DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. This is on the sixth line of every issue, but recent violations prompt me to make it a bit more noticeable (gh) DX LISTENING DIGEST 5-132, August 7, 2005 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits For restrixions and searchable 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 1283: Mon 0230 WOR WRMI 7385 Mon 0300 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0330 WOR WSUI Iowa City IA 910 Mon 0415 WOR WBCQ 7415 [usually closer to 0418-] Mon 1600 WOR WBCQ after hours Mon 1800 WOR RFPI [repeated 4-hourly thru 1400 Tue] Tue 1600 WOR WBCQ after hours Tue 2330 WOR WBCQ 7415 [unscheduled, but several weeks lately] Wed 0930 WOR WWCR 9985 Wed 1600 WOR WBCQ after hours [stream has been down] Latest edition of this schedule version, with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html WORLD OF RADIO 1283 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1283h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1283h.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1283 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1283.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1283.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1283.html WORLD OF RADIO 1283 in true SW sound of Alex`s mp3: (stream) http://www.dxprograms.net/worldofradio_08-03-05.m3u (download) http://www.dxprograms.net/worldofradio_08-03-05.mp3 WORLD OF RADIO 1283 downloads in studio-quality mp3: (high) http://www.obriensweb.com/wor1283h.mp3 (low) http://www.obriensweb.com/wor1283.mp3 WORLD OF RADIO PODCAST: www.obriensweb.com/wor.xml (currently 1277, Extra 57, 1278, 1279, 1280, Extra 58, 1281, 1282, 1283) WORLD OF RADIO ON WBCQ: Noticed that so-called Good Friends Radio Network was running on WBCQ 9330-CLSB, UT Sun Aug 7 at 0300 instead of WORLD OF RADIO. Tom says that`s what`s called for on the log, but he would run WOR UT Sun at 0400. We are still supposed to appear at 0300 UT Monday on 9330 (Glenn, dxldyg via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. LRA, best heard in a long time, 15345, UT Aug 7 at 0155 with extremely excited play-by-play coverage by several announcers, some with remote lo-fi audio, of a fútbol game. Rather late they play, if live as presumed 11 pm local. Automatic and accurate timesignal at 0200; R. Nacional Argentina ID in passing at 0203, and wrapping up? Apparently the score was 1-1. 10 over 9 but with some deep fading; must have been riding the MUF. Only QRM was some bleedover from virulent Cuban jamming against Martí on 15330, i.e. 15 kHz away (no trace of Martí audible, scheduled from DL until 0300). If this had been a weeknight, RNA would have been virtually inaudible on 11709.9 with English during the 0200 hour, altho pre-emptible for silly ballgames on Spanish on 15345 instead (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Re CJML back on: I hear nothing (Frank N6AQ http://www.n6aq.com/index.php ODXA via DXLD) That`s not surprising if he be in California. I looked all over the extensive N6AQ website and could not find his location! Had to go to ARRL call lookup to find: SELLERS, FRANK F, N6AQ (Extra), 2546 South 5th Ave, Oroville, CA 95965 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. Some unusual propagation noted Aug 7 at 1943 on the 7 MHz band, which you would not expect to be open to anywhere at this hour, 1:11 pm LMT, but Firedrake coming thru on 7260 // stronger 7540. No other station audible on 7540, but there was a SAH on 7260, besides some hams in TX and MO using it (inadvertently?) as BFO. This despite considerable local noise level from neighbors, and T-storms not far away. Then tuned around further and found 7335 at 1950 CRI in Portuguese with ID as R. Internacional da China, over CHU, whose beeps were barely detectable (much better on 14670); at 1947 on 7200 sounded like Russian/Chinese language lessons, but not sure. At 1946 something in Russian on 7220. The only US station audible on band, and perhaps the only one transmitting at this hour, lacking WJIE 7490, was WRMI, 7385, but much weaker than 7540 & 7260. Researching this in HFCC A-05 and VOA, RFE/RL schedules: The lowest one is uncertain, as a 20 kW non-direxional from Yakutsk, and a 250 kW non-direxional from Bijeljina [NOT Beograd, as has been reaffirmed recently here], both seem unlikely, but I would lean toward the latter even tho no other Europeans were making it at the time. Or would I? Yakutsk would be more likely than Beograd to be running language lessons involving Chinese; all are 1234567, removed to simplify: 7200 1900 1500 23,24 IAK 20 0 270305 301005 D RUS RRS GFC 7200 1930 2400 27-29,37-39 BEO 250 0 270305 301005 D Serbian YUG YRT However, NDXC A-05 schedule offers another possibility: 7200 CHINA Radio INT. 1930-1957 Romanian Jinhua 600 314 CHN 11939E2807 CRI a05 7220 1900 2200 22-24,32,33 PHT 250 21 270305 291005 D PHL IBB IBB This is RFE/RL in Russian via Tinang, Philippines, as scheduled. Strangely enough there are no China registrations on 7260 or 7540 at this time, just R. Free Asia in Mandarin, via Tinian and Dushanbe, Tajikistan respectively. That`s why I could hear a trace of the victim on 7260 but not on 7540. The Chicoms are just too ashamed to acknowledge what they are doing: 7260 1900 2000 43,44 TIN 500 305 270305 291005 D USA IBB IBB 7540 1500 2200 43,44 DB 250 70 040905 301005 D TJK IBB GFC And CRI is indeed scheduled in Portuguese to Europe via Jinhua site: 7335 1900 2000 37NW JIN 600 320 1234567 270305 301005 D CHN CRI RTC I should add that no such signals from China and vicinity were to be found at this time on any other band, higher or lower (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA [and non]. AJUSTES EN LA VOZ DE TU CONCIENCIA FAVORECEN A RADIO MIL Como se sabe, un grupo de diexistas ha colaborado para permitir con sus reportes la definición del área de cobertura de La Voz de Tu Conciencia, desde Colombia, en la misma frecuencia de Radio Mil, desde México. La frecuencia de 6010 Khz ha sido muy escuchada últimamente en distintos puntos geográficos y la emisora colombiana ha llegado incluso hasta el cono sur de América. Tanto Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla -en representación de Radio Mil- como Russell Martin Stendal a cargo de La Voz de Tu Conciencia siguen tratando el tema de los ajustes que son necesarios para orientar el haz de emisión de esta última. Luego de varios meses de entredichos y polémicas sobre la primacía y derechos que ambas emisoras detentan sobre dicha frecuencia, parece que los resultados técnicos están llegando a buen término. En un reciente mensaje Julián Santiago me ha trascripto el diálogo que mantuvo con el Sr. Stendal: From: Russell Martin Stendal To: Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla Subject: Re: 6010 Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 09:43:56 -0500 At 09:50 AM 7/25/2005, you wrote: Sr. Stendal: hoy en la madrugada (06:00 a 09:00 UTC) Radio Mil onda corta estuvo fuera del aire. Podía yo escuchar en el fondo ruido, y ocasionalmente algunas palabras y música, similares a lo que se escuchaba de "La Voz de Tu Conciencia". Es decir no es tan fuerte la interferencia como lo era antes al menos aquí en la Cd. de México habrá que ver en otras partes de la República Mexicana. Julián Santiago Estimado Julián Santiago, Estuve detallando el antena del 6010 y en este momento lo tenemos en 10.5 metros de alto. Consideramos que será posible bajarla uno o dos metros mas. También estuve mirando el antena del 5910 que tiene una orientación 30 grados diferente a la del 6010. Me gustaría saber como se escucha la 5910 en