DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-080, May 13, 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 AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1230: Fri 2300 on Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 Sat 0800 on WRN1 to Europe, Africa, Asia, Pacific Sat 0855 on WNQM Nashville 1300 Sat 1030 on WWCR 5070 Sat 1830 on WPKN Bridgeport, 89.5, webcast http://www.wpkn.org Sat 2030 on WWCR 12160 Sat 2030 on WBCQ 17495-CUSB [cancelled, or later??] Sat 2100 on DKOS usually, http://www.live365.com/stations/steve_cole Sun 0230 on WWCR 5070 Sun 0300 on WBCA 9330-CLSB Sun 0630 on WWCR 3210 Sun 1000 on WRN1 to North America, webcast; also KSFC 91.9 Spokane WA, and WDWN 89.1 Auburn NY; maybe KTRU 91.7 Houston TX, each with webcasts Sun 1900 on Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 Sun 2000 on RNI webcast, http://www.11L-rni.com Mon 0100 on WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0330 on WSUI 910, webcast http://wsui.uiowa.edu [previous 1229] Mon 0430 on WBCQ 7415, webcast http://wbcq.us Wed 0930 on WWCR 9475 WRN ONDEMAND [from Fri]: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html WORLD OF RADIO 1230 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1230h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1230h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1230.html WORLD OF RADIO 1230 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1230.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1230.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1230 in MP3, the true shortwave sound of 7415: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_05-12-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_05-12-04.mp3 CONTINENT OF MEDIA 04-03 from May 12 at DXing.com: (stream) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0403.ram (download) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0403.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0403.html DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Why wait for DXLD? A lot more info, not all of it appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our new yg. Here`s where to sign up. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/ (Glenn Hauser, May 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. Ciao! L'amico Mauro Giroletti mi segnala via telefonica della ricezione con ottimo segnale su 20276 kHz in USB di Radio Continental diffusa dal TX delle Forze Armate Argentine di General Pacecho, fin dalle ore 2130 UT. Io l'ho seguita fino alle 2230 con un buon segnale, notiziario Continental e molta pubblicità. Hola Arnaldo parecia de estar sentados en tu mesa tan fuerte el senal !!! entrava como un canon. Curiosamente su 15345 kHz la RAE arrivava semicoperta dal Marocco, alla stessa ora. Buoni ascolti! Dario Monferini e Mauro Giroletti. Ricevitori : JRC 525 (Dario Monferini, Italy, May 12, playdx via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. RADIO AUSTRALIA CELEBRATING 60 YEARS ON-AIR http://news.mcmedia.com.au/story.asp?TakeNo=200405123549394 A Shepparton-based radio station delivering an Australian voice to the world will celebrate 60 years of broadcasting this week. Radio Australia first transmitted from Shepparton in 1944 via a 15 MHz broadcast to the Allied Forces who served in the region. It can now be heard throughout Asia and the Pacific via shortwave, satellite and worldwide on the Internet, broadcasting in six languages including English, Chinese, Indonesian, Pidgin, Vietnamese and Khmer. To celebrate the milestone, an exhibition of archival photographs and memorabilia of Radio Australia's beginnings will be on display. Special visitor Federal Member for Murray Sharman Stone and radio stalwarts will be in Shepparton on Friday for the celebrations, which will be at Shepparton Science and Technology Centre, McGuire College, Wilmot Rd, between 11 am and 12.15 pm. (Shepparton News - Victoria, Australia, via Artie Bigley, Mike Terry, Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. R San Miguel, Riberalta, 4904.26v, May 8 0130-0202* local music, Spanish talk, ID. Abrupt sign-off; poor-weak (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Hello everyone here in Cumbre once again. 5953, Radio Pio XII with OM/YL in Spanish (maybe their usual ``faces of the station`` mama Justina and tata Martin were on the air) at 2335 May 8, musica chichi, at 0005 tonada ``Katari jatariy`` (sung originally by group Norte Potosi), 33333 4903, Radio San Miguel, OM voice in the air like more than 10 years ago, cumbia music at 0045 May 9. At 0145 ID: ``Radio San Miguel – La Voz del vicariato apostólico de Pando``, then girl sang two songs in taquirari style with bombo drum and accordion: ``Chullita``, original of that part of Bolivia, where the station is based, then Chuquiagomarka originally sung by Kjarkas, 34433 That's me, Artiom Prokhorov from Moscow with my latest catches made on Sony ICF7600G and its telescopic antenna in a countryside just in some 70 kms South of Moscow (Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BOTSWANA. Re 4-076: ``RFE/RL Serbo-Croat service beamed to Europe, April 11 1735-1800 ending with English ID ``This is the VOA broadcasting to Africa; the following program is in``, then cut; SIO 444 (Tony Rogers, Birmingham, BDXC-UK via DXLD) New unusual usage; Botswana site surely was not designed to serve Europe, but they have a 10 degree antenna, so why not? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` WTFK? Apparently no one else is paying any more attention than the editor, who just caught the omission on May 12 in preparing WOR 1230: 15245 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. R. Cultura Ondas Tropicais, 4845.24, May 8 0230-0259* Brazilian ballads, Portuguese talk. ID and sign-off anouncements followed by a 4-minute-long NA. On later than usual; good signal (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC RADIO TWO'S ERIC FRIESEN LAUNCHES A NEW NATIONAL DAILY MUSIC, ARTS AND CULTURE PROGRAM in October http://www3.cbc.ca/sections/newsitem_redux.asp?ID=3455 Eric Friesen, one of CBC Radio's most popular and accomplished broadcasters, launches an innovative three-hour daily network music program this October. The program, featuring great music and fascinating conversation, will be based in Ottawa and will air weekdays from noon until 3 p.m. on CBC Radio Two across Canada. "I'm thrilled with the opportunity to host this new show for CBC Radio Two. Building something from scratch with a creative team is an amazing experience, especially when it promises to reflect the range of music and artists we have in this country," said Friesen. "This is true harmonic convergence." The three-hour show will blend classic music and conversation, live and recorded concerts, short interviews and weekly public concert events from some of Ottawa and Canada's finest musicians. It will be a national platform for many unique voices on the arts and culture scene. As a result of this new program other exciting developments are taking place at CBC Radio Two. Shelley Solmes, host of Take Five, will now host a refreshed three-hour version of her program weekdays from 9 a.m. until noon. Tom Allen's Music and Company will now be heard from 6 to 9 a.m. [note: the only webcast of CBCR2 is from Toronto in the ET zone, UT-4 now, UT-5 from Octend] "These exciting new changes bring us closer to the regional reflection and cultural diversity we are striving for and audiences value," said Jane Chalmers, vice-president of CBC Radio. Eric Friesen's move to Ottawa is a homecoming, as he began his career with CBC Radio in the capital in 1972. After a stint in the U.S. as executive vice-president of American Public Radio in St. Paul, Minnesota (now Public Radio International), Eric returned to CBC Radio Two to host In Performance and Onstage. These two programs will continue with a new host (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Radio Guangdong --- Hello Glenn, Greetings from London. We've just heard that Radio Guangdong is now issuing QSLs. Maybe you would like to use the item for DXLD. Keep up the good work, Thomas ********** Radio Guangdong, part of WRN's English language channels since April 2003, is now issuing QSL cards for correct reception reports. If you listen to one of their "Guangdong Today" shows, then please inform the radio team in Guangzhou when you heard them and what you think about the programme. The QSL will be sent out as a souvenir to everybody who writes in. Address your report and comments to guangdong @ yahoo.com.cn or send a letter to: Radio Guangdong, "Guangdong Today", 686 Renminbei Road, Guangzhou 510012, China. Transmission Times of "Guangdong Today": On WRN English to North America Sat 4.30 am ET / 1.30 am PT [0830 UT] Sat 12 pm ET / 9 am PT [1600 UT] On WRN English to Africa/Asia/Pacific/South America/ WRN on WorldSpace Sat 0015 UTC Sat 1600 UTC Sat 1945 UTC Sun 0800 UTC On WRN English to Europe Sat 1600 UTC Sat 1945 UTC Sun 0845 UTC On demand on the following website: http://www.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=93 (Source: Radio Guangdong, via Thomas Völkner, WRN, May 12, also via Martin Schoech, QIP, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. I am about 6 months behind in getting QSLs out, BUT, Martí reports can be sent to me here in Delano (John @ Delano jvodenik @ del.ibb.gov May 12, swl at qth.net via DXLD) ANALYSIS: US RENEWS EFFORTS TO BROADCAST RADIO AND TV MARTI INTO CUBA | Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring Media Services on 12 May 2004 The United States has said that it plans to use military planes to broadcast pro-democracy radio and TV programmes into Cuba as part of a new policy measure designed to hasten the fall of President Fidel Castro. C-130 Commando Solo aircraft will be used to broadcast US-funded Radio and TV Martí in an effort to overcome Cuban attempts to block their transmissions. The policy is based on a 500-page report handed to the White House on 6 May by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, which was appointed by President Bush to review US-Cuba policy. In a statement, the White House said that 18m dollars had been approved by President Bush for regular airborne broadcasts to Cuba and the purchase of a dedicated airborne platform for the transmission of Radio and Television Martí into Cuba. "It is a strategy that encourages a clear voice of the truth being spoken to the Cuban people through Radio and TV Martí," said Bush. Opposition However, the Cuban media have hit out strongly, saying that the new strategy contravenes international law. "We must recognize this clearly as another rude and arrogant violation of international legality, dismissive of the right of a country to the sovereignty of its national radio-electronic space without extraneous interference," reported Cuban newspaper Granma. According to a report by Radio Netherlands, official Cuban news agency Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) has said that C-130 aircraft will be used for "the propagation of lies and rumours of all type to cause confusion and fear". ACN states that the planes are "enabled technically to interfere with national communications, carry out espionage work and become a command post to direct air and sea attacks". Oswaldo Paya, the leader of the Project Varela movement aimed at forcing economic and political reform from within Cuba, was also critical. He told the Miami Herald on 9 May: "This new package of US measures once again shifts the centre of attention toward a confrontation between the Cuban government and the United States. Now there will be an avalanche of news in the government media about this new confrontation stemming from the latest US measures. It's Cuba versus the United States, all over again. ''My position is that the only thing we expect from the United States and the rest of the world is political and moral support,'' said Paya. ``Those who led this [report] looked into their own needs, rather than those of Cuba and the