October - Heathrow - New York, for USS Intrepid museum 31st October - Heathrow - Manchester 3rd November - Heathrow - Seattle, Museum of Flight (via a fuel stop in NE USA or eastern Canada) 10th November - Heathrow - Barbados 17th November - Heathrow - Bristol/Filton There are no passengers on these flights, so they are not 'commercial', so there is no problem if the flight is delayed or cancelled. I would not be surprised to hear that the media are on board for some of these flights. So there are at least 3 other opportunities to hear Concorde crossing the Atlantic after her 'official retirement'. For further last-minute information please keep an eye on http://www.concordesst.com ===================================================== Graham Tanner: (London, UK) G6SUQ (at one time) 51.33'N 000.25'W (AR-3030 & G5RV) ===================================================== WUN mailing list http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/wun (via Piet Postema, BDXC via DXLD) ** U K. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: BBC'S SLAP IN THE FACE FOR ITS US LISTENERS By Mike Cooper, Financial Times; Oct 23, 2003 From Mr Mike Cooper. Sir, The BBC exaggerates when it claims a larger US radio audience ("BBC wins bigger share of US listeners", October 21) and increased relays through US public broadcasters. Virtually all these local public radio stations carry only five-minute headline programmes, an hour of programming each week, or air a few hours of World Service after midnight or 1 am. In many of the biggest US cities there are no such relays. Not only did the BBC end all short wave broadcasts to North America but it also recently eliminated a free 24-hour-a-day satellite feed that had been available in North America for at least 15 years. My letters to the World Service asking for an explanation or a replacement free-to-air satellite service have brought no reply. Europeans get World Service and BBC domestic radio services free via satellite. Americans do not. The audience figure the BBC claims for the second quarter is exceptional, since it reflected increased air time and interest during the start of the Iraq war. The estimated 4.7m average weekly audience largely comprises people who may have heard a single brief BBC newscast. This is hardly the "depth of analysis" touted by Mark Byford, director of the World Service and Global News. Indeed, the end of short wave and satellite broadcasts to the US is a slap in the face to Americans with "a real appetite for the World Service output", particularly those of us who seek in-depth news and cultural reporting instead of "the main points of the news, again". Mike Cooper, Stone Mountain, GA 30083, US (via Mike Cooper himself, DXLD) ** U K. NATIONAL NEWS: POLICE UNDER FIRE AFTER BBC SPOTLIGHTS RACISM By Jimmy Burns, Social Affairs Correspondent, Financial Times; Oct 23, 2003 David Blunkett turned the focus of his criticism yesterday away from the BBC and towards racism in the police as a row spread over racist behaviour among recruits. The home secretary described the racism exposed in a BBC TV documentary as "horrendous". . . http://tinyurl.com/s25t (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** UNITED KINGDOM/EUROPE: SENIOR BBC OFFICIAL VIEWS FUTURE OF RADIO IN EUROPE | Text of press release from BBC on 20 October The future of radio as a medium is at stake unless it goes digital, claims Jenny Abramsky, Director of BBC Radio and Music, in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in London today (Monday 20 October). "Radio is a vibrant cultural force to be celebrated," she says. "But we can't take this for granted in a future where the next generation of radio listeners faces more choices than ever before about their media and how they consume it. "While radio in Europe flourishes today we cannot complacently assume it will tomorrow." She continues: "I believe radio must go digital if it is not to go into a long term decline. "If radio were the only medium not to go digital it would soon become obsolete for future generations." Jenny Abramsky also predicts that the BBC's first listening figures for its new digital radio networks, published by RAJAR on Thursday (23 October), will be "modest", stressing "these are very early days". She also acknowledges that it is important not just to launch new services but to develop them post-launch. "These stations need time to find their voices, to grow their production and presentation talent, to build - and build an understanding of - their audiences. "The BBC will provide an environment for these stations to do just that by investing for the long term and ensuring that they do not wilt, neglected in the shadow of the five established networks." She adds that whatever the audience figures may be, they will be many times greater than those envisaged when the digital stations were first proposed within the BBC. "Then I was prepared for audiences of a few thousand in the early years. "The phenomenal growth of listening through the Internet and digital television as well as the recent rapid rise in sales of DAB digital radio sets means that we will surpass my own original expectations by a huge margin." Talking about the increased choice offered by digital radio - from both the BBC and the commercial sector - Jenny Abramsky welcomes the increased choice which is "fantastic news" for the radio industry, radio professionals, advertisers and listeners. She goes on to explain, however, that increased choice means increased competition which will inevitably lead to a decline in share of listening for BBC Radio. "We don't expect that the BBC will start the next decade as it started this one - with over half of all radio listening to its stations. "We expect that our share of listening will fall, but increased choice is the right strategy because we know that is right for audiences - it is what sells sets and is what will take radio digital." She also stresses that the BBC recognizes it should take the lead in driving the adoption of digital radio by the audience, the market and the industry. Jenny Abramsky's speech highlights her belief in the vital importance of DAB digital radio in delivering the transition to digital. "Over a billion hours a week of