DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-018, January 30, 2004 edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.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 For restrixions and searchable 2004 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 AIRING OF WORLD OF RADIO 1217: Mon 0430 on WSUI, Iowa City, 910, webcast http://wsui.uiowa.edu NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1218: Sat 0900 on WRN1 to Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia, webcast Sat 0955 on WNQM, Nashville, 1300 Sat 1130 on WWCR 5070 Sat 1900 on IBC Radio webcast Sat 1930 on WPKN Bridgeport, 89.5, webcast Sat 2130 on WWCR 12160 Sat 2130 on WBCQ 17495-CUSB [NEW] Sun 0130 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Sun 0330 on WWCR 5070 Sun 0730 on WWCR 3210 Sun 0845 on Ozone Radio, Ireland, 6201v, time variable Sun 1100 on WRN1 to North America, webcast; also KSFC 91.9 Spokane WA, webcast and WDWN 89.1 Auburn NY Sun 1600 on IBC Radio, webcast Sun 2000 on Studio X, Momigno, 1584 Mon 0515 on WBCQ 7415, webcast Tue 0400 on SIUE Web Radio Wed 1030 on WWCR 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 1218 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1218h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1218h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1218.html WORLD OF RADIO 1218 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1218.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1218.rm ** BAHRAIN. 9745, Jan 11, 1322-1325 Radio Bahrain, Abu Hayan. Bahrain with good signal, it is really USB, audible as distorted signal in AM mode, but not so exceptional in Middle East (SSS in Sotkamo, Finland, hard-core-dx online log via DXLD) Maybe so; no IBB scheduled at this hour, but any ID? (gh, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4650.28, Radio Santa Ana, Santa Ana de Yacuma, 1030-1045 most mornings with delightful mix of music. Yipping, música andina "...en todos el país... hermanos y hermanas... "atenciones", 21 January. Similar programme 1030 ID by om ~ 30 January. Seems improved signal strength and regular schedule 1000. 4716.71, Radio Yura, Yura 0950 to 1030, noted on 20 January soprano chorale followed by long selection by children's choir, enchanting music reminiscent of children choir featured in "Until the End of the World" film by Wim Wenders, Deutschland, also featured on first selection of cd. ID's by om. Since 26 January Radio Yura not noted ~ 1000 or 2300. 4722.8, Radio Uncía not noted since 26 January (Bob Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, Icom R 75 Kiwa Modified, NRD 535D Kiwa Modified, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. In my visit to Salvador de Bahia, BA, Brazil, I could confirm Radio Educadora da Bahia is off air in short wave from some time ago. Two local DXers from DX Clube do Brasil: Djaci Franklin da Silva and Antonio Rosset confirm me this information too. The station transmits only in FM band, on 107.5 MHz (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. PRIVATE BROADCASTERS SUE CRTC OTTAWA (CP) -- The country's private broadcasters are suing their own federal regulator for hundreds of millions of dollars, arguing that a licence fee they've been paying amounts to an unconstitutional tax. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/01/30/330394-cp.html (via Barry Rueger, Hamilton, Ontario, caj-list via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANADA. MONOPOLY'S THE WORD IN CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/db2004-61.htm Taking into account the relatively small size of the Campbell River radio market and the magnitude of the projected advertising revenue for the proposed low-power FM station, the Commission concludes that, if licensed, the proposed station would have an undue negative financial impact on CFWB, and could possibly jeopardize the quality of the local programming service currently provided to Campbell River by CFWB. Accordingly, the Commission denies the application by Terry Robert Fleming (OBCI). (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CHINA: China Radio International in Italian: 1800-1857 on additional 7150 (53443) co-channel RKI in French & Polish Radio \\ 7325, 9945 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 30 via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Again on Jan 30 I checked the CRI Portuguese relay at 2300 on 13650, surely Cuba. There was crosstalk again from something else, but unlike last time I checked when it was in English, parallel but out of sync with the Canada relay on 13680, this time the crosstalk was apparently in some Chinese language. Most of the time it was considerably lower than the Portuguese, but over the next few minutes, the Portuguese level varied wildly, mostly undermodulated, but occasionally jumping up to decent level and quality, then cutting out entirely or almost so. Either a bad connexion or someone monkeying with the audio inputs to the Cuban transmitter. At 2314, the crosstalk was gone. While listening to the Portuguese, I noticed a really heavy Chinese accent with some of the consonants swallowed; tho technically correct, it seemed as if the announcer had book-larnin`, but no experience in actual two-way communication. Or even one way, the other way: a bit of listening to Brazilian stations on SW or the web should help him a lot to improve his accent (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. 6760.14 kHz, Centro Radiofónico de Imbabura, Ibarra 30/Ene/2004 0100 UTC. Amigos DXistas, aquí viene SWB MICROINFORMATIVO! Quito 30/Ene/2004 23:20 hora local This is my unID [4-017], something I was not expecting because of the very good signal strength, the same strength as the fundamental frequency of: 3380.07 kHz. So it´s "nothing more" than a harmonic. 73s (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SWB América Latina, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. RADIO FRANCE STRIKE ENTERS THIRD DAY | Text of report by French news agency AFP Paris, 29 January: The management of the Radio France group said at lunchtime on Thursday [29 January] that 46.55 per cent of journalists were on strike. It said that out of 499 journalists rotaed to work, 209 were observing the strike call. The unions representing Radio France put the number of striking staff higher, just as they did the previous day. They said 70 per cent were on strike at France Inter, 90 per cent at France Info and 70 per cent at the local stations of France Bleu. A general meeting was planned for 1500 [1400 gmt] to discuss continuing the industrial action. As well as journalists, three other categories of staff are on strike: archivists, production staff and maintenance engineers, who represent the majority of Radio France staff. The journalists want their salaries to be brought into line with those working for France Televisions. The other categories of staff have also made pay demands. Source: AFP news agency, Paris, in French 1430 gmt 29 Jan 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** GREECE. Hallo, Ik krijg op 3270 zeer zwak een omroepstation binnen, dat Arabisch lijkt met nadruk op lijkt. Veel muziek. Er zit een echo achter de stem van de man achter de microfoon. Heeft iemand een idee welk station het zou kunnen zijn? (Roald Kooijman, Jan 26, BDXC via DXLD) Hallo Roald, ik denk de 2e harmonische van een Griekse piraat rond 1635 khz. Ik hoor op 3270,39 Griekse muziek (best in LSB). Op of rond 1635 dezelfde muziek maar slecht gemoduleerd. Er is in ieder geval geen tropenband actief op 3270 khz (Max van Arnhem, ibid.) ** HAITI [non]. AVENEL 'JOHNNY' CESAIRE Talk host was voice of `People's Radio' BY KATHLEEN FORDYCE Posted on Fri, Jan. 30, 2004 Avenel ''Johnny'' Cesaire used his local radio show to try to unite the Haitian community and promote the fight for democracy in Haiti. Cesaire, 50, known to his audience as Pere Johnny, died of pancreatic cancer on Jan. 19 -- the day dedicated to his idol, Martin Luther King, Jr.. . . http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7830134.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp (Miami Herald via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** INDIA. All India Radio looks nearer to getting rid of external broadcasting. Problem is that AIR has never given the journalists the freedom to make interesting programmes - it is records and talks, very little in the way of interaction. And, AIR was notorious for NEVER replying to letters - even simply requests for a programme schedule! (Jonathan Marks, Jan 26, Critical Distance weblog via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. Frequency Coordination... on Mars! http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=4517 Date posted: 2004-01-27 Here's an item of interest from Doug Lung, editor of the RF Report, published by our sister publication TV Technology: The pictures from Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity have focused interest in the planet. Based on Web information, http://ipnpr.jpl.nasa.gov/tmo/progress_report/42-153/153H.pdf the rovers are using frequencies around 430 MHz to communicate with the orbiting spacecraft at data rates up from 128 kbps to 2 Mbps. The link from Mars to Earth uses X-band frequencies in the 8.4 to 8.45 GHz band, while the return link from Earth to Mars uses frequencies around 7.2 GHz. See the link above for a description of the design of future communications systems between Mars and the orbiter and the orbiter and Earth and a limited description of existing links. Also see http://www-mgcm.arc.nasa.gov/mgcm/micromet/mars_relay_comm.html [sic] for a detailed explanation of Mars-Orbiter and Mars-Earth communications system. If you watched the landing of Opportunity on Mars you heard many references to "tones" that the lander used to send status information back to Earth. These tones are generated by a radio called the Small Deep Space Transponder using a special form of 256-tone MFSK modulation. Note that frequency shift keying rather than phase modulation is used to allow better frequency tracking during periods of high dynamics present during the entry, descent and landing (EDL) process. The radio operates at 8.4 GHz and communicates with Earth using the back shell low-gain antenna, switching to the rover low-gain antenna when the lander separates from the back shell. Even with the 70 meter Deep Space Network antenna http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/ the signal to noise ratio can drop as low as 22 dB-Hz and the demodulator has to deal with a Doppler rate up to 1200 Hz/second. As you can imagine, this required an extremely robust modulation system. The following paper that describes the design and performance of the system called Direct-to-Earth Communications and Signal Processing for Mars Exploration Rover Entry, Desceng and Landing at http://ipnpr.jpl.nasa.gov/tmo/progress_report/42-153/153A.pdf The paper describes the operation of the system this way: "There will be 256 different signal frequencies, modulated one at a time onto a subcarrier, using the spacecraft capability to switch the subcarrier frequency. During hypersonic entry, the signal frequency can be switched every 10 s, resulting in the communication of 8 bits of information each 10 s. When the lander is suspended from the bridle, and the UHF link is prime, the duration of the modulation frequencies may be extended to 20 s to better facilitate detection during this period of highly varying SNR. This would result in fewer messages of higher reliability than would the use of the 10-s duration." The paper includes a detailed mathematical analysis of the system. NASA's Spotlight series has a simpler explanation of the tones. See http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/features/tones.cfm With all the spacecraft converging on Mars this year, you may be wondering how frequencies were coordinated to keep them from interfering with each other. That coordination is the responsibility of the Space Frequency Coordination Group http://sfcgonline.org/ While some of the documents on the Web site require a