peaceful opposition movement.'' Radio and TV Martí Under the auspices of the IBB (International Broadcasting Bureau) and the US OCB (Office of Cuba Broadcasting), Radio Martí and TV Martí are integrating and "customizing" programming to expand their audience reach in Cuba. Radio and TV Martí have carried out test transmissions with existing and new delivery platforms in order improve their reception in Cuba, as well as launching an upgraded web site. The tests have comprised of additional shortwave frequencies, a direct-to-home satellite signal for those Cubans with satellite dishes and the use of an airborne transmission platform. The transmissions from this platform were broadcast from a C-130 aircraft and comprised of relays of TV Martí on a VHF frequency and Radio Martí on an additional mediumwave frequency. The OCB have stated that reception reports from Cuba indicated that the additional shortwave and mediumwave frequencies were received unjammed and that the VHF television channel was observed with varying periods of duration in a number of areas in Cuba. TV Martí is currently available via satellite from two orbital locations, 40.5 degrees west and 30 degrees west. Variants of the C-130 aircraft are operated by the 193rd Special Operations Wing, part of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. The unit has previously relayed radio and TV signals during US military operations in Haiti, Grenada, former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and the Middle East. Source: BBC Monitoring research 12 May 04 (via WORLD OF RADIO 1230, DXLD) Might not this be handled better by private enterprise. Increasing the power of privately owned Miami AM radio stations would reach the Cuban population without the taxpayers being charged. Charles R. Kappes, News Director at WINZ, had a letter published in National Review in 1980 advocating the use of private radio in Miami, rather than using taxpayers money. Rlcw (Robert L. C. Wilkner, FL, May 12, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** DENMARK. 15810, World Music Radio, 0845, English music, ID, male voice in English, "World Music Radio, Denmark, address...". Also "World Music Radio" between songs. Poor signal and with noise. 25322 (Manuel Méndez, Spain, May 12, Cumbredx mailing list via WORLD OF RADIO 1230, DXLD) ** FRANCE. JEAN-PAUL CLUZEL NOMMÉ À LA TÊTE DE RADIO FRANCE [12/05/2004 10:45] PARIS (AP) -- Le PDG de Radio France Internationale (RFI) Jean-Paul Cluzel a été elu mercredi matin pour succeder à Jean-Marie Cavada à la tête de Radio France, a-t-on appris auprès de RFI. Son prédecesseur avait presenté sa démission le 27 avril dernier pour mener une tête de liste UDF aux élections européennes. M. Cluzel était président-directeur général de RFI depuis décembre 1995. AP ir/com/ma Copyright (c) 2001 Associated Press. Tous droits reservés (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) FRENCH BROADCASTING AUTHORITY APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF RADIO FRANCE | Excerpt from report by French news agency AFP Paris, 12 May: The members of France's broadcasting regulator, the Higher Broadcasting Council (CSA), appointed on Wednesday [12 May] Jean-Paul Cluzel - the current managing director of Radio France Internationale (RFI) - as managing director of Radio France for five years, in succession to Jean-Marie Cavada who has resigned, the CSA said in a statement on Wednesday. [Passage omitted] Source: AFP news agency, Paris, in French 0846 gmt 12 May 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) So who becomes head of RFI now? (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. AFN Europe will move from AFN Frankfurt BC House to Coleman Barracks on Nov 2nd, 2004. Der Sendebeginn von AFN aus der neuen Europa-Zentrale in den Coleman Barracks (Mannheim-Sandhofen) wird voraussichtlich am 2. November 2004 sein. Der Umzug des AFN Europe von Frankfurt nach Mannheim ist Teil des rund 300 Millionen Euro teuren "Masterplans" des Pentagon fuer den Standort Coleman. Source: Army-Sprecherin Christine Gebhard im "Mannheimer Morgen" newspaper vom 04.05.2004 (Bernhard Weiskopf-D, A- DX May 4 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** HONG KONG. Main Script for Wavescan, Edition number 489 for airing on Sunday 5/16/2004. A major political change directly affecting the lives of more than five million people took place in Asia in the mid 1997. The small and dependent enclave of Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule after more than one and a half centuries as a British territory. Here`s Ariel McLeggon with more. Actually, Great Britain gained control of Hong Kong in three progressive stages and in the year 1898 a 99 year lease was signed between England & China. This lease expired at the end of June 1997 and England handed back to China all of the Hong Kong territories. The territory of Hong Kong covers more than 1,000 square miles though only 400 square miles is land area. It is a rugged territory, made up of more than 235 islands plus the mainland peninsulas. At the time of annexation 100 years ago the whole area was no more than a series of small fishing villages. The name, Hong Kong, in the Cantonese language, means, ``Fragrant Harbour.`` The usage of wireless communication began in Hong Kong around the end of World War 1 with the establishment of three spark gap transmitters. These stations were BXY on Stonecutters Island and BZV at Port Nolluth, which were both operated by the British navy; and VPS at the familiar location, Cape D`Aguilar, which was operated by the Post Office for international communications. A series of test broadcasts was made in 1926 with the presentation of live concert programs, and the first broadcasting service commenced on June 30, 1928 with regular scheduling on 475 kHz using a power output of 150 watts. This new station was allocated the callsign 5HK, with the number 5 indicating the territory and the letters HK representing rather obviously Hong Kong. This station was replaced soon afterwards by two other stations, which identified as GOW on the mediumwave channel 1,000 kHz and VPS3 on the channel 800 kHz. The callsigns of these units were subsequently changed to the more familiar ZBW and ZEK, with programming on one channel in English and the other in Chinese. A series of experimental broadcasts on shortwave commenced in 1930 over a low powered station in the 49 metre band under the callsign ARI. Regular broadcasting on shortwave began in 1935 with the installation of a 250 watt transmitter, under the exotic callsign ZBW. This low powered unit was replaced in 1938 by the very famous and still active 2.5 kW Marconi SWB transmitter. Under the Japanese administration of Hong Kong for a period of three and a half years extending from 1941 - 1945, the radio station was on the air under the occupation callsigns, JQHA and JZHA, with apparently one call for mediumwave and the other for shortwave. International radio monitors in Australia, the United States, and New Zealand reported hearing the exotic little shortwave transmitter periodically, usually on the air in the international shortwave bands. Following the war years, the two program channels were re- established, one in Chinese and the other in English. Commercial broadcasting was introduced into Hong Kong in 1960, and the entire technical facilities were upgraded 8 years later, in 1968. It was at this stage after 38 years of service that the small and famous shortwave transmitter from 1938, ZBW was retired. However, many years later, in 1980, it was thought that the old 2.5 kW transmitter was re-activated for weather broadcasts during the South China Sea boat-race from Hong Kong to the Philippines. However QSL cards issued by Hong Kong Telecom indicate that one of their many communication transmitters was in use for the boat race weather broadcasts. This is the current electronic scene in Hong Kong. There are seven mediumwave transmitters, sixty FM transmitters, a dozen radio networks, and five networks of television. In addition, there is the shortwave communication facility located at Cape D`aguilar which houses all of the shortwave transmitters that are used for communication with aircraft and shipping, as well as for regular Volmet weather bulletins and the occasional boat race broadcasts. The AWR collection of QSL cards in Indianapolis contains several exotic QSLs from radio stations located in Hong Kong. These historic QSL cards include the BBC East Asian Relay Station, BFBS Hong Kong, Radio TV Hong Kong, several communication channels, as well as two picturesque cards for the unit that was used for the boat race broadcasts (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan May 16 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** ICELAND. Re 4-079: The undated SW frequencies on the RÚV website - which actually apply to the B03 season - have not been updated for the summer period yet and it appears that parts of the DX press have distributed them as A04 frequencies. The correct relay schedule of RÚV newscasts (in Icelandic) in the A04 season is as follows: To Europe: 1215-1300 15775 1755-1825 13865 To North America: 1410-1440 15775 1835-1905 15775 2300-2335 13865 The transmissions are in AM-compatible J3E mode (USB -6db carrier reduction). (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, May 12, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. Pirate ***MAIL DROPS*** *Basel: Box 510, CH-4010 Basel, SWITZERLAND *Belfast: Box 1, Belfast, NY 14711 *BRS: Box 109, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214 *Elkhorn: Box 69, Elkhorn, NE 68022 *Eisenach: SRS Deutschland, --Station Name-- Postfach 101145, 99801 Eisenach, Deutschland (Germany) *Herten: PO Box 2702, 6049ZG Herten, The Netherlands *Hoogeveen: PO Box 663, 7900AR Hoogeveen, The Netherlands *Huntsville: Box 11522, Huntsville, AL 35814 *Merlin: Box 293, Merlin, Ontario NOP 1W0, CANADA *Neede: PO Box 73, NL-7160 AB, Neede, The Netherlands (Radio Spaceman) *Pittsburgh: Box 25302, Pittsburgh PA 15242 *Providence: Box 28413, Providence, RI 02908 *Santiago: Casilla 159, Santiago 14, CHILE *Wuppertal: Box 220342, D-42373, Wuppertal, GERMANY *Ytterby: C/o SRS News, Ostra Porten 49, 442 54 Ytterby, SWEDEN _____________________________________________________________________ ***E-MAIL ADDRESSES FOR STATIONS*** Big Thunder Radio: bigthunderradio@hotmail.com Blind Faith Radio: blindfaithradio@yahoo.com Buckwheat Radio: buckwheatradio@hotmail.com Grasscutter Radio: grasscutterradio@yahoo.com Ground Zero Radio: gzrsw@yahoo.com Ironman Radio: ironmanradio@hotmail.com Jolly Roger Radio Int'l: JR_Radio@hotmail.com KIPM (Illuminati Prima Materia): kipm_outerlimits@hotmail.com KMUD: vlfradio@triax.com KRMI Radio Michigan Int'l: KRMI6955@yahoo.com Laser Hot Hits: hothits@radiolink.net Radio Alfa-Lima: info@alfalima.net Radio Borderhunter: borderhunter@hotmail.com Radio Cochiguaz: radio_cochiguaz@yahoo.com Radio Omroep Zuid: roz@chello.nl or roz.am@chello.nl Ragnar Radio: ragnarradio@yahoo.com Seattle Free Radio: seattle4166@yahoo.com Shadow Radio (WSDW): the_shadow6950@hotmail.com Sunshine Radio: sunshineradios@hotmail.com United Patriot Militia BINGO: yahwehradio6925@yahoo.com Undercover Radio: undercoverradio@mail.com Voodoo Radio: vudu11@hotmail.com Voice of the Angry Bastard: pigmeat_voab@yahoo.com Voice of Capt. Ron: captainronswr@yahoo.com, captainron6955@hotmail.com Voice of the New World Order: vonwoun@yahoo.com WBMR (Black Mountain Radio): wbmrradio@hotmail.com WHYP: whyp6925@yahoo.com WLIS (We Love Interval Signals): wlis@beer.com WMOE: wmoe6955@yahoo.com WPAT: brewmaster66@hotmail.com WPN (World Parody Network): wpn_sw@yahoo.com Z100: bigz100fm@yahoo.com (Additions/corrections to mail drop or e-mail addresses appreciated.) (Free Radio Weekly May 8 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non?]