DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-084, May 22, 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 1231: 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 Sat 2130 on RFPI, http://www.rfpi.org repeated 8-hourly thru Mon 1330 Sat 2300 on RFPI, http://www.rfpi.org repeated 8-hourly thru Mon 1500 Sun 0230 on WWCR 5070 Sun 0300 on WBCQ 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 1230] Mon 0430 on WBCQ 7415, webcast http://wbcq.us Wed 0930 on WWCR 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html WORLD OF RADIO 1231 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1231h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1231h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1231.html WORLD OF RADIO 1231 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1231.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1231.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1231 in MP3, the true shortwave sound of 7415: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_05-19-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_05-19-04.mp3 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) ** AUSTRALIA. Program Changes Coming to RA --- Roger Broadbent of Radio Australia advises that, from Sunday 30 May the following schedule changes will be implemented on weekdays. 1. Because ABC Radio National is dropping its 'Best of Breakfast' program, replacing it on RA at 1935 UT [Sun to Thu] will be a couple of items lifted from the previous day`s 'Bush Telegraph'. These items, and a track or two of music, will be linked by RA host Myra Mortensen. 2. At 2130 UT [Sun to Thu] - 'RNZI Pacific Dateline'* will replace these programs: Mon: Country Breakfast Tue: Earthbeat Wed: Innovations Thu: Education Programme - currently In The Pipeline Fri: All In The Mind 3. At 0410 [Mon to Fri] - 'Bush Telegraph' replaces 'Margaret Throsby'. 4. At 1130 [Mon to Thu] - 'Bush Telegraph' (the half hour version) will be replaced by: Mon: Innovations Tue: Earthbeat Wed: Rural Reporter Thu: Education Program - currently 'In The Pipeline' 5. At 1610 [Mon to Fri] - 'Margaret Throsby' will replace 'Bush Telegraph'. *'RNZI Pacific Dateline' will consist of a 6 minute news bulletin and the 'Dateline Pacific' program that goes to air on RNZI a few hours earlier. It's the first part of a new RA initiative to set up a 'Pacific Broadcasting Network' envisioned by RA as a cooperative effort involving Pacific broadcasters and involving the exchange of program material among the broadcasters. Weekend schedule remains as it is for now (John Figliozzi, May 20, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Australia/HCJB interview: Audio link now works, transcript available... Adding to the HCJB Australia interview item that I submitted for DXLD 4-083, the audio link now works --- http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/mediarpt/audio/mediarpt_20052004_2856.ram with the interview starting near the 13:00 mark. Also there's a transcript of the entire show here: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/mediarpt/stories/s1110539.htm (Michael L. Semon, Lakeland, FL, May 22 DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Civic leaders in the small West Australian town of Kununurra, have had a decisive intervention in a plan to broadcast the Christian gospel to up to half the world`s population. A group called Heralding Christ Jesus` Blessings, known as HCJB, broadcasts Christian and other programs into the South Pacific and South East Asia from a base outside Kununurra, in northern Western Australia. HCJB World Radio International has operated for almost 70 years, initially from Ecuador in South America. The headquarters of the group`s international federation is in Colorado Springs in the U.S. This week the local shire council of Wyndham East Kimberley approved the planning application for new transmission towers in Kununurra, which will significantly increase HCJB`s reach, not only into South- East Asia, but also Europe and Africa. The Director of the group in Australia is David Maindonald. David Maindonald: HCJB Australia is an independent organisation but we have foots in the group that was formed back in the late 1920s, that commenced broadcasting internationally from Ecuador, in 1931, Christmas Day in fact we went on the air. And from there we`ve had international short wave services going out, for many, many years, to many countries of the world, but we`ve never had a good signal into the Asia-Pacific. Mick O`Regan: Right, and this station at Kununurra, in the northern part of Western Australia will obviously provide you with that point to broadcast into South-East Asia? David Maindonald: Yes, that`s right. We have studios in Melbourne and we feed the signal to the transmitters located at Kununurra. Mick O`Regan: Now the broadcasting you do, can you give listeners a sense of what people hear when they listen to your output? David Maindonald: Well we make no apologies for the fact that we`re an international Christian broadcaster strongly promoting family values. But within that programming there is both religious, cultural, health, educational, musical information, news and so on, which we feel gives us a holistic type of program. Mick O`Regan: And is that programming which you acknowledge as Christian, is it a program that is devised by, say, people in Melbourne, or people in the States, or will your program going into South-East Asia take in local factors? David Maindonald: When we were negotiating with the Australian government to get the laws of Australia changed, we told them that our programming out of Ecuador coming to us in English across the Pacific and to Australia here, had been doing that for about 45 years, and we said that we would take that program, we would initially build on that, Australianise it more and more, and then continue to develop our own sound, our own programming here in Australia. So today we still have programming coming from our headquarters, or from our branch office if you like, in Ecuador. We bring in some programming from New Zealand, some from the UK, a lot of it is produced here, and we`re broadcasting I think about ten hours a day at the moment. Mick O`Regan: The objectives or the broadcasting I gather is obviously to spread a Christian message; given that you`re going into South-East Asia, what sort of cultural sensitivities inform your broadcasting, given that there is obviously great tension, and in some cases, armed conflict in parts of South-East Asia, that follows a sectarian line. To what extent do you factor those sensitivities into your broadcasting? David Maindonald: We don`t get involved in negative programming. We bring a positive message. We don`t criticise or denigrate other religion or faiths, we keep right out of that altogether, again, just saying there`s no value in negative programming of any kind. Mick O`Regan: But the idea of the programming would be evangelical, it would be to bring people to the point where they agree with the Christian message and seek somehow to be part of the broader Christian community? David Maindonald: Well we believe like the country of Australia does, that freedom of speech is one of God`s great gifts to this country and that people have a right of speech, people have a right to hear about God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and how he came to be their saviour, and mankind can choose to listen to the broadcasts that we`re putting out there, or they can choose to turn their radios off. I mean people have choice. And just as there are other stations and other faiths and religions who broadcast down into this part of the world, and we have a choice as to whether we listen to them or turn their station off. Mick O`Regan: Say in the recent, and I`m talking of the last few years here, in the recent tensions that have occurred in places like Ambon in the Indonesian Archipelago, that specifically involve Christians and non-Christians, would part of the message that you were tailoring for people to hear in that part of the world be, if you like, hosing down Christian militancy, basically putting out a message that Christians should not fight non-Christians? David Maindonald: We don`t get involved in that sort of political stuff, we keep well away from that. Mick O`Regan: Right. But surely that some sort of political analysis of the situation that was, if you like, facing Christian communities in places like Ambon, would inform the nature of your broadcasting, in order to make sure it was culturally sensitive? David Maindonald: Yes we want to be culturally sensitive in all that we say and in all that we do. Mick O`Regan: So how do you do that? David Maindonald: By not getting involved in the political aspects of it. And I sense you`re trying to put some words into my mouth. Mick O`Regan: No, what I`m trying to suggest is that as a broadcaster with a specific religious objective and broadcasting specifically into an area of South-East Asia where religion and politics inform problems in that area, I`m interested in how your programming acknowledges those sensitivities and deals with it in a way that doesn`t inflame situations because as you would be well aware no doubt, that religious sectarianism is a key social and political problem in parts of South- East Asia, directly the area that you`re trying to carry on your broadcasting evangelical work. David Maindonald: Yes well we also go out in languages other than English and where that programming is for a particular country, we will try to see that that program is produced in-country, so that it`s culturally sensitive and it`s handled by people who know what they`re saying, know what they`re doing and again, we are not seeking to cause any offence or create any difficulties, we`re seeking to present a positive, family orientated Christian message. Mick O`Regan: David, given the current political environment and obviously the war in Iraq would be a major element to this, along with the things that we`ve already discussed about sectarian violence in South-East Asia, I gather that there was a perception among some Kununurra residents that a station like yours could put the town at risk of people who opposed your Christian message, that you could be at risk of being targeted by extremists. Can I get your response to that concern? David Maindonald: Do you believe that would be a concern for Kununurra? Mick O`Regan: Well I can understand I suppose people being concerned that a place so close to South-East Asia where religious programming advocating a particular Christian message might be poorly received by people who were antagonistic to Christians, but I`m wondering how you would understand that risk, or the way that risk is portrayed? David Maindonald: Well you talk about the antagonism. I think if you check with Kununurra you`ll find that it`s embedded in three or four people up there who`ve got quite a stirring situation going on. But the Shire Council last night gave us approval for planning for a major situation that we`re looking to expand into up there, and we`re grateful for that. Mick O`Regan: When your expansion plans are complete, how broad a network will you have, and what will be the range of your broadcasts? David Maindonald: We would hope to have in place about five 100 kW transmitters, and from the north-west of Australia with international broadcasting, you can reach something over half the world. Mick O`Regan: David, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to The Media Report. David Maindonald: Been a pleasure to talk with you. Mick O`Regan: David Maindonald, the Director of the Christian broadcasting group, HCJB Australia. Well one of those doing the stirring that David Maindonald suggests is behind opposition to the siting of the broadcast transmission towers in Kununurra is local Shire Councillor, Keith Wright. Keith Wright: Kununurra has a population of about 5,000 people. Three years ago when