DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-212, November 25, 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 http://www.w4uvh.net/dxldtd3k.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 1208: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: 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 1208 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1208h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1208h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1208.html WORLD OF RADIO 1208 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1208.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1208.rm FIRST AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1209: Wed 2300 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 0230 on WINB 9320 Thu 2130 on WWCR 15825 [from next week: 9475] WORLD OF RADIO 1209 (low version) available early from 0410 UT Nov 26: (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1209.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1209.rm WORLD OF RADIO INTERNET RECEPTION IN EUROPE Glenn, download time in the 0900-1100 UT time span is very, very fast [when most US is in deep sleep]. Takes approx. 40 seconds with DSL procedure, and covered by the 60hrs/month tariff. At same time doing my AntiVirus update from California in parallel. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Nov 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. RAE was propagating well UT Nov 26 on 11710, tuned in at 0159 with an 8-note interval signal. Sole announcer this night introduced herself as Patricia, and after multi-lingual IDs, as usual took until about 0210 to go thru all the schedule and contact info, read at extremely slow pace, Special Argenglish (no doubt some WOR listeners wish I would do that, but I just can`t, as long as my brain is working normally). There was a bit of fading and a light het, probably caused by RAE being slightly off-frequency, tho I did not attempt to estimate it this time. Finally got around to some news, dull, dull, dull about economic matters, but then the Argentines are no doubt preoccupied with that. This all seemed to be from the government point of view. Some musical breaks for tangos, etc., did not make it any easier to take the ``news``. Curiously, Patricia introduced a `curtain`, i.e. a musical transition. Not the only SW station to do this, and I`ve always found it odd. The transitions should stand on their own merits without being referred to. At 0230 there was an automatic 3-pip timesignal, and at 0241 introduced `our two feature programs, but by now I was tuning back and forth to CANADA and EGYPT, q.v., and RAE had lost me, until I rechecked at 0255 when the IS was back (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. [MWOZ] X - Band update --- I'm currently putting together the X Band list. The list will be on the ARDXC site: http://www.ardxc.fl.net.au/Xband.html (Dave Onley, Nov 25, message has been sent via the Australian Mediumwave group via ARDXC via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. HI-TECH REPLY AS THE NATION TALKS BACK Michael Sainsbury, NOVEMBER 20, 2003 http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,7916520^16123^^nbv^,00.html SYDNEY radio station 2UE, which broadcasts to 64 stations around the country, is using a new computer technology to handle its thousands of talkback calls. Radio stations have moved a long way from the bulky audio tapes of only a decade ago, 2UE chief engineer Alastair Reynolds said. As computers became more user friendly and affordable in the 1990s stations began to transfer their libraries from tape to disc. "This has saved us an enormous amount in storage," Mr Reynolds said. 2UE now stores 20,000 music tracks on computers. Its new system to help its talkback announcers and producers integrates Avaya's IP Office with Broadcast Bionic's PhoneBOX, a broadcast call-handling system developed specifically for radio and television stations. The solution was sold and implemented by Techtel. 2UE counts among its announcers Australia's most famous talkback host John Laws, who last week announced he would stay with the station until 2010. "Details of callers are displayed onscreen for both the producer and on-air talent to see," Mr Reynolds said. This enables full control over caller queues. The system has comprehensive built-in databases allowing instant reporting of caller history, including details of when the caller last appeared on the station, which program they called, and if they won a prize. "This allows us to track the geographic origins of calls using caller identification," Mr Reynolds said. Another benefit of the new system is that it stops call dropouts, which continue to increase with the use of mobile phones. "That is an announcer's worst nightmare," Mr Reynolds said. "But with the new system a dropped call will disappear from the screen almost immediately." While other stations are also installing such systems, Mr Reynolds said 2UE's was unique because of the large number of stations to which it feeds programming across the country. "2UE can have up to 24 callers at any one time, more than double that of other radio stations," he said. Mr Reynolds said the flexibility of the software platform allowed 2UE to ask for tweaks and changes, and they are delivered back within days (via Art Blair, DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. Re TDP Radio, DRM on 9850: That is the NOZEMA transmitter in Flevo, Holland; HFCC B03 registered on 9850 with 100kW at 150 degrees for DRM programming provided by Radio Nederland Wereldomroep. NOZEMA = Nederlandsche Omroep-Zendmaatschappij N.V., the national Dutch transmitter provider http://www.nozema.nl --- The SW facilities in Flevo are owned by NOZEMA and leased by RNW, while RNW actually owns its relay stations in Netherlands Antilles and Madagascar (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Nov 25, WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 5952.47, Emisora Pio XII, Nov 25, 0948-0957, beautiful signal, announcer reading lots of names between instrumental Andean music breaks, then reception literally smashed at 0957 by the triumphal +50dB overblaring trumpets of Family Radio on 5950, The perfect metaphor for the state of the world these days (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg. "VT-DX" : http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. While tuning back and for between ARGENTINA and EGYPT [q.v., q.v.], UT Wed Nov 26 at 0236, I came upon RCI`s Maple Leaf Mailbag, on 11725, some inane chat between the host and some staff member. Fortunately when I rechecked at 0243 Sheldon Harvey was making a fortnightly appearance, talking about the history of RCI in the 1990s, part 3 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [and non]. For those of us lucky enough to live in Canada, the November issue of Canadian Living (page 167) has a wonderful story written by well known east coast free-lancer, Jodi DeLong, entitled "Whispers on the Air". It starts with: "Since my childhood the 1955 Hallicrafters radio has fascinated me with its myriad mysterious voices. Now it speaks to me with my father's." It's not on the Canadian Living website yet. I've emailed them to ask permission to reprint it for the benefit of SWL/DXers beyond the boundaries of Canada (Walter (Volodya) Salmaniw, MD, Victoria, BC, Canada, Nov 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBTB INTERVIEW. Hi all, the interview I did for CBTB is on my website in the audio section; it is a 3.2 Mb down load (sorry, it`s the smallest I could get it) and I sound terrible on it, hehe, and you can even hear my dog barking (blushing as I type). Thought you guys would like to hear it http://www.geocities.com/tvdxrools/index.htm (David Hamilton, Scotland UK, Nov 25, WTFDA via DXLD) Re his DXing the Canadian FM by trans-Atlantic sporadic-E last summer ** CHINA [non]. Yet another CRI relay via Cuba was encountered --- at least I don`t think I`ve noted this one before, UT Nov 26 at 0304 on 9790, the transmitter with a squeal. This was running a good two seconds behind the presumed Spain relay of CRI on 9690, which again had extreme distortion with a very strong signal. I guess their feed into Spain is to blame, as I can`t imagine REE letting this go on if they had any control over it. An apt comparison between Commie China on 9690, and Free China on 9680, also in English at the time, via WYFR with very nice modulation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. Re La Voz de Tu Conciencia: Está por salir la resolución del Ministerio de Comunicaciones autorizando operar en los 5.910 kHz como frecuencia alterna a los 6.010 kHz; así en dos o tres semanas ya debería estar en pruebas. Esto a raíz de las intereferencias recibidas de servicios internacionales, sin embargo no implica que se deje de transmitir en 6010 ya que sobre esta frecuencia se ha desarrollado un gran trabajo incluso ya se han repartido más de 500 radios de frecuencia fija que funcionan con un panel solar; además, la frecuencia en 5910 tendria un área de objetivo diferente. La organización está en negociaciones para hacerse a la estación 560 kHz desde Maicao LV de la Pampa: con esto se tendría acceso a solicitar más frecuencias de onda corta que operarian en 31 metros (Rafael Rodríguez, Bogotá, Nov 24, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Re La Voz del Llano on 10282: Como menciona el colega Malm, la onda corta está fuera del aire desde hace varios meses, luego que la cadena Súper entregara al Ministerio la frecuencia que operaba, esto debido a los ataques que sufriera que incluyó un atentado con bomba a sus instalaciones en Villavicencio y las amenazas y secuestros de sus periodistas; así que es muy poco problable que vuelva a la onda corta. Lo curioso de lo que reporta el Colega Malm es la frecuencia que generaría el armónico esuchado (10282/10 = 1028.2 kHz) muy corrida de su frecuencia nominal 1020, aunque recuerdo que esta estación siempre ha tenido problemas con sus transmisores y muchas veces la onda corta se midió luego del 5 ó 6 armónico (30580, 36696 kHz) por colegas norteamericanos [como gh, en el quinto ya hace muchísimos años]; además generaba señales espúreas en toda la banda de 49 metros (Rafael Rodríguez, Bogotá, Nov 24, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** CUBA. I sent an email to Arnie Coro @ RHC (DXers Unlimited) last week inquiring why they were jamming 7385 with religious programming in English. I got no reply but the jammer is off tonight (11/25). Does Arnie Coro have something to do with jammer operations? (LOU Johnson, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Probably, but would never admit it ** CZECH REPUBLIC. CZECH RADIO 1 IN DIGITAL FORMAT | Text of report by Czech radio on 24 November Czech Radio 1 - Radiozurnal has started broadcasting in the digital format. The signal is transmitted experimentally by the mediumwave transmitter in Hradec Kralove-Stezary on 774 kHz. Although the digital signal of Radiozurnal is transmitted by the Hradec Kralove transmitter on a relatively low output of only 2.5kW, it can be received not only in the guaranteed 70-km circle around the transmitter, but also in some parts of Prague. Technical staff of Czech Radiocommunication have even managed to tune to the signal near Karlovy Vary [western Bohemia]. Source: Czech Radio 1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 1700 gmt 24 Nov 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC [non]. CZECH REP/UNITED KINGDOM: VT MERLIN COMMUNICATIONS TO REBROADCAST RADIO PRAGUE | Text of press release from UK transmission company VT Merlin Communications on 18 November Radio Prague, the international arm of Czech Radio have signed a contract with VT Merlin Communications to broadcast programming on its network of high power shortwave radio transmitters. The programme is a daily service in Spanish directed at the Southern Americas. It runs from 0000 to 0030 gmt on a frequency of 11665 kHz. The programme is down linked from