radio listening take place in the UK and the vast majority of these take place in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, car and on the move. "The Internet and digital television have taken radio listening on to new devices and into new parts of the home and are growing radio listening in the UK. "But the only technology that will take those billion hours of listening digital is DAB digital radio. "It is a robust technology that enables affordable, high volume production and that can be embedded into a range of devices. It's radio as we know it - cheap, portable, reliable - only better." Jenny Abramsky also stresses the BBC's commitment to marketing its digital radio portfolio, claiming the BBC's investment in digital radio content would be "squandered" without a complementary investment in promotion. The BBC will run a major cross-media campaign promoting its digital radio portfolio on-air and off-air through December. "We hope that by the end of the year almost 350,000 sets will have been sold," she says. Source: BBC press release, London, in English 20 Oct 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. Esta noche continuando con los juegos de béisbol entre Marlins de La Florida y Yankees de Nueva York, la señal de WQBA 1140 AM se está escuchando a través de las frecuencias de Radio Martí. En venezuela la mejor frecuencia a la 0125 UT es 15330 kHz. La narración del encuentro la hace Felo Ramírez, toda una leyenda de la locución deportiva latinoamericana y mundial. Atte: (José Elías, Venezuela, Oct 22, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** U S A. SLUG: 7-37951 History of VOA DATE: NOTE NUMBER: DATE=OCTOBER 16, 2003 TYPE=DATELINE NUMBER=7-37951 TITLE=HISTORY OF VOA BYLINE=JUDITH LATHAM TELEPHONE=619-1101 DATELINE=WASHINGTON EDITOR=CAROL CASTIEL CONTENT= DISK: DATELINE THEME [PLAYED IN STUDIO, FADED UNDER DATELINE HOST VOICE OR PROGRAMMING MATERIAL] HOST: The Voice of America reaches more than 90 million people worldwide in more than 50 languages. But it is familiar to only a few Americans. In a new book, Alan Heil, the former deputy director of VOA, chronicles its transformation from a fledgling short-wave propaganda organ during World War II to a global multimedia giant encompassing radio, television, the Internet, and 15 hundred stations across the globe. In today's Dateline, Judith Latham talks with the author about his book, Voice of America: A History. JL: Using transcripts of radio broadcasts and numerous personal anecdotes, Alan Heil offers a front-row seat to the crucial events of the past 60 years, from World War II to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. He says VOA began broadcasting in 1942. TAPE: CUT #1: HEIL Q&A [FM LATHAM] AH: "It was 79 days after Pearl Harbor, and the broadcasters knew they would be asked to begin the first German broadcasts to Axis-occupied Europe. The Voice of America was on the air early in the morning of February 25, 1942. And then in rapid succession English and French and Italian broadcasts followed those of German. And by the end of the war, the VOA was broadcasting in about 50 languages, mainly to Europe and Asia." JL: "The United States was at war. How did that frame what VOA broadcasters would do?" AH: "From the very beginning, of course, there was a debate. Officials, particularly those in the military and intelligence communities, saw the necessity of making the Voice a propaganda organization. On the other hand, the Voice was endowed in those early years with major journalists and writers and artists and poets, and they were committed to telling the truth. They were committed to the slogan that ended the first broadcast of the Voice of America." TAPE: CUT #2: WILLIAM HARLAN HALE (in German) "Hier spricht die Stimme Amerika [sic]. Heute und taeglich von heute an. This is a voice speaking from America. Daily at this time we shall speak to you about America and the war. The news may be good or bad. We shall tell you the truth." (OPT) TAPE: CUT #3: HEIL Q&A [FM LATHAM] AH: "So there were the struggles during World War II to keep it straight. And I suppose the classic example of that was General Stilwell, who commanded forces in Southeast Asia and in Burma. And he candidly admitted that the Japanese had given the Americans what he called a 'hell of a beating' in Burma. Well, the policy people were upset, but following the war, in debriefing Japanese and other listeners in Asia, they said that had imparted to them an enormous sense of respect because they knew the Voice of America would level with them." (END OPT) JL: "The Voice of America is governed by its Charter. What was its role?" AH: "In the 1950's, the Voice was emerging from the shadows of its worst crisis the McCarthy hearings in which Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin sought to prove his statement that in the State Department and in the Voice of America there were what he called 'communist fellow travelers.' It was a terrible period of interrogations of Voice employees, many of whom courageously stood up to the senator. The Voice was challenged by the Suez crisis of 1956, the Soviet invasion of Hungary. And the Voice felt it had to come up with a charter (OPT) formulated as an executive order in 1959 by VOA managers and employees. (END OPT) A draft was produced that was essentially the same as the Voice of America Charter of today. JL: The Charter eventually was signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1976 AH: "And it says that the Voice will be a source of accurate and objective and comprehensive news. That it will reflect all aspects of American society, and that it will explain the policies of the United States clearly and effectively and responsible debate on those policies." JL: "As you look back, what are some of the peaks of VOA reportage?" AH: "The peaks are when the Voice of America is able during a war to reflect fully the opinions of the world about that war, to reflect the front line action, and to reflect compassionately how that war affects people who are directly involved, civilians and military alike. I think the magic of good international broadcast reporting is when that reporting transports a listener to the scene of events. I think of Alex Belida's very