comparación con 6010 y así podremos precisar si podremos girar el antena. Martin Cuando Stendal habla de los 5910 Khz, se refiere a otra de sus emisoras: Radio Marfil Stereo. En tanto Julián Santiago me ha remitido la última novedad de su comunicación con el Sr. Stendal: From: Russell Martin Stendal To: Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla Subject: Re: 6010 Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 12:58:30 -0500 At 09:31 AM 7/29/2005, you wrote: Sr. Stendal: efectivamente hay un ruido de fondo que a veces se agudiza entre las 10:00 y 12:00 UTC, este tiene muchos años de producirse. Me refería en el día que apagamos el transmisor a que existía un ruido y por lapsos se podía escuchar una voz y música en el fondo similar a LVTC sin ser la claridad con la que llegamos a escuchar aquí a LVTC. Lamentablemente no he podido salir de la Cd. de México, pero le he pedido a amigos me informen. Manuel Méndez de España me dice que nuevamente escuchó a LVTC con cierta presencia y ocasionalmente a R. Mil. De antemano gracias por las modificaciones que siguen realizando. Julián Santiago Estaremos atentos para saber como sigue la situación ya que vamos acercando a los meses de alta propagación en el hemisferio del norte (Noviembre, Diciembre, Enero). Para esa época estoy pensando bajar un poco mas la altura de nuestro antena. Martin. Es probable que este tema esté llegando a su fin como resultado de una acción conjunta entre emisores y diexistas. Termino este informe con una frase del mismo Julián Santiago Díez de Bonilla: "Creo que la campaña funcionó, lo cual te agradezco infinitamente, tendremos que estar atentos... Muchos saludos a todos los pibes diexistas". (via Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Rosario, ARGENTINA, Aug 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. UNIDENTIFIED. 5054.59, Aug. 7, 0312, audio very weak, unable to tell anything about it, but something there. Rechecked 0716, still too weak to make out (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Cf previous wonderment about TIFC (gh) Re UNIDENTIFIED, 5-131, 5054.6v: I heard the station this morning without ID but it is 100% Faro del Caribe. 73s (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador http://www.malm-ecuador.com Aug 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 6190, Deutschlandfunk, 0153-0211, August 2, German, Very nice mix of classical music, YL between selections. ID at 0200 then news until music resumed at 0205. Fair (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, 200' Beverage antennas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 4970.0, AIR-Shillong, Aug 7, 1259-1315, program of C&W songs in English, announcer in English, ID for the Northeastern service, weak (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. STATE-RUN ALL INDIA RADIO BACK ON AIR AFTER THEFT From our correspondent 7 August 2005 KOLKATA- A state-run All India Radio (AIR) station has resumed transmission a full week after it went off the air due to an unprecedented theft of costly studio equipment worth Rs10 million. Air Siliguri, which boasts of a 200 kW transmitter, the most powerful in eastern India, stopped transmitting last week after a gang of criminals stole network antenna, generator parts and costly copper components from the heavily guarded radio station in West Bengal province. Estimating the value of stolen equipment at Rs10 million, police and AIR officials said that criminals could have disposed it off as junk for as little as Rs100,000. The theft - the first of its kind - was investigated by senior Jalpaiguri police officials following accusations by Air officials that State Armed Police (SAP) personnel deployed at the radio station were in league with criminals. Investigators say ten persons were arrested but refused to disclose their identities. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2005/August/subcontinent_August235.xml§ion=subcontinent&col= (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, Aug 7, dx_india via DXLD) WTFK? WRTH says 711 kHz. So the Siligurians had a chance for some unusual DX on 711, but did any of them take advantage of it? Several high- and low-power Asians/Pacificans on there (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. USHERING IN RADIO REVOLUTION THROUGH FM by S. K. Arora** 18:53 IST --- It may not be long before the residents in a district listen to their very own boys and girls on airwaves. Their very own slangs, value system and cultural connotations could well be there to make radio communication truly of local flavour. No longer would the time constraints on radio waves would drive out the programmes of local content and relevance. This would be a reality soon when the Government's policy on the second phase of private FM (Frequency Modulated) radio stations in the country, becomes operational. Cleared by the Cabinet on June 30, 2005, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is now in the process of implementation of this policy. Policy on Radio The Policy objective of the Government for Radio in the 9th Five Year Plan was improving the variety of content and technical quality of Radio. On the technological front the focus shifted from Medium Wave (MW) to Frequency Modulated (FM). The thrust areas for Radio included, Improvement of Programme content; providing wider choice of programs; improving broadcast quality; enhancing technical features; renewal of old and obsolete equipment; addition of new facilities at radio stations. FM Radio in the Country Keeping in line with the policy of liberalization and reforms, the Government allowed fully owned Indian companies to set up private FM radio stations on a license fee basis. In May 2000, the Government auctioned 108 frequencies in the FM spectrum across 40 cities in the country through an Open Auction Bidding process. The decision to open up the frequencies to private participation was taken by the Government with the following major objectives: expansion of FM radio network; to make available radio programmes with superior quality of fidelity and reception; generation of programmes with local content and relevance; encouragement of local talent and generation of employment; and to supplement the services of All India Radio (AIR) and promote rapid expansion of the broadcast network in the country for the benefit of the Indian populace. Radio Broadcast Policy Committee Report In July 2003, the Government appointed a Radio Broadcast Policy Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Amit Mitra to provide recommendations on the second phase of Private FM Broadcast liberalization. The committee after delving through the lessons from the first phase, the relevant experience from the Telecom Sector as well as global experiences made a series of recommendations. These primarily relate to the entry & exit mechanism; license fees structure; enhancing the scope of services; improving roll out and migration of existing licensees to Phase II. Thrust Areas in FM Broadcasting FM broadcasting is the preferred mode of radio transmission all over the world due to its high quality stereophonic sound. Therefore, the emphasis in the Tenth Plan is on substantially enhancing FM coverage from 30 per cent (all of which was AIR's capacity) of the population to cover 60 per cent of the population along with efforts to consolidate the MW transmission network, which has reached 99 per cent of the population. The major thrust areas for the purpose included, encouraging private participation in providing quality services and replacing the existing system of bidding for licenses