DX LISTENING DIGEST 5-006, January 7, 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 1259: Sat 0955 WOR WNQM Nashville TN 1300 Sat 1130 WOR WWCR 5070 Sun 0330 WOR WWCR 5070 Sun 0400 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Sun 0430 WOR WRMI 6870 Sun 0730 WOR WWCR 3210 Sun 1030 WOR WRMI 9955 Sun 2030 WOR WWCR 12160 Mon 0330 WOR WRMI 6870 Mon 0400 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0530 WOR WBCQ 7415 Mon 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Tue 1000 WOR WRMI 9955 Tue 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Wed 1030 WOR WWCR 9985 Wed 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours MORE info including audio links: http://worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WORLD OF RADIO 1259 in the true shortwave sound of 7415: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_01-05-05.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_01-05-05.mp3 WOR 1259 also available via phone feed to WBCQ`s stream via http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=10770 (Larry Will, Jan 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Due to computer problems, WOR 1259 in real format from our studio is not yet available for download or streaming, but should be next week. Affiliates acquiring WOR by this means should run WOR Extra 53 this week, and WOR 1259 next week. NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO EXTRA 53: Fri 0200 WOR ACBRadio Mainstream [repeated 2-hourly thru 2400] Sat 0000 WOR Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 87.35 96.55 105.55 Sat 0900 WOR WRN1 to Eu, Au, NZ, WorldSpace AfriStar, AsiaStar, Telstar 12 SAm Sat 1928 WOR WPKN Bridgeport CT 89.5 Sat 2030 WOR R. Lavalamp Sun 0930 WOR WRN1 to North America, also WLIO-TV Lima OH SAP Sun 0930 WOR KSFC Spokane WA 91.9 Sun 0930 WOR WDWN Auburn NY 89.1 [unconfirmed] Sun 0930 WOR KTRU Houston TX 91.7 [occasional] Sun 1100 WOR R. Lavalamp Sun 1400 WOR KRFP-LP Moscow ID 92.5 Sun 1500 WOR R. Lavalamp Sun 2000 WOR Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 87.35 96.55 105.55 Sun 2100 WOR RNI Mon 0900 WOR R. Lavalamp 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 53 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/worx53h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/worx53h.rm WORLD OF RADIO Extra 53 (low version, without the WOR opening): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/com0408.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/com0408.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0408.html TSUNAMI ITEMS: AUSTRALIA, CANADA [non], INDONESIA, INTERNATIONAL, NETHERLANDS [and non], UK, USA ** ARMENIA. Monitored on Mon Dec 6th: 0230-0300 9965 MW 1395, but 4810 not on air. 0300-0315 4810 9965 MW 1395, news in Armenian. 0315-0345 MW 1395 4810 in Armenian. 0315-0330 9965 another program in Armenian. 0330-0345 9965 in Spanish with ID "Radio Paplica [?República] de Armenia" and given summertime annmts: like 0230-0245 on 9960[!]. -- [it`s just ``Pública`` --- gh] 0345-0400 4810 9965 MW 1395 in Armenian (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. CONCERT IN AID OF ASIA TO BE BROADCAST ON R. AUSTRALIA Radio Australia will broadcast tomorrow's Reach Out to Asia concert for victims of last week's tsunami. The live broadcast, at 0730-1000 UTC, will enable people in the countries worst affected by the disaster to hear the concert. The move has been made possible due to the cooperation of commercial radio and television networks. The concert will also be televised on ABC Asia Pacific (Source: ABC) # posted by Andy @ 13:04 UT Jan 7 (Media Network blog via DXLD) I.e., Sat Jan 8 ** AUSTRALIA. ROBERT HARCOURT CHESTER, 1941-2005 A TRIBUTE TO A DEAR FRIEND By Bob Padula, OAM (Melbourne, Australia) January 7, 2005 The world-wide radio monitoring community, has been saddened at the passing of long-time radio monitoring enthusiast, Robert Harcourt Chester, following an illness, at his home in the Adelaide suburb of Cheltenham, South Australia, at the age of 61, surrounded by his loving family and their music, on January 2, 2005. My last conversation with Robert was in mid December, after a period of hospitalisation, and he was hopeful for a full recovery from the debilitating illness with which he had been inflicted. I had known Robert for some 45 years, due to our shared interests in the radio monitoring hobby. Robert’s initial involvement with radio monitoring began in the early 1960s. At that time, there was no Australia-wide DXing organisation, and Australian hobbyists enrolled in either or both of the New Zealand Radio DX League or the NZ DX Radio Association. There had been an all-Australian DX Club in operation until around 1949, when it was abandoned due to lack of interest. In the early 1960s, the few survivors in Adelaide of that early Club formed themselves into a very small, localised DXing group known as the South Australian DX Club. Robert was accepted into that Club and he also joined the New Zealand Radio DX League. By the mid-1960s, interest in organized radio monitoring across Australia had increased, due to war-surplus communications equipment becoming available, and the first of the inexpensive Japanese- manufactured receivers had started to appear. Members of the two New Zealand based Clubs in Australia were lamenting the lack of a national, local Australian club, eventually resulting in the establishment of a completely new national organisation for Australian DX hobbyists. Robert had strongly supported the concept of a new national Club, and was one of 23 enthusiasts, along with myself, who were the founding members of the new Club. He was the only foundation member in South Australia. In January 1969, Robert took up his first official position in the new club, responsible for a key editorial function devoted to long- distance medium-wave monitoring. He held that position continuously for 20 years, until December 1989. During those two decades, he developed a superb knowledge of Australian mediumwave broadcasting operations, meticulously researching and compiling the first ``Australian Mediumwave Guide``. In subsequent years, he produced several further editions of the Guide, which had become an accepted reference worldwide. For several years in the 1970s and 1980s he was responsible for assembling the Australian mediumwave listings in the World Radio TV Handbook, a task which he undertook with a very high level of dedication, care, and an extraordinary attention to detail. In mid 1967, he accepted a continuing responsibility which was to endure for ten years as a script writer and announcer for the weekly DX session ``World at Your Fingertips``, heard over the Victorian country mediumwave station 3NE, Wangaratta. This work was done in conjunction with me, alternating weekly. In 1972, he joined the script writing team for Radio Australia`s weekly DX program ``DXers Calling``, which was later to become ``DX Time``. He maintained that responsibility for a continuous period of 16 years, until the program`s termination in 1988. From late 1972 until 1986, Robert was the Manager of the South Australian regional Branch of the national Club. From mid-1986, he was appointed as the South Australian Advisor to the Club’s Melbourne- based Management Committee. In January 1973, Robert was awarded Life Membership of the national Club, in recognition of his outstanding service over many years to the Club and to the hobby. The Award was announced at the second national Convention of the Club, in Sydney. In my last conversation with Robert, he mentioned the Award, which he cherished greatly. In his hobby career over some 45 years, his dedication, loyalty, and interest in were of the highest order, not only in supporting the Clubs he had joined, but also with his willingness to actively share his hobby activities and accomplishments, and to guide, help, and develop other persons who had entered the hobby. He attended the first National Convention of the national Club in Melbourne in 1972, and many others which were held in various states until the last such event in 1985. Such was his commitment that he travelled from Adelaide via tiring overnight bus to the convention cities. Robert had also been prominent in the ``Southern Cross DX Club``, a relatively small regional group based in Adelaide during the 1970s until its eventual abandonment some years later. Whilst his main DX interests had been with medium-wave, he was also a very accomplished short-wave hobbyist. He was a volunteer technical monitor for the large German broadcaster Radio Deutsche Welle, a role which he had maintained for many years up to the time of his passing. He had also been officially recognized by various other international broadcasters for his volunteer monitoring efforts, and at various times he was a member of other DXing organisations outside of Australia. He had also amassed many hundreds of mediumwave and shortwave QSLs, in his quest for QSLs from as many different broadcasters as possible. His reception reports were amazingly comprehensive. At the time of his passing, Robert was an enthusiastic member of the world-wide Electronic DX Press Radio Monitoring Association, based in Melbourne. Even though Robert`s demeanour was quiet, modest, and unassuming within the radio community, he was never afraid to make his views known, in a responsible and thoughtful style, for the betterment and advancement of the hobby and the organisations which he had joined. Robert maintained many other interests. For many years, he was actively involved with FM Christian religious broadcasting stations in Adelaide, as a panel operator and presenter. Following his retirement from his employment in the South Australian Government Service, he established a modest mail-order business, and spent many hours in his beautiful garden. He was a dedicated member of the Lutheran Church. Robert`s contribution to the Australian monitoring hobby over four decades was outstanding. His loyalty, kindness, moral strength, and sincerity to everyone whom he knew are qualities which stand out amongst many others. He never failed to offer strong moral support, inspiration, and encouragement to other hobbyists during times of sorrow, need, hardship, or any other adversity. Robert is survived by his wife Beryl, sons Nathan and Paul, daughter Heidi, sisters Loretta, Royce, and Arlene, and their respective families. Robert was laid to rest on Thursday January 6, 2005, following a service at the Good News Lutheran Church, Albert Park, Adelaide. All hobbyists who knew him are mourning his passing. Sadly missed. Bob Padula, OAM, 404 Mont Albert Rd, Mont Albert VIC 3127, Australia January 7, 2005 E-mail: bobpadula @ mydesk.net.au Note: Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family of the late Robert H. Chester, at 12 High St, Cheltenham, South Australia 5014. I would be pleased to pass on any E-mailed messages to his family should you wish to send these to me in the first instance. Republication of this Tribute, within your own community, would be welcomed, which should not be abridged or modified (Bob Padula, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The `national Club` which Bob cannot bring himself to name, is the Australian Radio DX Club, from which Chester and Padula subsequently split in a bitter schism. Life is too short (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELGIUM [non]. GERMANY, E-mail QSL from Belgian station Radio Traumland (relayed via Juelich) came on 18 Dec. Station writes that email reports can only be confirmed with electronic QSLs. If you wish to have a paper verification, send your report by snail mail to: Radio Traumland, Postfach 15 B - 4730 Raeren, Belgien. Don't forget to enclose 1 IRC, or 1 US$, or 1 Euro, or mint Belgian/German stamps. (Dmitry Mezin, Kazan, Russia, Signal Jan 7 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Amigos, Confirmando o que reportou o Célio Romais aqui nesta lista, a Rádio Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte - MG, voltou a transmitir em 6010. Ontem, dia 05/01/2005 sintonizei a Inconfidência as 2317 UT. Na ocasião, o apresentador Tião Moreno