moving reporter's notebook in which he describes the carnage in many places in Africa as a result of being amidst yet another one of the civil wars on that continent." TAPE: CUT #4: BELIDA [FM HEIL} (Sound of bullets) "I'm standing in a rubble-strewn Brazzaville street as the city returns cautiously to life after a bloody civil war. (More bullets) Armed men are all around me, most of them looting, occasionally firing off bursts of bullets in celebration. (More bullets) But I am not concentrating on this any more. I am looking at another corpse this one of a man, perhaps in his twenties, his legs charred. I know there will be no voice to record, but his lips are apart, his arms outstretched, his fingers together as if in prayer. It seems as if another one of Africa's dead is trying to speak to me. And I feel I owe him this one last consideration. I think maybe he wants to share his anguish, his despair, his pain. Or maybe a last word to a parent or a wife or a child. I feel badly because I do not know for sure. I do know that I have seen corpses like this before, victims of war or of genocide or of famine or of sickness. A symbolic path of the dead now runs through my mind a personal collection reflecting the real path their corpses have left across much of Africa. From arid Somalia in the northeast, across Sudan and into northern Uganda, down through steamy Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo in the center of the continent. I have at times had imaginary conversations with these dead of mine, their unrecorded voices playing on endlessly inside my head. Sometimes loud, sometimes just a whisper. I tell them I am sorry. If it were in my power, I would try to restore them to life. But I can't. That is not in my power. Perhaps the only help I can give is to try and tell their story. This is Alex Belida." JL: Alan Heil says another major broadcasting high for VOA was its coverage of the 1991 Gulf War and the months leading up to it. TAPE: CUT #5: HEIL Q&A [FM LATHAM] AH: An ABC crew that was in Baghdad before the war broke out interviewed Saddam Hussein, and he clearly indicated that he had been listening to the Voice of America Arabic Service to get the very latest news of what was going on in that conflict." JL: "Another major theme that weaves its way through your book is the struggle for independence." AH: "The central thread of that struggle was the VOA Charter, which conveys not only an obligation but also serves as a shield. The policy-makers may wish to alter or trim, for what they believe are sound national reasons, some of the news. This struggle has gone on in many forms over the six decades of the Voice's history. You can read about the particulars of that in the book. It is a constant struggle. The last chapter is called 'VOA in the 21st Century: The Struggle Goes On,' and there are examples given following the 9/11 crisis of efforts to alter VOA news and how VOA and the journalistic community in the United States and the world reacted to it." JL: "How do you see the major challenges since the end of the Cold War and at the dawn of the 21st century? One thinks of the attacks of September 11th two years ago at this time, the unraveling of the Middle East peace process, and the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. VOA no longer broadcasts in Arabic. What has been the impact of that change?" AH: "The VOA Arabic Service was replaced in April 2002 by Radio Sawa, which has a pop music format with brief headline summaries and some chat and occasional interviews and some stringer reports. Sawa has been enormously successful among the youth in countries like Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. However, when it comes to giving a full palate of information on a day-to-day basis, there is some evidence that listeners in the Arab world have turned mostly elsewhere to find out what was really going on. I think one bright ray on the horizon, however, is that VOA's Arabic Service came back in a sense in January 2003 with the establishment of a web site. And the web site contains all of the classic programming of VOA Arabic, including the comprehensive news, some analysis, and in-depth documentaries, as well as a full reflection of life in the United States, and English lessons in Arabic. And the response to the web site has been very heartening. I think it gets more than 170,000 daily site visits, and prominent individuals in Egypt and Saudi Arabia have praised the revival of this service and asked for more." JL: Here's an example, Alan Heil says, of how VOA reported the Iraq conflict --- heard in English but not in Arabic --- on the fifth day of the war, TAPE: CUT #6: HEIL Q&A [FM LATHAM] "Alisha Ryu OPT had distinguished herself by moving initially from her base in Hong Kong to Afghanistan, and had done front-line coverage of the Northern Alliance in the coalition effort in northern part of Afghanistan. And then she (END OPT) volunteered to be embedded with the Third U-S Army as it moved from Kuwait to Baghdad in March and April 2003. And her front-line reporting was absolutely compelling. One was her description of a desert sandstorm in southern Iraq on the fifth day of the war." TAPE: CUT #7: RYU [FM HEIL] "We were told that a bad sandstorm was coming but we had no idea what to expect. I will try to describe to you what happened about an hour ago. The wind started picking up. It was howling at one point. Then the skies began to turn orange in color like I have never seen before. Everything turned like it was on the surface of Mars. Then the orange turned into 'orange-ish' black. All of a sudden we had pitch-black. We couldn't see anything in front of us. All of a sudden it started hailing and raining. It was actually raining mud. That went on for about 15 minutes. Now it seems to be clearing up. And the 'orange-ish' glow is back again. I don't know what to say except that it seemed almost biblical. We joked around in the Army command center that the seven plagues of Egypt were coming, and perhaps this was the eighth plague." JL: Alan Heil says he thinks of VOA radio reporting as a form of "soft power," to borrow a phrase from the dean of Harvard University's School of Government. TAPE: CUT #8: HEIL Q&A [FM LATHAM] "Radio