the Eurobird satellite in the UK. It is then sent via fully staffed control facilities, to a transmission site operated by VT Merlin in the Atlantic. This is via VT Merlin Communications secure satellite distribution system. This enables a live broadcast to be made, providing listeners with up to the minute news and information. The use of a transmission facility close to the target area will enable listeners to receive Radio Prague's programmes clearly. The broadcast is made at 250 kilowatts. Miroslav Krupicka, Director of Radio Prague said: "This is a good opportunity to enhance our listenership in South America. With the advent of new technologies such as Internet, DRM etc. we also want to demonstrate that we do not forget about our SW audience. The first reports from our listeners are encouraging." Richard Hurd, Head of Transmission Services at VT Merlin Communications commented "Radio Prague and VT Merlin Communications discussed this opportunity at the AIB [Association for International Broadcasting] in London in 2003. We are proud that Czech Radio have trusted us with their International transmission requirements. This is the start of a new broadcast relationship which will benefit Radio Prague's listeners and programme makers." Source: VT Merlin Communications press release, London, in English 18 Nov 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) `In the Atlantic` --- they mean Ascension ** EGYPT. Tuning around 25m, UT Nov 26, before 0200 I noticed Brazil dominating 11780, and figured there would be no chance for R. Cairo, but rechecked at 0233 and Brasil seemed to have left, leaving a weak and fadey but audible R. Cairo signal in its so-called North American service in English, seemingly with fair modulation. I couldn`t really follow it; perhaps I could on a better night, or someone further east could. At 0252 recheck there was an interview in English, someone with a heavy Arabic accent. No break at hourtop. I was standing by for the traditional Cairo news theme at 0315, but instead some other music was playing, and 6-pip ``time signal`` (5 low, one high) ended at about 0316:15. At times there was some light co-channel QRM, but if Brasil were on it surely would have been much heavier, judging from the signal Argentina [q.v.] was putting in at the same time on 11710v (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. A small correction. Santec / DTK, working days "17" entry is wrong. Mr Weyl said "Sun" only, so correct entry should be: Also R. Santec programs, Sundays only 1200-1300 UT: 6015 1200-1300 27,28 314 ND 930 1=Sunday 151103 280304 WER 125 Santec (Nov 24) (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. "Non-official" broadcasts via relays B03 - Updated 22/11/2003 DXA375-Silvain Domen, Belgium. Free to copy, distribute. Compiled from monitoring, info distibuted via BC-DX, CRW, DXLD, HFCC Thanks for updates: Mauno Ritola, Finland Thanks for adding this list to their website: Martin Schoech, http://www.schoechi.de/crw.html Italian DX website, http://www.bclnews.it AFS: Meyerton CIS: Russian or other Commonwealth Of Indep. States site CIS relays on Nagoya DXC http://www2.starcat.ne.jp/~ndxc/ DTK: Deutsche Telekom G: Skelton HWI: KWHR MNO: Merlin NOR: Kvitsöy RNW: Radio Netherlands - Madagascar site TDP: http://www.airtime.be/schedule.html TWN: Taipei WRN: World Radio Network 0000-0100 7460 IBC-Tamil Tamil-WRN-CIS- 0100-0200 15260 Hmong Lao R. Lao(Wed/Fri)-MNO-TWN- 0200-0300 17510 World Falun Dafa R. - Fang Guang Ming Chinese-HWI- 0226-0315 7460 R. Payem E Doost Farsi(Tue-Fri/Sun)-MNO-CIS- 0230-0330 6100 R. Sadaye Kashmir Urdu/Kashmiri-CIS- 0430-0500 7510 Arabic R. Arabic-CIS- 0500-1700 11530 V. Of Mesopotamia Kurdish-TDP-CIS- 0700-0800 17655 V. Of Dem. Path To Ethiopian Unity Amharic(Sun)-DTK- 0730-0830 9890 R. Sadaye Kashmir Urdu/Kashmiri-CIS- 0900-1000 6180 R. Rainbow - Kestedamena Amharic(Sat)-DTK- 1200-1300 9875 V. Of Burma Burmese(Mon-Fri)-MNO-CIS- 1215-1300 15400 or 21560 Tashkent V. Of Tibet-WRN-CIS 1215-1300 15615 or 15660 Almaty V. Of Tibet-WRN-CIS- 1215-1300 11640 or 15645 Dushanbe V. Of Tibet-WRN-CIS- 1230-1300 9930 R. Free Vietnam Vietnamese(Mon-Sat)-TDP-HWI 1300-1330 7180 Degar V.- R. Montagnard V. dial.(Tue/Thu/Sat)-MNO- CIS- 1330-1400 9930 Que Huong R. Vietnamese(Mon-Sat)-TDP-HWI- 1330-1430 9585 New Horizon R. - Chan Troi Moi Vietnamese(via HAR)- DTK- 1400-1500 11550 V. Of Khmer Kampuchea Krom Khmer(Tue)-TDP-CIS- 1430-1515 11975 or 12025 or 12145 Tashkent V. Of Tibet-WRN-CIS- 1429-1526 17495 Democratic V. Of Burma Burmese-RNW- 1430-1530 5905 Democratic V. Of Burma Burmese-WRN-CIS- 1430-1530 6100 R. Sadaye Kashmir Urdu/Kashmiri-CIS- 1500-1530 17870 R. Rhino Int. English(Tue-Fri)(Sat/Sun -1600)-DTK- 1500-1600 9930 World Falun Dafa R. - Fang Guang Ming Chinese-HWI 1500-1600 5925 V. Of Democratic Eritrea Tigrigna(Sat)-DTK- 1600-1630 7470 // 12085 Arabic R. Arabic-WRN-CIS- 1600-1659 9820 V. Of Ethiopian Salvation Amharic(Sun/Thu)-DTK- 1600-1900 4880 R. Africa English/local African 1630-1659 9820 R. Huriyo - V. Of The Ogadeni People Somali(Tue/Fri)- DTK- 1630-1730 7350 R. Amani - Afghanistan Peace Pashto/Dari (Fri)-CIS- 1630-1830 11520 R. Sedaye Iran - Los Angeles Farsi-CIS- 1657-1755 7120 V. Of The People English/local African languages-RNW- 1700-1730 7560 R. V. Of Oromo Liberation Oromo(Mon/Thu)-TDP-CIS- 1700-1800 7560 Mesopotamian RTV Kurdish(Tue/Wed/Fri)-TDP-CIS- 1700-1800 7560 Dejen R. Tigrigna(Sat)-TDP-CIS- 1700-1800 9820 V. Of Democratic Eritrea Tigrigna(Mon/Thu)-DTK- 1700-1800 9820 V. Of Oromo Liberation Oromo(Sun/Tue/Wed/Fri)-DTK- 1700-1800 7560 V. Of Komala Farsi(Sun)-TDP-NOR- 1730-1800 7490 R. International Farsi(Tue/Thu/Sat -1815)-MNO-CIS- 1730-1800 13690 V. Of The Eritrean People Tigrigna(Sun)-MNO-G/NOR?- 1800-1830 7130 V. Of The Eritrean People Tigrigna(Sun)-MNO-G- 1800-1845 7480 R. Payem E Doost Farsi(Tue-Fri/Sun)-MNO-CIS- 1830-1930 7520 V. Of Ethiopian Salvation Amharic(Sun)-TDP-CIS- 1830-1930 7220 V. Of Dem.Path To Ethiopian Unity Amharic(Wed)-DTK- 1900-2000 11840 R. Rainbow - Kestedamena Amharic(Fri)-DTK- 2100-2200 7380 V. Of Biafra Int. English(Sat)-MNO-AFS- 2100-2200 6035 World Falun Dafa R. - Fang Guang Ming Chinese-TDP- CIS- 2330-0030 5945 Democratic V. Of Burma Burmese-DTK- 2330-0030 12055 Democratic V. Of Burma Burmese-RNW- (via Bclnews.it Nov 24 via DXLD) ** IRAN. CONTINÚAN EMISIONES EN ESPAÑOL DE LA VOZ DE LA REP. ISLÁMICA DE IRÁN Recibo esta comunicación de La Voz de La República Islamica de Irán, con la buena noticia de que sus emisiones en castellano continúan. Creo que la fuerza y la importancia de los diexistas y radioescuchas estuvo presente en esta decisión. Atte: (José Elías) viz.: EN EL NOMBRE DE DIOS Venerable hermano: Reciba un cordial y amigable saludo. Nos dirigimos a Ud. confiantes de que las bendiciones de Todopoderoso irradiarán sobre su vida. Con sumo placer acusamos el feliz recibo de su amables correspondencias, en las que venian anexos datos técnicos sumamente importantes para la emisora. Hermano, teniendo en cuenta que Ud. se considera un radioescucha experto, por el medio de la presente, quisiéramos que nos haga el favor de sintonizar nuestra señal en cada una de las frecuencias indicadas en nuestra tabla de las frecuencias recién actualizada para informarnos de la calidad de la recepción de nuestra voz. Eso, se lo pedimos a Ud. ya que gracias a Dios, por el momento, la radio española de la voz de la R.I.I. quedará excluída de la eliminación de ondas cortas; así pues sus datos ya cuentan con mayor importancia para nosotros. Esperamos poder corresponder esta amabilidad suya de manera adecuada. Sin más por el momento, nos despedimos hasta el próximo contacto. Atentamente, la Redacción Española de la voz de la R.I.I. He aquí las frecuencias actualizadas. 2030 a 2130 España 7130 - 9750 0030 a 0130 A. Sur 7220 - 5965 - 9555 - 0530 a 0630 Europa 15320 - 17590 (via José Elías Díaz Gómez, Venezuela, Nov 24, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** IRAN. Re 13630, CUBA: Glenn, sometimes - like the Cubans versus Martí - the Iranian secret services leave the jammer 24 hours on air. Like on 9530 kHz channel recently. But Noel Green's observation of this morning - Nov 25th: all Iranian jammers were OFF today, against US FARDA and also KOL ISRAEL Persian service too. That has something to do with end of RAMADAN festivities today and tomorrow, a worldwide holiday in Muslim world - here locally celebrated in Berlin - little Istanbul - too. 13630 co-channel is UAE R Dubai?? I guess 1255-2050 UT (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [and non]. MEDIA IN POST-WAR IRAQ - UPDATED 24 NOVEMBER 2003 [Note: most of this has been previously reported, but we hope the monthly roundup adds some convenience; this is less than half of the original file, which also contained an exhaustive and growing list of more than 200 newspapers --- gh] The Iraqi Media Network (IMN) was established in May 2003 by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to replace the defunct Iraqi Information Ministry. It currently includes a TV channel, two radio stations and the newspaper Al-Sabah, and continues to dominate domestic broadcasting in Iraq. IMN TV was renamed Al-Iraqiyah TV in November 2003. The Pentagon has received bids in recent weeks from international broadcasters and private companies for a 100m-dollar contract intended, among other things, to expand the IMN into a network which would include two terrestrial TV channels, one of which would be an all-news channel, and two radio stations, one all-news. The news channels would be available via satellite too. The contract also involves completely rebuilding Iraq's broadcasting infrastructure, as well as providing "comprehensive, accurate, fair, and balanced news," instilling a "code of ethics" in Iraqi journalists and becoming self-supporting by the end of 2004. With bids due in by the end of November, five serious contenders have reportedly emerged. They are the BBC, which through the World Service Trust has already been training Iraqi broadcasters; London-based Independent Television News; the Rendon Group, which has worked on previous US "public diplomacy" efforts; the Harris Group; and the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation. The IMN is currently operated by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a major US Defence Department contractor. Some US sources speculate that the Pentagon may stick with SAIC to continue to run the IMN. According to the US weekly The Village Voice, the IMN continues to lose senior staff with a background in professional journalism. The original news director, Ahmad al-Rikabi, resigned in August, citing poor funding and a lack of editorial independence. His successor, George Mansur, is said to have been removed in early November and replaced by a former CNN executive editor, Ted Iliff, the weekly reported. Although many Iraqis see the IMN not as a vehicle for free speech but as the mouthpiece of the CPA, managers at the IMN defend their programming against charges of propaganda. They add that after 30 years under Saddam Husayn, Iraqis must start to lose their scepticism of official state television. In a feature article on 6 November on Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty's web site http://www.rferl.org IMN journalist Shamin Rassam was reported as saying she was certain the network's audience would grow, although the spread of satellite dishes had made competition inevitable. Ms Rassam, who worked as a broadcaster for the Iraqi Information Ministry before going into exile in 1990, said that in addition to giving average Iraqis an accessible source of news and information, the IMN acted as a counterbalance to what she described as "extreme anti-American bias on Arabic satellite news channels". Meanwhile the CPA, dissatisfied with American network news coverage of the conflict in Iraq, is to set up its own 24-hour satellite TV channel from Baghdad funded by the Pentagon, in the hope that local US stations will use its footage to present "a more comprehensive