atendia telefonemas dos ouvintes. Por ser mineiro de "ITUIUTABA", gosto muito de ouvir a Inconfidência. Posso garantir que melhorou muito seus sinais aqui em São Gonçalo, RJ. 73 (Francisco Jackson dos Santos, PY1PDF - São Gonçalo - RJ, Jan 6, radioescutas via DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. Part one of CBC Radio One`s The Current, Jan 7: Tsunami Radio We started off the show with some sound of Sri Lankan radio, broadcasting to listeners across the devastated island. Not many broadcasters fared as well as the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation. Some local stations in affected regions have gone off the air completely. In Aceh province, Indonesia for instance, several radio stations have been completely destroyed. While dealing with the dead and dying is still a huge concern, re-establishing communications is also a priority. Help is on the way to some of the hardest-hit regions. Internews Network is an American organization that's setting up portable FM radio stations in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. We reached the President of Internews Network. David Hoffman was in Arcata, California. Broadcasting in South Asia Big news organizations might have difficulty getting in and out of badly affected areas in Southeast Asia but information's flowing nonetheless. That's because many people are armed with cell phones and laptops, and they're blogging and text messaging each other fresh images and information. And we in the West have been inundated with their stories. But what about the places where the press weren't free and open even before disaster pointed a spotlight on the region. To talk about how the news moves in different countries in Asia, we were joined by Rod MacDonell. He is the Executive Director for Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. And before that he was an investigative journalist with the Montreal Gazette. He has also worked for the World Bank in South East Asia as a part of its media training program. He was in our Toronto studio this morning. Listen to The Current: Part 1 [link] (from http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2005/200501/20050107.html via DXLD) ** CHECHNYA [non]. RUSSIA. At 0255 UT pips on LW 171 kHz, pop music of Mayak program. At 0300 National Anthem, ID in Russian, and translation in English: "Radiostation Chechenia Free, from 6 to 24 hrs (0300-2100 UT) comes on MW 594 and LW 171 kHz". At 0250 UT Dec 6, on LW 252 and MW 567 R. Rossii, same from 0300 UT on 567, SW 5925 and 6150[!] kHz. Latter is new frequency, but NOT announced (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CUBA. Here's another new one for me. Radio Reloj on 570 blasting in like a local at 1,180 miles (from Havana). I haven't heard Radio Reloj since I confirmed their 760 outlet from Denver in 1986 just before a new local went on the air on that frequency. I'm trying to figure out the format. It seems like they send a beep on the minute and RR in code at .03 after the minute most of the time. However there was no beep and no RR at 2300 and 2301 tonight. They also seem to be able to move the RR depending on where they are in a news story. I've heard it at .03, .04, .07, .08, and .10 after the minute. I've also heard them skip the RR a couple times (Pat Griffith, N0NNK, National Emergency Training Center Emmitsburg, MD Kenwood R-600 and Palomar loop, Jan 5, NRC-AM via DXLD) The minute from :00 to :01 is the "legal" ID in which they explain themselves and read the staff credits, etc. Otherwise each minute is assigned to a story, which may run a few seconds short, or can be extended to the following minute in which case you will hear the word "continuación" at the end if the first minute. On Sundays they will not use the code sounder but instead play a little riff on a finger xylophone. Unfortunately there are no real good reliable Reloj signals here. They (950) are weak in the day mixed with Orlando, at home, and not very reliable at night. They are pretty good copy when crossing the Sunshine Skyway in the daytime. 570 is too far east to get up here days, and there is a local there as well, but it is loud on the other coast. Speaking of Cuba, I met the CE of WMGG 820 at the SBE chapter 39 meeting today. We talked of Cuban jamming on 820 and he said that it is indeed aimed at them because of their morning news block, and that they do have listener response from that troubled nation (my words, not his). (Bob Foxworth, Tampa FL, ibid.) Bob, I'm glad to see you mention the xylophone tune -- I know I've heard it before in place of the Morse "R-R", but wasn't sure WHEN they used it or how often (Randy Stewart, Springfield MO, ibid.) You won't hear the tick tock on any Cuban except the Reloj network ("Radio Time" or "Radio clock"). Specifically you won't hear it on Progreso, Rebelde, Encyclopedia. You _will_ fairly often hear U.S. or European hit records, especially on Progreso. I've heard Tom Jones a couple of times now for instance, on 640. Another note, sometimes you'll note marked differences in audio quality on stations with the same pgmg. e.g. 950 Reloj is quite crisp, but 570 is fed through that unique Cuban invention, the fuzzulator (known by us Norteamericanos as an intercity telephone loop). Check 1080, 1100 and 1120 // audio, if you can hear them all. Also, the modulation depth of the "rr" in modulated CW varies widely among different stations. I assume this is due to roll-off in the inter-city fuzzulators they use to send program material. This is most noticeable when listening from Key West on pure groundwave (Bob Foxworth, FL, ibid.) After tuning around a little more last night I found that I was able to hear Radio Reloj on 570, 850, 870, 950, and 1020. 570 was by far the strongest, 1020 was fair, the others were very weak. Just like a DX test those tones and code really cut through the noise (Pat Griffith, N0NNK, National Emergency Training Center, Emmitsburg, MD, ibid.) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. R. Amanecer, Santo Domingo, 6025.05, 0330-0402* Jan 2, Spanish religious music, 0332 IDs, Spanish talk, phone talk. Sign-off with NA. Fair level but with adjacent channel splatter (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. Bueno, ahora sabemos que probablemente no traten de las emisoras Radio Net, Ambato, o Radio Monumental, Quito (que siempre está en apróximadamente 3020.75 kHz). 73s (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, condig list via DXLD) Véase sin embargo la siguiente nota, aparecida en el sitio DXing.info: October 12 proved to provide an excellent sunrise-opening with especially strong signals from Ecuador around 04 UTC. On 1509.79 Radio Net, Ambato was heard with astonishingly strong signals for about 30 minutes. Also Radio Mera, Amboto on 1380.35 surprised with stable signals. Both are new loggings for me. On 1350 and 1250 Teleradio and R Tricolor came in with very strong signals. An unidentified, presumably Ecuadorian , on 1550 is still under investigation. _________________ Jan-Erik Österholm (JEÖ), FIN-06100 Porvoo, Finland Debe tenerse en cuenta que se trata de una escucha del 12 de octubre de 2003, es decir de hace más de un año. Un abrazo, (Henrik Klemetz, Suecia, ibid.) ** EGYPT. 4935, 2315, Radio Cairo, NA, English news headlines, news, audio later mixing with some Arabic singing. No idea of the maths behind this because I do not know the nominal frequency. 05.01.2004 SINPO 23432. 73, (Günter Lorenz, currently near La Spezia, Italy, Icom R75, Grahn Magnetic loop, harmonics yg via DXLD) This was reported and discussed in DXLD some weeks ago: 12050 (Arabic) minus 7115 (English) = 4935 (gh, ibid.) ** EUROPE. Pirate, Independent Music Radio, R. Malaisi, 6310.03, 2130- 2215+ Dec 31, Euro-pop, US pop music, canned IDs. Weak but some fades up to fair level (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. SWR's transmission 7-8th January 2005 Hello, Scandinavian Weekend Radio has its transmission this weekend starting 22 hours UT 7th January. All bands are in use, 25 mb (11690/ 11720 kHz), 48 mb (5980/5990/6170 kHz. and now official start of MW 187 meters 1602 kHz. more info: http://www.swradio.net Programme schedule (Time UTC + 2 hours): 00-01 All Women Hour with TrickyTrev. A selection of Romantic song from the ladies. 01-02 TrickyTrev plays the blues a selection of songs from Gary Moore. 02-05 SWR Crew 05-08 HäkäShow Nightowl by dj Häkä 08-09 "Mukavaa, mutta silti Hauskaa". Levyjen lomassa eläimellistä menoa ja tieteellisiä pläjäyksiä. 09-10 SWR Crew 10-11 Janne @ Sound 11-13 Lauantailuotain: Ohjelmassa käsitellään lentoliikennettä, lentäjän työskentelyä sekä esitellään MD-83 liikennelentokonetta. Asiantuntijana lentokapteeni Arto Pellinen Finnairilta. Kesto 2tuntia. 13-14 Janne @ Sound 14-15 HäkäShow OnTheRoad. Matkailuohjelma osa III Lontoo 15-16 Kantoaaltoa ja teknisiä tiedotuksia Suomirokilla höystettynä by Esa 16-17 Tricky Trev's trip down memory lane with the Flower Power hour. 17-18 Party time with TrickyTrev, music to get you in the party mood. 18-19 Progressive rock and other strange things by Esa 19-20 Air Guitar Hour. TrickyTrev the master of the air guitar will play music by which you can practice all those movements. 20-21 SWR Crew 21-22 Saunan lämmitessä dj Häkä 22-23 SWR Crew 23-24 Closing ceremony by dj Häkä (Alpo Heinonen, Scandinavian Weekend Radio, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Starting frequencies 22 UT are: 1602 kHz (whole day long) 5980 kHz 22-07 UT 11720 kHz 22-07 UT All transmitters have power of 100 watts (Heinonen, DXing.info via DXLD) ** FRANCE. With the new year, some news about MW stations in France: In PARIS. From January 25th, two new stations will be on the air. The frequency: 1080 kHz. Daytime (0700-2000 hours local [0600-1900 UT]) programme of RADIO DE LA MER http://www.radiodelamer.com Nightly (2000-0700 hours local [1900-0600 UT]) programme of PARIS LIVE RADIO (PLR) in English http://www.parislive.fm These two stations will be available 24 hours on Internet and satellite. In STRASBOURG. Since January 3rd, RMCInfo is on the air on 1584 kHz; transmitter is [more] powerful than the Metz's one, may be 5 kW. In PARIS. Ciel AM on 981 kHz, is no longer on the air, their web site is also closed. In MONACO. RMCInfo is again on the air (Monday-Thursday) on 702 kHz from 1400-1600 hours local. Best regards from France, 73's (Christian Ghibaudo, Jan 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GABON. After 2 and half years got a QSL from Africa No 1; postmark looks like Libreville although water has made a mess of the top half of the envelope --- the card: just the basics, from Gabon. Sent this lot a number of reports over the years, so happy with this result out of the blue (Johno Wright, NSW, Jan 6, ARDXC via DXLD) ** GERMANY. 6015, Bible Voice via T-systems transmitters in Germany, broadcasting in unID language only on Thurs 1915-1930 UT. There are different schedules of BVBN programs to E EUR publicized. Here are the monitored services: 1915-1930 Mo We Fri in Ru. Tu French translated from En. Th - presumed Romish-[Gipsy]. Sa+Su 1900-1930 En, 1930-2000 Ru. Su 2000-2030 En. 9460 Tu 1640 En. Fr 1720 En. 1735 En. 1750 Ru. 1805 Hebrew. 1825-1830 not checked. 1830-1900(also Sa 1830-1900) in UNID language. Both UNID segments are instead of English blocks in early A-04 season (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 10-20, BC-DX via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. R. Coatán, 4779.99, *1030-1040+ Dec 30, sign-on with national anthem, 1035 opening Spanish announcements with ID and into local religious programming with talk and local choral music. Weak but readable (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA. GUINEA'S NEW PM OFFERS TO LEGALISE PRIVATE RADIO STATIONS Less than a month after taking office, Guinea's new Prime Minister has begun to woo western donors and opposition parties at home by pledging more transparency in government and the lifting of a ban on private radio stations. Urging opposition leaders to work with the president, who has ruled Guinea with an iron hand for 20 years, Diallo said the government was finally ready to authorise private radio stations and remove obstacles to free and transparent elections. International donors, including the European Union (EU), have been withholding big aid packages to Guinea pending a move towards greater democracy, better governance and liberalisation of the media. The government allows private newspapers to operate, but has until now kept a tight control on radio and television. (Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks) # posted by Andy @ 13:13 UT Jan 7 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** INDIA. 