is soft power with a hard edge. And the hard edge is the news it conveys in reports to the world. And that is where credibility comes in. I would take Joseph Nye's very wise admonition that in the 21st century it's necessary for the United States not only to project hard power but also to project soft power in the sense that it projects ideas, establishes dialogue. And I think credibility is the key to doing that successfully." JL: Former deputy director Alan Heil and author of Voice of America: A History, just published by Columbia University Press. Heil says he believes VOA will continue to be a "beacon" for many millions around the world their reliable window on the world. For Dateline, I'm Judith Latham. TAPE: CUT #9: Take the A Train, Duke Ellington (via Mike Cooper, Oct 20, DXLD) ** U S A. SESAC TO RECEIVE $1.2 MILLION IN COPYRIGHT CASE By JOHN GEROME The Associated Press 10/22/03 8:14 PM NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A Pennsylvania radio station owner must pay $1.2 million in damages to Nashville-based SESAC for copyright infringement, SESAC said Wednesday. Bill Velez, president and chief operating officer of SESAC, said U.S. Judge Robert J. Cindrich on Sept. 23 upheld a jury's verdict. Cindrich also denied WPNT Inc.'s motion for a new trial, SESAC announced in a release. WPNT had 30 days to file an appeal but did not, Velez said. Last December, a jury found in favor of SESAC and awarded $1.2 million in damages. WPNT officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday. SESAC, a performing rights organization, and 15 affiliated music publishers sued WPNT in 1998, alleging WPNT's two stations -- WLTJ-FM and WRRK-FM in Pittsburgh -- played the music of SESAC-affiliated songwriters without a license. Thirty-one songs were at issue, including works by Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond. Velez said the organization tried to sell WPNT a license to play the songs that would have cost $6,000 per station per year. "It still boggles my mind," Velez said. "There are some folks out there -- I've been at this for 32 years now -- who don't comprehend the concept of intellectual property. They think because something is not tangible it has no value and they don't have to pay for it." Pat Collins, senior vice president of licensing for SESAC, said the court's decision "reiterated the need to protect the writers." He said song writers today face a major challenge just getting paid for their work because of Internet piracy. "Now, at least, the court has made it very clear that the mandated compensation for radio airplay is still protected," Collins said. Velez called the award a "moral victory" that should send a message to other copyright violators. "On the one hand we're thrilled," he said. "But when you consider all the time and manpower that went into it, all the legal fees, it's as much a moral victory as anything else. The money is secondary." Established in 1930, SESAC is headquartered in Nashville with offices in New York and Los Angeles. ------ On the Net: SESAC: http://www.sesac.com/home.asp (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) U.S. APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS WEB-RADIO ROYALTY FEE --- By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Radio stations must pay copyright fees to the artists and record labels whose songs they play over the Internet, a U.S. appeals court has ruled in a decision released Monday. The decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upholds rulings by a lower court and the U.S. Copyright Office that radio stations must pay such royalties. Several radio-station owners appealed last year, arguing that they should not have to pay royalties to performers for their Internet broadcasts because they do not pay them for regular, over-the-air broadcasts. The Copyright Office established a rate of roughly 1 cent per hour for each listener last year, but Congress subsequently lowered that rate for many smaller, Internet-only operators. Radio stations have historically been required to pay per-song royalties to songwriters but not performers, recording companies, and anyone else who owns the rights to the "sound recording" of a song. Congress said sound-recording owners should get paid for Internet transmission when it updated copyright laws in 1995 and 1998, but broadcasters argued in their appeal that those laws were meant to apply to services that enable users to select and download songs, not online radio-style broadcasts. But Congress never explicitly said that was the case, the judges noted in their opinion. "The appellants must show something more than congressional silence to argue convincingly that Congress intended to lump AM/FM webcasting with over-the-air broadcasting" in its royalty exemption, three appeals-court judges wrote. A trade group that represents many broadcasters said it was disappointed with the ruling but would not give up. "We will be exploring all of our legal and legislative options to overturn this decision, which we believe misinterprets the intent of Congress," said Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters. A recording-industry trade group was considerably more upbeat. "We applaud the court's ruling, affirming our view of the law that artists and record companies should be fairly compensated for the use of their music on the Internet," said Cary Sherman, president of the Recording Industry Association of America. REUTERS (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. BUENOS DIAS, ATLANTA! HISPANIC RADIO TAKES OFF Yolanda Rodriguez - Staff Wednesday, October 22, 2003 Roger Martínez --- "El Comandante" --- slid onto a stool and slipped on a pair of headphones. "Buenos dias, buenos dias, buenos dias, buenos dias," he intoned to listeners of La Ley (1080 AM) before launching into a tirade about traffic, and discussions on soccer and the U.S. war in Iraq with partner Carlos Méndez (aka El Gordo Max) and Lino Cruz, the station's news director. It's the interplay among the radio personalities that keeps Argentina native Guillermo Maltese entertained as he goes about his job delivering auto parts. "It's dynamic. It's very entertaining," said Maltese, 52, of Marietta. For years Mexican