the original proposal came to Council, there was a petition with 800+ signatures on it, I think it was about 830 signatures from people in and around Kununurra, and some people passing through of course. Now David Maindonald might argue that some of the people passing through had no right to sign that particular petition but it`s interesting to note that in the most recent proposal that Council dealt with on Tuesday 18th, there was a number of submissions for and against the proposal, and 80% of those supporting the project for HCJB had addresses outside Kununurra. There was Tasmania, there was Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland with only a handful of people resident in Kununurra that supported it. Mick O`Regan: Keith, I understand that there are concerns that because of the content of the broadcast and the fact that it`s going to an area where sectarian disputes between Christians and non-Christians, or Christians and Muslims in fact, has been quite severe, that people suggested that Kununurra might become the target for extremists or terrorists who are offended by that Christian message. Is that seriously believed by people, or was that simply put up as yet another reason to try and block the approval? Keith Wright: Look Mick, I personally feel that that is a possibility. I mean we all hope and really do hope that that will never come to pass, but there are an awful lot of people that would have argued that the likes of September 11 and the likes of the Bali bombings could never, ever possibly have happened. And I think we`ve all got to recognise the fact that the world is not the same as it used to be ten years ago. There has been an argument that if people don`t like the sort of material being broadcast, and our editorial in our local paper rubbished me fairly heavily in its last edition, saying that if they didn`t like the material being broadcast they could simply turn off the radio. Mick O`Regan: Which they can do, of course. Keith Wright: Yes, that is exactly true, but I don`t think we`re talking about those sorts of people, we`re talking about governments and regimes and extremist groups, that although the people might choose to listen to it, the powers-that-be might think Hey, this isn`t the sort of material that the people in our community, the people in our country, need to listen to. Now if they can`t ask people and achieve the fact that the radios are turned off and they don`t tune in to HCJB, they may very well choose to remove the broadcast at its source. And that means that they`ll take steps to put HCJB off the air in Kununurra. Mick O`Regan: Those people who are opposing HCJB do they ever bring forward any evidence to suggest that there might be groups in South- East Asia that would take direct action against this statement, or is this just extrapolating from, if you like, a worst case scenario that they`ve thought up? Keith Wright: I think it`s more a matter of being -- in answer to your first question, No, there`s been no documentary evidence brought forward; neither was there documentary evidence before September 11, neither was there documentary evidence before the Bali bombings. Retrospectively we can produce those sorts of things, but I think we should all try and achieve something where there is no need for retrospective looking back of a disaster that`s happened, we`ve got to take every step to make certain that we don`t have the conditions in place for anything like September 11 or Bali to happen ever again in the future. Mick O`Regan: Keith Wright, a member of the Wyndham East Kimberley Shire Council in northern Western Australia. The President of the Shire Council is Barbara Johnson, who doesn`t share Mr Wright`s security anxieties, and says the Council has taken numerous steps to ensure that community concerns could be expressed and discussed. However, in the end it was a planning decision about planning approval, and that`s what the Council did. Barbara Johnson: Initially when HCJB approached the Council about permission for this type of project to go ahead some time back, we had public meetings and gave the public the opportunity to voice their concern, we advertised it so that people could write in and object or support the project, and that type of thing. And a lot of those issues were raised by people then, the emotional issues, the social issues, whatever you like to say. There were petitions drawn up, people signed petitions, and there were deputisations to the Council about their concerns, so those things were fairly prominent back in the initial stages, but as a contrast to that, at last night`s Council meeting when we considered this planning approval, there was only one person in the gallery who was an objector and there were probably about 15 people in the gallery who supported the project. We did go to advertising a few weeks ago, even though under our town planning scheme we don`t have to on this matter, but because it was an emotive issue in the past, we decided to advertise it and as a result of that advertisement there were only two letters of objection lodged with the Shire and about 33 letters of support. Mick O`Regan: Was there any concern that by broadcasting Christian messages into the Asia-Pacific region, particularly where there is localised fighting between Christian and Muslim groups in, say places like Maluku or Ambon, that Kununurra might become a target for extremist groups who are opposed to Christian broadcasting? Was that discussed? Barbara Johnson: Well people obviously put up that objection, or that was the reason for their objection. When it came to the Council, I mean the thing that came before Council is an application for a planning approval, and Council has to consider that as a planning matter, not as an emotive issue. But of course as the years have passed, with this matter coming up on a couple of occasions, obviously we`re concerned that our residents have those issues in the back of their mind, but when it comes down to the actual Council having to make a decision on a planning application, we have to consider it as a planning application and whether that fits with our planning guidelines or not. And that`s really how it ended up being treated last night, as an application for planning approval. And it was approved. Mick O`Regan: And that`s that. The President of the Wyndham-East Kimberley Shire Council, Barbara Johnson on the line from Kununurra. And that`s The Media Report for this week. My thanks to Producer Andrew Davies and to our Technical Producer, Jim Ussher. Guests on this program: Barbara Johnson President of the Wyndham East Kimberley Shire. David Maindonald Director of Heralding Christ Jesus Blessings (HCJB) Australia. Keith Wright Councillor with the Wyndham East Kimberley Shire. Presenter: Mick O`Regan Producer: Andrew Davies (Media Report via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB-AUS UPDATE GH, This was distributed to EDXP members, as an appendix to the original Australian Associated Press story about local government approval having been received in principal for the antenna constuction project at Kununurra. Feel free to use it where you wish. Bob Padula ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BACKGROUND ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE APPROVAL PROCESS HCJB-AUS applied to the Australian Government in 1995 for a licence to construct and operate a broadcasting station serving international audiences, at Kununurra, Western Australia. At that time, the Broadcasting Services Act (1992) precluded such licences from being issued to non-Governmental organisations. Radio Australia is exempt from the provisions of the Act, as it is owned by the Government. The application resulted in a Productivity Commission submission to the Federal Government, to introduce a new section in the BSA specifically for non-Governmental organisations seeking international HF broadcasting or satellite broadcasting licences. The BSA was amended and proclaimed in 1999. Applicants, such as HCJB-AUS, would only be authorised to operate after issue of a Content Licence (from the Australian Broadcasting Authority, and a Transmitter Licence (from the Australian Communications Authority). The necessary Licences were duly granted to HCJB-AUS. Very stringent requirements are prescribed, as a set of three criteria - Fundamental, General, and Specific. Those criteria include content compliance on issues of language, pronunciation, terminology, ethnicity, religion, gender, and any other matter which could be considered sensitive or potentially offensive to the peoples of the target regions (Asia and the Pacific). HCJB-AUS is also obliged to fulfill additional conditions, which include the carriage of news broadcasts from ABC National Radio and Radio Australia, programming about health and well-being, and material covering learning and education. Those conditions were contained in HCJB-AUS's original licence application, to support its request, and are not commonly known. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS The story quoted in the AAP report is, in reality, based on the original proposal. The initial application was steered through various Federal Government agencies, which resulted in the relevant Licences being issued. However, local concerns had been raised by the Aboriginal peoples, other communities and interest-groups in the region, related to the visible impact of an array of tall towers, problems with high towers affecting aircraft movements and radar coverage in the area (there is a busy airport at Kununurra), ecological effects, and potential health hazards caused by electro-magnetic radiation from high powered HF transmitters. Local objections to the proposal were examined by due process over many months, supported by various petitions from residents. Note that the actual land on which the antenna array is to be constructed has not yet been acquired by HCJB-AUS. The engineering design brief calls for the erection of 31 tall masts, in a circular configuration pattern, allowing for 30 directional/ slewable curtain antenna arrays. The towers are actually on site. They were originally used at the Australian Army's transmitting station at Diggers Rest, about 40 km north of Melbourne, here in Victoria, until that facility was closed down some years ago. HCJB-AUS acquired the masts and associated infrastructure, and all of this was sent by freight over some thousands of kilometres to Kununurra. The dismantled steelwork and other equipment at Diggers Rest had been lying in paddocks for many months, gathering weeds and an eyesore to the local farming community, and was to be sold as scrap metal. At present, there is one transmitter, nominally rated at 100 kW, used with either of two antennas - one is at azimuth 120 degrees (for general coverage into eastern Australia and the Pacific) - the other is at azimuth 307 degrees (for general coverage into India and Indonesia). Due to design limitations, the existing antennas cannot operate on bands other than 11 or 15 MHz, and when used on 15 MHz, power is limited to 75 kW. The Productivity Commission submission is available as a public document, and contains extracts of the Broadcasting Services Act, as applicable to international radio and satellite broadcasting from Australia. It provides excellent background on the regulatory mechanisms for such broadcasting, as well as extensive detail of HCJB-AUS's original proposal. It is a 16 page PDF document, and is at http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiry/broadcst/subs/sub113.pdf Regards! (Bob Padula, Mont Albert, Victoria, Australia, http://edxp.org May 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thank you! I wonder if HCJB-Australia has actually been carrying news from RA/ABC, and the other programmes as required? Did not see any mention of such on their schedule (gh, DXLD) Glenn, As far as I know, HCJB-AUS is not carrying ABC programming, at least not on