9595, AIR, Aligarh, 1130-1140 Jan 6. Noted a woman in English news program with many mentions of India. This is a daily 10 minute English program. Signal off at 1140 but it was fair here in Clewiston, Florida (Chuck Bolland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. On 9820 at 1455 UT Jan 7, came across some monotonous a cappella chanting by several well-coordinated male voices ---- hmm, make that tritonous, as there were about three notes involved, over and over, up and down, up and down. Finally wrapped it up with a few lower notes at 1459, and a bit of drumming. A brief announcement followed in unknown language, and off by 1500. Per PWBR ``2005`` this must be the Sinhala service of AIR, via Goa (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. UNESCO SEEKS ASSISTANCE TO RESTORE RADIO BROADCASTING IN ACEH | Text of report by Indian news agency PTI New York, 7 January: United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESCO) has sought immediate assistance of 600,000 US dollars to restore radio broadcasting in Aceh in Indonesia which was the worst affected by the recent Tsunami triggered by earthquakes near Sumatra. Launching the appeal, UNESCO said programmes and projects relating to emergency relief and post-disaster response in the aftermath of Tsunami in Indonesia will have major difficulties if there are no effective communication channels available to disseminate information. The whole issue of reaching people in terms of food security, water, sanitary measures, health, shelter and non-food items are virtually impossible without a channel to disseminate and communicate information, the agency said. The radio stations that existed in the affected areas of the Aceh province are no longer in a position to continue operations, it said. The initial assessment showed that 11 radio stations are damaged or destroyed. The four radio stations, which existed in the Meulaboh area, have been completely wiped out, UNESCO said. Partners in the project will be UNESCO International Programme for the Development of communication (IPDC), the Radio for Democracy Network, the Indonesian Association of Private Radio Stations (Persatuan Radio Siarn Swasta Nasional Indonesia -PRRSNI) and Districts in northern and western Sumatra. Source: PTI news agency, New Delhi, in English 0800 gmt 7 Jan 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) see also INTERNATIONAL below ** INTERNATIONAL. APPEALS BY BROADCASTERS AFFECTED BY THE TSUNAMI DISASTER The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union is assisting in coordinating a project initiated by Commercial Radio Australia to restore broadcast operations in some of the stricken countries, through the establishment of temporary transmission facilities and through the donation of portable radios with fresh batteries to enable people made homeless in Aceh and other devastated regions to receive news of the relief efforts that are being mounted. In helping to coordinate relief efforts, the ABU is making a call for donations of radio sets and broadcast equipment by member broadcasters, suppliers, and other organisations for these affected areas: Aceh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Anyone wishing to offer assistance to the affected ABU members is asked to get in touch first by e-mail at sharad.s@abu.org.my for coordination of the logistics. Once that is done, tha ABU will ask you to communicate directly with the member concerned for delivery of the equipment. Aceh, Indonesia Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) has set up temporary studio and AM and FM transmission facilities in Banda Aceh and facilities are now operational. Urgently required: 1. Portable AM and FM radio receivers with fresh batteries for refugees: 5000 units 2. FM transmitters: 7 3. Emergency studio equipment.: 2 sets 4. Volunteer engineers. Contact person: Prof. DR. JB Kristiadi Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Information Jl Merdeka Barat No.9 Jakarta 10110 e-mail: krista@kominfo.go.id Sri Lanka Currently, all Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) transmissions via its 6 nationwide channels as well as regional channels are operating as usual as none of its transmitting facilities or other installations were affected by the tsunami. However, Sri Lanka urgently requires FM radio receivers for survivors. Contact person: to be advised. Maldives Radio Television Maldives (RTVM) has reportedly lost much of its equipment and is seeking help to replace specific items to enable it to provide coverage of the disaster. 1. Low power TV transmitters 2. Volunteer engineers 3. Mediumwave radio sets with batteries for the 8 locations at temporary shelter housing some 500 to 3000 people in each location 4. TV cameras, batteries, tape recorders and laptop editors, mobile lighting and equipment: 2 sets. Format used – VHS. Contact person: Maizan Ahmed Manik. RTVM/Maldives. Mobile : + 960 78 24 44 E-mail: ahmed@maizan.com.mv [Please do not use the above contacts for anything other than genuine offers of assistance] # posted by Andy @ 13:13 UT Jan 7 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL. ABU AIDS BROADCASTERS IN TSUNAMI-STRICKEN REGIONS Kuala Lumpur, January 07, 2004 - The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) is putting out a call to member broadcasters in the region to assist broadcasters caught in the aftermath of the tsunami tragedy. Broadcasting organisations were not spared in the disaster. More than 30 employees of ABU members are missing and feared dead, while many broadcasting facilities have been damaged and transmissions disrupted. The ABU is assisting in coordinating a project initiated by Commercial Radio Australia to restore broadcast operations in some of the stricken countries, through the establishment of temporary transmission facilities and through the donation of portable radios with fresh batteries to enable people made homeless in Aceh and other devastated regions to receive news of the relief efforts that are being mounted. Leading this initiative is ABU member Commercial Radio Australia, headed by CEO Joan Warner. Ms Warner has the support of radio engineers in Australia, Des DeCean, Director of Engineering and IT for the Austereo radio network being among them. Ms Warner said they are speaking to the Australian Government in making arrangements for assistance through AUSAID and added that CRA would also make available 12 volunteer engineers for the setting up of transmission facilities in disaster areas. Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) has managed to set up temporary studio and AM and FM transmission facilities in Banda Aceh which are now operational. In addition to Emergency broadcast equipment, it needs 5,000 portable AM and FM radio receivers for the stricken population. While Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC)'s transmission facilities were not significantly affected by the tsunami, the Sri Lankan broadcaster urgently requires FM radio receivers for survivors. On the other hand, Radio Television Maldives has reportedly lost much of its equipment and seeks low power TV transmitters and portable camera-recording equipment to enable it to provide coverage of the disaster. Also needed are MW battery-powered radio sets for eight temporary shelters each housing some 500 to 3,000 people. Commercial Radio Australia is in the process of arranging for 50,000 AM/FM radios and six transmitters to be sent to affected areas in the course of the next 4-5 weeks including 5,000 radio units which will be ready for shipping to Indonesia by next week. In helping to coordinate relief efforts, the ABU is making a call for donations of radio sets and broadcast equipment by member broadcasters, suppliers, and other organisations for affected areas in Sri Lanka, Aceh and Maldives. ABU member in Singapore, MediaCorpTV, has immediately taken up the call and is looking into the Maldives requirement while Jan Grondrup- Vivanco, Regional Director, Asia & Scandinavia, Eutelsat S.A., an ABU affiliate member, has offered assistance in the form of free usage of FSS capacity on their satellites. For more information and updates, to make a contribution, or to volunteer, please visit the ABU website at http://www.abu.org.my # posted by Andy @ 08:44 UT Jan 7 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL. Hello from Hilversum, I must confess that two weeks ago I didn't know what the word tsunami meant. I do now. Although I was in the UK, the effects of the disaster were brought home to me when one of my sister's neighbours, Annie aged 76, said she couldn't come to a social evening because she was waiting for a phone call from her nephew in Thailand, who had been in one of the affected areas. He was lucky - so many were not. Here at Radio Netherlands, we are very much aware of the consequences of the tsunami. Our colleague Marijke van der Meer was holidaying in Sri Lanka, and found herself helping to care for the injured as well as sending reports to Radio Netherlands. Victor Goonetilleke, a long- time close friend and Media Network collaborator, has been busy in his role as president of the Radio Society of Sri Lanka, helping to provide communications links. And our colleagues in the Indonesian department of Radio Netherlands are busy organising efforts to restore local broadcasting services in Aceh, which have been devastated. Radio Netherlands' Hans-Jaap Melissen is also reporting from Aceh at the moment. His reports, and Marijke's, are in Newsline and on our Website. Amid all the grim news and pictures, there are also heartwarming stories. Seeing Christians, Moslems and Buddhists worshipping together and lighting candles is a very moving experience. And here in Hilversum, it's a very emotional day as commercial and public broadcasters work together providing fundraising programmes on radio and TV. Radio 555 is the first time in Dutch broadcasting history that so many broadcasters from stations that are normally rivals have come together as friends to raise money for a good cause, and this unprecedented initiative has caught the public's imagination. Already more than 2.5 million euros have been pledged today as a direct result of the radio broadcasts, and the eventual total is expected to be much higher. The operation, which continues until around 2100 UTC this evening, can be seen and heard via http://www.radio555.nl as well as on shortwave - 6015 kHz to 1700 UTC, changing to 6010 kHz from 1700 UTC and 6045 kHz from 2000 UTC. This morning the two hour block at 0900-1100 UTC was also carried on 5955 kHz within Radio Netherlands' Dutch service. This evening there's a special TV telethon on Nederland 2, RTL4 and SBS6 - another joint programme between the public and commercial broadcasters. [see also NETHERLANDS below] It's sad that it takes a tragedy to bring the broadcasters together, but at times like this they can do far more together than separately. On a related theme, this week's feature article also focuses on the tsunami and how international broadcasters could have helped if there had been a properly organised warning system: WILL INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING SOUND THE WARNING - NEXT TIME? Since the terrible tsunami of 26 December, there has been much discussion in the press about why there was no warning that the waves were coming. To be sure, hindsight is an unfair advantage. And there were, in most places, only two to three hours for warnings to be broadcast. But this doesn't preclude us from asking questions, says Kim Andrew