music has been the staple of metro Atlanta's Spanish-language radio stations. But that's changing as the area's five Latino-owned commercial music stations wage a heated battle on the AM dial. A sixth station emerged in April when 1100 AM, dubbed Radio Vida, began broadcasting religious shows in Spanish. Each one is vying for a chunk of metro Atlanta's Latino population, which now numbers 337,847, and the commercial potential inherent in this niche market. Statewide, the Hispanic population last year numbered 516,500. The University of Georgia's Selig Center for Economic Growth estimates that Hispanic buying power in the state totals $10.2 billion, an amount that's garnering interest from mainstream as well as Latino advertisers seeking to tap into those wallets. Though Georgia's Hispanic population is about 60 percent Mexican, Latinos from the Caribbean and Central and South America make up the rest and are influencing programming on the Spanish-language stations. Across town from Doraville-based La Ley, for instance, La Que Buena (loosely translated "the really good one") features salsa, merengue and bachata during the middle of the day and rock on Wednesdays. Another station, Planeta X (1310 AM), sticks to a diet of Latin oldies, pop and romantic ballads and syndicated programming from the Miami-based network Radio Única. Maria Solis of Norcross is a fan of Planeta X because it plays "the old songs that you thought you would never hear again, the songs that my mother used to listen to." Solis, 24, is from Guadalajara, Mexico. Demand drives growth Spanish radio in metro Atlanta took its first steps in the 1970s with La Pantera on 790 AM. The venture failed. Latino radio gained a firmer foothold in 1988 when Samuel Zamarron and his wife moved from Chicago and bought 1600 AM, a station on Westside Road in Austell. They converted it from gospel to La Favorita, playing Mexican music for what was then a tiny audience. "People were so excited," said Sammy Zamarron, the station's program director and the son of the founder. "We noticed a lot of emotion in the Hispanic community. They finally heard Spanish here in Atlanta." Other stations followed. In 1993, restaurateur and concert promoter Javier Macías and a partner bought 1550 AM in Smyrna. Three years later, Filiberto Prieto, the founder of Taco Veloz restaurants, bought 610 AM in Lawrenceville with his wife, naming it RadioMex. Two years ago Prieto bought 1080 AM, changing the station's Christian format to a simulcast with RadioMex. A divorce left RadioMex in his ex-wife's hands and 1080 AM with Prieto. He dumped the simulcast and adopted the moniker La Ley (the Law) for his station in July 2002. Daniel King and Alberto Alvear began operating La Invasora on 1100 AM in 1997. Two years ago, they moved the programming to 1310 AM in Doraville, changing the station's name to Planeta X. The stations are trying to satisfy a hunger for different musical tastes in the fractured Hispanic population. "It used to be 100 percent Mexican regional music," said Héctor Rosellon, who started at La Que Buena as a deejay for the station's remote broadcasts. "[But] the market has grown a lot." He recently joined the station's morning show with Arturo Miranda, who came from Mexico, and Jorge Diaz, who joined the station after stints in Arizona and California. The team's shtick includes parodies of traffic reports, crank phone calls and free lunches for winning listeners. "What I like is the jokes in the morning and [the music of] Thalia, Paulino Rubio, Juanes," said Gilberto Ramírez, 23, a Marietta resident who came from Celaya in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Fighting for ratings In terms of Arbitron ratings, the Spanish stations hardly register next to the giants on AM radio. In fact, only three Spanish stations even made it into the survey in the summer numbers released last week. La Favorita was on top, followed by RadioMex and La Que Buena. La Ley, which was at the bottom in the spring, did not make the cut this time. Arbitron ranks the metro area's Hispanic radio market at No. 20 nationwide. The top five Hispanic radio markets are Los Angeles, New York, Miami-Dade County, Chicago and Houston-Galveston. Félix Gutiérrez, visiting professor of journalism at the University of Southern California, said it's unusual for as many as six Spanish stations to exist in a tight metro area, especially with none of them owned by a major chain. Sooner or later, however, the majors are expected to look closely at Atlanta. Merger stirs market The recent merger of Univision, the nation's largest Spanish TV network, with Hispanic Broadcasting Corp., the country's largest radio network, has sparked speculation among Atlanta's Latino stations that it's only a matter of time before a national network --- perhaps even with an FM station --- enters the market here. While that may be disconcerting for the stations operating here now, they believe they still have a hand to play. Acquiring an FM station would take millions of dollars and bring with it high advertising rates --- several hundreds of dollars for a commercial spot vs. less than $100 now. "If we charge $70, $80, $90 for a commercial, [an FM station] would have to charge $300 for the 30-second spot," said Humberto Izquierdo, vice president and general manager at La Que Buena. Nationally, advertising on Spanish radio has been rising every year, said Mike Cáplinger, research supervisor for Hispanic Business magazine. In 2002, it totaled $589 million, though that's still just a small percentage of overall radio advertising expenditures of $19.6 billion, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau. Advertising figures for Spanish radio in metro Atlanta by national companies were not available. But local advertisers are the stations' bread and butter. Competition for these advertisers, many of them new business owners with tight budgets, is fierce, said Daniel King of Planeta X. "This [is] a new market," King said. "People are just starting out. They have saved to start their own business, a store or a taqueria [taco shop]. They are still sacrificing." (Atlanta Journal Constitution via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. There is a new format on 1510 in Denver. The call letters are KCUV. The slogan is "Your Home for Americana" Here is the write up about the new format. --------------- DENVER - Eight days ago, the far right-hand side of the radio dial underwent a change. 