picture" of events in Iraq, the New York Observer reported on 12 November. This will give the CPA "the capacity to create its own version of the news, live from Iraq, 24 hours a day," the paper said. At the time of writing, about 230 newspapers and other publications are available. The following new Iraqi press and broadcast sources have been traced since the previous 24 October 2003 issue of "The media in post-war Iraq": NEW RADIO BROADCASTS IN IRAQ SINCE 24 OCTOBER 2003 MBC Radio Pan-Arab broadcaster MBC has been observed on the new frequency of 88.5 MHz in Baghdad. Karbala Karbala FM Radio has been set up in Karbala Governorate, the Iraqi National Congress (INC) weekly newspaper Al-Mu'tamar reported on 15 November. The radio broadcasts on 99.1 MHz FM. It will be on the air for seven hours a day, from 1300 (1100 gmt) to 1700 and from 1900 to 2200. Broadcasts for Spanish soldiers On 9 November, Radio Exterior de España (REE) launched a weekly programme linking Spanish soldiers serving in Iraq with their families at home. The programme "Aquí España" (This is Spain) is a joint production between REE and the domestic network Radio 5 Todo Noticias, and is on the air between 1405 and 1500 gmt. The broadcast is beamed to the Middle East on shortwave 21610 kHz and relayed over an FM transmitter recently installed at Diwaniya. According to the REE web site, it is also carried on frequencies beamed to Europe, Africa and the Americas. NEW TV BROADCASTS IN IRAQ SINCE 24 OCTOBER 2003 Basra A Czech businessman who wishes to remain anonymous has launched a project to build a private TV station in Basra in conjunction with an Iraqi partner, the Czech news agency CTK reported on 13 November, citing that day's edition of the Czech daily Lidove noviny. The station would be called the Voice of the South, and would be partly financed by advertising. "The Czech-Iraqi television station may start broadcasting in southern Iraq as early as February, three hours a day at the beginning," the CTK report said. It added: "The project of a joint television station is supported not only by Czech officials but also by the British, in whose sector the broadcasting will take place, the paper writes. The television station is to be independent and should be supervised by both partners together. Interest in the project has also been shown by some Kuwaiti companies. The Voice of the South owners expect the station to be profit-making within two years. This also depends on whether the broadcasting will spread to the north as well, the paper adds." Baghdad A satellite TV channel sponsored by a Shi'i religious organization was due to launch in Baghdad, the independent Iraqi Kurdish newspaper Jamawar reported on 10 November. It did not name the group involved. The Iraqi paper Al-Qabas on 1 November carried a similar report, saying the channel was due to launch during the month of Ramadan. Kurdish region Local Kurdish authorities in Dohuk have reportedly denied a licence to Yekgirtu TV, which broadcasts on behalf of the Kurdistan Islamic Union, the independent Iraqi Kurdish newspaper Hawlati reported on 22 October. US STATE DEPARTMENT SURVEY ON MEDIA CONSUMPTION The first US State Department poll in Iraq indicates that most urban Iraqis have only local television networking, though a third overall have satellite access. Given this current situation, the Iraqi Media Network (IMN) has wide reach and a significant following, but findings suggest that its influence will likely be rivalled as satellite dishes become more widespread. The seven-city survey of urban Iraqis shows that local Iraqi television (62 per cent) is by far the most frequently relied upon medium for acquiring information and news about Iraq. 26 per cent rely on foreign television for news about their country, while much smaller percentages look to other information sources, such as Iraqi newspapers (5 per cent), Iraqi radio (2 per cent), foreign radio (2 per cent), or discussions with family and friends (1 per cent). Nearly all (93 per cent) Iraqis report owning a television, and about a third (33 per cent) have access to a satellite dish either at home, a friend's residence, or at work; two-thirds (62 per cent) report that they have no satellite access at all. Satellite access is most prevalent among Iraqis with a secondary-level education or higher, likely reflecting a degree of affluence. Significantly, post-college graduates are three times more likely to have access to satellite television than those with a primary education or lower. Across Iraq, majorities in the northern cities of Arbil (73 per cent) and Sulaymaniyah (60 per cent) report access to satellite television, while half (55 per cent) do in Ramadi. Only a third indicate access in Baghdad (32 per cent) or Najaf (27 per cent), and just 7 per cent do in Basra. A first look at the status of the US-supported IMN shows that a substantial majority (83 per cent) of Iraqis can receive the IMN without difficulty. Penetration levels are widest in Baghdad, Ramadi, Fallujah, Najaf and Basra, where between 74 and 95 per cent receive IMN. By contrast, station coverage is far lower in the Kurdish- dominated north (Sulaymaniyah 26 per cent; Arbil 9 per cent). When asked to select from a list the one station they relied on the most for news about events concerning Iraq, a plurality (36 per cent) of the survey public overall turns to IMN. However, IMN viewership clearly differs according to satellite access. The full report is available on the web site of the Coalition Provisional Authority. http://www.cpa-iraq.org POST-WAR BROADCAST MEDIA RADIO FM BAND IN BAGHDAD (MHz) 88.5 - MBC 89.0 - BBC World Service in Arabic 89.9 - Iranian Payam network in Persian 90.1 - Iranian Voice of the Mujahidin in Arabic 92.3 - American Forces Network in English (different stream to 107.8) 93.0 - Iranian Javan (Youth) network in Persian 93.5 - Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East 94.8 - Continuous Arabic music - no announcements 96.7 - Iranian IRIB Arabic Service 97.1 - As 92.3 MHz 97.4 - As 92.3 MHz 97.7 - As 92.3 MHz 98.0 - BBC World Service in English 98.1 - Iranian Payam network in Persian 98.3 - Baghdad FM Radio 100.4 - US Radio Sawa in Arabic 101.6 - Iranian Javan (Youth) network in Persian 102.4 - Radio Free Iraq (RFE/RL) 104.1 - IQ4 Radio Iraq in English 107.8 - American Forces Network in English AM/MEDIUMWAVE (kHz) 531 - (Iranian) IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 540 - Radio Kuwait Main Programme in Arabic 549 - (Saudi) BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 558 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 576 - IRIB Arabic Service 585 - (Saudi) BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 594 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 612 - IRIB Arabic Service 630 - Radio Kuwait Koran Programme in Arabic 639 - IRIB World Service in Kurdish 648 - (Saudi) BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 657 - New Iraq Radio in Arabic and Kurdish 666 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 693 - US Information Radio in Arabic 702 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 711 - IRIB Ahwaz regional in Arabic and Persian 720 - Voice of the Mujahidin in Arabic 729 - Emirates Radio, UAE, in Arabic 747 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 756 - Information Radio in Arabic 783 - BSKSA 2nd Programme in Arabic 792 - IRIB Zanjan regional in Persian 819 - Syrian Arab Republic Radio Main Programme in Arabic 837 - IRIB Isfahan regional in Persian 855 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 864 - Radio Nejat in Persian 873 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 882 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 900 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 909 - Radio Nahrain 918 - Syrian Arab Republic Radio Main Programme in Arabic 936 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 954 - Radio Qatar in Arabic 972 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 981 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 990 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1000 - Voice of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq 1026 - Iraqi Media Network - Radio Baghdad in Arabic 1053 - Republic of Iraq Radio, Voice of the Iraqi People in Arabic 1071 - IRIB Radio Ma'aref network in Persian 1089 - BSKSA 2nd Programme in Arabic 1089 - Radio Russia in Russian 1134 - Radio Kuwait Main Programme in Arabic 1152 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 1161 - IRIB Arabic Service 1170 - (US-run) Radio Farda in Persian 1179 - Voice of Iraq 1188 - IRIB Radio Payam network in Persian 1197 - IRIB Moghan regional in Persian 1224 - IRIB Arabic Service 1233 - Radio Monte Carlo Middle East, Cyprus 1242 - Radio Sultanate of Oman 1251 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1260 - (US-run) Radio Sawa, Rhodes, Greece 1269 - Radio Kuwait Modern Arabic Music Service 1278 - IRIB Kermanshah regional in Persian 1287 - IDF Radio, Israel, in Hebrew 1295 - Voice of Azerbaijan in Azeri - Radio Liberty relay 1305 - Radio Al-Mustaqbal 1305 - IRIB Bushehr regional in Persian 1314 - (US-run) Radio Free Iraq via Abu Dhabi 1323 - BBC World Service, Cyprus, in English 1332 - IRIB Tehran regional in Persian 1341 - Radio Kuwait 2nd Programme in Arabic 1350 - Radio Russia in Russian 1368 - IDF Radio, Israel, in Hebrew 1395 - Voice of Armenia in Armenian 1422 - BSKSA Foreign Language Programme in French 1430 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1440 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1449 - IRIB World Service in Russian 1458 - Radio Tirana, Albania, in Albanian 1467 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1476 - Emirates Radio, UAE, in Arabic 1485 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1503 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1512 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 1521 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1521 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 1530 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1539 - (US-run) Radio Farda in Persian 1548 - (US-run) Radio Sawa in Arabic 1566 - Radio of the Land of the Two Rivers in Arabic 1575 - Continuous pop music - no announcements observed 1575 - Radio Asia, UAE, in Urdu 1593 - VoA English/Kurdish/Persian + Radio Free Iraq in Arabic Iraqi Media Network, Voice of New Iraq - operated by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Has also identified as Republic of Iraq Radio from Baghdad and Voice of Free Iraq (Sawt al-Iraq al-Hurr). Broadcasts on 98.3 MHz FM in Baghdad. On 27 May 2003 the station was observed on 1026 kHz announcing as Iraqi Media Network-Radio Baghdad. Shamin Rassam, an Iraqi-American, directs IMN's FM radio outlet as well as news bulletins on the mediumwave station, according to the Washington Post. Radio Nahrain Since the end of March 2003, Radio Nahrain, also known as Twin Rivers Radio, has been transmitting on FM on 100.4 and 94.6 MHz from a location south of Basra. It has also been monitored on 96.0 MHz and 909 kHz mediumwave. The station is operated by British forces, but was due to be taken over at some stage by the Coalition Provisional Authority. A new radio station called the Voice of Iraq was launched in Baghdad on 27 August, the Iraqi newspaper Al-Zaman reported. Voice of Iraq is supervised by the International Agency for Free Media, a media institution run by Iraqis that was active abroad during the Saddam Husayn regime and covered Iraqi news and domestic developments via the Internet. The station broadcasts on 1179 kHz. It covers Baghdad and nearby towns including Mahawil, Ba'qubah and Fallujah. In its news bulletins, Voice of Iraq reports news about Iraq from an international perspective as well as from local sources, and cites reports from news agencies such as AFP. The bulletins are interspersed with Shi'i religious and patriotic songs. IQ4 Radio Iraq In Baghdad, a previously unidentified FM radio station on 104.1 MHz