Elliott. http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/features/kae050106 (Media Network newsletter Jan 6 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. HHGG movie to be released May 6, 2005 http://movies.go.com/moviesdynamic/movies/movie?id=533593 http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/index.html (Joel Rubin, NY, Jan 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. Please someone help me, were is now the Balkan block Mon-Sat 1500-1600 UT in Turkish, Greek, Bulgarian? (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 10-26, BC-DX via DXLD) Transmission schedule B-04 of RAI International. BULGARO 1540-1600 11985 GRECO 1520-1540 11985 TURCO 1500-1520 11985 (Andrea Borgnino via Roberto Scaglione BCLNEWS.IT, via dxld Oct 2 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. At 2100 UT Dec 18 on 3320 kHz IS of "V. of Korea", ID in Korean, National Anthem, program in Korean. On 2850 kHz at same time another program in Korean. On 3250 program in Japanese. PBS program beginning open procedure on 3320 is same as of VOK (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX via DXLD) ** KOREAS. LA VOZ DE COREA, 15180 a las 0300 UT, 5 de enero con un programa en francés, mencionando varias veces su líder Kim Jong Il, buena señal a pesar de la distancia, SIO 3-3-3. COMENTARIO: debe causarles envidia a los amigos de Radio Korea Internacional que pese a su millonario presupuesto y equipamiento, su señal es nula por estos lares salvo a las 1000 UT con señal muy pobre vía Sackville, Canadá. ¿Tendrá La Voz de Korea retransmisiones en América o Europa? ¿Qué opinan ustedes? (CESAR PEREZ DIOSES, CHIMBOTE, PERU, play dx via DXLD) No hay; talvez utilicen los nor-coreanos alta potencia, a niveles desconocidas y secretas, no mencionadas en WRTH ni en PWBR. RKI cuenta con varios transmisores de 100 kW y tres de 250 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. En el programa especial del Buzón del Radioescucha con motivo del año nuevo, los colegas y amigos Cecilia Song y Francisco Bermudez dijeron entre muchas cosas que hasta se tenía pensado hacer un cambio al nombre de Radio Korea Internacional. Ayer por cierto tenía en mi apartado postal el calendario 2005 de esta querida emisora. Un abrazo para todos, (José Elías Díaz Gómez, Venezuela, Jan 6, Noticias DX via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. CLANDESTINE, V. of Iranian Kurdistan was heard at very early hour/time 1350 UT on both 3970 (jammed) and 4860 (not jammed). At 0344 UT, 3970 and 4860 also on Dec 6th (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 19, BC-DX via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. 6310.2 Radio Roj --- I had some Kurdish speaking persons listen to my recording of the 6310.2 unID station. As expected, the recording was not very clear to their "normal" ears. Bernd Trutenau was right in assuming that the station name is ROJ (meaning sun). What I've got together from the e-mails from these Kurdish persons is: - station name "Radio Roj" - language is Kurdish, they use the dialect spoken in northern Kurdistan and Turkey. - they announce they're broadcasting on 6310 kHz for the Middle-East. We still need info, which organization is behind this station. It might be announced in the recording, and I'm still waiting for more feedback. If you know a Kurdish person willing to listen to the announcement, it's available as a .wav file at http://personal.inet.fi/koti/jsa Many thanks to Bernd Trutenau and Mauno Ritola for their help (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello, from yesterday my web page has audio clip with the ID of R Roj. You may find it on the main page. Also, yesterday evening at 1841-56 there was talks by OM in a seemingly Azeri or Kurdish sounding language to me with poems. Station closedown at 1900, S9 On 7 Jan 2005 (Zacharias Liangas, Greece http://www.geocities.com/zliangas DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALDIVE ISLANDS. See INTERNATIONAL ** MEXICO. 1590, Jan 6 0730-0750, XEVOZ, Radio Reloj, Mexico City. The music format of "La Bonita" has been replaced by information station "Radio Reloj." The station broadcasts information with a cuckoo sound every minute to mark the exact time. Signal weak to fair (Barry Davies, UK, HCDX online log via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [and non]. HOLLAND via GERMANY. 6110, Radio 555, city? at 0638 on Jan 6, Man in Dutch, contemporary music, IDs, station jingles, mentions to giro 555. QRK 3. 73 (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio 555 raises over 5 million euro in one day! Hilversum has never seen anything like it - public and commercial broadcasters were working together today in Studio 22, a big TV studio just along the road from Radio Netherlands, producing Radio 555, a one-day special radio station raising money for the tsunami disaster fund. A very high quality video stream showed the scenes from the studio to Dutch people around the world, and there was an atmosphere of excitement as donations mounted. You can see photos of the day at http://www.radio555.nl The broadcast was carried on the normal frequencies of all the participating stations, and was also available on shortwave and via the Internet. From 0900 to 1100 UT the programme was relayed additionally on 5955 kHz, the regular Dutch frequency of Radio Netherlands. At 1900 UTC, Radio 555 announced that donations of more than 5 million euro had been pledged. A magnificent effort, and a piece of Dutch broadcasting history as never before had public and commercial broadcasters pooled their resources in this way. # posted by Andy @ 20:11 UT Jan 6 (Media Network blog via DXLD) I have to say I really do admire the way the various Media Groups in the Netherlands have come together to pull an event like this off. I've been dipping in and out of the TV and radio coverage all day and there really is such a buzz of "goodwill" and genuine "caring" running throughout the event. World Leaders, take note (Paul (The Other One), 01.06.05 - 7:27 pm, ibid.) I listened to a couple of hours of the program on the Internet last night and enjoyed it greatly. Better music selection than any of the New York City stations. After years of listening to RN I've developed an ear for the Dutch language, although my lack of vocabulary limits my understanding to about three in 10 words. I made a contribution, too. Thank goodness the woman who answered my call switched easily to English! In all, it was great fun (Elton, 01.07.05 - 9:14 am, ibid.) The music selection was put together by Radio Veronica Programme Director Patrick Kraakman. Actually, Radio Veronica was initially not sure if it could participate because it has a claused licence, specifying what type of music it is allowed to play, but the Media Commission set aside the normal regulations for one day, and also allowed 3FM to broadcast commercial blocks several times during each hour. Normally it only carries commercials just before and after the news on the hour (Andy, 01.07.05 - 1:35 pm, ibid.) ** PERU. R. Melodía, 5939.32, 0750-0815+ Jan 1, Spanish talk, 0759 ID; fair (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. It seems the reform in home services in Romania goes on. On LW and MW already are programs of "Radio Romania Actualitatsi", "Antena Satelor" (village antenna translation), and various local/regional programs. "Radio Romania Cultural" is on FM only; except Sunday's Church program 0800-1000 UT on FM 89.5, \\ MW 531 630[northeast transmitter] and maybe more frequencies. 558 kHz formerly with "Radio Oltenia Craiova" program, now is very strong here with RRActualitatsi. [?one of the new US-made/aid Harris transmitters?, wb.] (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 18, BC-DX via DXLD) ** SICILY. La fine di un era... 189 Khz in pensione! Finisce l'era delle onde lunghe in Italia, purtroppo il 31 gennaio sarà definitivamente disattivato l'impianto di Caltanissetta operante su 189 Khz. Era una notizia già nell'aria da tempo, e che a quanto mi risulta non è ancora stata ufficializzata dalla RAI. (Roberto Scaglione, Jan 6, http://www.bclnews.it http://www.radioascolto.net playdx via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. 3320, At 1930 UT Dec 18, noted live soccer reportage in Afrikaans (?R Sondergrense). On 3230 slow speech in English. On 3345 musical program. Also symphony classic music on 3390 underneath RTTY ute at same time (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. See INTERNATIONAL ** SUDAN [or nearby]. 4750 at 0300 UT, slow pop songs, at 0315 UT ID "This is Radio Peace on 4750 kHz in the 60 mb", fade-out at 0340 UT. Also heard at 0235 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. Dear Glenn: We are in the Rio de la Plata with "temperature stress", too hot, 35º C, for at least six days in a row, so couldn't sleep well. Nobody could last night, and situation will remain unchanged till next Sat or Sun. Although, I am moving into new house, and busy with that, I could connect the radio, a Kenwood R-600, to a provisory wire as antenna. No computer connection to Internet, but could go to a cybercafe near here to post two loggings [also NETHERLANDS [non]]: UK. 11795, Sudan Radio Service, (Kenya produced program to Sudan via Woofferton transmitter) at 0519 on Jan 6. Man in vernacular, with ID, talk, mentions to Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Khartoum, music. QRK 4, but degraded in the next half our (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sudan Radio Service, 15530, via Woofferton UK, 1500-1659* 12-30. Sign- on with IDs, sked, address, e-mail address, phone and fax numbers. ``You are listening to Sudan Radio Service, dedicated to peace and development in Sudan.`` Preview of upcoming programs. 1505 English news about Sudan. 1513 Afro-pops. 1515 ``Our Voices`` about women`s rights in Sudan; some Arabic style music. 1530 ``Morning Show`` [sic] about preparing for peace in Sudan. 1545 Arabic, and later, vernacular. Sign-off with multi-lingual IDs. Very good. M-F only; VOA programming on this transmitter prior to 1500 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. January 7, 13 UT I managed to hear weather information in English from Bangkok Meteorological Radio on 8743. Mode was USB. First in English, followed by Interval Signal and then info in Thai. Poor to fair reception with strong CW-QRM. Didn´t hear their other frequency 6765 kHz. The power is only 1 kW? 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, Rx AOR 7030 Plus, Ant: 95 m lw to E, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKS & CAICOS. Re: [NRC-AM] Is RVC 530 running a syncro? Well, I recorded through the TOH ID, and at my location, the echo was quite strong. Some time later, just before the tape ran out, there was the start of the usual TOH jingle, then dead air for about a minute. I assume that this was some sort of technical problem and it was finally noticed at about that time. Tonight, there is no echo. Still it really did sound like two stations slightly out of sync. Maybe, it was a satellite problem, or they have a backup transmitter which was running last night (Adam Myrow, Memphis, TN, Jan 5, NRC-AM via DXLD) You are probably hearing an audio artifact of the program feed. I have heard cases of an ISDN feed with echo on the IFB back to the announcer, who was complaining of it, perhaps this is making air on RVC. Any echo at RF would need delays of many, many miles, I believe. Satellites are in geosync orbit so the path is, at the least 2 x 23000 miles (satellite overhead and no slant range) so the delay is typically 250 ms, and in addition would require mixing of the direct and delayed feed to create an echo (and not just a delayed non-echoed feed). (Bob Foxworth, FL, ibid.) ** U K. GEORGE CAMPBELL --- POLYMATHIC BBC LINGUISTIC SUPERVISOR WHO SPOKE AND WROTE 44 LANGUAGES --- Obituaries January 06, 2005 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-1427063,00.html FEW people, when asked if the Basque language is the most difficult to learn, would be able to reply: ``Well, it`s no more difficult than Navajo.