1510, a frequency which was, until recently, on the block, switched from filler satellite broadcasts and simulcasting talk radio to a format not heard before in Denver. "Americana" is a mix of folk, blues, bluegrass, rock, gospel, and country, and - odds are - you haven't heard many of these tunes before. The station plays familiar artists like Johnny Cash and Willy Nelson, but offers unfamiliar cuts of theirs. Also, artists like Lucinda Williams and Townes Van Zant - who are much more rarely heard on the radio. KCUV - "Colorado's Underground Voice" aims to be the antidote to the plain vanilla served up by corporate format playlists. "This is about bringing radio back to its roots," said Tim Brown, CEO of NRC Broadcasting. Brown is the son-in-law of Phil Anschutz, and says that NRC's corporate backing allows KCUV to take some extra risks. The frequency was up for sale until recently. "We did have a qualified buyer. When that fell apart, we sat down and said - let's do something really fun, something we really believe in," Brown said. Although the team didn't have any research to draw on for the Denver market, Brown said they had a "strong, gut feeling" that the corporate-driven playlists were leaving many listeners cold. He acknowledged that most radio listeners want to hear the hits, and saluted radio giants like Clear Channel and Jefferson Pilot for running profitable stations. But he estimated some of their stations use playlists of only 200 or 400 songs. On an average week, he said, KCUV would play 1200 different songs. Paul Epstein, owner of Twist & Shout music store in Denver, said the new station is filling a major niche. He said "a lot of people crave" the music KCUV is playing. He applauded a local company jumping into the mix with something different. "Any voice in the wilderness that offers up diversity and plays different kinds of music than the carefully formatted corporate stations is good by me," Epstein said. According to Brown, Americana is closest to "Triple A" - which stands for Adult Album Alternative. Triple A skews toward rock, while Americana skews toward country. But he realizes that the station has several big strikes against it. For one, it's located on the AM dial, while most music radio has migrated to FM's cleaner sound. Brown said that gives KCUV two-thirds less accumulated audience potential than FM stations. Brown says Denver is the only top 25 market ever to have an Americana station. Among the successful stations using the format, he cited KGSR in Austin, Texas which is owned by Emmis Communications and KPIG, which serves Santa Cruz, California. Brown called KPIG the "gold standard" for Americana, owned by Mapleton Communications. NRC Broadcasting is acquiring nine mountain radio stations, including ones in Steamboat Springs and Aspen, which already use the Triple a format. They'll keep that format, but add some of the diversity which Americana brings. With that deal, NRC will own 11 radio stations in Colorado, compared to Clear Channel, which owns 8 in Denver alone. "We're not answering to Wall Street, because we're independently owned, and have the financial backing we do, we're able to take risks that large groups cannot when it comes to unproven formats," Brown said. And right now - the frequency is off the market. "We're not going to sell 1510 in the foreseeable future," said Brown. He said he hoped to be drawing 50 to 60,000 listeners in an average week, within the next 12 to 18 months. He estimated that dominant KYGO has 350,000. "I think we can make a living with a one share, with this station," he said. (Copyright 2003 by 9NEWS KUSA-TV. All Rights Reserved) (via someone, amfmtvdx at qth.net and IRCA topica list via DXLD) It's good to hear that Denver has a new 'Americana' music format station. I'm a big Americana fan. Started by listening to KPIG years ago. Unfortunately, they had to start charging a monthly fee so my main Americana station now is WDVX in Knoxville. I certainly will be rooting for KCUV to make good with this format; maybe it will spread (Don Kaskey, San Francisco CA, IRCA via XXLD) ** U S A. CLEAR CHANNEL`S DISDAIN FOR RATINGS IS A PRESCRIPTION FOR DISASTER --- by JOHN GORMAN Gorman | Media : Unplanned Obsolescence Articles / Columns Date: Oct 08, 2003 - 02:13 PM Tom Owens smells the odor of an unclean rodent. He`s the supercilious senior VP of programming for Clear Channel`s beleaguered 1,200-plus radio stations. When there`s success, he takes credit. When there`s failure, heads roll. While surrounding himself with a hackorama of talentless buddies, he goes through programmers and air personalities like we change underwear. Now, he`s getting a whiff of cruel reality. Owens` claim to fame is programming WEBN in Cincinnati, which is best described as a rock station for bottom feeders. Under Owens, Clear Channel`s radio programming division has become the media symbol of ratings failure and a place where connections trump aptitude. Like fast food at interstate stops, you`re assured to get the same bland product anywhere Clear Channel has a radio station... This article comes from The Cleveland Free Times http://www.freetimes.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.freetimes.