playing continuous Arabic and Western pop music was observed on 16 August with the following announcement in English: "This is IQ4 Radio Iraq, Iraq's first independent music station, 104.1 FM". Karbala Karbala FM Radio has been set up in Karbala Governorate, the Iraqi National Congress (INC) weekly newspaper Al-Mu'tamar reported on 15 November. The radio broadcasts on 99.1 MHz FM. It will be on the air for seven hours a day, from 1300 (1100 gmt) to 1700 and from 1900 to 2200. Voice of Freedom, Voice of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan radio in Arabic and Kurdish is operated by the PUK. It broadcasts daily from 1000-1900 gmt on 95.0 MHz. The station identifies on air as "Radio Freedom". Turkomaneli TV and radio was launched in Kirkuk in April 2003 and broadcasts on behalf of the Iraqi Turkoman Front. Turkomaneli Radio opened radio stations in Talla'far and Mosul on 6 and 8 May respectively, the Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 11 May. Dangi Komal-Kirkuk radio broadcasts on 1341 kHz in Kurdish, Arabic and Turkish to Kirkuk on behalf of the Kurdistan Islamic Group. The Worker-Communist Party of Iraq's "Radio Bopeshawa" is reportedly back on the air. The internet site of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq (www.wpiraq.org) reports that Ila al-Amam (Forward) Radio [usually rendered as Radio Bopeshawa, meaning "Forward"], voice of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq, broadcasts for one hour a day on shortwave from 1100 gmt (half an hour in Arabic and half an hour in Kurdish), to the areas of Arbil, Kirkuk and Mosul. The same programme is repeated between 0500-0600 gmt the next day. Identifies on air as "Voice of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq". Polish Radio The 4 September edition of Radio Polonia's "Multimedia" programme included information on relays of Polish Radio in Iraq. Polish Radio Programme 1 is received in Iraq by satellite and rebroadcast in the canteen on one of the four Polish bases; further loudspeaker relays will be added at the other bases. A studio has been set up to insert local programming and contribute to Polish Radio Programme 1, and there are plans to establish FM radio stations in the Polish controlled sector in Iraq to carry the programmes. Funding has also been provided for all Polish troops to be given radio receivers so they can listen to the broadcasts. The following are among stations in operation before April 2003 that continue to be heard inside Iraq: Voice of the People of Kurdistan, operated by the PUK Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan, operated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Radio Azadi, Voice of the Communist Party of Iraqi Kurdistan Ashur Radio - The station reportedly began operation in April 2000 and is operated by the Assyrian Democratic Movement, an opposition organization in northern Iraq. It broadcasts in Assyrian and Arabic on shortwave, reportedly from a transmitter in Azerbaijan. Voice of the Iraqi People, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Party - The station broadcasts from northern Iraq, possibly using Kurdish facilities. Voice of the Mojahed, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization's radio, may still be located in Iraq. This radio broadcasts via shortwave, satellite and with archive audio files on the Internet. Following the fall of Saddam Husayn, the station was observed to have ceased broadcasting for a few days in April. The station is currently heard on various shortwave frequencies and on the Telstar 12 satellite at 15 degrees west, on frequency 12588 vertical, in parallel with the terrestrial frequencies. The web site of the radio station is at: http://www.iran.mojahedin.org Al-Mustaqbal [The Future] radio is operated by the Iraqi National Accord. TELEVISION The Iraqi Media Network launched on 13 May 2003. The Washington Post reported on 11 May that the US planned a nationwide Iraqi TV network to succeed the airborne Towards Freedom TV. The programme, initially for two hours but projected as a 24-hour full-service network, includes 30 minutes of news each night, including a local news segment, the report said. The station began broadcasts amid squabbling between its US and Canadian advisers, and complaints from its Iraqi journalists about "American censorship", international agencies reported. Since around 20 June the Iraqi Media Network TV has broadcast to Iraq from Eutelsat W1, located at 10 degrees east. At present Iraqi Media Network TV and radio programmes are prepared and pre-recorded in facilities in the Convention Centre near the headquarters of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). They are physically taken to the TV and FM radio transmitter site some two km away to be broadcast. With 10 reporters and a staff of 50 in Baghdad only, the TV station broadcasts for up to 12 hours per day. The same reporters also work for radio. The role of the IMN in shaping post-war national broadcasting in Iraq, and the extent of its powers, came under the international spotlight at the beginning of August, when senior IMN official Ahmad al-Rikabi, head of US-backed Iraqi TV, resigned. Rikabi complained that inadequate funding prevented the station from competing with rival channels from Iran and the Gulf states. The IMN's director, George Mansur, said in an interview with the French news agency AFP on 22 August that the network had received new equipment and would broadcast 24 hours a day "within a few weeks". "The move is hoped to end weeks of squabbles at the channel, seen by many as nothing more than a mouthpiece of the coalition authorities in Iraq," the AFP report added. According to the US weekly The Village Voice, the IMN continues to lose senior staff with a background in professional journalism. George Mansur is said to have been removed in early November 2003 and replaced by a former CNN executive editor, Ted Iliff, the weekly reported. The Iraqi Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) was set up in September 2003 by a number of Iraqi businessmen and media figures with an initial investment of 10m US dollars to produce TV and radio broadcasts, the London-based newspaper Al-Zaman reported. Shahla Husayn, an IBC spokeswoman, said that the IBC would be a professional TV channel, "independent from any government or authority". Karbala - a local TV channel was launched on 16 April, according to United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi TV on 6 May. Similar small-scale local channels are reported to be operating in Najaf and Kut, according to BBC News Online reporter Tarik Kafala, who visited the stations in June 2003. Ninawa TV was launched in mid-July 2003. The Baghdad newspaper Al-Ittihad reported on 14 July that an independent radio station called Ninawa Radio also operates in the city. Tikrit - US soldiers are working to fill a relative media vacuum in Tikrit, Saddam Husayn's home town 120 miles north of Baghdad, which has been bypassed by the proliferation of local print media that has occurred in many other cities across Iraq, the Associated Press news agency reported on 22 October. Maj Joe Cox, from the US Fourth Infantry Division headquarters, is leading a four-man team in charge of getting local media outlets up and running in Tikrit. They have set up a radio and TV station operating from Tikrit University as well as a transmitter to carry Iraqi Media Network radio and TV signals from Tikrit across the northern Salah al-Din Province, AP reported. Three weekly newspapers are distributed in Tikrit, but are published in Baghdad because there is no printing press in the town, the AP report added. Basra - A Czech businessman who wishes to remain anonymous has launched a project to build a private TV station in Basra in conjunction with an Iraqi partner, the Czech news agency CTK reported on 13 November, citing that day's edition of the Czech daily Lidove noviny. The station would be called the Voice of the South, and would be partly financed by advertising. "The Czech-Iraqi television station may start broadcasting in southern Iraq as early as February, three hours a day at the beginning," the CTK report said. It added: "The project of a joint television station is supported not only by Czech officials but also by the British, in whose sector the broadcasting will take place, the paper writes. The television station is to be independent and should be supervised by both partners together. Interest in the project has also been shown by some Kuwaiti companies. The Voice of the South owners expect the station to be profit-making within two years. This also depends on whether the broadcasting will spread to the north as well, the paper adds." Freedom TV [Al-Hurriyah TV] is a PUK-sponsored television station that began test transmissions from Baghdad on 30 April. A PUK statement said viewers can access Freedom TV on UHF channel 38 from 1700-2200 gmt. Mosul TV was the "first station" to resume transmission in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Husayn, Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya TV reported on 10 May. Kirkuk TV channel started broadcasts on 23 April "under the supervision of the coalition forces", according to a report by the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) newspaper Brayati on 25 April. Turkomaneli TV and radio was launched in Kirkuk in April 2003 and broadcasts on behalf of the Iraqi Turkoman Front. Turkomaneli Radio opened radio stations in Talla'far and Mosul on 6 and 8 May respectively, the Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 11 May. The Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization's (MKO) "Vision of Resistance TV" (Sima-ye Moqavemat) which was relayed by the former Republic of Iraq Television before and after normal broadcasting hours has not been reported on the air recently. Reportedly the studios were in Ashraf, north of Baghdad in Central Iraq. The only MKO TV programmes being traced at present are via satellite on the station "Simaye Azaidi Iran National TV" (Vision of Freedom National Iran TV), which is not located in Iraq but which the sat-address.com web site gives UK-based contact details. The web site is http://www.iranntv.com and satellites are the trans-Atlantic Telstar 12 at 15 degrees west (12588 MHz vertical), beamed to Europe and the Middle East. KurdSat, the television station of the PUK, has expanded its broadcasts to Kirkuk and Khanaqin. The KDP's television station Kurdistan TV now beams its programmes to Kirkuk and Mosul. The Iraqi newpaper Al-Qabas reported on 3 June that eight million satellite dishes would be imported from the United States, Japan, Korea and China. TV BAND IN BAGHDAD (sound frequencies in MHz ) VHF 194.75 - Al-Iraqiyah (Iraqi Media Network) Television 222.75 - Iranian Television First Channel UHF 484.75 - Al-Iraqiyah (Iraqi Media Network) Television 508.75 - Iranian Television First Channel 532.75 - Iranian Television Regional Service 604.75 - Al-Iraqiyah (Iraqi Media Network) Television 644.75 - Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Radio (in parallel with radio transmission on 4025 kHz) IRANIAN BROADCAST MEDIA ACCESSIBLE IN IRAQ TELEVISION The Iran-based Al-Alam TV channel in Arabic and English is a 24-hour news channel transmitted on four satellites (Arabsat, Asiasat, Telstar and Hot Bird satellites) and can be received in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and America. Al-Alam broadcasts into Baghdad from a powerful transmitter about 150 km away, just over the Iran-Iraq border. It is the only foreign channel that can be viewed by Iraqis without a satellite dish. That has sent its viewership soaring among Iraqis, who cannot afford a satellite dish and receiver. The Arabic channel began broadcasting in February 2003. English content currently is limited to horizontal news subtitles or news tickers. The station has a web site at http://www.alalamnews.com Sahar Universal Network 1 and 2 television, Iran's external satellite TV service on