. Unknown 15500U --- the supposed INFO radio, is NOT heard at 1500, 1605, 1700 on 12.5 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. THE WEEK IN PICTURES (CARTOONS, POLITICAL PRISONERS) Despite an unprecedented low turnout in the recent parliamentary elections which led to the defeat of the reformists, Iranian newspapers are pursuing political issues with vigour. The personal and legal status of "political prisoners" is of particular interest. The following images were published by Iranian media, captions inserted editorially. Go to: http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk/sites/portal/pic_bulletins/iran_may2004.htm Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 13 May 04 (via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Cland, 15585, Radio Pedar 11 May, 1754 a discussion between a man and a woman in Farsi. There is a slight two sideband 'carrier' of 200 Hz. On 12.5 just a carrier at *1731 with S9+10 db signal. Audio started 17:34.28 with references to Saudi and Iraqi but is not a Farsi program (Pushtu?) (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. Checking for V. of Iran on 17525: Nothing heard on 12 & 13 May, nor on 11520 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) KRSI-Radio Voice Of Iran gives 17510 on their website. http://www.krsi.net/us-en/todaysprogram.asp (Silvain Domen, Belgium, May 12) ** ISRAEL [and non?]. As far as can be told, nobody in the listening community knows FOR CERTAIN what or where these numbers stations are or where they come from. At least they are not telling us. They can be heard just about anywhere in the HF bands (2-30 MHz) in AM and either sideband. There are groups on the Internet which specialize in tracking and speculating on their origins and contents. An interesting site can be found at http://www.spynumbers.com Some views of the numbers stations scene, with emphasis on E10 and the presumed or assumed connexion to the Mossad organization: http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/page69.html (via Robert Ellis, QC, Worldwide Utility Column, May CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** ITALY. RAI CLOSES DOWN 81 MEDIUMWAVE TRANSMITTERS Re: Andrea Borgnino reports: ``Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), the national broadcaster of Italy, is closing down dozens of transmitters on the mediumwave band. (...) Of the many frequencies used by RAI, 846, 981, 1305, 1332, 1512 and 1602 kHz are expected to be vacated, while the number of transmitters on the remaining frequencies will be reduced dramatically.`` [originally from dxing.info, says Andy Sennitt, who apologizes for using it on Media Network; Borgnino copied it without attribution] Discussion - Re 846 and 1332 kHz --- This paraphrase 'vacated' is vague concerning the Rome channels. At present, there is an entry on latest ITU registration file, which shows location move from Santa Palomba site further 90 kilometers north, see below. Italy as ITU member will never resign to use these Italy registered high power channels in future also. Maybe as digital DRM broadcast outlet of - rather - commercial Berlusconi clan organization, than public broadcaster RAI. Discussion re-Olle Alm's tip on the ITU html file: Re the present and past years electronical smog discussions, following the Rome 846 and Vatican 1530 kHz smog legal proceedings, I see on the Italy change items in ITU list, that present registrations change location-wise moves away of capital suburbs to more R U R A L areas. Such a location finding process must "keep in mind" further highway and super railway plans, as well as the - most important point - off aircraft gliding slopes around 20 kms of the airports. Rome location for 846 kHz Santa Palomba is moved northwesterly towards east of Civitaveccia, like la Farnesiana, Mignone river valley. Some 90 kms northwest of Fiumicino international airport. 657 Napoli Marcianise also moves 20 kms northwest to rural area of Pignataro Magg. 1062 Cagliari Sestu Sardegna moves 15 kms westerly across the airport bay towards city of Uta. 1062 Catania Barrierad el Bosco Sicily moves 10 kms southwards to the Agnono Bagni beach, east of Lentini (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/publications/brific-ter/index.html and click on GE75/111 (pdf file). New coordinates are shown for Rome 846 and some other Italian stations (Olle Alm via Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KIRIBATI. Yep, the "radio country" originally was Gilbert and Ellice Islands. In fact, all you young whippersnappers, my verie is from Radio Tarawa, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony Broadcasting Service, for VTW2, 6050 kHz, 2 kW. on Mar. 15, 1963. I thought I later verified it as R. Kirabati, but must be mistaken since I can't find that QSL now. (...) What I meant was that I thought the SWBC country was called Tarawa back in the '70s. But now that I think about it, Tarawa was originally part of the Gilbert & Ellice Islands, no? In fact, "Kiribati" (pronounced "Kiribas") is a Pidgin corruption of "Gilbert." So the SWBC country name changed from Gilbert & Ellice to Kiribati (Bob Hill- USA, DXplorer May 10) Mine was back on 4912.5 in the early 70's, and was around the same time ... sorta like Tahiti was, but a couple of hours later with deep fades ... (Dan Ferguson-USA, DXplorer May 10) Dan is correct that it was Kiribati on 4912.5, and this tiny country's capital is Tarawa. I Googled for some more info, and found the following details that Bob Padula posted in Cumbre in May, 1997: 9810 R Kiribati is regarded by some of us in Australia as a "utility" service, on the basis that it was established some time ago as a USB HF PTP link, for subsequent rebroadcasting. Over many years, this 250 watt SSB facility has operated on various HF outlets, in SSB mode, from Betio Island, intended as an on-air feed for the MW service on Christmas Island, (in the Line Island group to the North east), on 1115 kHz. This SSB feeder service commenced around 1981, using 16433 kHz. Frequencies used have included 14917.7, 17440 (1993), 9825 (1994, 1995, 1996), and 9810 (1997). I have written to Radio Kiribati seeking technical details of the HF service, which is considered (by some!) as a form of de-facto SW broadcasting service. The regular SW service on the 60mb outlet ran on 4912.5, with 2 kW, prior to 1981 (Bob Padula- AUS, Cumbre via DXplorer April 27, [1997?]) Tarawa, Kiribati is still heard occasionally on 846 MW from the Grayland DXpeditiion site when conditions favor the South Pacific. By the way, monitoring last night via HD recording at 0530-0830 on 9825 indicated a completely open frequency, so I'm hopeful that Kiribati won't be QRM'd when it does appear. I also recorded 4960 from 0830-1215, but no sign of Catholic Radio Network, PNG yet. (Guy Atkins-USA, DXplorer May 10) [?? Earlier report from him said NHK was on after 0800 --- gh] Initially heard as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Broadcast Service, VSZ2, 4912.5 back in Sept of 1969. The best logging I got of them was the time period from 0645 to 0748 UTC. ... It was the reply which I received in 1976 (after numerous attempts) there was mention that they would be resuming short wave broadcast to the outer Islands (Phoenix & Line Isls) that caught the attention of DX'ers via NASWA's Hotline. Under "Kiribati'...14802 was the frequency... Back in February of 1987 when I was able to hear them from 2353 sign-on to 0104. I have a tape recording of their earlier broadcast from 1959-2003 sign-off which is rather poor considering the hour of the day when I heard them (Ed Kusalik-Alb-CAN, DXplorer May 11; all via BC-DX May 12 via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. New Schedule V of Korea, Pyongyang, North Korea Hi Glenn! Have just found my list updated on your site: #4-076 May 6, 2004 under http://www.dxing.com/dxr.htm Thanks for publishing it. However, I have the list in English, too, which I have attached with this message for your convenience. 00 Chinese 11845 15230 SEAs 00 Korean (PBS) 7140 9345 9720 NECHN 00 Spanish 11735 13760 15180 CAm 01 English 7140 9345 9720 NEAs 01 English 11735 13760 15180 CAm 01 French 11845 15230 SEAs 02 Chinese 7140 9345 9720 NECHN 02 English 11845 15230 SEAs 02 Spanish 11735 13760 15180 CAm 03 Chinese 11845 15230 SEAs 03 English 7140 9345 9720 NEAs 03 French 11735 13760 15180 CAm 07 Japanese 621 3250 9650 11865 J 07 Korean (PBS) 7140 9345 NECHN 07 Russian 9975 11735 FE 07 Russian 13760 15245 Eu 08 Chinese 7140 9345 NECHN 08 Japanese 621 3250 9650 11865 J 08 Russian 9975 11735 FE 08 Russian 13760 15245 Eu 09 Japanese 621 3250 6070 9650 11865 J 09 Korean (KCBS) 7140 9345 NECHN 09 Korean (PBS) 9975 11735 FE 09 Korean (PBS) 13760 15245 Eu 10 English 11710 15180 CAm 10 English 11735 13650 SEAs 10 Japanese 621 3250 6070 9650 11865 J 10 Korean (PBS) 7140 9345 NECHN 11 Chinese 7140 9345 CHN 11 French 11710 15180 CAm 11 French 11735 13650 SEAs 11 Japanese 621 3250 6070 9650 11865 J 12 Japanese 621 3250 6070 9650 11865 J 12 Korean (KCBS) 11710 15180 CAm 12 Korean (KCBS) 11735 13650 SEAs 12 Korean (PBS) 7140 9345 NECHN 13 Chinese 11735 13650 SEAs 13 English 13760 15245 WEu 13 English 9335 11710 NAm 13 Korean (PBS) 9325 11845 Eu 14 French 13760 15245 WEu 14 French 9335 11710 NAm 14 Korean (KCBS) 11735 13650 SEAs 14 Russian 9325 11845 Eu 15 Arabic 9975 11735 ME, NAf 15 English 13760 15245 WEu 15 English 9335 11710 NAm 15 Russian 9325 11845 Eu 16 German 9325 11845 WEu 16 English 9975 11735 ME, NAf 16 French 13760 15245 WEu 16 French 9335 11710 NAm 17 Korean (KCBS) 13760 15245 WEu 17 Korean (KCBS) 9335 11710 NAm 17 Russian 9325 11845 Eu 17 Spanish 9975 11735 ME, NAf 18 German 9325 11845 WEu 18 French 9660 11710 SAf 18 French 9975 11735 ME, NAf 18 Spanish 13760 15245 WEu 19 Arabic 9660 11710 SAf 19 Arabic 9975 11735 ME, NAf 19 English 13760 15245 WEu 19 German 9325 11845 WEu 20 French 13760 15245 WEu 20 Korean (KCBS) 9660 11710 SAf 20 Korean (KCBS) 9325 11845 WEu 20 Korean (KCBS) 9975 11735 ME, NAf 21 Chinese 7140 9345 NECHN 21 Chinese 9975 11735 CHN 21 English 13760 15245 WEu 21 Japanese 621 3250 9650 11865 J 22 Chinese 7140 9345 NECHN 22 Chinese 9975 11735 CHN 22 Spanish 13760 15245 WEu 22 Japanese 621 3250 9650 11865 J 23 Japanese 621 3250 9650 11865 J 23 Korean (KCBS) 7140 9345 NECHN 23 Korean (KCBS) 13760 15245 WEu 23 Korean (KCBS) 9975 11735 CHN (OM Arnulf Piontek, Berlin, Germany, May 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This one is a little less cluttered, since it does not show the former frequencies, but it also does not show the 3560 and 4405 feeder frequencies Wolfgang included. The file is dated ``030504`` which I hope means May 3, 2004 (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. NORTH KOREAN DEFECTORS' RADIO STATION IN SOUTH FACES CLOSURE | Text of report by Kang Chol-hwan entitled: "North Korean defector Internet radio station to suspend broadcasting", published in English by South Korean newspaper Choson Ilbo web site on 12 May Free NK, http://www.freenk.net an Internet radio station created by North Korean defectors, is confronted with the threat of suspension only 22 days after it began. "Free NK" has aired daily for an hour, starting at 8 p.m. [1100 gmt], since the beginning of its service on 20 April. Three thousand people have joined as members and 10,000 people log-in everyday. "Free NK" has drawn attention as an anti-Kim Jong-il radio service. Former North Korean Workers Party Secretary Hwang Jang-yeop harshly criticized North Korea in a broadcast right after the massive explosion in the North Korean city of Yongchon (Ryongchon) on 22 April. As the Internet radio station "Free NK" is on the verge of being closed down, Northern-born announcer Jeong Ju-hwa [Chong Chu-hwa] looks distressed. The suspension of broadcasts can be attributed to a discontinued lease of the station office. Kim Chang-soon, the director of the Institute of North Korea Studies and the owner of the building, notified the radio station head Kim Seong-min on 8 May that he was suspending the lease. "Free NK" has part of the sixth floor of the institute building in Jangan-dong, Seoul, on a six-month contract, free of charge. According to