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=355 (via Brock Whaley for DXLD) ** U S A. FCC HEARS COMPLAINTS, PRAISES ABOUT LOCAL RADIO, TV Wed Oct 22, 9:22 PM ET Entertainment - Reuters Industry By Jeremy Pelofsky http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031023/media_nm/media_fcc_localism_dc WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Carolina residents aired their complaints and praises on Wednesday about local television and radio stations while broadcasters defended commitments to their communities during the first of several nationwide federal hearings about local stations' public service. Local musicians griped about getting music on the air while bicyclists blasted a radio program that encouraged drivers to run them off the road. But community activists praised stations for informing listeners and aiding fund-raising drives. The Federal Communications Commission went to Charlotte on its first stop of its review of how local stations serve their local communities amid complaints about diminishing local reporting, community service and crass programming. The hearings coincide with stations seeking renewal of their broadcast licenses, which happens every eight years and often can become a battle over the programming. The agency is now weighing renewals for stations in the mid-Atlantic area. "That owner is legally obligated to serve the local community," FCC Chairman Michael Powell said. "This inquiry here seeks to examine if that is happening, and if not, to consider the actions the commission might take, including potentially not renewing an owner's broadcast license." Broadcasters told the three attending commissioners that they reach out to the communities, reporting about local politics and events, telling listeners about emergency situations like hurricanes, airing local artists and conducting public services such as blood drives. "We have invited a lot of local artists to perform at some of our local events," said Debbie Kwei, general manager of WCHH-FM in Harrisburg, N.C., a Radio One Inc. station. One local resident at the packed hearing noted that a Charlotte station owned by Clear Channel Communications Inc., held a four-day fund-raising drive for a local hospital helping children, raising $900,000 over the last three years. The hearing coincides with a fierce debate over recently eased ownership limits of television and radio stations. The FCC permitted television networks to buy more local stations and media conglomerates would be able to own a newspaper, television station and some radio outlets in a market. Country music singer Tift Merritt complained about getting her songs on the air, arguing that radio stations find ways of squeezing payments from her to broadcast her songs and that localism and ownership are inextricably tied. "The airwaves serve the public, not a corporate bottom line," she said. "Any conversation about localism without regard to media ownership is absolutely avoiding the heart of this issue and certainly cannot render a fair solution." Several Raleigh, N.C. residents also excoriated a recent broadcast on a local station owned by Clear Channel, the biggest U.S. radio conglomerate, during which they said on-air personalities urged listeners to run bicyclists off the road. "Our enforcement bureau did receive complaints at the end of September and is looking at that matter," Powell said. A company official was not immediately available for comment. It was not immediately clear whether the FCC could take action against the Raleigh station however. The agency typically only acts on indecent and obscene broadcasts. The FCC enforcement bureau recently proposed a $357,500 fine for a show aired on Infinity Broadcasting stations during which on-air personalities challenged listeners to have sex in public places to win a trip to Boston. The agency's next hearing is slated for December in San Antonio, Texas, which happens to be where Clear Channel is headquartered (via Yahoo News via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Spark gap transmission of Morse code covering almost 100 kHz, from 7380 to 7470 and peaking around 7425, heard for a few minutes until 1353* Oct 23. Either a good fist or mechanical sender, and not too rapid, but my code speed wasn`t up to it. Did not hear any DE ID at the end or anytime else. Ideas? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ SURFIN`: WHO ELSE INVENTED RADIO? By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, Contributing Editor, October 20, 2003 This week, we revisit last week`s column and find out who else invented radio. [see DXLD 3-179] It appears that we missed a few ``inventors`` last week. Did J. C. Bose invent radio? Consider that question when you read the article about Bose at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Web page http://www.tuc.nrao.edu/~demerson/bose/emerson_delhi.pdf Ramakrishnan Muthukrishnan from Cochin, India, is waiting for his Amateur Radio license to arrive from his country`s Ministry of Communications, but he is right on top of the history of radio. He wrote, ``You seem to have totally ignored the fact that J. C. Bose of Calcutta, India, was a pioneer in radio communications. There are many IEEE papers, which now prove that Marconi was a copycat and he copied ideas from Bose and also from the Russian scientist [Alexander Popov].`` Bose built equipment that operated in the super high frequencies -- up to 60 GHz! Ramakrishnan suggested reading the Bose story at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Web page [mentioned above] to get more information. The IEEE paper titled ``Italian Navy Coherer Scandal Revisited,`` (Proc. IEEE, Vol. 86, No. 1, January 1988) also contains pertinent information. Tom Dunbar, W6ESL, wrote, `` I don`t see Lee de Forest on the list, who by his own account, invented just about everything, and was the `father of radio broadcasting.` `` Yes, we missed Mr. Lee, so we correct our error this week by directing your attention to the Lee de Forest Web page http://www.leedeforest.org/ Kirk Morrison, KA4PXK, responded to the question, ``Who invented radio?`` with ``All of them, and Marconi figured out how to market it, is my opinion. They all improved the status quo and then Marconi ran with it while the inventors were trying to figure out what they had...`` Finally, John Berry, G1WOS, made an excellent point. He wrote, ``To me `radio` is a natural electromagnetic phenomena. Who discovered it becomes the question. Then you can ask who `invented` broadcasting?