a regular basis. Regards (Bob Padula, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. MISSION CENTRE INTERNATIONAL BIBLE VOICE BROADCASTING (BVB) is proposing to establish a partnership with the Australian-based MISSION CENTRE INTERNATIONAL (MCI)in the near future. MCI is an interdenominational organisation, serving Bible teaching Christians, located in Balcutta, Western Australia. Other groups forming MCI are High Adventure Ministries Australia, Truth Resources, Hatikvah Film Foundation Inc., Chibesakundra Missions Zambia, and Christian Friends of Israel. HVA, as part of MCI, is currently setting up a production studio at Balcutta, and is seeking expressions of interest from secular program producers across Australia wishing to place content on BVB shortwave transmissions. HVA will also be putting in place suitable arrangements to assist Australian religious organisations with actual program production. It is linked with the High Adventure Ministries Corporate organisation in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. BVB has received requests from Indonesian producers for programming in that language, to add to its recently introduced broadcasts to Asia in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Japanese (Bob Padula - see http://edxp.org May 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BAHAMAS. Don`t let 96.1 in the Bahamas confuse you --- it sounds a lot like a pirate with no call IDs and amateur sounding ads (Ken Simon, WPB FL, May 19, WTFDA via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. RADIO NET SALE DEL AIRE A PARTIR DEL 31 DE MAYO Las frecuencias que actualmente tiene en Bogotá, Medellín y Cali se utilizarían para apoyar otros proyectos y espacios de Radio Caracol. El ambicioso proyecto radial que comenzó el 20 de enero de 1996, que ofrecía noticias permanentemente bajo la dirección de Yamid Amat, comenzó su desmonte hace aproximadamente un año, aunque sin la decisión de terminarlo, como ahora, indicó a EL TIEMPO una fuente de Radio Caracol, dueña de Radio Net, que pidió mantener su nombre en reserva. "Cuando el grupo español Prisa asumió el control de Radio Caracol, en Radio Net se encontró con un sistema maltrecho, sin vigor, cabizbajo, sin el personal que requería un proyecto semejante. De hecho, desde entonces incorporó al servicio informativo de Caracol a todo el equipo periodístico de Radio Net", explicó el mismo portavoz. Una de las posibilidades que se estudia para ocupar las frecuencias que Radio Net ocupa actualmente en Bogotá, Cali y Medellín, es que entre a fortalecer el sistema de Radio Reloj, actualmente con 19 emisoras locales. "Radio Net siempre ha sido un apéndice de Radio Caracol. El formato de noticias las 24 horas tuvo su momento y su público, pero lamentablemente ya se agotó", agregó la mencionada fuente. Además de Amat, en el equipo que estuvo en los comienzos de Radio Net participaron figuras del periodismo local como María Elvira Arango y el asesinado Jaime Garzón, entre otros. El formato de esta emisora consistía en transmitir noticias de forma ininterrumpida al 'estilo de la CNN', dividas en bloques de noticias de quince minutos, en los que se abordaban temas de actualidad desde orden público hasta deportes, espectáculos y cultura. Esa premura informativa también dio para diversas anécdotas, como cuando en 1997 dijeron al aire que el narcotraficante Justo Pastor Perafán había sido capturado, que resultó falso. En ese entonces, Amat tuvo que hacer la rectificación de la información al aire, además de la respectiva renuncia del reportero que dio la noticia. http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/cult/2004-05-21/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-1619843.html N.B: Frequencies: Bogotá 850, Medellín 590, Cali 700. (via Henrik Klemetz, May 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIONET IS CLOSING DOWN Radionet wanted to become ``a Colombian CNN``. They tried hard but failed. They are now closing down on May 31. At the outset, the network was on 10 AM frequencies, all of which leased by Caracol, Bogotá 850, Medellín 590, Cali 700, Cúcuta 1090, Cartagena 1200, Neiva 1210, Bucaramanga 1270, Valledupar 1380, Duitama 1150 and Barranquilla 1040 to the new company, co-owned by Yamid Amat, one of the most respected newsmen in Colombian radio. The other half was owned by Grupo Santo Domingo, a.k.a. Valores Bavaria (main owners of Caracol). It was expected that the company would reach break-even in five years time and cease to depend on Caracol. The story ended differently, though. Radionet failed to take off economically. When the Spanish Prisa group (owners of Cadena SER and other media) recently joined forces with Valores Bavaria, Radionet remained under the auspices of Caracol. Radionet carried local news from all over the country, but in all instances their programming originated from the nation`s capital where it was digitalized and handled in an intricate minute-to-minute format. Apart from a New Year's party or two, originating from Cartagena, no local IDs were ever heard on Radionet, except for occasional PSAs where frequencies for relaying outlets were given, one apiece. One of the country’s foremost humorists, Jaime Garzón, who used to comment the topics of the day in a jocular way, was murdered on his way to the studios one morning in August 1999. The paramilitary leader Carlos Castaño, now reported missing, was sentenced earlier this year to 38 years of prison for co-authoring the murder. ----------------- Sources: -My research and cover story for the Radio World magazine, Edición Internacional, 19 de marzo de 1997 (Vol. 21, No. 6), unavailable on internet. -On Jaime Garzón, more info from Reporteros sin fronteras, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=9511 and, for a short biography, http://www.revistanumero.com/38garzon.htm / -On Yamid Amat, presently with the El Tiempo newspaper and CM& TV news, see for instance http://www.caracol.com.co/noticias/111468.htm and http://www.caracolnoticias.com/nacional/noti_Nacional.asp?id_sw=47044 -Caracol 6AM 25th anniversary broadcast, May 6, 2004, still available on the web in realaudio, see http://www.caracol.com.co Archivo de audio -Prisa and Caracol merger, see http://www.finanzas.com/id.3664130/noticias/noticia.htm -Radionet website: http://www.radionet.com.co ------------ Radionet was occasionally heard over other outlets, such as Ecos del Atrato, 5020 kHz. ------------ Reception reports have been of little interest to Radionet, and so there are very few QSL's around (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, May 22, dxing.info via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Re: SWR Germany 6030 & 7265 close June 30 --- But maybe not? This also via DXplorer today 21 May: Hello DXplorers, Mr. Janitz of SWR has just informed another listener via my A-DX list that there are no plans to switch off the transmitters in Rohrdorf and Muehlacker --- not for short --- and mediumwave and not at all for July. Nevertheless, he admits that this could be possible at some point in the future. Greetings from Salzburg (Christoph Ratzer via DXplorer via Dave Kenny, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** HAITI. FOR RADIO JOURNALIST, HAITI IS 'PLACE OF PERMANENT PERIL' http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A44033-2004May20?language=printer (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** ICELAND. Re: ``not even a carrier is heard at 1410-1440 on 15775 (or 13865) here in Denmark. I wonder if this really is on the air. Are any DX-er in North America able to hear it ? (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window May 19 via DXLD)`` To answer Anker Petersen's query in DXLD 4-083, RUV 15775 was heard on 16 May with fair to good signal from 1406 tune-in with program in progress, which ran late to 1445 s/off (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, May 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tried 15775 at 1415 today, weak signal (Hans Johnson, CumbreDX, 17 May) 73s, (via Bernd Trutenau, dlxdyg via DXLD) {oops, already 4-082} ** INDIA. A visit to AIR Chennai --- Jose Jacob, VU2JOS Chennai, which was known in English as Madras till recently, is located in the South Eastern coast of India. It is a metropolitan city and is the capital of Tamilnadu. State. The local language is Tamil. A couple of days back on 13 May 2004 while passing through Chennai, I had the pleasure of visiting the AIR transmitting station at Avadi there by prior appointment. All India Radio -- Madras as it was known then was inaugurated on 16 June 1938. Its studios are near the beach in Mylapore. The MW & SW transmitters are presently located at Avadi, about 25 km away from Chennai in a 275 acre site. Its peripheral wall is about 7 km long! The staff quarters are also located here. One has to pass through security checks at 3 places to enter the transmitter building. There are 3 transmitter buildings at this site. In the first building which is about 1 km away from the main entrance, are two SW transmitters. On the way we can see their large antennas. In one room is the 50 kW BEL HHB 144 transmitter made by Bharat Electronics, Bangalore and commissioned in 1994. It is used for the A channel programs on 4920 & 7160 kHz. In the next room is a 100 kW BBC SK 51F3 transmitter made by British [sic] Brown Boveri and commissioned on 19 Feb 1985. Currently it operates on 7270 kHz with test broadcasts of AIR FM Gold programs relayed from New Delhi received via satellite. Later it is proposed to be used for the new a AIR news channel. Earlier it also used to operate on 4790, 4990, 7270, 7275 etc. with External Services to Sri Lanka in Tamil, English & Sinhala and Vividh Bharati programs on 10330 etc. on the Home Service. This transmitter can in fact operate from 3900 to 26100 kHz. This transmitter is known as M5. (M stands for Madras and 5 is transmitter no.) Earlier in this building there was a 10 kW Philips KVFH10/12A SW transmitter which was commissioned on 16 June 1938. It used to operate on 4920, 6085, 7160 and 9575. It was dismantled after 1994 when it was replaced by the 50 kW BEL transmitter. A workshop is working in that room now. There used to be another 100 kW Marconi BD253 (Players) SW transmitter in this building. It was on air from 3 October 1957 with the popular Vividh Bharati programs on 6115, 7235, 9750, 15125 kHz etc. It was also used for the External Service to SE Asia on 15335 kHz and for the programs for the Indian Peace Keeping Forces in Sri Lanka on 7205, 7340, and 9910 kHz in the mid 1980s. It was dismantled around 1992 and in its exact place the BEL 50 kW transmitter was installed. There is a standby studio also here. The 2nd transmitter building is about half a km away from the SW building. In this building there are the 2x10 kW BEL HMB 163 MW transmitters operating on 783 kHz with Vividh Bharati programs which were commissioned on 14 October 1994. Next to it is a 20 kW Harris DX20 MW transmitter operating on 1017 kHz with B channel programs which was commissioned on 17 October 2001. Interestingly these two transmitters use the same self radiating mast antenna of 91.5 Meters using the Diplexing System. There are standby generators in this building. A Mobile BEL 10 kW transmitter was in use here temporarily when Harris transmitter was under installation. It has now moved to AIR Cuddapah now where a new 100 kW transmitter is under installation. Till 2001 an NEC MB124C was in use here on 1395 kHz by B Channel and this was moved to the A channel building complex to be used as stand by for the main transmitter there. About quarter of a km away is the third building in which there are the 2x100 kW BEL HMB 140 MW transmitters operating on 720 kHz which was commissioned on 14 May 1987. There is also a 10 kW NEC MB124C transmitter which is used as standby. As the transmitter site is near the coast they use directional antenna to beam towards the mainland. For this, the main self radiating mast tower is 148 Meters high while the reflector tower is of 122 Meters. There is standby generator for the 10 kW NEC transmitter. Programs on 5 channels from the studios are received by Studio to Transmitter Link on 1440 MHz and some programs are also received by Satellite. There was and old 20 kW BBC SM42 A3 transmitter here which was commissioned on 11 Jan 1956 and dismantled in the mid 1990s. At first it used to operate on 940 kHz but shortly it was changed to the present channel of 720 kHz. In the entire site I could see over 15 towers. Several cows were grazing under the antennas, may be to bring down the grass. They also use Motorola walkie talkies in the site. The Security people and others were seen using transistor radios and wired speakers and listening to their station keenly which was giving the results of the Indian General Elections during the time of my visit. Avadi is just one site used by AIR Chennai. Till mid 1990s they used to have a small site at Guindy in the City. I had the pleasure of visiting it in early 1990s. At that time the following transmitters were there. 1. AWA BTH 2 783 kHz 2.5 kW Vividh Bharati 2. BEL HMB 103 1395 kHz 1 kW B Channel 3. Collins 20 T MW 1 kW Standby Tx. These were dismantled in the mid 1990s when higher power transmitters came up in Avadi. Another is the FM site at Chepauk. Here a 3 kW BEL HVB 123 transmitter was commissioned on 23 July 1977 which operated on 107.1 MHz. It was in fact the very first FM station in India. The antenna was put on the TV tower at this site. This was replaced by 2x5 kW transmitters on same channel. FM II on 105.0 MHz with 5 kW was inaugurated on 15 May 1998. Both these FM transmitters are being replaced by 20 kW transmitters in the future. AIR Chennai broadcasts in Tamil, Telegu, English, Hindi, Sanskrit etc. Being the station in the state capital, several of its programs are also relayed by all other AIR stations in the State. AIR Chennai also uses the following transponders of INSAT 3 C for networking downlink purposes. 1) S1 Transponder 2557.425 MHz, 2) S2 Transponder 2592.950 MHz. At Swamy Sivanand Salai, there is the AIR South Zone Regional Office also. Chennai has an interesting history of broadcasting. The Madras Presidency Radio Club was formed by Mr. C. V. Krishnaswamy Chetty on 16 May 1924 at Holloways Garden, Egmore. On 31 July 1924 a 40 watt MW station with the callsign 2GR was started by them. Later the power was increased to 200 Watts. In 1927 it was closed down due to financial difficulties and given to the Corporation of Madras. On 1 April 1930 it was revived by the Madras Corporation and operated on 770 kHz. In 1926 there was also another station which operated by Crampton Elec. Co. on 1360 kHz with 120 watts. On 16 June 1938 All India Radio Madras was started with a 10 kW SW transmitter operating on 6085, 7260 & 9590 kHz and a 250 watt MW transmitter on 1420 kHz. On 4 January 1949 a 1 kW MW transmitter was started on 1420 kHz along with a 500 watt SW transmitter operating on 4920, 6085 & 7260 kHz. When AIR started the station operated by the Corporation of Madras closed down. On 9 June 1950 B channel started on 1110 kHz with a 1 kW transmitter. The station used callsigns in the VUM series. Vividh Bharati service started on 15 June 1961 on 1550 kHz with a 2.5 kW transmitter. Other transmitters were added from time to time. Other historical information is given else where in this article. Some years back I had visited also a museum in Chennai where old broadcasting equipment are displayed. Madras has many firsts including the first FM station in India and the first Campus Community Radio station. The current details of AIR Chennai programs are as follows: A 720 kHz 2x100 kw (10 kW Standby) B 1017 kHz 20 kW C 783 kHz 2x10 kW (Vividh Bharati) FM I 107.1 MHz 2x5 kW (FM Rainbow) FM II 105.0 MHZ 5 kW (FM Gold) SW 4920, 7160 kHz 50 kW SW 7270 kHz 100 kW (Tests) Besides AIR, the following private stations are also operating on FM from Chennai now: 1) Gyan Vani 104.2 MHz (from 2003) 2) Radio Mirchi 98.3 MHz (from 23 May 2003) 3) Suryan FM 105.1 MHz 20 kW (from 5 May 2003) 4) Anna FM 90.4 MHz 50 Watts (from 1 Feb 2004) (Anna University, First Campus Community Radio Station in India) I have got several verifications from AIR Chennai. Their address is: Superintending Engineer, High Power Transmitters All India Radio Avadi Chennai 600062 Tamilnadu, India Email: airavadi@v... [truncated] Sometimes replies are received from AIR Directorate General in New Delhi although reports are sent to Chennai. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad 500082, India, dx_india May 21 via DXLD) ** IRAQ. Re: MEDIA IN IRAQ - UPDATED 19 MAY 2004 MAIN AM STATIONS INTENDED FOR IRAQ (kHz) ... 1314 - (US-run) Radio Free Iraq, via Armenia Source: BBC Monitoring research 19 May 04 (via DXLD) I am noting that the location for the 1314 transmissions has been corrected (instead of Abu Dhabi in earlier "Media in Iraq" surveys). However - Radio Free Iraq is no longer carried on 1314 since the start of the summer season in March (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY [non]. IRRS' transmitter in Romania? ``Our broadcasts schedule on 5,775 kHz: 1900-2000 UTC: Reformed Bible Church of Southern California (English)`` IRRS seems to be surprisingly secretive about the location of their 100-kW transmitter. But here's info from the site of the Reformed Bible Church of Southern California: ``Pastor Chompff can be heard on NEXUS-International Broadcasting Association, with transmitters in Romania, reaching all of Europe, Middle East and North Africa. They are broadcasting our programs on Friday evenings from 9:00 to 10:00 PM Central European Time on 5775 kHz.`` http://www.reformedbiblechurchsc.com/ (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, May 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) At last, somebody let it slip! Also note under WESTERN SAHARA [non] Cotroneo suggests a remote receiver in Rome as a good one to monitor 15665 --- surely this would not be the case if 15665 were actually in Milano, too close, skip zone, but OK for Romania [q.v.] beaming across Southern Europe toward West Africa (gh, DXLD) ** LATVIA. European Music Radio --- EMR will be On-Air tomorrow (Sunday 23 May) on 9290 kHz at the following times : 08h00 - 08:40 UTC 18h00 - 18:40 UTC As always we wish you all very good reception from the Ulbroka transmitter site in Latvia. EuronetRadio@yahoogroups.com (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. 4895, 2135-2145, Radio Ulaanbataar, May 21, string instrument (not unlike the Tibetan 'Piwang') recital, more less non- stop without any announcements, // 4830 kHz, both signals rather weak, deep fades and some RTTY QRM (Thomas Roth, DL1CQ, 53º32'58"N - 9º58'00"E, RX: JRC NRD-525G, ANT: Dipole 32m long, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Saturday May 22: *** Amsterdam Forum *** A topical panel debate show driven by questions from you, our listener. This week in Amsterdam Forum, award-winning campaigning journalist John Pilger takes your questions on Iraq. The outspoken reporter and filmmaker argues that the US and its allies should get out of Iraq now and should apologise for their invasion, which he describes as an "epic crime." He says the situation in Iraq is so dire that unless the United States is defeated there it will attack more countries around the world. Is he right? Should the US get out now and apologise? Is the war in Iraq an "epic crime?" Have you say on future programmes: http://www.rnw.nl/amsterdamforum/ Broadcast times (UTC): 10.30 (Pacific/Asia/Far East), 11.30 (Eastern USA), 14.30 (South Asia), 18.30 + 20.00 (Africa), 21.30 (Europe), 00.30 (Eastern USA) 01.30 (Central USA) 04.30 (Western USA) (RN previews via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND [non]. RNZI Joins the VT Merlin DRM Service From a press release published at http://www.rnzi.com/pages/whatsnew.php#79 10 May, 2004 01:42 UT VT Merlin Digital Stream This is a DRM Transmission for listeners in Europe for those of you lucky enough to have a DRM capable receiver! Dateline Pacific can be now heard every Saturday at 1400 UTC on 9770 kHz (via John Figliozzi, Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND [non]. Programs relayed by R. AUSTRALIA: q.v. ** ROMANIA. IRRS 100 kW transmitter here? See also ITALY [non] Reformed Bible Church of Southern California Ottimo segnale per la trasmissione a cura della Reformed Bible Church of Southern California in onda attraverso spazi noleggiati da IRRS Nexus. Consultando il sito dell'emittente (grazie a una segnalazione apparsa su Cumbre DX), illustrando la loro trasmissione, attestano che è in onda ogni venerdì su 5775 Khz con 100 kw dalla Romania alle 1900 UTC. Date un'occhiata a http://www.reformedbiblechurchsc.com/ Dei 100 Kw al venerdì IRRS non ha mai fatto mistero (gli altri giorni pubblicizzano 20 Kw), ma dell'eventuale postazione non era mai trapelato nulla (Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, http://www.bclnews.it May 21 via DXLD) ** SPAIN. REE`s remaining English hour to North America, 0000 on 15385, absolutely booms in here, huge signal, and great analog- sounding modulation (George Thurman, Houston TX, May 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKMENISTAN. OVERVIEW OF THE MEDIA IN TURKMENISTAN | The following is an overview of media-related developments in Turkmenistan since the beginning of 2004. The information is drawn largely from sources monitored by BBC Monitoring. [EXCERPTS] Turkmenistan's closed political system and tightly controlled media are dominated by its eccentric and dictatorial "president for life", Saparmyrat Nyyazow. For a three-page profile of Turkmenistan and its media see the BBC Monitoring Country Profile for Turkmenistan (updated 21 January 2004) - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1298497.stm Current issues \ \ Nyyazow personality cult; life presidency (but on 7 May 2004 Nyyazow indicated that he might retire at 70); his domination of all branches of power; frequent reshuffles of officials; Nyyazow's moral guide, the Ruhnama; referendum and election victories with 99.5 per cent of vote \ \ Gas deliveries to Ukraine, Russia; problems of supply and transportation; gas and electricity supplies to Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey; the mooted TransAfghan gas pipeline allowing Turkmenistan to export gas to Pakistan \ \ Turkmen-Russian relations; relations with other CIS states; mixed relations with neighbours \ \ Turkmenistan's avowedly "neutral and independent" status \ \ Turkmenistan's membership of NATO's Partnership for Peace programme and Turkmenistan's role (if any) in the US-led "war on terror" \ \ Caspian Sea: zones; legal status; fishing rights; militarization; smuggling; sturgeon poaching \ \ Water disputes with neighbours; Aral Sea; construction of Lake Turkmen in central-northern desert region \ \ Minority rights, especially those of the Azeris, Russians and Uzbeks \ \ Human rights; lack of religious freedom; some sects banned (but new law on 13 May 2004 appears to ease some of the restrictions) \ \ Media freedom \ \ Turkmenistan's alleged role in the Afghan drugs trade and arms supplies to Taleban TV Turkmenistan has three official state TV channels: 1. Altyn Asyr (Golden Age) TV channel in Turkmen (with irregular brief news in Russian and English) 2. Yaslyk (Youth) TV channel in Turkmen - mostly on youth-related issues 3. Miras (Heritage) TV channel in Turkmen - on cultural and historical issues A fourth TV channel aimed at foreign countries is planned for later in 2004 (see below). The president's silhouette, in gold, is always in the upper right corner of all TV channels. State radio --- There are three state radio stations: 1. Watan (Homeland) Radio channel - news and entertainment programmes in Turkmen, with occasional brief news in English; no Russian 2. Car Tarapdan (News from all corners) Radio channel - news and entertainment programmes in Turkmen, with occasional brief news in English; no Russian 3. Miras (Heritage) Radio channel with cultural issues in Turkmen only State-run news agencies and web sites \ \ Turkmen State News Service (TSNS) - news in Turkmen, Russian and English \ http://www.turkmenistan.gov.tm - web site with news in Russian only \ http://www.turkmenistan.ru - in Russian only Newspapers --- All newspapers are directly funded and controlled by Nyyazow. Here are the main ones: [snipped] New state TV channel President Nyyazow ordered the creation of a fourth TV channel on 12 February 2004, Turkmen TV reported on the same day. At a meeting with the staff of a newly founded Turkmen cultural heritage centre in Asgabat on 12 February, he said: "So far the world is not aware of what is going on here in Turkmenistan," Turkmen TV reported on 12 February. Addressing Resulberdi Hojagurbanow, the communications minister, he said: "I commission you with the task of conducting, within some 20 days, a tender to launch another TV channel. You should get everything necessary for it - transmitters and other equipment - so that there is another TV channel in addition to the already existing three channels. The fourth TV channel should broadcast worldwide news about Turkmenistan in six languages via satellite". Nyyazow said the broadcast languages would be Russian, English, French, Chinese, Persian and Arabic. "We should launch such programmes in foreign languages, otherwise nobody in the world will understand the content of our other three programmes already being broadcast via satellite because they are in Turkmen", he said. (Turkmen TV 1600 gmt 12 Feb 04). On 10 May the Turkmen government web site said the new channel would begin operations "in the near future". Two days later Turkmen TV said recruitment of "people with higher education and a good command of foreign languages and computer skills," was about to begin. (Turkmen TV 1425 gmt 12 May 04). Contracts for new channel Nyyazov on 12 April signed a decree to award contracts for the establishment of the new TV channel, according to a Central Asian and Southern Caucasian Freedom of Expression Network press release on 14 April. British company Eurasia Trans Ltd would supply video suites, a mobile TV studio and related equipment, whilst the French company Bouygues would provide studio hardware, the report said, adding that the new channel was due to be operational by the end of June 2004. (Central Asian and Southern Caucasian Freedom of Expression Network press release, Baku, in English 14 April 2004.) Russia's Interfax news agency on 17 March reported that a US company had won another contract relating to this project. Quoting the Turkmen president's press service, it said a US company, InSpace Communications L.L.C, had won a 1.16m dollar tender to supply, install and launch equipment for the new channel. (Interfax news agency 1039 gmt 17 Mar 04). A report on the Turkmen government web site on 10 May said five companies from the USA, UK, Germany, Russia and France were involved in the project. The French company Bouygues, in conjunction with the British Eurasia Trans Limited, "has already started the technical equipping and modernization of the future channel's new studios", the report said. "Inspace Communications LLC (USA) is supplying equipment for the satellite broadcasting of four channels of national television. Equipment from this company will make it possible to establish a modern broadcasting system which can transmit video signals to the satellite transmitter in digital format and also use fibreoptic lines of communication for broadcasting TV programmes. Thus, the new channel of Turkmen TV will be accessible in any part of the Eurasian continent." The German company Rohde & Schwarz and the Russian Prima Telekom - producers of antenna equipment - are also participants in the project, it said. The new channel will be able to be watched in all settled areas of Turkmenistan using ordinary consumer antennas, it added. (Turkmen government web site 10 May 04) Opposition media --- The opposition do not have any media in the country and Internet access to opposition web sites based abroad is blocked. The following are the main opposition web sites: \ http://www.gundogar.org - news in Russian, English and Turkmen, based in Russia \ http://watan.ru/news - news in Russian, English and Turkmen, based in Russia \ http://www.dogryyol.org - news in Russian, English and Turkmen, based in Sweden \ http://www.erkin.net - news in Russian, English and Turkmen, based in Russia \ http://www.nesil.org - news in Russian, English and Turkmen, based in Sweden \ http://www.tm-republican.org - news in English - clandestine \ http://www.tmhelsinki.org - news in Russian, English and Turkmen, based in Bulgaria Internet --- Some Internet cafes are reported to have flourished for a time after 1991, but all of these lost their licences in June 2002. In April 2003 Turkmentelkom cut off service to private customers entirely. "Turkmentelekom, the country's only Internet service provider, stopped serving private customers in April 2003, according to reports in Russia's Izvestiya and the Turkmen opposition site dpgryyol.com. Nevertheless, a number of Internet resources exist in Turkmen." (RFE Analytical Report, 12 May 04 - http://www.rferl.org/reports/mm ). Turkmenistan's eastern region of Lebap has apparently been allowed "free access" to the Internet, according to a government newspaper report in early May 2004. "From now on, any resident of Lebap Region [eastern Turkmenistan] will enjoy free access to the Internet and can also go on various training courses in computer-related technologies. Such services are provided by the new `Internet Access and Training Programme' (IATP) centre, launched in Turkmenabat in March this year," Neytralnyy Turkmenistan reported on 4 May 2004. "A topical chat with Samuel Eisen, special adviser at the US State Department on the coordination of US assistance to Europe and Eurasia, was the most fascinating event at the centre. Its participants, postgraduate students of Edmund Muskie fellowship programme and of the State Department sponsored Freedom Support Act programme for senior pupils, and also the most active members of IATP centres in Asgabat, Dasoguz and Turkmenabat, were given an opportunity to ask online questions," the paper said, without elaborating further. (Neytralnyy Turkmenistan 4 May 04). Foreign broadcasting into Turkmenistan Iranian Radio Gorgan broadcasts daily news in Turkmen from Gorgan in northern Iran. US-funded Radio Liberty also broadcasts in Turkmen into the country; BBC World Service currently does not. Some people in the main cities also appear to be using satellite dishes to watch Russian channels. As yet there have apparently been no restrictions on the acquisition of satellite dishes. The most popular Russian channels watched appear to be RenTV, TNT, NTV, ORT, RTR as well as numerous sports, music and movie channels. Euronews, which broadcasts in eight languages, including Russian, is also available - as are CNN and BBC provided one can get hold of the right receiving equipment. All Turkmen state TV and radio channels are available locally via satellite. (BBC Monitoring Research 11 May 04). Caspian Sea facilitates Azeri TV reception A report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekspress on 19 January 2004 said watching foreign private TV channels is banned in Turkmenistan. People can watch Azerbaijani state-owned TV Channel One, or the independent TV channels ANS or Space in the port of Turkmenbashy and up to the Turkmen settlement of (?Sencan) on the Caspian Sea in summer - thanks only to the fact that the sea acts as a transmitter [sic], it said. (Ekspress, Baku, in Azeri 19 Jan 04 p6). RFE journalists released from prison "Recently jailed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Turkmen Service correspondents Rakhim Esenov and Ashyrguly Bayryev have been released by the National Security Ministry (NSM), Turkmenistan's successor to the Soviet-era KGB. Although they have been released, the charges filed against both men have not been dropped, and both have been warned to end their respective relationships with the Turkmen Service," US-funded Prague-based Radio Free Europe said on 22 March. "Rakhim Esenov was released from detention on 10 March, but he remains confined to the Turkmen capital of Asgabat. Esenov was arrested on 26 February and charged with `instigating social, ethnic and religious hatred' under Article 177 of the Turkmen Criminal Code," the radio said. "Esenov's colleague, Ashyrguly Bayryev, was released three days later, but is also not allowed to leave Asgabat. Bayryev was arrested on 1 March, after responding to a summons to appear at the NSM building in Asgabat for questioning on slander charges tied to his reporting on Turkmenistan. Bayryev has worked with the Turkmen Service since 1998." (Radio Free Europe in English 22 Mar 04) Turkmen journalist beaten up in Moscow An attack on Turkmenistan's Radio Liberty correspondent Mukhametgeldy Berdyyew in Moscow on 30 April was organized by the Turkmen secret services, one of the leaders of the Turkmen opposition and former Turkmen Foreign Minister Awdy Kulyyew told Ekho Moskvy radio on 5 May. Kulyyew said: "Before the attack, he received a telephone call from a Turkmen who said he had come from Asgabat and brought some documents for Radio Liberty. He asked Berdyyew about the address to deliver the documents. Approximately an hour or an hour and a half later three Russians arrived, big guys. When Berdyyew opened the door, they started beating him without saying anything. Berdyyew has two broken ribs, his eyes are swollen, he can't see and his jaw has been dislocated. This had of course been commissioned by the Turkmen authorities. This was done by the Turkmen secret services, I have no doubt about this." (Ekho Moskvy radio 1200 gmt 5 May 04) "As several recent cases have shown, the simple fact of working for RFE/RL's Turkmenistan service is sufficient reason for harassment by the Turkmen authorities," said Reporters Without Borders, in a letter to the Russian prosecutor-general, Vladimir Ustinov. (Reporters Without Borders press release 7 May 04). The Turkmen embassy in Russia has denied plans to examine reports from the international organization Reporters Without Borders that Turkmen journalist Berdyyev was allegedly beaten up in Moscow, Interfax reported on 7 May Web sites with info on Turkmen media \ http://www.centrasia.ru - occasional reports on the Turkmen media \ http://www.newscentralasia.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=396 - for a brief overview, dated 10 December 2003, of political appointments in the Turkmen media \ http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav050404.shtml - An article posted to the web site on 4 May 2004 says: "The Paris- based group Reporters Without Borders (RWB) and the New York- headquartered Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) both cited Turkmenistan as Central Asia's most repressive nation, where the totalitarian system built by Turkmen leader Saparmyrat Nyyazov has stifled free speech. `The regime controlled all written and broadcast media and also did everything it could to block news from the outside world by banning foreign newspapers and blocking access to Internet web sites,' Reporters Without Borders said in its 2004 Annual Report, which was issued on 3 May to coincide with World Press Freedom Day." \ http://www.rferl.org/reports/mm/ - (RFE/RL Analytical Reports 12 May 2004, Volume 4, Number 9). This site provides a comparative view of media freedom in five Central Asian states (Turkmenistan comes out worst), as well as an 874 word overview of the media in Turkmenistan. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 18 May 04 (via DXLD) More: http://www.rferl.org/reports/mm/2004/05/9-120504.asp (via gh, DXLD) ** U K. Mark Thompson is BBC director general The BBC has just announced that Channel 4 Head Mark Thompson 46, a former BBC director of television, is to be the new director general of the BBC. The Times this morning said the appointment was a straight fight between Mark Thompson and acting director general Mark Byford (Mike Barraclough, UK, May 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) BBC APPOINTS A NEW DIRECTOR-GENERAL IN WAKE OF REPORTING SCANDAL By THOMAS WAGNER The Associated Press 5/21/04 3:49 PM http://wizzer.advance.net/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0632_BC_Britain-BBCAppointmen&&news&newsflash-internationa LONDON (AP) -- The British Broadcasting Corp. named a veteran television executive as its new director-general on Friday in the wake of a scandal over its reporting on Britain's pre-war intelligence about Iraq. Mark Thompson, the chief executive of the private Channel 4 television, will replace Greg Dyke, who resigned after a judicial inquiry sharply criticized the BBC for a May 2003 report that had quoted an anonymous source as saying the government had "sexed up" evidence on Iraqi weapons to justify war. The source quoted in Andrew Gilligan's BBC radio report was later identified as government scientist David Kelly. He killed himself shortly after his name was leaked, setting off a political firestorm and forcing Prime Minister Tony Blair to set up an inquiry to investigate the death. Lord Hutton, the senior appeals judge who led the investigation, cleared Blair's government of almost all wrongdoing in relation to the suicide and harshly criticized the BBC, throwing the broadcaster into one of the biggest crises in its history. Hutton concluded that Gilligan's radio report was unfounded, that the BBC's editorial procedures were defective and that its board of governors had failed to investigate closely enough before defending the piece. Many Britons criticized Hutton's finding as a "whitewash" that was too easy on Blair and too hard on the BBC. But the inquiry also led to the resignations of Gilligan and BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies at the world's largest publicly funded television and radio network. Michael Grade, also a former top Channel 4 official, replaced Davies as the BBC's chairman. Before Friday's announcement, Thompson, a former top BBC official, had been regarded as the favorite to replace Dyke, despite having said he wouldn't consider accepting such an offer. Thompson, 46, had joined Channel 4 as chief executive more than two years ago. Before that, he had been with the BBC for 20 years, holding many position in news and current affairs, including director of its television division. He had left the BBC in March 2002. Thompson lives in Oxford, with his American wife Jane, and is a friend of Grade's. The government's culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, welcomed Thompson's appointment. "Mark Thompson is one of our most distinguished public service broadcasters," she said. "His experience, skills and enthusiasm will give renewed confidence and direction to the BBC, who now have an outstanding team with Michael Grade as chairman." Speaking on behalf of the BBC's board of directors, Grade said Thompson "was the right person to lead the BBC at this important period in its history." The appointment comes as the BBC is working hard to defend the mandatory license fee that Britons pay for the network's television service, which doesn't carry advertising from businesses. Grade has acknowledged that he will have to work to convince viewers that the annual levy is worth keeping when the government renews the network's charter in 2006 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. TOCOBAGA DX #72, 21 May, 2004, CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA E-mail: tocobagadx @ earthlink.net For otherwise unlisted low power FM, pirates and TIS stations within Florida, visit my "Florida Low Power Radio Stations" at: http://home.earthlink.net/~tocobagadx/flortis.html © 2004, Terry L Krueger. Retransmit or quote all or any portion only with full credit given to TOCOBAGA DX and all attributed sources. All frequencies are in kHz unless otherwise stated. Times in GMT/UTC unless otherwise stated. [er, they all seem to be local, EDT = UT -4 judging from the am`s and pm`s --- gh] INTERSTATE LOVE SONG... The below radio report is mostly a result of a brief hiking trip to north Georgia and the fringes of Tennessee and North Carolina. But first, a devoted attempt to bore you with a quick blurb on where I visited: My first stop was the Etowah Indian Mounds, northwest of Atlanta. This is a great place to walk, reflect and (as I did) eat a packed lunch atop the biggest of the mounds, 63-feet high. The Ocmulgee mounds and grounds (just east of downtown Macon) are much larger, but the three mounds here are still quite impressive. Unfortunately, the interpretive museum is closed for remodeling and, save for grounds maintenance crew, no park staff was present. A quick trip to the Chickamauga National Military Park [War Between the States battlefield] was odd: the seven-mile interpretive drive passes monuments erected to apparently every group that served from both sides. The museum has a phenomenal collection of (seemingly at least a thousand?) authentic circa-1860`s muskets and carbines enclosed in glass cases. These are truly amazing to see. The nearby Ft. Mountain State Park (Georgia) was the most impressive, with the 8.2-mile Gahuti Trail and a couple of the shorter ones an absolute must for hiking. Near the top of the mountain are the stone walls built by pre-Columbian Indians, presumably as a defensive line. Amicalola Falls State Park (Georgia) was the only mission abort: a huge updraft lightning storm hit just as I arrived. I opted for lunch at the lodge`s restaurant (a decent brunch buffet) followed by a quick view of the waterfalls (in the rain), then my departure. I also visited Black Rock Mountain State Park in extreme northeast Georgia -- the only park I was not impressed with, then on to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the afternoon, a night and full following day. Also, brunch and people-watching at the Shoney`s in Gatlinburg. My last park stop was at Tallulah Gorge State Park (Georgia), where I once again tackled the 1,200 metal steps down into the gorge (and back up -- that`s the brutal part). On my last day in Georgia, I dropped in on old [WORJ-FM, Orlando] friend and CANAVDX alumnus Mike Cooper at Stone Mountain. Good to see him again, as well as his 21-month-old little girl! As always, a stop at the Plantation House (Arabi, Georgia) on I-75 is a ``must`` for fresh roasted peanuts, peanut butter, peanut brittle, pecan brittle (ouch, this is good) and a fill-up. 530 GEORGIA (TIS) unidentified, (northeast of) Atlanta; while driving south on I-985/I-285 on May 18 around 8:45 a.m., I noted a fair-to- weak signal with a nonstop relay of the local NOAA Weather Radio. The signal somewhat peaked around Exit 107 (Sugar Hill), though still popping up occasionally until lost near the Stone Mountain Freeway exit. Could this be the City of Alpharetta`s listed TIS? And there was something else on 530, with a subaudible het, but never any worthy audio. (Krueger-FL) 730 GEORGIA (TIS) WSTT, Thomasville; May 15, 10:00 a.m. Nasty audio -- overmodulated with the weirdest self-imposed pseudo powerline noise- type hash. Under all this was a snake oil program on how I should order pills that will cure all ocular deterioration problems, including glaucoma. This station should be located just south of El Paso, TX and with 50-100 kW. Listed owner is a Marion L Williams. (Krueger-FL) 830 GEORGIA (TIS) William B Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport; huge and seriously overdriven signal noted in passing with short parking loop by female, May 15, 12:30 p.m. on I-75 south of the airport. Once again, where`s the FCC (who like to bust FM pirates, but ignore things such as this). (Krueger-FL) 1610 GEORGIA (TIS) unidentified, Chatsworth/Ellijay area; threshold male loop (uncopiable text) atop Ft. Mountain State Park`s peak on May 16 at 11:30 a.m. The signal briefly peaked (still poor) on State Route 52, about 4-5 miles east of the park. (Krueger-FL) 1610 NORTH CAROLINA (TIS) Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Great Smoky Mountains National Park; May 17, 2:30 p.m. Still active with male loop, getting out a couple or so miles. (Krueger-FL) 1610 TENNESSEE (TIS) Sugarlands Visitor Center, Great Smoky Mountains National Park; May 18, 9:00 a.m. Nothing but an open carrier, getting out less than a mile for those who want to hear nothing. (Krueger-FL) 1620 FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) unidentified, Tampa; a provisionally new one (it is morphed from a previously-active AM unlicensed station). Noted this for the first time May 19th at 6:15 p.m. on southbound I-275, just south of the Bearss Avenue exit. Signal grew to an excellent level westbound and just east of the Dale Mabry exits. Nonstop (presume satellite-fed programming) Latin American tropical/ballads format. Audio quality (very clean) immediately recalled the old 1640 kHz ``La Pimerisima 16-40 AM`` transmitter, which I located at the Arena Plaza at 3434 W. Columbus Drive, near Raymond James Stadium. This one went silent nearly two years ago. The antenna was still there when I checked only three or four months ago. But now, the stick is gone and the web design/hosting company it operated from on the 2nd floor is no longer here. The signal was traced today to a location near the North Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Jr. intersection, which is roughly a couple of miles east of the former location. I suspect this is operated by the same proprietor who ran it on from the business on 1640 (where the format was exclusively nonstop Puerto Rican salsa-type music). The signal covers much of Tampa-proper, making it half way across both the Howard Frankland and Courtney Campbell Causeway bridges into Pinellas County. (Krueger-FL) 1640 FLORIDA Florida Dept. of Transportation/Turnpike, Okahumpka; heard at fair level on the I-75 Lake Panosafkee bridge the morning of May 15, and again on the return. Peaking to excellent level at Exit 321 (Sumterville), with male looped references to State Road 50, guard rail replacement, the Florida Turnpike`s Ocoee exit, etc. (Krueger-FL) 89.1 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) unidentified (ex-``Flavor FM``), Lauderhill; May 20: this space is still being taken up by a station. Very strong and stereo, although I can`t be certain that this is the same station that I heard almost a year ago. They are off the air during the day (maybe due to the new law that went in effect in Florida) but appear after 5 p.m. from my observations. They are still doing rap with live dj`s and seem to really play a lot of sped-up hip hop songs with live phone calls. (via ``Richard Nervous``-FL) 89.3 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) Land o` Lakes; this station has been listed on my FLPRS for awhile, but we learn that it remains active, as reported to me on May 16th. (a source who wishes to remain anonymous- FL) 92.1 MHz GEORGIA WDQQ ``Wild Adventures Radio``, Adel; May 19, 3:15 p.m. Nonstop randomly cycling loops on the tourist park, one singing ID drop heard. Bet I know what Valdosta market station never appears in the books. Owned by Adventure Radio Group, LLC. Lots of billboards promoting the park and 92.1 along the Interstate. The owner of this and the park also recently purchased Cypress Gardens (Winter Haven, Florida) and plans on re-opening it this summer. (Krueger-FL) 92.7 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) unidentified, Tampa; the Kreyol station noted early Saturday morning May 15th, 6:40 a.m., with usual kompa vocals, stereo. Peaked south of Busch Boulevard on I-275. (Krueger-FL) 96.7 MHz FLORIDA WZHP-LP, Dade City; May 15, 7:10 a.m. Actually, my very first LPFM log. ``96.7 The Switch`` slogans, voice-tracked Christian rock format with the same male voiced short spots for local businesses between. (Krueger-FL) 96.7 MHz GEORGIA WYZK, Valdosta; May 15, 7:15 a.m. Mentioned here only because this overtook WZHP-FM just north of Dade City. Classic Rock format, clear WYZK ID. Of course, confirmed the same station when passing through the Valdosta area on I-75 a couple of hours` later. (Krueger-FL) 101.1 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) ``Radio Nouvelle Vision``, Pompano Beach; May 20: still on the air and they do live phone- in shows in the afternoons and play the same music style. Very weak signal from south Ft Lauderdale into the Hollywood area on I-95. I`m not sure where this one is originating from, but it cannot be heard in the Cypress Creek area of Ft Lauderdale. (via ``Richard Nervous``-FL) 102.1 MHz FLORIDA (UNLICENSED) ``WHGE`` Hunter`s Green Elementary School, New Tampa; a feature in the May 21, 2004 edition of the Tampa Tribune by Michele Sager: ``Parents waiting to drop off their children in the morning at Hunter`s Green Elementary can listen to a new station on their radios. The school`s radio station, WHGE, 102.1-FM, began broadcasting last week. The station simulcasts the student- produced television show from 8 to 8:15 a.m. Listeners get a daily dose of patriotic songs, weather, sports reports and school news. Eventually the station will add a looping track of expanded information that will run throughout the school day. The low-watt station can be heard within a 1-mile radius of the school.`` (Note: Part 15-compliant, not a pirate -- Krueger). (Tocobaga DX via DXLD) ** U S A. KIRO RADIO TO KEEP ROSS ON AIR FOR TIME BEING --- Station is waiting for show host to officially file for Dunn's seat; GOP says it's unethical --- By CHRIS McGANN, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER, Saturday, May 22, 2004 KIRO radio plans to keep longtime talk-show host and first-time congressional candidate Dave Ross on the air for at least another month despite growing concerns that doing so may violate federal election law. . . http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/174578_ross22.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. HIGH SCHOOL RADIO STATIONS ALIVE AND WELL NATIONWIDE http://wizzer.advance.net/cgi- free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0431_BC_HighSchoolRadio&&news&newsflash-national (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Well, at least in NJ ** U S A. AIR AMERICA MAY RETURN TO ORIGINAL OWNERS Press reports suggest that control of troubled US liberal talk radio network Air America is on the verge of returning to its original owners. Sheldon and Anita Drobny, the Chicago couple who founded the network but sold it to a group of investors before broadcasts began, are said to be poised to re-acquire a majority shareholding with the help of a major new investor. The station has had a troubled launch, and is currently not on the air in the Chicago area. It closed down its Chicago and Los Angeles offices 10 May, laying off about 15 to 20 advertising salespeople. However, CEO David Goodfriend, says Air America will announce new affiliates in Los Angeles and Chicago soon. The network is currently available in New York, Portland, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Chapel Hill, NC, Sacramento, CA and suburban Southern California, as well as on satellite and the Internet. # posted by Andy @ 09:19 UT May 20 (Media Network blog via DXLD) AIR AMERICA'S NEW INVESTORS REVEALED More details have emerged of the new investors in Air America Radio, the troubled US liberal talk show network. According to a Reuters report, they include Florida plaintiffs lawyer Mike Papantonio, Chicago entrepreneur Sheldon Drobny, and Rob Glaser, chairman of RealNetworks. Air America has appointed Doug Kreeger, also an investor, as its new Chief Executive. He replaced Evan Cohen, who was pushed out after the board lost confidence in his management. The current plans of Air America are to own just one radio station, in New York, and broadcast nationally via affiliates. That will result in lower costs, though with less revenues as well. Supporters of the network consider it essential that it survives in a presidential election year. Democratic heavyweights such as the Clintons and billionaire investor George Soros have been appraised of the money- raising efforts, according to a souce close to the company. The network has also made efforts to get Democratic party presidential nominee John Kerry to spend more of its campaign money on ads aired on Air America. # posted by Andy @ 10:26 UT May 21 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U S A. STARBOARD`S RELEVANT RADIO MOVES TO POWERFUL WLOL 1330 AM TODAY IN MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL Minneapolis-St Paul, May 24 (CRU) --- Starboard Broadcasting launches its Relevant Radio network today over the former WMNN, now WLOL, 1330 AM, according to reports published in the local press and Jon Ellis` website, Upper Midwest Broadcasting. Starboard bought the station for $7 million from Minnesota Public Radio`s commercial subsidiary, the Minnesota News Network, in January, and the sale was recently approved by the FCC. ``The [WLOL] signal covers roughly 3.5 million souls,`` wrote Sherry Kennedy, Starboard`s programming chief last January, ``and I am thrilled at the prospect of using this incredible signal to broadcast the message of Jesus Christ and His Church! May Jesus Christ and His Mother Mary be praised!`` The historic station, founded in 1939 as WLOL by the Independent Merchants Broadcasting Company, was the Mutual Broadcasting System network affiliate in the Twin Cities, and was and is one of the metropolitan area`s best AM radio signals. The station runs 9,700 watts day and 5,100 watts night and its signal stretches to St Cloud in the northwest, Hutchinson on the southwest, and western Wisconsin on the east. Since announcement of the sale, WMNN has been running Minnesota Production Network programming, mainly liberal talk, including programs from Air America. But with the assumption of WLOL by Starboard, Minnesota Production Network (MPN) will move its programming to KSMM 1530 AM, owned by Starboard. WLOL replaces KSMM and Starboard will sell KSMM to MPN. KSMM runs 8,600 watts day but only 10 watts night; but Starboard has an application on file to raise daytime power to 9,000 watts and nighttime power to 900 watts, and to move the transmitter site to Eden Prairie. KSMM will then put a much better signal over the metro area. Last week, Starboard was granted a call letter change to the historic and original WLOL. ``The WLOL callsign has returned home to 1330 Minneapolis (formerly WMNN), a week before the station will change from News/Talk to Catholic Talk,`` Mr. Ellis reported then at his website http://www.northpine.com/broadcast ``New owner Starboard Broadcasting reserved the callsign in February, but the actual change was made just a few days ago. The legendary `WLOL` calls were used on AM1330 beginning in the 1940`s, and later used on 99.5-Minneapolis, 105.5/105.3-Cambridge, 1470-Brooklyn Park, and 100.3-Minneapolis.`` Thom Price of EWTN told Catholic Radio Update that the call letters stand for Minnesota`s nickname, ``Land of Lakes.`` Because WLOL was tabulated into the total number of Catholic stations authorized or pending when its purchase was announced, the sale of the station it replaces, KSMM, reduces the number of stations to 125. The number of stations on the air does not change. (For a detailed account of the station, see Catholic Radio Update #265, January 27, 2004). Database Minneapolis-St Paul: WLOL 1330 AM (9,700 watts daytime, 5,100 watts nighttime, different directional antenna patterns day and night). Format: Relevant Radio. Starboard Media. Hazeltine Blvd., Suite 520, Chaska, MN 55318. Tel.: (952) 361-0019. Paul Sadek, general manager. Starboard Network, Inc. Sherry Kennedy Brownrigg, Western Region president; tel. (763) 546-4000. John Bitting, Eastern Region president; tel. (312) 648-1621. 2300 Riverside Dr., Green Bay, WI 54301. Tel.: (920) 469-3021. Anne Moyer, public relations and promotions manager; tel. (763) 546-4000, e-mail: amoyer @ relevantradio.com. Founded in 1939 by the Independent Merchants Broadcasting Co. as WLOL; was the Mutual Broadcasting System affiliate. (The Archdiocese of St Paul–Minneapolis) (Mike Dorner, May 24 Catholic Radio Update, May 22 via DXLD) ** U S A. 1130, KFAN Minneapolis MN, p/d letter on plain paper and Clear Channel business card in 16 days. Confirms they are running "low power" in ND mode following the tower collapse on 4/18. V/s: Eric Aydt, Asst. Engineer. Add: 1600 Utica Ave South, Suite 400, Minneapolis 55416. (Patrick Griffith, NØNNK, Westminster, CO, May 19, NRC-AM via DXLD) I talked to Asst. Engineer Eric Aydt at KFAN. He says the temporary power in the non-directional mode is 12.5 kW day and 6 kW night. They are booming in here in the Denver area at night (Patrick Griffith, NØNNK, Westminster, CO, May 20, ibid.) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. Radio Sahara --- 15665, 1100-1200 Friday May 21 IRRS ID, then into Radio Saharoui program. Strong signal. ID in Arabic, English and Spanish. "Radio For Peace" (Silvain Domen, Belgium, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Site? It may be of interest that a link on the "Radio for Peace" website gives an overview (in Italian) over local radio transmissions for listeners in Western Sahara and in the refugee camps in Algeria: http://www.radiokcentrale.org/saharawi_interviste.htm (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mentions 7460 and a couple of FM stations SITE? 15665, Radio for Peace, 1057 with filler music, 1059 IRRS ID, 1100 into Radio for Peace ID's in multiple languages. I found the audio very hard to understand. They also had music playing at a level almost equal to that of the announcers, so I found that made it hard as well to understand what they were saying. 1106 they started talking about Kofi Annan without the music quite so loud, but I still found them hard to understand. This via a DX tuner in Sweden (Hans Johnson, FL, May 21, Cumbre DX via DXLD) In some of the IDs produced by Radio for Peace the music is too high indeed. Also: Sweden is really off the antenna beam. Sounds better in Rome. Try the receiver at RAI in Rome: http://www.radio.rai.it/radio1/golem/golem2001-2002/ascolti/webradio_cambio.cfm Anybody in S America? With our directional beam we should be hitting somewhere over there too :-) (Alfredo Cotroneo, IRRS, Cumbre DX via DXLD) http://www.radio.rai.it/radio1/golem/golem2001-2002/ascolti/webradio_cambio.cfm It gives only error message. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) OK, I can hear it with a weak signal here in Florida in the southern USA. Sorry, but I wasn't able to get that webradio to work for me (Hans Johnson, ibid.) Try this: http://www.webradio.rai.it/ (Alfredo Cotroneo, IRRS, Cumbre DX via DXLD) via ROMANIA??? q.v. as well as ITALY [non] ** ZIMBABWE [non]. RE: SW Radio Africa, this item in DXLD 4-083: "** ZIMBABWE [non]. 4880, Short Wave Radio Africa, London, via Talata Volondry (?) [other reports say Meyerton, RSA --- gh]" I can assure you, categorically, that Radio SW Africa has never been broadcast from Talata Volondry. The Radio Netherlands Madagascar relay station does broadcast the "other" independent station for Zimbabwe, Voice of the People, as is well documented (Andy Sennitt, in this case on behalf of Radio Netherlands, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 10512 usb --- Does anyone have any suggestions what the strange signal is on 10512 usb? It`s audible in UK with good signal afternoon and evening, seemingly skywave. Very odd noise. Apparently it`s been on continuously since at least last weekend. 