the Hot Bird 1-6 satellites, is viewable across Iraq and includes Arabic programming. It broadcasts on the 13 degrees East Hot Bird 1-6 satellite daily from 0500-2300 gmt. Its web site is located at http://www.sahartv.com Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran television in Arabic is based in Tehran and sponsored by the state-run Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It broadcasts daily to Iraq on the satellite parameter 11172 MHz V (6.8 MHz) 62 degrees East Intelsat 902. Al-Thaqalayn TV This channel, affiliated to an Iranian cultural institute of the same name, is targeted at viewers in Iraq and broadcasts religious programmes, the Tehran Times newspaper reported on 14 July. People in Iran's Ilam Province can watch the programmes as well, the report noted. Resistance Channel - this TV channel is called "Al-Estiqamah TV" in Arabic; in April 2003 it was reported to be using the facilities of Iranian radio and TV, including the aerial of Iran's Education Channel, to broadcast to Iraq. The station was inaugurated in early April 2003 by Ayatollah Baqr al-Hakim, the head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq [SCIRI], according to the Tehran- based Baztab web site. The channel was untraced when checked from 5-7 July 2003, and may no longer be operational. A search of internet sites on 6 July revealed that the channel has left Intelsat 902, Hot Bird and Arabsat. RADIO Voice of the Mujahidin First observed on 17 April and broadcasting in Arabic, the station's content suggests that it is operated by the Iranian-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). In addition, the station is transmitting on one of several frequencies used by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting for its external transmissions. Has been heard on 90.1 MHz FM, in parallel with 720 kHz. The content generally parallels that of the main SCIRI web site located at http://www.majlesaala.com Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran (VIRI) external service in Arabic can be heard on mediumwave and shortwave inside Iraq as well as via the Internet at http://www.irib.com Voice of Rebellious Iraq - broadcasts in Arabic and supports the Iranian-sponsored Shi'i group, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI); believed to transmit from Iran. The station was untraced when checked from 5-7 July 2003. INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Major international radio and television stations, such as pan-Arab satellite television stations, the BBC Arabic and World service radio, the Paris-based Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East, US Radio Sawa and US- sponsored Radio Free Iraq are available in Iraq. BBC World Service is now 24 hours a day in Arabic on FM in Baghdad and Basra. The FM frequencies are 89.0 MHz in Baghdad and 90.0 MHz in Basra in Arabic. BBC World Service in English can be heard on FM in Baghdad on 98.0 MHz, and in Basra on 88.0 MHz and 98.1 MHz. Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East is now on FM on 93.5 MHz in Baghdad for 24 hours a day. Radio Sawa is on FM in Baghdad (100.4 MHz), Arbil (100.5 MHz) and Sulaymaniyah (88.0 MHz), as well as on 1548 MW. Since mid-May 2003, Libya has been broadcasting specifically to Iraq in Arabic. The shortwave broadcasts carrry the following announcement: "This is the general centre for broadcasts beamed from the Great Jamahiriyah: A message to the people of the two rivers [Iraq]." Libya broadcasts to Iraq daily on 17600 kHz from 1200-1300 and on 7245, 9605, and 11660 kHz from 1800-1900 gmt. Syrian Arab Republic Radio is the Syrian state-owned radio's external service. It broadcasts on shortwave on 12085 and 13610 kHz. It has also been heard in Iraq on the MW frequency of 819 kHz between 1100 and 1145 gmt. Its satellite parameters are 11572 MHz H (7.2 MHz) on 16 degrees East Eutelsat W2, and 3803 MHz LCHP 40.50 W NSS 806. Its broadcast times are from 1100-1145, 1350-1450, 1830-1915 and 2215-2315 gmt. Radio Kuwait is the state-owned Kuwaiti radio. It can be received in Iraq on the MW frequency of 540 kHz 24 hours. Voice of Israel is Israel's state-owned radio. It broadcasts daily in Arabic on shortwave from 0300-2115 gmt on 5915 kHz and 12150 kHz. Access to all broadcast media is limited by the availability of electricity, radio and TV sets and the satellite equipment. Radio Sawa "most popular" international radio in Iraq - US survey Radio Sawa, the US government-funded, Arabic-language station, is the most popular international radio in Iraq's three largest cities, with nearly half the residents tuning in on a weekly basis, a new US survey shows. A press release from the US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) release on 19 November gave the following details: "The survey, conducted by D3 Systems Inc, of Vienna, Virginia, in Baghdad, Mosul and Basra said Radio Sawa has an average weekly listenership of 48.9 per cent, making it the number one international broadcaster surveyed. "According to the survey, 43 per cent of adults respondents in Baghdad listen to Radio Sawa, 46 per cent in Mosul and 69 per cent in Basra. More than 50 per cent of the women surveyed listen to Radio Sawa weekly. A similar figure was seen for those under age 30 and for those having a secondary education or higher. "The survey, conducted from 19 October to 3 November 2003, consisted of 1,000 face-to-face interviews: 500 people were interviewed in Baghdad; 300 in Mosul and 200 in Basra. (Baghdad is Iraq's largest city with about 5.6 million people; followed by Mosul, 1.7 million; and Basra, 1.3 million.) "Researchers for the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees all US nonmilitary international broadcasting including Radio Sawa, said the survey data should be considered preliminary but indicative of current international radio use. "The survey also showed Radio Monte Carlo enjoying an average listenership of 39.2 per cent; the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 30.4 per cent; and Radio Free Iraq (RFI), 10.3 per cent. RFI is run by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is an entity of the BBG. "Radio Sawa's popularity in Iraq tracks with an earlier survey done by ACNielsen in five other Middle Eastern countries. The survey, conducted in July and August 2003, showed Radio Sawa with an average listenership of 31.6 per cent among the general population 15 years and older. Listener rates in five countries were: Egypt 10.6 per cent; Jordan, 30.4 per cent; Kuwait, 39.5 per cent; Qatar, 40.8 per cent and United Arab Emirates (UAE), 36.6 per cent. "Radio Sawa, a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week Arabic-language network, broadcasts objective, balanced, up-to-the minute news and news analysis combined with an upbeat mix of the best Western and Arabic pop music. The service targets Iraq with between five and six hours daily of special news and current affairs programmes that deal with issues affecting Iraqis, including reconstruction, political and social events. "Listeners in Iraq can hear Radio Sawa on FM transmitters in Baghdad, Arbil, Sulaymaniyah and Basra. The service is transmitted on AM frequencies from Kuwait. In addition, Iraqis can access Radio Sawa on shortwave, via the Internet http://www.radiosawa.com and on digital audio satellite." Pentagon to beam 24-hour news channel from Baghdad The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), dissatisfied with American network news coverage of the conflict in Iraq, is to set up its own 24-hour satellite TV channel from Baghdad funded by the Pentagon, in the hope that local US stations will use its footage to present "a more comprehensive picture" of events in Iraq, the New York Observer reported on 12 November. This will give the CPA "the capacity to create its own version of the news, live from Iraq, 24 hours a day," the paper said. It commented that the decision had left US network news executives and journalists "pretty shocked by the concept of a taxpayer-supported news broadcast purposefully created to bypass the editorial decisions of American television. The Bush Administration made a decision not to depend on them as middlemen." The channel will offer uncut images of government briefings and military ceremonies, and local stations in the US will be notified when an event or interview occurs that is relevant to their geographic area, the Washington Post reported. "It's certainly an attempt to influence the debate," the New York Observer quoted Paul Slavin, senior vice-president of ABC News, as saying. INTERNET Uruklink, the Iraqi state internet service provider, operates a web site at http://www.uruklink.net which includes links to live audio streams from the BBC Arabic Service, Radio Sawa and Radio Monte Carlo- Middle East. The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) that administers postwar Iraq has a web site http://www.cpa-iraq.org The web site carries transcripts of speeches by CPA administrator L. Paul Bremer and other officials, fact sheets on Iraqi ministries, public service announcements, press releases and official documents such as regulations and orders issued by the CPA. Source: BBC Monitoring research 24 Nov 03 (via DXLD) [Update:] Iraq/France: Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East on FM in Basra Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East, part of Radio France Internationale, has announced the inauguration of an FM relay in Basra (88.8 MHz). Since July 2003, Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East has broadcast on FM in Baghdad on 93.5 MHz. Source: BBC Monitoring research 25 Nov 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAQ. IRAQI COUNCIL HALTS ARAB TV NETWORK'S NEWS BROADCASTS U.S. APPROVED MOVE AGAINST AL-ARABIYA By Anthony Shadid Washington Post Foreign Service Tuesday, November 25, 2003; Page A24 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A10866-2003Nov24?language=printer BAGHDAD, Nov. 24 -- The U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council banned a popular Arab satellite news network from broadcasting from Iraq and seized equipment from its bureau in Baghdad on Monday after it aired a taped message, purportedly from former president Saddam Hussein, that called for attacks on Iraqis cooperating with the American occupation. L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator, approved and authorized the move against al-Arabiya, an official with the U.S.-led administration said. The network and its competitor, al-Jazeera, are the most influential news broadcasts both in Iraq and the rest of the Arab world. Jalal Talabani, who currently holds the council's rotating position of president, announced the order and said legal action against the station may follow. Meanwhile, military officials and a witness raised questions about reports that two American soldiers killed Sunday in the northern city of Mosul had been beaten and had their throats slit, the Associated Press reported. A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Army had no indication that the men were beaten with rocks or that their bodies were mutilated. One witness, a teenager who identified himself as Bahaa Jassim, said the soldiers' fatal wounds appeared to have come from bullets. The decision to shut the al-Arabiya office -- sharply criticized by media watchdog groups -- marked a dramatic escalation in the long-festering dispute that pits the U.S. occupation authority and its Iraqi allies against the two networks. In September, the stations were temporarily barred from covering the council's news conferences or entering ministries. Throughout the occupation, U.S. officials have been blunt in their judgments that both networks incite violence against American forces with their relentless coverage of attacks on soldiers, their sometimes inflated counts of U.S. casualties and their airing of statements purportedly from guerrilla groups. But in ordering the move, the U.S. administration and its allies again faced the formidable task of negotiating civil liberties in a country under occupation, without a constitution or an elected government. U.S. and Iraqi officials "have both been encouraging all journalists in Iraq to practice responsible journalism and have raised concerns before, particularly with the pan-Arab satellite stations, about some of the coverage," said Charles Heatly, a spokesman with the U.S.