password for access, Frequency Assignment Guidelines for Communications in the Mars Region http://sfcgonline.org/handbook/rec/rec22-1r1.pdf as well as the STCG Handbook 2002 http://sfcgonline.org/handbook/SFCG_Handbook_2002.pdf and other Resolutions and Recommendations http://sfcgonline.org/handbook/res/index.shtml do not. Recommendation 22-1R1 includes a summary of frequency bands available for communications on and with Mars and outlines how frequencies are to be selected and coordinated (via Kim Elliott, DC, Jan 30, DXLD) ** IRAN. Tho` the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran is no longer transmitting via SW to North America, Europe and Australia [or is it?], SW frequencies are still being announced (e.g. on the 0030 Monday transmission, last Sunday evening, the 6120 and 9580 frequencies were still being given). Evidently there have been problems with internet reception according to letters read on the ``Listeners` Special`` program. Strangely, the presenters never mention that VIRI transmissions in English and other languages are available via satellite [where Loren listens]. A program in Chinese precedes the 0030 broadcast. VIRI broadcasts in English (one hour duration) are at 1130, 1530, 1930 and 0030 UT; following at 0130 is the one hour Voice of justice broadcast especially for US listeners; still giving readings from Michael Moore. Contrary to an initial impression, the announcers appear to be native (Loren Cox., Jr., Lexington KY, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. Additional frequency changes for VOIROI/IRIB: 0100-0227 Tajik NF 5950, ex 4000 0230-0257 Uzbek NF 5950, ex 4000 0830-0927 Swahili on 17660#and 21530 new transmission 0830-1157 Dari NF 13720$ ex 9855 0930-0957 Armenian NF 9695, ex 13740 1130-1227 Swahili on 17630 and 21550 cancelled 1200-1457 Dari NF 9910& ex 5050 1500-1557 Uzbek NF 5955* ex 4000 1600-1727 Tajik NF 5955* ex 4000 # strong co-channel Radio Finland in Russian from 0905 $ totally blocked by Radio Exterior de España in Spanish & strong co-channel All India Radio in Dari and Pashto from 1315!!! * strong co-channel Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep in Dutch (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 30 via DXLD) ** IRAN [and non]. IN THE GRIP OF A STIFLING SYSTEM By A. William Samii [extensive report on print and broadcast media, and the opposition; same page covers UKRAINE, IRAN, RUSSIA] http://www.rferl.org/reports/mm/2004/01/1-200104.asp (RFE/RL Jan 20 via gh, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Re: Voice of the Mojahed (Sedaye Mojahed) The website http://www.iran.mojahedin.org (hosted in the U.S., registered under a French address) is primarily the site of the "People's Mojahedin of Iran" organisation, but contains a.o. a link to the live Webstream for the station which is located at a commercial webcast provider in Ireland: http://www.servecast.com/wmwebcasts/seda/play450-seda.asx On the TELSTAR 12 satellite the station is on the same downlink transponder as the Farsi-language TV station "Iran NTV" which is based in the London, UK (its webstream is hosted by the same Irish webcast provider). Sharing a transponder often means that the stations are uplinked through the same facility (it doesn't necessarily need to be owned by the stations themselves). Uplink and webstream indicate "commercial equipment" and good telecommunications infrastructure and it appears likely that Voice of Mojahed is produced in either in a European country (like the UK), or in the U.S. (many wellknown U.S.- based broadcasters targeting Iran are using TELSTAR, like Sedaye Iran, Payam-e Doost, BBG's Radio Farda);the TELSTAR signal is then picked up by the transmitters in the Middle East (seemingly located in Iraq) where it is rebroadcast. The "sporadic" activity of these transmitters might originate in a number of reasons: unavailability of the satellite feed (Voice of Mojahed has been off the satellite a number of times in recent months, also possible are local satellite reception problems) and lack of electricity supply for the satellite receiver and transmitters (a common situation in post-war Iraq). (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [and non]. We understand he occupying power has not had great success in attracting viewership to the television channel it has set up in Iraq, the content apparently being regarded with suspicion. Of course Iraqis now have access to a number of Arabic language television channels: e.g., Al Jazeera, al Arabiya, Abu Dhabi TV, al Manar, etc., which, to the distress of the occupying power, are more resonant with the culture, attitudes, perceptions of the viewers, and thus are deemed more trustworthy. What appears to be a very interesting newscast up as I write this on al Manar TV --- unfortunately I don`t understand Arabic. Saw a report on CNN, I think, that AM presents movies stressing the despicable nature of Jews: the old baby blood drinking myth, etc. (Loren Cox., Jr., Lexington KY, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [and non] Salam Pax reviews AFN Iraq Salam Pax, the "Baghdad Blogger", http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/ has been listening to the recently-launched radio station for American Forces in Iraq. It's interesting to see how the output of this station, which isn't intended for Iraqis, sounds to those Iraqis who understand English: "It transmits on 107,7 FM in Baghdad, which really is at the end of the frequency range... this is such bad taste, it’s hilarious. The DJ’s call each other Sergeant So-and-so, which freaks you out the firstfar. The station-breaks on it have people sounding like the Simpsons saying things like ``I haven`t had so much fun s time you hear it, I thought I was listening to something I wasn’t supposed to. "But to give the people there credit, the music is much better than the seriously annoying pop stuff on SAWA. SAWA Iraq is different than SAWA in the rest of the arab world, yes we are special. In case you are wondering SAWA is the new American propaganda tool instead of [Voice of America]. They lured our young with music and then they started messing with their brains using Sawa. It is very pop-y la-di- da-life-is-ok type of station, the messages must be subliminal or something [note to self:start recording the broadcasts and then listen to them backwards, specially that britney/madonna thing because they play it so often]. I think it will spawn a TV station as well, there are already people with SAWA TV tags running around. "I have been tuning to AFN IRAQ much more often than the radio we Iraqis are supposed to be listening to. They played Rage Against the Machine’s testify: I`m empty please fill me Mister anchor assure me That Baghdad is burning Your voice it is so soothing That cunning mantra of killing I need you my witness To dress this up so bloodless To numb me and purge me now Of thoughts of blaming you "It is a bit scary to have a military radio that plays this song here in Baghdad. "Anyway, it is very interesting radio. It is so very American it gets disorienting. And the little public announcement things in between songs are almost Monty Python-esque if they weren`t meant to be dead serious. Example: [Sound of vehicle, a humvee I guess, in the background] Female voice: I am really tired I haven’t slept well last night. Ooh look --- can you hold on to my [some weapon or other] while I take a picture of this. [Sound of snoring] Female voice: Is sergeant (so-and-so) still sleeping? He had a tough night. Darth Vader voice: Being on military convoy is a serious situation, always wear your seat belts, maintain speed and distance. And always stay alert. There are little Arabic lessons thrown in here and there to ``learn the local language and be part of the world around you``. Today`s words were Hello, Good morning and Good bye. I would have thought that after a year here we would have moved to a bit more complex vocabulary. "And there are also reminders to military personnel to keep the classified information they have to themselves since ``We *are* in a war here.`` Sweet sounding DJ Courtney made sure we remember to remember by playing Nickelback`s ``this is how you remind me``. "Now if there only was a way to convince them to stop playing all that Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC and play us some B.R.M.C. and Rapture." # posted by Andy @ 12:24 UT Jan 29 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** KYRGYZSTAN. Hi Glenn, Kyrgyz National Broadcasting Corporation, Bishkek comes with strong signal on 4010 kHz with news in local language 16 UTC in parallel with a lot weaker 4795 kHz. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. HCJB WORLD RADIO JOINS SIM TO CELEBRATE ELWA'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY Posted by: newsdesk on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 05:10 PM After surviving 15 years of civil war, there was an air of renewed optimism and hope as missionaries joined hundreds of excited Liberians for the 50th anniversary celebration of Radio Station ELWA, founded by SIM in Monrovia in January 1954. http://www.hcjb.org/displayarticle1403.html (via DXLD) ** LIBYA [non]. Frequency change for LJB Service in Arabic to Iraq: 1202-1302 NF 11660 co-channel AWR Mandarin Chinese, ex 17600 to avoid R. Rossii Russian \\ 11890 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 30 via DXLD) Presumably via France tho some think 11890 actually Libya (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. ARE WE HEARING MEXICAN INTERFERENCE ON 740? (CGC #605-611) Bill Agresta, Chief of KBRT, 740 kHz, Avalon, along with other station staffers and listeners, have reported intermittent Mexican interference on 740 kHz. In one such recent instance, Bill was at the Catalina "Airport in the Sky" and heard what was evidently a Mexican station fire up for a few minutes on 740 kHz. The Catalina airport is just 3.5 miles from the KBRT transmitter site, but in a pattern null. The interference was not strong enough to override KBRT at that location, but it was audible, suggesting that some serious power was in use. Now we wonder, if Mexican broadcasters are testing on 740 kHz, what else is being planned? (From the CGC Communicator via Dennis Gibson, Jan 27, IRCA via DXLD) Day or night?? ** MEXICO. XEKTT (XEPE) UPDATE Regarding XEKTT (XEPE), 560 kHz, Tecate/Tijuana, a group of U.S. broadcasters has asked the FCC to rescind the Section 325(c) cross- border programming authority that the Commission has issued to Pacific Spanish Network, Inc. (see CGC #611). Turns out that Pacific would ordinarily be allowed 10 days to respond to the interference charges that have been filed against them, but Pacific now asks for two and a half months to do so. No way, say the U.S. broadcasters. They object to any extension of time arguing that (a) severe interference from XEKTT to nearly 29 million people within the protected contours of the affected U.S. stations deserves immediate (not delayed) action, (b) only a few days should be needed to review and comment on the engineering interference showings already submitted, and (c) XEKTT's internationally uncoordinated operation is on its face a violation of the U.S./Mexican AM agreement which is sufficient grounds for immediate dismissal of the cross-border permit. Stay tuned for the next chapter in this saga (From the CGC Communicator via Dennis Gibson, Jan 27, IRCA via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Radio Nederland --- Hola Amigos de la Lista ! Hago mención a través del presente mensaje, que Radio Nederland está realizando una encuesta exclusiva solamente para las emisiones en español, y mucho dependerá del resultado de esta encuesta el futuro de los programas y emisiones. El estudio, actualmente está en manos de una empresa independiente. Se han enviado por correo unos 1.000 formularios aproximadamente a ciertos oyentes al azar. Nuestro común amigo Jaime Báguena invita a colaborar simplemente respondiendo a dicha encuesta. Cualquier persona que desee participar en la misma y si no ha recibido el mencionado formulario hasta este momento, puede responder directamente via Internet en http://www.informarn.nl El anuncio aparece en un recuadro de dicha página, o bien se puede ir directamente a: http://web-choice34.com.variabele.nl/web-choice34/start.asp?surveyid= Muchas gracias por apoyo solidario. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Jan 30, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Thread on WNAD/WWLS, WKY, early radio in OKC: http://www.radio- info.com/mods/board.php?Board=oklahoma&Post=117457&page= Photos of KOMA, WKY and others: http://www.patrickroberts.com/photo.html (via Oklahoma Radio Board via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN [and non]. Editorial on VOA re Pakistan media http://www.voanews.com/Editorials/article.cfm?objectID=195A7230-5D25-425E-975F669210731920&title=1%2F30%2F04%20%2D%20NEW%20LOOK%20FOR%20PAKISTAN%27S%20MEDIA# 1/30/04 - NEW LOOK FOR PAKISTAN'S MEDIA Editorial # 0-11132 Independent television channels are giving Pakistanis a new way to look at themselves and the world. Since 2002, nearly two dozen private media companies have been licensed to broadcast in Pakistan. The most successful is Geo TV. Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Geo TV has attracted a large and enthusiastic audience in Pakistan. Adnan Rehmat is director of the Pakistan branch of Internews, a nonprofit organization that promotes independent media around the world. "In a very short time," said Mr. Rehmat, "this will be a very different Pakistan. And history will say Geo changed it all." Geo TV offers entertainment, news, and political programming not available on Pakistan's state-run television, P-T-V. Geo covers opposition parties that are often excluded from coverage by P-T-V. Geo's entertainment programming features Indian actors and films banned by Pakistani government censors. Geo's satires of government officials and discussions of controversial issues, such as religious belief and practices, are apparent hits. One of Geo TV's most popular programs features a discussion between Shiite and Sunni clerics with viewers calling in. In 2003, Geo TV conducted an opinion poll that found that about half of the Pakistanis questioned favored a review of Pakistan's policy of non-recognition of Israel. Mian Muhammed Javed, chairman of the Pakistan Regulatory Authority, says independent broadcasting is good for the country. "Media creates awareness [and] ensures transparency and accountability," he said. Geo TV's news director, Azhar Abbas, says Geo's reporting is making Pakistani officials more responsive. "No government in the past had the experience of dealing with such a fast media," he said. "Now they have to give answers." By opening its broadcast media to the private sector, Pakistan will reap the benefits that President George W. Bush says come from freedom: "The prosperity and social vitality and technological progress of a people are directly determined by the extent of their liberty. Freedom honors and unleashes human creativity -- and creativity determines the strength and wealth of nations." As Wajiha Shahid, a twenty-eight-year-old homemaker, said, channels like Geo TV "cater for the new generation." That was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** PERU. 5024.97, R Quillabamba, Quillabamba 1045-1100, with the local Radio Rebelde absent, 'programa del todos Peru ... onda corta banda de ... metros, Radio Quillabamba, programa mundial ..." several ID's over classical music 29 January. Latin America seems an area holding its own on tropical bands, new harmonics and medium wave. 73's de (Bob Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, Icom R 75 Kiwa Modified, NRD 535D Kiwa Modified, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. Frequency change for Radio Veritas Asia in Hmong via PUG 250 kW / 280 deg 1000-1025 NF 11830 (34443), ex 11850 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 30 via DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES [non]. Updated schedule for FEBA Radio: AFRICA, ETHIOPIA, SUDAN 1515-1530 Daily NUER 11885 MEY 250 kW / 007 deg 1530-1545 Daily DINKA 11885 MEY 250 kW / 007 deg 1545-1600 Daily MAKONDE 11885 MEY 250 kW / 032 deg 1600-1630 Thu-Sun AMHARIC 11885 MEY 250 kW / 019 deg 1600-1630 Mon-Wed GURAGENA 11885 MEY 250 kW / 019 deg 1630-1700 Daily AMHARIC 11885 MEY 250 kW / 019 deg 1700-1730 Daily OROMO 6180 DHA 250 kW / 230 deg 1700-1730 Daily SOMALI 11690 KIG 250 kW / 030 deg 1730-1800 Daily TIGRINYA 11690 KIG 250 kW / 030 deg 1830-1900 Daily FRENCH 15125 ASC 250 kW / 070 deg MIDDLE EAST 0400-0530 Daily ARABIC 15525 SAM 250 kW / 188 deg 0500-0530 Fri SINHALA 6125 DHA 250 kW / 300 deg 0530-0630 Fri MALAYALAM 6125 DHA 250 kW / 300 deg 1905-1955 Daily ARABIC 9605 KIG 250 kW / 030 deg, additional transmission SOUTH INDIA, MALDIVES, SRI LANKA 0030-0100 Sun TAMIL 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg 0100-0130 Sun KANNADA 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg 0030-0115 Tue/Wed TAMIL 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg 0030-0130 Mon/Thu TAMIL 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg 0030-0100 Fri/Sat TAMIL 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg 0115-0130 Fri/Sat KANNADA 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg 0115-0130 Tue TULU 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg 0115-0130 Wed KONKANI 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg 0100-0115 Tue/Fri/Sat BADAGA 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg 0130-0200 Daily TELUGU 7365 ERV 100 kW / 125 deg, additional transmission 0130-0200 Daily TELUGU 9515 DHA 250 kW / 105 deg, ex 11890 DHA 1400-1430 Mon-Wed MALAYALAM 7340 IRK 250 kW / 224 deg 1400-1445 Thu-Sun MALAYALAM 7340 IRK 250 kW / 224 deg 1445-1500 Thu-Sun TELUGU 7340 IRK 250 kW / 224 deg 1430-1500 Mon-Wed TELUGU 7340 IRK 250 kW / 224 deg 1500-1600 Daily ENGLISH 7340 IRK 250 kW / 224 deg 1600-1615 Sun-Tue SINHALA 7340 IRK 250 kW / 224 deg 1600-1615 Thu-Sat DHIVEHI 7340 IRK 250 kW / 224 deg 1600-1615 Wed MALAY 7340 IRK 250 kW / 224 deg NORTH INDIA, NEPAL, TIBET 0030-0115 Sun HINDI 7265 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg 0030-0045 Mon-Thu BANGLA 7265 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg 0030-0045 Fri/Sat BHOJPURI 7265 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg 0045-0115 Mon/Wed-Sat HINDI 7265 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg 0045-0100 Tue CHATTISGARHI 7265 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg 0100-0115 Tue HINDI 7265 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg 0100-0115 Daily HINDI 7110 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0115-0130 Sun-Thu MARATHI 7110 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0115-0130 Fri URDU 7110 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0115-0130 Sat PUNJABI 7110 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 1200-1230 Daily TIBETAN 15240 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg, ex 15170 DHA 1300-1330 Tue KUMAUNI 11695 SAM 250 kW / 129 deg 1300-1330 Sat PUNJABI 11695 SAM 250 kW / 129 deg 1300-1315 Mon-Wed/Fri PUNJABI 11695 SAM 250 kW / 129 deg 1300-1315 Sun KANGRI 11695 SAM 250 kW / 129 deg 1315-1345 Fri/Sun GUJARATI 11695 SAM 250 kW / 129 deg 1330-1345 Mon-Thu/Sat GUJARATI 11695 SAM 250 kW / 129 deg 1315-1330 Mon BHILI 11695 SAM 250 kW / 129 deg 1315-1330 Wed MARWARI 11695 SAM 250 kW / 129 deg 1315-1330 Tue BRIJ 11695 SAM 250 kW / 129 deg 1300-1330 Sun NEPALI 9485 TAC 200 kW / 131 deg 1300-1330 Fri BHOJPURI 9485 TAC 200 kW / 131 deg 1300-1330 Sat CHATTISGARHI 9485 TAC 200 kW / 131 deg 1300-1315 Mon/Wed MUNDARI 9485 TAC 200 kW / 131 deg 1300-1315 Tue NEPALI 9485 TAC 200 kW / 131 deg 1300-1315 Thu CHATTISGARHI 9485 TAC 200 kW / 131 deg 1315-1330 Mon/Wed/Thu ORIYA 9485 TAC 200 kW / 131 deg 1315-1330 Tue MAGHI 9485 TAC 200 kW / 131 deg 1330-1345 Daily BANGLA 9485 TAC 200 kW / 131 deg 1400-1415 Sun-Thu URDU 9885 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg, ex 9485 ARM 1400-1500 Fri/Sat HINDI 9885 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg, ex 9485 ARM 1415-1500 Sun-Thu HINDI 9885 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg, ex 9485 ARM PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, IRAN 0200-0215 Mon/Fri/Sat URDU 9450 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0215-0230 Mon/Fri/Sat PUNJABI 9450 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0200-0230 Sun/Tue PUNJABI 9450 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0200-0230 Wed/Thu URDU 9450 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0230-0245 Sun URDU 9450 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0230-0245 Thu POTHWARI 9450 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0230-0245 Mon-Wed/Fri/Sat HINDKO 9450 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 0200-0215 Sat/Sun SINDHI 6145 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg 0200-0215 Mon-Fri SIRAIKI 6145 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg 0215-0230 Wed-Sun BALUCHI 6145 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg 0215-0230 Mon/Tue BRAHUI 6145 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg 0200-0215 Daily PASHTO 7220 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg, ex 11995 DHA 0215-0245 Daily DARI 7220 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg, ex 11995 DHA 0245-0300 Daily HAZARAGI 7220 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg, ex 11995 DHA 0630-0800 Fri PERSIAN 9660 DHA 250 kW / 345 deg 1630-1730 Daily PERSIAN 9875 MSK 250 kW / 159 deg 1730-1745 Sat/Sun BALUCHI 9875 MSK 250 kW / 159 deg 1730-1745 Mon-Wed TURKMEN 9875 MSK 250 kW / 159 deg 1730-1745 Thu AZERI 9875 MSK 250 kW / 159 deg 1730-1745 Fri LURI 9875 MSK 250 kW / 159 deg 1400-1415 Daily ENGLISH 9445 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 1415-1500 Thu/Fri/Sun/Mon URDU 9445 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 1415-1515 Tu/Wed/Sat URDU 9445 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 1500-1515 Thu/Fri/Sun/Mon BALTI 9445 NVS 500 kW / 195 deg 1530-1600 Daily PASHTO 9415 ARM 100 kW / 104 deg 1600-1630 Daily DARI 9415 ARM 100 kW / 104 deg 1630-1645 Daily HAZARAGI 9415 ARM 100 kW / 104 deg 1645-1700 Daily UZBEK 9415 ARM 100 kW / 104 deg ARM=Armavir; ASC=Ascension Isl; DHA=Al-Dhabbaya; ERV=Yerevan; IRK=Irkutsk; KIG=Kigali; MEY=Meyerton; MSK=Moscow; NVS=Novosibirsk; SAM=Samara; TAC=Tashkent (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 30 via DXLD) ** U K. COMMENT --- 'GAVYN DAVIES AND GREG DYKE WERE RIGHT TO GO AND GO QUICKLY' --- John Tusa Friday January 30, 2004 The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1134765,00.html It is of course a grossly unfair report. You might say that only such a partial view of events could exact such appalling casualties, for Hutton gave every civil servant and politician the benefit of the doubt. It didn't seem to matter that the 45-minutes warning was later proved to be wholly misleading. For Lord Hutton it was enough that "at the time of writing", Tony Blair believed it to be accurate. For the broadcasters there was no such mercy or understanding. First Hutton's judgely pen swept away Gavyn Davies, now Greg Dyke. Who ever doubted the pen was mightier than the sword? I believe both Gavyn Davies and Greg Dyke were right to go and go quickly. Arguing about the partiality and selectivity of the report would have achieved nothing. The BBC governors now need to play a long game to ensure charter renewal, maintain the integrity of the licence fee and the conformation of the BBC's historic public service remit. In order to achieve that overriding strategic end, the BBC had to avoid going into denial over the seriousness of the charges it faced. If the BBC is to regain the commanding moral ground, it needs to show itself bigger than its critics by acting still more decisively. Greg Dyke's earlier response to changes to editorial procedures sounded inadequate, defensive and bureaucratic. The BBC must go further. It should admit that Gilligan should never have been allowed to operate in the "semi-detached" way he was; that there