Kim Seong-min, Kim Chang-soon said he cannot rent the office to the station any more due to continuous threatening phone calls. The building owner asked the radio station to move out by the end of this month. In fact, the Institute of North Korea Studies has been suffering from threats and protests since "Free NK" moved in. A guard at the building said strange people come to the institute to protest everyday. Institute employees also said young men visit the institute several [times] every day and protest, "Why did you rent the office to 'Free NK'?" Whenever protests occur, guards have to drive the people from the building, so the atmosphere there has become very chaotic, they said. Threatening calls and e-mails have poured in to North Korean defectors who participate in the radio service. The station chief, Kim Seong- min, has been harassed by threatening phone calls made by an unidentified woman who says, "You traitor, you'd better be careful," and, "I won't let you get away with this." The Institute of North Korea Studies was founded as an affiliate agency of the National Intelligence Service in 1971. It was privatized in 1993, when former President Kim Young-sam was in office. The North Korean defectors of "Free NK" are disappointed with the news. Choi Seong-il, an announcer, said he is disappointed because the atmosphere in society is getting strange and the institute is excessively sensitive to it. Source: Choson Ilbo web site, Seoul, in English 12 May 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** LATVIA. THE NEXT EMR TRANSMISSION: 23RD OF MAY 9290 KHZ, AT 0800 TO 0900 UT AND 1800 TO 1900 UT. GOOD LISTENING, 73s (TOM Taylor, EMR, May 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [and non]. Commentary on US/Mexico AM Station Interference Claims May 2004 (As noted in the CGC Communicator) http://earthsignals.com/add_CGC/Letters/US_Mexico_AM.htm This May 6, 2004 letter from Joseph Berring concerns U.S./Mexican AM (and some LPTV) interference issues, and discusses cross-border interference claimed by both countries. A sticky diplomatic situation has developed since Mexican stations XEKTT, XESS and XESDD on 560, 780 and 920 kHz were authorized by the SCT (Mexico`s FCC). Many CGC Newsletter readers have heard the resulting interference created by the first two Mexican stations. As far as we know, the 920 kHz facility has yet to come on the air, but would undoubtedly create even more interference. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Joseph Berring writes: The matter that is causing angst in U.S.-Mexico relations (at least as far as the broadcast world in concerned) is the continuing operation of XEKTT, XESS & XESDD in Mexican territory on 560, 780 and 920 kHz. There have been objections in the United States to the operation or potential operation of these stations. In the case of XEKTT alone, one complaint indicates that as many as 29 million U.S. listeners have been affected by the operation of this station. Add the potential operations of XESS and XESDD and that number could move higher. Mexico asserts that the operation of these stations is proper under a somewhat ill-constructed provision of the existing bilateral agreements that allows the circumvention of the notification process between the two countries if no harmful interference is produced within the territory of the other country. Obviously U.S. interests feel that they are receiving such interference. Mexico has offered to move these stations off these frequencies if suitable alternative spectrum can be found. To date, little progress has been made in this regard. What has occurred is a standoff from both a regulatory and diplomatic standpoint. Politically, complaints have reached the White House and Los Pinos (the Mexican White House). During the meeting in Crawford, TX in March the matter was supposed to be addressed between Presidents Bush and Fox. The situation was not discussed as had been reported previously. The staffs of both presidents decided that it was too complex an issue to be adequately covered in the short time allowed, taking into consideration other pressing issues that also needed to be discussed. The matter was assigned top-level cabinet priority however. Where in the past, these matters were handled in a more-or-less routine fashion between the FCC and the Mexican Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT), it has been elevated to a diplomatic concern with the U.S. State Department and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussing the issue with direct intervention of ambassadors on both sides and official correspondence between Colin Powell and his Mexican counterpart, Ernesto Derbez. In fact a meeting was scheduled for Monday, May 4th between Powell and Derbez, but was cancelled at the last minute due to the diplomatic meltdown between Mexico and Cuba over the weekend. It is supposed to be rescheduled shortly. From a regulatory standpoint things have ground to almost a complete halt. Mexico has objected to the operation of over 450 AM, FM and television stations operating in the United States stating that they were never properly notified to or coordinated with Mexico. There have been a series of formal protests in February and March that have been received by the FCC from their Mexican counterparts. Mexico maintains that these construction permits and licenses granted in the United States, are not proper allotments under the terms of the relevant bilateral agreements. As such, Mexico has required that the operation of these stations should cease immediately and the operation of these stations should be submitted to Mexico for review and consideration as required by the agreements. The actual number of affected U.S. stations varies depending on how one counts the objections (some are duplicates, night vs. day operations, etc.). But we put the number around 455. On the AM side, there are stations that could potentially be affected in 20 states. In one list alone, the number of AM objections in these states were as follows: Alabama 26 Arkansas 6 North Carolina 47 South Carolina 23 Colorado 18 Florida 59 Georgia 40 Kansas 7 Kentucky 27 Louisiana 6 Mississippi 13 Missouri 17 Nevada 10 New Mexico 14 Oklahoma 8 Tennessee 38 Texas 49 Utah 12 To the above, add the operation of at least 13 additional AM stations and 22 LPTV stations located in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and the magnitude of the issue becomes apparent. What Mexico has begun to do is analyze each and every one of the stations objected to and calculate and measure whether harmful interference is actually occurring in Mexican territory. To date (May 6, 2004) they have reviewed less than 40 cases and have concluded that of these, three (3) AM, one (1) FM and sixteen (16) LPTV stations are causing unacceptable levels of interference. They are determined to review all of the other U.S. stations in short order and will require, under the terms of the existing agreements, that any U.S. station generating unacceptable levels of interference cease operations indefinitely and that the remaining stations be properly coordinated with Mexico or also cease operations. Mexico has signaled that it wants its objections resolved before it proceeds with looking at any new proposals. It is difficult to believe that all of the 455 U.S. stations are at risk. Some will surely clear the harmful interference test. Others are likely to have been properly notified and accepted (we are aware of several cases). But some will likely find themselves in an extremely uncertain position. What is obvious is that what was once a fairly routine spectrum coordination process between the United States and Mexico on a technical level with a view to protect and benefit the licensees in both countries has morphed into a political and diplomatic struggle with each side upping the stakes with every passing day. Stay tuned; it should prove interesting. Joseph Berring (via Dennis Gibson, IRCA via DXLD) BORDER PATROL: Chris Carmichael, the mastermind behind http://www.sdradio.net checks in to confirm that one Jaime Bonilla owns KURS/1040 in San Diego --- as well as XEPE/560 in Tecate, and XESS/780 in Ensenada, the two "offending" new border blasters that have caused so much headache among certain Southwestern broadcasters and regulators from Wáshington and México City. Jaime also owns the Ensenada/920 AM outlet, for which power-boost plans have apparently been kibboshed. Must be the spoils of Dual Citizenship, since both Mexico and the US strictly limit broadcast outlet ownership to citizens (Greg Hardison, Broadcast Band Update May 13, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Greg`s entire BBU is in the DXLD yahoogroup ** NIGERIA. V. of Nigeria, 15120, May 8 0625-0645+ English news, preview of upcoming programs, IDs. Weak but in the clear. Some programing with very good, clean audio, but other programs with very poor, muffled audio and impossible to understand (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) All depends on the studio and miking (gh) ** PERU. R. Perú, San Ignacio, 5637.23, May 9 0145-0515* OA folk music, Spanish announcements, ID. 0515 abruptly pulled plug mid-song. Weak. Radio La Poderosa, 6536.06, May 8 0115-0204* OA folk music, echo announcements, Spanish talk, IDs, abrupt sign-off. A regular lately; fair-good. Also heard May 7 at 0211* with NA (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Re: LA VOZ DEL CAMPESINO AL FILO DE LA MEDIANOCHE... ---------- This was another of those recurrent Mother's Day specials... /HK (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) So the mothers are staying up past 1 a.m. to listen to greetings on an obscure pirate SW station? (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. RUSSIA PROPOSES CHANGES TO RADIO FREQUENCY REGULATION | Excerpt of Ivan Cheberko report "Frequencies will be handed back to government. Ministry of Finance proposes dissolving State Radio Frequencies Commission" by Russian newspaper Kommersant on 6 May: At the end of last week the Russian Federation Ministry of Finance presented to the government a draft law proposing revolutionary changes to the system of state regulation in the communications sphere. The Ministry of Finance's ideas amount to scrapping the State Commission for Radio Frequencies and the radio frequency service, and also to stripping the Ministry of Transport and Communications of a number of key functions - in particular, the power to allocate radio frequencies. Market players reckon that implementing the Ministry of Finance's proposals could disrupt the communications sector. The draft federal law "On amending Russian Federation legislative acts in connection with the passing of federal laws on amending and supplementing the Russian Federation law `On general principles of organization of the legislative and executive organs of state power of Russian Federation components'" has been drawn up by the Ministry of Finance on the instructions of the Russian president and in fulfilment of Russian Federation government instructions. The draft law was presented to the government for its 29 April session, and was sent to a number of ministries for approval. The federal law "On communications", which Ministry of Finance officials are proposing to have rewritten, was passed last year. The amendments being proposed by the ministry are so substantive that their adoption will, in essence, amount to the passing of a completely new law "On communications". [Passage omitted: Status of Ministry of Transport and Communications as the telecommunications sector's administration will be eroded] There is a proposal also to transfer directly to the government the functions of regulating the radio frequency spectrum - this is currently handled by the State Commission for Radio Frequencies, whose working procedures are also prescribed in the law "On communications". The Ministry of Finance is proposing that the State Commission for Radio Frequencies be abolished. In addition, there is a