-led administration. "Ambassador Bremer fully agreed with and supported the Governing Council's decision." Talabani said at a news conference that the move was taken following the station's broadcast Nov. 16 of an audiotape said to contain the voice of Hussein. It urged Iraqis to fight "those who are installed by foreign armies" as well as the soldiers themselves, calling such attacks a "legitimate and patriotic duty." President Bush dismissed the tape as propaganda, and the CIA said the recording quality was so poor that it could not reach any judgments on the tape's authenticity. Talabani said the threat amounted to "an incitement to murder." "Inciting murder or violence is illegal under the laws of the entire world," he said. "Saddam in our eyes is a criminal, a torturer, a war criminal, and whoever disseminates for him exposes himself to legal punishment." After announcing the order, about 20 Iraqi police officers entered the two-story brick offices of al-Arabiya, methodically registered equipment inside and then seized key broadcasting devices as well as the staff's satellite phones, journalists there said. Hours later, the bureau chief, Wahad Yacoub, signed a statement agreeing not to broadcast from Iraq until the matter was resolved, although he said the network would continue delivering news on Iraq from its head office in the United Arab Emirates. Journalists said the police warned them that if the agreement was violated, they faced a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Members of the news staff lingered around the office Monday evening as police officers met in a room with managers. Ali Khatib, one of the correspondents, said they were told the network could resume broadcasting if it signed a statement promising "not to incite violence." "I lived in Iraq and I lived when there was a lack of freedom in journalism," said Khatib, 32, a Baghdad native. "Now these days the same weapons are being used against journalists." Yacoub, who directs a staff of 56 in the network's Baghdad bureau, said they had nothing to do with the tape itself. They said it was telephoned to the headquarters in Dubai, where it was recorded and then broadcast. "We regret the decision. Actually, we're astonished by it," said Salah Negm, a veteran Arab journalist and the editor-in-chief of al-Arabiya, which began broadcasting this year. "What we do is report the events that happen. We don't make the events. If you want to treat the causes of violence, you cure the causes. You don't punish the media that cover what happens." The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the closure. It said messages from Hussein or other officials of the deposed government are "inherently newsworthy and news organizations have a right to cover them." Joel Campagna, the group's Middle East program coordinator, said the move "raises deep concerns about the future direction of press freedoms in Iraq." In a media landscape long dominated by staid, state-dominated news programming, al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya have transformed journalism in the Arab world, mirroring sentiments as much as driving them. Al-Jazeera gained notice in the West for airing taped messages from Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Al-Arabiya began broadcasting before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and was originally expected to be a more subdued alternative to al-Jazeera. It is run by the Middle East Broadcasting Center, a company owned by the brother-in-law of Saudi Arabia's King Fahd, and was backed by Saudi, Kuwaiti and Lebanese investors. In Iraq, the fiercely competitive networks have a mixed reputation. They are widely watched by those with access to the growing number of satellite dishes in the country, far overshadowing the influence of a U.S.-sponsored channel. But many Iraqis also complain that the networks glorify guerrilla attacks and exacerbate the violence by giving voice to Hussein and previously unknown guerrilla groups. U.S. officials, with similar complaints, have tried to pressure Arab governments to restrain the stations. Bremer, in his weekly Friday broadcast over U.S.-run Iraqi television and radio, quoted from the purported Hussein recording to challenge its message. A former diplomat said Bremer's response to the tape came in part because of recognition that it was widely heard. The former official noted that a recent State Department poll in Iraq found the two Arabic-language networks were far more trusted than the U.S. channel, now called al-Iraqiya. Staff writer Walter Pincus in Washington contributed to this report. (c) 2003 The Washington Post Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** LATVIA. Transmitting Station Ulbroka (Riga) - SW 9290 kHz 100 kW 250 degrees - Owner: LVRTC (Latvian State Radio-TV Centre) - Air time brokered by: KREBS TV, Riga - Current customer: Laser Radio Ltd, Great Britain Laser Radio Ltd is sub-selling its airtime under the labels "Euronet Radio" (for general clients) and "World Bible Radio" (for religious clients). Current schedule and clients (subject to change on a weekly basis): Sat 1100-1600: Radio Seagull, HOL (Last transmission: 29 Nov 2003) Sun 1400-1600: EMR - European Music Radio, G. (Booked for 30 Nov & 28 Dec 2003, 18 Jan 2004) (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Nov 25, WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DX LISTENING DIGEST) EMR ON AIR DATES 9290 KHZ Dear Listener, On the 30th of November 2003 European Music Radio will be restarting transmissions via the Relay Service in Latvia with a power of 100 kw on 9290 khz. ALL ON AIR TIMES ARE 1400 TO 1600 UT --- DATES: 30th of November 2003, 28th of December 2003, 18th of January 2004 There will be more dates in February-March and April next year in 2004. All these dates are Sunday Afternoon from 1400 to 1600 UT. GOOD LISTENING 73s, TOM AND STAFF (Thomas Taylor, EMR via George Maroti, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** LIBYA [non]. 21695, 1130-1157, via France, 09-11, LBJ Voice of Africa, English/French, ID, news, 34444 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX Nov 24 via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. NEW BROADCASTS FROM RADIO EZRA Radio Ezra is pleased to announce a new series of weekly broadcasts commencing on Sunday 30th November 2003. The broadcasts will be targeted towards Europe, North Africa and the Middle East in the 41 meter band on 7560 kHz between 19:00 and 19:30 UT via the Sitkunai transmitter in Lithuania. Radio Ezra is the Radio Voice of the World Karaite Movement and the first and only counter-missionary radio station in the world. Reception reports are very welcome and a QSL certificate will be issued to any correct reports. Due to limited funding there is unfortunately no PO Box contact and reception reports can only be sent by either fax or e-mail, details of which will be read out on air and may also be found on the station's website. To commemorate Radio Ezra's new image and purpose, ten special QSL cards will be issued to the first ten reception reports received. Thank you. John D. Hill (Station Owner) Radio Ezra http://www.radioezra.com World Karaite Movement http://www.karaites.info (via hard-core-dx via DXLD) Original publicity was so long ago, Thursday, October 02 2003, we risk forgetting about it by the time it start. Fortunately, hcdx dredged up this old item for its news page, as the date is imminent. Maybe someone in extreme eastern NAm can also inpull it (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. OPINION: GRASP THE NETTLE The following is a personal commentary, and does not necessarily reflect the official position of Radio Netherlands: So, after nearly 6 hours of debate on Monday, we're not much closer to finding out what the long term future holds for Radio Netherlands. However, what has become clear to me is that the current method of funding the Dutch international service isn't working. Take a look at the BBC World Service. It is financed not through the TV licence fee, as the rest of the BBC is, but by a grant-in-aid from the Foreign Office. And that's done for a reason. Although editorially independent of government, BBCWS is regarded as a valuable part of Britain's international strategy. Its value is difficult to quantify in financial terms, but it contributes to the overall image of Britain. Of course, the BBC has a major advantage in that its main language, English, is spoken by so many people. So it does not have to justify the money spent on English broadcasts in terms of the number of British expatriates who tune in. But Radio Netherlands has a big audience too - which in purely numerical terms is probably better value for money when you consider our relatively small budget. But this argument does not carry a lot of weight with State Secretary Medy van der Laan, whose department of Education, Culture and Science currently foots the bill for Radio Netherlands. She looks at it a different way: every euro spent on public broadcasting, which includes Radio Netherlands, is a euro less to spend on the other areas for which her department is responsible. The rot set in a few years ago when the Dutch government, in its wisdom, decided to abolish the TV licence fee, and include the funding of public broadcasting in general taxation. I said then, and I take no pleasure in recalling it now, that Dutch public broadcasting was on a slippery downwards slope. The government is no longer obliged to spend a quantifiable sum of money on public broadcasting if it can get away with spending less. Even worse, Radio Netherlands is being treated by this government as just another branch of domestic broadcasting, with no special consideration being given to the unique needs of an international broadcaster - high transmission costs, the need to maintain a 24 hour live news service, etc. In Monday's debate, members of parliament appeared to recognise that the situation is a little more complex than the State Secretary seems to believe. In that sense, there are grounds for cautious optimism in the recommendation that she confers with colleagues in the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Finance before taking a decision that could cause irrevocable harm to Radio Netherlands. It's true, and I have seen this numerous times in the 29 years I have worked in the industry, that the need for, and listenership to, international broadcasts is cyclical. But, like buses and trains, you never know when you might need one. Any international broadcaster, and especially Radio Netherlands, is a team of experts with long experience, who know exactly what to do when something extraordinary happens. Could any of the Dutch domestic broadcasters have provided multilingual coverage of Dutch reaction to 9/11? Of course not. But we were only able to do it because we had the people and infrastructure already in place. Once you start to dismantle the infrastructure, you can no longer provide the same quality of service, which leads to pressure to make further cuts because there's less to lose. If the Netherlands wants to have a strong voice in international affairs - and, for a small country, we have produced more than our share of distinguished international figures - someone has to grasp the nettle and ensure that Radio Netherlands is not dismantled piece by piece like the broadcasting equivalent of Lego. In my opinion, that should be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That's where the guarantees of the long-term future of Radio Netherlands lie. I have no criticism of the State Secretary, who is merely doing what she has to