`` George Campbell could, and did. He was able to speak and write 44 languages, and in the 1980s his proficiency earned him a Guinness world record. His Compendium of the World’s Languages (1991) features more than 250 languages, 100 in close detail; and his Handbook of Scripts and Alphabets (1997) covers 40 scripts, including such obscure ones as Cree and Samaritan. Campbell also worked for many years as a linguistic supervisor for the BBC. George Campbell was born in 1912 on the Seaforth estate at Brahan, just north of Inverness. His parents spoke Gaelic as well as English; inevitably, he picked some of that language up, but had to perfect it later like all the others. He was educated at Dingwall Academy. He had a stammer, and on his first day in school he froze when asked a question and was relegated to the back of the class. Left to his own devices he picked up, from books he found at the Inverness fish market, the basics of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish and Danish, in addition to the French, German and Latin of the school syllabus. The language which most attracted him was German, and in 1932 he went to Edinburgh University and Leipzig to read it; at Edinburgh he met Jen Porteous, who later became his wife. Having added several more languages and a diploma in librarianship to his qualifications, he became assistant librarian at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, London University, in 1937. Called up in 1939, he was immediately transferred to the BBC`s expanding European Service, as a language supervisor and key censor for 12 languages, mainly East European. His role was to sit in the studio and listen, to ensure that the foreign announcers said what was in the script and no more; if they deviated from the text he had the right to switch them off. Campbell never exercised that right but did correct some glorious howlers: ``The British system of government is based on universal suffrage`` came out in one translation as ``The British system of government is based on universal suffering.`` After supervisors were abolished Campbell continued in the BBC European Service, ending as Romanian programme organiser. He retired in 1974, but returned to make comparative studies of how different language services covered the same stories, and to stand in as programme organiser for the Spanish, Portuguese, Greek and Turkish services. He finally called it a day at 67, in 1980 — and the Bush House canteen was the poorer for it. All through his career he had translated academic works from a variety of languages, including Arabic, Hungarian and Polish. It was in retirement that he compiled his Compendium of the World’s Languages. Campbell had a vast knowledge of all the arts, especially music; he played the piano and could identify performers by their style after hearing just a few notes on the radio. He could recite reams of poetry in many languages from memory. He read and understood Einstein. He was also an expert on tennis and railway locomotives. Though altruistic and modest, he had a sly, very Highland sense of humour, which revealed itself in some of the reports he wrote for the BBC. He looked after his wife, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, until he was 90. She and their two sons survive him. George Campbell, linguist and polymath, was born on August 9, 1912. He died on December 15, 2004, aged 92 (The Times, via Gerald T. Pollard, DXLD) ** U K [and non]. THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT By Tom Roche, S&S Magazine, December 2004 And so we begin at the end. John Peel, the legendary broadcaster, master communicator, perpetual adolescent, and champion of three generations of unsigned bands, died at 65 on October 25, 2004. He did what would turn out to be his last Radio 1 show on October 14, featuring the usual fascinating genre collision of the up-to-date and vintage, the obscure and the memorable, all in the same way he had presented this unique parade continually since 1967. Peel's playlist that Thursday would, as usual, send a Clear Channel programmer into an apoplectic fit: Techno-chill from DJ Preach, full- throttle rock from the Detroit Cobras, and yet another fresh new Peel Session. The exclusive session guests this time, joining hundreds of others over the decades, was the unsigned grindcore band Trencher (with their jolting new songs "I Lost All My Hair in a Skiing Accident" and "Trapped Under a Train Alive.") Trencher, a band so new and obscure that a websearch returns nothing, was soon followed by an actual Conway Twitty 78. John also dug out regular favorite Jimmy Reed, and the Fall's "Powder Keg." His last track was by the amazing electro-innovators Klute, called "Time 4 Change" from their new LP No One's Listening Anymore on, tellingly, the Commercial Suicide label. Although he sounded as lively and as happy as ever on air, by some accounts he was overworked and made weary by a schedule that would burden a person half his age. While programming and presenting three two-hour BBC Radio 1 shows weekly, plus a weekly spoken-word hour on Radio 4, a weekly music show on World Service, and shows for small European networks, he somehow kept track of the hundreds of new demos arriving every month from unsigned bands. Not to mention his role as a busy and devoted father of four. And, lastly, he was in receipt of a £1.5 million advance to write his definitive autobiography, a task he could barely find time to begin. So John, along with Sheila, his wife of 30 years, set out on a three- week vacation to Peru as a much-needed break. A few days later, John phoned the BBC from Peru to tell his young producers all was fine, and could someone go on the internet and look up where the best record stores are in Lima? Later that week he journeyed to the town of Cuzco, Peru, high in the Andean Mountains. After an uneventful day, John was preparing for dinner when he suffered a massive heart attack. The attending physician, Dr. Alcides Vargas, told Peruvian Radio, "Mr. Peel was lying on the floor in the (hotel) lobby, and his wife Sheila was crying uncontrollably. There was complete hysteria. We had medical equipment like defibrillators and a ventilator. But there were no vital signs." Dr. Vargas said the thin air of Cuzco, some 11,000 feet above sea level, almost certainly triggered John's fatal attack. (Peel had been diagnosed as diabetic in 2001, a condition that can quietly elevate heart risks.) Back in Britain, the outpouring was immediate and overwhelming: Over 5,000 messages of condolences to the BBC web site within three hours, and 30,000 tributes from all over the world were sent by the end of the week. Radio 1 scrapped all regular programming for the day. Reggae and techno-dance websites paid tribute. Alt-country and doom-metal websites paid tribute. And the next issue of NME featured a simple black and white close-up, over the text: "John Peel 1939-2004. HERO. LEGEND. GOOD BLOKE." It was a sudden, tragic end to a fascinating life story, full of both ambition and the lack of it, strange detours, and simple twists of fate. LIVERPOOL ROOTS John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, (his real name) was born near Liverpool England Aug 30, 1939, the son of a well-off textile broker. In his early school years, Peel was, admittedly, quite unmotivated, as evidenced by a note attached to his report card one day. He once recalled, "At my primary school (and bear in mind that my name is John) the headmistress wrote, 'Robin has failed to make much impression this term.'" Later, "People said to me (at high school), 'If you don't work hard you won't go to university.' I assumed university would just be an extension of public school, and, at the time, it would have been. So I thought: thank you for telling me that. So I didn't work and didn't go." "You had so little control over your life" in that regimented British upbringing he said. "Maybe failure was the only instrument of control you had." It wasn't even the 1960s yet and Peel was already dropping out. He sought out non-BBC radio fare such as American Forces Radio from Europe. "The first time I heard Little Richard on AFR, I was actually frightened by it -- you could not believe such an intense and simple noise could be coming out of your radio. It was like Saul on the road to Damascus, a life-changing experience." One schoolmate at the time was Michael Palin, who would eventually be a co-founder of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Says Palin, "I remember him lying on his back in his study, listening to, I guess it was, skiffle. Even then he introduced us to music he'd never heard. Even then he was a rebel, an independent voice." From 1957 to 1959 he was drafted into the Army as a radar operator in the Royal Artillery. He noted later, "The Army said afterwards, 'At no time has he shown any sign of adapting to the military way of life.' I took it as a compliment." DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS Peel's father had business contacts in Texas, and offered to send Peel there in 1960, where the contacts treated him as cheap labor. He then took a brief stint selling door-to-door insurance, and around this time, incredibly, he was in Dallas on November 22, 1963, the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Out of curiosity, he went to the Dallas police station and bluffed his way into Lee Harvey Oswald's arraignment hearing, claiming in a heavy accent that he was a reporter for The Liverpool Echo. "I then went and made what I'd said retrospectively true and phoned The Liverpool Echo to give them the story. But they didn't care. I was a bit wounded by that." Old newsreel film of the event shows Jack Ruby to have been in the room also, and Peel standing off in a corner. Peel remembers, "In a documentary they showed on British television, the camera pans across the room to show Ruby, and, in the last few frames, me and my friend Bob are standing there looking like tourists." Peel's only respite from the insurance racket was the Dallas Top 40 AM stations. When the Beatles invasion hit, one DJ - WRR's Russ "Weird Beard" Knight -- began cluelessly talking up England and Liverpool, Peel found it to be "complete nonsense. I phoned him up, and he put me on the air as 'Our Man From Liverpool.'" After few weeks of on-air call-ins Peel was offered a weekend job. His first full-time radio gig was at KOMA in Oklahoma City in 1965. "Americans thought Europe was the size of a village, so they assumed anyone from Liverpool was a close personal friend of Ringo." THE WARM CALIFORNIA SUN Peel moved to San Bernadino, an hour outside of L.A. in 1966, landing a gig at tiny KMEN-AM. The winds of change sweeping the Southern California music scene were having an effect on regimented Top 40 radio formats. The Doors, Frank Zappa, Love, and Quicksilver were abandoning the three-minute hit single format for extended innovations, but would radio "play" along? Around this time, a younger-than-she-looked music fan became a groupie of some of KMEN's eclectic DJs, offering various services... services Peel has declined to name. Unbeknownst to all, in a plot twist straight out of Riot On Sunset Strip, she was also the daughter of the San Bernardino sheriff. Said sheriff, like practically all holding that office in 1966, policed on an anti-hippie, clean-up-the-town platform. In short order, he swore out arrest warrants for all the stations DJs. Peel felt he could have exonerated himself, but with a furious sheriff on his back, and with his travel visa long overstayed, he elected not to fight city hall. He left town within hours, eventually crossed into Canada as John Robert Parker, and returned to England. PIRATE AT SEA Back in his homeland, Peel longed for the free sounds he'd heard in California, but he found BBC radio to be totally, banally, out of touch. In another odd twist of fate, a neighbor in London knew someone who worked on the pirate radio ship Radio London. Along with pirate Radio Caroline and others, RL was illegally broadcasting a steady stream of pop and psychedelic music from a ship anchored five miles off the UK coast. He was hired to do Top 40 during the day, but also volunteered to pull the midnight-to-three shift, developing the unique programming style that would last nearly four decades. "When I realized none of the management was listening at night, I did away with the format and played what I wanted, even read listeners' poetry -- hippie stuff I would find amazingly embarrassing if I heard it now." But the pirate era was ending. The British government whipped up draconian new laws granting them the power to board ships in international waters and confiscate gear and record collections in the name of national security. Peel's pirate stint lasted only five months. The BBC had seen their youth audience near-totally absorbed by the pirates and the Euro mega-power Radio Luxembourg, so reluctantly, the BBC created all-pop Radio 1 in 1967 (signing-on with The Move's "Flowers In The Rain.") Even more reluctantly, the BBC was forced to turn to former pirate DJs to try to shore up some semblance of credibility. Among the first group of DJs hired, Peel would outlast them all, playing music on BBC Radio 1 from 1967 to October 2004. THE SHOCK OF THE NEW When punk arrived, Peel carried the torch for this amazing new wave of audacity and amateurism, finding it to be "a welcome breath of foul air. When I first played the Ramones, I got nasty letters from people wanting me to play the Grateful Dead for the rest of their lives. The average age of the audience in those four months dropped from 25 to 15." Peel's longtime producer John Waters once said, "When we were listening to new bands, it was like John had a divining rod... as if he'd walk out into the middle of a huge field and say, 'It's here.'" In 1977, Peel was almost fired for playing the Sex Pistols on the BBC; yet in 1997, Peel's BBC show was pre-empted for a long-form Sex Pistols radio tribute special. He was first to play a number of historic albums in their entirety, from Sgt. Pepper's to Trout Mask Replica to Tubular Bells to Meat Is Murder. Genres we are now all familiar with, from punk to gangsta, from grunge to jungle, from glitch to grime, he played first before these genres even had a name. LOOKING BACK, AND FORWARD I first wrote Peel nearly 20 years ago to just say thanks for the weekly BBC show he did on shortwave (received with barely passable reception in Atlanta.) I mentioned that some band he'd played doing a noisy Paul Simon cover was nothing new to Atlantans, home of the memorable all-Paul-Simon-punk-cover-band The Coolies. I didn't expect a response, but he wrote back promptly. Apparently he didn't get much international mail at all for his World Service shows other than "play-more-Hall-and-Oates" requests. So in the rare instance someone wrote to say they "got it," he took note. In his reply he said I should "tell (Atlanta record label entrepreneur) Danny Beard I played that Coolies record a lot." He also asked to ship him any Atlanta and regional records he might enjoy. I sent off the 688 Records compilation, (and he latched on to Dash Rip Rock briefly) and many other records over time. Once, he replied to a comment I'd made about a great weird reggae record he'd played ("Border Clash" by Ninjaman) by surprisingly sending me a copy of the record he bought himself. This correspondence went on for years, and we'd meet for a pint whenever I'd visit London. (His current BBC producer said recently that John still spent upwards of £200 a month of his own money in London record shops purchasing records for his shows.) I was invited to his house in the English countryside, where I last saw him in 2001. It was a normal Saturday at "Peel Acres," and he was preparing for yet another week of shows. Sacks and stacks of incoming CD's and LPs were sorted, and, stopwatch in hand, auditioned. (He never trusted the song durations printed on the disc.) He seemed to spend every waking hour auditioning records, finding favor with perhaps 30% and discarding the rest. Slowly, a 2-hour playlist took shape. I had always assumed these shows just rolled out before me for everyone's enjoyment as if by effortless magic. Now I knew better. By the end of that week, six more hours of blank run sheets stared back at him and it was time to start the process again. CONFIDENCE BBC Radio's daytime programs in the '80s, though pop-laden, were still filled with incredibly cheesy presentation and inane patter. Undaunted, Peel trudged on. In late 2004, as the tributes poured in, it was worth remembering this quote from 1987: "BBC Radio 1 is not sympathetic to my program and music. In 20 years, no one in the building has ever come in with an encouraging or complimentary word. In a way, it keeps you going; you say 'I'll show the bastards!'" Peel told Pulse Magazine in 1990, "I can't understand why people want to hear stuff coming out of the radio that they've got on record at home and have heard a hundred times before!" There you have it: one voice, in one sentence, totally trashing the business model of corporate FM radio today. John Peel had the fearless confidence that within one program it was totally logical to mix alt-country, cutting-edge dance, dub reggae, death metal, and African pop, alongside the most ragged yet earnest young bands. As Peel told Stomp and Stammer magazine in 2000, "There's good stuff going on all the time." His program format was radically simple: say what you are about to play, play it, then say what it was. The end. Even if it was 15 seconds of speedpunk. "Sometimes the music was just awful," said fellow BBC DJ Andy Kershaw. "But you mainly listened to Peel for Peel." Above all, Peel had confidence in the intelligence of his audience. It has been estimated that 80% of the music he played in his 37-year run on the BBC had never been played on the radio before. And 98% of what he played, he played once and never again. Although an expert radio technician, he'd regularly play records at the wrong speeds, leaving him embarrassed but defensive. Look, he'd say, these are white label 12-inchers with no artist, titles, or RPM info at all -- but killer tracks nonetheless. It would be so much easier not to play them at all, and most DJs would do just that. BBC Radio began webcasting in 1997, extending his domestic program to an international reach. And soon ISDN technology enabled him to do his late-night programs from a small studio at his home in the country, a few steps from his astounding personal record library. Freed from the bureaucratic hassles of transmitting from BBC HQ, and elated at the instant feedback from both positive and negative e-mails, he had recently said he had never enjoyed presenting radio shows so much. His impact on so many lives is immeasurable. Nearly every listener considered him a personal friend to some degree. And the few listeners that would contact him directly, such as this writer, found a lasting and real friendship. That friendship, like the man himself, will be irreplaceable. THE FINAL FAREWELL The massive 400-year-old St. Edmundsbury Cathedral, near John's rural home of Stowmarket, was the setting for John's funeral on Nov 12. Some 900 mourners had filled the church more than an hour before the service's start, while an overflow throng amassed before loudspeakers on the abbey lawn. There were hundreds of friends from the nearby villages and hundreds of BBC staffers, both young hip DJs and retired legendary voices going back to the birth of Radio 1. A swarm of British paparazzi camped outside the church and zeroed in on the arrivals of Robert Plant, the White Stripes, Billy Bragg, Jarvis Cocker, Michael McCartney, and on and on. Soon a solitary church bell began tolling, and all fell silent. John's casket, borne on the shoulders of six bleary-eyed pallbearers and piled high with Liverpool-red flowers, was carried from the hearse to the cathedral's center aisle. As the Stowmarket Choral Society gently sang, there came the heartbreaking sight of John's widow Sheila and his four grieving children, slowly following the casket to the altar. Amidst the somber mood, some of the eulogies were as funny as they were touching, but mostly the service was as sad as sad gets. Yes there were Bible readings and hymns, but John's eclectic stamp was evident throughout. At one point the hymns stopped, and across the vast cathedral space began the opening notes of the 1950s Howlin' Wolf classic "Goin' Down Slow," the rough-hewn Chicago blues masterpiece about one man's reflection on a life well-lived. As Wolf's maniacal vocals bounced over the pews to the five stories of stained glass that surrounded us, I was filled with radically mixed emotions, unsure whether to laugh or cry. As the song echoed away, fading into a blurry ambient gauze, the more musically knowledgeable looked at each other and smiled broadly... while the villagers and the cheese-era BBC staffers seemed to be asking John yet again, "Just what was that awful racket??" There was other music that day, from Mozart to Roy Orbison, and after these and after every eulogy, the church remained silent, while in the distance could be heard the roaring applause of the thousand-plus listening outside in the cold drizzle. The concluding eulogy was co-written by John's four children, now in their teens and twenties, and read by a family friend. As they had entered that day it was clear they were emotionally wiped out, yet the tribute they had written was fresh, clever brash, bratty, insulting, and fun, just like pops. Although John Peel had always admitted he was on an endless quest to find the perfect record, he had long ago decided that "Teenage Kicks" by Ireland's The Undertones was his favorite record of all time. "Sheila, my wife, knows that when I die, the only words I want on my tombstone, apart from my name, are: 'Teenage Dreams, So Hard To Beat.'" As the cathedral doors were swung open, the pallbearers raised the casket and started back up the center aisle. The grief-weary congregation rose, and, not unexpectedly, the church was filled with the sound of "Teenage Kicks." Played really, really loud. "I wanna hold you wanna hold you tight, Get teenage kicks right through the night, Oh yeah." ------ This article originally appeared in Stomp And Stammer magazine, December 2004 --- Material from The Guardian, The NME, The Times, The Daily Mail, and Pulse!, Filler, and Q magazines, and BBC World Service, contributed to this report (via author Tom Roche, DXLD) ** U K. TSUNAMI REPORTING ON THE BBC WS Hello Everyone, I know this is a day late but wanted to see if anyone else caught it --- During the 0300 UT Monday broadcast (around 0317 UTC) on the BBC World Service presentation of The World Today, they had a female reporter I think in India talking about the current situation. She stated that earlier in that day, she had spent time with some ham radio operators and clearly stated that their efforts were not helping aid the situation of the disaster. I am upset she would make such a comment such as this. I am not a ham myself but recognize the good traits of hams the world over to assist in such disasters as this. I have thought about her comments over the last day that may have prompted her to express such an opinion. They are as follows: 1) The hams were attempting (and not succeeding) to make contact with other hams in areas where the radios were not functional due to the disaster, so she assumed it was a ineffective method. 2) Propagation conditions was not great to make contact , so she assumed it was a ineffective method. 3) She knows absolutely nothing about radio, the value of it and is probably more excited to hear her own name on the radio than report stories accurately... Sorry, I had to vent before I mail the BBC. Best Regards, (Chris Campbell, Jan 6, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. ARRL releases radio public service announcement (Jan 6, 2005) --- The ARRL has released a topical public service announcement (PSA) for use by radio stations. The 30-second PSA may be downloaded free from the League`s Web site in either .wav or .mp3 formats. ``Ham radio works when other communications don`t,`` is its central message. Conceived, written and voiced by ARRL Media and Publications Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, the PSA focuses on Amateur Radio`s rôle in emergency communication --- including activity by South Asia amateurs in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami. ``It is directed at getting people who are community-minded to look into becoming hams,`` Pitts commented. He urged ARRL Public Information Coordinators and Officers to aid in distributing the announcement to broadcasters. The PSA invites anyone interested in becoming a radio amateur to contact ARRL via its toll-free number, 800-326-3942. For additional information contact Allen Pitts, W1AGP at w1apg @ arrl.org (ARRL main page via John Norfolk, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U S A. The Passing of Richard Rael --- We regret to inform you that VOA Broadcast Production Director/Special English Announcer Richard Rael passed away on Monday, January 3rd. He was fatally injured in a bicycle accident which occurred on December 24th. There will be no memorial service, but the family will be receiving Dick's friends and VOA colleagues on Saturday, January 15th from 12:30 until 2:00 pm at: The Hotel Tabard Inn, 1739 N Street, NW, Washington, DC. It is convenient to the South exit of the Dupont Circle Metro Station. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to your favorite charity in Dick's name (notice to IBB staff, Jan 5, via Kim Elliott, DXLD) I think he was known on the air as "Dick Rael." I would see him many afternoons riding his bike to VOA for the evening shift, and he always had a friendly greeting for me (Kim Elliott, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. We will be out in force on the 20th with a Counter Inaugural that will launch the most creative and dynamic political opposition this country has yet seen. Working alongside a host of other organizations, we expect rallies at Dupont Circle and Malcomb X Park and a march to Franklin Park. While some people are coming to get in Bush's way or get themselves arrested doing civil disobedience, our goal is to provide an direct-action-and-teargas-free zone where pro- democracy forces can recapture some of the symbols of American democracy. While the permits have not yet been finalized, we expect to have stages on Capitol Hill near Union Station and at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial as well, with transportation in between venues for people who do not want to walk. Our goal is to surround Bush's high security red zone in an ocean of blue. To get you to venture to the Jefferson Memorial we will have Jefferson scholar Clay Jenkinson doing a Jefferson re-enactment -- taking questions from the audience and responding as Jefferson himself might. ReDefeatBush founder David Lytel will reprise a role he performed a decade ago as Alexis de Tocqueville, whose cogent analysis of America's democratic origins helped define the uniqueness of the American experience. He will answer your the questions you may have about democracy and America's experiment with self-government. We expect other musical acts and performers to be announced in the coming weeks (from http://www.redefeatbush.com via DXLD) And WSQT 1680? ** U S A. STAPLES TO DROP ADS ON SINCLAIR TV NEWSCASTS By Lynn Smith, Times Staff Writer, January 5, 2005 Staples Inc., the world's largest retailer of office products, will no longer advertise on Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.'s local television news programs, a spokesman announced Tuesday. The decision was partly based on e-mails sent by individuals who identified themselves as customers and complained that Sinclair's political commentary was one-sided, said Owen Davis, spokesman for Framingham, Mass.-based Staples. He did not specify the amount of advertising but said it was a "very small" part of Staples' overall media buy. David Brock, spokesman for Media Matters for America, said it was the first victory for the liberal group formed in December to persuade advertisers to drop Sinclair, which was thrust into the public spotlight last year. As one of the largest TV station owners in the country, the Hunt Valley, Md.-based operation drew criticism when it centralized the news operations of many of its stations nationwide. In May, Sinclair banned its seven ABC affiliates from showing a "Nightline" roll call of military dead in Iraq, calling it political commentary "disguised as news content." And shortly before the November election, Sinclair planned to air a film critical of Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry's military record. After the plan was publicized, prompting advertiser defections and a plummeting stock price, Sinclair instead aired an Oct. 22 special that incorporated parts of the anti-Kerry documentary and another film more sympathetic to Kerry. In the wake of Kerry's defeat, the liberal coalition launched a website asking consumers to e-mail advertisers protesting what it called Sinclair's "misuse of public airwaves," in particular a daily one-minute commentary called "The Point" by Sinclair spokesman Mark Hyman. Brock said more than 30,000 e-mails had been sent to Sinclair advertisers, including Staples. "We were hoping to engage Sinclair in a constructive dialogue about their conservative bias in their newscasts and 'The Point,' " he said. Hyman was not available for comment. In the past, he has called Democrats "the angry left" and pointed to a liberal bias in the media. Staples spokesman Davis said the e-mails used "similar language" about the programming and stated that they were sent by a Staples customer. Davis did not specify the number of e-mails Staples had received. But, he said, it was enough that it warranted consideration. "Certainly, we take the concerns of our customers seriously," Davis said. Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. VOX RADIO OFFERS TO REHIRE TROTTIER By Nicole Sequino, Berkshire Eagle Staff Thursday, January 06, 2005 http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~7514~2637541,00.html NORTH ADAMS -- Vox Radio Group asked George Trottier to return to weather forecasting at its radio stations, a week after the 35-year- veteran meteorologist was replaced by recorded weather reports, said market manager Laura Freed yesterday. "We reapproached George about coming back to the station," said Freed in a phone conversation from her Pittsfield office. "I think the public has a right to know that we're sensitive to the issue, that we do care and that we do pay attention." Freed declined to say whether Trottier has accepted the job offer. Trottier did not return repeated phone calls and messages. WNAW station manager David Luyk declined to comment for this story. In past articles this week, Trottier, 65, said he was unhappy about leaving his weather forecasting job with WNAW (AM 1230) and WMNB (FM 100.1) after working for the company since 1969. He has also said that he was touched by the numerous phone calls from radio listeners upset by his departure. The station's management told Trottier after Thanksgiving that his job would be eliminated at the end of the year and replaced by Associated Press and National Weather Service reports. Trottier, who earned a few hundred dollars a month for his work, assembled three daily forecasts from his North Adams home from National Weather Service data. Since he is legally blind, Trottier used software to translate the data on his computer screen into audio to assist with his visual impairment (via Paul Balster, DXLD) ** U S A. A reminder to power up your old TransOceanic and tune in to some vintage AM on the shortwave ham bands, where hobbyists gather this Saturday evening for the nationwide HEAVY METAL RALLY. This annual event is a coast-to-coast sailing of radio's tall ships from the past, featuring retired broadcast transmitters, old military and maritime rigs, and homebrew transmitters featuring heavy iron, vacuum tubes and the warm and wonderful sound of storytelling Amplitude Modulation. The "rules" are that a transmitter hoping to win top honors must weigh 250 pounds and put out 250 watts. Heavy Metal Rally indeed. 1880 Kc, 3880 Kc, 7290 Kc starting sunset your local time, overnight into Sunday. (Forwarded from another list [BC]. Stay warm wherever you are today :-)) (Mark Durenberger (Momentarily in Colorado), NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. IBOC interference from WHAM [1180 Rochester NY] Tonight I experienced severe IBOC hash interference from WHAM on my local on 1190 WBIS. I am in the primary protected coverage area for WBIS and the interference was so severe at times that it was ruining reception of WBIS even when I was looping for Annapolis on my K9AY. This is an example of unintended consequences for a station running IBOC. I called the radio station and the receptionist old me that the engineer/manager only comes in on Tuesdays and she would leave a message for me. I found an email on their website and sent a message via that address. Hopefully, I can get through to him at the station. Anyone have good suggestions about what I should tell him? (Bill Harms, Elkridge, Maryland, ibid.) A recording is worth a thousand words. I'd make him a nice clip of the interference, and label it with your location, time, radio and antenna. If you can make a recording from a normal household radio with a normal antenna, I think that will have more weight than a recording made with a communications receiver and a K9AY antenna. That way, there's no doubt that what you hear is what John Q. Public will hear on his / her radio. I'd say it would be good to email the clip to the CE, GM and any other management person at WIBS. Send it to WHAM also - it can't hurt and it just might help. The actual extent of IBOC interference is still not appreciated by many broadcasters; given enough reports of problems there's always the chance that they will shut off IBOC like other stations. Lastly, if WIBS is interested I would remind them that the FCC has a defined procedure for cases of IBOC interference. WIBS has the right to put the information in front of the FCC and (assuming the FCC agrees) WHAM is obligated to reduce IBOC power until the interference is reduced to an "acceptable" level. You're well within WIBS' primary coverage area according to the WIBS coverage map on their web site, so this should be interesting (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) That`s the way to get some action, when a station is losing some of its coverage from IBOC they will call the FCC. Maybe we can stop it on AM before receivers hit the market (John Tudenham, Joplin MO, ibid.) I don't want to open this up again, but I will make one point. IBOC can interfere with IBOC as well. For example, say local WRIB - 1220 decides to go with IBOC. Sidebands will be on 1210 and 1230. Then say near locals WKOX-1200 and WOON-1240 also go with IBOC. These close spaced stations both put decent signals into Providence in the WRIB local coverage. These outside stations' IBOC will have sidebands on 1210 and 1230 respectively, right on top of the WRIB IBOC data. Additionally, there are 1230 stations in Westerly, RI and Worcester, MA. Add that to 1210 Philadelphia skywave, and the WRIB IBOC has a lot of QRM to contend with. I wouldn't expect much IBOC coverage, and little "bang for their buck". Certainly not enough to justify the expense of upgrading. I wonder how many other small stations are equally hemmed in? Did Ibiquity even consider this? (Craig Healy, Providence, RI, ibid.) I don't think that small stations were anywhere near the front of the bus, much less driving it (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA ( 15 mi NNW Philadelphia ), ibid.) ** U S A. HISTORIC AGREEMENT PROPELS DIGITAL HD RADIO(TM) BROADCASTING FORWARD --- 21 LEADING RADIO GROUPS ACCELERATE ROLLOUT OF IBIQUITY'S HD RADIO TECHNOLOGY, COMMIT TO CONVERT 2,000 AM & FM STATIONS TO DIGITAL [puff alert! Puff alert!] LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- International Consumer Electronics Show -- Twenty-one of the nation's top radio broadcast groups and iBiquity Digital Corporation announced an historic agreement today to accelerate broadcast conversion of 2,000 AM and FM stations to digital HD Radio technology. Combined with the current 500 stations licensed, 2,500 stations have embarked on an HD Radio future, covering all of the nation's top 100 markets and beyond. The agreement includes station commitments from the following broadcast groups: ABC Radio (NYSE: DIS), Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBGI), Bonneville International Corp., Clear Channel Communications, Inc. (NYSE: CCU), Cox Radio, Inc. (NYSE: CXR), Cumulus Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMLS), Emmis Communications Corp. (Nasdaq: EMMS), Entercom Communications Corp. (NYSE: ETM), Entravision Communications Corporation (NYSE: EVC), Greater Media, Inc., Infinity Broadcasting, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA; VIA.B), Jefferson-Pilot Communications Co., Journal Broadcast Group, Liberman Broadcasting, Inc., NextMedia Group, Inc., Radio One, Inc. (Nasdaq: ROIAK; ROIA), Regent Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGCI), Saga Communications, Inc. (NYSE: SGA), Sandusky Radio, Susquehanna Radio Corp., and Univision Radio, Inc. Separately, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced recently a matching grant program for an additional 159 Public Radio stations to speed HD Radio conversions. With matching funds of $21M to date, this brings the total Public Broadcast station commitment to 309. Another round of matching CPB funds is expected in 2005. "Our aggressive rollout of digital radio demanded a proven technology and a strong partner. We found both in iBiquity," said Randall Mays, EVP/chief financial officer of Clear Channel Communications, Inc. "We can accept nothing less for an advance that's so important to the radio industry." "Consumers are constantly in search of new technologies which will enhance their overall listening experience," said Joel Hollander, president and chief operating officer, Infinity. "HD Radio not only delivers improved sound quality but can provide the kind of on-demand information radio listeners desire. We are pleased to take this important step in bringing HD Radio to the forefront of the industry." Lewis W. Dickey, Jr., chairman and CEO, Cumulus Media commented, "We are excited to be a part of this extraordinary time in radio's history. Providing radio listeners with digital HD Radio will bring a depth of audio enhancement second to none while providing additional revenue streams from new services and applications. From a business perspective, these are very exciting times for Cumulus and the industry as a whole." Peter Smyth, president and CEO of Greater Media observed, "HD Radio is an investment in the future of our medium, especially in-car listening. I have HD Radio in my car, and it's just amazing when the music surrounds you; it's a whole new quality of experience. Superior sound, coupled with the information that we can display on the dashboard, will allow us to provide all our Greater Media listeners with vastly improved entertainment, and we do it for free! We encourage receiver manufacturers to put HD Radio in every car in the country." "HD Radio will especially benefit those in middle and small-sized markets," added Terry Jacobs, Chairman and CEO of Regent Communications. "This new technology will enable us to bring more local programming broadcast at a higher quality than ever before. HD Radio is simply another tool that will allow us to better serve the interests of our local communities and markets of all sizes will benefit." Edward O. Fritts, president and CEO, National Association of Broadcasters said, "Whether it's playing regional music or providing news during times of crisis, local radio has its finger on the pulse of the community. It is a bond that no satellite service, cable channel or MP3 player can ever hope to duplicate. Today's announcement demonstrates the commitment of America's terrestrial broadcasters to the promise of digital and ensures an improved listening experience for the 175 million daily listeners of local AM and FM radio stations." Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Electronics Association commented, "The digital revolution which began with CDs and extended to HDTV, cameras and other products is now transforming local radio. The breadth of manufacturers introducing HD Radio products at International CES and broadcasters announcing support for HD Radio, bode well for a successful transition to digital radio." "Today's announcement cements radio's commitment to digital broadcasting and provides the needed infrastructure to enable nationwide coverage," said Robert Struble, president and CEO, iBiquity Digital Corporation. "In many ways, this announcement is as significant as the FCC's approval of HD Radio technology more than two years ago, and we want to acknowledge these broadcasters for demonstrating the foresight and leadership to make this commitment. We anticipate this announcement will also accelerate the HD Radio rollout for automakers, consumer electronics manufacturers and retailers." Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank advised iBiquity during commitment discussions with major radio broadcast groups. HD Radio technology transmits digital audio and data alongside existing AM and FM analog signals, allowing listeners with HD Radio compatible receivers to enjoy CD-quality sound and virtually eliminating the static, hiss, and pops associated with analog radio. The technology also provides a platform for advanced digital services that will deliver listeners a variety of desired information such as song titles, artist names, traffic updates, weather forecasts, sports scores, and more. Additionally, HD Radio's Supplemental Audio Services feature -- which was recognized as an honoree in the Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Showcase held in conjunction with this year's CES -- will allow FM stations to divide their broadcasts into multiple, distinct program streams, thereby increasing the diversity of content available to consumers. About iBiquity Digital iBiquity Digital is the sole developer and licenser of HD Radio(TM) technology in the U.S., which is transforming today's AM and FM radio stations to digital, enabling radically upgraded sound, crystal-clear reception and new wireless data services. The company's investors include 15 of the nation's top radio broadcasters, including ABC, Clear Channel and Viacom; leading financial institutions, such as Grotech Capital Group, J.P. Morgan Partners, New Venture Partners, Pequot Capital and J&W Seligman; and strategic partners Ford Motor Company, Harris, Texas Instruments and Visteon. iBiquity, named one of Deloitte's Fast 500 Companies, is a privately held with operations in Columbia, MD, Detroit, MI, Belmont, CA and Warren, NJ. For more information please visit: http://www.ibiquity.com SOURCE iBiquity Digital Corporation -0- 01/05/2005 /CONTACT: Gil Chorbajian of Ogilvy Public Relations, office: +1-518-355-0966, mobile: +1-518-852-9528, gil.chorbajian@@ogilvypr.com, for iBiquity Digital Corporation; or Vicki Stearn of iBiquity Digital Corporation, office: +1-410-872-1565, mobile: +1-301-656-1054, stearn@ibiquity.com/ (DIS BBGI CCU CXR CMLS EMMS ETM EVC VIA VIA.B ROIAK ROIA RGCI SGA (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Here's a link to excellent coverage of KFI's tower collapse, plus a photo of their auxiliary tower, and a couple of b&w's from when the original flattop was taken down in '47. Steve Forrest sent them to me. http://earthsignals.com/images/kfi/index.htm -pls (Paul Swearingen, KS, Jan 6, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. 4500, ZNBC: I spoke with their Director of Engineering this morning. He says that they have just rehabilitated one of their two 100 kW transmitters and are testing it. Hence, the strong signals that we have been receiving (Hans Johnson, Cumbredx mailing list Jan 5 via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) 5th Jan they were already back on their normal 6165 kHz. Sign-on with fish eagle IS from 0245, from 0251 NA and 4910 divided to the other network. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. Bubble jamming observed regularly 1600-2000 UT on 1557 kHz (?Iran, China). (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 18, BC-DX via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ XI ENCUENTRO DX MEXICANO, TAMPICO, 2005 29-31 JULIO Estimados amigos y colegas, les informo que las fechas del próximo Encuentro DX serán 29, 30 y 31 de Julio del presente año; ya trabajamos en la organización y en estos momentos también estamos en pláticas con algunos hoteles así como con las autoridades municipales ya que son nuevas, pues acaba de cambiar la administración de este municipio y como van empezando, ya se imaginarán, pero estamos sobre ellas también. Asimismo solicito de los colegas diexistas me envien también su dirección postal así como de los colegas que conozcan y que no tienen o se les dificulta el acceso a la Internet para enviar información via correo convencional lo más pronto posible. Gracias y seguimos en contacto. Hasta Muy Pronto (Juan Josè Miroz Lozano ( XE1XNH/2 ) APARTADO 754 CODIGO POSTAL 89000 TAMPICO, TAMAULIPAS MEXICO, via Dario Monferini, playdx via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ RADIOS COULD BE CONSIDERED FINE FURNITURE IN 1935 1935 --- A. W. Metger & Co. in Gresham offered two fine Crosley radios for sale 70 years ago. The table model with the fancy grill was $54, but you could get a big one that brought in American and foreign broadcasts, police, amateur and aviation bands for $71.50. It came in choice woods and was said to be a fine piece of furniture ("The Gresham Outlook" January 5, 2005 in the column "Just the Other Day" by Sharon Nesbit, via Bruce MacGibbon, OR, DXLD) DRM +++ Re Lux, well the DRM jamming is at least clean as far as 1430 and 1450 is concerned, but not so on 1296, being a split from bang on the 10 kHz channel. Thinking back not so long ago, outfits like the BBC/ DW/ VOA/ RFE etc used to cry like babies because their pro western propaganda was being jammed by the Soviets. Now those very outfits are broadcasting white noise in the middle of broadcast bands, including our precious MW band. I see no reason for this, and on SW at least their so called superior digital system could use a small band of frequencies allocated for this use. At least DAB use a band of frequencies not really used [before for broadcasting], and not in the middle of the FM broadcast band. And it is a perfectly good service, harming no one, and not enforcing change, just offering an alternative. I cannot imagine a true RF engineer being proud of broadcasting this form of modulation in an AM broadcast band. I wonder what technically clueless sweaty little man in a suit passed the motion for this type of jamming, simply because someone somewhere may have gave him a back hander. It simply must be the way forward because AFTER ALL it has the buzz word ``DIGITAL`` in the title (Ken Baird, Scotland, Jan 4, MWC via DXLD) The big difference is the fact that DRM has no silence. With AM silent gaps mean weak audio underneath can be heard. With DRM even if the audio drops to silence the DRM "buzz" continues - a very effective jammer of anything else co-channel. 73 (Steve Whitt, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ GAMMA RAY BURST Glenn, You may already be aware of this from others, but in your latest DXLD, that last item on Gamma Ray Burst is incorrectly (or maybe I should say incompletely) attributed. It was originally submitted to the QRP-L e-mail list by Paul Harden, NA5N. Paul is the person who works at the VLA at the NRAO in New Mexico. Cheers from Iowa, (Kevin, K9IUA, [Anderson], Dubuque IA USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, it was signed ``Paul NA5N`` and then he added a PS. I blame the hams for omitting their surnames if they care about being properly credited. And unless you are writing on paper, there is no reason whatsoever to post-script, confusing where the item actually end. This was one of countless items ultimately credited ``via`` someone, which means that it was NOT written by that person, but who forwarded it (gh) ###