proposal to abolish the directly-acting norms prescribed by the law "On communications" that concern the distribution of frequencies - these are mainly procedural matters relating to the procedure for handling applications, time periods for considering them, and so forth. [Passage omitted: Russian Deputy Minister for Communications and Information Technology Andrey Beskorovaynyy says proposed amendments threaten to paralyse communications market; Russian General Staff Deputy Chief Yevgeniy Karpov, a member of the State Commission for Radio Frequencies, says proposals would have impact on security; Maksim Korobov, a member of the State Duma Committee for Power Generation, Transportation, and Communications, says proposals are illogical; FINAM company analyst Oleg Shenker says powers should be shared out; Aleksandr Vronets, first vice president of Sistema-Telekom company, says sector should be centrally controlled] Source: Kommersant, Moscow, in Russian 6 May 04 p 5 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SAINT HELENA. Dear Sirs, Following the Radio St. Helena final broadcast on 23rd Oct 1999 the station received 727 reception reports. Today May 5th, 2004 at Stuttgart Germany, I received air mail direct from St. Helena Media, postmarked April 23rd, 2004. Transported by the mail ship RMS St. Helena, arrived in Cape Town on April 30th, 2004. The envelope was safe and complete content of QSL card no. 52 / 1999 received, and accompanied letters of present and former station managers Mr. Ralph H. Peters and covering letter of Mr. Tony Leo. All are much appreciated and my sincere thanks to the St. Helena Media staff, as well as Robert Kipp working with the Station Manager of Radio St. Helena -, who has helped tremendously to lessen the backlog of the 1999 QSL's. Many thanks again, yours very sincerely, Wolfgang Bueschel df5sx, D-70597 Stuttgart, Germany (May 5) (BC-DX via DXLD) ** SICILY. Augusto Milana at RAI has told Francesco Clemente of radio club AIR that also the only longwave transmitter, on the frequency of 189 kHz in Caltanissetta, will be closed on May 18. 73s (Steve Whitt, MWC via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. Radio Eslovaquia Internacional Estimados amigos: El pasado domingo 9 de mayo en el programa "Cartas de los Oyentes" de Radio Eslovaquia Internacional fue emitida una importante información referente al futuro incierto de sus transmisiones por onda corta. Mediante contacto vía Internet y en respuesta a mi solicitud, la Jefa de la Redacción Española, Marcela Gregorçova, ha tenido la gentileza de facilitarme el texto completo del mencionado informe que considero indispensable repetir su difusión a través de los medios a vuestro alcance. La comisión parlamentaria encargada, entre otros ramos, de medios de comunicación, solicita financiación para las transmisiones en onda corta de Radio Eslovaquia Internacional (RSI) La Radio Nacional Eslovaca -Slovenský rozhlas- amenaza con suspender las emisiones en onda corta de Radio Eslovaquia Internacional (RSI), caso de no recibir, en breve plazo, los fondos públicos necesarios para poder sufragar los altos costos derivados de ésta. Por otra parte, cabe asimismo destacar que la comisión parlamentaria encargada de educación, ciencia, deporte, juventud, cultura y medios de comunicación ya ha expresado su total inconformidad con dicha medida de cierre. Durante el jueves 29 de abril esta misma comisión abordó los problemas de RSI, habiendo acordado sus integrantes que solicitarán a los ministros de cultura y finanzas que gestionen la provisión de fondos para RSI mediante una partida presupuestal con cargo al Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores. Jaroslav Reznik, director general de Radio Nacional Eslovaca, demanda una suma de 75 millones de coronas eslovacas -o lo que es lo mismo: 1,875,000 euros- para poder solventar los fuertes costos que devenga RSI, con la advertencia que de no recibir esta cantidad dará por concluidas las emisiones en onda corta a partir del uno de julio próximo, reduciendo las transmisiones que hasta hoy se venían realizando exclusivamente a Internet y vía satélite. En encomiables palabras del presidente de la comisión parlamentaria precitada, Ferdinand Devinsky, "Eslovaquia precisa de un servicio de emisión radial en onda corta, hoy con mayor justificación que nunca y más aún cuando se ha producido la adhesión de nuestro país a la Unión Europea (UE). Es menester que por todos los medios y cauces nos demos a conocer en el mundo", afirma convencido. Jaroslav Reznik, en cuanto máximo jefe de Radio Nacional Eslovaca, propone que la partida que RSI necesita sea tomada del presupuesto asignado al Ministerio de Exteriores, arguyendo, con base en la normativa que autoriza estas transmisiones, su ahí señalado e indiscutido carácter de interés nacional. Cabe recordar que J. Reznik, aduciendo una carencia de medios económicos, ya justificó la cancelación de una de las frecuencias en diciembre de 2003; como también, desde el uno de abril de 2004, una considerable reducción del poder radial en la transmisión de las señales, acarreando, hoy tristemente decirlo, un considerable menoscabo en la calidad de recepción. Las emisiones en onda corta de RSI --- estación pública fundada poco después de lograda la independencia de la República Checa --- se vienen realizando en lenguas eslovaca, inglés, alemán, francés, ruso y español, abarcando una amplia policromía de contenidos temáticos sobre nuestra nación. En declaraciones recientes del mismo director Reznik, la muy honorable audiencia de RSI se estima aproximadamente entre 120,000 y 150,000 fieles seguidores, o mejor dicho, fieles radioamigos. Hasta aquí el comentario emitido por Radio Eslovaquia Internacional que, en caso de no recibir el presupuesto solicitado, cerrará definitivamente sus transmisiones por onda corta el 1 de julio de 2004. Si bien, esta situación depende de una decisión política y económica del Gobierno eslovaco, no estará demás la solidaridad de los radioescuchas y diexistas del mundo que, desde el primer momento del anunciado cierre, se han manifestado a favor de la continuidad de los servicios de RSI por onda corta. Las siguientes son las direcciones de correo electrónico que los oyentes pueden utilizar para expresar su apoyo: Radio Eslovaquia Internacional: RSI_spanish@slovakradio.sk Director General, Jaroslav Reznik: reznik@slovakradio.sk Director de Programación, Sr.Pucala: pucala@slovakradio.sk Jefa de la Redacción Española, Marcela Gregorçova: gregorcova@slovakradio.sk Gracias! (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Casilla de Correo 950, S 2000 WAJ - Rosario, ARGENTINA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) JOURNALIST ORGANISATION TO SAVE FOREIGN BROADCAST CHANNEL OF THE PUBLIC RADIO --- http://www.slovakspectator.sk/clanok.asp?cl=16076 The Slovak Syndicate of Journalists (SSN), a representative organisation of the journalistic profession in Slovakia, is concerned about the fate of the public Slovak Radio's (SRo) foreign broadcasting channel, which may be definitively switched off due to a lack of finances, news wire SITA wrote. Journalists requested that the government allocate the funds to preserve Radio Slovakia International (RSI). SRo director general Jaroslav Rezník said that he would switch off RSI as of July 1 if he did not receive Sk75 million (€1.9 million) to continue the broadcast. The SSN views the foreign broadcast as an important tool for promoting Slovakia abroad. They say it is illogical that, on one hand, the cabinet wants to set up a special institution to promote Slovakia abroad and on the other hand, it wants to cancel a promotional tool that has been efficiently working for a decade. The parliamentary media committee disagrees with the possible stop of short-wave broadcasts of RSI. SRo is proposing that funding for RSI could be provided from the Foreign Affairs Ministry budgetary chapter, based on an order from SRo to keep the broadcast in the national interest. RSI broadcasts in Slovak, English, German, French, Russian, and Spanish. Compiled by Beata Balogová from press reports The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings. [5/12/2004 10:11:46 AM] (via Mike Terry, Kim Elliott, WORLD OF RADIO 1230, DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Coöperation on number stations? See ISRAEL ** SUDAN [non]. Cland, 17660, Sudan Radio Service, 11 May 1756, talks by several OM in nonID language presumed as African, news, heard Congo and some other countries. An ID at 1858 and Arabic spelling of letters then numbers, 44444 S9+10. Again tested 1725 on 12.5 with signal max S7, clear channel with OM wirth continuous references to Sudan (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN--Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: "GreenScan" Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: "Spectrum" Sunday: In "Sounds Nordic" the Eurovision Song Contest -- good news or bad news for Sweden? Agnetha Fältskog's new album -- what do the critics say? Some hot singles and Gaby Katz's studio guest is The 21st Century Noise (SCDX/MediaScan May 12 via DXLD) ** U K. Subject: Definition of "po-faced" Hi, Glenn! I noticed there was a "(sic)" after a usage of "po-faced" in DXLD 79 and assumed you put it there. That's a Briticism that I've run across several times in my reading, most recently a few days ago in a mystery by Lindsey Davis, and I never did really know what it meant. I just did a Google on it and here's one of the shorter definitions: When someone is po-faced that means they are assuming an impassive or expressionless face. But they are usually doing so for a reason, and the reason implied by this expression po-faced is that they are being priggish, or narrow-minded, or smug. There are three suggestions as to the origin of po-faced. The first is that it might be an abbreviation of ``poker faced`` (the blank expression adopted by a poker player so as not to reveal his hand to the other players). However, ``po`` looks like an odd abbreviation for ``poker`` and the meaning of the expression is rather more than just ``blank faced``. Second, the first element in po-faced may come from the French pronunciation of ``chamber pot`` (``pot de chambre``). The suggestion is that the person in question is trying to look impassive in the face of a bad smell. The third suggestion is that the first component in po-faced may come from ``poh`` – an expression of contemptuous rejection (a variation on ``pooh`` and sometimes written ``po``). There you are, three suggestions and the lexicographers are not certain which one is correct, so you may take your pick. (Po-faced is not recorded before the 1930s.) (via Will Martin, DXLD) ** U S A. Radio Free Asia Guild Unit – News May 4, 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BARGAINING BULLETIN #13 Guild Presents Wage Proposal --- Details Available at Friday Meeting The Guild Monday told management RFA employees should have pay equal to VOA employees. The Guild presented a detailed economic package that would immediately boost salaries and put RFA employees on their way to equal pay with VOA. Under the Guild proposal, employees currently classified as Broadcasters I and II would immediately move up one grade each. Employees classified as Administrative Assistant I also would move up one grade. All other employees would move up one step within their grade. The proposal builds on the current RFA pay grid by adding two steps to each grade. That also is how VOA’s pay grid works. We also proposed that after one year in a grade, an employee who gets a satisfactory review would move up one grade. The automatic movement up the grades means most employees would get to the VOA top level in three years or less. Pension Plan Proposal The Guild also proposed to increase the RFA pension contribution, and make it automatic. Currently, employees must contribute to the plan to get the RFA match. The maximum RFA pays is 10.5%. Under our proposal, RFA would pay 12% of an employee’s salary, and