with a revenue sharing mechanism. Automating all FM transmitters and all MW transmitters of 20 kilowatt (KW) and below capacity. Strengthening and expanding the reach of radio in the northeastern states (including Sikkim) and island territories. Using FM radio to spread literacy, because of better transmission and reception. Phases of Private FM Radio Development Phase - I is what has already happened. In this Phase 108 frequencies had been put on bid, 22 frequencies were operationalised and 2 were "deemed" operationalised. The start-up has been slow. Out of 40 cities and 108 frequencies, Government received 101 bids for an aggregate of Rs 425 crores as against the estimated amount of Rs.79.65crores. However, the actual collection was only Rs.158.8 crores from bids for 37 frequencies. The freshly issued guidelines/policy brings into operation the second phase and consists of two parts. One part would consist of those frequencies offered in Phase I which are not operational and additional frequencies in towns already covered in Phase -I. The other part would consist of frequencies in new towns not already covered. Phase III would consist of those frequencies, which would be put on bid after Phase -II bidding is over and some experience has been gathered about the performance of Phase II. Recommendations for Phase III would naturally follow such experience and would be made at a later date. Policy on FM Radio Phase - II Under the new policy, additional 336 private FM radio channels will be available across the country, spread over 90 cities/towns of A+, A, B, C, & D category. Besides, 36 channels of IGNOU and 51 others are also earmarked for educational purposes. News broadcast, however, would continue to remain out of the purview of FM radio. Eight towns in the north-east region would be covered under the scheme with 40 FM radio stations, including 32 private Operators and eight dedicated for educational purposes. Similarly, in Jammu & Kashmir nine channels (7 for private Broadcasting and 2 for education) are planned in the cities of Jammu and Srinagar. In order to overcome the drawbacks of Phase-I, measures have been put in place. The bidding process has been made closed bid type to restrict speculative bidding of the open bidding. Secondly, the fixed annual fees has been replaced with the revenue sharing pattern, whereby the private Operators will have to pay 4 per cent of their revenue as annual fees. Thirdly, withdrawal clauses have been made more stringent to ensure that those who bid for a particular frequency do come up with the radio station. Under the new policy provisions, care has been taken to ensure that a single large entity does not monopolize the airwaves. Accordingly, no entity can own more than one FM radio station in the same city/town, and no single entity will be allowed to own more than 15 per cent of the total airwaves frequencies in the country. Special Efforts to Ensure Operations in Small Towns: With a view to attract more & more players for the smaller towns classified under category 'C' & 'D', those operating in these towns, will be permitted networking of their programmes i.e., they can advertise for and share their content on the radio stations in the higher category stations. Though it is difficult to draw exact contours as regards the educational value, it is hoped that with 87 channels marked for educational purposes, including 36 IGNOU channels, FM radio stations would contribute to further the cause of non-formal as well as formal education at the grass-root levels. There are apprehensions in some quarters that the upcoming private radio stations would be competing with the All India Radio and might take away a slice of AIR revenues. However, it is felt that the competition would result in better quality programmes for the listeners. The financial loss if at all is there, would be more than made up over a period of time. Also, the step is expected to generate employment opportunities for the local talent. With these guidelines, the Government has made a sincere effort to give a boost to the private FM radio by facilitating creation of an environment for the development of FM radio in the country. How it actually develops over the period of time would depend on the private sector enterprise. (PIB Features) **Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (Press Information Bureau, Govt. Of India ) (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA/INDONESIA. Re 5-131 SRI LANKA: Glenn: That Great Circle Path you were wondering in 5-130 between Sri Lanka and Costa Rica may be applied also for the nearly-like local signal I get from AIR 10330 on the first UT hours of each day, let's say 0100. And AIR with surprising overall SINPO 4 around 2200 on 9445, too. And they are completely at the other side of the globe: If in Tiquicia the time is 7 p.m., they have 7 a.m. Now you have these comments, becomes worthy to mention that after 1400 the strongest two signals I get are on 9680 from RRI 4 --- whose mystic to exotic music I enjoy --- and the adjacent AIR 9690 [English GOS to SE Asia 1330-1500]. The point is that at this time this signal is involved mostly in the dark zone. Doesn't seem to be the same for the first UT hours, does it? Even RRI on 15150 had a tremendous signal this Sunday morning here, 1300 UT, // 9525 that has been reported as off-the-air lately by Ron Howard per 5-130 (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 9680.0, RRI (Presumed), Aug 6, 1007-1035, 2 young men with program of pop Indo songs, many mentions of Jakarta, fair-good. 9524.9 still silent (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9680 would be domestic service Program 4, Proempat, culture and sport per WRTH 2005 (gh) ** INTERNATONAL VACUUM. CASTRO, SORPRENDIDO CHÁVEZ, ABRUMADO POR LA CADENA DE FALLOS EN EL CANAL TELESUR http://www.elsemanaldigital.com/fdi/articulos.asp?idarticulo=11812 En Centroamérica, México, Chile y Perú no se difunde Telesur, que en su propia casa, Venezuela, está en prueba durante cuatro horas diarias y se ve a través de cable privado. Telesur, la cadena tipo CNN puesta en marchas por Hugo Chávez, junto a otros Gobiernos de la región con la ambición de difundir una visión latinoamericana del mundo, comenzó a emitir con dificultades. En la mayoría de países no se ve y en otros se enfrenta a obstáculos políticos o burocráticos. Todo ello además de los problemas técnicos. En dos de sus cuatro socios capitalistas, Argentina (20%) y Uruguay (10%), todavía no es visible, principalmente por definiciones internas de los canales estatales y de los propios Gobiernos. Una hora al día y censurado En Cuba, el cuarto socio que aporta el 19% a este canal que aspira derrocar "la dictadura noticiosa" de las grandes cadenas internacionales, la población sólo ve desde el lunes un resumen de una hora de la programación. Por circuito cerrado, Telesur llega íntegramente a instituciones oficiales en La Habana. En Colombia, donde tampoco se transmite, existen dudas sobre los objetivos políticos e ideológicos de la cadena continental, al trascender en la prensa la molestia que causó la inclusión del septuagenario líder de la guerrilla de las FARC, Manuel Marulanda Vélez (alias ´Tirofijo´) en una de las promociones del canal. En Brasil, que parte en desventaja al tener la barrera idiomática del portugués, y cuya televisión local está ampliamente dominada por el poderoso grupo Globo, la señal de Telesur se recibe a través de TV- Comunitaria, un canal difundido por un sistema de televisión prepago. En Venezuela, por el canal de Cisneros En Centroamérica, México, Chile y Perú no se difunde