was a huge editorial failure in allowing him to make the original broadcast in the terms he used; that the governors convened too quickly and the information they received from internal BBC procedures was incomplete and flawed; and that BBC executives were slow in seizing control of the controversy when it erupted. The BBC should apologise for impugning the prime minister's personal integrity, unless it has found new grounds, not available to Lord Hutton, for not doing so. If that sounds like too much to ask, how much worse can things get than losing both the chairman and director general within 24 hours? The BBC is great enough and brave enough to say "sorry" and "wrong" without believing that using those two words undermines the grounds of its existence. Rather, they could liberate it by reminding its audiences that 99% of BBC journalism is not under attack, that its basic analysis of the conditions surrounding the war was right, and that it will continue to challenge all politicians as rigorously as it has ever done. Do I think the BBC will act in this way? It has already taken the two hardest decisions. The alternative is political trench warfare from an indefensible position. As Alastair Campbell amply demonstrated on Newsnight, he is in no mood to take prisoners. If the BBC tries to adopt a policy of minimal concessions, it will be driven back yard by yard, forced by Hutton's chapter and verse. It now needs to fight on a front of its own choosing. John Tusa was a presenter on the BBC's Newsnight programme from 1979 to 1986 and managing director of the BBC World Service 1986 to 1992 Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 (via Daniel Say, Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U K. EDITORIAL: GOOD GUYS DON'T ALWAYS WIN I woke up this morning feeling sad, because the BBC has lost the most popular Director-General it ever had for no other reason than he was trying to do the right thing. Greg Dyke was not prepared to accept, as his predecessors had done, that the BBC's way of doing things was necessarily the best. He set about involving the entire staff in a consultation exercise to find out what could be improved at every level of the Corporation, and implemented many of the suggestions. His staff, initially wary of these untried methods, grew to respect, and even to love him. Under his stewardship, the BBC became less like a large corporation and more like a huge family, with "Greg" (he hates formality) as the father figure. The reason he had to go was simple: on this issue he allowed his heart to rule his head. Both Dyke, and BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies, were known to be supporters of the Labour Party when they were appointed, leading to the predictable jibes from opposition parties of "Tony's Cronies" being brought in to run the great institutions. So anxious were they to demonstrate the BBC's impartiality that they feared giving in to the government over the Andrew Gilligan affair would be seen as weakness on the part of the BBC. The fact that the BBC might actually have been at fault on this single issue seemed not to have been given its due consideration. So we had the spectacle of the BBC Governors, who are supposed to regulate the Corporation, rushing to defend its management without looking at all the facts. I don't know for sure, but I strongly suspect, that Dyke was also trying to protect his staff, in the way that a father protects his kids. This might seem simplistic, but in some ways that's how Greg Dyke is - and generally people love him for it. The spontaneous and unprecedented outpouring of affection we saw yesterday, not from a handful of middle managers, but from hundreds and hundreds of rank- and-file staff, is evidence not only of the way he is regarded in the BBC, but of the way he has liberated them and actively encouraged them to express their opinions. Now, Greg Dyke is no saint. In many ways he's a rough diamond. Some of his reforms, such as the infamous "cut the crap" exercise, seemed to have more place in a soccer dressing room than a venerable media institution. Yet the motive behind it was a good one: focus on making good programmes, which is after all what the BBC is there to do. By cutting waste, such as replacing expensive taxis with a fleet of BBC cars for those who have to move between the various BBC premises in London, he was able to put more money into programming, and bid to get back sports rights that the BBC had lost, such as the Premiership. As Director-General, Greg Dyke was also the BBC's most senior journalist, and given the structural deficiencies in the editorial system identified by Hutton, he had to go. But even Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose insistence on getting a full retraction and apology from the BBC had led to Dyke's demise, described him and outgoing Chairman Gavyn Davies as "honourable and decent men". And he seemed to have a tear in his eye as he said it. Thursday 29th January 2004 was a sad day for everyone concerned. Life at the BBC will go on, but I bet it won't be as much fun working there. As for Dyke, he says he might take early retirement (he'll be 58 this year), but don't be surprised to see him back in the media very soon: it's in his blood. Disclaimer: These views do not necessarily represent the official opinion of Radio Netherlands. # posted by Andy @ 10:16 UT Jan 30 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U K. BBC BUYS UP 'HUTTON INQUIRY' GOOGLE LINKS Owen Gibson Friday January 23 2004 The Guardian Just 48 hours before Lord Hutton delivers his verdict on the controversy surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly, the BBC has begun an advertising experiment that involves buying up all internet search terms relating to the inquiry. Despite being one of the main players in the drama, anyone searching for "Hutton inquiry" or "Hutton report" on the UK's most popular search engine Google is automatically directed to a paid-for link to BBC Online's own news coverage of the inquiry. No other news broadcaster or any newspaper has paid Google for this facility, leaving the corporation's move even more conspicuous. As one of the chief "interested parties" in the Hutton inquiry into the apparent suicide of Dr Kelly, the move will strike many as worthy of comment, not least because the BBC's online news pages will not be the most obvious place to go for the most comprehensive coverage, which is bound to include painful criticism of the corporation. It will also raise questions about the use of licence payers' money at a time when the corporation faces criticism for spending so much money online from private rivals including the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Times newspapers. Through Google's Ad Words service advertisers can bid to buy up search terms that relate to their business. The more they bid, the higher up their link is shown on the right-hand side of the page next to Google's normal results sorted by relevancy. The chain of events that led to Dr Kelly's apparent suicide began with Andrew Gilligan's report on the Radio 4's Today programme alleging that the government had "sexed up" an intelligence dossier on Iraq and sparking the corporation's bitter row with the government. Despite the sensitive climate surrounding the publication of Lord Hutton's report, the BBC's marketing department has decided to focus on the BBC website's in-depth coverage of the inquiry as part of a drive to attract new users. The BBC is experimenting for the first time with paid-for search advertising, a relatively new form of new media marketing that has given a fillip to internet companies. Last week internet giant Yahoo! ascribed most of its 62% rise in profits to its purchase of paid-for search company Overture. Overture and UK company E-Spotting are the main players, while search giant Google offers its own version through Ad Words. In all cases, advertisers bid for key words but only pay when a searcher clicks on the link. And because the listing is only displayed when a user searches for a specific term, the medium boasts a much higher "click-through rate" than other forms of online advertising. The two-week trial will come out of the BBC's £63.5m annual marketing budget and a BBC spokesman said that, if successful, the trial would be extended. He added that the corporation was bidding on a number of search terms relating to its news and sports coverage in an effort to drive users to in depth content that they might otherwise miss. "The idea behind it is to attract people that would not normally come to BBC.co.uk and add to our 8.4 million existing monthly users. It's very cost effective because we're appealing to people who are already online and looking for information on a specific subject," said the spokesman. Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited (via Ted Schuerzinger, swprograms via DXLD) Not sure how that story started --- to the best of my knowledge it's a hoax. Google would lose all credibility and squander much of its IPO potential if that were to happen. I checked this yesterday when the story came out. No such thing happened, even when I visited http://www.google.co.uk (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, swprograms via DXLD) Surely Guardian would retract it if hoax (gh) Here is what I just got on Google while searching for "Hutton report" as the first three entries returned: Searched the web for Hutton report. Results 1 - 10 of about 240,000. Search took 0.08 seconds. BBC NEWS | Politics | Date for Hutton report revealed ... Date for Hutton report revealed. ... David Kelly in depth report. LATEST NEWS. Date for Hutton report revealed. Blair 'will not hide' from Hutton. ... news.bbc.co.uk/go/click/rss/0.91/public/ - /1/hi/uk_politics/3400303.stm - 40k - Cached - Similar pages [etc.] It looks to me that BBC is the first one (Kevin Anderson, ibid.) At least Google uses the term "Sponsored Links" and highlights them in a different color... When I typed "hutton inquiry" into http://www.google.co.uk there were no sponsored links for the BBC, and the first BBC link was the 6th one down (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, ibid.) After emailing that article here, I thought that what was perhaps meant was the ads that appear down the right side of the page on Google searches, and not the search results (Ted Schuerzinger, ibid.) Interesting to see the responses -- both pro & con -- posted at the Talking Point website. There are also several stories -- reasonably rational -- at the BBC News website. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3434951.stm Some are calling for Dyke's resignation, others calling for entire Board of Governors to step down (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Jan 28, ibid.) Below is the link to Greg Dyke's email announcing his resignation to BBC staff. http: //news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3441845.stm (Sandy Finlayson, ibid.) ** U K. THOSE WHO MIGHT REPLACE DAVIES AND DYKE Chris Tryhorn Friday January 30, 2004 The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4848048-103690,00.html BBC chairman John Birt, 59 The former director general would be a controversial choice, given the criticism of his leadership when he ran the BBC. He failed to endear himself with staff and was variously described as a Pol Pot-type leader, a Stalinist and "a croak-voiced Dalek". He has close ties to Tony Blair and the prime minister might think he is the ideal man to restore confidence in BBC journalism, at least in Westminster. He works as a "blue-skies thinker" for the prime minister, although the only memorable idea he has come up with was shot down immediately: a parallel motorway alongside the M1. Michael Portillo, 50 The former Tory leadership contender has retreated from politics and has been boosting his media profile as a documentary maker and pundit. Television executives say he has been desperately seeking a TV job. His appointment would give his post-Westminster career the kickstart he is looking for and would neuter accusations of New Labour cronyism. Lord Puttnam, 62 The veteran film producer led the charge in the House of Lords against the Communications Act's "Murdoch clause" on cross-media ownership. A substantial New Labour figure with an appetite for public life, he could be enough of a maverick to stick up for the corporation's independence. Patricia Hodgson, 57 The chief executive of the former television watchdog, the Independent Television Commission, spent 30 years in the BBC ending with a stint as John Birt's head of policy. She might relish the challenge after missing out on landing one of the top jobs at the new media regulator, Ofcom. Director general Mark Byford, 45 The deputy and now acting director general is the leading internal candidate for the job. He is seen as a safe pair of hands, if somewhat uncharismatic. He lost out to Greg Dyke the last time, but was considered a strong runner, although the previous director general, John Birt, privately conceded later he was "one job short of a DG". A BBC lifer, he headed the World Service for five years until December. Michael Jackson, 45 Long pencilled in as a potential successor to Mr Dyke, his future is unclear: he heads the media giant Vivendi, Universal's US TV business, which is soon to merge with NBC. He spent a decade at the BBC, ending up as director of television, before becoming chief executive of Channel 4 in 1997. Cerebral and passionate about public service TV. Mark Thompson, 46 Like Mr Jackson, the man now at the helm of Channel 4 has been widely regarded as a potential director general. He spent more than 20 years at the corporation, rising rapidly from editing Panorama and the Nine O'Clock News via top jobs, such as BBC2 controller, to director of television in 2000. Politically astute. Will be keeping his cards close to his chest for some time. Dawn Airey, 43 Currently the managing director of Sky networks, she has wide experience in commercial TV. She was considered a frontrunner to lead ITV before Carlton and Granada merged. After starting her career at ITV, she had a stint at Channel 4, but made her name after proclaiming that Channel 5 wasn't just about "football, films and fucking". She could be too much of a populist for a BBC criticised for dumbing down under Mr Dyke. Guardian Unlimited (c) Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. SEARCH ON FOR BBC SUCCESSORS Last Updated: Thursday, 29 January, 2004, 17:42 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3441813.stm Greg Dyke -- Mr Dyke's job carries a huge public service responsibility [caption] The search has started for two high-profile media figures to replace Greg Dyke as BBC director-general and Gavyn Davies as chairman after their resignations over the Hutton report. BBC News Online details some of the possible candidates for two of the most difficult jobs in the industry: Possible director general candidates: Mark Byford aged 45, is currently the acting director general following Mr Dyke's resignation. He was appointed BBC deputy director- general in January to take charge of the corporation's newly-enhanced complaints' operation and he also leads the BBC's global news division, with overall responsibility for the World Service and BBC World, and is responsible across the BBC for all pre and post- broadcast programme compliance. An award-winning BBC journalist, he has been with the corporation for 24 years. Mark Thompson, 45. Once regarded as the director general's heir apparent, Thompson spent 20 years at the corporation before leaving in 2001 to become chief executive of Channel 4 where he promised to rein in spending on the network's commercial arm and refocusing resources on its core public service broadcasting remit. He was memorably described by former BBC World Service managing director John Tusa as "Rodney to Greg Dyke's Del Boy". His cause may not be helped by complaining in 2002 that the BBC was wading in a "jacuzzi of cash". Lorraine Heggessey is a possible candidate for director-general Lorraine Heggessey, 46, controller of BBC One, is credited in some quarters with revitalising the network in its fight back against ITV1's dominance in entertainment and drama - notably with a feisty EastEnders and dramas such as Clocking Off and Cutting It. Critics accuse her of presiding over a dumbing down of the channel, overlooking current affairs and banishing serious arts coverage. A key player in the licence renewal of 2006, she sacked Angus Deayton over his private life. Jenny Abramsky, 54, is director of BBC Radio and Music in which role she is responsible for all of the BBC's national and digital stations. She has a strong news background which could have a large bearing in a decision post-Hutton. She is the former director of the BBC's Continuous News department, where she launched BBC News 24 - the 24- hour television news channel - and BBC News Online. She joined the BBC in 1969 and is also a former head of news and current affairs radio. Possible chairman candidates: Baroness Jay was previously a candidate for BBC chairman Baroness Jay of Paddington, 64, was a serious candidate for the chairman's job three years ago, and was seen as one of the great successes of the Blair government in the Lords, winning respect on all sides of the Chamber. She inherited her political zest from her father, former prime minister Lord Callaghan, becoming leader of the Lords in the 1998 Cabinet reshuffle. A mother of three, she held various production posts with BBC TV in current affairs and further education, and worked as a reporter on Panorama. Now retired from politics, she has been active in the Aids field and the Help the Aged charity. David Dimbleby, 64, one of the best-known figures in TV political journalism, has been presenter and chairman of BBC One's Question Time since 1994. Son of the former doyen of British TV presenters, Richard Dimbleby, and brother of fellow broadcaster Jonathan, he will score points in the current climate as one of the BBC's most trusted and trustworthy broadcasters. First a reporter for, then presenter of Panorama, he sold his family business of regional newspapers to Newsquest in 2001 in a deal reported to be worth around £12m in cash. Patricia Hodgson, 56, former chief executive of the now defunct Independent Television Commission, built up a formidable reputation as head of the regulatory body for commercial broadcasters before it was overtaken by Ofcom, the media's new "super regulator". At the BBC she was one of the corporation's most senior executives under Lord Birt, working as director of planning and policy. Gained a reputation as a strategist and political fixer, and in her later role criticised the BBC for making reality programmes such as Celebrity Sleepover. Michael Portillo is a former Defence Secretary and Tory MP and was once seen as a future leader of the Conservative party. Since stepping out from the political limelight he has seen his public profile rise with appearances on TV as a presenter of documentaries and his image has softened over time. In the light of the Hutton Report he has spoken out about the need for the BBC to remain editorially independent and "not be frightened of the government". (via Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) There's some interesting reading to be had from the e-mails of those commenting to BBC Radio 4 about Greg Dyke's resignation, the Hutton Report and relative "honour" of those in the BBC and those in the government. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/pm/contribute.shtml#2 (John Figliozzi, Jan 30, swprograms via DXLD) ** U K. 'BRING BACK GREG. WHY DID THE GOOD GUY GO WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY CREEPS?' http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4848093-103690,00.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. THE MORNING AFTER http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4847912-103689,00.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. ACTING DIRECTOR GENERAL MUST TRY TO LIFT MORALE http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4848034-103690,00.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. NEW ACTING CHAIRMAN HAS QUESTIONED TODAY'S 'TABLOID' STYLE Profile: Richard Ryder David Hencke, Westminster correspondent Friday January 30, 2004 The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4848035-103690,00.html When the young Richard Ryder was political secretary to Margaret Thatcher he told her aides: "Whatever you do, remember - do not trust the media, they are never, ever, on our side". Now Lord Ryder - newly appointed acting chairman of the BBC board of governors - will have the difficult job of defending the world's best known media organisation from attack from politicians in the wake of one of the worst crises it has faced. Those who remember him - such as Matthew Parris, then a young Tory MP now an author and columnist - describe him as a quiet, secretive figure with a very dry sense of humour. "He used to always wear his watch upside down, saying that the time of day was not a matter for public disclosure," Parris recalled. Mr Ryder is not a man who is happy in the public limelight... http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4848035-103690,00.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. FORMER BBC DIRECTOR SAYS BRITISH INQUIRY COULD REDUCE THE MEDIA'S FREEDOM By JANE WARDELL The Associated Press 1/30/04 8:44 AM LONDON (AP) -- The BBC's former director-general said Friday that a judicial inquiry that harshly criticized the broadcaster's reporting standards could have damaging implications for the entire media industry... http://wizzer.advance.net/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0491_BC_Britain-WeaponsAdvise&&news&newsflash-internationa (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. BBC REPORTER QUITS, THIRD TO RESIGN AFTER CRITICAL INQUIRY By JILL LAWLESS The Associated Press 1/30/04 4:18 PM LONDON (AP) -- BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan resigned Friday after a judicial inquiry repudiated his reporting that the government "sexed up" intelligence on Iraq -- the third resignation prompted by the harsh criticism. The controversy has sent a chill through British media, with senior journalists warning it could impede tough investigative reporting. In a statement, Gilligan apologized for mistakes in his May 2003 story. "My departure is at my own initiative," he said. "But the BBC collectively has been the victim of a grave injustice." "I love the BBC and I am resigning because I want to protect it. I accept my part in the crisis which has befallen the organization. But a greater part has been played by the unbalanced judgments" of senior judge Lord Hutton, Gilligan said. In a statement, the British Broadcasting Corp. confirmed Gilligan's resignation and said it recognized "it is a very difficult time for him." Hutton was appointed by Prime Minister Tony Blair to investigate the suicide of David Kelly, a scientist caught up in the dispute between the government and the BBC about the case for war in Iraq. Hutton said the BBC was wrong when it quoted an anonymous source as saying officials had inflated intelligence to justify war. Besides Gilligan, the BBC's two top officials -- BBC chairman Gavyn Davies and director general Greg Dyke -- also have resigned; the BBC apologized to the government after the inquiry. "Adjectives like `abject' and `servile' come to mind," said Sir David Attenborough, who held a string of BBC management posts in the 1960s. "It is a sad day when that kind of groveling is required." On Wednesday, the judge exonerated Blair's government and excoriated the BBC for what he called an "unfounded" report and "defective" editorial procedures. Dyke said he and other BBC officials were "absolutely shocked" by Hutton's report. "We were shocked that it was so black and white," he told the GMTV morning television program Friday. "We knew mistakes had been made by us but we didn't believe they were only by us." Dyke later said the judge had "given the benefit of doubt to every government witness and not to any at the BBC." Hutton