`` Maybe next week. Until next time, keep on surfin`. Editor`s note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, has been a QST writer for over 25 years, an Amateur Radio operator for over 35 years, and a Boston Red Sox fan for over 45 years. As a result, instead of transmitting on the radio this week, Stan will be contemplating another long winter without a Major League Championship in Boston`s trophy room. To contact Stan, send e-mail to wa1lou@arrl.net Copyright © 2003, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved (via John Norfolk, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ SUNSPOT #484: ONE OF THE BIGGEST IN YEARS; AURORAS POSSIBLE Check out http://spaceweather.com/ -- sky watchers from Maine to Washington State may wish to look for auroras tonight (22 October). This might help explain degradation in HF propagation; see also http://www.sec.noaa.gov/advisories/bulletins.html (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Oct 22, swprograms via DXLD) Ciao! Un SUNSPOT grande come il pianeta GIOVE!! si è ingrandito ulteriormente oggi! Sono decenni che non ne veniva segnalato uno così SPAVENTOSO.... http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/images/latest_eit_284.gif Questa WEB vi darà l'idea della sua grandezza. Non si fanno previsioni su quello che potrebbe accadere nelle prossime 24 ore al nostro granello di senape quando l'influsso della esplosione solare in corso ci colpirà (Dario Monferini, Oct 22, Play-DX via DXLD) PROPAGATION WARNING It looks as though there could be several 'stormy' periods ahead, especially Oct 24th to at least Oct. 26th (2003), this is unfortunate, as it co-incides with the beginning of the B03 Period. The Sun is much more active than for some time. Sunspot Region 484 is said by the NOAA to be 'the biggest for years', Sunspot Region 486 also shows signs of Flaring from just behind the East Limb of the Sun, it will probably rotate into 'Observatory View' within the next 24-48 Hours. Latest News from http://www.spaceweather.com Also worth reading http://www.rsgb.org.uk and go to Propagation, update should be posted Tea Time Friday 24th October (for RSGB Members already probably posted) and for all, a further Saturday (25th October 2003) Up-Date from about 1900 UTC. Also don`t forget Glenn Hauser's DXLD; there has been some 'Damm Good Stuff' there lately!!!!! (Ken Fletcher, 2348UTC=0048UTC+1, October 22nd/23rd 2003, BDXC-UK) HUGE X5.4 SOLAR FLARE AT 0809 UTC The seemingly endless minor Kp-5 to major Kp-7 geomagnetic storming finally came to an end at approximately 2100 UTC on 03/10/22, as the long duration Coronal Hole #63 finally released it's grip on Earth's magnetic field. The two partially geoeffective Coronal Mass Ejections have also come and gone too so to speak. Looking back at the Kp indices we experienced nine consecutive days with at least minor geomagnetic storming. That's the good news, now for the bad. Joining huge sunspot group #10484 at N04E13 with it's complicated gamma-delta magnetic signature is newly arrived #10486 at S16E81 with it's beta-gamma-delta magnetic signature. Both have been prolific producers of solar flares. In the past 24 hour period we have seen seven M class flares, two X class solar flares and two filament eruptions. The X1 solar flare released by #10484 produced another partially geo- effective Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on 03/10/22 beginning at 1949 UTC, as well as an elevated energetic proton flux level > then (10+0). Then beginning on 03/10/23 at 0809 UTC a huge X5.7 solar flare was released by #10486, producing yet another partially geo-effective Coronal Mass Ejection. The two separate filament eruptions produced two more at least partially geoeffective Coronal Mass Ejections. The CME from the X1 solar flare should begin impacting Earth's magnetic field on UTC 03/10/24. The CME from the X5.7 solar flare, as well as the two from the filament eruptions should arrive on UTC 03/10/25. Also as sunspot group #10484 is now geo-effective (Earth facing) and so large and magnetically complex, more huge solar flares and CME's are probable and would "directly" impact Earth's magnetic field. To be honest recent space weather activity is so numerous and complex at the moment that it's difficult to accurately forecast arrival and impact. I will stick with strong Kp-7 to severe Kp-8 geomagnetic storming within 24 hours and higher latitudes may even experience extreme conditions Kp-9. Bottom line, for the next 96 hour time period high latitude propagation paths for LF, MF and HF signals will be poor with some short term mid latitude propagation path degradation also. On the MF AM broadcast band it will be a good time to log stations south of the magnetic equator:<( 73, (Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF, Plant City, FL, USA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) STRONG GEOMAGNETIC STORM EXPECTED TO HIT EARTH The Associated Press 10/23/03 4:17 AM BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -- A strong geomagnetic storm was expected to hit Earth on Friday with the potential to affect electrical grids and satellite communications. One of the largest sunspot clusters in years developed over the past three days and produced a coronal mass ejection, similar to a solar flare, at 3 a.m. EDT Wednesday, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The disturbance was expected to produce a geomagnetic storm rated G3. A G5 storm is the strongest. The storm could make the aurora visible as far south as Oregon and Illinois. A coronal mass ejection is an explosion of gas and charged particles into space from the corona, the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere. A second sunspot cluster not yet visible from Earth could produce more geomagnetic storms in the next two weeks, NOAA said (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) IPS HF RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WARNING 03/73 ISSUED AT 22/2319Z OCTOBER 2003 BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE. HF COMMS FADEOUTS EXPECTED DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS FROM 23-25 OCTOBER 2003. IF COMMS DIFFICULTIES EXPERIENCED TRY A HIGHER FREQUENCY BAND _____________________________________________________________ SOLAR ACTIVITY FORECAST HF COMMS FADEOUTS 23 Oct: moderate to high Probable 24 Oct: moderate to high Probable 25 Oct: moderate to high Probable IPS Radio and Space Services | email: as-@ips.gov.au [truncated] PO Box 1386 | WWW: http://www.ips.gov.au Haymarket NSW 1240 AUSTRALIA | FTP: ftp://ftp.ips.gov.au tel: +61 2 9213 8010 | fax: +61 2 9213 8060 ips-hf-warning mailing list http://www.ips.gov.au/mailman/listinfo/ips-hf-warning (via Ronny Peeters, Belgium, Oct 23, BDXC via DXLD) ###