do. The simple fact is, funding Radio Netherlands shouldn't be one of her responsibilities. A three way discussion between her Ministry and the Foreign and Finance Ministries, which is what one of Monday's motions calls for, should be able to sort out the core structural problem, which lies in The Hague and not in Hilversum. Andy Sennitt. # posted by Andy @ 12:15 UT Nov 25 (Media Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DXLD) RADIO NETHERLANDS' REACTION TO MONDAY'S FUNDING DEBATE Radio Netherlands Director General Lodewijk Bouwens says it is unfortunate that State Secretary Medy van der Laan repeatedly referred to one of the statutory objectives of Radio Netherlands - giving a picture of the Netherlands - as "promotion for the Netherlands". This, says Mr Bouwens, suggests that the State Secretary is not fully appraised of all the facts, and so the last word has not been said on this subject. Mr Bouwens notes that in general what the Members of Parliament said about Radio Netherlands was positive, with the exception of the member representing the conservative VVD who - while not explicitly negative - chose to give full support to the State Secretary's proposals. Mr Bouwens also noted that the State Secretary herself did not come up with any specific criticisms of Radio Netherlands, nor did she refute any of the arguments of other speakers. Two motions concerning Radio Netherlands were presented at the end of yesterday's debate. The first, brought by the Labour Party and countersigned by three other parties, notes that Radio Netherlands has already started to make more savings than had been prescribed. The motion says that the State Secretary should take this into account, and consult with the Foreign Ministry and Economic Ministry to discuss alternative ways of funding Radio Netherlands, and then come to the house with a revised proposal. The second motion, from the Socialist Party and Green Left, pleads for the total abandonment of the proposed cuts in Radio Netherlands' budget. Because both these motions were sufficiently supported by Members present, the State Secretary must take account of them in formulating a new proposal. # posted by Andy @ 11:10 UT Nov 25 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. NEW MW QSL (KMMZ-1640-OK) --- Received nice QSL letter in 7 days, from Hiram Champlin, Owner. Address: Chisholm Trail Broadcasting Co., 316 E. Willow, PO Box 952, Enid OK 73702. Mentioned that they are still in the testing mode and they are indeed directional with their lobes at 340 and 160 degrees. They are 10,000 watts day and 1,000 watts night. I am really pleased with this. Now to get the last one (once again), GA-1690 (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, KAVT Reception Manager, Nov 24, IRCA via DXLD) His goal is to QSL every US X-bander. Still off the air as of 0438 UT Nov 26 (gh, Enid) ** PAKISTAN. Hi Jari, Officially, 4955 was inaugurated at the beginning of B-03, so I assume Oct. 26. It's API-2. I was wondering when someone would report hearing this one as I haven`t heard it yet! Unfortunately, Islamabad transmitters vary almost daily in strength - and not always according to propagation characteristics. This one is listed by Adrian Peterson as one of the two RCA 100kW (API-1 & 2) of 1968 located at the first of the two co-sited Islamabad locations. Also there is a 100 kW Continental (API-3) and a unused 10 kW Gates (API-7), also of 1968. 73s (Noel [Blackpool, UK] Green, Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. AFGHANISTAN: RADIO PAKISTAN LAUNCHES PASHTO SERVICE Text of report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency Islamabad, 25 November: Services of Radio Pakistan is introducing a new Pashto language service for Pashto speaking people in Afghanistan from Eidul Fitr Day [the first day of Id al-Fitr]. According to a radio press release, the programmes would go on air daily for half an hour from 1945 - 2015 (PST) [1445 - 1515 gmt] on frequency 4955 kHz/60 metre band on shortwave. The programme of the new Pashto service includes recitation from the Holy Koran, news and Pashto music. In addition, news commentaries on topics about issues of national and international importance and Pak- Afghan relations will be part of the broadcast. It is recalled that external services of Radio Pakistan is already broadcasting programmes in Dari and Hazargi languages for Afghan listeners. The external services wing of Radio Pakistan was started in 1949. At present these services covered over 60 countries of the world in South East Asia, Middle East, Central Asian Republics, Russia, East, North and South Africa daily 11 hours and 15 minutes of programmes in 15 foreign languages. The services are Assami (English), Bangla [Bengali], Chinese, Dari, Irani [Persian], Gujarati, Hindi, Hazargi, Nepali, Russian, Turkish, Turki, Tamil, Sinhalese [Sinhala] and Arabic. With the addition of Pashto Service the number of foreign language services has risen to 16. Total duration of these broadcasts will now be 11 hours and 45 minutes daily. Source: Associated Press of Pakistan news agency, Islamabad, in English 0731 gmt 25 Nov 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PERU. 4955.00, Radio Cultural Amauta, Nov 25, 1017-1031, wailing Andean vocals, announcer in Vernacular, 1029 full canned ID, "Usted escucha Radio Cultural Amauta, voz de Huanta, la ciudad... 4955 kilociclos en la onda corta, y 8... estéreo.", fair to good signal. 4990.91, Radio Ancash, Nov 25, 0937, ads and announcements with quick "Radio Ancash" ID in passing, followed by Andean brass band instrumental, distorted audio, fair to poor signal. 5019.93, Radio Horizonte, Nov 25, *1106, open carrier from 1055, sign- on with tune and announcement including "...en Radio Horizonte..." ID, into Andean vocal, poor signal well past their sunrise. 5906.43, Radio Melodía, Nov 24, 0937-1022, announcer with apparent news, many mentions of "Arequipa", 1000 "...Melodía de hoy..." ID, 1022 short canned ID "Es Melodía." Slightly muffled audio, fair signal (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg. "VT-DX" http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SCOTLAND. CUE AND REVIEW'S APPROACH TO INTERNET RADIO Congratulation to the RNIB on the launch of viponair.com --- their radio station for and by blind people. On a typical day our team of visually impaired and sighted volunteers arrive with their scripts in hand and head straight for one of our three studios, as soon as the title is completed it is added to our internet radio streaming broadcast. To find out our approach to internet radio for the blind please visit http://www.cueandreview.org.uk/news-viponair_november_2003.html Streaming today is http://80.4.69.4:8000/ the Evening Times followed by Inside Soap, Radio Times (Scottish TV Listings), Empire Magazines, The Herald and Sunday Herald newspapers. Paul David adds that the station was launched to the world at 1200 UT on 20 November 2003 (Cue and Review Recording Service, Nov 24, NFBUK yahoogroup via PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA. 7530, 1905-1920 16-11, R. Hargeisa, Somali talk about Mobarak, native songs, music from Horn of Africa, 15231 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX Nov 24 via WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DXLD) ** SUDAN. 7200, 1840-1855 16-11, R. Omdurman, Arabic talk about the Law of Shariyah, mention of Iraq, ID and jingles, 33333 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX Nov 24 via DXLD) ** SYRIA [non]. Radio Damasco -- Continuamos con las pruebas de emisión en Internet, a 24 Kbps, en mono... ahora con una emisión de 5 horas de Radio Damasco, incluyendo la emisión en español en una hora La dirección es http://www.shoutcast.com/sbin/shoutcast-playlist.pls?rn=1310688&file=filename.pl\s o bien iendo a la página de entrada y haciendo clic en "listen" http://213.37.54.60:8000/listen.pls Mejor si tienes instalado el programa winamp, ya que la emisión es en MP3. Si quieres puedes mandar sugerecias y comentarios. Un saludo y gracias por cooperar (Pedro Sedano, Madrid, España, EDITOR, AER, http://www.aer-dx.org Nov 23, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Luego: Danos por finalziadas las pruebas y comprobaciones que han sido muy fructíferas para los ajustes técnicos. Un saludo cordial y gracias por colaborar (Pedro Sedano, Madrid, España, ibid.) ** TAJIKISTAN. 7245, 1645-1700 12-11, Tajik R, Dushanbé, English, ID, schedule, news about Tajikistan, folk songs, 22332 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX Nov 24 via WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DXLD) ** THAILAND. 13695, Radio Thailand, 0030-0100 Nov 26, English schedule with news and features. Signal is good with slight flutter (Bolland, Chuck, Clewiston, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY. 6900, 1545-1600, 21-11 Turkish State Meteorological Service, Ankara, Turkish announcements and songs, 22222 CWQRM (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX Nov 24 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. WSHB states in its schedule that it stops all broadcast which go via its Far East relay after 13 Dec. Russian transmission at 1000 (Wednesdays) on 11780 kHz must be cancelled as well (open_dx - Feodor Brazhnikov, Irkutsk, Russia, via Signal Nov 23 via WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DXLD) ** U S A. WBCQ IS NEWEST NASB MEMBER Shortwave station WBCQ in Maine is the newest member of the NASB. "WBCQ -- The Planet," as the station identifies itself, is an international commercial shortwave broadcasting station with four 50,000-watt transmitters serving North, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Western Europe on the following shortwave frequencies: 5.105 MHz, 7.415 MHz, 9.330 MHz and 17.495 MHz. The station offers a wide variety of information and entertainment programming. WBCQ is completely independent and a strong supporter of free speech and freedom of expression. The Planet`s General Manager is Allen Weiner, who has many years of experience in shortwave broadcasting. For more information about WBCQ, check out their web site: http://www.wbcq.us. The e-mail address is wbcq @ gwi.net, and the postal address is WBCQ, 97 High Street, Kennebunk, Maine 04043 USA. Telephone (207) 985-7547. WBCQ personnel are expected to be present at the Winter Shortwave Listener`s Festival in Kulpsville, Pennsylvania on March 12-13, 2004, where NASB will have a large exhibit. So far, member stations WMLK and WRMI have also indicated they will take part in the meeting. With the addition of WBCQ, NASB now has 15 full member organizations, representing 19 privately owned FCC-licensed shortwave stations in the United States (Jeff White, President, National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB), Dec NASB Newsletter via DXLD) ** U S A. ON THE AIR WITH OFFICER RON --- KBEC RADIO DJS, WAXAHACHIE OFFICER ENJOY PUBLIC SERVICE SEGMENT AIRING ON ‘COFFEE CUP’ SHOW By JOANN LIVINGSTON, Daily Light Managing Editor Making waves early in the morning, a ``Classic`` combination is coming together to provide information in a truly lively fashion. ``It`s Ken and Gary, they get you in here and do this Jedi mind trick,`` Waxahachie Police community services officer Ron Clayton said this past Thursday morning, after wrapping up his segment with KBEC [1390] Classic Country Coffee Cup show hosts Ken Roberts and Gary Barton. Clayton`s segment airs every other Thursday, with Clayton hitting the microphone at about 7:40 a.m., give or take... http://www.waxahachiedailylight.com/WAXAHACHIEDAILYLIGHT/sites/WAXAHACHIEDAILYLIGHT/0912edition/myarticles891909.asp?P=891909&S=420&PubID=14707 (via Art Blair, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ BROADCASTERS AND BPL There is no bigger gun in USA broadcasting than the National Association of Broadcasters. The NAB was a participant in (and physical host of) the November 7 BPL meeting I attended for NASWA in Washington, DC. The NAB is very concerned about interference to VHF TV channels from some systems that intend to use frequencies between 54 and 80 MHz. The NAB is also concerned about BPL harmonics falling in the low band VHF TV frequencies and the 88-108 MHz FM broadcast band. They are on top of the issue and know their way around the FCC. The NAB is not terribly concerned with interference in the MW or SW bands as the BPL technology uses frequencies above 1700 kHz. As the representative for the North American Shortwave Broadcasters observed, in the SW bands safety of life and homeland security issues will carry the most weight with the FCC. The Federal Aviation Administration and the agencies that support the Department of Homeland Security are represented by the NTIA which is actively testing the interference potential of BPL. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, DX LISTENING DIGEST) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ PROPAGATION +++++++++++ THANKSGIVING FORECAST: POTENTIAL FIREWORKS ON THE SUN By ANAHAD O'CONNOR The New York Times In America November 25, 2003 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/25/science/25SOLA.html?pagewanted=print &position= BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 22 Snapping like rubber bands pulled too tightly, tangled magnetic fields on the surface of the Sun have been spewing waves of radiation and superheated particles at Earth. So far, the damage has been relatively minor in comparison with significant communications disruptions three years ago. The culprits this year are three volatile sunspots that began erupting last month and set off blackouts in Sweden, damaged satellites and forced some airlines to divert flights from polar routes to escape extra radiation. And now, after a three-week lull while the Sun's rotation spun them out of view, the sunspots are back within striking distance. The one with the potential to produce the most fireworks, Region 507, is expected to fix its sights squarely on Earth just as Thanksgiving arrives. While all three have decayed a bit, 507 is still roughly eight times the size of Earth. Predicting the level of havoc that can be wrought by 507 or any other exploding sunspot is a minute-to-minute science. The erratic nature of exploding sunspots leaves researchers with as little as 30 minutes to warn of radiation storms or as much as 17 hours to prepare for speeding clouds of plasma. Nowhere perhaps is the pressure greater to assess the magnitude of these blasts than within the walls of the Space Environment Center here, home of what could be called the solar storm trackers. Vivid, up-to-date images of the Sun captured by satellites a million miles from Earth constantly blare across an elevated, oversize television screen demanding the team's attention. To the forecasters here, every sunspot has its own personality and can be dangerously unruly or quickly fizzle into obscurity. For the last month, the rotating team of several space weather forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has focused on nothing else, darting from computer images of the sun flares to e-mail messages and to telephone calls in an effort to warn thousands of subscribers, like utilities, NASA and the airlines, of the newest storm ratings. They also answer queries from the public that range from the humorous, like the woman who blamed a speed-trap radar reading of 90 miles an hour on a flare, to the tragic, like those who believe relatives' pacemakers failed during such events. Or those who complain the hair on their arms stands on end. Or that their flaring arthritis is in sync with a solar flare. Or that a homing pigeon loses its internal compass in a geomagnetic storm. And lately, with the likelihood of storms resuming, so too has the number of calls from concerned travelers fearing extra radiation during their holiday flights. On Thursday, when the sunspots reappeared with a new round of storms, the space forecasters fell back into formation. A locustlike cloud of charged particles shot out of the Sun at more than two million miles an hour, swarming Earth just after midnight. Standing beside a fortress of computers, William Murtagh, a forecaster, described the storm as relatively slow moving. Still, he brimmed with the satisfaction of knowing that at least for the day, he had tried to restrain the Sun's devastating fury. "This one we predicted would arrive in 50 hours, and it actually reached us in 46 so I'd say that's a pretty good job," Mr. Murtagh said with a smile. "We expected major to severe geomagnetic storm levels, and that's exactly what we're getting now right on target." Those predictions have far-reaching impact. The agency's subscribers also include the Coast Guard, most airlines and the military. The storm trackers' alerts prompted power companies throughout North America to switch to "safe mode" to protect grids from collapse with the heightened solar storm currents. All it took to plunge six million people in Quebec into darkness during a storm in March 1989, Mr. Murtagh said, was one transformer that overheated and shut down. The frenetic activity in the forecast center on Thursday was only a glimpse of what could come this week, when Regions 507 and 508 stare at Earth. As 508 was rotating away from Earth on Nov. 4, it unleashed a flare that some scientists say was the biggest explosion ever recorded in the solar system. "It was like being in Miami and seeing a giant hurricane coming toward you that eventually veers off to sea," said Dr. Devrie S. Intrilligator, director of the space plasma laboratory at the Carmel Research Center in Santa Monica, Calif. "We really lucked out because the full force of it didn't head toward Earth." When it was tucked away on the backside of the Sun, 508 ejected clouds of plasma so enormous that scientists could see them dwarfing the Sun in size as they roared off into space. Now it is Region 507 that Mr. Murtagh's team is bracing for. Rivaling Jupiter in size, it has the potential to bathe Earth with intense storms that could expose airplane passengers to abnormal amounts of radiation around Thanksgiving. The last time that happened, in late October, the Federal Aviation Authority warned passengers on planes over 25,000 feet at some latitudes that they would accumulate about two millirems of radiation per hour, or two days' worth of radiation on the ground. What will happen in the next several days is still uncertain. "A severe one could happen, but I think a moderate one at most is more likely," Court Williamson, an operations specialist, told one caller who was concerned about her husband's flight from San Francisco to London the weekend after Thanksgiving. The forecasters can be on 24-hour call at times like these. Mr. Murtagh recalled talking to an airline from bed at 11 o'clock one night as the company tried to decide whether to proceed with a Newark-to-Beijing flight the next day. Now and then, even the forecasters are dumbfounded by the connections people draw between the force of the solar storms and everyday life. "The deputy," began one woman about her son's speeding ticket, "at first said he was going 90, then 75 m.p.h. My son was trying to pull over due to a flat tire, and told the deputy there is no way he could drive at that speed on a flat." Mr. Murtagh said he was reluctant to rule anything out. "If someone did a study showing geomagnetic storms affect radar guns, you can be sure the legal system would be flooded with millions of people fighting traffic tickets." The space environment center is fighting a battle of its own in Washington. Instead of the $8.3 million that the agency requested for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1, the House allocated $5.3 million and the Senate budgeted no money at all. "If a major storm hits and we don't exist, the airlines will have no reason not to divert planes away from polar routes or the higher latitudes," said Dr. Ernest Hildner, the center's director. "How much is it worth to expose all those people to all that radiation and increased cancer risk?" As 507 glares into view, the storm trackers already have warned power companies, satellite operators and holiday travelers. Those who would have the most reason to be concerned if a major storm did hit, Mr. Murtagh says, would be passengers or crew members on flights that cross over the North Pole, like New York to some parts of Asia. Because of the shape and location of Earth's magnetic field, radiation from violent solar events tends to flow toward the poles and regions at higher latitudes. "It's costly for airlines to send their planes on the longer route or make them drop from say 38,000 feet to 28,000 to avoid radiation," he said. "But generally they would if we give them the data that shows a strong radiation storm is on the way." Some European countries have adopted legislation mandating studies into how much radiation passengers are exposed to during solar flares and others have regulations to protect flight crews. One popular analogy that quantifies radiation exposure while flying in numbers of chest X-rays, said Joe Kunches, chief of the space weather operations division, is often imprecise. "Are we talking about chest X-rays today or many years ago?" Mr. Kunches said. "What side of the plane are you on? How high is it flying? There are just too many variables involved." Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company (via Mike Cooper, WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DXLD) Geomagnetic activity ranged from quiet to severe storm levels. The period began with unsettled to minor storm levels on 17 November and unsettled to active levels on 18 – 19 November. This activity was due to the coronal hole high speed stream in progress during the early part of the period. On 20 November, a CME shock from the activity on 18 November produce major to severe geomagnetic storming on 20 November and early on 21 November. This geomagnetic storm began following a 56 nT sudden impulse measured on the Boulder magnetometer at 0804 UTC on 20 November. GOES satellites observed magnetopause crossings on 20 November, GOES 12 at 1301 UTC and GOES 10 at 1628 UTC. Activity on 22 and 23 November was at active to minor storm levels due to another coronal hole high speed stream. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 26 NOV - 22 DEC 2003 Solar activity is expected to range from very low to moderate levels with a small chance of high level activity. Activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels with high level activity possible during the first week of the period. Activity after 02 December when Regions 507 and 508 rotate beyond the west limb is expected to be at very low to moderate levels. Proton producing flares are possible from Region 507, and 508 during the first week of the period. After 02 December, no greater than 10 MeV proton events are expected. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to reach high levels on 09 – 15 December due to a large trans-equatorial coronal hole. The geomagnetic field is expected to range from quiet to major storm levels. A large trans-equatorial coronal hole is due to return to a geoeffective position on 06 – 13 December and is expected to produce minor to major storming. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2003 Nov 25 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2003 Nov 25 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2003 Nov 26 170 20 4 2003 Nov 27 160 15 3 2003 Nov 28 160 10 3 2003 Nov 29 160 10 3 2003 Nov 30 155 10 3 2003 Dec 01 140 10 3 2003 Dec 02 120 10 3 2003 Dec 03 100 12 3 2003 Dec 04 95 10 3 2003 Dec 05 95 10 3 2003 Dec 06 95 25 5 2003 Dec 07 95 30 5 2003 Dec 08 95 35 6 2003 Dec 09 100 30 5 2003 Dec 10 100 35 6 2003 Dec 11 100 35 6 2003 Dec 12 100 40 6 2003 Dec 13 105 35 6 2003 Dec 14 120 35 6 2003 Dec 15 135 30 5 2003 Dec 16 140 15 3 2003 Dec 17 145 12 3 2003 Dec 18 150 12 3 2003 Dec 19 150 20 4 2003 Dec 20 150 20 4 2003 Dec 21 150 15 3 2003 Dec 22 150 12 3 (http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1209, DXLD) ###