the employee would not have to contribute anything. Scheduling Agreement Agreement was reached Monday on work schedules. Under the agreement, there no longer can be split days off; schedules must be posted three weeks in advance; there can be no more than one start time in a week; and the consecutive days you can be scheduled is limited. Sick Leave The Guild told RFA it cannot restrict the use of sick leave for the care of family members and cannot make other changes in the sick leave policy without bargaining. In discussions about sick leave, RFA had indicated it would clarify the written policy to make it clear that sick leave can be used to care for family members. The Guild first raised the issue in March. But in rewriting the policy, RFA imposed restrictions that had not been bargained with the Guild (RFA Guild Unit via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. The current schedule of VOA's expanded Urdu service Radio Aap Ki Dunyaa in Urdu (officially launched on 10 May): 0100-0200: 7155 MOR, 9835 KAV, 11805 UDO 1400-0200: 972 ORZ 1400-1500: 9510 UDO, 11790 KAV, 15170 KAV, 15255 IRA 1700-1800: 11905 PHT, 12155 IRA, 15545 IRA IRA = Iranawila-CLN, KAV = Kavalla-GRC, MOR = Briech-MRC, PHT = Tinang-PHL, UDO = Udon Thani-THA, ORZ = Orzu-TJK Address: VOA, Radio Aap Ki Dunyaa, Room 1458, 330 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20237, USA. Email: urdu @ voanews.com (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, May 12, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1230, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WJIE (WJCR?), noted on both 7490 and 13595 with parallel preaching and music around 1430 UT May 12. Signal on 13595 quite good; wonder if they finally have an ex-FEBA 100 kW going? And since KVOH has been sold to the Restauración sect [confirmed below], does that leave WJIE with a third 100 kW to put to some other use? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1230, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. NASB ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT Washington, DC - The National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB) at its 2004 annual meeting on May 7th elected Doug Garlinger as the new president of the Association. Doug is the former Director of Engineering for LeSEA Broadcasting, which owns shortwave stations WHRA, WHRI and KWHR. Just a few months ago, he left LeSEA to take an engineering position in Hawaii, but he continues to be active in issues of importance to shortwave broadcasters. Outgoing NASB President Jeff White commented: "The NASB could not be in better hands. Besides having been a shortwave listener himself since he was a child, Doug is one of the most recognized broadcast engineers in the United States, with many awards to prove it. He has been with the NASB since it was formed, and served as Vice President in the past. Doug is really one of my mentors, and I know he is committed to continuing and improving a lot of the new projects that the NASB has begun in recent years." Jeff White's NASB Board term ended at the annual meeting. The membership chose Dennis Dempsey of WEWN Global Catholic Radio to fill the Board vacancy. Paul Hunter, an engineering consultant who represents Word Broadcasting, was re-elected to the Board and as Vice President of the NASB. And Dan Elyea of WYFR Family Radio continues as NASB Secretary-Treasurer. Also at the NASB annual meeting, the membership agreed to extend the Voice of the NASB DRM (digital shortwave) broadcast series once the current series ends in July of this year. The current series of programs is beamed to Europe, but the new series will be beamed to DRM listeners in North America. Details on the new schedule will be released in the coming weeks. The NASB welcomed its newest member at the annual meeting -- station KVOH, which was recently sold by Word Broadcasting (which is also an NASB member, and owns WJIE in Kentucky) to a hispanic church in Los Ángeles and is now known as La Voz de la Restauración. Station Board member Douglas Hernández attended the NASB meeting in Washington on behalf of the new owners. Several speakers gave presentations at the meeting, including Tom Lucey from the International Bureau of the FCC. Paul Rinaldo of the American Radio Relay League talked about the BPL (Broadband over Power Lines) controversy and efforts to combat this potential threat to clear shortwave listening. Dr. Adrian Peterson gave a presentation about the history of Adventist World Radio. Mike Adams, who is NASB's liaison to the DRM consortium, talked about developments in DRM, including the recent annual meeting in China; and Michel Penneroux, Chairman of the DRM Commercial Committee, came from Paris to address the NASB membership. Hans Johnson spoke about VT Merlin Communications, and the ever-popular Kim Elliott of the Voice of America talked about shortwave audience research. Some of his colleagues from the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) gave updates on the IBB's latest activities. The day before its annual meeting, the NASB hosted a meeting of the new USA DRM Group which was held at the headquarters of Radio Free Asia in Washington. The purpose was to form a national organization to promote the development of DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) in the United States. Outgoing NASB President Jeff White was elected Chairman of the new USA DRM Group (Jeff White, NASB, May 11, WORLD OF RADIO 1230, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Annotated WBCQ Program Guide Anomalies and Recent Observations --- This page contains the latest observations and other unexplained or otherwise unscheduled things observed coming out of Monticello or related to WBCQ. Thursday, May 13, 2004 Looks like The Last Roundup is history. Verified Allan's show repeated on Thursday at 5:30PM ET in place of The Last Roundup, and last night I heard the Rabbi say that he'd added an additional hour on Sundays, at 4PM, in the slot occupied by The Last Roundup. The Last Roundup schedule occupied the following time slots: Su 7415 04:00PM 05:00PM 2000 2100 Tu 7415 05:00PM 06:00PM 2100 2200 Th 7415 05:30PM 06:30PM 2130 2230 Sa 7415 04:00PM 05:00PM 2000 2100 Too bad. In my opinion this was a cool show. Schedule to be updated later pending further confirmation. Monday, May 10, 2004 Brother Scare has bought most of the remaining available time on WBCQ. His web site lists some suspicious entries, like 5105 noon to midnight eastern time every day, which is not correct, and even has noon eastern time equated to 0000 UTC! I have not been able to monitor 17495 at all, as it's the time of the year when it skips over me all the time. So I will assume the information on his web site is correct until I am proven otherwise. Brother Scare bumps "Global Spirit Proclamation" from the 2-5PM slot on 17495 and takes all available time, 8AM-6PM, on Saturday and Sunday. I don't know if the last remaining brokered program on 17495 on Saturdays, "The Full Gospel Hour," 3:30-4:30PM, ET, was bumped to another frequency or cancelled, so I will leave it alone for now. I have verified Brother Scare's new daytime slots on 7415, Sunday 8AM- 2PM ET, Monday-Saturday 8AM-3:45PM ET; 9330 Sunday 8AM-4PM, Monday- Saturday 8AM-3:45PM. I am leaving alone the Overcomer entries for 5105 which I believe haven't changed since he added massive airtime on this transmitter at the end of January. (from http://www.zappahead.net/wbcq/anomaly.php via DXLD) Allan Weiner was interviewed by Frans Vossen at Kulpsville, for this week`s RVi Radio World. He gave some technical details: WBCQ has four transmitters of up to 50 kW, homebuilt or converted: 1 - Harris PDM, former MW unit 2 - Technical Material Corp. converted, from the 1960s 3 - Collins, modified, ex-military/commercial 4 - Combination of a Collins and a TMC Antennas: 1 - log periodic beam, rotatable but fixed 2 - small curtain array 3 - 705-foot rhombic with two transmitters diplexed into it Websites: http://wbcq.us and http://wbcq.com [only ones mentioned] Electricity is WBCQ`s biggest expense (notes by Glenn Hauser for DX LISTENING DIGEST) We could guess, but it would also be nice to know which transmitters and antennas funxion on which frequencies (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. This is a request for a Utility Station (which I rarely keep up on these days). I've had a request from a fella Ham Operator, up to Calgary for some information on what the status is for New York Radio, which is an Aero-Weather Station. This fella Ham is Blind and has no computer that he can access. Apparently this weather station is/was on the same frequency as Gander Radio. So if any one out there has any information on what the status on this station, please post it or e- mail the information to me, so I can pass it along. I really do appreciate this as the person has been asking others for assistance (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, ODXA via DXLD) Ed, A quick Googlesearch using the search terms "New York Radio aeronautical" gave me the following page as the first "hit": http://www.faa.gov/ats/aat/ifim/ifim0109.htm 73 (Bob Chandler, VE3SRE, ibid.) This FAA page, updated in February 2004, shows HF channels for NY and Honolulu VOLMET, as well as communications channels from those and San Francisco. For VOLMET, it also shows exactly which terminal forecasts appear in which 5-minute segment of each hour. The NY VOLMET frequencies are 3485* 6604 10051 13270* kHz with the first and last sharing time --- switching over one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise --- how`s that for precision? However, we have had some reports before in DXLD about the absence of NY Radio VOLMET from its scheduled frequencies, and this is still the case at 1600 UT check May 12: zilch audible here on 13270, 10051 and 6604. It would be nice if someone could come up with a specific notice of this service closing down, permanently or temporarily? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {see 4-081} ** U S A. METROPOLITAN OPERA'S RADIO BROADCAST ANNOUNCER RETIRES May 11, 2004, 3:26 PM EDT NEW YORK (AP) --- Peter Allen is signing off after 29 years as announcer of the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts. Allen is retiring after having completed the Met's 2003-04 broadcast season on April 24. "Except for my marriage, the broadcasts --- and preparing for them --- have been the richest experience of my life. I'll miss them and the many helpful friends I've been lucky enough to work with," the 84- year-old said Tuesday. "But the broadcasts are demanding, and it's probably best for them and me to sign off while I'm ahead." Allen said he still planned to be involved with opera in some way. "We have been very fortunate to have Peter Allen as the voice of the Met on the air for so many years," said the opera's general manager, Joseph Volpe. "His vast knowledge of opera and his assured, unflappable presence have added interest and dignity to our broadcasts, and we will sorely miss him." Allen, a Toronto native, took over as host in January 1975 after Milton Cross, the broadcast's original announcer since 1931, died suddenly. He has also worked as an actor, announcer and narrator in radio, television and film. On the Net: http://www.metopera.org/home.html Copyright (c) 2004, The Associated Press (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. LIBERAL RADIO IS AIRING BAD JOKES AND WORST TASTE by Michael Goodwin http://www.nydailynews.com/news/col/story/192671p-166266c.html The United States "is on the slippery slope to theocratic fascism." "The Catholic Church has been secretly encouraging oral sex for years." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld "ought to be tortured." President Bush should be taken out and shot. Those are a few nutso nuggets from the hosts of Air America Radio, which calls itself the new liberal voice. The fledgling network is carried in New York on WLIB, 1190 AM. With the Iraq torture scandal everywhere, I tuned in, expecting to hear sober policy analysis mixed with glee over President Bush's political pickle. Instead, I got 10 hours of rancid venom directed at the President, Rumsfeld, Rush Limbaugh, the Catholic Church and anyone else the hosts felt like slamming. If you're a card-carrying lib who likes crude sex jokes and a cartoonish echo chamber, Air America is for you. . . . . . .During a day of torture by radio, I heard ads for Hewlett- Packard, Greyhound and, especially, General Motors. I asked GM why it appeared in such shows. Ryndee Carney, GM's manager of marketing communications, said the ads were wrongly picked up from an earlier deal with WLIB. She said the station was ordered to "cease and desist" yesterday, and added: "GM will not advertise on any Air America affiliates." Originally published on May 12, 2004 (via Don Thornton, DXLD) No Bob and Ray or Firesign Theater satirical wit here. I guess I'm not missing anything (Brock Whaley, DX LISTENING DIGEST) LIBERAL TALK SHOW SHUTS LA, CHICAGO SALES OFFICES Wed May 12, 2004 09:21 PM ET By Sue Zeidler LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Air America has shut its sales offices in Los Angeles and Chicago and is recasting its business plan, the network's president said on Wednesday as troubles beset the liberal talk show network. With Air America not broadcasting in those two cities after a financial dispute in April, network president Jon Sinton said, "There's not much sense in having sales offices in cities where you don't control a station." About 15 to 20 people were laid off in the closing of the sales offices, the latest sign of problems for Air America, launched on March 31 as a liberal alternative to the country's predominantly conservative talk show culture led by right-wing icons like Rush Limbaugh. Since it started, Chairman Evan Cohen, Vice Chairman Rex Sorensen and Head of Programing David Logan have left while co-founder Mark Walsh has stepped down as chief executive to take a smaller role in the organization. Sinton said Air America was in "high-level affiliate discussions in Chicago and Los Angeles" and other cities. Sinton said the company had moved away from its original business model, which was to lease and totally control the radio stations in which its programing ran. Rather, Sinton said Air America has found success with traditional affiliate relationships, under which it provides about 20 hours of programing per day in many cases in exchange for the ability to sell a certain number of minutes per hour of advertising. "The business model has changed with our on-air success. The fact that we are moving the needle so quickly with affiliates has surprised us and negated the need for us to control our own stations," Sinton said. After its launch, a dispute with business partner Multicultural Radio Broadcasting led to its programing being yanked from the air in Chicago and Los Angeles. Air America, which is said to have more than $30 million in financing, is operating in about nine markets, and on satellite radio and the Internet. Its Web site said that 15 more stations will be coming in May. "We're always looking for new financing, but the investors we have are committed and we would we like to raise more money," said Sinton, who said that certain people on the board with long-term radio experience have recently taken over key decision-making roles in a departure from the past. Serious errors in business judgment account for Air America's problems, rather than its slate of programing, say various radio industry insiders. "It makes you wonder why everybody is leaving the company," said Michael Harrison, editor for Talkers, a magazine about Talk Shows. "I think the concept of liberal radio is great, but they went about it wrong. They first insisted that stations take an entire line-up. The odds of getting enough stations to take a whole line-up are so impossible." (via Air America blog via Clara Listensprechen, DXLD) AIR AMERICA MELTDOWN: As we speak, the Net is still on the air, on WLIB/1190 in NYC and eight other stations, plus Satellite streams on XM and Sirius. So far, Chairman Evan Cohen, Vice-Chairman Rex Sorensen, CEO Mark Walsh, Exec Programming VP Dave Logan and his Sales and Marketing counterpart Jacqui Rossinsky have flown the coop. Despite all that, AA President Jon Sinton told "The Chicago Tribune", "We are on the air to stay". When asked about replacements for the departed execs, though, Sinton said, "I wouldn't hold my breath". The "Trib"'s Eric Zorn recently offered some common-sense programming points that constitute good advice for AA: essentially, Zorn advises the lefties to emphasize "news", not generic "evergreen" issues dividing the two main politcal camps; also not to engender debates with opposing callers, but to use their points as "springboards" to assure that the views espoused by the house-hosts are "right" --- and most of all, to be entertaining! My own roster of solutions for AA, which is probably too late: 1) Harry Shearer for Morning Drive --- give him anything he wants and let him do the show from his bedroom. (You may know Harry as the primary secondary-character voice for The Simpsons --- Principal Skinner and anyone who sounds like him. Harry also does a brilliant flow-of- consciousness show Sunday mornings on KCRW/89.9 in Santa Monica, packed with biting satire and contextual musical selections.) 2) Michael Jackson for Middays (not Janet's bro, we're talking the ex- ABC Talkradio host here) --- along with his longtime Producer, Lyle Gregory. MJ's rolodex has the home numbers of everyone this side of The Almighty, and his class and sense of fairness shine through almost any story or interview situation. 3) Leave Randi Rhodes right where she is in Afternoon Drive. 4) Mike Malloy for the evenings, bringing years of left-talkradio experience to the table, honed at Atlanta's WSB/750 and other major market outlets. 5) Michael Benner for late nights/overnights: probably the fairest fully-Liberal talker of all time, with many years of experience on KLOS/95.5 in L.A., and current on-air residence Friday afternoons at KPFK/90.7. Another KPFK vet is Mark Cooper, host of "RadioNation", affiliated with the co-named periodical --- certainly a good fit for AA. Use some of the remaining current roster for weekends and fill-ins, and cultivate more FAR-left talkers, perhaps by examining columnists from various alternative publications around the land, such as the "L.A. Weekly" --- and make damn sure they can SPEAK! Again, as stated last month, I do wish these people well, and admire their intent to provide balanced discourse (Greg Hardison, CA, Broadcast Band Update, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Greg`s entire BBU is in the DXLD Yahoogroup Glenn, In case you're interested, a link to a story on "Airless America" followed by another on how the anti-Howard Stern campaign was orchestrated: http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/2004_05_13.html#007041 73, (Harry L. Helms, Co-founder, LLH Technology Publishing, Now part of the Elsevier Science Book Group, May 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 'MEET THE PRESS' COMING TO RADIO Big News Network.com Thursday 13th May, 2004 http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=207bfbf2f4c1da69 Westwood One and NBC News have announced the radio launch of the NBC News Sunday morning public affairs program Meet the Press with Tim Russert. Starting May 23, the one-hour program will air every Sunday at noon ET and will be re-fed at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET. [1600, 1900, 2200 UT] Affiliates broadcasting Meet the Press will include, among others: WTKK-FM Boston, WTNT-AM Washington D.C., KTRH-AM Houston, KSL-AM Salt Lake City, and KMBZ-AM Kansas City. Our new agreement with 'Meet the Press' is a further extension of our growing relationship with NBC, Westwood One COO Chuck Bortnick said in New York Wednesday. Tim Russert has made 'Meet the Press' the number one program of its kind and we are very excited about making this addition to our outstanding lineup of programming. I am thrilled with the idea that 'Meet the Press' now has the opportunity to return to its radio roots and most pleased that we can share the national treasure that 'Meet the Press' is with Westwood One's national audience, said Tim Russert, the program's moderator. Now in its 57th year, Meet the Press is the longest running television program in the world (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U S A. INTERFAITH VOICES is an excellent program I ran across at http://www.thepublicradiostation.com following THE BRAZILIAN HOUR. --- A show about religion but NOT from the far religious right perspective. Per publicradiofan.com it is scheduled as follows on TPRS, which is the internet-only station adjunct to WAMC Albany, UT: Mon 2130-2230 Wed 0930-1030 Thu 0100-0200 Thu 2130-2230 Sat 1130-1230 Sun 0430-0530 Sun 1330-1430 and also on one other webcasting station, WWVT, Sun 1600-1700 Program website, which also has an audio archive going back several years: http://www.interfaithradio.org/ Why isn`t this on any US religious SW station?????? (Glenn Hauser, OK, May 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 8-YEAR SENTENCE FOR RADIO INTERFERENCE UW grad's actions labeled terrorism By Kevin Murphy Correspondent for The Capital Times May 13, 2004 A University of Wisconsin graduate student convicted in federal court of intentionally jamming the Madison emergency radio system 37 times last year was sentenced in federal court as a domestic terrorist Wednesday to eight years in prison, placed on three years' probation and ordered to make restitution of $6,005 to the Madison Police Department. Although the government considered Rajib Mitra, 25, of Brookfield, the equivalent of a domestic terrorist, based on an application of the Patriot Act that punishes the substantial disruption of a critical public infrastructure, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim O'Shea said Mitra's crime stemmed more from "immaturity than ideology." . . . http://www.madison.com/captimes/news/stories/74232.php (Capital Times, Madison, via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [non]. RNV a través de RHC Hola a todos! Siendo las 2335 UT del 10 de mayo, estoy escuchando a RNV Radio Nacional de Venezuela en 11760 con aceptable señal (SINFO=34333) y leve QRM de El Cairo (11755). La identificación repetida frecuentemente es "Radio Nacional de Venezuela, Antena Internacional" o también "Radio Nacional de Venezuela, Canal Internacional". Se emiten breves micros culturales como "Un momento en nuestra historia", "Oportunidades..." (acerca de la transformación política y social de Venezuela a partir de 1998), "Tus paisajes" (con el slogan "...Cada instante descubra más de Venezuela..."), "Venezuela y su geografía". Excelente audio y 99% de comprensibilidad (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, noticias dx via DXLD) ** WALLIS & FUTUNA. STRIKE TAKES WALLIS AND FUTUNA RADIO, TV OFF AIR | Text of report by Radio New Zealand International audio web site on 12 May Television and radio in the French territory of Wallis and Futuna have gone off the air because of a strike. About 30 of the more than 50 union members at the broadcaster RFO have walked off the job after demanding that the regional management be dismissed. The striking workers also want a reorganization of the technical services and administrative changes. The head of RFO, Jean-Michel Besse, has been contacted but the unionists have so far refused to negotiate with the regional managers. Source: Radio New Zealand International audio web site, Wellington, in English 0323 gmt 12 May 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ DAYTON HAMVENTION MAY 14-16 The biggest ham radio hamfest in the world is held each year in Dayton, Ohio. This year's Hamvention runs May 14 to May 16. For more info visit http://www.hamvention.org (DXing.com Newsroom via DXLD) INTERNATIONAL RADIO CLUB OF AMERICA, BOISE