absolved Blair and officials of "sexing up" the September 2002 dossier or mistreating Kelly, who committed suicide in July after he was identified as the source for the BBC's story. Hutton, whom Blair appointed to investigate Kelly's suicide, said the allegations were "very grave" and faulted BBC editors for failing to review what Gilligan was going to say before he went on the air with the first, and strongest, version of his story. The reporter broadcast that version just after 6 a.m. without a script, answering an anchor's questions extemporaneously. Crucially, he said officials insisted on including in the dossier a claim -- that Iraq could deploy some chemical and biological weapons on 45 minutes' notice -- that the government "probably knew ... was wrong." "I attributed this to David Kelly; it was in fact an inference of mine," Gilligan said in his resignation statement. He told the Hutton inquiry this had been a slip, and that later reports accurately reflected Kelly's assessment that some people in the intelligence services were unhappy about the inclusion of the 45-minute claim because they believed it had not been sufficiently corroborated. The BBC later faulted Gilligan for "loose use of language." On Friday, Gilligan stood behind most of his story. "The government did sex up the dossier, transforming possibilities and probabilities into certainties, removing vital caveats; the 45-minute claim was the `classic example' of this; and many in the intelligence services, including the leading expert in WMD, were unhappy about it," he said. Blair's office said it would have no comment on the resignation or the Gilligan's new comments. Dyke said it was important journalists be able to use anonymous inside sources. "Lord Hutton does seem to suggest that is not enough for a broadcaster or a newspaper ... to simply report what a whistleblower or someone like Dr. Kelly says because they are an authoritative source. You have to demonstrate that it's true," Dyke told BBC radio Friday. "That would change the law in this country." The publicly funded BBC, whose extensive TV and radio news and entertainment programming gives it a uniquely powerful place in British life, apologized "unreservedly" Thursday for the errors it made in the story. The network said it had to confront "serious defects in the corporation's processes and procedures." Blair accepted the apology and said it was time for all involved in the bitter row to move on. "The BBC made mistakes and we have to face up to that," said BBC head of news Richard Sambrook in an e-mail sent Friday to the corporation's 3,500 news staff. "I believe we must restate our core editorial values, look hard at issues of accountability and transparency, and how to sustain editorial quality across the full range of our programs," he added. But the Hutton report and Dyke's resignation angered many BBC staff, and alarmed other journalists. Veteran media commentator Roy Greenslade said the BBC was strong enough to survive. "The BBC, because it is a principled organization, is eating its heart out over this," he said. "But I don't think in the long run they'll be intimidated. "There are enough intelligent people at the top of the BBC to ensure they don't lose their way or their morale." (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. To all NASB members and the DX Press: I have just been contacted by Merlin with some interesting news. Beginning this weekend, HCJB is doing a weekly half-hour program of jazz music in DRM which will be just before our Voice of the NASB program on Sundays at 1330 UT. (HCJB's program will be at 1300.) This is good because it makes for a larger block of DRM programming. However, in order to put the two programs together on the same frequency, they have to change from 9785 to 9565 kHz (because 9785 is not available at 1300). This is not such a problem for us, since they can quickly notify the DRM receiver forum and change the master DRM schedule on the Internet, in which case everyone with DRM receivers will know right away about the change. Some of our programs have already been recorded mentioning the old frequency, but Merlin will run a text message mentioning the change.(DRM listeners also get a text message on their computer screen.) In addition, due to some technical problems which have occurred with their DRM transmitter during some of our programs, they are extending our Voice of the NASB series from six to nine months at no additional charge. So our contract will now end on July 18th. This weekend, the Voice of the NASB will feature a program of country music from the Voice of America. On February 8th, we will have another musical program from TDP Radio in Belgium. On February 15th, LeSea Broadcasting will present a documentary about their founder, Lester Sumrall. The Feb. 22 program about Merlin itself will consist of interviews which I will do with various Merlin representatives who will be attending the High Frequency Coordinating Committee Conference in Dubai Feb. 9-13, and Merlin is producing a slide show which will be seen simultaneously along with the audio program. (DRM listeners will be able to view the slide show on their computer screen while listening to the program audio. This is perhaps the first time in history that this will be done.) On the following three weekends, we have scheduled programs from Trans World Radio, WINB and WBCQ. Then on March 21, we will have a special edition of the Voice of the NASB recorded at the Shortwave Listeners Winterfest in Pennsylvania with the various NASB members who will be there. Remember that the analog version of the program can be heard in North America on Saturday nights at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time on WRMI on 7385 (Jeff White, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UT Sundays 0330 ** U S A [and non]. DINE THANKS BROADCASTERS FOR "JOB WELL-DONE" (Washington, DC -- January 29, 2004) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) President Thomas A. Dine thanked the broadcasters and staff of six RFE/RL European language services for a "job well-done," in a message last week to staff announcing the imminent end of broadcasts to those countries. "The entire RFE/RL family, alumni and current colleagues, salute the members of our Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Bulgarian, and Croatian Services for an excellent and successful job well-done. You were great on behalf of promoting freedom and democracy. To each of you, thank you," Dine said in his announcement. Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees all U.S. nonmilitary international broadcasting, including RFE/RL, echoed Dine's comments. "We deeply appreciate the work of the people of these services. Their sacrifices will always be remembered." President Bush signed on January 23 the FY2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act which eliminates broadcasting in the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Bulgarian and Croatian languages. More than 100 positions will be cut at RFE/RL's Broadcasting Center in Prague, and in its news bureaus in Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, Bratislava, Bucharest, Sofia, and Zagreb. The broadcasting cuts will take effect on January 31, 2004. The reduction of services stemmed from the Bush Administration's proposal to end broadcasting to countries that are preparing to join NATO and the European Union. Congress accepted the proposal in endorsing the appropriations act. Dine said, "Without additional funding, there is no other way than to close these services in view of priorities in other parts of the world." RFE/RL broadcasts more than 1,100 hours a week in 34 languages, of which 19 are to places where the majority populations are Muslim. RFE/RL broadcasts are continuing to Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia, Macedonia, Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, North Caucasus, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq (RFE/RL press Jan 30 via DXLD) ** U S A. I note that the World Net/VOA feeds --- the 37 of them on Galaxy 3R --- have all been encrypted. WN/VOA was not ``scrambled`` when the transmissions were in the analog mode, and up until recently the transmissions in the digital mode were not encrypted; now what I want to know is, why has it been deemed necessary to do this? C`d K. A. Elliott tell me? Doesn`t this ``Administration of Infamy`` want the handful of us `Murkns with MPG2 receivers to know what sort of propaganda they`re feeding to the rest of the world? (There is an even smaller handful of us having C-band capability with these receivers --- WN/VOA on C-band (Loren Cox., Jr., Lexington KY, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Michael Moore, I see, is supporting General Clark for the presidency, but I fear the General is too intellectually accomplished to appeal to the electorate --- And General Clark is being subjeced to criticism because he won`t repudiate a statement by his supporter Michael Moore that GWB in his military service (such as it was) was a ``deserter`` --- a charge repeated by Moore on ``Democracy Now`` Jan 23, going on to point out all of those missed NG meetings in Alabama, a form of desertion which would have merited punishment for anyone else / OK --- technically not ``desertion``, but at least apt hyperbole / If Mr. Gore had been elected and everything had come down under his administration as it has under the Bush administration, the Right/Republicans w`d be screaming for his scalp --- approving of nothing but the tax cuts --- which w`dn`t likely have occurred in the form that they did --- I liked Nixon`s ``negative income tax`` idea. Was the war with Iraq the result of really nothing more than a falling out between the American oligarchy and Iraqi oligarch, Saddam? --- that falling out dating from the Gulf War, Saddam --- a U.S. ally up to that moment --- having been given a green light to proceed as he wished in his immediate vicinity. Was the war sold to the American people by means of a propaganda effort Reichs-minister Dr. Goebbels would have admired? Hitler enunciated justifications for Invading Poland. The American oligarchy (plutocracy) has its own interests, and which bear little resemblance to the interests and needs of the people as a whole: the oligarchy is wholly contained within its own milieu; there is nothing really of consequence outside of that. Of course it plays a sham democracy game with periodic elections in which the public is beguiled into believing it really has a concern for their interests and needs. And for the oligarchy`s front man, GWB, he is wholly of that milieu (it`s his world), and, I suppose, is doing the best he can on the basis of the narrowness of his scope of knowledge and the limited conceptual equipment that comprise his mentality. A plutocracy bringing ``democracy`` to another country --- what does that mean? Many years ago (1920s), H. L. Mencken observed that the plutocracy lacked ``all the essential characters of a true aristocracy: a clean tradition, culture, public spirit, honesty, honor, courage --- above all, courage.`` : such is the milieu whence ``this Administration``. ``Democracies elect their sewage``, wrote old Ez[ra Pound] a sewage largely from the plutocracy, or purchased by it, altho` there have been some ``traitors to their class``, most notably FDR, but there have been others who have risen above those traits of their kind --- thank God (merely a ritual utterance) ``a politician is an arse upon which everyone has sat except a man`` wrote E. E. Cummings ``The States`` (actually its government) ``are passing thru a damned supercilious era`` (Ezra Pound). --- Shine perishing Republic! (Loren Cox., Jr., Lexington KY, Jan 22-24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SW listening here difficult to impossible because of noise levels. In 1942 I c`d hear WEAF 660 New York in the daytime, and pulled in WQXR`s 20 kW of classical music quite well very evening. Claimed they c`d provide a requency response out to 18 kc --- did a test one evening --- I c`d hear a 12 kc tone. Heard WQXR-FM via satellite or some time, but no longer available via that medium (on the Internet no doubt). Best xtal set (catwhisker) DX I ever got was WGN in Chicago (Loren Cox., Jr., Lexington KY, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. Hi Glenn. After a long long time, this is my debut for DXLD. Does anybody know the answers to 1) What happened with Mr Hill Edell, the WW Hit Parade Host of WRUL (surely this from four decades ago, something like the Golden Age Of SW broadcasting). 