nada de Telesur. En su casa, Venezuela, está en señal de prueba durante cuatro horas diarias y se ve sólo a través de los sistemas de cable privados con alcance nacional, entre ellos Directv, propiedad del magnate de los medios Gustavo Cisneros. En Bolivia, un país donde una parte importante de la población ha mostrado simpatía por el presidente Hugo Chávez y su autodenominada "revolución bolivariana", según varios sondeos, Telesur ya tiene una oficina con equipos de edición y transmisión instalados y pronto una empresa de cable empezará a transmitir. El canal de 2,5 millones de dólares de presupuesto anual y con un consejo asesor integrado por el francés Ignacio Ramonet, de Le Monde Diplomatique, el actor estadounidense Danny Glover, el escritor uruguayo Eduardo Galeano y hasta el poeta nicaragüense Ernesto Cardenal, sigue afinando acuerdos para llegar a toda América, con la firme intención de ampliarla a 24 horas en dos meses (Focos de Interés via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ** LATVIA. Boney M or things alike. I'm no partner of Alice's Restaurant Radio that hopefully will be on short wave next Aug. 14 as they have announced, but I know even from this very moment they will play music that many could certainly call "misteries" (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. 5470, 27.7 2100, Radio Veritas announcing with QSA 2-3. I think the transmitter was switched off already at this time as there was nothing when I checked some minutes later. JE 5470, 3.8 2130, Radio Veritas very good at this time - but not on the African antenna which was more plagued by lightning than the other antennas. QSA 3. Later on a nice and enjoyable music programme. JE (Jan Edh, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 7, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA [non]. 11965, ASCENSION ISLAND, Star Radio, 2105-2130, August 1, English, Int'l news headlines. Full ID at 2110 followed by Liberian footbal news until 2130 then "Messages" program. Fair/good listening in USB (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, 200' Beverage antennas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. 5030.0, RM-Sarawak (Presumed), Aug 6, 1423-1438, noted under China, program of SE Asia music and language seemed to also be SE Asian, poor (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MAURITANIA. 4845, 3.8 2115, just as usual (``kor`an singing``) and QSA 4. Did not care about the coup d`état which was said to be in progress. JE (Jan Edh, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 7, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Conciencia still trying to protect R. Mil: see COLOMBIA ** MEXICO [and non]. U.S. AND MEXICO SIGN BORDER SPECTRUM ACCORDS Every so often, high level officials from the U.S. and Mexico meet to discuss radio communications matters of mutual importance, and they sign spectrum accords affecting the U.S./Mexican border zone. Some of these accords take years to hammer out, so these meetings are monumental. Last year, the "U.S. - Mexico High Level Consultative Commission" - or "HLCC" for short - met for just the sixth time ever, but they promised to kick things into high gear by meeting again this year. Not a word about this year's meeting appeared in the FCC's Daily Digest as far as we can tell, but a sharp-eyed CGC Communicator reader spotted this gem on the U.S. Department of State's Web site: The seventh meeting of the HLCC has just concluded. The HLCC met in Mexico City on July 26 and 27, and was attended by U.S. Ambassador David Gross, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and several other luminaries. You are among the first to know. While alleviating interference to public safety radio channels was one important theme, broadcasters were told that work on an agreement to protect TV Channel 6 reception from FM broadcast interference is continuing "with a view to developing an instrument that best satisfies the needs of both Administrations." We were told that there are also continuing discussions on processing specially negotiated TV station coordination requests, including requests from LPTVs. And both administrations are continuing to exchange and examine information on the introduction of terrestrial digital radio broadcasting, which presumably means IBOC in the U.S. Other items are mentioned too, but the above are very important. With respect to land-mobile radio, too few agreements exist (particularly below about 500 MHz) where spectrum assignments for each country are clearly defined. So, for example, José García, fighting a fire in Mexico, might be interrupted by Joe's Taxi Service in the U.S., and vice versa. Now, new agreements are being created to solve these sorts of problems thanks to a fresh and ambitious outlook from both administrations. The 380 and 406 MHz Protocols below are probably templates for things to come. Much more could be said, but check out the Department of State documents for yourself. Our thanks to the many communications experts on both sides of the border who have worked tirelessly to bring these agreements about, and will undoubtedly work hard again over the next several months to further improve the state of communications affairs. Media Note http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2005/50826.htm Joint Statement by the U.S.-Mexico HLCC http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/othr/2005/50772.htm Directory of Bilateral Issues (The Big Picture) http://www.state.gov/e/eb/rls/othr/2005/50777.htm Protocol to Share the 380-399.9 MHz Band http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/50884.pdf Protocol to Share the 406.1-420 MHz Band http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/50885.pdf (CGC Communicator Aug 7, via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) It appears that except for the FM/Channel 6 matter, this does not deal with any radio broadcasting issues, of which there are many (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. From HUAYACOCOTLA ...yes the same station operating on 2390 kHz ... we heard also on SW, very poor signal in // 101.30 MHz at NAUTLA bus stop.... another CADENA MAS station heard 95.7 MHz at Mecayapan (50000 watts!!!) Tuning the FM dial ...on 105.50 MHz I get very interesting big band music look like in Mexico they use to do for special live happening...and indeed it was a very very special event ... the inauguration of LA VOZ DE LOS CAMPESINOS from Huayacocotla announcing 10000 watts for the SIERRA NORTE area of Veracruz ... the program was live from the bosques (forest) near Huayacocotla with many people celebrating the opening of the real first local station INDEPENDENT operating by the native people... so I heard also talks messages in local language dialect.... indeed a very pleasant listening.... also heard special messages coming from AMARC radio stations operating in Mexico and Argentina, Peru..... the station is operating in connection with Radio Huayacocotla which usually repeat CADENA MAS programs... but on SW close at local sunset cause the power energy is cut ..... ..... I got they signal ...even more weak also in Veracruz .... but not in the Hotel ....Huayacocotla is about 45 km from Veracruz..in the Sierras area. At 1600 hours the friend seen in Tampico arrived. Rafael Grijeda Rosado wanted to give me some of his duplicated radio materials .... indeed very kind.... He also solutioned the misterious station reported by an Italian visiting last year the Mexican coast and reporting to have heard an Utility station on 6977 kHz ... in reality he heard CENTRO DE PREVISION METEOROLOGICA del