73s (Dave Kenny, May 21, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Hey Fellas, I have XM, backwards music/whales/feedback, on 10512 at my QTH with an S5 signal strength. I hear nothing on 11363. I checked DXtuners to see if XM was still on 11363 and I didn`t hear anything. How long has XM been going on 10512? I've heard it for a couple nights in a row. 73, (Chris Acuff, Age: 15 Gulfport, Mississippi, May 17, Receiver: Lowe HF-225 Europa, shortwavelistening yahoogroup via DXLD) XM is I guess one of those ENIGMA numbers stations designations? (gh) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL +++++++++++++++++++++++ "World of Radio" has also been around for a number of years. This program has a wealth of information on every show. It mainly consists of shortwave station information in regards to station schedules, programming information, etc. There is so much information given out on each program that I always record the program so I can review it later to take notes of any information that is interesting to me. I can not write fast enough to take down the wealth of information that Glenn Hauser presents every week (by Ed Stroh, May DX Chicago via DXLD) DRM +++ SHORTWAVE BROADCASTERS TO PROMOTE DRM IN U.S. Shortwave broadcasters in the United States want to promote Digital Radio Mondiale, a digital transmission technology for shortwave, medium-wave/AM and longwave. May 19 2004 http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=5237 (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) = synopsis of previous NASB release see also NEW ZEALAND [non] POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Glenn: Thanks for including the link to the REC filing against BPL in the last DXLD. I couldn't resist quoting a little caustic email of mine that I composed today and sent to a friend, who is neither a shortwave listener nor ham but an avid Internet user, DSL subscriber, and IT specialist; in fact, I added this to the end of my own website article on BPL: Just found out that Quest has told the FCC that BPL will disrupt DSL service over phone lines in some installations where power service runs near telephone drops. Yet, the FCC has blithely ignored this in favor of BPL. That makes me smell a BIG rat. If the goal of the Bush Admin is "universal broadband" then why deploy a service that would actually cause a deterioration of reliability of EXISTING broadband? Today on TechTV I saw a short tour of the FCC offices in Washington with Leo LaPorte being shown the spectrum auction facilities, network sysop room, and main Commission hearing room (Michael Powell leading the tour; he has a remarkably weak, ineffective, high piping voice for such a big hefty man; disconcerting!) What struck me -- having been out of the biz for nearly 15 years now - - was the MONEY pouring out of every crack. The offices are ritzier than the fanciest banks and brokerage houses I've been to in San Francisco and San José; in the spectrum auction room they demonstrated their online software that processes bids in the BILLION$; everywhere you look there are gigantic plasma screens like something out of the movie "War Games". Money beyond my wildest comprehension; and the FCC is feeding itself from the trough. Of course anyone who has EVER had the tiniest job with the FCC can move directly to something in the highest ranks of industry as a "consultant", earning six or seven figures: better than a college degree as a guarantee of material bliss thereafter. It smacks of ancient Rome; if Peter Ustinov had swept by in a toga, I wouldn't have been surprised (Steve Waldee, http://home.earthlink.net/~srw-swling dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) WHITE HOUSE GIVES ARRL DELEGATION ASSURANCES ON BPL INTERFERENCE ISSUE NEWINGTON, CT, May 21, 2004 --- ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, headed an ARRL delegation during a May 20 White House visit to discuss concerns about broadband over power line (BPL). Haynie, ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, and Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, met with Richard Russell, the White House associate director for technology in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The ARRL officials asked the Bush administration to heed its own experts at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and back away from its support of BPL in favor of less troublesome broadband technologies. The NTIA`s Phase 1 BPL study acknowledged BPL as an interference source. Haynie said the meeting with Russell was both revealing and encouraging. ``He assured us that based on the NTIA report, the interference issues would be addressed,`` Haynie said. ``That was one of our main purposes for being there.`` Haynie said, however, that he remains ``absolutely`` convinced that a political agenda is driving the BPL proceeding. The ARRL group also asked the White House to consider delaying a Report & Order in the BPL proceeding to allow time for stakeholders to review the soon-expected NTIA Phase 2 report. The White House would not commit to asking the FCC to do so, Haynie said. Russell told the ARRL contingent that the administration is ``very excited`` about BPL --- not only for its technological possibilities but for its potential to create new broadband competition. He said the administration is approaching BPL from a ``can do`` perspective and is committed to finding ways to make it work. Imlay said the League`s problems were not with broadband access --- ARRL supports making broadband access more widely available, he said --- but with the ``rush-to-judgment`` approach the FCC seems to be taking in the BPL proceeding. As one example, he cited the timing between the release of the extensive NTIA study and the comment deadline on the BPL proceeding just a few days later. The Commission denied requests from the ARRL and others to extend the comment deadline. While somewhat sympathetic, Russell suggested that his office was in less of a position to influence the FCC than it was the NTIA. After Rinaldo presented some of the ARRL`s BPL interference test findings, Russell questioned whether some BPL implementations were less intrusive than others. He asked the League to provide a breakdown of the BPL systems and providers manifesting both lesser and greater degrees of interference. In addition, Rinaldo told Russell that representatives of the BPL industry have been double-talking their way around interference claims. Imlay pointed out that the FCC has yet to address dozens of BPL-related interference complaints from amateurs. Haynie also raised additional points regarding interference to public safety users, especially in more rural areas of the US, as well as to aviation interests. The administration does not want a flawed technology to result from the BPL proceeding, Russell said at the session`s conclusion, and he offered assurances to the League visitors that the NTIA would work to address the interference. ``We did get listened to,`` Haynie said afterward. ``Did I leave there feeling euphoric? No, I didn`t, but at least I have a better feeling now of the overall big picture, of where BPL`s coming from, and I hope that I can take to the bank the fact that they`re going to address and continue to address aggressively the interference issues.`` Derek Riker, KB3JLF, of Chwat & Company, the ARRL`s legislative relations consultant, arranged the meeting and accompanied the delegation on the White House visit. The ARRL already has asked the FCC to put its BPL proceeding on hold to allow more thorough research of its interference potential to licensed radio services. The League contended in its comments in response to the FCC`s February 23 Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in ET Docket 03-47 that the FCC`s ``overly aggressive timetable`` to proceed with BPL deployment will effectively preclude the development of cooperative interference avoidance and resolution mechanisms. Copyright © 2004, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved (via John Norfolk, dxldyahoogroups via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ NEW RF NOISE IDENTIFICATION WEBSITE Canadian radio amateur VE3HLS is busy putting the finishing touches to a new Website called The RF Noise Identification Website. Its purpose is to help hams and SWLs identify the noises that intrude on shortwave listening. The Web site contains a growing library of recordings in MP3 format that you can download or listen to online. The recordings are of various types of noises from known sources and some that haven't been identified. Also included are small waveform images that provide an additional "fingerprint" for identification. Ken, VE3HLS, hopes that users will visit the site if they have noise problems and will be able to identify noise that's bothering them by comparing it to the recordings. He would also greatly appreciate contributions in the form of recordings of noises at your location as well. They'll be converted to MP3 format and added to the Web site (with credit to the sender) for all to listen to. WAV or MP3 files, audio cassettes or CDs will be gratefully accepted. See the Web site for additional details. The RF Noise Identification Website: http://www.ve3hls.com/noise/rfihome.html (Source: eHam.net) # posted by Andy @ 17:57 UT May 21 (Media Network blog via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ A PERFECT STORM OF SPACE WEATHER --- LAST YEAR'S SOLAR BLASTS WERE BY FAR THE MOST POWERFUL EVER RECORDED By Dan Vergano USA TODAY http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20040520/6218013s.htm MONTREAL -- Seven solar blasts that shook Earth's upper atmosphere last year set records for extreme space weather, according to a panel of solar scientists. The power of the solar storms that erupted in late October and early November surprised scientists. Dubbed ''the Halloween storms,'' the blasts damaged 28 satellites and knocked two out of commission, diverted airplane routes and caused power failures in Sweden, among other problems. And the effects, measured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft now approaching Saturn, were felt beyond Earth. They burned out the radiation monitor aboard the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. That monitor had been designed to track how much radiation future explorers would experience on trips to the Red Planet. ''These events broke records,'' says researcher Nat Gopalswamy of NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who spoke here Tuesday at the combined American and Canadian Geophysical Union meeting. Earth's magnetic field shielded the planet from the brunt of the storm. Scientists at the meeting agreed that things could have been much worse for satellites and power systems. The space-weather records included: * The largest solar X-ray flare ever recorded. * The fastest-moving solar storm. It traveled at nearly 6 million mph. * The hottest storm. It measured tens of millions of degrees when it hit Earth. About 150 commercial communications satellites orbit Earth, insured to a value of $22 billion, according to Lloyd's of London. Large bursts of electrically charged solar particles pose the greatest risk to those satellites, says Lloyd's Simon Clapham, and luckily the Halloween storms did not set records in that regard. Satellite operators and power companies now closely follow space weather forecasts, says solar physicist Thomas Zurbuchen of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and were able to shut down vulnerable systems. The scientists are still trying to unravel exactly how the sun managed to cough up such powerful blasts. ''I've never seen anything like it, anything that enormous,'' Zurbuchen says. Effects from the storm will be felt at the edge of the solar system in coming months, the scientists predict. NASA's Voyager spacecraft, traveling beyond Pluto's orbit, should feel the effects of the storm's passage within the year. (c) Copyright 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ###