DX LISTENING DIGEST 5-003, January 3, 2005 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING 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 Extra 52: Tue 1000 WOR WRMI 9955 Tue 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Wed 1030 WOR WWCR 9985 Wed 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours WORLD OF RADIO ON WBCQ: No longer Mon-Thu 2200 on 9330-CLSB; See USA MORE info including audio links: http://worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: WORLD OF RADIO Extra 52 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/worx52h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/worx52h.rm WORLD OF RADIO Extra 52 (low version, without the WOR opening): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/com0407.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/com0407.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0407.html WORLD OF RADIO Extra 52 mp3 in the true shortwave sound of 7415: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_12-29-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_12-29-04.mp3 TSUNAMI ITEMS: ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS, BURMA, CANADA, SWEDEN ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 15265, R. Solh, ID at 1443 30.12, "de Afghanistan soleh' and songs follow, 44444, S20 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS. RADIO PUTS OUT HUNDREDS OF MESSAGES IN INDIA'S TSUNAMI-HIT ISLANDS http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1535&ncid=731&e=9&u=/afp/20050103/wl_sthasia_afp/asiaquakeindiaandamanmedia Port Blair, India (AFP) - Glued to battery-operated radios, survivors in the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands are getting updates on missing relatives and aid with the help of the state-run All India Radio (AIR). Its transmission centre in the Andaman capital of Port Blair has been relaying messages 16 hours daily to islands where telephone lines have been washed away. "The archipelago's total population of 350,000 are our listeners and since the tsunamis struck there is not one radio set which is not tuned into our medium or short-range message transmissions," said programme executive Ashok Srivastava. Hotels, shops and taxi drivers are turning their dials to AIR, whose executives have become regular announcers broadcasting messages received from around the islands and from the Indian mainland in several languages. On the ravaged island chain, 812 deaths have been officially documented, according to the government. However residents, police and aid workers fear 10,000 people died across the 500-plus islands which stretch over 800 kilometres (500 miles). Bodies are still being pulled from the debris. The Port Blair radio station, near the mouth of one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, the Straits of Malacca, is also reaching boats in the region. "Two days ago a US ship after listening to our broadcasts in English rescued six Indian fishermen who were lost in international waters," Srivastava said. "Our profile has now been converted into that of a support provider to rescue and relief missions across the Andamans," he said. Two female AIR workers, Lalita Tigga and Jaysheela Lakra, and five engineers cancelled their year-end vacations when the tsunamis struck and volunteered to carry phoned-in messages on special broadcasts. "We are not official announcers but we are taking in appeals or broadcasting live messages that come on the telephone or are handed over to us personally by survivors, police or the army," Tigga said. "We broadcast live with one hand on the red button to cut off anyone who tries to spread rumours while on air," said Lakra, before donning headphones for a full day's work. "So great is the fear of the tidal waves here that one day when we announced the arrival of drinking water, people left their homes and ran to higher ground thinking tsunamis were coming. We have to be very careful," she said. "The programme has become so important that from today we are relaying tsunami-related news from New Delhi to local listeners." The messages come from some of the 12,000 survivors living in makeshift camps or from their frantic relatives in mainland India. "Maybe in a day we are broadcasting up to 700 messages. Maybe 1,000 or perhaps 2,000. We have just lost count," said station technical manager P.S. Sehgal. A bedraggled man Sunday came to the station trembling with emotion. "You are our God. Because of you I now know my wife, son and daughter are alive and well in Car Nicobar," said the man, who identified himself as Jeevan. He was separated from his family when tsunamis devastated his home. He was brought to Port Blair by military rescuers last week. His family members handed over a slip of paper to the Car Nicobar police who gave it to the radio volunteers. "There are thousands of such emotional reunions and that is our reward," said Tigga (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS. UCF PROFESSOR SURVIVES, RELAYS MESSAGES TO WORLD --- By Rich McKay, Sentinel Staff Writer, January 1, 2005 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-asectsunamiham01010105jan01,1,6937775,print.story?coll=orl-news-headlines The earthquake hit with the popping of concrete, screeching of twisting metal and the thudding sounds of bottles, books and bits of plaster falling from the shelves and walls of Charles Harpole's hotel room. "I knew that I'd either be dead in a few seconds because the building would crash down or I'd get out and be fine," the vacationing University of Central Florida professor said early Friday. "There was that sense of finality." Harpole and other members of a ham-radio club were just north of the quake's epicenter on the picturesque Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal between India and Thailand. It was 6:30 a.m. Sunday, when Harpole was shaken from his bed to discover the walls of his room shaking and the floor turned to jelly. "I was on the fifth floor, and it was difficult to walk because the floor was shifting. It was either too high or too low," he said in a telephone interview from the home of his wife's family in Samut Sakhon, Thailand. Harpole said he knew the safest place to be was beneath a doorway, so he made his way to the bathroom doorway and held on for what seemed like six or seven minutes of shaking in the 9.0-magnitude earthquake. When things finally settled, Harpole got dressed and fled the building, discovering to his joy that everyone in his party has escaped uninjured. Because their hotel was on a high mountain ridge, Harpole said, it wasn't affected by the tsunami. But as he and his team realized the scope of the disaster, they set up their radio equipment and started relaying messages. For about 20 hours, the ham operators -- sometimes using car batteries to run their radios -- were the main link between the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the outside world, relaying information about survivors to anxious relatives and friends. And with most telephone lines down and cell phones scarce, the ham- radio club's efforts proved invaluable as the scope of the disaster increased day after day. The first messages were to let people on the Indian mainland know that those on the island were safe and unharmed. A young waiter at Harpole's hotel asked them to get word to his mother in Hyderabad, India, that he was alive and well. "We found a ham-radio operator on the mainland, gave the mother's telephone number," Harpole said. Within five minutes a ham operator in Hyderabad called the waiter's mother and relayed the message. "He told us the mother was crying with joy," he said. Harpole's group cheered and clapped. Word spread quickly across the island, and their work went on for hours and hours. When Indian government officials learned of the hamradio operators, they relayed messages for official requests for medicines, water and blankets. Several of the radio operators headed south to Nicobar. Harpole decided it was time for him to head to Thailand for a reunion with his wife and her family who were safely inland. "I was concerned, that this being an Indian operation and here I was this American, I should step aside," he said. At his in-laws' house, he had his own radio equipment and has been relaying messages throughout Thailand, India and Sri Lanka. "People are asking, 'Can you find so-and-so,' and so forth," he said. Harpole, an amateur-radio enthusiast since he was 14, had been working for years with fellow enthusiasts in India to get permission to set up a station on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which consist of 572 islands, big and small, inhabited and uninhabited. Amateur-radio buffs collect calls from geographic zones, trying to reach remote parts of the world and put pins in maps to mark the locations. But because of the Indian government's concern for security, a swath of the globe had been off-limits until Harpole and his friends persuaded the leaders to lift the ban. About two weeks ago, Harpole and his friends arrived in the harbor town of Port Blair to set up the first ham-radio station and lounge on the tropical, white, sandy beaches. It was an idyllic holiday until the quake hit. Harpole, who founded the film program at UCF, expects to be back in Orlando soon. He said that the devastation throughout the Indian Ocean rim is hard to comprehend. The full toll may never be known. That's because many rural island and coastal villages never had a census, and "for some of those places, there isn't anyone left alive to say how many people had lived there," he said. "Many islands were washed completely over from one side to the other. I've seen horrible, horrible destruction," Harpole said. "It's shocking beyond the telling. Piles of cars, broken buildings and boats where there used to be towns and people. The stories from people being hit by the wave -- so unexpected. People having coffee, and then they're gone." Christopher Sherman of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Copyright (c) 2004, Orlando Sentinel (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. ROI have been heard since December 22nd on 5755 around 1830 tune in in parallel to 5945 and 6155, variable reception with deep fading. Is this a harmonic? (Edwin Southwell, England, Jan World DX Club Contact) No, a harmonic is on an exact multiple of the fundamental frequency; this will probably be a mixing product of the two frequencies or just a spurious radiation (Mike Barraclough, WDXC ed.) 5755 is the matching mixing product predicted by Wolfgang Büschel, along with 6355 reported a few weeks ago, the mix being with another programme on 5955 at 200 kHz intervals (gh, DXLD) ** AZERBAIJAN. Voice of Azerbaijan was heard 14th November at 1500- 1630 on 6110 in Azeri, SINPO 35543. It could not be heard in previous seasons because of interference from other strong signals. (Ivan Zelenyi, Russia, open-dx via Signal via Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Now blocked by Brother Stair until 1700 (Mike Barraclough, England, ibid.) The latter via Germany. See SOUTH CAROLINA! ** BURMA. JOURNALISTS DENIED ACCESS TO VIEW BURMA QUAKE TOLL | Text of report by Burmese opposition radio on 1 January Although conflicting reports have appeared about the dead and missing in Burma over the recent quake and tsunamis, the SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] insists its figures are correct. According to the SPDC's official figures, 53 people were killed, 43 injured and 21 missing after waves engulfed 17 coastal villages, leaving 778 people homeless. As the government's official tsunami death toll has risen by almost 20 to 53, observers believed the number could rise further. But Rangoon-based international aid agencies said the figure is likely to be as high as 86 while 45 were injured and 10 missing, leaving about 5,300 people homeless. The figures are a rough estimate from the international aid agencies, with most deaths in Burma's Irrawaddy Delta and the toll is likely to increase especially in Coco Islands in Rangoon Division, Hainggyi Island in Arakan State, and Mergui archipelago including Mali Island in Tenasserim region, where the aid agencies are not permitted to go. However, the SPDC rejected the claims and reported that everything is normal in Coco Islands. It noted that the underwater gas pipelines from the Yatana and Yetagun gas fields in Tenasserim Division are also all right. But, international organizations are finding it hard to believe the SPDC's one-sided reports and criticize that the junta should allow foreign journalists by granting them visas to visit the tsunami affected areas to assess the situation and learn the truth. Since this is not a political problem but a natural disaster, granting the visas should not be a problem with the SPDC. Most journalists from the international media, including BBC and CNN, have applied for visas to cover the disaster aftermath but the SPDC has rejected all the applications. Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 1 Jan 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC RADIO ONE PRESENTS A CROSS-CANADA TSUNAMI DISASTER RELIEF SPECIAL JAN. 6, 2005 STARTING AT 6 A.M. LOCAL TIME On Thursday, Jan. 6 beginning at 6 a.m., local CBC Radio morning shows across Canada will bring you the latest news from a local perspective on the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia. Programming highlights will include stories and music from various Canadian communities, and updates of how Canadians are working to make a difference in the face of tragedy. Throughout Thursday's broadcast, regional morning shows will spotlight local and national agencies accepting donations for the victims and their families. For a current list of organizations accepting tsunami relief donations, tune into your local CBC Radio morning show, or go to CBC.ca (http://www3.cbc.ca/sections/newsitem_redux.asp?ID=3840 via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANADA. Radio Canada International announced on the Maple Leaf Mailbag 5th December that there is a new set of three QSL cards for reports on the programme. These QSL cards were made with photos that listeners had sent in (Jonathan Murphy, Ireland, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** CUBA. 6060, R. Reloj, tnx to Cody/Petersen tips in DSWCI DX-Window, this one heard after RHC went off on Dec 29. It is reported from time to time circa 0700-0900, but this is the first time I have heard it. Strong RHC-level signal, all news, with time ticks in the background and UT-4 TCs every minute after a longer pip, followed by "RR" in CW. Quick "full" ID on the hour and half hour, e.g. at 0700, "R. Reloj, 3 de la madrugada. En el año del 45 aniversario del ... de la revolución, transmite R. Reloj de la Habana, Cuba. Hoy es miércoles, 29 de diciembre de 2004." Minute announcements are "R. Reloj, 3, 12 minutos." I don't know what time RHC left the air; there was an open carrier at 0658 and Reloj popped on at 0700 and lasted until 0740 when it departed equally suddenly, leaving a Brazilian slightly off frequency. It certainly does bring back memories of the old Costa Rican R. Reloj on 6006. This one looks like a pretty big operation; see their website at http://www.radioreloj.cu/ (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** EGYPT. EXTERNAL RADIO SERVICE TO CUT TWO-THIRDS OF LANGUAGES Radio Cairo, one of the largest international broadcasters in terms of transmission hours and number of languages, will be reduced to 11 languages after cuts come into effect later in January. Reports of the imminent reductions had been circulating for months. Some details of the changes were given by Tarek Zeidan, an Egypt-based source who follows media developments in the region, in a telephone call to VOA's "Talk to America" discussion programme on 31 December. In his contribution to a segment of the programme produced by International Broadcasting Bureau audience research analyst Kim Andrew Elliott, Zeidan said: "I can add Radio Cairo to the stations which are cutting their shortwave services... We used to transmit in 35 languages, now there are going to be only 11 languages transmitted to Africa, Europe and America as well." He added that English and Spanish would be among the languages retained, while Turkish and some African languages would be dropped. Source: Voice of America, Washington, in English 1600 gmt 31 Dec 04 (via BBCM via DXLD) audio available: see U S A ** EUROPE. 6310, PIRATE (Euro). R. Malaisi, 2026-2050 Dec 31, all rock music, upbeat R. Malaisi German and English IDs with SRS Eisenach, Germany address, stingers, also deep-voiced slowed-down IDs; I gave up at 2050 as they were being devoured by a noise blob descending from the high side, but returned later at 2221 by which time they were a little better, with the same format, until they started deteriorating around 2245. Notwithstanding German language, this is said to be an Italian pirate; tnx George Maroti for help in IDing (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) 6310, PIRATE (Euro), Radio Malaisi, 2203-0041 Dec 31, thanks to Berg/ Maroti tip heard this with a man giving numerous IDs, and English chatter hosting pop music program. Gave Germany mail drop address at 2205 as part of ID. Poor but fair on some peaks (Rich D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) see also UNIDENTIFIED ** FRANCE. FRANCE'S FIRST ENGLISH-LANGUAGE RADIO STATION TO START BROADCASTING IN JANUARY | Text of report by French news agency AFP Paris, 3 January: A private English-language radio station, the first in France, is to start broadcasting in the Paris region on the AM frequency during January after it signed a partnership agreement with a French station which hopes to boost the number of its listeners and advertisers. "We should be on air around the 20 or 25 January, Ian de Renzie Duncan, the Australian owner of Paris Live Radio (PLR) station, told AFP. The station hopes to obtain permission to broadcast on the FM frequency as early as next year. It is aimed at English-speaking expatriates residing in Paris as well as Anglophile French listeners. PLR already broadcasts music, news bulletins and chat rooms on the Internet. Its music programmes are run by American, Australian, British, French and Irish DJs. The cross-over from Internet to AM frequency was made possible by an agreement with French station Radio de la Mer, which will yield its airtime to PLR between 2000 and 0700 (1900 to 0600 gmt). Outside these hours, PLR will continue to broadcast its programmes on the Internet, as well as on cable and satellite networks. PLR is targeting some 400,000 English-speaking people in Paris, in addition to the millions of tourists who visit the French capital every year. Source: AFP news agency, Paris, in French 1611 gmt 3 Jan 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) PARIS ENGLISH-LANGUAGE RADIO GRATNED AM LICENCE http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=58&story_id=15383&name=Paris+English-language+radio+granted+AM+licence PARIS, Jan 3 (AFP) - France's first English-language radio station is to start broadcasting on AM this month after signing a partnership deal with another station it hopes will boost listeners and advertisers, the Australian owner of the station said Monday. "We should be on air around January 20 or 25," Ian de Renzie Duncan of Paris Live Radio (PLR) told AFP. "It's the next step. We get on and make a go of that, and then the whole FM issue will get fluid next year," he said. His station aimed at expats and anglophile French started operating on the Internet in May 2004, beaming out a diet of music, news and chat. Its DJs are American, Australian, British, French and Irish. But Duncan, a former Sydney barrister who moved to Paris four years ago with his French wife, said getting AM - and eventually FM - play is vital to attracting advertisers and becoming a "100 percent professional" station. So far, "we've very well received, with around 30,000 listeners a day," he said. Negotiating French bureaucracy and getting business backing has been "a steep learning curve," he said. Even getting on AM was an uphill affair. The deal struck will see PLR relegated to a 8:00 pm to 7:00 am slot on a frequency shared with a daytime French station, Radio de la Mer, which holds the broadcast licence. Outside those hours, PLR continues to be available via Internet, cable and satellite. PLR is targeting the estimated 400,000 English-speaking residents in Paris, plus the millions of tourists who flood into the French capital every year. It sits alongside an array of other stations catering to languages ranging from Arabic to Serbian. © AFP (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** GABON. Africa n 1 was active tonight on 15475 at 1802tu, weak signal (Eric Cordier, Rennes, France, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GEORGIA. 4540, R. Georgia, 1618 29.12 in Russian language talks by YL, sporadic music, S9 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GRENADA. I was in the Caribbean on a cruise. I just got back today. Stopped in Grenada on the cruise. They have many FM stations audible in St. Georges at this time although anything that once had a roof is still without one. Even the firehouse which is downtown across the street from the cruise ship pier is still without a roof as were all the churches I saw. I took a taxi ride up into the nearby mountains. 90% of the homes are still damaged to the point where they would be uninhabitable in colder climates. The cab driver told us that the money that has been contributed for relief is not finding its way to the people who need it. It is being grabbed by the politicians and unless one belongs to the right party, one never sees any relief money. He mentioned he was unable to get the blue tarps that FEMA distributes for three weeks. He finally befriended a US soldier who went and got one for him so he could cover his open roof. He also had an interesting story about Maurice Bishop and the invasion by the USA. The deputy Prime Minister under Bishop is still in jail in the UK but may be sprung soon. According to my cab driver, the DPM's intention is to come back to Grenada and take over. You may remember Maurice Bishop as the oft-mentioned leader when Grenada was active on SW. I think it was on 15.020 if I remember correctly [15105, later 15045 --- gh]. The transmitter was silenced during the USA invasion and never returned to SW. 73, ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ ** GUATEMALA. R. Verdad, 4052, 0555-0610+ Dec 29. Mostly simple church music (recorded live?) as is common on this station. OM announcer talk in Spanish after ToH. Fair signal and copy overall. Also received on Jan. 2 at 0222 with Xmas music and old-fashioned Hammond organ-type music (Jeff Heller, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 3300.0, R. Cultural (Presumed), Jan 3, at 0123 noted Spanish songs but transmitter cutting in and out very badly, decent signal if they were on with steady audio. A little better than when I first heard them on Jan 2, at 0223. At that time they were off more than they were on (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, NRD545, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. R. Luz y Vida, 3250v, 0213 Jan 2. Transmission likely on 3249.7. Easy listening music including old standards, weak with fair copy. Later, Spanish religious choral music. Station name mentioned (Jeff Heller, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL [non]. "Heaven's Peace Plan" Our Lady's Daily Worldwide Radio Program Africa East Africa DX Radio 15190 KHZ Sunday 4.00 pm Bolivia National DX Radio 4765 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Brazil National DX Radio 1525 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Columbia National DX Radio 4785 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Paraguay National DX Radio 5025 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Peru National DX Radio 6095 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Venezuela National DX Radio 7425 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Argentina National DX Radio 9685 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Italy National DX Radio 11800 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Turkey National DX Radio 15215 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Syria National DX Radio 17800 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Burma National DX Radio 21545 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) Indonesia National DX Radio 1110 KHz Sunday 1700 (GMT) (Fatima Radio Network http://heavenspeaceplan.com/schedule.asp via DXLD) Something odd about those listings! DX Radio presumably refers to the so-called DX Radio Network which allegedly brokers time for religious programmers. Almost all of these are at 1700 GMT, regardless of local time, such as almost midnight in Burma, on 21 MHz?! The claimed frequencies bear no relation to reality. 15190 would be Equatorial Guinea which we know has been off the air for years! No Bolivian on 4765 tho some are close! Brazil on a split MW 1525?! No Colombian on 4785! No Paraguayan on 5025! No Peruvian on 6095, tho I think there used to be one! No Venezuelan on 7425! No Argentine on 9685, nor is there likely to be with RAE on 9690! Italy 11800? That`s used by Rai, state broadcaster hardly likely to be selling time to religious programs! No Turkey on 15215! No Syria on 17800! No Burma on 21545! No Indonesian on 1110 (1107 and 1116 being the steps)! Note that never are the actual names of the stations mentioned, and it`s unusual even for frequencies to be claimed, which are a dead giveaway to anyone having any familiarity with SW/MW that all this is phony. The Fatimists must be extremely gullible to believe their programs are actually being broadcast on such a schedule. I pulled the above info out of my head, but double checked it with WRTH and PWBR just to be sure. I wonder how long they`ve been buying this non-existent time and how much money has been wasted? They have contact addresses: U.S.A. c/o Servants of Jesus and Mary, 17000 State Route 30, Constable, NY 12926 CANADA The Fatima Center, 452 Kraft Road, Fort Erie, ON L2A 4M7 EUROPE Piazza Risorgimento 14, Scala B int. 9, Roma 00192, Italia INDIA 14 Nimmo Road, San Thome 600 004, Chennai (Madras), India PHILIPPINES 1165 Vergara Street, Quiapo, 1001, Metro Manila, Philippines But could not possibly have ever heard directly from a single listener to their programs on the above imaginary schedule. Yet this claim is on their homepage: ``Welcome to the "Heaven's Peace Plan" web site. First broadcast in 1987, "Heaven's Peace Plan" has grown to become the most widely listened-to radio program on Fatima in the world. Hosted by Father Nicholas Gruner, the "Fatima Priest", Our Lady's 30-minute radio program is now broadcast daily and weekly in North America and, via shortwave, in almost 200 nations around the world.`` Do a Google search on ``DX Radio Network`` and you will find 1300 hits, indicating they have a lot more ``clients`` producing musical programs than religious. They supposedly have a web radio service Music Discovery Network which is ``rebuilding`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. Dear North American Monitoring Clubs, I am writing to you from the English Radio of Islamic Republic of Iran's Broadcasting. We would be very pleased to introduce our radio to the listeners. We can send beutiful QSL cards for those who will send us reception reports. I attach a copy of the Broadcasting schedule for you. We would be very pleased to have your idea. Best Regards, IRIB English Service, M.B. Khoshnevisan IRIB ENGLISH SERVICE BROADCASTING SCHEDULE (B2004) TIME (UTC) FREQUENCIES TARGET AREAS (m) (KHZ) 10:30-11:30 sw 19 m 15480 Indian Sub Continent 19 m 15460 Indian Subcontinent MW 702 Republic of Azerbaijan 765 Pakistan 11:30-12:30 (Voice of Justice) Receivable only via internet and Hotbird satellite 15:30-16:30 SW 31 m 9610 Indian Subcontinent 31 m 9940 Indian Sub Continent 19:30-20:30 SW 49 m 6110 Europe 41 m 7320 Europe 25 m 11695 South and East of Africa 31 m 9855 South and East of Africa 21:30-22:30 Receivable only via Internet and Hotbird satellite 00:30-01:30 Receivable only via Internet and Hotbird satellite 01:30-02:30 (Voice of Justice) SW 31 m 9580 North America 49 m 6120 North America Mail your correspondence to IRIB English Service, P.o.Box: 19395-6767, Tehran, I.R of Iran E-mail: englishradio @ irib.ir Internet website: http://www.irib.ir/worldservice/englishradio (Jan 1 via Rachel Baughn, Monitoring Times, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. Cland, 3880, V. of Communist Party Iran, 1645 29.12, OM with talks in Farsi. Signal S9+10. Found also on 4375 with S9, 6420 with S7. At 1648 all signals were jammed or stopped transmitting (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ. BAGHDAD RADIO STATIONS STREAMING ONLINE Baghdad FM talk station is now available with live audio streamed online from their website at http://www.radiodijla.com The website is entirely in Arabic - to hear the stream click on the microphone icon near the top of the screen. Sumer FM, another Baghdad station, also has live audio accessible from their website under construction at http://www.sumerfm.com However, this Shoutcast stream is very sporadic and spends more time buffering than streaming. Incidentally, the associated Shoutcast page designates the station format as "Rap" - it most certainly isn't! The Iraqi Islamic Party have recently announced their withdrawal from the forthcoming elections. Their radio station in Baghdad, the ironically-named Dar al-Salam [Haven of Peace] Radio, have archived news bulletins in Real Audio format available on demand on their website at http://www.darusalam.org Two other Iraqi station do not offer online audio yet, but apparently plan to do so: Public service broadcaster Republic of Iraq Radio has a website in English and Arabic at http://www.iraqimedianet.net/radio/index.htm This doesn't offer live audio, but links marked "Listen Directly" or "Listen Now" imply that streaming will be available eventually. Hot FM, "Iraq's first and leading independent commercial radio station" according to their website blurb, has an English-language website at http://www.hotfm104.com This includes a link offering to let you "Listen to the station online", although clicking this link just results in a hollow "clunk" as such a facility is not actually available - yet (Dave Kernick, England, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. Re: Casini a RAI International --- Ciao Roberto, hai perfettamente ragione, per farvi un idea del futuro della onde corte in Rai ti segnalo questo link: http://www.rai.it/articolo/0,,33003,00.html dove viene offerto in "vendita" il terreno di Prato Smeraldo :-( Saluti, (Andrea Borgnino, bclnews.it via DXLD) Rai SW Site and other land is for sale (gh) ** IVORY COAST. PEACE RADIO TAKES ON "HATE MEDIA" IN IVORY COAST By Andrew Gray ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - With jolly jingles proclaiming it is broadcasting on "the peace frequency," a United Nations radio station is preaching tolerance in Ivory Coast. Twist the dial and rewind a few weeks to hear what it is up against. A caller on a state radio phone-in suggests taking French people hostage. "Now there's an idea," declares the presenter. "I hope everyone took good note of what's just been said." Authorities in the West African state, a former French colony, stand accused of turning state media into "hate media" -- tools to whip up anger against the rebel-held North of the country and, last month, French and other foreign citizens. Some critics have even drawn parallels with Rwanda, where radio broadcasts were used to incite genocide in 1994. Control of the media was clearly a key part of the strategy when Ivory Coast government forces broke a cease-fire on Nov. 4 to launch an assault on the North, controlled by rebels since a failed attempt to oust President Laurent Gbagbo in 2002. Western radio stations such as the BBC and Radio France Internationale were taken off the air, pro-government militants looted the offices of opposition newspapers and a new management was installed at the state broadcaster. After a government air raid hit a French base, killing nine peacekeepers, France crippled the Ivorian air force. Mobs then attacked French and other foreign nationals in the main city Abidjan and France deployed troops who clashed with the crowds. State media became a platform for radicals in the government camp, relaying claims round the clock that France was planning to topple Gbagbo, calling on people to take to the streets and accusing Paris of supporting the northern rebellion. State broadcasting managers have defended their coverage against widespread criticism from the U.N., Western governments and groups such as Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF). They insist the country was under attack and they had every right to call on people to resist. "I have the firm conviction that the management of public media is different in times of crisis than it is in times of peace," said Jean-Paul Dahily, head of a crisis committee running state television service RTI. "It is there to serve the institutions of the republic and not for the adversary." U.N. RADIO Launched in August, the U.N. radio station says its aim is to provide balanced news and spread a spirit of peace. This month it began transmitting on FM in the main rebel stronghold of Bouake, meaning it is now the only broadcaster to be heard clearly in both halves of the country. "If the country is divided, at least on our airwaves we can work towards not just reconciliation but reunification," said the station's director Sputnik Kilambi, an Indian veteran radio journalist who also worked on a similar project in Kosovo. Based in a couple of bright white prefabricated huts in the courtyard of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Abidjan, the station broadcasts "peace messages" from Ivorians -- anyone from a celebrity singer to a taxi driver -- every 15 minutes. Some 30 Ivorian journalists and technicians and a few international managers work for the broadcaster, named ONUCI FM after the French acronym for the peacekeeping operation. As well as regular news bulletins, ONUCI FM transmits magazine programs, discussions and pop music. But a question mark hangs over whether it will be a true alternative source of information if another crisis erupts. During last month's violence, staff were confined to home for days by U.N. security advice and officials were also anxious not to broadcast anything that could be seen as taking sides. RELIGIOUS RHETORIC On the state radio, sometimes there have been strong overtones of evangelical Christianity but little sign of peace towards men. "The country must be delivered from evil," a pastor declared on national radio, as monitored by the international journalism watchdog RSF. He said French President Jacques Chirac had been possessed by the spirit of Satan and that the country was divided into two blocs, "the devil's bloc on one side, God's bloc on the other." "Amen pastor," declared the two presenters on Radio Côte d'Ivoire, the state broadcaster for a country meant to have been engaged in national reconciliation since last year. Weeks after the violence had subsided and French troops were off the streets, the virulent rhetoric had been toned down but state media presenters and reporters still routinely referred to French "massacres" and "barbarism." There was generally no mention of the fact that the killing of nine French soldiers triggered the crisis. The Ivorian president has insisted he gave no order to attack the French base, but France says the bombing was clearly deliberate. "These media continue to be partisan media," said Leonard Vincent, head of the Africa desk at RSF. (Additional reporting by Peter Murphy) REUTERS (via Mike Cooper, Dec 29, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. 6400, P`yongyang Pangsong, 1750 1/1 with songs. 1800 ID P`yongyang Pangsong by YL and sign-off. Quite strong signal at S8, 34333. Also at 2135 30.12 with hymns and S6 3x433 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non]. Cland, 4860, 'Dengi Kurdistan Iran', 0408 30.12, clear on this frequency with ID and S5, 34343, political talks (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. R. ELWA (presumed), 4760, 0557-0627 Dec 29. Started recording IS at 0557, OM announcer begins at 0559 but signal very weak and reception overall is poor, and I could not copy a clear ID. IS matches intervalsignals.net, but will call it presumed only for now until I can try again. Fading badly by 0627, could not get any clear copy from 0500+ (Jeff Heller, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. 9750, V. of Islam, 1530 29.12, talks in Malay and mix of Arab or deli songs. Great audio. S9 with slow and deep fading, 33423. At 1800 mixed up with R Japan; When RJ signed off signal was S2 only. Also, 7295, R. One, 1505 2 Jan, YL with regional news in English. A song at 1510, S3, 2433. At 1520 signal lowered to S0 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALDIVE ISLANDS [non]. Cland, 11810, Minivan, 1638 29.12 with qur`anic verses and translation to English; 1653 a chant like from child, drums and sudden off (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. Reçu Radio Mali en même temps sur 4784 et 4787 le 3 janvier entre 2030 et 2210 TU, même programme. Faible signal sur ces 2 freq. Radio Mali has been received at the same time on 4784 and 4787, January 3rd between 2030 and 2210 UT, same program. Weak signal. Regards (Eric Cordier http://radioafrique.site.voila.fr France, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. I've just returned from trip to the Sun Bowl to meet my brother and watch his Arizona State team nose out Purdue. I took along a couple of radios and tape recorders but did not get much time to use them. (We had actually set up our motel reservations in Las Cruces, N.M., and some of the Juárez stations didn't make it that far.) I noted nothing really new from Juárez (different from when I was in El Paso a year or so ago), except for the already noted format and slogan change (Recuerdos) for XEJUA on 640. I did get a couple of full ID's taped that I didn't catch in 2003, and I noted several of the stations we associate mostly with music are relaying México D.F. talk nets (Radio Red on 1190, for example). I also followed up, yesterday, on a goal for the last two years or so of traveling to Presidio, Texas, to check out the band there, with particular emphases on the never-reported Ojinaga stations on 1260, 1340 and 1450. West of Marfa, I heard reference to Ojinaga ad accounts on 1450 before 1800 UTC but after 1800, the signal disappeared. Nothing on 1260 or 1340, even as I got to within 5 miles of Presidio. Lots of hills, so the FM'ers in Ojinaga weren't consistent until I got within 40 miles. "La Ley" on 102.5 (XEHIH) and "La Poderosa on 100.9 (XHONG) were there, with lots of commercials. It wasn't until I got back to Marfa that XEARE-1450 had returned to the air, for a good taped ID. I thought perhaps the three AM'ers were celebrating New Years Day by giving their staff time off (Some Mexican stations don't broadcast on Sunday) but XEARE's problem was apparently a faulty transmitter. It popped off the air for a few seconds a couple of times. XERCH-1340 and XEOG-1260 have the same mailing addresses. XEARE appears independent and the two FM'ers are at different addresses as well. I may write the Presidio Chamber of Commerce to see if XERCH and XEOG are still operating. XEARE, XEHIH and XHONG had several ads for retailers in Presidio. The young Latino THP officer who was learning to use the radar gun just over one of the hills on U.S. 67 between Marfa and Ojinaga was aware of the two FM'ers, but knew nothing about AM stations in Ojinaga. Some of the Juárez stations were still audible in the Marfa area and beyond. The worst signal from Juárez was XEJCC on 1520, which couldn't make it to Las Cruces 45 miles to the north. And at sunrise, driving back into El Paso, Ex-KOMA obliterated XEJCC until I got to the Texas/New Mexico border. XEJCC's signal also was very distorted, but its music was quite distinctive. I do not know contemporary rock --- I understand there's one niche rock idiom called grunge. XEJCC played English-language rock songs (as it did the last time I was in El Paso) where the vocalists sounded like they were growling and shouting at the same time. Whether it's "grunge" or not, it sounded pretty grungy to these old ears. WRTH's showing 50 kw. for this station ain't necessarily so, though I got a much stronger tape from them the last time I was in El Paso. The Big Bend area is virtually free of local AM stations --- Alpine on 1240, Pecos on 1400, Fort Stockton on 860 and Monahans on 1330 are about it. Crane on 810, with its Spanish religious format, put out a good signal. Might be a good location to spend a week or so with 2 or 3 beverages --- of the antenna variety (John Callarman, Krum TX, Jan 2, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. PFC QSL sent from Defense Forces Broadcasting Unit, Taungyyi is showed in my home page http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~BCLSWL/QSL0501.html with the explanation in Japanese. The signer may be a Chief Commander of the unit, because I sent the reception report to this title. No answer from him, for my inquiry by E-mail about his name and title (Takahito Akabayashi, Tokyo, Japan, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also BURMA ** NIGERIA. Re 5-002: No signal received from Kaduna on 4770 for the last days. Bonne année à tous (Eric Cordier, Rennes, France, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA [non]. Frequency change to Christian Voice service to Nigeria: The signal on 15650 was not propagating very well and it has been changed to 1600-1800 on 13820, 1800-2000 on 11560 (CVI, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Presumably via Bulgaria as before ** OKLAHOMA [non]. KTOT Update! We know many of you have missed High Plains Public Radio in recent weeks. We recently found out that the KTOT antenna [near Spearman TX] was damaged by lightning this summer, forcing us to operate our 89.5 FM frequency at lower power for several months. Eventually, even that lower power signal failed. Repair operations required new parts and a specially trained crew to climb the 1000 foot tower. Although the required parts are in hand and the crew is in the area, the weather has not been cooperative as the tower climbers can not climb the tower when there is wind or other inclement weather conditions. Please continue to monitor 89.5 FM as we hope to be back on the air in early January. Until then, feel free to listen online and check back often for updates. High Plains Public Radio greatly appreciates your patience and wishes to assure you that we are doing everything possible to restore our signal to the KTOT listening area. If you wish to discuss this further, you may click here to send an e-mail to hppr or call at 1-800-678-7444 (High Plains Public Radio website Jan 2 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 11975, Kamchatka Rybatskaya, 2359 open carrier, co-channel Chinese left air at 0000 and this one started up. Brief phrase by man, then fanfare. Talk by woman including an ID. Into dance music with English lyrics. 0005 some talk. 0012 Dave Koz bridge music and another ID at 0014. English pop music at 0015 and ID by same woman at 0018. All talk in Russian. Clear channel, fair signal. UT Sun 0000-0100 only (Hans Johnson, FL, Dec 19, Cumbre DX via Rus-DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. From 01.12.2004. Tx - Novosibirsk. 20 kW. Azimut - 305. 17795 kHz : 0700-1000 . Programme in standart - DRM (Vladimir Kazgunov, Liepaya, Latvia / "0pen_dx" via Rus-DX Dec via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [and non]. Voce of Russia. Russian World Service. Relay via SW transmitters of Russia 31/10/2004 - 26/03/2005 kHz UTC kW Moscow 6000 1630-1800 250 6130 1600-2100 250 6145 1600-2200 250 7230** 2200-2100 250 7260 0200-0400 500 7290 1600-2100 250 7305 1800-2000 200 7330 0000-0400 500 7330 1700-2200 250 7360 1500-1900 250 7365 1300-1600 200 7390 1700-2100 250 7400 1800-2200 200 7420* 1800-2100 250 9470 1500-1800 250 9480 1600-2100 500 9830 1300-2000 500 12035 1100-1600 500 12060 DRM 0700-1600 080 15460* 1200-1500 500 15780 DRM 0700-1100 080 17570** 1200-1500 500 Sankt-Peterburg 5895 1500-1800 400 5910 1600-1700 400 5950 1900-2100 400 6030 1800-2000 200 6060 1800-2100 400 6090 1600-1900 200 6195 0100-0300 500 7130 1700-1800 400 7130 1830-2800 400 7340 1600-1800 200 12005 0700-0900 200 12060 0700-0900 200 Kaliningrad 5920 1630-2000 160 6235 1800-2200 160 7445 1500-2200 160 9720 1000-1100 160 Samara 5935 1500-1800 250 5940 1500-2000 250 6000 1800-2230 200 6175 1800-2000 200 6185 1300-1700 250 7215 1800-2000 250 7315* 1400-1700 250 7320* 1700-1800 200 7355 1900-2000 200 7370 1630-1900 200 7390 0000-0300 500 7420** 1700-1800 200 9885** 1300-1600 250 9900* 1300-1600 250 9900** 1400-1700 250 Ekaterinburg 6045 1400-2000 200 7310 1845-2100 200 7320 1600-1630 200 7380 1700-2000 200 Krasnodar 5925 1500-2000 100 5945 0100-0300 500 5950 1800-1900 250 6005 1500-1900 7240 0200-0400 500 7300 1600-2200 250 9800 1200-1600 500 11655 1300-1500 250 15540 1000-1100 250 Novosibirsk 5945 1500-1900 100 5995 1200-1500 100 7155 1500-1900 500 7305 1200-1400 200 7305 1400-1600 500 9465 1000-1100 200 9865 1200-1300 500 Irkutsk 5910 1700-1900 250 5920 1000-1400 100 5995 1500-1900 100 6125 1000-1100 100 6125 1200-1300 100 9770 1300-1500 500 21790 0600-0900 250 Chita 6205 1200-1300 500 6205 1400-1600 500 7335 1700-2000 500 7350 1200-1600 500 17570 0800-1000 250 17695 0200-0500 250 Khabarovsk 6145 1100-1300 100 7220 1100-1500 100 Komsomolsk-na-Amure 7155 1200-1400 250 9495 1300-1500 250 12110 0200-0600 250 15475 0200-0400 250 17665 0600-1000 250 Vladivostok 3955 1000-1100 100 3955 1200-1300 100 3955 1400-1500 100 5930 1100-1500 100 7260 1300-1800 500 15425 0300-0600 500 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy 7415 1500-1900 250 13665 0200-0400 250 15595 0200-0600 200 * = Till 05/03/2005 ** = From 06/03/2005 Voce of Russia. Russian World Service. Relay via SW transmitters abroad Russia 31/10/2004 - 26/03/2005 Armenia 11510 1700-2000 500 Moldova 6170 1900-2100 500 7125 0000-0600 500 7180 0100-0600 500 Ukraine 7150 0200-0600 500 Tajikistan 4940 1600-1500 100 4940 1600-1700 100 4965 1300-1500 100 4965 1600-1700 100 4975 1300-1500 100 4875 1600-1700 100 7510 1500-2000 200 7570 0000-0300 500 9945 0200-0300 500 11500 1200-1500 500 17495 0800-1000 500 17525 0800-1000 500 China 11500 1500-1600 120 Vatican City State 7170 2100-2130 250 7350 0200-0500 250 Germany 5965 2000-2200 100 5975 2000-2200 100 5990 2100-2200 100 5995 0200-0400 100 6175 2300-0000 100 9555 1500-1600 100 (Nikolay Rudnev, Belgoodskaya oblast, Dec Rus-DX via DXLD) ======== Foreign relay via short wave transmitters of Russia. 31/10/2004 - 26/03/2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------ kHz UTC kW Radiostation -------------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow 6205 1700-2000 250 YFR 7170 2200-2300 250 CRI 7200 1830-1930 200 CRI 7220 1930-2000 200 CRI 7375 DRM 2000-2100 Sat 200 TDP 7435 1600-1700 250 BBC 9840 @ 1630-1745 250 FEB Till 20/03 9925 0600-0700 250 VRT 13800 1400-1700 Sun 250 VRT 15195 1200-1230 250 VRT Sankt-Peterburg 7130 1600-1700 400 CRI 7130 1800-1830 400 CRI Samara 5935 1800-1900 250 IBR 7215 2030-2130 250 CRI 7370* 0200-0300 250 FEB 7370 1900-2000 250 YFR 7580 1300-1700 250 YFR 7590 1700-1730 Fri,Thu 250 VOL 7590 1700-1800 Wed 250 LBT 7590 1700-1800 Sat 250 DER 7590 1730-1800 Mon 250 ORO 12120** 0400-0500 Sun 250 LBT 15525 0400-0530 250 FEB * alternative 9860 ** alternative 15675 Krasnodar 5840 1730-1800 250 RPR 7240 1900-2000 250 YFR 7330* 1530-1700 200 IBR 7365 1600-1645 250 TWR 7490 1800-2200 200 VRT 7590 2000-2100 Sat 100 TDP 9850@ 1530-1645 100 FEB Since 21/03 12065 0500-0545 200 BVB 13660 0600-1200 Mon-Sat 200 BBC 15145 0800-0830 500 DWL 15195 0700-0900 200 VRT * alternative 7460 Ekaterinburg 6245 1545-1600 Sun 100 TWR 6245 1600-1700 100 TWR 6245 1700-1730 Sat 100 TWR 7180 1700-1730 Sat 100 TWR Novosibirsk 5830 1900-1930 200 RPR 5840 1800-1900 500 IBR 6245 1730-1930 250 DWL 7125* 1300-1330 Tue, Thu, Sat 500 DEG 7390 1300-1500 200 VOA 7430 2200-2300 200 RFI 7430 1200-1300 500 RFI 9445 1400-1515 250 FEB 9450 0200-0245 250 FEB 12025 2300-0100 500 RFI 12070 0200-0330 250 VAT * alternative 7180 and 7480 Irkutsk 5895 1330-1400 100 VAT 5905 2200-2300 250 VOA 5945 0930-1030 500 FRI 6225 1300-1350 500 DWL 7210 1500-1700 250 RFA 7340 1400-1615 250 FEB 7400 1000-1400 250 DWL 7535 1230-1500 250 TWR 9450 0900-1200 250 YFR 9945 1130-1230 250 VRT 12015 1100-1300 500 RFI 12065 1000-1100 250 RNW 15510 0230-0300 250 BBC Chita 6205 1315-1400 500 VAT 7560 1230-1515 250 TWR Vladivostok 7115 1230-1300 250 IBR 7315 2200-2300 500 RFI 7330* 1100-1530 500 BBC 7590 1400-1500 Tue 250 VKK 12075 2300-2400 500 RFI 15110 0100-0200 200 DWL * alternative 7550 Komsomolsk-na-Amure 6205 1030-1055 250 DWL Khabarovsk 5945 1130-1315 100 BVB 9600# 2200-2245 100 VAT Till 05/12, Since 07/02 9940 1300-1400 100 RNW 13800 1000-1100 100 RNW Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy 5895 1200-1300 200 IBR 5910 1000-1400 250 DWL 7315 1000-1100 250 RNW 7380 1300-1400 250 RNW 9600# 2200-2245 250 VAT Since 06/12 Till 06/02 12065 2030-2100 250 VOA 15145 0100-0200 250 DWL Foreign relay via short wave transmitters of the countries of CIS. 31/10/2004 - 26/03/2005 Armenia 5855 1710-1840 100 TWR 5855 1910-1940 100 TWR 7365 0030-0200 100 FEB 7550 2300-2400 500 RFA 7560 0100-0300 500 RFA 9365 1100-1400 500 RFA Till 05/03 11520 1500-1600 500 RFA 11590 1100-1400 500 RFA Ó 06/03 11790 1400-1500 100 VOA 17540 0600-0700 500 RFA Belarus 7440 1900-2000 150 YFR Moldova 7360 2000-2200 500 YFR 7460 0230-0315 500 RPD 7470 1600-1630 500 ARA 7480 1800-1845 500 RPD 7490 1730-1815 500 RIN 7510 0430-0500 500 ARA 11530 0500-1700 500 MEZ Kazakhstan 5905 1430-1530 200 DVB 6225 2200-2350 500 DWL 7405 2345-0115 200 TWR 9355 1630-1700 Tue, Fri 200 VOO 9395 1200-1400 500 DWL 11510 1230-1330 200 RFA 12055 0045-0115 200 TWR 13830 0000-0100 200 RFA 15605 1000-1200 500 DWL Tajikistan 4760 0100-0200 100 RFE 4760 1630-1700 100 RFE 4995 1500-1600 100 RFE 7415 2300-2400 200 RFA 7455 1800-2000 500 RFA 7470 0100-0300 200 RFA Till 05/03 7480 0100-0200 200 RFA 7495 1500-1600 200 RFA 7515 1600-1700 200 RFA 7515 2330-0030 200 RFA 7530 1600-1700 200 RFA 7540 1500-2200 500 RFA 7540 2300-2400 500 RFA 9355 1300-1400 200 RFA 9365 0100-0200 200 RFA 9365 1400-1500 200 RFA 11535 0030-0130 200 RFA 11540 1100-1300 200 RFA 15660 0100-0300 200 RFA Since 06/03 17495 0300-0700 500 RFA 17515 0600-0700 200 RFA 17525 0300-0700 500 RFA Ukraine 15575 0600-0730 Mon-Sat 250 BBC 15575 0730-0900 Sat 250 BBC 15575 0900-1200 Mon-Sat 250 BBC Uzbekistan 7110 0100-0130 200 BBC 7265 0030-0100 100 FEB 7430 1330-1445 200 BBC 7430 1500-1530 200 BBC 7435 1700-1900 200 YER 7460 0000-0100 100 IBC 7485 1400-1530 100 BVB 7510 1400-1500 100 YFR 9345 1400-1600 100 RNW 9445 0030-0145 200 TWR 9485* 1230-1315 100 FEB 9570 0100-0400 100 VIL 9855 1400-1700 100 VIL 9865 1430-1550 100 VAT 9865 1550-1600 Sat 100 VAT 12070 1300-1300 100 RNW 13630 0400-1100 100 VIL 13765 1100-1400 100 VIL 17690 1200-1230 200 VRT 16mb** 1212-1300 100 VOT 19mb** 1302-1350 100 VOT 41mb** 1430-1508 100 VOT * alternative 9450 ** Various frequencies in the specified range. ARA - Arabic Radio BBC - British Broadcasting Corp. BVB - Bible Voice Broadcasting Network CRI - China Radio Int. DEG - Degar Voice DER - Dejen Radio DVB - Democratic Voice of Burma DWL - Deutsche Welle FEB - FEBA Radio IBC - IBC Tamil IBR - IBRA Radio LBT - Voice of Liberty MEZ - Voice of Mesopotamia ORO - Radio Voice of Oromiya RFA - Radio Free Asia RFE - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty RFI - Radio France Internationale RIN - R. Anternacional RNW - Radio Nederland Wereldompoep RPD - Radio Payam-e Doost RPR - Radio Prague TDP - TDP Radio TWR - Trans World Radio VAT - Radio Vaticana VIL - Voice International VKK - Voice of Khmer Krom VOA - Voice of America VOL - Voice of Oromo Liberation VOO - Voice of Orthodoxy VOT - Voice of Tibet VRT - Radio Vlaanderen Int. YFR - WYFR Family Radio (Nikolay Rudnev, Belgorodskaya oblast, Dec Rus-DX via DXLD) Voice of Russia. Relay via LW & MW transmitters. 31/10/2004 - 26/03/2005 kHz / kW / Transmitter / ITU / UTC ------------------------------------------------- 234 / 500 / Gavar / ARM / 1000-1400, 2000-2300 585 / 1200 / Belororsk / RUS / 1100-1500 603 / 5 / Berlin-Zehlendorf / D / 0000-2300 603 / 200 / Hainan Prov. / CHN / 1200-1300 612 / 20/40 / Moscow (Kurkino) / RUS / 1600-1700, 2000-2300 612 / 100 / Vilnius / LTU / 0800-1600 612 / ? / ? / ? / 0300-0400, 1800-2000 630 / 500 / Komsomolsk-na-Amure / RUS / 1200-1400 648 / 1000 / Razdolnoe / RUS / 1000-1100, 1200-1300 648 / 1000 / Orzu / TJK / 0200-0400, 1300-2000 720 / 1000 / Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk / RUS / 1200-1400 801 / 1200 / Atamanovka / RUS / 1300-1500 801 / 1000 / Orzu / TJK / 0300-0500, 0900-1000, 1200-1830 936 / 1000 / Lvov / UKR / 0200-0400, 0900-2100 972 / 500 / Nikolaev / UKR / 0900-2000 972 / 1000 / Orzu / TJK / 0200-0400, 1200-1900 999 / 500 / Griroriopol / MDA / 2100-2400, 1300-1600, 1700-1800 1026 / 250 / Oyash / RUS / 0000-0300, 1700-2000 1080 / 1000 / Angarsk / RUS / 1300-1500 1089 / 1200 / Tbilisskaya / RUS / 0300-0400, 0500-0700, 1600-2300 1143 / 150 / Bolshakovo / RUS / 1300-2200 1143 / 150 / Yangiyul / TJK / 1300-1500, 1900-2300 1170 / 1200 / Tbilisskaya / RUS / 2200-2300, 0400-0600, 1500-1900 1170 / 800 / Sosnovy / BLR / 0000-0500, 0700-1000, 1100-1600, 1800- 2000 1215 / 1200 / Bolshakovo / RUS / 1000-1100, 1600-2400 1251 / 600 / Razdolnoe / RUS / 0800-1000, 1100-1500 1251 / 100 / Yangiyul / TJK / 1400-1900 1269 / 300 / Yunnan Prov. / CHN / 1300-1400, 1700-1800 1314 / 1000 / Gavar / ARM / 0300-0400, 1600-2300 1323 / 150/800 / Wachenbrunn / D / 0600-2300 1323 / 100 / Jilin Prov. / CHN / 1400-1500 1386 / 1200 / Bolshakovo / RUS / 1000-2000 1431 / 500 / Nikolaev / UKR / 1300-2000 1467 / 500 / Grigoriopol / MDA / 1800-2100 1494 / 600 / Krashy Bor / RUS / 1600-2000 1503 / 7 / Dushanbe / TJK / 0200-0400, 1300-2000 1548 / 1000 / Grigoriopol / MDA / 2100-2230, 0400-0900, 1300-1800 (Nikolay Rudnev, Belgorodskaya oblast, Jan Rus-DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Moscow. 612 kHz: UTC Radiostation 0400-1600 (daily) - Narodnoe Radio. In Russian. 1600-1700 (Mon, Tue, Thu, Sun) - Voice of Russia. Programme "Evangelskie chteniya" . In Russian. 1600-1700 (Wed, Fri) - Voice of Russia. Programme "Islamskaya programme". Russian / Arabic. 1600-1700 (Sat) - Voice of Russia. Programme "Kala Aturaya". In Assyrian / Russian 1700-2000 (daily) - Radiostation "Radonezh". In Russian. 2000-2100 (daily) - Voice of Russia. Russian World Service. Programme for Moscow region. 2100-2200 (daily) - Voice of Russia. Programme "Evangelskie chteniya". In Russian (Anatoly Klepov, ed., Rus-DX Dec via DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES [non]. RWANDA, FEBA Radio (presumed), 9885, 1727-1757 Jan 2. Poor copy, vernacular used with alternating talk and African style music. IS played once at 1757 then to sign-off. IS matches FEBA IS used from Seychelles; I could not copy a clear ID so I will call this logging tentative for now. Is this a relatively new frequency and transmitter for FEBA (Kigali)? (Jeff Heller, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. The Sunday South African Radio League transmissions 0800-0855 on 9750 and 17700 are also broadcast in parallel on amateur frequencies 7082 and 14280 and two metre repeaters around South Africa (Sergey Kolesov, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. International minister Ralph G. Stair, accused of sexual and financial crimes, pleaded guilty to assault and battery November 29th after more than 2 years since being charged. With more than 100 of his supporters watching at the Colleton County Courthouse Stair admitted to ``unlawfully touching`` two of his former female followers, a lesser offense reduced from the initial charge of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Circuit Court Jack Gregory concurrently sentenced Stair, 72, of Canadys, to 30 days in the Colleton County Detention Center. With time served, Stair will do no additional time. Stair is leader of the Overcomer Ministry whose residents must sell all their worldly possessions and sever ties with friends and family members before entering. Arrested in May 2002, Stair faced two charges each of second degree criminal sexual conduct and breach of trust. Later that summer other misdemeanor charges including unlawful burying of a body without notice or inquiry and failure to get authorisation for the removal of a dead body were added. In August 2004 two counts of assault and battery of a high and sexual nature were added. As part of the plea agreement the criminal sexual conduct charges will be dropped. Stair¹s time in court for the breach of trust charges is yet to come as is the court date for the misdemeanor charges. During the proceedings Special Prosecutor Suzanne Mays said the victims Laquiela Horn and Stacey Belford were brought to the community by their parents and were dependent on Stair for their food, clothing, education and religious needs. Both girls reported being touched in an inappropriate sexual nature by the minister and were frozen with fear to do anything about it. ``I was really terrified, he said Come here``, wrote Belford in her statement. Nearly a dozen civil case accusations varying from wrongful death to financial wrongdoing are also pending against Stair. Currently these cases are in the ``pleading and motions stage`` with no trial date set, said civil plaintiffs attorney Skip Utsey (Colleton County Press and Standard, Walterboro, via http://www.thenetteam.net via Mike Barraclough, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Overcomer Ministry via Julich is 1400-1700 on 6110 13810 (Barraclough, ibid.) The Net Team is one of BS`s major detractors, and there is a lot more on their website, including testimonials, audio (gh, DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. Cland, 15530, Sudan Radio Service, ca. 1527 29.12, talks about Sudan and Sudanese people, mention of Moh'd Nimer, bullts, SPLME, S9 44444 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sudan R. Service, 15530, 1542-1659 Jan 3. Just caught another ID in English at 1659 before apparent sign-off, but I noticed at 1546 that there was an apparent sign-off, only to start up again at 1549 with an English studio announcer. From 1549 to 1659, mostly alternating talk and music, occasional English used, but mostly vernacular. Interviews, talks, etc. Fair to good signal and copy overall (Jeff Heller, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN. 11560, R. Sweden: Special post-tsunami broadcasts, heard coming on at 1129 Dec 29, very weak, but built up quickly and was fairly good (but fluttery) by 1157 when they went into IS/ID sequence until closing at 1159. They switched to 11550, IS/IDs there at 1159 and opened at 1200, pretty decent and improving. Swedish, ments. of Thailand, later English (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND. SWITZERLAND FOR THE OUTSIDE WORLD (will the internet replace shortwave radio) --- swissinfo January 2, 2005 http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=107&sid=5433067 Interview with Beat Witschi who became director of swissinfo on January 1, swissinfo's new director, Beat Witschi, says the internet has the potential to revolutionise the media and how we access information. For swissinfo itself, his priorities are to provide more information and services to the Swiss living abroad, and to better integrate swissinfo's website into the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's multimedia operations. swissinfo: You became director of swissinfo on January 1. How do you see your rôle? Beat Witschi: I helped to create the web platform, swissinfo, which went online in 1999. Before that we were a shortwave [radio] service. Now the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) - of which we are a part - is in the process of defining a multimedia strategy for the entire corporation. swissinfo must play an important role in that strategy. We have an additional mandate to provide a service to the Swiss living abroad. And so I want to be sure that the SBC is aware of our role, and that we can assist the corporation in developing this strategy. swissinfo: How prepared are you for your new role? B.W.: I was fortunate enough to work in multimedia when I worked abroad, and I am bringing this knowledge to bear in my role at swissinfo/Swiss Radio International. I also know swissinfo/Swiss Radio International very well because I worked here for many years as a radio journalist. The political authorities and the SBC will ultimately decide whether and in what form we should continue. swissinfo: What do you intend to change as director of swissinfo? B.W.: We will certainly try to do more to integrate swissinfo into the SBC. To that end, we need to develop both the quality and the content of our nine-language web platform. We need to expand our platform, and to make it more attractive and better overall. We also have to offer more to the Swiss abroad in terms of services, and for this the internet is an excellent medium. swissinfo: Do you have any concrete objectives for this year and beyond? B.W.: The focus over the next 12 months is to improve the website. Two years ago we upgraded all nine language sites, but there is still work to be done to make swissinfo more interactive, faster and to expand our content. The medium term will depend on the SBC, which has to decide to what extent we should be integrated into the corporation. swissinfo: You mentioned multimedia strategy. Do you think swissinfo will still exist in its current form three years from now? B.W.: The website will certainly still exist. I don't know whether we will have nine languages, but I hope so. This is largely a decision for the political authorities. In my opinion, swissinfo is very well positioned. We are cost- efficient and flexible, we have a good journalistic product, and we use a medium that is accessible across the world. In general, I am very optimistic that we will still be here in a few years' time. We have to look at Switzerland through the eyes of someone living abroad. swissinfo: Competition from within the SBC and from private operators is growing. How is swissinfo positioned against competitors? B.W.: We are answerable both to the political authorities, who want a service for the Swiss abroad, and to the SBC, which provides funding for us. Both will ultimately decide whether and in what form we should continue to operate. Ideally swissinfo would complement the SBC's existing multimedia offering. This is what discussions are focused on at the moment. We want to offer as much content as possible, but we can't do it all ourselves because we don't have the resources. So we are focused on finding creative ways to work together [with the SBC]. swissinfo: What makes swissinfo different from other online media in Switzerland? B.W.: We provide perspective from abroad, while the domestic Swiss media serve primarily a local audience, which means their focus tends to be regional [i.e.: on German-, French- or Italian-speaking Switzerland]. We have to offer more - namely a national overview. And our journalists have to look at Switzerland through the eyes of someone living abroad. They have to decide which are the most important issues, trends and developments behind the daily headlines. This is our niche, our strength and also our mandate. swissinfo: Last October, swissinfo/SRI ceased all radio broadcasts. Where does that leave the Swiss living abroad who do not have internet access? B.W.: Naturally it would be ideal if we could communicate through a range of media - radio, television, internet and mobile phones. But for financial reasons, we had to decide which medium worked best for us, and that was the internet. The advantage is that we can offer much more content than previously. The drawback is that not everyone has internet access. I think we made the right decision under the circumstances. With this medium we can offer the best service to both Swiss living abroad and also to an international audience. swissinfo: What are the prospects for the internet as a medium? B.W.: It's likely that the various media will continue to develop. The younger generation already expect to be able to access the information they want through the media they prefer - basically information "on demand". The internet has enormous potential here, and far more than has been realised yet. (swissinfo-interview: Gaby Ochsenbein via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** UGANDA [non]. Cland, 17870, R Rhino International [via Germany] ca. 1527 29.12, OM with talks on Uganda, Roth om Mohammad, conspiracies on Uganda etc. S10 44444 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Thanks to all of you who participated in, or listened to, our special New Year's Eve edition of VOA's Talk to America. Audio available at the Media Zoo. http://www.mediazoo.co.uk (kimandrewelliott.com Jan 3 via DXLD) ** U S A. Dear Glenn, some news: Jean Shepherd program to go five days on WBCQ. Mon-Fri. 5-6 pm [2200-2300 UT] on 9330, as well as Mondays on 7415, at the same time. Sadly I have to cancel WOR at those times on 9330. Also had to cancel WOR on Fridays 7:30-8 pm [0030 UT Sat] as Sprit of Elijah is back Mon-Fri, 7-8 pm, on 9330. Otherwise --- Lots of extra program times sponsored by Tom Anderson of "American Magazine". Area 51 returns Sundays 9 pm-1 am [UT Mon 0200- 0600] on 5105. Radio Free New York gets additional time on Sundays from 5 to 7 pm [2200-2400 UT] on 5105. All due to Tom's generosity!! Happy new year, (Allan Weiner, WBCQ, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. RADIO WEATHERMAN AIRS HIS FINAL FORECAST By Christopher Marcisz, Berkshire Eagle Staff [Massachusetts] http://www.berkshireeagle.com/cda/article/print/0,1674,101%257E7516%257E2630726,00.html Sunday, January 02, 2005 - NORTH ADAMS -- As a self-taught, amateur meteorologist, George Trottier did not think much of the regional weather forecasts aired by radio station WMNB in the 1960s. "They never got it right, and it used to annoy me," he remembered. Back then, a disc jockey named Paul Scott had a call-in request show, "Radio Rack," that broadcast every weeknight. One evening in January 1969, Trottier stopped by to say hello, and they got to talking about the National Weather Service reports. "I was a little cocky back then," he said. "I said to him, 'I can do a heck of a lot better than that.' " Scott told him to call back the next night. When he did, Scott said he had told station owner Donald Thurston about Trottier's boast. If he was game, Trottier was welcome to contribute a few of his own local reports for a two-week trial period. They would compare them with the weather service reports and see who was more accurate. Within a week, Trottier was hired. "That was the beginning," he said. After 35 years as North County's own weatherman, the end came last week for Trottier, whose distinctive bass voice and three daily reports were, for many, the final, localized word on what weather to expect. He was told by the station's new management shortly after Thanksgiving that he would no longer be needed after the end of the year. His departure came a few months after longtime newsman Ron Plock was fired in May by Vox Radio Group, and represents another loss of several decades of local broadcasting experience. The station -- now WNAW (AM 1230) and WMNB (FM 100.1) -- will do without the personal forecasts and return to wire reports. Station manager David Luyk told the North Adams Transcript last week that there are many credible ways to get weather forecasts, including from The Associated Press and the National Weather Service. "The tough thing is that it does hurt, and it is hard to say good-bye to a member of our family," Luyk said. "I don't think the listeners of WNAW will notice a decline in the weather information we provide to them." Trottier, 65, is unhappy about the decision and blames the new management for the change. He said he has always had a good relationship with the employees of the station through various owners. "I always had a great rapport with the employees down there," he said. "They all were very good to me." He said he does not understand the motivation, particularly since he made a modest few hundred dollars a month for his reports. "It can't be a cost-cutting move," he said. "That's certainly not going to break a corporation." Trottier, who is legally blind, works from his home in North Adams, where he has pored over raw data from the National Weather Service to put together his forecasts. He has put together his reports over the past 10 years with the help of a computer program that translates the data on his computer screen into audio. "It doesn't affect me," he said of his vision. "If anything, I work harder at it, and I think it makes me better." Trottier says North County is characterized by "vest pocket weather," where the mountains and valleys create their own weather system that is hard to understand from a computer model and that can be quite different from nearby regions. "Other services kind of regionalize their reports for a wider area, so the accuracy hurts," he said. "I focus on one area and from that make up my own local forecast." He also said that local knowledge is a key component in creating accurate forecasts. As a North Adams native, he feels this is a clear advantage over other services. "The weather here is something I grew up with," he said. "I know exactly what each system is more than likely to do." That knowledge has come in handy in the past. On Oct. 4, 1987, a wet, heavy snow began to fall on North Adams, at a time when the leaves were still on the trees. That also happened to be the day of the annual Fall Foliage Parade. Trottier said Mayor John Barrett III called that morning to ask whether the festivities should be canceled. It was an important decision that turned Trottier into a "nervous wreck," because an event of that size can't be postponed or rescheduled. He advised Barrett to cancel, which the mayor did without argument. "By parade time, [snow] was coming down to beat the band, and it kept up until late afternoon," he said. If the parade had gone on, everyone "would have been marooned here." Through the years, he has provided forecasts and reports for other sources, from city crews to ski areas, and is by no means planning to retire. "I'm working on a few possibilities, and I'm almost positive in the near future I may have something else," he said. Since word got out Thursday about the station's decision, he said he has received many calls of support from friends and well-wishers. "It makes me feel good," he said. "I can't believe it was so popular. I thought it would just come and go, but some people were irate." (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** U S A. On 1340 there is someone perhaps 150 Hz off freq. Dominant here is WROD Daytona Beach who are somewhat louder than co-located 1450 and the het is very prominent daytimes (Bob Foxworth, visiting St. Augustine FL, Jan 1, NRC-AM via DXLD) 1340 and 1450 are not co-located, 1340 is a couple miles further south, but both with ground radials in saltwater. You bring up an on going mystery concerning 1340. WROD has had a low hertz blanking hum for a couple years when you get to the fringe of their signal. In their primary coverage they sound normal but as you drive away the hum becomes detectable and increases until on the outer fringe it completely overtakes the station audio. An example, north of Orlando or east of Ocala, the only thing you hear on 1340 is the hum. Likewise north of Titusville on 95. Is it off frequency or something funky in the power supply of the transmitter? This situation started when they installed one of the new 3' high solid state miniboxes a few years back (Jerry Kiefer, Port Orange, FL, ibid.) ** U S A. Continuing the earlier article about the Bay Area radio dial, this portion about the commercial FM stations: KABL 92.1 FM http://www.kablradio.com Once one of the most popular stations in San Francisco, with its cable car sounds, poetic paeans to the city and "beautiful music," KABL is now best heard in Contra Costa County -- or on its Web site. Clear Channel turned its 960 AM spot over to Air America, bringing liberal talk to the Bay Area, at the expense of KABL's format of standards and pop music, and of such stalwarts as Jim Lange and the "Lange Gang," along with Carter B. Smith and Clark Reid, who file their shows via voice-tracking. Reid is program director of the station, which has won the National Association of Broadcasters award for Adult Standards Station of the Year twice in the past three years. Clear Channel says it's trying to find frequencies in San Francisco and Marin for KABL. For now, to paraphrase its old slogan, it's "in the air, everywhere" ... in Walnut Creek. _________________________________________________________________ KNGY 92.7 FM This station, previous known as KPTI ("Party 92.7") and KBTB ("The Beat"), has bounced and hip-hopped through several formats, remaining in the shadows of KMEL and Wild 94.9. In October, it changed hands and is now owned by Flying Bear Media, a local group headed by veteran broadcaster Joe Bayliss. Now, it's "Energy 92.7," dispensing dance music that, Bayliss says, "is familiar, accessible and has mass appeal." Although the station's city of license is Alameda, the format is "tailor-made for San Francisco," Bayliss adds, noting that Flying Bear is one of the Bay Area's only independent radio operators. KNGY is still taking shape, he says, and won't unveil any live DJs until New Year's Day. The station's Web site is also still under construction. _________________________________________________________________ KRZZ 93.3 FM What was, for a brief time, a sister station to the long-established South Bay station KBAY is now KRZZ (for "La Raza"), acquired by Spanish Broadcasting System Inc. from Infinity. The format is Spanish music, and the big star is Renan Almendarez Coello, who's been compared to Howard Stern, and is making his return to the Bay Area. He was the afternoon star on KSOL (although he was broadcasting from a sister station in Los Angeles) until he walked off his show in February after a dispute with management. He switched to Spanish Broadcasting's KLAX, where he was an overnight hit. Now, "El Cucuy de la Mañana" is doing his show from 4 to 11 a.m. weekdays and 4 to 10 a.m. Saturdays) [PST = UT -8] out of Los Angeles, with "Charo" serving as his locally based news and traffic reporter. Other DJs include Sylvia "La Bronca" Valles, El Ratón, Memo and Jessie Portillo. The station has no Web site. _________________________________________________________________ KYLD 94.9 FM http://www.wild949.com Formerly KSOL with an R&B format, the station became KYLD ("Wild 107.7") in 1986, then switched to 94.9 FM in 1991. The music is similar to its Clear Channel sister station, KMEL -- current hip-hop, dance and rhythmic hits -- and they share a program director, Michael Martin. The two former rivals now duel mainly for bragging rights, since all revenue goes into the same pot. (They take turns dominating the ratings for listeners age 12 to 24.) Music is incidental in the mornings, which are overtaken by "The Doghouse," with JV, Elvis, Hollywood and other crew members engaging in monologues, arguments, phone calls and song parodies, with lots of pranks and dissing of the establishment, celebrities, listeners and each other. It's rude, raucous and fun. Afternoons feature Jeff St. John; Strawberry does evenings. Wild 94.9 stages three "Da Bomb" concerts a year, selling 12,000 to 15,000 tickets each time. _________________________________________________________________ KZBR 95.7 FM http://www.kzbr.com "The Bear" is providing country radio to the Bay Area, which went several years without it after the format was dropped by KNEW and after the demise of KYCY. Occupying 95.7 (whose lineage includes KKHI, KPIX, Z95.7 and "the Drive"), KZBR and its huge signal, reaching nine counties, serve up Nashville's biggest stars and hits. Very little heritage music; ditto the more adventurous sounds called alt-country, also known as Americana. Morning hit- kickers are Rick Taylor (in from a Houston country station) and news and traffic reporter Robin Owen, followed by a couple of DJs from other formats: Katie Mason (she was at one of the station's predecessors, Z95.7) and J.D., who logged time at oldies station KFRC before heading for the country. The Bear is one of the first stations in the world broadcasting in high definition digital radio. (However, high-def listeners need special receivers or add-on tuners to get country with less static.) _________________________________________________________________ KOIT 96.5 FM / 1260 AM http://www.koit.com It may be hard to believe, but in the '70s KOIT was a rock station. (Boomers may recall the taped voice of the station identifying herself as "Mother KOIT." She was actually Gale "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" Garnett.) Now, it's your "At Work" station, playing "lite rock" and, as advertised, less talk, meaning precious little personality. There's more pizzazz over at the station's award-winning Web site, which carries features on food, gardening, health and entertainment. But the station itself is meant to be audio wallpaper, aimed at office drones, and its blend of Norah Jones, Gloria Estefan and Phil Collins has worked for umpteen years. It's Jack Kulp and Sherry Brown in the morning, Laurie Sanders doing afternoon drive and veteran Larry Ickes, who dates back to free-form KMPX in the '70s, between them. Weekends include another Bay Area radio vet, Tom Saunders, along with Scott Thomas and Julie Shannon. _________________________________________________________________ KLLC 97.3 FM http://www.radioalice.com The first Bay Area station to adapt a person's name as its identity, "Alice" is a spunky rock station aimed at people in their 20s and 30s who like edgy music minus the head-banging. There are lots of singer-songwriters who appeal to women. In the mornings, the music gives way to spirited conversation, led by Sarah and "No Name," and including staffers and callers. It's less small talk than mall talk, riddled with the tics that make young people, like, I mean, you know, what-EV. When the music starts, it's Sterling James, a grad from college radio, followed by Webster for the afternoon cruise. The evening DJ, Gretchen, also hosts Alice's answer to KFOG's "Acoustic Sunrise" with "Chill With Alice," 7 to 10 a.m. Sundays. Also, on its excellent Web site, listeners can view performances by artists who've played in the Alice Lounge, an open space between the studios and various offices. _________________________________________________________________ KISQ 98.1 FM http://www.981kissfm.com The format is a mix of current and classic R&B, and it's worked nicely for "Kiss FM" since it replaced an '80s format, "The Big 98.1," in 1997. Whatever it is, it's where Renel works when she's not on "Evening Magazine" or working at Giants home games. Her morning show is an old-fashioned radio variety show, with music, gossip, interviews, shout-outs to listeners and do- good activities, with Big Roy handling news and traffic. After Renel, Tony Sandoval adds a smooth Latin lilt to middays, followed by Morris Knight, who's also a musician, and Lisa St. Regis, a former KMEL DJ who handles requests and dedications for her evening show, "Between the Sheets." _________________________________________________________________ KSOL 98.9 FM http://www.univision.com Formerly the call letters of popular R&B stations, on both AM and FM, KSOL became a Spanish-language station in 1986, playing Mexican regional music, including banda, nortenas and rancheras. As "Estereo Sol," the station has evolved into a major player in recent years, even nipping the perennial No. 1 station, KGO, in the overall ratings in San José. (KSOL simulcasts with KSQL in Santa Cruz.) In San Francisco, it's consistently in the top five, although it now faces a formidable competitor in the new KRZZ ("La Raza"). KSOL's morning star is Eddie Sotelo, who goes by the nickname "El Piolín" ("tweety bird") and broadcasts from the studios of owner Univisión Radio's Los Ángeles station, "La Nueva 101.9." Piolin mixes comedy, listener calls and celebrity interviews, and his show is No. 1 among listeners age 18-34 and 18-49. Also shining at KSOL, and working from its San Francisco studios: José Luís Gonzales, who does afternoon drive, and Yolanda Aguilar, the evening DJ. _________________________________________________________________ KFRC 99.7 FM / 610 AM http://www.kfrc.com KFRC is your home for oldies (although it's dropped that word, in favor of "the greatest hits of all time"), and for echoes of the powerhouse Top 40 station that it was in the mid-'60s and '70s. That's when it was "the Big 6-10. " Personality still rules, with baseball nut Cammy Blackstone and Dean Goss anchoring the mornings, followed by the real dean of KFRC jocks, Sue Hall. The afternoon driver is Ron Leonard, and evenings are covered by Christopher Lance. Sam Van Zandt, a man of many formats, does overnights as well as the public affairs show "Street Talk." Other familiar voices on the weekends: Paula Kelly, Tom Benner and Dusti Rhodes. KFRC (on the AM side) airs Oakland A's and Cal basketball games. Although KFRC, in recent years, had inched into the '70s with its music, new programmer Bob Harlow is bringing back more '50s sounds. Still, he says, "We're centered in the '60s." _________________________________________________________________ KSFB 100.7 FM: A musical sister station to KFAX, KSFB is "The Bridge," playing Christian rock and pop. Hosts include the youthful Jes Wes in the morning and "Joy in the Afternoons." _________________________________________________________________ KIOI 101.3 FM http://www.star1013fm.com As contemporary as it always sounds, K101 goes way back, to the late '60s and the years of Bay Area FM pioneer James Gabbert (whose experimentations actually date back to KPEN-FM, which he and partner Gary Gielow built in 1957). Gabbert was one of the first to pluck the lighter hits from the Top 40 charts and play them in stereo. The format is called adult contemporary, and K101 has stuck with it, with occasional variations, through the years. "Star 101," as it calls itself today, is the closest thing we have to Top 40 radio, minus the hip-hop and focused on artists like Hoobastank, Avril Lavigne and Train. The big star is Don Bleu, a Peter Pan of a man who still gets kicks from playing telephone pranks, or "Bleupers." Sylvia Chacón slid over from KFRC to cover 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by Gene and Julie, who do their drive-time show from Atlanta. _________________________________________________________________ KDFC 102.1 