GOLFO de MEXICO operating from Veracruz every day at 0900, 1500, 2100 hours local time. They have INFORME METEOROLOGICO (20 minutos in CW fonia and 10 minutos en voce in USB mode) so NOTHING AS XDD-XDP stations CLOSED DOWN some 5 years ago !!!!! the correct frequency is 6976.5 kHz power is 700 watts. Really thanks Rafael for these informations (Dario Monferini, very small excerpts from his Mexico travel diary, mostly about AM & FM stations visits, sticker-collecting, playdx yg via DXLD) If you want to read it all, in Monferenglish with a few illos, http://www.playdx.com/html/messico2005/messico2005.htm and on the same site illustrated diaries of all his other extensive trips and sticker- peditions (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. Unlike Danny Oglethorpe, I have little hope to identify individual Mexican TV DX stations, but August 2 at 1636 UT on channel 2 I did get a novela pausing for an ad local to Aguascalientes, so seems likely it was as listed by http://www.w9wi.com/tvdb/channels/2.htm Aguascalientes, AG XHAGU-TV 45.84 0.00 N H 21 53' 4"N 102 19'55"W XV- XLI [relaying network of] XEQ (9) Also some QRM which lasted longer from a station running Popeye cartoons, pronounced po-PEH-yeh --- I wonder if your average SS even knows what the word alludes to in English? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. UNOS TEXTOS SOBRE LO QUE HA OCURRIDO CON EL CANAL 40 [This long item is about a strike at Mexico`s alternative TV to the Azteca/Televisa duoply, and efforts to resolve it, involving foreign interference by NBC/Telemundo/General Electric, political intrigue -- gh] El Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Radio y la Televisión pidió tres pesos y 50 centavos adicionales por cada peso que CNI/Canal 40 debía a los empleados por pagos atrasados, y CNI/Canal 40 accedió. Lo hizo ayer en la Secretaría del Trabajo. Luego de agredir al dueño de CNI, el líder de la CTM, Leonardo Rodríguez Alcaine, dijo en público que si no se pagaba todo lo que se debía (sueldos más prestaciones), la huelga no se levantaría. La empresa reiteró que pagaría todo. Pero la CTM no la levantó. ¿Por qué? La empresa cumplió. La CTM no. Hoy, a las 10:30 hrs. (Blvd. Ávila Camacho 54), TV Azteca encabezará una espuria asamblea de accionistas. Alguien en el Poder Judicial en el Distrito Federal, contra toda norma legal aplicable, la autorizó. TV Azteca nombrará a uno de sus testaferros como administrador del Canal 40, quien de inmediato buscará al sindicato, le hará la misma oferta que CNI y, si el sindicato accede a vender la huelga, irán de la mano al cerro del Chiquihuite, la levantarán y pondrán al aire la señal de Azteca 40. El Chiquihuitazo Dos se habrá consumado. El gobierno federal, incapaz de aclarar la situación existente, volverá a ser cómplice de un despojo. Sin embargo, CNI obtendrá en unos meses la revocación judicial de esta atrocidad y el Chiquihuite le será devuelto, como en enero de 2003. Quizá entonces ya no tenga los recursos para operar que hoy sí tiene. La huelga del Canal 40 fue justa. Hoy se ha pervertido. Juntos, TV Azteca, la CTM y ciertos altos funcionarios de la Presidencia de la República y de la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes resultaron ser enemigos muy poderosos. Que no invencibles. Periodista. Este texto se publicó el miércoles 20 de julio de 2005 en el periódico Milenio Diario. Crucifican al Canal 40 En sus pocos años de existencia, el Canal 40 de televisión se convirtió en una de las escasas alternativas en la muy cuestionable televisión mexicana. El mérito se debe casi por completo a sus trabajadores, a un puñado de directivos y conductores que se aventuraron por espacios poco explorados y harto riesgosos que, al final de cuentas, dieron forma a una nueva propuesta televisiva en el competido espectro comercial. Si bien el Canal 40 fue levantado por el empuje de sus trabajadores y empleados, ese esfuerzo encontró severos obstáculos derivados de la mala reputación, deficiente administración y peor comportamiento empresarial de su dueño mayoritario, Javier Moreno Valle, un empresario acostumbrado a transitar por la frontera de la ilegalidad y en ese resbaladizo terreno que el lenguaje coloquial conoce como "la transa". Con esos antecedentes, Moreno Valle sembró otro obstáculo al avance de la televisora, cuando en 1998 firmó un contrato de comercialización y sociedad con Ricardo Salinas Pliego, el dueño de Televisión Azteca, que terminó en una de las más escandalosas disputas entre televisoras mexicanas, en lo que fue llamado el chiquihuitazo. Y por su fuera poco, en el terreno político el Canal 40 dio muestras de comprometer su línea editorial no con la pluralidad política y electoral que se vive en México, sino con una causa presidencial; la de Andrés Manuel López Obrador, el jefe de Gobierno del DF al que abiertamente defendió la televisora y cuya gestión fue exaltada como si el del Canal 40 y sus informativos fueran un proyecto político electoral. Esa explosiva mezcla de un canal de televisión exitoso, un empresario nada prestigiado; una guerra contra Televisión Azteca, que se quiere apoderar del Canal 40, y una línea editorial que choca con los intereses políticos del gobierno en turno, son los ingredientes que tienen a la televisora al borde de su desaparición. Resulta inútil insistir en que, si bien naciente, el Canal 40 era una alternativa en la televisión mexicana, y que es un absurdo, por decir lo menos, que se haya llegado a la huelga declarada por sus trabajadores ante la negativa de Moreno Valle a pagar sus salarios. Lo interesante del asunto es la desmesurada reacción que, desde el gobierno de Fox, desde Televisión Azteca y Televisa, se produjo cuando Moreno Valle consiguió 5 millones de dólares para pagar a los trabajadores y con ello reanudar las trasmisiones. Entonces aparecieron los gritos nacionalistas del gobierno de Fox y del duopolio televisivo, quienes echaron mano de los testaferros de la CTM para seguir en huelga. Moreno Valle, como todos saben, consiguió un préstamo por 5 millones de dólares del gigante de la comunicación General Electric, controladora de la cadena NBC y Telemundo, para pagar a sus trabajadores y con ello levantar la huelga. Nadie cree, y con razón, que dicho préstamo sea de gratis, sobre todo porque los mercados mexicano y el hispano de Estados Unidos son un apetitoso negocio para las empresas televisivas y para General Electric. Sin duda que ese préstamo será a cambio de algo, pero la supuesta inversión extranjera en el caso de Canal 40, la deficiente legislación al respecto y las trampas que en casos similares han hecho tanto Televisión Azteca como Televisa no son el problema, sino el pretexto para desplazar a Moreno Valle del negocio de la televisión. El préstamo es el primer paso de una futura alianza del gigante de la televisión de Estados Unidos con una televisora mexicana, y una fuerte competencia de mercado para el duopolio mexicano. Por eso se escandalizan y apelan a la legalidad, argumentos que nunca manejaron en casos similares en los que incurrieron tanto Azteca como Televisa. El más notorio es la alianza de Televisa con la española Prisa. Pero la potencial alianza General Electric-Canal 40 era un obstáculo más para que Televisión Azteca se pueda quedar, al final de cuentas, con Canal 40. Por eso el poderoso duopolio apuesta a que Canal 40 muera por inanición. Y también por eso las televisoras Azteca y Televisa presionaron al gobierno de Fox, para que por la supuesta vía legal hasta el momento la SCT ha puesto en duda la legalidad del préstamo de General Electric a Moreno Valle se impidiera que los