ID, JULY 23-25 Convention update. Dates: July 23-25, Hotel: Rodeway INN, 1115 North Curtis Rd, Boise ID 83706 (1-208-376-2700 or 1-800-272-5993). Rates: $59.95 plus 12% tax or $67.14. Starts: Friday 9 AM, ends: Sunday afternoon after Bar-b-que. Tentative tours: KIDO/KFXD and KBOI. Convention fee: $25.00, can also be paid via Paypal at: N7SOK@aol.com. Auction items: send to Frank Aden, 4096 Marcia Pl., Boise ID 83704. E-mail inquiries: send to: IRCA2004@aol.com --- more later - pb. (Phil Bytheway, IRCA Soft DX Monitor May 12 via DXLD) RadioFest 2004, Oakville, Ontario, September 24-25 Hi Glenn: Below are details for RadioFest 2004 this coming October [sic]. We're looking forward to welcoming Ian McFarland back to Ontario to help us celebrate. All DXLD readers will be welcome. (Harold Sellers) The 30th anniversary of the Ontario DX Association September 24-25, at the Monte Carlo Inn - Oakville 374 South Service Road E., Oakville, Ontario, L6J 2X6, CANADA Tel: (905) 849-9500, http://www.montecarloinns.com/oak.htm ----------------------- Friday: our wine and cheese reception in the evening sponsored by CHWO / AM 740 Saturday: items on sale, silent auction, displays, guest speakers, and the draw for Raffle 2003. Coffee supplied by CFRB / CFRX. Sunday: group breakfast and send-off Speakers - This year we welcome back Ian McFarland to our 30th anniversary. Ian is a former ODXA member and is best remembered as the former CBC broadcaster and host/writer of Radio Canada Internationals English Language Service. An international broadcast consultant, Ian has worked for the BBC in London as well as NHK Tokyo. Back in the 1980s, Ian McFarland's "Shortwave Listeners' Digest" on Radio Canada International was the dominant communications program, at least among shortwave listeners in North America. Prices Weekend Registration: $10.00 CDN ($7.00 US) Friday Wine & Cheese: included in registration Saturday / Sunday Meals: pay on your own For more information, contact Harold Sellers at 905-853-3518 email: listeningin @ rogers.com or Brian Smith at am740 @ rogers.com or by mail at: ODXA, 155 Main St.N., Apt. 313, Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 8C2, Canada Or use "PayPal" on our web site at http://www.odxa.on.ca Check our web site and our magazine Listening In for updates (Harold T. Sellers, ODXA, May 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WORLD OF TELEPHONES +++++++++++++++++++ HELLO, PAY PHONE INFORMATION? ENTHUSIAST PROVIDES THE ANSWER The New York Times May 13, 2004 By IAN URBINA It started as an art project. Blue spiral notebook in hand, Mark Thomas spent afternoons walking the streets of Manhattan, compiling the numbers and locations of public pay phones. He posted them on his Web site in the hope that people would call them. "There is real beauty in whimsical acts of contact between strangers," he explained. Soon his list expanded to include public phones at the top of the Eiffel Tower, in the basement of the Vatican, in the middle of the Mojave Desert, and at about 450,000 other places around the world. Word of his project spread, and Cindy in Hawaii reported having had the strangest conversation about beaches with a man answering a pay phone in Brazil. Kim from Sydney, Australia, said she called a phone on the corner of 57th and Broadway in Manhattan, where a guy answered, "Wassup" and said he had never heard of Australia. Most surreal of all was the conversation Mr. Thomas had when he picked up a pay phone in Queens, at the 36th Avenue stop of the N line, and the person on the other end explained that he had found the number on Mr. Thomas's Web site. But soon the project changed as panicked e-mail messages started arriving from people who needed to learn the location of a certain pay phone: A mother in rural Texas was desperately looking for her pregnant 15-year-old daughter, who had run away a month earlier and had tried to call home from a pay phone; an anti-pedophile group was racing to find a man who had used a pay phone to arrange a sexual meeting with a young boy; a real estate broker in Phoenix wanted to put an end to the daily calls from a stalker who was threatening to kill him. In an age of cellphone ubiquity, Mr. Thomas's passion for pay phones, while initially little more than fanciful, has thus yielded both entertaining and more urgently practical applications. His Web site, http://www.payphone-project.com which gets about 45,000 visitors per month, is one of the only places where people can match an incoming pay phone number to a location. The Web site, he said, has become what the pay phone once was: a lifeline for those in sudden moments of need. . . http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/13/nyregion/13PAYP.html?pagewanted=print&position= (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) DRM [See also USA - NASB above] +++ Re: Bonaire - NZ DRM, Glenn's comment in 4-079: "That`s not the longest circuit, by far. Some European (analog) stations broadcast direct to Au/NZ, even by long path" Sorry, what I mean to say, was that it's the longest circuit tested for DRM. I am not aware of anyone having plans to push a DRM signal over long path, at least not on a regular basis. Where I take issue with Ralph is that he listens to DRM transmissions beamed from one part of Europe to another, then complains that they aren't well received in North America. Ralph admits that he has "no way to judge if long-distance reception is reliable." My colleague Jan-Peter Werkman, along with Andy Giefer from the BBC, spent several years travelling thousands of miles to carry out tests, sometimes going without sleep, to collate data that proves to our satisfaction that it is (Andy Sennitt, May 12, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) It would be nice if those promoting DRM, Andy and Jeff, would try to rebut all of Ralph`s specific points in previous issue (gh, DXLD) Explanations are often given about ``changing audiences``, ``new technologies``, etc. All one needs to do is to look around the world and see the millions and millions of people each and every day, who do not have the day to day luxuries of so many of us. Try to imagine living your life without running water, electricity, computers, Internet, daily newspapers, television, etc. There are millions of people on the planet who still have yet to make their very first telephone call! Managers, consultants, and others at major international broadcasters talk about live streaming audio feeds, digital and satellite radio. Do they stop and think about the millions of wind-up, solar powered radios and battery powered, vintage portable radios being used daily? This ``ancient technology`` known as analog radio continues to serve more people with their daily dose of news, Information and entertainment than all other media combined. The technology hasn`t even changed much from the days when Marconi sent his first wireless messages through the ether. New technologies are great and the human species is all about development, change and pressing forward, but we should all remember what got us here, and what continues to serve us all on a daily basis before we look at implementing dramatic changes to standards that have served us so well up to now (Sheldon Harvey, QC, May CIDX Messenger, via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ GET CHIPPED, THEN CHARGE WITHOUT PLASTIC -- YOU ARE THE CARD http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040512/6194271s.htm (USA Today via Mike Cooper, DXLD) NEXTEL SAYS COMPROMISE WON'T WORK FCC CONSIDERS SWAP OF DIFFERENT SPECTRUM By Yuki Noguchi, Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, May 12, 2004; Page E01 Nextel Communications Inc. yesterday told the Federal Communications Commission it won't accept a compromise being discussed by the commission, which has spent more than two years trying to find a way to minimize cellular call interference with public safety communications. Fire, police and emergency communications systems have complained of interference from cellular systems. Nextel, which has admitted it causes a majority of the interference problems, has offered to pay $850 million to move some of the public safety users to other airwaves with less interference and to give up some of its existing airwaves. In return, Nextel wants a swath of spectrum in the 1.9 gigahertz range. Nextel's rivals, led by Verizon Wireless, say that such a swap would be a giveaway of public resources. They have urged the FCC to offer Nextel a slice of less-valuable spectrum in the 2.1 GHz range, something the commission is considering, according to sources close to the FCC. . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A19027-2004May11?language=printer (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) FCC MAY LET WI-FI GO BETWEEN TV SIGNALS By Paul Davidson USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040513/6198493s.htm [Note: this is reminiscent of the NASWA proposal about how to handle BPL. Either way, it would devastate TV DXing, but who cares about that? --- gh] Despite the objections of TV broadcasters, the Federal Communications Commission today is expected to propose allowing unlicensed wireless services to use vacant airwaves between TV stations. Under the plan, unlicensed wireless high-speed Internet services could use unused frequencies between channels 2 and 51 in each market, as long as they didn't disrupt existing stations. The proposal, expected to lead to a final ruling later this year, would pave the way for more robust and less expensive wireless Internet services by 2006. But some broadcasters say the new offerings could interfere with over-the-air TV signals. Today, Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity, services let consumers with Wi-Fi-equipped computers get fast wireless Web services in coffee shops, hotels and airports. Also, scores of providers are delivering longer-range wireless broadband service in rural areas. With both, fixed broadband lines are hooked to antennas that beam to users over other unlicensed airwaves. But providers and equipment makers are salivating at the prospect of using the TV spectrum, which is in lower-frequency bands that let signals travel farther and better penetrate buildings and foliage. That means more seamless service -- and lower costs, because fewer antennas are needed. ''This (spectrum) is beachfront property,'' says Peter Pitsch, communications policy director for Intel, a Wi-Fi chip maker. ''In rural areas where the nearest broadcaster is 100 miles away, you could crank the power up and provide very low-cost wireless broadband service.'' New, intelligent wireless gear can avoid TV interference, say FCC and industry officials. Antennas can check a channel to see if a TV station is using it and even adjust its power based on the station's power. Also, TV stations' strong signals are generally invulnerable to weaker wireless transmissions. But Dennis Wharton of the National Association of Broadcasters says ''real-life situations'' often don't match computer forecasts. The FCC says it would limit wireless device power, among other safeguards. ''We do not want to jeopardize broadcasters in any way,'' says Ed Thomas, chief of the FCC's bureau of engineering and technology. Michael Calabrese of the New American Foundation, which promotes competition, says interference fears are a smokescreen. Broadcasters, he says, are eyeing the vacant spectrum to offer new subscription TV or other services. Wharton denied the claim. Thomas says the plan could benefit TV stations, which could use the unlicensed airwaves for interactive TV, sending digital TV signals to tuners in laptops. Consumers could take part in shows by buying products or answering questions. ''One of our jobs is to always to seek out opportunities, but first things first'' says Andrew Setos, president of engineering for Fox Group. Fox, he says, wants to ensure there is no risk of interference. (c) Copyright 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD ###