DX LISTENING DIGEST 5-015, January 25, 2005 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING0 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 2005 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 1260: Wed 1030 WOR WWCR 9985 Wed 1700 WOR WBCQ after hours Mon 0430 WOR WSUI Iowa City IA 910 MORE info including audio links: http://worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: WORLD OF RADIO 1260 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1260h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1260h.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1260 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1260.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1260.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1260.html WORLD OF RADIO 1260 in the true shortwave sound of Alex`s mp3: keep checking http://www.piratearchive.com/dxprograms.htm FIRST AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1261: Wed 2300 on WBCQ 7415 Thu 0000 on WBCQ 17495-CUSB Thu 2130 on WWCR 9985 ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. U.K.: New time and frequency of Internews / Salaam Watandar in Dari/Pashto: 1300-1430 NF 13650 (55555) RMP 500 kW / 095 deg, ex 1330-1500 on 17720 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. See CANADA for discussion of R. National vs CBC programs ** BULGARIA. Only one transmission for Voice Africa in English to West Africa/Nigeria from Jan. 7 1600-1800 on 13820 SOF 100 kW / 215 deg. Also registered for A-05!!! 1800-2000 on 11560 SOF 100 kW / 215 deg ||||| CANCELLED (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. I have read lots of messages on this list about CBC programmes. It seems that lots of people like them. Very strange. Sure, CBC has some very good programmes (e.g., "The Sunday Edition"), but the vast majority of its output is quite mediocre (e.g., "As It Happens", "DNTO", "Bunny Watson", etc.). And some programmes are quite awful, in fact (e.g., "The Roundup", which started life as a pretty good offering several years ago). So why in the world is such stuff so popular?? And why do far better shows (e.g., lots of the stuff from Radio National [AUSTRALIA]) get almost no mention on this list? 73, (Peter Bowen, Jan 24, swprograms via DXLD) CBC is close in, easier to hear (on medium and short wave, at least) and trumps much of what we hear on the radio in the State --- NPR and PRI being the notable and sole exceptions, IMHO. I agree that CBC now has a lot of mediocre programming. I chalk this up largely (but not entirely) to drastic budget cuts over the last two decades. For example, the morning fare on CBC Radio One comes nowhere near the quality of the Morningside years. But the latter had a huge budget and put it to good use. The Current and Sounds Like Canada seem to suffer from a lack of resources, but also from a lack of a sound philosophical base and ideas. It seems that the management of the CBC feels that it must be all things to all people in order to protect its publicly derived budget. Too bad --- using this approach means that most programs lack focus. The trend is toward magazines attempting to cast a wide net, instead of more sharply designed and focused programs that identify a tighter audience. IMHO, the entire schedule should --- piece by piece --- serve everyone it can; but not each and every program. In short, I think CBC gets exalted by comparison with its close in competition. (Also, some of the excitement stemmed from the eventual arrival of CBC Radio One on Sirius.) But-heh, Peter, I agree with your assessment of ABC-RA programming. That's why I post those programming notes twice or three times a week. :-)) Think it'll ever catch on? (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, ibid.) Keep in mind that much of the RCI discussion here centered around lousy frequency and schedule decisions this season for late afternoon / early listening sessions. By comparison, RA isn't nearly as audible that time of day, or during most "prime time" early evening listening hours, for that matter. I am also particularly and selfishly interested in CBC and Canadian affairs since my paternal grandparents were Canadian. I grew up with Southern Ontario media offering welcome choices in the pre-cable TV days. We lived fewer than 10 miles from 3 of Buffalo's commercial TV stations so we could have watched them with an outdoor aerial pointed anywhere; Buffalo's other commercial and public TV station antennas happened to be in the same direction as CHCH, CBLT and CFTO, so -- by joyous coincidence -- we were able to see Canadian TV clearly. Not that it was necessarily better than domestic fare -- in fact, most of it WAS domestic US fare, just on a different times. Add to that mix the fact that CBL AM 740 came in loud and clear; especially in the pre-NPR days, it was a clear alternative to domestic radio. By comparison, I agree -- enthusiastically -- that much of RN's output is clearly superior to that of the CBC -- in part, because RN has a series of 15- and 30-minute programs that cover a particular topic week in, week out -- so you know what's coming and when. RN also doesn't merit as much commentary here because, frankly, their programming is eminently accessible on-demand. That's more than I can say for some CBC programming. It seems to be a paradox that we in other countries hold domestic public service broadcasters in higher esteem than do residents of those countries. I was chatting with two Indian co-workers regarding All India Radio's domestic services a few weeks back; neither of my co-workers listened regularly to AIR, nor did their friends. So...what do you Canadians think about the USA's NPR programming? (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, ibid.) I am a new listener to NPR, via KPLU 88.5 Tacoma area, and I like much of what I hear. I would be happier with more public affairs and less music (though I love their blues & jazz), and have yet to get used to their 'non-advert adverts' (for want of a better term). I listen more and more and may even support them one day. I am embarrassed to say that my current favourite program (as someone who would rather bicycle, or bus it, or walk) is Car Talk. Too funny! (Eric Floden, Vancouver BC, ibid.) ** CANADA. CRTC Okays Corus-Astral Deal It's been an exceptionally quiet week on the U.S. side of the border (and it didn't help that the FCC had two days off, either), but at least our friends up in CANADA at the CRTC had a busy few days. The big headline from north of the border was Friday's approval of the C$11,000,000 deal that will put the Radiomedia chain of Quebec AM signals in the hands of Corus, which is trading them for five small- market FM stations that will join the Astral Media group. The transaction closes the books on nearly three years of false starts and unconsummated dealmaking that began when Astral (successor to the Radiomutuel group) bought out Telemedia's half of its joint partnership in Radiomedia, which includes flagship CKAC (730 Montréal), CJRC (1150 Gatineau/Ottawa), CHRC (800 Quebec), CHLN (550 Trois-Rivières), CHLT (630 Sherbrooke), CKTS (900 Sherbrooke) and CKRS (590 Saguenay), along with CFOM-FM (102.9 Lévis) in the Québec City market. In most of those markets, Astral already had one FM signal, and the addition of the FMs that it also got from Telemedia meant that the AM chain had to be spun off. A plan to sell it to CKAC management fell through, and so did an attempt to sell it to a partnership between the TVA television network and Radio Nord. Now the stations are finally leaving the Astral fold and being transferred to Corus, which plans some big changes. Corus already operates a news-talker in Montreal, CHMP (98.5), which won official CRTC blessing for the talk format as part of the approval of the Radiomedia transaction, and it plans to flip CKAC to a format that's heavy on sports and "health" programming, with none of the political talk that's long been a hallmark of Quebec's oldest French-language radio station. (Corus tells the CRTC that it believes "general interest AM radio is a thing of the past," at least in major markets.) In Quebec, CHRC will take on a sports format. The Gatineau, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres stations will take on a news-heavy format, fed largely from Corus' CINF (690) in Montreal. (Corus plans to establish a central newsroom in Montreal to service CINF, CKAC and CHMP, as well as providing news to the regional stations.) And CKRS up in Saguenay is apparently doing well enough to stay largely unchanged. The other half of the deal finds Astral picking up five Corus FMs. CFVM (99.9 Amqui) and CFZZ (104.1 St.-Jean-Iberville) will join Astral's "Boom" oldies network; CJDM (92.1 Drummondville) and CIKI (98.7 Rimouski) will join the "Energie" hits network, and CJOI (102.9 Rimouski) will join the "Rock Detente" soft rock network (Scott Fybush, NE Radio Watch Jan 24 via DXLD) ** CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC [non]. FRANCE(non): Good reception here in Bulgaria for Radio Centreafrique in French: 1700-2257 on 9590 ISS 500 kW / 156 deg, 1900-2000 blocked by VOA in Turkish (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** CHINA [and non]. DEATH OF ZHAO ZIYANG POINTS OUT CONTINUING NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING. News about the former Communist Party chief, who sympathized with the Tiananmen protesters in 1989, was largely unreported in China, blocked from the internet, South China Morning Post via Asia Pacific Media Center, 18 January 2005, and even scissored out of foreign newspapers, Chosun Ilbo, 19 January 2005. This was presaged in David Wall's commentary about the lack of sensitive political news in the PRC, Japan Times, 10 January 2005. Radio Free Asia helped fill the void, including exclusive broadcast rights to a eulogy by Zhao's aide Bao Tong, RFA, 17 January 2005. Presumably "exclusive" means the archrival of U.S. government funded RFA, U.S. government funded Voice of America, could not use the story. But VOA puts a better signal into China because of its exclusive use of relay facilities in Thailand and the Philippines. So RFA had the story, and VOA had the signal, demonstrating again that U.S. international broadcasting remains an unassembled kit. . . (for hotlinks go to http://www.kimandrewelliott.com --- via gh, DXLD) Well, RFA has plenty of other relays not far away, from Northern Marianas, Mongolia, Russia, Central Asia, etc. (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. CRI via QIQ 500 kW / 304 deg to WeEu/Russia: 1900-2057 on 6100* in Russian, ex in English *co-ch International Radio of Serbia and Montenegro Russian/English/Serbian (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** CHINA. Frequency changes for CRI in Spanish (two different programs at 2300-2357!!!): 2200-2357 NF 7250 URU 500 kW / 308 deg to SoEu, ex 7120 \\ 9640, 7210, 6020 2300-0057 NF 9800 KAS 500 kW / 269 deg to SoAm, ex 11650 \\ 7245, 7160, 6175 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 6923.4 kHz, Parques Nacionales de Colombia, 24-01-2005, 1345 UT, transmisión entre Medellín y Bogotá, donde se hacía preguntas a través de equipos de radio y estas eran respondidas por un funcionario del gobierno. El programa se llamaba: Punto de Encuentro, se hablaba también de los acuerdos entre EEUU y Colombia. USB (José Elías Díaz Gómez, Venezuela, Receptor Yaesu FT-890, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Some of the new 100 kW Chinese-made transmitters are operating in English on 6060, 9550 and 11760. Others are in Spanish. Our facilities in Bauta, 15 miles west of Habana, are being revamped. 6060 is using an antenna that was severely damaged by hurricane Charley on 13th of August. Engineering crew had to put up two new towers, in order to rebuild the antenna. But now that will be changed to a curtain array with a lot more gain in a few months. Charley went exactly thru the station; fortunately, the buildings were very strong and reinforced. 6000 kHz now added to the 0500-0700 [English] broadcast to North America (Arnie Coro, CO2KK, RHC DXers Unlimited Jan 22, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. PROJECT TO RE-ENACT THE BATTLE FOR CZECH RADIO Czech Radio has decided to organize a unique reconstruction of the battle for the station against the Nazis in 1945. This event will be as a part of 60th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War celebrations. The re-enactment will last around 40 minutes and will be included as part of the authentic moments from the battles for Czech Radio during the period from 5th to 8th May 1945. The re-enactment of the war will be organized around the real places of Vinohradska and Balbinova Streets in the centre of Prague and the event will involve: - More than 60 performers - Historical cars and camions - Historical trams - Historical half-track armoured car - Historical track/caterpillar fighter of Hetzer tanks. - Other historical arms, technology and props. This event will take place on 7th May 2005 at 15:00 hrs local time (13 UT) in front of the Czech Radio building on Vinohradska Street. No doubt the English service of Radio Prague will cover the event as well. More information can be found (in Czech!) on the thematic website http://www.rozhlas.cz/wwii/portal/ covering the 60th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War. # posted by Jonathan Marks @ 13:02 UT Jan 25 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** DEUTSCHES REICH. Poland/Europe: AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU LIBERATION, 60TH ANNIVERSARY TV BROADCAST | Text of report in English by Polish news agency PAP Warsaw, 24 January: Polish television [TVP] will be the only producer of a television broadcast of the main ceremonies of the observances of the 60th anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau camp liberation. Seventy public television stations affiliated to the European Broadcasters Union [EBU] as well as BBC, Reuters, RAI have already declared their will to cooperate. TVP will begin its broadcast of the central ceremonies on 27 January with "Let my People Live" International Forum organized by the European Jewish Congress and held in the Slowacki theatre in Cracow. A special programme composed of addresses, prayers and a concert will be aired from the site of Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. There will be also a programme on the history of the camp. A live transmission will be available through the internet http://itvp.pl to the internet users all over the world. Apart from live broadcasts of the central ceremonies, TVP will present documentaries, feature films and other programmes connected with the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp liberation anniversary. Source: PAP news agency, Warsaw, in English 1326 gmt 24 Jan 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) See also CZECH REPUBLIC ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. On 24 Jan the station was running local language program at tune-in 1645 UT on 5005. They signed off around 1701. I had no chance to hear 15190 prior-after 1700 as there is a nasty local noise on around 15190 at this pc/tv rush hour. 15190 was audible (I recall) around 15-16 that date. On 25 Jan no signal on 5005 1630-1700, neither on 15190 due to the noise (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. Hello Free Radio Friends, In antwoord op een e-mail naar Lazer Hot Hits wat de reden is dat ze al enkele dagen niet meer te horen zijn op de 6220 kHz, kreeg ik onderstaand bericht: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Hugo, Many thanks for your e-mail. Yes, unfortunately we are off the air on 6 MHz due to technical problems. We hope to have both channels back on very soon. In the meantime, we are still transmitting on our other three frequencies of 7465 kHz, 9385 kHz and 4025 kHz. These are on 24 hours a day but reception is dependent on conditions and time of day as always. You can also hear our shows in better quality via the Net by surfing along to http://www.radiolink.net/hothits and clicking on the Sounds page. There are also some streaming feeds of Laser testing at the moment. Details at the web site. Glad you enjoy the programmes from Laser and thanks again for writing. Best wishes, Tony James. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (via Hugo Matten, B-8630 Veurne, Belgium, Jan 22, BDXC via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Risking privacy for TV - David Lazarus Sunday, January 23, 2005 As part of a nationwide ad campaign, satellite TV provider Dish Network asks, "Why is digital cable so expensive?" And that's a perfectly valid question. But potential customers may want to ask a question of their own: Why does Dish insist that people hand over their Social Security number? The fine print of the company's ads (one of which was in these pages the other day) says a $49.99 fee will be charged for service but that a $49.99 credit will be given on your first bill, making activation free. Then comes this: "Requires Social Security number." A credit card number (also required) is understandable. But in this age of rampant identity theft, a Social Security number is something else entirely. In the wrong hands, your Social can lead to all manner of fraud, not just spending sprees by scammers using falsely obtained credit cards. Federal authorities say identity theft is the nation's fastest-growing crime, affecting millions annually. And why, for that matter, does Dish's privacy policy contain a number of consumer-unfriendly provisions, such as the need to opt out twice from having info shared with other firms? [more:] http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/01/23/BUGN0ATH9M1.DTL (c)2005 San Francisco Chronicle (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** IRAQ [and non]. MEDIA IN IRAQ - UPDATED 24 JANUARY 2005 [complete; also at http://www.w4uvh.net/mediraq.txt until updated] RECENT DEVELOPMENTS On 18 November 2004 Jalal al-Mashta resigned as head of Iraq's US- funded national network Al-Iraqiyah TV, claiming he had no control over the channel's management and that the budget was being wasted on buying costly foreign programmes while salaries were not being paid. Al-Mashta had been appointed as general director of Al-Iraqiyah in May 2004. On 10 January 2005 the cabinet-linked Directorate for Communications was reported to be planning to establish a government-run newspaper, radio station and TV station in Iraq, according to Tha'ir al-Naquib, official spokesman for the prime minister and head of the directorate, quoted by independent newspaper Al-Zaman. The US firm Harris Corporation announced on 20 January 2005 that it had received a three-month, 22m-dollar contract from the Iraqi Media Network for training, programming support, systems integration and deployment work for the IMN. The Iraqi government would pay for the entire contract. Harris added that in early January 2005 it had completed work on its previous IMN contract, awarded a year earlier. Regulation In November 2004 Iraq's media regulator warned news organizations to reflect the government's positions in their reporting on that month's US-led attack in Falluja or face unspecified action. Invoking a 60-day state of emergency declared by Iraq's US-backed interim government ahead of the assault on the city, the Higher Media Council on 11 November demanded that news media distinguish between fighters and residents of Falluja. The move was interpreted by international media watchdogs as a bid to control news coverage and curb media freedoms. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists commented: "It damages the government's credibility in establishing a free and democratic society." The International Federation of Journalists said that the Iraqi authorities continued to be intolerant of independent journalism. The IFJ added: "Journalists already struggle to report freely in dangerous conditions. But the atmosphere is made infinitely worse when occupation armies and the authorities try to muscle the media through diktat and arbitrary detention." The Iraq Media Developments Newsletter (issue 28, 15 December 2004-15 January 2005), published by the London-based Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research, included the following report on possible directions for the future regulation of the media in Iraq: "There has been a loose resolution of the issue of a Higher Media Council and its relationship to the National Communications and Media Commission and the Iraqi Media Network. The reconstituted Council will serve, and is serving, as a senior advisory group that assists in developing policy for the government, that evaluates and assesses performance, that charts new directions, and that helps to identify opportunities. How this will work out in practice depends on the strength of the NCMC and the IMN. The NCMC, with Siyamend Othman as CEO, has recruited a deputy, held training sessions for journalists in preparation for the election, and has been preparing tenders for national channels..." NEW SATELLITE TV CHANNELS IN IRAQ SINCE 1 SEPTEMBER 2004 Al-Anwar (The Lights), a Shi'i satellite channel, was observed on 15 September 2004 broadcasting test transmissions on the Nilesat 102 satellite at 7 degrees west. Al-Furat (The Euphrates), based in Baghdad, began test transmissions in June 2004. The channel transmits via the Arabsat 2D satellite at 26 degrees east. Al-Sumariyah (reference to Sumer, an ancient region of southern Mesopotamia in present-day southern Iraq) - This satellite TV channel began broadcasting from Beirut in mid-October 2004, via the Nilesat 101 satellite. Its shareholders are predominantly Iraqi. NEW TERRESTRIAL TV IN IRAQ SINCE 1 SEPTEMBER 2004 Ashur TV - This terrestrial TV station transmits on UHF channel 45. It is run by the Assyrian Democratic Movement. NEW TERRESTRIAL RADIO IN IRAQ SINCE 1 SEPTEMBER 2004 Germany funds election radio programme in Iraq - Since 20 December 2004, a German Federal Foreign Office-funded radio programme has been broadcast in Iraq to provide information on the elections scheduled for 30 January 2005. RADIO BBC Monitoring can confirm hearing the following broadcasters as of January 2005: AM stations (all frequencies in kHz) 594 People's (Al-Nas) Radio - 0400-1500 603 Republic of Iraq Radio - southern Iraq 675 Republic of Iraq Radio (parallel with 98.3 MHz) - 0500-1510 756 Information Radio 909 Radio Nahrain (IMN), Basra 999 Radio Bilad (Lands) - 0500-1300 1030 Al-Salam Radio - 0700-1700 1035 Al-Salam Radio - 0700-1700 (alternative to 1030 kHz) 1071 Radio Babil (IMN), Hilla 1116 Dar al-Salam Radio - 0500-1800 (parallel with 1152 kHz and 91.0 MHz) 1152 Dar al-Salam Radio - 0500-1800 (parallel with 1116 kHz and 91.0 MHz) 1179 Voice of Iraq - 0400-1800 1206 Voice of the People of Kurdistan, in Arabic and Kurdish 1305 Al-Mustaqbal Radio (parallel with 95.5 MHz) - 0600-1700 1395 Al-Mustaqbal Radio (frequency in southern Iraq - parallel with 95.5 MHz) 1593 Radio Free Iraq, in Arabic/VoA in English, Kurdish, Persian FM stations in Baghdad (all frequencies in MHz) 88.0 Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East, in Arabic and French (carries some RFI French newscasts) 88.6 Panorama FM 89.0 BBC World Service, in Arabic 89.5 Turkoman FM 91.0 Dar al-Salam Radio - 0500-1800 (parallel with 1116 and 1152 kHz) 91.5 Radio Rashid - 0300-2300 93.5 Radio France Internationale in French 94.8 Radio Diyala (IMN) - 0400-2100 95.5 Al-Mustaqbal Radio - 0500-1700 (parallel with 1305 kHz) 97.5 Freedom Radio - 0500-2000 97.9 BBC World Service in English 98.3 Republic of Iraq Radio - 0000-2400 (parallel with 675 kHz) 98.8 98.8 FM - 0000-2400 (owned by Channel 4 Radio Network, UAE) 99.4 Ashur Radio, in Arabic and Assyrian - 0610-1700 99.9 Sumer FM - 0000-2400 100.4 Radio Sawa 101.2 Radio Shafaq (Twilight), in Arabic and Kurdish - 1200-1700, repeated 0500- 1000 102.4 Radio Free Iraq (RFE/RL)/VoA in English and Kurdish 104.1 Hot FM in English and Arabic - 0000-2400 105.2 Radio Dijla - 0500-0115 106.0 Al-Salam Radio FM - 0000-2400 106.9 BFBS Radio 1 in English 107.7 AFN-Iraq ("Freedom Radio") in English FM stations in southern Iraq (all frequencies in MHz) 88.0 BBC World Service in English 88.8 Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East, in Arabic and French 90.0 BBC Arabic Service, Basra 91.6 Voice of the South, Basra 92.8 Al-Nakhil Radio - (the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq) 95.7 Radio Sawa 96.0 Republic of Iraq Radio 102.0 BFBS Radio One 105.0 Radio Free Iraq 106.0 BFBS Radio Two 107.0 Radio Sawa Republic of Iraq Radio is the successor to Iraqi Media Network-Radio Baghdad, which was operated by the Coalition Provisional Authority. It is currently observed on air in Baghdad round the clock on 98.3 MHz FM, and for a shorter daily period (0500-1510 gmt) on 675 kHz mediumwave. It has also been observed in southern Iraq on 603 kHz. Radio Dijla - Iraq's first independent talk radio station, Radio Dijla (Tigris Radio) identifies itself as "Radio Dijla from Baghdad, the first independent Iraqi radio". Radio Dijla broadcasts on 105.2 MHz in the FM band in Baghdad, on a slightly variable schedule of 0800-0415 local time (0500-0115 gmt). The station is also available with a live audio stream available from its web site at http://www.radiodijla.com As far as can be ascertained, Radio Dijla is not available on satellite. The commercial station, which is the first independent talk radio station in Iraq, was founded by Dr Ahmad al-Rikabi, a former London bureau chief of US-funded Radio Free Iraq. After the Coalition war against Iraq in 2003, Rikabi helped to set up Coalition-run radio and TV stations in his role as head of the Iraqi Media Network. Radio Dijla carries a mix of programming including live phone-in programmes during which callers express their opinions on issue of concern to the Iraqi people and society; interviews; programmes on social issues; and Arab and Iraqi pop songs and entertainment programmes. During phone-in programmes, the announcers say: "Our opinion does not count, but what always counts is your opinion." According to a feature article in the London newspaper The Guardian on 10 June 2004, the station broadcasts in the local Iraqi dialect and not classical Arabic, and operates from "a modest family house somewhere in a western Baghdad suburb". It receives up to 18,000 calls a day, although it can only answer a fraction of that number. "It has become Baghdad's favourite," the Guardian reported, noting: "Radio Dijla has also become required listening for the country's new authorities." German foreign ministry funds election radio programme in Iraq Since 20 December 2004, a German Federal Foreign Office-funded radio programme has been broadcast in Iraq to provide information on the elections scheduled for 30 January 2005. The concept for the radio programme was developed by Anja Wollenberg and Klaas Glenewinkel and it is being produced with the help of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Amman. The Federal Foreign Office is providing 150,000 euro in funding for the project. A total of 25 young Iraqi journalists make up the editorial team, producing features on the election process at various locations throughout the country. They are intended to give Iraqis from different political parties and ethnic groups an opportunity to be heard. These features are then sent via the internet to Berlin, where a German-Iraqi editorial team produces a 30-minute radio programme based on this audio material. The finished product is then transmitted to Iraq via satellite or the internet, where it is broadcast five days a week on Radio Dijla (in Al-Anbar, Diyala, Babil, Wasit, Salah ad-Din and Baghdad provinces), Voice of Kurdistan (in Dahuk province) and Karbala FM (in Karbala province). The programme is also broadcast via the Hotbird satellite and as audio on demand via the internet http://www.electionmonitoriraq.com Voice of Iraq was launched in Baghdad in summer 2003, and is currently on the air at 0700-2100 local time (0400-1800 gmt). The station has a web site entirely in Arabic at http://www.voiraq.com which states that the radio "covers an area with 12 million Iraqi inhabitants". The site adds, among other things: "The Voice of Iraq, which transmits from Baghdad on 1179 kHz, is the first independent radio in Iraq's history. It started transmitting on 15 July 2003 after a month of testing. The founders of the radio wanted the station to be a distinguished media organ in terms of both accuracy and objectivity, broadcasting all news reports and analysing developments in a serious, impartial, professional and unbiased manner. "The Voice of Iraq presents a wide variety of intellectual talks, field investigations, panel discussions and many programmes on various subjects. "The radio is eager to safeguard unity and amity among the Iraqi people following decades of attempts to foment sectarianism and practise murder and oppression against the majority of the Iraqi people and the rest of Iraq's citizens. "The editorial policy of the Voice of Iraq takes great care of the Iraqi people's national unity, encouraging close relations among the various ethnic groups - Arabs, Kurds and Turkomans - who must have equal rights without any form of prejudice. "The Voice of Iraq is also eager to strengthen relations with neighbouring states and peoples and promote them in a way that would eradicate the harm that the defunct regime's aggression against these states had caused." Al-Mustaqbal (The Future) Radio - The radio is operated by the Iraqi National Accord movement (INA) and transmits from Baghdad on FM 95.5 MHz and AM 1305 kHz. The radio describes itself as "the voice of the Iraqi National Accord." The INA movement has a web site in English and Arabic at http://www.wifaq.com Al-Salam TV and Radio from Baghdad - The following report headlined "This is Al-Salam television and radio from Al-Kazimiyah city" was published by the Iraqi National Accord newspaper Baghdad on 14 February 2004: "After the fall of the former regime and the end of the phase of propaganda media and obscuring the voice of others, Al-Salam Television and Radio station was established in Al-Kazimiyah City, in Baghdad, to broadcast programmes that call for love and harmony among the people of Iraq. "This station also provides people with useful media and reflects the wishes of the people from all ethnic, religious and sectarian affiliation within the framework of democracy and freedom of _expression, which they were deprived of under the former regime, without favouritism or taking the side of any sect or religion, and without circulating this or that ideology. "The television station has started its daily test transmission on Channel 5 from 1600 until 2000. "This station has an elite range of well-known media figures, including announcer Amal al-Mudarris, director Ali al-Ansari, writer Sabah Ruhaymah, and announcer Samirah Jiyad." Al-Salam (Peace) Radio is on the air daily at 1000-2000 local time (0700-1700 gmt) 1030 or 1035 kHz mediumwave. It is not known if this station has any connection with a similarly named music station on 106.0 MHz FM, Al-Salam Radio FM. Dar al-Salam Radio - Dar al-Salam Radio (Haven of Peace) broadcasts from Baghdad and identifies itself as the radio of the Iraqi Islamic Party. The station was first monitored on 24 March 2004. Initial broadcasts focused on the activities of Iraqi Islamic Party leader Mushin Abd al-Hamid and Islamic issues. In its initial broadcasts, Dar al-Salam Radio highlighted the importance of Islam in Iraqi society. The station also aired religious songs. BBC Monitoring observed a station identifying in Arabic as Dar al- Salam Radio on 91.0 MHz in the FM band at 1400 gmt on 18 September 2004. Programming on this new frequency was in parallel with the mediumwave service on 1152 kHz, first observed in March 2004. "Telephone FM" is a new radio programme produced in the German capital Berlin by young Iraqis and targeting a youth audience inside Iraq. Since 10 July the 90-minute "Telephone FM" programmes has been five afternoons a week by the Baghdad-based private station Hot FM, which is on 104.1 MHz. As well as reports and interviews conducted by telephone for the most part and then compiled in Berlin, Telephone FM will air a mix of Arabic and mainstream Western music. The project is sponsored by the German Foreign Ministry, which has provided 102,000 dollars in aid. Ashur Radio was first observed on FM in Baghdad by BBC Monitoring on 24 July 2004. Programmes in Arabic and Assyrian are broadcast at 0910- 2000 local time (0610-1700 gmt) on 99.4 MHz FM in Baghdad. Ashur was the ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire, situated on the River Tigris in northern Iraq. A clandestine radio station of this name broadcast on 9155 kHz shortwave prior to the 2003 Iraq war. Bilad Radio operates on 999 kHz mediumwave in Baghdad. Programming consists entirely of Koranic recitations and the call to prayer. The station is on the air daily at 0800-1600 hours local time (0500-1300 gmt). British Forces Broadcasting Service BFBS radio and TV stations are available as follows (all frequencies are in MHz): BFBS Radio 1 Umm Qasr 106.5 Shaybah 106.5 Basra 106.5 Al-Amarah 106.5 Baghdad 106.9 BFBS Radio 2 Umm Qasr 102.1 Shaybah 102.1 Al-Amarah 87.5 Basra 102.1 BFBS Gurkha Radio Basra 104.0 BFBS TV is available only via DTH satellite and closed cable systems. US American Forces Radio AFN-Iraq has been observed on 107.7 MHz in Baghdad with local programming, identifying on air as "Freedom Radio" and "Freedom Radio 107.7." AFN Radio on 92.3 MHz in Baghdad carries a separate non-local programme stream. AFN Radio is available on the FM band as follows (all frequencies are in MHz): Baghdad 92.3 (Voice Channel) & 107.7 (AFN-Iraq/Freedom Radio) Balad 107.3 Kirkuk 100.1 & 107.3 Mosul 105.1 Quyarrah/Q-West base 93.3 Sinjar 107.9 Tallil 100.1 (Voice Channel) & 107.3 (Bright AC) Tikrit 93.3 AFN-Iraq has a web site at http://www.afniraq.army.mil The following are among stations in operation before April 2003 that continue to be heard inside Iraq: Voice of the People of Kurdistan, operated by the PUK, currently broadcasts on 1206 kHz mediumwave and 4025 kHz shortwave. Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan, operated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), currently broadcasts on shortwave 6340 kHz and FM 91.4 MHz (Salah al-Din), 91.5 MHz (Arbil) and 93.3 MHz (Dohuk). Radio Azadi, Voice of the Communist Party of Iraqi Kurdistan Voice of the Iraqi People, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Party - The station broadcasts from northern Iraq, possibly using Kurdish facilities. Radio from Iran in Persian and Arabic, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Egypt and Israel is also heard at times. TELEVISION TV stations in Iraq (sound frequencies in MHz ) E7 189.25/194.75 Al-Iraqiyah (IMN) E9 203.25/208.75 Al-Iraqiyah (IMN) E22 479.25/484.75 Al-Iraqiyah (IMN) E30 543.25/548.75 Kurdsat, Sulaymaniyah E31 551.25/556.75 Al-Hurriyah E33 567.75/572.75 Kurdistan TV E37 599.25/604.75 Al-Iraqiyah (IMN) E41 631.25/636.75 Nahrain TV E45 663.25/668.75 Ashur TV E54 735.25/740.75 Al-Mashriq (test transmission) The Iraqi Media Network television launched on 13 May 2003. The Washington Post reported on 11 May that year that the US planned a nationwide Iraqi TV network to succeed the airborne Towards Freedom TV. The programme, initially for two hours but projected to develop into a 24-hour full-service network, included 30 minutes of news each night, including a local news segment, the report said. The station began broadcasts amid squabbling between its US and Canadian advisers, and complaints from its Iraqi journalists about "American censorship", international agencies reported. IMN TV was renamed Al-Iraqiyah TV in November 2003. The station is available on different channels in 26 major cities and towns across Iraq. For channel details, see the IMN web site at http://www.iraqimedianet.net Al-Iraqiyah TV also broadcasts on the Arabsat 2D and 3A satellites at 26 degrees east. Surveys carried out in mid-2004 indicated that Al-Iraqiyah, whose coverage area extends to between 70-80 per cent of Iraq, was the TV station with the most viewers. The leading pan-Arab channel was Al-Arabiyah, followed by Al-Jazeera. These two shared almost two-thirds of the satellite TV audience in Iraq. On 18 November 2004 Jalal al-Mashta resigned as head of Al-Iraqiyah, claiming he had no control over the channel's management and that the budget was being wasted on buying costly foreign programmes while salaries were not being paid. Al-Mashta had been appointed as general director of Al-Iraqiyah in May 2004. Al-Sharqiya satellite TV - Al-Sharqiya, launched in March 2004, is owned by Iraqi businessman Sa'd al-Bazzaz, who is also the publisher of the Arabic-language daily newspaper Al-Zaman. The channel began regular transmission on 4 May 2004. It describes itself as "the first private, national media project that does not represent any political, ethnic or sectarian group". Al-Sharqiya is a channel with an Iraqi flavour. The channel's newscasts focus on developments in Iraq and the political, economic and social conditions there. Between newscasts, the channel carries talk shows and interviews, Iraqi music and drama programmes and cartoons for children. All drama series are Iraqi in terms of production, actors and dialect. The only non-Iraqi content is the cartoons. Al-Sharqiya does not air religious programming and does not carry the calls for prayers or Friday sermons. The channel frequently broadcasts the slogan seen in its logo "Al-Sharqiya - the truth television". Al-Sharqiya broadcasts 24 hours a day via satellite and terrestrially. It has offices in Baghdad and Dubai Media City. The channel is reported by the Lyngsat satellite chart to be transmitting from the Arabsat 2D, Hot Bird 2 and Nilesat 101 satellites, all in digital format. Viewers in Iraq can receive the channel terrestrially as well as via satellite. The channel has a web site (under construction) at http://www.alsharqiyatv.com Al-Diyar TV - On 20 February 2004 Al-Diyar (The Homeland), a new satellite channel for Iraq, was observed testing on the Nilesat 101 satellite at 7 degrees west. On 20 June 2004 Al-Diyar was observed to begin official transmission. Al-Diyar is also available on Arabsat 2B (30 degrees east) and Hot Bird 4 (13 degrees east). The Lebanese newspaper Al-Safir had reported on 9 February 2004 that Al-Diyar was run by Iraqi media figure Faysal al-Yasiri in cooperation with the pan-Arab satellite pay-TV service Arab Radio and Television Network, ART, which contributed to setting up and financing the new channel. ART is owned by the Saudi billionaire entrepreneur Salih Kamil. Under Saddam Husayn's regime, Faysal al-Yasiri served in various high- level media posts, including head of Iraqi Radio and Television. According to the on-screen information card, the channel identifies itself, both in Arabic and English, as: "Al-Diyar, the Arabic channel with an Iraqi flavour." A map of Iraq is also shown in the background. In an interview published by the Iraqi National Congress (INC) weekly newspaper Al-Mu'tamar on 23 February, Faysal al-Yasiri said the new service would be "an Arab channel with an Iraqi flavour. The head office is in Baghdad, which will be the base for programme production and news editing by the technical and engineering staff, which will operate it and run the headquarters. The broadcasting will be either from Amman or Rome centres on both Nilesat and Hotbird satellites. The experimental broadcasting is expected this month and will continue for three months. During the experimental period, only Iraqi programmes will be broadcast, other Arabic programmes will be aired afterwards." Al-Anwar (The Lights), a Shi'i satellite channel, was observed on 15 September 2004 broadcasting test transmissions on the Nilesat 102 satellite at 7 degrees west. The channel was observed interviewing Iraqi and Kuwaiti citizens, both adults and children, on what they would like to see on Al-Anwar. Most of those interviewed expressed the hope that Al-Anwar television would present a wide variety of religious, educational and cultural programmes that would promote Islamic values in society. Al-Anwar was observed to carry the following two messages to describe itself: "Al-Anwar: A truth in the centre of the sky" and "Al-Anwar: Truth has only one colour." The channel has a web site at http://www.alanwar.tv Al-Furat (The Euphrates), based in Baghdad, began test transmissions in June 2004. The channel transmits via the Arabsat 2D satellite at 26 degrees east and Arabsat 2B at 30 degrees east. In an on-screen message on 4 January 2005, Al-Furat described itself as "the voice of genuineness and moderation". Al-Furat was observed to express its total support for the election platform of the Unified Iraqi Coalition, which has the backing of Iraq's most senior Shi'i cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and whose electoral list comprises other key Shi'i figures such as Al-Sayyid Abd-al-Aziz al-Hakim, Dr Ibrahim al-Ja'fari, Dr Ahmad Chalabi, Dr Ibrahim Bahr-al-Ulum, Dr Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i and others. The station has a web site (under construction) at http://www.alforattv.com Al-Sumariyah (reference to Sumer, an ancient region of southern Mesopotamia in present-day southern Iraq) - This satellite TV channel began broadcasting from Beirut in mid-October 2004, via the Nilesat 101 satellite at 7 degrees west. It is also available via PanAmSat 4 at 74 degrees east. The channel stated that although it "operates under the licence of the Iraqi government", it would start its broadcasts from the Lebanese capital "for security reasons." Its shareholders are predominantly Iraqi. Al-Sumariya describes itself as "an independent satellite television which aims at showing the world the true face of Iraq, and not only images of violence." The Lebanese Al-Safir newspaper on 27 October 2004 reported that the television focuses on presenting local Iraqi programmes. Ghanim Humayd, the general technical supervisor of the channel in Baghdad, said that the channel was oriented towards entertainment. Al-Sumariyah TV has a web site at http://www.alsumaria.tv Al-Fayhaa ("The Vast", one of the Arabic names for Basra), is an Iraqi satellite channel that began test transmissions from the UAE in July 2004. The channel uses the Nilesat 102 satellite at 7 degrees west and is reportedly licensed in Dubai Media City. It is also available on Hot Bird 2 at 13 degrees east. Muhammad al-Ta'i, chairman of the board of directors and director- general of the channel, has described Al-Fayhaa as "a purely Iraqi national channel with no links to other regimes, governments or parties", according to the Iraqi Shi'i group's Iran-based radio station Voice of the Mujahidin on 27 July. The station has a web site at http://www.alfayhaatv.net/ Nahrain TV is a Baghdad-based terrestrial TV channel which announced plans to launch in August 2004. Nahrain ("rivers"), was financed by an initial 25m-US dollar investment from Naguib Sawiris, chief executive of Orascom, an Egyptian telecommunications group. Orascom also owns Iraq's main wireless operator, Iraqna. It is operated by Video Cairo Sat, an Egyptian production company. Mohammed Gohar, the founder of Video Cairo Sat, told the International Herald Tribune in remarks published on 16 August 2004: "We have no agenda... We just want to inform and entertain and basically to help people to cope with their daily lives in what is a very shaky and chaotic situation." Nahrain's offices in Baghdad employ a staff of around 80, all of them Iraqi nationals. According to the International Herald Tribune, Nahrain's 10-hour daily programming schedule "includes ample doses of news and public affairs content... interspersed with musical variety shows, children's cartoons and recent Arabic sitcoms or dramas from Egypt or the Gulf". Arabic News Broadcast - A new pan-Arab satellite TV channel, United Kingdom-based Arabic News Broadcast (ANB), has beamed test TV programmes from 1700-2000 gmt on the Hotbird 4, Eutelsat W1 and Nilesat satellites. The channel is reported to have four regional bureaus in the Middle East and is believed to be uplinked from Beirut. ANB is a venture launched by a group of businessmen from different parts of the Arab world and has "the single goal of conquering the Iraqi market", according to the Transnational Broadcasting Studies (TBS) journal (spring-summer 2004). "Iraq is currently the new market, and our aim is to explore this new market," the article quoted Butrus al-Khuri, general manager of ANB, as saying in an interview in London on 31 March 2004. Al-Khuri added that ANB "is financed by a group of businessmen from Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and Tunisia, and will depend exclusively on advertisements for revenue. It will not be based only in London, but will have centres in all of those countries. ANB's programming will be entirely in Arabic, except for one daily news bulletin in English, as well as a weekly talk show that will host an English native speaker." A 19 April 2004 press release by On-Air Systems, a supplier of playout and automated transmission services for TV and radio stations, said that ANB was committed to broadcasting high quality, live international and regional news and general interest programming to its target audience of over 25m viewers. The news release said at the time that ANB planned to broadcast eight hours a day by 1 June 2004, and 24 hours a day later in the year. As well as its news coverage, ANB would also broadcast programmes covering business, sport, travel, music, current affairs, health and technology. Around 80 per cent of its schedule would comprise live broadcasts, the press release said. Al-Mashriq TV - The Baghdad independent daily newspaper Al-Mashriq on 19 June 2004 published on its front page an advertisement on the start of test broadcasts by Al-Mashriq Television. The advertisement said: "Al-Mashriq, the television of Iraq and Iraqis, has started terrestrial test broadcasts on UHF Channel 54." Ashur TV - This terrestrial TV station transmits on UHF channel 45. It is run by the Assyrian Democratic Movement. The channel has been observed to carry a variety of programmes that include newscasts, science programmes, songs, drama series and other programmes. Ashur TV has a web site at http://www.ashurtv.org. Kurdsat television - broadcasts in Kurdish on UHF channel 30 and via the Hotbird satellite. It is run by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Al-Hurriyah [Freedom] television - broadcasts in Arabic on UHF channel 31. It is also run by the PUK. Kurdistan Television - received in Baghdad on UHF channel 33. It is run by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Karbala - a local TV channel was launched on 16 April 2003, according to United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi TV on 6 May. Similar small-scale local channels are reported to be operating in Najaf and Kut, according to BBC News Online reporter Tarik Kafala, who visited the stations in June 2003. Ninawa TV was launched in mid-July 2003. The Baghdad newspaper Al-Ittihad reported on 14 July that an independent radio station called Ninawa Radio also operates in the city. Mosul TV was the "first station" to resume transmission in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Husayn, Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya TV reported on 10 May 2003. Kirkuk TV channel started broadcasts on 23 April 2003 "under the supervision of the coalition forces", according to a report by the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) newspaper Brayati on 25 April. PUK TV in Kirkuk - The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan launched a new TV channel in Kirkuk on 23 March 2004, the Baghdad newspaper Al-Mashriq reported. The report says that its broadcasts covers Kirkuk and surrounding areas. An official source at the station said that its goal was to enhance brotherly relations among ethnic groups in the city. He added that broadcasting will be in Arabic, Kurdish, Turkomen and Syriac to include all ethnic groups in Kirkuk. ATB TV in Kirkuk - Local TV channel ATB began test broadcasts in Kirkuk in June 2004, initially for eight hours a day. The channel is affiliated with the Kurdistan Communist Party. "ATB is the seventh television channel broadcasting to Kirkuk citizens, along with other channels affiliated with the main Kurdish, Islamic and Turkomen parties, in addition to Kirkuk Television, sponsored and supervised by the coalition forces. Moreover, Kirkuk has eight radio stations broadcasting programmes in local languages spoken by various ethnic groups in the governorate," the Baghdad newspaper Al-Ahali reported on 16 June 2004. Turkomaneli TV and radio was launched in Kirkuk in April 2003 and broadcasts on behalf of the Iraqi Turkoman Front. Turkomaneli Radio opened radio stations in Talla'far and Mosul on 6 and 8 May 2003 respectively, the Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 11 May. Dijlah (Tigris) satellite channel, with headquarters in Mosul, launched at the start of August 2004. It broadcasts in Kurdish and Arabic. IRANIAN BROADCAST MEDIA ACCESSIBLE IN IRAQ TELEVISION The Iran-based Al-Alam TV channel in Arabic and English is a 24-hour news channel transmitted on four satellites (Arabsat, Asiasat, Telstar and Hot Bird satellites) and can be received in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and America. Al-Alam broadcasts into Baghdad from a powerful transmitter about 150 km away, just over the Iran-Iraq border. It is the only foreign channel that can be viewed by Iraqis without a satellite dish. That has sent its viewership soaring among Iraqis, who cannot afford a satellite dish and receiver. The Arabic channel began broadcasting in February 2003. English content currently is limited to horizontal news subtitles or news tickers. The station has a web site at http://www.alalam.ir Sahar Universal Network 1 and 2 television, Iran's external satellite TV service on the Hot Bird 1-6 satellites, is viewable across Iraq and includes Arabic programming. It broadcasts on the 13 degrees East Hot Bird 1-6 satellite daily from 0500-2300 gmt. Its web site is located at http://www.sahar.tv Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran television in Arabic is based in Tehran and sponsored by the state-run Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It broadcasts daily to Iraq on the Intelsat 902 satellite at 62 degrees east, 10973 MHz, vertical polarization. RADIO Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran (VIRI) external service in Arabic can be heard on mediumwave and shortwave inside Iraq as well as via the Internet at http://www.irib.ir INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Major international radio and television stations, such as pan-Arab satellite television stations, the BBC Arabic and World Service radio, the Paris-based Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East, US Radio Sawa and US- sponsored Radio Free Iraq are available in Iraq. BBC World Service is now 24 hours a day on FM in Baghdad and Basra. The FM frequencies for Arabic programming are 89.0 MHz in Baghdad and 90.0 MHz in Basra. BBC World Service in English can be heard on FM in Baghdad on 97.9 MHz, and in Basra on 88.0 MHz. Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East is on FM on 88.0 MHz in Baghdad for 24 hours a day. Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East can also be heard in Basra on 88.8 MHz and in Mosul on 88.0 MHz. Programming is mostly in Arabic, however with 30-minute news bulletins in French from Radio France International three times a day. Radio France Internationale started a relay of its French-language programme on 93.5 MHz in Baghdad on 16 February. Radio Sawa is on FM in Baghdad (100.4 MHz), Arbil (100.5 MHz), Mosul (106.6 MHz), Sulaymaniyah (88.0 MHz) and Basra (107.0), as well as on 1548 kHz MW from Kuwait. Panorama FM replaced MBC FM on 88.6 MHz in the latter half of 2004, both brands being owned by the Dubai-based Middle East Broadcasting Corporation. 98.8 FM is owned by the Channel 4 Radio Network, which is also based in the United Arab Emirates. Al-Hurra TV - Since 14 February 2004 satellite viewers in Iraq and the rest of the Arab world have been able to watch a new US government- funded Arabic-language satellite TV channel, Al-Hurra (meaning "the free"). The station broadcasts free-to-air via the direct-to-home Arabsat and Nilesat satellites. It is also distributed via other satellites. In April 2004 a second channel, Al-Hurra Iraq, was added specifically for Iraqi audiences. It is available by satellite and terrestrially in Baghdad and Basra. Syrian Arab Republic Radio is the Syrian state-owned radio. The Main Programme broadcasts on shortwave on 12085 and 13610 kHz. It has also been heard in Iraq on the MW frequencies of 819, 828 and 918 kHz. Radio Kuwait is the state-owned Kuwaiti radio. It can be received in Iraq on the MW frequency of 540 kHz 24 hours. MAIN PRINT MEDIA The following is a list of the main newspapers published in Iraq. Although more than 250 newspapers and magazines appeared in Iraq since the fall of the former regime in April 2003, reportedly only about 100 are still publishing, many of them on an irregular basis. Al-Adalah - daily published by the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq Al-Ahali - independent weekly; web site - http://www.alahali-iraq.com Al-Basa'ir - weekly published by the Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq; web site - http://www.basaernews.com Al-Bayan - published by the Islamic Da'wah Party, chaired by vice- president Ibrahim al-Jafari; web site - http://www.idp-baghdad.org/bayan/ Al-Bayyinah - weekly published by the Hezbollah movement in Iraq Al-Da'wah - daily published by the Islamic Da'wah Party Al-Dustur - Independent daily published by former journalist Basim al- Shaykh Al-Furat - political daily published for the time being on a weekly basis; web site - http://www.alfourat.com Al-Iraq al-Yawm - weekly newspaper published by Isra Shakir Ishraqat Al-Sadr - Islamic weekly associated with Muqtada al-Sadr Al-Ittihad - daily published by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Al-Ittijah al-Akhar - weekly of the Iraqi Homeland Party, led by Mish'an al-Juburi; web site - http://www.alitijahalakhar.com/ Al-Mada - independent daily published by Al-Mada Institution for Media, Culture and Arts; web site - http://www.almadapaper.com Al-Manar al-Yawm - independent daily Al-Manarah - independent political daily; web site - http://www.almannarah.com Al-Mashriq - daily published by Al-Mashriq Institution for Media and Cultural Investments Al-Mu'tamar - daily published by the Iraqi National Congress Al-Nahdah - daily published by Independent Democrats Movement led by Adnan al-Pachachi; web site - http://www.al-nahdhah.com Al-Sa'ah - biweekly of the Unified National Movement, led by prominent Sunni cleric Prof Ahmad al-Kubaysi Al-Sabah - daily published by the Iraqi Media Network; web site - http://www.alsabaah.com/ Al-Sabah al-Jadid - independent political daily; web site - http://newsabah.com/ Al-Shira - independent daily Tariq al-Sha'b - political and cultural weekly of the Iraqi Communist Party; web site - http://www.tareekalshaab.com Al-Taakhi - daily published by the Kurdistan Democratic Party Al-Ufuq - political daily published by Al-Ufuq Cultural Foundation; web site - http://www.alufuqnews.com/ Al-Zaman - Baghdad edition of London-based independent daily; web site - http://www.azzaman.com Al-Zawra - weekly published by the Iraqi Journalists Association Ansar al-Mahdi - Islamic political weekly affiliated with Shi'i cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Baghdad - daily published by the Iraqi National Accord Bahra - general political weekly of the Assyrian Democratic Movement; web site - http://www.zowaa.org/BahraADM.htm 26. Dar al-Salam - weekly of the Iraqi Islamic Party; web site - http://www.dar-ussalam.net/ Sawt al-Ahali - political daily (published weekly for the time being) of the National Democratic Party Tariq al-Sha'b - published by the Iraqi Communist Party Source: BBC Monitoring research 24 Jan 05 (via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. TWO KOL ISRAEL FM TRANSMITTERS STOLEN Sorry this took so long to post; things have been busy. Yediot Ahronot Jan 5, 2005, Page 23 (Hebrew), had an article regarding two FM transmitters which were stolen from the Kol Israel transmitter site in Nebe Samuel, near Jerusalem. One was used for Reshet Alef / Moreshet (98.4 MHz 4 kW) and the other was from REQA (101.3 MHz 1 kW). The Hebrew article starts off saying that, "Kol Israel is breaking their heads to figure out how, why and particularly how, did they steal two gigantic [sic] radio transmitters?" Listeners in the impacted area have been told to listen to the MW (AM) frequencies. The article states that after listeners called in to complain, management put up a sign inside the broadcasting office saying, "To our sorrow, the transmitters have been stolen. Please explain this to our listeners." Reshet Aleph's homepage (Hebrew), http://aleph.iba.org.il/ also mentions the lack of 98.4.... and explains that it's due to "reasons not dependent upon us." The Kol Israel REQA (New Immigrant's) network broadcasts in foreign (non-Hebrew) languages. This includes the Kol Israel English radio news, which is relayed on shortwave and the Internet. The article is not on the Internet. It's not even on Yediot's pay website - but can be obtained directly from Yediot's offices. I have searched the other Israeli newspaper websites and couldn't find anything (Doni Rosenzweig, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Frequency changes for Kol Israel: 1500-1625 Sun-Thu & 1500-1600 Fri/Sat Persian NF 7420, NF 15760, ex 11605, 17535 1600-1625 Fri Russian, 1600-1625 Sat Ladino NF 7420, NF 15760, ex 11605, 17535 1630-1645 Daily Music program, 1645-1655 Daily Spanish, 1700-1725 Daily Yiddish, 1725-1745 Daily Romanian, 1745-1755 Daily Hungarian NF 15760, ex 17535 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** JAMAICA. PUBLIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION OF JAMAICA ABOUT TO LAUNCH Jamaican Minister of Information, Burchell Whiteman, and the Minister of Transport and Works, Robert Pickersgill, have told journalists that the Government is about ready to launch its long-awaited Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ), using the frequencies of Kool FM 97, and has opted to sell air time to Nationwide News Network (NNN) for six months. After six months, approximately 70 per cent of the station's broadcast time will be retained for public broadcasts, and the other 30 per cent (approximately 50 hours) will be sold to commercial broadcasters. The government will finance the station for the first two years, after which it is expected to come into profit. # posted by Andy @ 15:13 UT Jan 25 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** JAPAN. HEAD OF JAPANESE STATE BROADCASTER NHK RESIGNS OVER FEES ISSUE | Excerpt from report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Tokyo, 25 January: Katsuji Ebisawa, chief executive officer of public broadcaster NHK and two other executives resigned Tuesday [25 January] in the face of the growing number of people refusing to pay mandatory viewer subscription fees for NHK following embezzlement scandals involving its staff. Following Ebisawa's resignation, NHK's management committee appointed Genichi Hashimoto, NHK managing director and chief engineer, as new president of the broadcaster, officially known as Japan Broadcasting Corp. It is the sixth consecutive time that an NHK president has been chosen from NHK officials. "I was able to lay the groundwork for NHK's reforms towards its revitalization," Ebisawa said in explaining his departure at a news conference held after submitting his resignation to the day's meeting of the NHK management committee. Executive Vice-President Tetsuo Kasai and General Managing Director Akiyoshi Sekine, both known as aides to Ebisawa, also resigned. The head of the management committee, Kunio Ishihara, told reporters after its meeting that it accepted Ebisawa's resignation because it was necessary for NHK to change its top management to help it survive "the emergency situation". Ebisawa, who became president in 1997, resigned before completing his third term which was to last through July 2006. His departure came as NHK faces financial difficulties in compiling its budget largely due to a refusal by viewers to pay subscription fees in the wake of a series of embezzlement scandals that surfaced in July last year. The last time an NHK president resigned over a scandal before completing a term of office was in 1991, when Keiji Shima stepped down after making false statements to the Diet. NHK officials said its draft budget for fiscal 2005 is smaller than the budget for the current fiscal year, making it the first time ever the broadcaster will see its budget shrink from the previous year. Revenue from subscription fees is projected to drop by 7.2bn yen from the current fiscal year. More than 113,000 households had refused to pay subscription fees required for those owning televisions as of the end of November, and the number is expected to grow to 450,000 to 500,000 by the end of March, the officials said. Viewer fees from around 38.24 million subscribers account for 97 per cent of the aggregate revenue of NHK, which is prohibited from receiving revenue through advertisements. Earlier in the day, Ebisawa presented the draft budget for fiscal 2005 to Taro Aso, minister of internal affairs and communications, as NHK's budget needs government approval for execution. The budget was approved later in the day by the management committee. Under the Broadcast Law, every household in Japan with a television set capable of receiving NHK broadcasts must pay the subscription fee, but the fact that the law has no provisions for penalties against those who ignore it means NHK is losing enormous amounts of potential revenue. The public broadcaster plans to establish an ombudsman committee to strengthen supervision of management. [passage omitted] Source: Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 1359 gmt 25 Jan 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. NORTH KOREA/USA: PAPER ATTACKS INCREASED BROADCASTS BY RADIO FREE ASIA | Text of report in English by North Korean news agency KCNA Pyongyang, 23 January: All the countries aspiring after independence should counter with high vigilance the US moves to split and disintegrate them from within, clearly seeing their reactionary and dangerous nature, warns Nodong Sinmun Sunday [23 January] in a signed article. It goes on: Those countries which are chosen as targets of these schemes of the US are, without exception, socialist countries, independent countries opposed to imperialism, countries disobedient to it and situated at strategic vantages. What draws attention in its split and disintegration moves is that it is intensifying slanderous false propaganda against the political systems, policies and leadership of those countries and pressure upon them in an effort to discredit their leadership. Also noteworthy is it that the US is increasing support to the anti- government forces in relevant countries and building up their strength, thereby fostering the fight for power between different political forces and creating internal split and political instability in a bid to find pretexts for interference in internal affairs and pressure and blackmail. The US is seeking to sap the morale of the people, whip up dissatisfaction among them and disturb public sentiments in the countries which have become the targets of its aggression and interference by distorting their realities in order to bring their internal political situation to a complicate phase. Special mention should be made of the fact that the US is foolishly attempting to disintegrate and degenerate the interior of the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] so as to destroy its single- minded unity and realize the "collapse of its system" by increasing the broadcasting hour of "Free Asia" towards it and massively infiltrating into it portable transistor radios and impure publications and video materials. Such stratagem can never work with the DPRK, even though it may go with other countries. If vigilance is dulled against such US moves, they may bring no less serious consequences than open military aggression. Source: KCNA news agency, Pyongyang, in English 0540 gmt 23 Jan 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** LATVIA. CRYSTAL CLEAR RECEPTION OVER EUROPE ON 9290 KHZ If you are a programme producer and would like to be heard all over Europe on short wave with a solid signal look no more. 1/ Operated by KREBS-TV in Ulbroka Latvia, It is a Good way to be heard. 2/ The cost is low – 30 English pounds for 1 hour 3/ The frequency is 9290 khz 4/ The power is 100 KW 5/ The transmitter site-Ulbroka near Riga in Latvia 6/ Beamed to Europe For more information visit this website http://www.listen.to/emr/ulbroka.htm If you are interested in this relay service please E-mail – info9290@blueyonder.co.uk and we will Pass your message on to KREBS-TV in Ulbroka. GOOD TRANSMITTING (Tom Taylor, EMR, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [commercial] ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Frequency change for DRM transmission of RNW in English and Spanish: 2100-2257 NF 12000 BON 010 kW / 320 deg, ex 15530 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) Had been noticing 12000 buzz (gh) ** NEW ZEALAND. New Zealand AM Update --- Hi everyone, With so many changes taking place or planned in the next few months, we've put together a summary which we hope is useful: 531 Alexandra More FM ex Radio Central on air 549 Gisborne NZ's Rhema moved to 648 and this licence sold to Canwest Radioworks 648 Gisborne NZ's Rhema now here since October 2004 702 Auckland Radio Pacific here until April, then joins new Radio Live 24/7 news network 738 Christchurch Radio Pacific here until April, then joins new Radio Live 24/7 news network 756 Palmerston Radio Puketapu now here ex 954, 400w 810 Auckland Decision on new community access station here delayed 828 Palmerston Nth The Breeze ex Magic 828 on air 954 Dunedin Coast now here, new xmitter location at Centre Road, increase power max to 3.162 kW 990 Nelson More FM ex Radio Fifeshire on air 1170 Invercargill Watch for potential launch of Coast here shortly to compete with 1224 More FM 1206 Dunedin More FM ex Radio Otago on air 1224 Invercargill More FM ex Foveaux Radio on air 1242 Timaru Freq sold to Canwest Radioworks 1260 Christchurch The Breeze ex Lite FM on air 1359 Queenstown More FM ex Resort Radio on air 1476 Auckland Freq sold to Canwest Radioworks, BBC Worldwide stays until April, then new station here, xmitter location now Henderson ex Mangere 1485 Gisborne Freq sold to NZ Racing Board, power increase to 3.162 kW max, due on air in April as part of new TAB Racing Network. 1548 Rotorua More FM ex Lakes 96FM on air 1593 Christchurch Coast ex Easy Listening is on air In view of the rapid changes, we also list the currently silent allocations which may come on air at any time. More information on these licences is available shortly at http://www.radioheritage.net 540 Christchurch Rhema 585 Blenheim Rhema 612 New Plymouth Rhema Te Anau Rhema 648 Greymouth Rhema 657 Tauranga National Radio 666 no current assignment in NZ 684 no current assignment in NZ 747 Greymouth TRN 855 Christchurch TRN 864 Kapiti Coast Canwest 873 Tauranga Canwest 900 Whangarei TRN 918 Greymouth National Radio 1107 Waihi local ownership 1179 Wanaka Canwest 1251 Taupo TRN 1251 Queenstown Rhema 1269 Tauranga 1XX 1314 Invercargill National Radio 1323 No assignment in NZ 1359 New Plymouth TRN 1368 Napier-Hastings local ownership 1368 Greymouth Rhema 1377 Dunedin Rhema 1422 No assignment in NZ 1467 No assignment in NZ 1485 Twizel TRN 1494 Hamilton National Radio 1494 Taupo National Radio 1521 Reefton TRN 1548 Palmerston Nth local ownership 1566 No assignment in NZ 1575 Hamilton TRN If you have airchecks, car stickers, QSL's or other memorabilia of any of the 'old' stations and wish to share (copies) of them with others through our on-line archive, please contact us at info @ radioheritage.net or write, PO Box 14339, Wellington, NZ. Warm regards (David Ricquish, Radio Heritage Foundation, Jan 25, HCDX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Additional frequency for Voice of Russia Russian WS via MSK 250 kW / 190 deg: 1300-1500 on 7360 \\ 5995, 7260, 7365, 9495, 9770, 15460 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** SAINT LUCIA. Trans-equatorial FM DX from this and other Caribbean isles to Brazil: see PROPAGATION below ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Watch out for Brother Scare --- now he`s all over the place eating up otherwise useful frequencies during the 0100 UT hour, in new T-systems relays via Germany; azimuths 295 thru 320 degrees are toward North America, where we can`t get enough of him, as Kai Ludwig pointed out in 5-013; 6110 1359 1559 27,28 ND 926 1234567 091204 270305 WER 500 TOM 13810 1400 1559 28,29,39,40 115 217 1234567 041104 270305 JUL 100 TOM 5905 2201 2259 6-10 295 216 1234567 140105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 5960 2201 2259 6-10 295 216 1234567 140105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 6015 2201 2259 6-10 300 216 1234567 140105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 5900 0101 0159 6-10 305 217 1234567 210105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 9590 0101 0159 6-10 295 217 1234567 210105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 9640 0101 0159 6-10 320 216 1234567 210105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 5960 0101 0159 6-10 295 216 1234567 210105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 6130 0101 0159 6-10 295 216 1234567 210105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 6155 0101 0159 6-10 320 216 1234567 210105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 9435 0101 0159 39,40 110 216 1234567 210105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 9485 0101 0159 40,42 80 217 1234567 210105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * 9785 0101 0159 41 90 218 1234567 210105 270305 JUL 100 TOM * (T-Systems via Swopan Chakroborty, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Additional transmissions for Brother Stair via Deutsche Telekom T- Systems, GERMANY 2200-2300 on 5905 JUL 100 kW / 295 deg to NoAmEa 2200-2300 on 5960 JUL 100 kW / 295 deg to NoAmEa 2200-2300 on 6015 JUL 100 kW / 300 deg to NoAmEa 0100-0200 on 5900 JUL 100 kW / 305 deg to NoAmEa 0100-0200 on 5960 JUL 100 kW / 295 deg to NoAmEa 0100-0200 on 6130 JUL 100 kW / 295 deg to NoAmEa 0100-0200 on 6155 JUL 100 kW / 320 deg to NoAmWe 0100-0200 on 9435 JUL 100 kW / 110 deg to ME 0100-0200 on 9485 JUL 100 kW / 080 deg to SoEaAs 0100-0200 on 9590 JUL 100 kW / 295 deg to NoAmEa 0100-0200 on 9640 JUL 100 kW / 320 deg to NoAmWe 0100-0200 on 9785 JUL 100 kW / 090 deg to SoAs (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** SPAIN. Estimado Sr. Glenn Hauser, saludos cordiales: Según el diario digital "La Flecha" http://www.laflecha.net/canales/comunicacion/noticias/200501242 mañana día 26 de enero, Radio Nacional de España comienza a transmitir digitalmente en OM (DRM): (extracto de dicho diario) "RADIO DIGITAL --- Radio Nacional inicia mañana la emisión digital en onda media. . . Habrá que estar atentos a las informaciones y qué frecuencias van a utilizar. 73's y buenos DX (Ángel José Nicolás Esteve, EA5-0957 (Redactor Sección OL-OM de EL DIAL) Asociación Española de Radioescucha, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi all! It is official: from today RNE is using DRM on its MW outlet in 1359 KHz with 10 kW. This is the official press release in Spanish: ------- RNE PONE EN MARCHA EL 25 DE ENERO LA RADIO DIGITAL EN ONDA MEDIA Esta iniciativa convierte a la emisora en pionera de este sistema. Con este motivo, la cadena organiza una jornada dedicada a este tema en la que participa el Director de RNE, Pedro Piqueras El comienzo de las emisiones de radio digital en onda media en nuestro país supone un hito que da paso a la renovación tecnológica de la radio en esta banda de frecuencias Con esta iniciativa, la emisora se convierte en pionera de este sistema y se adelanta al 1 de enero de 2007, fecha límite que marca la disposición adicional cuadragésimo primera de la Ley de Acompañamiento 62/2003 que obliga a RNE a iniciar las emisiones digitales en onda media. Las emisiones digitales y analógicas compartirán a partir de ahora la banda de onda media, hasta que éstas últimas migren definitivamente a la tecnología digital, dejen de ocupar el espectro y den cabida a un mayor número de programas de calidad en onda media, similares a la FM, con servicios multimedia adicionales y la posibilidad de sintonización automática. La radio, que en el futuro será digital y no sólo en la producción que ya lo es, llegará en una o dos décadas a sustituir a las redes de difusión analógicas. El sistema DRM que se utiliza para la radio digital en Onda Media es un estándar europeo que, además, ha sido adoptado mundialmente para la radiodifusión digital en onda corta, lo que contribuirá a su desarrollo. Las emisiones de radio digital en Onda Media de RNE se difunden desde el centro emisor de Arganda, con un transmisor de 10 kW en la frecuencia 1.359. Jornada de Radio Digital en Onda Media El carácter innovador de la tecnología digital en Onda Media ha hecho necesaria la realización de una serie de pruebas y la puesta en funcionamiento de un sistema experimental de radiodifusión sonora digital DRM en OM, que permiten conocer mejor las posibilidades de este sistema. Por ello, en enero de 2004 se firmó el convenio de colaboración entre RNE, la Universidad del País Vasco y la empresa VIMESA, para la realización de dichas pruebas que se presentan en la jornada dedicada a la radiodifusión sonora digital DRM en Onda Media en la que se dan a conocer los resultados y conclusiones. Estos resultados y conclusiones permiten a RNE, como sociedad prestadora del servicio de radiodifusión sonora digital, adoptar nuevas iniciativas, realizar ejercicios de planificación radioeléctrica y abordar programas de promoción que favorezcan el desarrollo de este nuevo servicio en el país. Inicio de la radio analógica La radiodifusión analógica en onda media comenzó en España en la segunda década del siglo pasado, en el caso de RNE en 1937 y, a lo largo de este tiempo, ha desarrollado su cobertura hasta alcanzar la actual: una cobertura diurna de, prácticamente, el 100% de la población y del territorio del Estado español con la red de emisoras de Radio 1, y del 75% en Radio 5, con 63 centros emisores. En 1957 RNE inició las emisiones en FM, lo cual vino a mejorar la calidad de las emisiones analógicas incluyendo el sonido estereofónico, sin embargo su cobertura, sobre todo en el ámbito rural, no ha conseguido todavía superar a la onda media, a pesar de contar RNE con 209 centros. Para poder llegar a coberturas equivalentes sería necesario multiplicar el número de centros y realizar un gran esfuerzo económico en inversiones y gastos de explotación. La radio analógica en onda media utiliza una banda de frecuencias en la que las características de propagación de las mismas permiten coberturas muy extensas, que al ampliarse durante la noche se convierten en interferentes, reduciéndose paradójicamente la cobertura final. Se trata de una tecnología con más de un siglo de antigüedad que ofrece una calidad no muy adecuada para la difusión de música. La menor calidad de las emisiones y una mayor oferta de programas en la banda de FM han provocado que la audiencia en la banda de onda media haya ido disminuyendo paulatinamente. Por lo que es preciso que esta audiencia, compuesta fundamentalmente por oyentes de programas generalistas, no siga decreciendo y por ello es necesario mejorar la calidad de la recepción de la Onda Media introduciendo en ella un nuevo sistema de transmisión digital. (PSH) Saludos (via Mauricio Molano, Salamanca, Spain, Jan 25, Noticias DX via DXLD) SPAIN'S RNE BEGINS REGULAR DRM BROADCASTS ON MEDIUMWAVE Radio Nacional de España (RNE) today begins regular digital radio transmissions on mediumwave, with which it becomes a pioneer of the DRM system. RNE explained that from now on digital and analogue transmissions will share the same frequency, "until we migrate definitively to digital technology, giving the capacity for a greater number of quality programmes on mediumwave, similar to FM, with additional multimedia services and the possibility of automatic tuning." According to RNE the innovative character of digital technology on mediumwave has made it necessary to conduct a series of tests and the putting into operation of an experimental DRM system on mediumwave permitting the possibilities of the system to be explored. For that reason, a year ago a collaboration agreement was signed a year ago between RNE, the University of the Basque Country and the company VIMESA, for the accomplishment of these tests. The DRM transmissions are coming from the Arganda transmitting centre, with 10 kW power on 1359 kHz. This morning a special half-day conference was held at the RTVE headquarters in Madrid to mark the launch. posted by Andy @ 09:18 UT Jan 25 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. Radio Taiwan International will close the following language services from Jan. 31: Arabic 1600-1700 on 11890; 1800-1900 on 11890 Burmese 1130-1230 on 11680; 1500-1600 on 9465 Korean 0300-0330 on 15465; 1200-1230 on 9415; 1400-1430 on 9415 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) RADIO TAIWAN INTERNATIONAL TO STOP 5 FOREIGN LANGUAGE BROADCASTS Radio Taiwan International announced today that it will stop five foreign language broadcasts as part of its efforts to streamline the company. The five foreign languages - Korean, Burmese, Arabic, Mongolian and Tibetan - will stop broadcasting starting Feb. 1. Chairman Lin Feng-cheng said that the company currently has a workforce of 488 people broadcasting in 18 languages daily to the world and is the only international broadcasting station in Taiwan. (Source: Central News Agency) # posted by Andy @ 13:54 UT Jan 25 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** U A E. UAE Radio Dubai in Arabic via DBA 500 kW / 295 deg to ME: 0900-1200 NF 15385* ex 15370 \\ 12005, 13675, 15395 1200-1500 NF 15385# ex 13630 \\ 12005, 13675, 15395 1500-1600 NF 15385@ ex 13630 \\ 12005, 13675, 15395 *co-channel 1130-1200 Mon/Tue/Thu R. Mustaqbal in Somali via DHA 250 kW / 225 deg plus 1200-1230 Sat only Radio Que Me in Vietnamese via TAC 100 kW / 131 deg #co-ch 1300-1500 Daily AWR in Chinese via DHA 250 kW / 060 deg @co-ch 1500-1600 Daily RFA in Tibetan via DHA 250 kW / 075 deg+REE Spanish (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** U S A. BUSH'S SECOND TERM: BIG PLANS FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY. But his Secretary of State designate Condoleezza Rice acknowledges the "line" between the State Department and U.S. international broadcasting. Kim's analysis, 22 Jan: http://kimandrewelliott.com/bush_second.html President Bush's inaugural speech on 20 January mentioned freedom 27 times. "The best hope for peace in the world is the expansion of freedom in all the world." He did not specifically use the words "public diplomacy" or "international broadcasting." But the role for international communication was implicit: "This is not primarily the task of arms. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way." (via gh, DXLD) More hotlinks at http://www.kimandewelliott.com --- [see also CHINA] ALHURRA POSITIONING ITSELF AS OFFICIAL STATION OF THE IRAQI ELECTION. Broadcasts debate of candidates from six parties. Alhurra press release, 21 January 2005. Alhurra continues to receive press attention from all perspectives: Arab News, 20 January 2005, The Sunday Times, 16 January 2005, Human Events, 11 January 2005 (via gh, DXLD) Michael Enright on CBC`s Sunday Edition referred to Bush`s second term, as ``Bush`s Second Coming`` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Frequency changes for IBB: 0700-0900 VOA English NF 9700, ex 9695 \\ 5995, 11655 1630-1700 VOA Georgian NF 11975, ex 11925 \\ 12140, 13645 2000-2100 RL Tatar NF 5860, ex 7195 \\ 7295 2200-2300 RL Russian NF 7595, ex 9865 \\ 5955, 6105, 7175, 7220, 9520 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. RUSSIA(non): Frequency change for WYFR in French via ARM 250 kW / 290 deg: 1900-2000 NF 7520 (55555), ex 7240 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 25 via DXLD) ** U S A. Re 11714.99 KJES: Spanish is at 1600-1700 Sun-Thur. 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. ``I Found Jesus``, new show on WBCQ, has begun; unfortunately, I almost forgot to check for it, but caught the last few minutes on the WBCQ 7415 webcast, running a bit past 0100 UT Tue Jan 25. Yes, appears to be a parody of gospel huxters. Now entered on my MONITORING REMINDERS CALENDAR, to remind us by next week, after next upload not yet accomplished (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) For the past few months I`ve had a terrible time getting Ye Olde Free Speech Radio, on any of their frequencies. From what I understand, their antennas are all aimed straight at me, but I guess I must be somewhere between Monticello and the first footprint. Oh well, thank God for Nashville. Most of the things I like on BCQ are also on WWCR (Pete Bentley, East Aurora NY, Jan 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Haven`t been able to confirm WOR on 9330 at 0400 or 7415 at 0530 for a few weeks now (gh, OK, ibid.) ** U S A. On WOR for Wed 08 Dec, or maybe it was an Extra from COM, you mentioned a possible pirate in Buffalo on 1700 kHz. It was logged by a Frank Camillo of Alden, 20 miles east of the city, and I thought the call letters you gave were WSSR. I listened several times during the next few days, but never heard anything. Then on 15 Jan 05 I did hear it. The call letters are WSRR, and here, about 15 miles SE of the city, it`s very weak; even weaker than the interstate travel advisory station in Buffalo on 1610. It`s all hiphop and rap, with lots of public service messages, some in Spanish. They ID as WSRR, Buffalo`s newest hiphop and R&B station. I talked with a guy at the FCC. He said they`re not in the FCC files, but using Google and the call letters WSRR, he got several hits, and one of them was the right one. He said it was a fairly nice-looking website, and there the station calls itself ``Hiphop and R&B, internet radio for teenagers by teenagers``. It even gave contact info, but apparently no mention of an on-air frequency (Pete Bentley, East Aurora NY, 19 Jan, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Boston Area LP AM X-band stations Hi Glenn, I saw Saul Chernos' comments in DXLD 5-014 about the low power AM (medium wave) stations in the X-band around Boston. I've been tracking these since 1999. Here's what I have. All are French/Haitian Creole except where noted. 1620 Radio Energy 1630 Was Allston-Brighton Free Radio, ex-1670, but not heard recently (in EE). 1640 Radio Nouveauté (WRNM, for Radio Nouveauté Massachusetts). This was the first Haitian Creole pirate I heard, around 1999. 1650 Logan Airport TIS in English. 1670 Radio Diffusion International (WRDI) 1680 Radio Union International (WRUI) 1690 Radio Creole International (WRCI) 1700 Radio Belle Ayiti (Beautiful Haiti) 1710 UNID - I'm still trying to ID this one. It popped up in the past month or two. [Later:] Hi Glenn, I just saw Bruce Conti's post in DXLD-5013. A lot of his info overlaps my first email. Note that Natick, MA has an emergency broadcast station running continuously on 1630 kHz. It is called the "Natick Emergency Broadcast Network", "WQAM-781" (ex-WPVT- 270), partially funded by the "Department of Homeland Security". I first found this station at the end of May, 2004. It's still running today (Paul McDonough, Natick, MA, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KCA 715 National Park services -- I don't remember who got them the other night in Providence RI, tonight they are loud and clear here near Worcester MA again on 1140 Khz. ``You are listening to KCA 715 from the National Park Service operating on 1140 khz AM.`` This is repeated over and over. 2322 GMT (Bob Young, Millbury, MA, Hammerlund HQ-180/ LW and unfinished loop, Jan 24, NRC-AM via DXLD) T'was me. So, these new 1140 stations have solid coverage from Worcester to Providence. Seems to be part of the Blackstone River Corridor park complex. I didn't know the Federales put fairly high powered stuff on the air. Wonder what kind of power they run? I heard KCA717 and you have KCA715. Probably a KCA716 in there somewhere, and maybe more. Wonder if they'll go with IBOC? In fact, what happens to all the TIS/HAR type stations if IBOC really takes off? Will Uncle Sam be obliged to pay iBiquity? And I wonder just how this will impact Alex Langer's 1140 application for Greenville, RI. That's just down the road from the park. The AM band around here is beginning to resemble a blivet (Craig Healy, Providence, RI, ibid.) ** U S A. Applications from Existing Facilities: 620, WDAE, FL, St. Petersburg --- Applies to increase day and night power levels to become U2 5600/5500. WDAE is operating under a Special Temporary Authority (STA) allowing them to use 10 kW day and night in order to overcome interference from Cuba. Here`s what they are proposing: since their two 489-foot towers are over 50 years old and in decaying condition, WDAE wants to replace both towers with shorter (360-foot) structures to better stand up to wind load factors. The new towers would replace the old pair in the same location. The powers stated above, using the new towers` height, would replicate the current antenna efficiency and cover the same area. WDAE would still use the STA power of 10 kW, but from these two shorter towers. BTW, the WDAE tower set-up was the very first directional antenna system in the US, as the station was ordered to protect WTMJ at night (Bill Hale, AM Switch, NRC DX News Jan 24 via DXLD) ** U S A. KRLD to leave ballpark --- Radio station will move back to Dallas this summer --- By STEVE QUINN / The Dallas Morning News KRLD-AM (1080), the news- and talk-radio station that broadcasts Texas Rangers games, will move its offices from Ameriquest Field in Arlington to the Fitzhugh Central building in Dallas this summer. The station's parent company, Infinity Broadcasting Corp. of New York, said it wants to put all of its six Dallas-area radio stations in one location. "I hate to leave this beautiful facility, but it makes sense for all of the stations to be in one location," said KRLD's vice president and general manager, Jerry Bobo. Mr. Bobo will trade a view of home plate from offices above left center field for one that overlooks the city's Uptown area at the southwest corner of Fitzhugh Avenue and North Central Expressway. The move won't affect the station's play-by-play plans for this season, the last of a three-year contract with the Rangers, Mr. Bobo said. Rangers personnel in charge of stadium leasing were not available for comment on Monday, but team president Jeff Cogen said he's interested in having KRLD in the broadcast booth beyond the 2005 season. KRLD moved to The Ballpark in Arlington in the summer of 1994 when the Rangers christened the new stadium. A year later, it began broadcasting Rangers games. The move is part of a 10-year lease extension that Infinity signed with the building's owners, Gaedeke Group. Its stations will occupy three of the building's 12 floors. KRLD joins three sister stations at Fitzhugh Central: KLUV-FM (98.7), KOAI-FM (107.5) and KVIL-FM (103.7). Infinity also owns KJKK-FM (100.3) and KLLI-FM (105.3). (via Bill Smith, W5USM, IA, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. 5000 kHz, YVTO, Observatorio Naval Cajigal, 23-01-2005, 0240 UT, sigue con señal fuerte y asi mismo continúa con fuerte ruido de fondo. 5000 kHz, YVTO Observatorio Naval Cajigal, 24-01-2005, 2250 UT, señal horaria de Venezuela que continúa con un fuerte ruido de fondo 6730 kHz, Protección Civil Venezuela, 24-01-2005, 1402 UT, se hacían llamados a diferentes puestos de control y a medicaturas. USB 6810 kHz, Comunicaciones aéreas y ¿militares de Venezuela?, 25-01- 2005, 1555 UT; pude escuchar al control de la Armada llamando muchas veces a Guasdualito. Lo cierto del caso es que durante todo el tiempo que estuve escuchando la transmisión, el puesto de Guasdualito no respondió nunca. Transmisión en modo USB (José Elías Díaz Gómez, Barcelona, Edo Anzoátegui, Venezuela, Receptor Yaesu FT-890, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. 760.00, La Macro Estación de Puerto La Cruz. 01/2005. New name for "Radio Puerto La Cruz". Recording made by José Elías Díaz Gómez (http://www.malm-ecuador.com via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ JKDI! [Just Keep Doin` It] (Pete Bentley, NY, Jan 19 with another donation) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ NEW RADIO FROM SHARPER IMAGE To the receiver-reviewing staff at Passport: Hi! Another different radio just came to light, this one in the Sharper Image "New Year 2005" catalog I just came across. Not a tiny little one this time; I am wondering if this might actually have a chance to be really usable and perhaps decent. It is on page 66 at the bottom, and is the "CT- 800" "Five-Band Global Tuner" at $89.95. Appears to be a fairly straightforward digital-keypad radio, with the controls and display centered amid a full-front speaker grille, and what appears to be a speaker on each side of that center panel. Dimensions are 11 3/4" X 3" X 7", weight 3.8 lb. One thing that impresses me as to the possibility of it being decent is that it uses 4 D cells and has a "detachable AC power cord", which might mean an internal transformer instead of yet another wall-wart power supply. Text says it tunes AM/FM, "shortwave stations from around the world, TV audio and weather bands." "Full-range high-fidelity stereo sound" from dual speakers and a 45-station memory. Clock-radio functions. No visible antenna in the illustration. No specs as to frequency coverage. If this thing is an at all reasonably decent performer on SW, it might be a good starter set or something to give as a present to try to convert the recipient to SW listening. Hope you can get a chance to check it out. I'd sure like to read what you think of it. The cosmetics don't match any Chinese set I've seen pictured anywhere, and it does have the Sharper Image logo on the front, so I presume that it is custom-made for them. Maybe they got a good one for a change? Regards, Will Martin (Saint Louis, MO, to PWBR, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ever the optimist PROPAGATION +++++++++++ ESCUTAS REALIZADAS EM GAROPABA DURANTE ENCONTRO CATARINENSE DE DEXISMO ESCUTAS DE CLEDERSON JEAN FISCHER: 88.9, 15/01 0009 GDL RFO-Radio Guadeloupe, Pointe-à-Pitre, OM ID em FF 34343 88.9, 16/01 0116 GDL RFO-Radio Guadeloupe, Pointe-à-Pitre, OM ID em FF ``Radio Guadeloupe`` 34222 89.3, 15/01 0040 MRT Radio Sud Est, YL em FF 34232 89.3, 15/01 2341 B Nossa Radio FM, Rio de Janeiro, anúncio px ``Sintonia do Amor`` 55454 91.1, 15/01 0120 ATG Observer Radio, St Johns, OM em EE 35333 92.9, 16/01 0100 BRB Voice of Barbados, Bridgetown, mx variada, OM em EE 23222 94.7, 15/01 0011 ? UNID, ID CBC ?, mx caribenha 33433 95.5, 16/01 0146 MSR Radio Montserrat, OM em EE, mx 34333 97.3, 15/01 0034 LCA Radio St Lucia, Castries, mx caribenha 35333 98.1, 16/01 0143 BRB Liberty FM, Bridgetown, mx reggae 35232 104.6, 15/01 0050 MRT RCI, Martinique, FF, mx variada 34344 105.7, 16/01 0210 ? UNID, caribe, mx 35232 Receptor: SONY ICF-SW7600GR, Antena: telescópica ESCUTAS DE ROMILDO KORMANN: 88.9, 15/01 0009 RFO Guadalupe, Francês, ID em voz masculina, 33443 89.3, 15/01 0042 Radio Sud Est, Martinica, Francês, mulher gritando, 22332 90.1, 15/01 0014 WIVH, Ilhas Virgens, Inglês, Comentários religiosos, 33333 97.3, 15/01 0031 Radio Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia, Creole, comentários em voz masculina, 43333 97.9, 15/01 0018 WGOD, Ilhas Virgens, Inglês, comentários em voz masculina, 22222 104.6, 15/01 0053 RCI Martinique, Martinica, Francês, Músicas, 33443 105.7, 15/01 0023 WCAD, Porto Rico, Músicas, 22322 AS FM’S DO CARIBE ESTÃO DE VOLTA Olá amigos! Essa madrugada ocorreu algo que me deixou muito feliz. Depois de alguns poucos meses voltei a ouvir por aqui uma FM do Caribe. A emissora ouvida foi a Rádio Santa Lúcia, Ilha de Santa Lúcia, 97.3 MHz. Ela foi ouvida num horário nada habitual, ou seja, depois das 0300 UT. Quando comecei a ouvir FM’s do Caribe por aqui no final do mês de outubro a começo do mês de novembro de 2004, essas emissoras eram ouvidas das 2300 até pouco depois das 0200 UT. Uma emissora que sempre chegava com sinal muito bom, era justamente a Rádio Santa Lúcia em 97.3 MHz. É essa a freqüência que tomava como base. Sintonizava o meu Sony ICF SW 7600GR nessa freqüência e procurava pelo sinal dessa emissora do Caribe. Primeiramente o que ouvia eram duas FM’s aqui do Paraná, a Panema FM, Andirá (cidade vizinha a Bandeirantes) 97.5 MHz (por ser vizinha ela causa interferências alguns poucos megahertz acima e abaixo dos 97.5 MHz) e a Maringá FM (há uns 200 Km daqui), Maringá, 97.1 MHz. Quando o sinal das duas começavam a não mais causar interferências na freqüência de 97.3 MHz, isso por ter havido uma mudança na camada ionosférica, abria espaço para aparecer a Rádio Santa Lúcia e quando ela aparecia, era sinal de que outras FM’s do Caribe poderiam ser ouvidas. Nessa madrugada foi assim. Sintonizei o meu 7600GR na freqüência de 97.3 MHz. Havia aparentemente só a Panema FM interferindo nessa freqüência, mas eis que percebi que havia uma emissora por debaixo. Quando ouvi um locutor falando em inglês, quase não acreditei. A alegria foi imensa. Corri, peguei o meu gravador digital Panasonic RR-QR160 e comecei a gravar trechos do áudio da Rádio Santa Lúcia. Já tenho alguns áudios gravados dessa emissora, mas esse era um momento muito especial e tinha que registrá-lo. Já ouvi algumas FM’s do Caribe por aqui e isso me permitiu entender um pouco a propagação em FM. Quando a propagação em FM está boa, ouço um chiado que vai-evem de forma rápida. Depois ele desaparece por pouquíssimos segundos e volta. Seria díficil descrever esse chiado, mas a onomatópeia que descreve o mesmo seria algo como: ``Chuchuchuchuchu....chu``. Nessa madrugada havia esse chiado característico. No final de outubro de 2004 por alguns dias o tempo por aqui ficou nublado, choveu um pouco e fez calor. Aqui em Bandeirantes já faz alguns dias que praticamente não aparece o Sol. O céu fica nublado, chove um pouco e faz calor (condições atmosféricas muito parecidas com o que ocorreu no mês de outubro de 2004). Acho que isso tem uma relação com o fato de ter e de estar novamente ouvindo FM’s do Caribe. Será que é essa a condição atmosférica ideal para a propagação em FM estar boa? Creio que sim. [Não: tem lugar na ionosfera, muito longe de você --- gh] Uma certa vez o Marcelo Xavier Vieira (atual editor da coluna Estéreo DX) disse (não me lembro onde) que logo após uma chuva a propagação em FM melhorava muito. Pelo menos foi o que ele estava percebendo. Ontém eu até dizia: ``Antes de acabar o fenômeno da propagação transequatorial, ei de ouvir novamente FM’s do Caribe, nem que seja uma só``. Até parece que estava a advinhar que voltaria a ouvir FM’s do Caribe. Bom amigos aqui vão as duas únicas FM’s ouvidas por aqui nessa madrugada. 97.3, 23/01 0331 LCA Rd Santa Lúcia, Castries, OM, nxs, mx caribenha, EE 32332 RFP 92.9, 23/01 0351 B Rd Tropical, Telêmaco Borba - PR, mx, jingle: ``Tropical FM`` 33343 RFP Receptor: Sony ICF SW 7600GR. - Antena: telescópica. 73! (Rubens Ferraz Pedroso, Bandeirantes - PR, @tividade DX Jan 23 via DXLD) ###