trabajadores reciban los salarios que les adeudan, se levante la huelga y se reanuden las transmisiones. Pero en este punto se juntaron, como dice el refranero, "el hambre y las ganas de comer". Resulta que al gobierno de Fox nada le resulta más ganancioso que el cierre de un canal de televisión que se había convertido en el vocero del odiado para el gobierno López Obrador, el más aventajado de los presidenciables. Cuando Azteca y Televisa advirtieron del riesgo para sus intereses comerciales que pudiera significar la alianza General Electric-Canal 40, cuando la propia Televisión Azteca percibió que con esa alianza se alejaban las posibilidades de quedarse con la concesión de Moreno Valle, pidieron el apoyo de su socio político, Fox, para que impidiera esa alianza que por los errores de estrategia del mal empresario y peor político que es Moreno Valle, por las circunstancias político-electorales que se viven, casualmente también beneficia al gobierno de Vicente Fox y a su delfín Santiago Creel. Y a Vicente Fox no le costó nada pedir el apoyo de sus otrora odiados adversarios de la CTM y hoy versión moderna de los "soldados del Presidente" para reventar un levantamiento de huelga que, con el dinero para pagar salarios a los trabajadores, no tenía ningún problema para darse. En el fondo, el conflicto de Canal 40, el levantamiento de su huelga, el origen y condiciones del dinero que a préstamo recibió Moreno Valle son lo que menos importa. Lo relevante es el trasfondo político-electoral, por un lado, y los intereses comerciales de los dos gigantes de la televisión mexicana, por el otro. Y en medio de esos juegos perversos quedan el retórico y desprestigiado "imperio de la ley" y el interés público, que es la razón y el origen de toda concesión de televisión. Si el problema es que Moreno Valle es un pillo, que por eso se le sancione; si el problema es el préstamo de General Electric a Moreno Valle, que legalmente se revise, junto con los otros casos iguales y se sancionen todos; si el problema es la línea editorial del Canal 40, que esa línea la sancionen los televidentes, no el gobierno interesado, pero que no nos vengan con el cuento de que sigue la huelga en el Canal 40 porque se defienden los intereses de los trabajadores. Cómo se parece, cada día más, el gobierno de Fox a las administraciones presidenciales del viejo PRI. ¿O no? En el camino Y a propósito de televisión. ¿Nadie le habrá dicho a Santiago Creel que muchos mexicanos ya aprendieron a sumar, restar, multiplicar y dividir? Por caridad, que le avisen. ¿No? Periodista. Este texto se publicó el lunes 25 de julio de 2005 en el diario El Universal. La operación General Electric-Canal 40 (Primera de dos partes) El viernes 15 de julio por la mañana, en la terraza de un hotel de Polanco, altos funcionarios de NBC Universal se reunieron con altos funcionarios de TV Azteca. Los estadounidenses les informaron que iban a apoyar al Canal 40, ayudarlo a levantar la huelga, participar en su operación; y que pensaban hacerlo en los mejores términos. Los mexicanos respondieron con la delación. Por la tarde, los abogados del Canal 40 cumplieron al notificar por escrito a la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) que la empresa había recibido un préstamo (sin especificar de quién) para levantar la huelga de 60 días. La respuesta de la SCT fue de una velocidad extraordinaria. En poco más de una hora difundió un intimidante boletín de prensa para advertir que, en modo alguno, capital extranjero podría participar en el 40. ¿Cómo se enteraron los funcionarios públicos de la procedencia del dinero? Por la delación de TV Azteca, seguramente. Sin datos sólidos, sin conocer el esquema de la operación financiera, la SCT amenazó de muerte al Canal 40. La maniobra del viernes 15 de julio es una de las más bajas y descaradas de una Secretaría que, aun con una orden judicial, negó la devolución de la planta transmisora del Chiquihuite el 24 de enero de 2003 y que, en los hechos, se ha conducido en este conflicto como oficialía de partes de TV Azteca. El de SCT fue un claro ¡STOP! para Canal 40. En instantes comenzaron a ocurrir cosas cuando menos extrañas. Empresas y periodistas que no habían prestado mínima atención a la huelga del 40, dedicaron largos y furiosos espacios para dejar en claro que el ¡STOP! de la SCT significaba ¡STOP! Hoy se sabe que de esa dependencia salieron trascendidos envenenados para contaminar la información. En el río revuelto, la CTM elevó al punto de atraco las condiciones para levantar la huelga. Pero cuando la empresa dijo adelante, la CTM respondió también ¡STOP! Ahora que se sabe que el dinero para levantar la huelga procede de General Electric (GE), y que en el diseño de la operación para rescatar al Canal 40 participan las divisiones televisivas de GE (NBC y Telemundo), pueden responderse todas las preguntas promovidas por quienes han marcado el ¡STOP! a la posibilidad de que, sin pedirle favores a nadie, sin humillarse ante Televisa, TV Azteca, Los Pinos o la primera dama, nazca una tercera propuesta de televisión en México. GE es la segunda empresa más grande del mundo. Tiene 300 mil empleados. En 2004 vendió 152 mil millones de dólares y su utilidad fue de 16 mil millones. Sus activos ascienden a 750 mil millones y su valor de mercado es de 372 mil millones. Por qué el interés de GE en la operación del Canal 40, se preguntan los más enardecidos sin recorrer las rutas elementales de la lógica. Porque GE quiere participar, minoritariamente, en la televisión mexicana, y quiere hacerlo con socios mexicanos, a quienes busca ya. Porque quiere aportar contenidos, aprovechar la fuerza de NBC y Telemundo para desarrollar una propuesta competitiva en México. ¿Tiene eso algo de malo, de ilegal? Se olvida que GE opera en México desde hace 108 años y da empleo a 25 mil mexicanos. Sólo en Estados Unidos hay más gente trabajando en GE de la que lo hace en México. Ese es el capital oscuro al que, supuestamente, la SCT y la Secretaría de Gobernación están investigando para que la CTM ya no tenga pretextos para levantar la huelga del Canal 40. Y como bien saben las autoridades, no hay una empresa global que respete mejor las leyes mexicanas que GE. Por lo demás, y a través de NBC Universal, GE participa desde hace tiempo en México en la distribución de películas, series de televisión, canales de cable y producción y distribución de DVDs. Con ingenuidad se pregunta si GE quiere tener más presencia en la industria de la televisión mexicana. Por supuesto que sí. Quiere pelear en un muy atractivo mercado, hoy ocupado por dos cadenas. Y quiere hacerlo con la experiencia nacional del Canal 40 como punta de lanza. ¿En dónde está el pecado, el delito? En una de las reuniones de la semana pasada con la gente de GE, NBC y Telemundo escuché a un ejecutivo decir que a Televisa y TV Azteca les preocupa escandalosamente que un tercer jugador se siente en la mesa; que por tanto no espera que se les reciba con alfombra roja; que la reacción conjunta de la SCT y la CTM es apenas un buen primer ejemplo de lo que vendrá, pero que al cumplir con todas las leyes y normas entrarán y tratarán de competir de tú a tú con Televisa y TV Azteca. Y que el resultado de esa competencia será algo bueno: bueno para la industria, para los televidentes mexicanos, para México. ¿Qué no es eso lo que busca el gobierno del presidente Fox: inversión extranjera bien regulada que se una a la nacional para generar empleo y fomentar la competitividad y la calidad? ¿Puede, por lo mismo, el gobierno del presidente Fox oponerse a un proyecto de esta naturaleza? Por supuesto. Basta que, una vez más, acepte las