FM http://www.kdfc.com For years, it was the stuffy, automated also-ran to classical music station KKHI. But that station is history, and KDFC, now owned by Bonneville and staffed with live announcers, is anything but stuffy. It applies light-rock formatting to Bach and Beethoven, although two of the on-air staff do have local classical music cred -- Dianne Nicolini, the afternoon host, and operations manager Bill Leuth, who hosts the "Sacred Concert" Sunday mornings. Hoyt Smith and John Evans both stepped over from rock, adult-contemporary and smooth jazz formats. As for the music, diehard classical music listeners decry KDFC's approach, a blend of the biggest hits from back in the day and the easiest-listening pieces, chosen to serve as background music. The station broadcasts the San Francisco Symphony on Tuesday nights, but only "highlights" from its Davies Hall performances. _________________________________________________________________ KBLX 102.9 FM http://www.kblx.com "The Quiet Storm" can be proud of several achievements in Bay Area radio history. First, it has survived with essentially the same format for 25 years. It is one of the too-few stations owned by an African American company: Inner City Broadcasting Corp. And its format, a blend of smooth R&B, pop and jazz fusion, aimed at adult listeners, helped inspire a new format, named after a 1975 Smokey Robinson song, "Quiet Storm." Today, it holds its own, with such personalities as Kevin Brown (he's also the program director) in the morning (with Nikki Thomas handling newscasts), followed by Antoine Davis, Víctor Zaragoza and Leslie Stoval. Another welcome voice is that of Bob Jones, from KDIA days. He spins oldies on weekends, including a 2-7 p.m. show on "Classic Soul Sundays." P.S.: All DJs are broadcasting live from KBLX's San Francisco studios. No voice-tracking here. _________________________________________________________________ KKSF 103.7 FM http://www.kksf.com KKSF came to be in 1987, when new owners tapped consultants to come up with a strategy to attract listeners age 25-44. The result was a blend of what would later become known as "smooth jazz," New Age and carefully selected pop sounds, ranging from Roxy Music to Stevie Wonder. It's worked well enough to survive in one of the country's toughest radio markets. KKSF, now owned by Clear Channel, is helped by its long associations with the SF AIDS Foundation and other AIDS organization, for which the station raises substantial funds through annual compilation CDs. The smooth jazz format is light on personality. The most recognized names may be Dave Koz, who hosts a syndicated show Saturday mornings, and Dick Conte, the pianist and DJ who hosts "The Jazz Cafe" Sunday evenings. Weekdays, the lineup includes Kim Dooley, Miranda Wilson, Ray White and Timothy Alexander White. _________________________________________________________________ KFOG 104.5 FM http://www.kfog.com KFOG is a radio treasure, especially for Boomer rock fans who like their music equal parts nostalgic and thoughtful, from David Bowie to the Dave Matthews Band, Joe Jackson to Jack Johnson. The signature show is Dave Morey's morning gathering, in which the low-key Morey juggles his excellent crew (newsman Peter Finch, traffic reporter Renee Richardson and producer Irish Greg) and turns their anecdotes and opinions, along with news stories, into discussion topics for the audience. After his show is wrapped, Morey pops up again for "10 at 10," blending music and sound bites from a selected year. KFOG's other stars include Annalisa, Big Rick Stuart and Rosalie Howarth, who hosts the popular "Acoustic Sunrise" on Sunday mornings. The day ends with "The House of Blues Radio Hour," hosted by Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd). The station produces an annual fund-raising CD, a holiday Concert for Kids, and the not-on-the-Fourth-of-July fireworks show, "Ka-Boom." _________________________________________________________________ KITS 105.3 FM http://www.live105.com In the mid-'80s, it failed as a Top 40 station but rebounded when it switched to an alternative-rock format in 1987, with a free-wheeling attitude that echoed the free-form KSAN, "Jive 95." That's why KITS called itself "Live 105." When Alex Bennett, who had established himself at rock station KMEL, brought in comedians and a studio audience for his morning show, the station took off. Now, it's Howard Stern, along with a lively crew of DJs, including Ally on middays, Jared on afternoon drive and Madden and the "Love Line" show into the night. Special features include "The Rewind@ Noon," an hour of what the station calls "heritage" music and trivia; "the Friday Sixx Mixx," a half-hour of "mixed mashups" -- unlikely pairings of songs played together; and the "A.D.D. Hour," where no song goes longer than 90 seconds. And no, it's not all Ramones. The songs are edited down by the station for your impatience and convenience. _________________________________________________________________ KMEL 106.1 FM http://www.kmel.com Long established as the Bay Area's leading hip-hop and contemporary urban/Top 40 station, KMEL was forced into an older-sibling situation when its owner adopted -- that is, bought -- rival KYLD (Wild 94.9) into the family in 1999. KMEL is the more mature of the two, and has long called itself "the People's Station," although it's been criticized for firing several popular DJs and for cutting down on local music and community voices. Station managers say the critics were seeking a show of their own. KMEL promotes fund-raisers ranging from "Hip Hop for Hunger" to "The Chuy & Santa Claus Toy Drive." Chuy is morning DJ Chuy Gomez, who goes against the manic-morning-zoo trend with an upbeat, music-driven show. He's followed by Sana G, with Super Snake covering afternoon drive and Big Von in the evenings. Weekenders include Tinka and Short E, as well as the "Street Soldiers" community show Sunday evenings with Joe Marshall, head of the Omega Boys Club, an anti-violence organization. _________________________________________________________________ KEAR 106.9 FM: KEAR is part of the Family Radio network, offering religious features like "The Christian Working Woman," "Religious News" and the nightly "Family Bible Study." _________________________________________________________________ KSAN 107.7 FM http://www.1077thebone.com This is a historic set of call letters. In the '50s, it was an R&B station on AM, with stars like "Jumpin' " George Oxford. In the late '60s, as an FM station, it was one of the nation's leading free-form rock stations. Now, it's "The Bone," a classic-rock station with an emphasis on the harder stuff. KSAN's "Boneheads" listen to the rowdy morning team of Lamont and Tonnelli and to Laura Heywood, who hangs out with the morning crew, then does her own show until noon. She's followed by Steven Seaweed, and Billy Steel bangs the gong on the evening shift. Sunday nights are retro, with Chronicle critic Joel Selvin spinning sides from his vast record collection and with "Little Stevie's Underground Garage." The station raises money for numerous charities and devotes "Ta-Ta Tuesdays" to pulling in donations for the Breast Cancer Fund. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/12/19/PKG1FA8U9K1.DTL (c)2004 San Francisco Chronicle (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. Zambia's Radio Two was heard on new 4500 from 0335 UT tune- in on 2nd January 2005. News in English at 0400. Very good reception (Tony Rogers, Birmingham - UK AOR 7030+ / LW, BDXC-UK via DXLD) 4500, Radio 2, 0350-0445 fade out Jan 2, many English lyric pop vocals including Bee Gees and Whitney Houston. TC at 0355 by male announcer and 2+1 time pips at 0400 followed by ID and news. Poor to fair with signal strength rapidly decreasing after 0430 (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) 4500, ZNBC, R. Two: Following up on a possible log this one by Liangas, Greece, I found it at 0258 Jan 2, varied music, no announcement at ToH but 2+1 (long and high) pips, music continued. Mainly light African vocals, talk by man, mainly English but some in lang. Brief Fish Eagle cry heard just before 0600 2+1 pips, English ID, then news and continued with music including Western pops. Choppy signal at the outset, but settled down and strengthened a bit around 0345, then started deteriorating around 0415 (Jerry Berg, MA, ibid.) Heard here in the clear on 4500 January 2nd 1800 after Xinjiang PBS signed off with news in English, strong signal but modulation was rather muddy (Mike Barraclough, England Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ZNBC is de hele avond hoorbaar geweest met een zwak tot matig signaal. Om 2158 UTC hoorde ik een "ZNBC, Radio 2" ID, gevolgd door het volkslied en een korte testtoon. Om 2201 UT ging de zender uit de lucht. 73, (Mark Veldhuis, Netherlands, Jan 2, BDXC via DXLD) Hi Glenn, I tried R Zambia´s new frequency 4500 kHz at 18 UT and found reception better than on 4910 kHz. It was SINPO 35343. Same news in English on both frequencies. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4910, ZBC, at 2315 in mixed English & vernacular on 12/31, Afro-pops music interrupted often by M. "Happy New Year" & "Happy New Year Africa", ID and into phone-in messages on 1/2 hour. Very good to good (Jerry KLINCK, NY, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) 4910, Zambia National Broadcasting Company, 2149-0135+ Dec 31, highlife music with a man and woman hosting New Year's program with telephone calls from listeners in local languages. Many mentions of Zambia and ID at 2328 before a phone call. Apparently running 24 hours for occasion. Poor to fair (Rich D'Angelo, PA, ibid.) 4910, 0249-0320 Jan 2. Fair signal and copy overall, various styles of music, OM announcer in vernacular only, but frequent mention of Lusaka (Jeff Heller, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. U K? 5810, BT test ID, 1920 30.12, carousel test from BT communications. Signal S9, 34333 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75, Lowe HF150, Degen 1102+1103, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000, Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m Australian loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I assume it was VT as in Vesper Thornycroft, ex-Merlin, rather than BT as in British Telecom! (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. I noted the Kurdish channel on 27/12, 1724, up to well after 1900, on 6310.22. No jamming. Just music / songs. SINPO 24433. I re-checked again today (2/1), 6310.19, at 17:05, same format, SINPO up to 35544. At 1728, only 25433. Had disappeared when I re-checked at 1759. At all these times, no trace of the Italian station mentioned. 73 and Happy New Year, (Günter Lorenz, Icom R75, Grahn magnetic loop, currently near La Spezia, Italy, HCDX, via DXLD) Noted also here on 2 Jan afternoon/evening on approximately 6310.2 (heard also couple of days earlier). Continuous ME/Central Asian sounding songs. I had a brief check against some clandestines in the 3/4/6 MHz band for parallels but none matched. There was also audible at times some pirate on 6310 (or a bit lower). 73 for 2005, (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, HCDX via DXLD) Right now, Jan 3rd at 1530 I am listening to the new station on 6310.2 kHz. Programming is nonstop played music, seemingly Kurdish or Turkish. No ID heard. Strength is rather good from time to time. Yesterday at 1630 I heard two stations; on 6310.1 was Radio Malaisi asking for reports to a famous German pirate address, the other was the above mentioned. So - who can ID this one? Best wishes from (Björn Fransson, DX-ing on the island of Gotland, Sweden, ibid.) Fair signal here in south Italy, Kurdish (?) music in clear channel on 6310.2 kHz. Radio Malaisi is off for the first evening after some days (Roberto Scaglione http://www.bclnews.it ibid.) see also EUROPE ###