2) In my pre-teen years, I discovered at 05 Z, when most of the locals went off the air, my first AM dxing, it was WLAC, Nashville, that made me a fan of what now is Classic R&B. They opened room for many performers of the Memphis based Stax-Volt roster that only were heard in Costa Rica on our Caribbean outlet Radio Casino English Programs, which no longer is on SW. Think John R. was one of the main air personalities at WLAC, Nashville; where is he now? One of my first 45s orders came from Buckley's Recordshop from Gallatin; I guess they didn't imagine they had a Tico listener. 3) I discovered Wolfman Jack when nobody in most North America knew him, that was because of that blockbuster named XERF, that doesn't seem to exist anymore. 4) They were talking about a book named "Border Radio", during Kim Elliott's exposition dealing with those powerful broadcasters in the 60s, at ANARCON 89 in St. Petersburg, Florida. You never mention again Mr. Rusty Serenberg, who took us a picture, whose copy he never sent to me. Where is he? BTW, I'm Raúl Saavedra, former Radio Impacto newsreader. And yes, Glenn, same thing happened here last weekend, Saturday 24, terrible SW propagation around 3 to 4 UT, I almost didn't get WOR over WWCR, and not even one of my favorites on CBC Northern Service 9625, the Saturday Blues Special. Best regards (Raúl Saavedra, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Raúl, I don`t know the answers to your questions, but we`ll see what DXLD readers say. I can tell you that I haven`t heard from Rusty Serenberg in many years, and I fear he may have passed on by now. At least he has been totally out of contact with me and all other DX sources I consult. I just tried to search my angelfire website http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/ which goes back to 1998? and discovered that Google apparently can`t search it, unlike http://www.worldofradio.com Does anyone know why would this be?? Are you still in Costa Rica? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. LIBERAL TALK NETWORK WILL BE 'AIR AMERICA RADIO' Progress Media is naming its new liberal talk radio network "Air America Radio." The goal is to provide a counterbalance to right-wing voices, said CEO Mark Walsh. Air America Radio recently signed comedian and author Al Franken and radio host Robert Kennedy Jr. The network also has a distribution deal with Multicultural Radio's WNTD(AM), Chicago. Air America Radio hopes to announce additional distribution deals and acquisitions in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco (Radio World NewsByte Jan 29 via DXLD) ** U S A. CBS DEFENDS ITS SUPER BOWL TURF ON MOVE-ON ANTI-BUSH AD --- NBC NEWS MISSPELLS PAAR IN INSINCERE TODAY SHOW TRIBUTE http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A58553-2004Jan28?language=printer (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Sunday broadcast engineering flubs (some AM, some FM). Hi Folks, I spent yesterday at work listening to the radio, hearing a fair number of engineering flubs. WBCP 1580 AM Urbana, Illinois continues with it's rather abysmal level of engineering quality, audio qualities were poor all day, during the afternoon they played a Norah Jones song, which nearly blew out the finals in their transmitter. WPXN 104.9 FM Paxton, Illinois missed their 1 P.M. newscast, broadcasting silence for five minutes, then they cut into the last minute of it, as though nothing had happened. WXLS 99.1 FM Danville, Illinois was inaudible most of the day and evening, I assume they broke down again. WJCI 1460 AM Rantoul, Illinois broadcast the following for twenty minutes in the afternoon: a 1 K tone followed by "CBS Radio Networks Channel 45" (recited by a man with what I think is a Seattle accent) and the 1 K tone again. Finally, the one that takes the cake --- a certain (I refuse to say who, but they broadcast from a barn) radio station on 1520 kHz accidentally stayed on all night, broadcasting continuous light pop hits without announcements. This one got out pretty good, I checked the Q1520 web receiver in Marks, Mississippi and I heard this one fading in and out at that location. Is it my imagination, or are the accepted standards of broadcast engineering slipping? I'm pretty sure this wasn't scheduled --- they have a habit of not going off on time on Sundays. I listened to them until I fell asleep, in the middle of the night they were off. BTW, it wasn't WQMA I heard. I would have reported it to the group while it was going on IF I thought they'd QSL this botch up. As it was, the only way to really verify who was on was through triangulation. Co-incidentally, on the WHOW morning broadcast, the station manager warned the local listeners he was altering the play list for the next few days (Curtis Sadowski, IL, Jan 26, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) The CBS Radio Networks Channel 45 ID loop is a new format that is inexpensive to run and doesn't vary. I heard a station in Central Pennsylvania running this same loop one Sunday afternoon recently while I was driving on I-80. It was up for as long as I could hold the signal for at least a sesquihour. It's probably still on. AM or FM - nobody's home anymore. If there was ever a serious EAS alert, I wonder how many stations would not notice. IBOC will cure all this. I'm sure of it. (My sarcasm knob is up to 11.) Greed has made this business so lifeless. I'm sure there is a high school or college kid who would DJ for free if they had the chance. They can't be Sirius! Or XM, for that matter! (Karl Zuk, N2KZ, ibid.) ** U S A. WSAI is already using IBOC at night. Many times it is so strong here in Maryland that I hear enough hash on 1520 to make WWKB unlistenable. There is a similar amount of hash on 1540. It is quite obvious that if more stations were to use IBOC that stations would lose their nighttime audience as nighttime reception would be harmed (Bill Harms, Elkridge, MD, Jan 28, IRCA via DXLD) Now is the time for all good DXers to come to the aid of their favorite band. E-mail all active stations using IBOC and tell them its a stupid Idea. Email addresses can be found on Radio locator.com (KF6- truncated, ibid.) Not a bad idea, except the stations will care less what a listener feels, let alone a DXer from some other part of the US. The stations will go through with this crazy thing and will find a lot of the listeners, advertisers, etc will be gone and then they will wake up. They have to do it the hard way. Many engineers in the field have told the FCC and anyone else it will not work, but they ignore them. So you really think a station will care what a DXer feels? I really doubt it. 73s, (Patrick Martin, OR, ibid.) I hope that you are correct about the waking up part. For the most part large corporate ownership has taken all of the individual flavor out of radio and produced a limited, boring, product. IBOC AM radio will be just boring IBOC radio. I have written this to the NAB, but they seem to see "IBOC" as the Saviour of AM radio. I am mystified at their short sightedness (Stephen Hawkins WV6U, ibid.) Would it make sense to write letters to the IBOC polluters: WSAI, WBZ, WOR etc? I'd be very curious to see if they respond at all. Also, interesting question, do e-mails to a station need to be documented and included in their FCC public file? With head down to the snow (in several respects), (Karl Zuk N2KZ, ibid.) Karl, Knowing the NAB, they will ignore most complaints I am sure. Unless, it hits them in the pocketbook. That is the only thing that will wake the NAB and radio up. If they start losing ratings and then money, IBOC will be scrapped quickly. Money rules radio as it does most things these days. If advertisers start complaining that will make a difference. Too bad advertisers are not full of DXers! Few probably even listen to AM radio. My suggestion is to complain to the advertisers that you can't listen to the station because of the noise, bad quality, etc. If listeners are complaining to the advertisers then that will hit home quicker than anything. If advertisers complain to the IBOC stations or start dropping ads, then stations will listen very quickly. Money runs radio and ratings and money is where it is at. If you can hit them in the pocketbook, that will kill IBOC. 73s, (Patrick Martin, ibid.) My take on this was more local. My intent was to write to the stations, especially the ones interfered with, and complain. WSAI is blasting their noise every night on 1530 and blowing flame-thrower WWKB out of the water at my QTH. It's like trying to play a data CD in a music CD player. BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! and loud, too. Fun stuff. The result is silly. The audio you get with HD AM is roughly the same as a just OK internet feed. I hope it will be as successful as AM Stereo or Quad stereo (Karl Zuk, ibid.) Steve; I totally agree with you. Radio is boring. There is little excitement to listen to radio anymore. Radio used to be fun. But why listen now? To some dull generic talk show where they spew hate? I don't think so. IBOC will kill AM radio. I have heard the terrible audio on KCBS during the day when they run IBOC. People won`t listen to that. The QRN caused by IBOC will get people to tune away very quickly. Bruce Elving of the WTFDA states that only 12% listen to AM now. If IBOC gets going full force, 0% will stay with AM. People have choices now, CD, Cassette, XM, Sirius, etc. I know of several that have XM and they love it. People are tired of the wall to wall ads and the bad programming. The only complaint I hear about XM, is no local news. But that will come in time. If the NAB thinks for one minute the masses will run out and pay $700 for a new IBOC radio, they are crazy! People will spend that on TV, but not radio, not when you can go to XM for a couple hundred. This will die out just like Quad, AM Stereo, etc. If AM Stereo did not make it, this sure won`t. With the NAB pushing this at us if we like it or not, just makes people mad. I can just imagine the number of calls KCBS is getting. It sure can't hurt to complain to the NAB, but I do feel it will go on deaf ears. 73s, (Patrick Martin, ibid.) I emailed WOR's CE about a year ago to grouse. His opinion was something along the lines of... "IBOC is crap. I'll be glad when this is over." 73, (Steve Lawrence, Burnsville, MN (Brrrrrrrrnsville, Minneso-cold, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. Station with Persian music noted daily here in Bulgaria: 1300-1900 on 5940 (55544), from 1700 totally blocked by Voice of Russia in French (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 30 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. I meant to do some research before publishing my music- only unID on 13790 to 2254. Now, I have. Could be Delano, which uses it for English after 0000, maybe tuning up or testing in preparation: 13790 0000 0100 VOA LA-1 ENGL DL 02 105 23456 13790 0100 0130 VOA LA-1 ENGL DL 02 105 23456 Per HFCC, the only other North American transmitter on 13790, earlier in the day, is Sackville, another possibility. Or neither (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++++ SSB, RADAR PIONEER MIKE VILLARD, W6QYT, SK Renowned RF engineer, Stanford University researcher and author Oswald Garrison "Mike" Villard Jr, W6QYT, of Palo Alto, California, died January 7. He was 87. A pioneer of Amateur Radio single sideband (SSB) and meteor-scatter techniques, Villard authored some two dozen QST articles between 1946 and 1994. He also was the author of more than 60 technical papers and held a half-dozen patents. "His technical achievements were legendary," Dave Leeson, W6NL, a consulting professor of electrical engineering in Stanford`s Space, Telecommunications and Radioscience Laboratory (STARLab), told Stanford University News Service http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/04/villardobit128.html "Stanford and the entire engineering community were enriched by his person and his accomplishments." The son of O.G. Villard Sr, a noted publisher and editor (The New York Evening Post and The Nation), Mike Villard developed an interested in radio while still a youngster. He was first licensed as W1DMV in 1932, while living in Connecticut. Since his father wanted him to follow in his footsteps, the younger Villard earned a bachelor`s degree in English from Yale in 1938, but then headed to Stanford University to pursue his first love, electrical engineering. While at Stanford, he studied under Professor Frederick Terman (ex-6FT and 6AE) --- later regarded as the "father of Silicon Valley." During World War II, Villard followed Terman to work at Harvard University`s Radio Research Laboratory on enemy countermeasures research. He returned to Stanford after the war, joined the school`s electrical engineering faculty in 1946 and completed his PhD in 1949. He taught and carried out research at Stanford for five decades, and he headed STARLab`s predecessor --- The RadioScience Laboratory --- from 1958 until 1972. Among his Amateur Radio accomplishments, he experimented with and championed single-sideband, suppressed-carrier modulation in 1947, and the Stanford Amateur Radio Club`s W6YX http://www-w6yx.stanford.edu/w6yx/ is said to have been the first ham station to use SSB transmission. While a student, he also served as the club`s president, and from the 1950s through the early 1980s he was the trustee of W6YX. An ARRL member for many years, Villard was also a past scientific advisor to the Northern California DX Foundation. During his career at Stanford (and later at Stanford Research Institute --- SRI), Villard pioneered the concept and development of a program to design and build an over-the-horizon radar system to detect incoming military aircraft and high-altitude missiles. In addition, he demonstrated the feasibility of the "stealth aircraft" concept by using specially treated low-impedance surfaces. For those achievements he received the Department of Defense civilian Medal of Honor. Another accomplishment was the design of a simple, small high- frequency receiving antenna http://users.erols.com/k3mt/hla/hla.htm that aided in nulling out signals that jammed broadcasts of the Voice of America, the BBC and others. The family requests donations in support of the Mike Villard Memorial Fund to SRI International, 333 Ravenswood Ave, AD-114, Menlo Park, CA 94025. --- some information from Stanford News Service (ARRL Letter Jan 30 via John Norfolk, DXLD) Viz.: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2004/january28/villardobit-128.html (via RadioIntel.com via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hallo, Hieronder heb ik een paar links neergezet. Wil je echt weten wat PLC doet --- bekijk de video filmpjes maar eens. Voor de gehele pagina. http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/#Video Of wat aparte filmpjes. http://www.darc.de/referate/emv/plc/plc_video_tirol.rm http://www.darc.de/referate/emv/plc/plc_video_linz.rm http://www.uplc.utc.org/file_depot/0-10000000/0-10000/7966/folder/23284/UPLC_broadband.ram http://www.uplc.utc.org/file_depot/0-10000000/0-10000/7966/folder/23284/UPLC56k.ram http://www.darc.de/referate/emv/plc/030103-PLC_Video_Fulpmes.wmv 73' Cor -- DX begin at the noise level http://www.inter.nl.net/hcc/Shortwave http://people.zeelandnet.nl/cor19vs/index.html (C.L. van Soelen, Jan 29, BDXC via DXLD) IBOC is just one of the obstacles lovers of the RF spectrum have ahead of us. Another, potentially more menacing polluter, Broadband Over Power Line (BPL) could be just around the corner. Say goodbye to a good part of the RF spectrum if this one comes to a neighborhood near you. More about BPL is found on the following link, which conveniently has a link to the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System. http://www.eham.net/articles/6130 Additional BPL information, including audio recordings taken during BPL transmissions can be found here: http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/#Video Hopefully FEMA's concerns in addition to our own will stop this noxious weed before it can get firmly rooted. 73, (Bruce N7BWB Bacon, Boise County, ID, Jan 28, IRCA via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ THE K7RA SOLAR UPDATE SEATTLE, WA, Jan 30, 2004 -- There are no sunspots! The visible solar disk is blank. This prompts e-mail inquiring if it`s normal to see a spotless sun at this point in the solar cycle. Yes, it is normal, because there are big variations from day to day. In order to generalize and see the larger trends, we need to calculate a very smooth running average, where readings from many days or months are averaged together. An example of a smooth chart using running or moving averages of many data points are on the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) Web site http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/SOLAR/SSN/annual.gif or on the DX Listeners` Club, Norway site http://www.dxlc.com/solar/cyclcomp.html The NGDC includes an explanation of how a smoothed sunspot number is calculated based on 12 months of averaged data http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/IONO/sunspot.html There is also a very interesting graphic representation of the difference between a running average based on 12 months and the averages for each individual month over the same period on the Sunspot Trends Web site http://www.meadows3.demon.co.uk/html/trends.html For the 12 months of data there is still a point on the graph for each day, but that point represents all the data from 6 months before and 6 months after, averaged together. The point for the next day is the same, but drops one day off at the back end and averages in another day`s data from 6 months in the future. This is why reports showing the current smoothed sunspot number always must be at least 6 months in the past. In the Sunspot Trends Web site chart, those tiny colored diamonds each represent a month of averaged data, just like those averages presented frequently in this bulletin. An example of those monthly averages is in the K7RA Solar Update for December 1, 2003 http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/12/01/1/ Jeffrey Philpott, N6QYS, asks if the solar cycle is near bottom, and how long will it be until conditions improve? If we look at the end of a recent (January 6) issue of the NOAA Preliminary Report and Forecast of Solar Geophysical Data http://www.sec.noaa.gov/weekly/pdf/prf1479.pdf it shows a projection of future sunspot and solar flux values for nearly the next four years --- until December 2007. This is a rough guess based on previous solar cycles. We can see from both spreadsheets that the predicted bottom of the cycle is expected to occur some time around the end of 2006. That said, given our discussion regarding long moving averages, we really won`t know when the bottom occurs until some time after we`ve passed it. We could assume that as we examine projections for rising values during the next cycle, an estimate could be made for when conditions should improve past the current level by looking for a value that matches current conditions. Unfortunately, the data don`t go that far into the future. The best we can say is that a year from now conditions should be worse, and that the projected number for January 2005 doesn`t rise back to that same level until December 2007. Because January 2005 is a year from now, could we assume that current conditions will worsen and not be at this level again until December 2008? We can`t really do that, because solar cycles tend to rise faster than they decline. A wild guess could be that some time in 2008 conditions will be back to where they are now. We can all make notes in our PDAs to check back to this bulletin in 2008 to see if we were far off base. I`ve done this, and four years from now should be quite surprised to see this note from the past. Conditions will likely improve somewhat over the next week. The weekly average of daily sunspots for this week was half what it was the week before. Average daily solar flux declined over 21 points. Projected solar flux for Friday through Monday, January 30 through February 2, is 90, 90, 100 and 100. Solar flux is expected to peak for the short term around February 8. Geomagnetic conditions may be rough over the next week, unsettled to active. Predicted planetary A index for January 30 through February 5 is 15, 20, 20, 25, 25, 15 and 10. The UBA DX SSB Contest is this weekend (the CW event will be in February). The goal of this competition is to work as many European stations on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters -- and especially Belgian stations. Working Belgium is worth three times the points counted for contacts with other European countries. We won`t hazard to guess when 80 and 40 meters should be good for working Belgium or the rest of Europe, but here are some projections for bands higher than 40 meters. From Seattle, best conditions look to be on 20 meters after local sunrise, 1630-1900 UT, and a weak possibility on 15 meters around 1630-1700. There is another possible opening on 20, although not as strong, after local sunrise at the European end around 0830-1000. From Southern California, conditions look best on 20 meters again after local sunrise, from 1530-1900, and around 1700 on 15. From North Texas, conditions look best after local sunrise at 1400- 2030 on 20 meters, 1530-1700 on 15 and possibly on 10 around 1630. From Utah, check 20 meters around 1530-2000. From Nebraska and Kansas, the center of the contiguous 48 states, check 20 meters around 1500-1930. From Chicago, check 20 meters after sunrise at 1400-2030 and 15 meters 1630-1830. From Ohio, check 20 meters after sunrise at 1330-2030 and 15 meters 1600-1800. Boston should have an excellent path around 1230-2000 on 20 meters, and 1500-1730 on 15 meters. Centered around the New York City area, the projection looks like Boston`s, except there is a greater chance of a 10-meter opening around 1630-1700. Philadelphia`s prediction looks just like New York City`s. Atlanta looks good at 1300-1930 on 20 meters and 1500-1630 on 15 meters. South Florida should be good on 20 meters at 1230-2000, 15 meters 1400-1700, and possibly 10 meters around 1430-1600. Montreal, Quebec, looks good on 20 meters at 1230-2030 and 15 meters around 1530-1730. Winnipeg, Manitoba, looks good on 20 meters right at sunrise, at 1400- 2000. This is a polar path, so it could be especially affected by geomagnetic activity. Edmonton, Alberta, is also a polar path, and 20-meter openings may occur 1630-1930. South Central Alaska is also a polar path, and doesn`t look very good at all for 20 meters to Europe. There are only about seven hours of daylight at the Alaska end. The worst times look to be 0400-0600 on 20 meters. Hawaii is so far from Europe that the openings have nothing to do with sunrise at the KH6 end, but look good on 20 meters after sunrise at the Belgium end, 0800-1330. From Japan, the openings look long, 0630-1800 on 20 meters, 0830- 0900 on 15 meters, and possibly 10 meters around 0800. For more information about propagation and an explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see the Propagation page on the ARRL Web site http://www2.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html Sunspot numbers for January 22 through 28 were 76, 62, 47, 48, 38, 0 and 0, with a mean of 38.7. The 10.7 cm flux was 121.8, 115.2, 107.5, 102.3, 98, 93.7 and 88.5, with a mean of 103.9. Estimated planetary A indices were 62, 38, 15, 33, 17, 16 and 19, with a mean of 28.6. Copyright © 2004, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved (via John Norfolk, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###