recomendaciones, órdenes quizá, de quienes desde el primer minuto le pidieron, ordenaron quizá, que encendiera el aviso de ¡STOP! a la operación General Electric-Canal 40. Mañana: Cinco respuestas a cinco preguntas recurrentes Este texto se publicó el lunes 25 de julio de 2005 en el periódico Milenio Diario. Cinco respuestas y una pregunta para el gobierno y la CTM Ciro Gómez Leyva El gobierno federal y la CTM levantaron un muro para bloquear el préstamo de 5 millones de dólares que General Electric (GE) decidió entregarle al Canal 40 para que termine la huelga de más de dos meses y regrese al aire. E informan que no lo quitarán hasta que se aclare de dónde viene el dinero y en qué condiciones se contrató. La CTM, el gobierno y algunos periodistas han hecho cinco preguntas recurrentes que, dicen, no han sido respondidas, por lo que un manto de sospecha envuelve la operación. La primera es qué garantiza a GE que no perderá los 5 millones de dólares que meterá a una empresa descapitalizada y con una larga lista de acreedores. La respuesta de la segunda corporación más grande del mundo es sencilla: se trata de un préstamo de riesgo. Canal 40 debe pagar antes del 31 de diciembre, pero GE (que el año pasado vendió 152 mil millones de dólares) sabe que es un unsecured loan, un préstamo que puede ser muy difícil de recuperar. Con una sevicia que no despliegan con otros personajes públicos preguntan cómo se le puede prestar dinero a un "prófugo", como sería el caso de Javier Moreno Valle, dueño del Canal 40. La respuesta, de nuevo, es sencilla: el préstamo es para Televisora del Valle de México (concesionaria del 40), no es para Moreno Valle. El saneamiento de su empresa ayudará, sin duda, a que Moreno Valle enfrente en mejores condiciones su problema judicial. Pero esa no es la razón del préstamo. El objetivo, se dijo aquí ayer, es que, de la mano del Canal 40, GE y sus divisiones NBC y Telemundo, participen en la industria de la televisión mexicana, compitan con Televisa y TV Azteca, y aprovechen la nueva circunstancia para fortalecerse en el mercado hispano de Estados Unidos. La tercera pregunta es si GE se apropiará del Canal 40. Por tercera ocasión, la respuesta es sencilla: no, no puede, las leyes no se lo permiten. GE es un financiero en esta operación. Cualquier cambio en la estructura accionaria del Canal 40 tendría que ser autorizado por el gobierno mexicano, con base en la legislación mexicana. De ahí que GE haya señalado que le interesa, y está buscando, la participación de un inversionista mexicano que se sume al saneamiento de las deudas del 40. Se pregunta también por qué los apoderados del Canal 40 no hicieron el negocio con un inversionista mexicano. Esta cuarta respuesta es la más simple de todas: porque los inversionistas mexicanos que se acercaron tienen un común denominador: tiemblan frente a la posibilidad de que TV Azteca tome represalias en su contra. Si con el respaldo financiero, tecnológico, comercial, de producción y programación de GE, NBC y Telemundo, se demuestra que el Canal 40 es viable, que TV Azteca no tiene derechos de propiedad sobre él y que el 40 se mantendrá al aire por años, los inversionistas mexicanos perderán el miedo y llegarán. Se cuestiona, asimismo, por qué ninguna institución financiera respalda esta operación de GE y la ayuda a localizar a esos inversionistas mexicanos. Es una pregunta válida todavía sin respuesta, aunque quizá hoy mismo haya noticias al respecto. Queda entonces una pregunta que hacerle a la CTM y a las autoridades. ¿Por qué con el dinero y esta información sobre la mesa no se ha levantado la huelga? Y una más para la CTM: ¿Si el gobierno se toma meses en investigar la operación, la huelga seguirá en pie a costa de 370 empleados? Seguramente, porque este no es más un asunto laboral, ni jurídico ni económico ni financiero. Es cien por ciento político. Que no quede duda quiénes son hoy responsables de que los empleados no hayan cobrado y el Canal 40 esté fuera del aire. Los responsables son un gobierno medroso y la vieja CTM. Periodista. Este texto se publicó el martes 26 de julio de 2005 en el periódico Milenio Diario. Canal 40 Javier Corral Jurado Envueltos en la Bandera Nacional y al grito de ¡los invasores!, de manera concertada y en plena correspondencia, autoridades de la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, el Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Radio y la Televisión (de la CTM por supuesto), y el duopolio televisivo Azteca-Televisa, pusieron en marcha la semana pasada una nueva embestida en contra de CNI Canal 40, la empresa de Javier Moreno Valle que, como él, atraviesa una de las más duras pruebas de su existencia. No recuerdo un medio de comunicación que más allá de los desatinos y excesos que siempre se le recuerdan a Moreno Valle, para justificar los abusos contra la empresa, haya conjuntado la resistencia de actores tan influyentes en su contra. A como dé lugar y casi como objetivo del sexenio ha estado tronar ese proyecto que un día se soñó alternativo de la mercantilista e insaciable televisión mexicana. Un proyecto crítico que, por serlo, perdió una tras otra sus fuentes de financiamiento, la publicidad sobre todo y luego ante el incumplimiento del pago de salarios perdió lo más valioso, la enorme, estoica y generosa solidaridad de sus trabajadores. Pero ahora que los representantes legales de Canal 40 y sus todavía directivos han logrado negociar en términos de comercialización 5 millones de dólares como préstamo de la empresa General Electric dueña de la cadena estadounidense de televisión NBC, para saldar todas y cada una de esas deudas por salarios y prestaciones devengadas, incluso encarecidas por la gestión del STIRT como medida para dificultar más la negociación, se ha puesto en marcha una hipócrita y manipuladora estrategia informativa por parte de las televisoras que exige respeto a la Ley Federal de Radio y Televisión, y llama a detener la invasión de los extranjeros en los medios electrónicos de comunicación de nuestro país, señalando hacia el norte, de donde nos viene esta nueva intromisión. De no ser porque se ha involucrado también la autoridad en esta cantaleta, tal despliegue provocaría sólo risa ante el cinismo, pero también provoca pena. Lo penoso es que la autoridad se coaligue con ese enfoque y se preste a reproducir la confusión en un asunto del que aún ni claro está el ámbito de su competencia. Un préstamo de esa naturaleza tendría que registrarse por lo menos en el Registro Público de la Propiedad y el Comercio; o si fuera el caso de una inversión neutra que no lo es, tendría que inscribirse conforme a la ley en el Registro Nacional de Inversión Extranjera, y ser autorizado en la Secretaría de Economía. A diferencia de la lenta y sinuosa actuación cuando las instalaciones de esa televisora fueron asaltadas en el cerro donde localiza su antena de transmisión, en el caso que nos ocupa la Subsecretaría de Comunicaciones ha tenido inmediatez y diligencia insospechadas, pues hasta un comunicado emitió advirtiendo que no permitiría violación alguna de las cláusulas legales que en México excluyen a los extranjeros de participación accionaria en empresas de radio y televisión. En efecto, varias disposiciones de la Ley Federal de Radio y Televisión establecen importantes salvaguardas para mantener en manos nacionales esta industria cultural; para evitar ceder "ni en manera alguna gravar, dar en fideicomiso o enajenar total o parcialmente la concesión, los derechos en ella conferidos, instalaciones, servicios auxiliares, dependencias o accesorios, a un gobierno o persona extranjeros, ni admitirlos como socios de la empresa concesionaria"; pero ello tampoco significa que un préstamo a riesgo de un inversionista extranjero se constituya en el supuesto legal. Cualquier convenio de inversión que tenga como garantía de pago una participación accionaria en sociedades excluidas de inversión extranjera sería nulo de pleno derecho. Eso lo sabe la Subsecretaría de Comunicaciones, pero su intervención está enfilada con el ánimo de evitar la solución del conflcito laboral que levante la huelga del Canal 40, y pueda volver a ponerse en operación su señal. Detrás de ese prurito por la legalidad con el que algunas autoridades y sobre todo Televisa quieren enfrentar la nueva oportunidad que se le abre a Canal 40 con ese préstamo, se muestra la magnitud de la resistencia a abrir y diversificar la oferta comunicacional televisiva en nuestro país. Pero también está expuesta la doble moral y el falso nacionalismo de los que con la historia y la Bandera mexicana critican la inversión extranjera en el área de las telecomunicaciones, la radio y la televisión. Si algún grupo empresarial entregó a manos extranjeras el control de sus estaciones de radio fue precisamente Televisa, mediante un mecanismo de fusión de capital que llegó hasta 50% y a través de la figura legal de inversión neutra ha otorgado en los hechos la operación de grupo Radiópolis a la empresa española Prisa, del no muy bien librado Jesús de Polanco. Ahí el nacionalismo sospechosista de Televisa no contó, ni el nacionalismo histórico del ingeniero Carlos Slim se hizo presente, siendo que es un importante accionista de la empresa. Tampoco digo que Prisa lo ha hecho mal, para fortuna nuestra y en contrasentido de esa simulación, la operación ha sido plural y crítica; prueba fehaciente de que no la dirigen los televisos. No son pocos los medios electrónicos de comunicación de los impedidos por la ley, que han dado entrada a capital foráneo por esa vía, y cada vez están más extranjerizados en su administración y contenidos. Un dato revelador es la férrea oposición que los dirigentes de la CIRT tienen para con la propuesta de nueva Ley de Radio y Televisión en el sentido de que los medios deberán transmitir no menos de 50% de programación nacional. Los patrioteros de los últimos días pusieron entonces el grito en el cielo. Canal 40 nos confirma el escenario más seguro para cualquier reforma legal o acto que busque abrir la tele: la resistencia a la competencia será brutal, la enfrentarán con todos los medios posibles y bajo cualquier esquema de manipulación. Habrá que irnos preparando, los abusos decantarán la decisión. Senador de la República. Este texto se publicó el martes 26 de julio de 2005 en el diario El Universal. (colaboración enviada por Roberto Edgar Gomez Morales, desde Mexico, Conexión Digital August 6 via DXLD) ** NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR. 6160, CKZN, 0215-0228, August 2, English, Relay of CBC Radio 1 program "Northern Lights" with classical music featuring the Oboe. YL between selections and full ID at 0227. Fair/good (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, 200' Beverage antennas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PARAGUAY. 9736.99, R. Nacional del Paraguay, Aug 6, 0158-0303, fútbol news coverage, short items with short music pieces, excited commentary covering a goal being scored, ID "Radio Nacional del Paraguay,`` poor, with heavy QRM from DW on 9735.0 (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. RUSSIA TO ABC: DROP DEAD Sunday, August 7, 2005; B06 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/06/AR2005080600859_pf.html THE RUSSIAN government has pitched what can only be described as a diplomatic temper tantrum in response to an interview with a notorious Chechen warlord broadcast last month on ABC-TV's "Nightline." ABC News's Moscow bureau has been, in effect, blacklisted, and the Russian foreign ministry announced that accreditations for the network's 11-member staff there will not be renewed as they expire, meaning staffers will be officially barred from working as journalists in the country. The dyspeptic reaction is in keeping with the Putin government's increasing intolerance for dissent, especially where Russia's brutal, decade-long war in Chechnya is concerned. When this government is faced with any critical message, its instinctive reaction is to bully and intimidate the messenger. It was especially telling that the Kremlin's first impulse after the program aired was to summon the top U.S. diplomat in Moscow to lodge an official protest, as if the Bush administration exercised control over broadcast decisions by U.S. media. Sorry, guys, that's not the way it works here. No doubt, the subject of the "Nightline" interview, Shamil Basayev, meets any definition of a terrorist. He was the putative mastermind or on-the-scene commander of Chechen rebel raids on a Russian school last year (320 dead, about half of them children); a Moscow theater in 2002 (129 dead); and a Russian maternity hospital in 1995 (120 dead). He has also taken responsibility for downing two Russian civilian airliners last year (90 dead) and suicide bombings in 2003 in Russia's capital (58 dead). Mr. Basayev -- cold-blooded, amoral, intoxicated with his self-image as the avenger of an oppressed people -- is awash in innocent blood. He has a $10 million bounty on his head. He is also a legitimate subject for journalistic inquiry. As "Nightline" host Ted Koppel rightly pointed out on the air: "Freedom of speech is never an issue when a popular person expresses an acceptable point of view. It is of real value only because it guarantees us access to the unpopular espousing the unacceptable." Unfortunately, that underpinning of democratic civil society is lost on President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin, which wears blinders on all matters related to Chechnya. Independent human rights groups, European governments and the U.S. State Department, which considers Mr. Basayev a terrorist, have all condemned Russia's own atrocities in the breakaway republic, where tens or hundreds of thousands of Chechen civilians have been slaughtered at the hands of Russian forces since 1995. Russia has rejected or ignored those condemnations; at the same time, it has harassed, hassled and made life impossible for journalists who have tried to do independent reporting in Chechnya. Prominent among those journalists is Andrei Babitsky, who did the "Nightline" interview with Basayev. Mr. Babitsky, a Russian citizen who has worked extensively, and courageously, in Chechnya, is employed by the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; he apparently offered the Basayev interview to "Nightline" while on leave from his regular job. Russian lawmakers have threatened to have Mr. Babitsky brought up on charges of collaborating with a terrorist, and the Russian foreign ministry has lashed out at him, suggesting it will complain to his American employers. They should stand behind Mr. Babitsky, just as ABC has stood behind its right to broadcast the news as it sees fit. To buckle under Moscow's pressure would be to reward intimidation. (c) 2005 The Washington Post Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. Hello Tarik, Thanks for your message re ARS 9675. This one is registered with the HFCC as 9675 0300-0900 and 0900-1600 39S RIY 500 0 and I think the 0 (zero) means omnidirectional which might be why it isn't audible in Cairo. But, it was audible here today [Aug. 7] at much better strength although still with co-channel from Brazil at 0643. It was definitely not carrying the Main Programme as heard on 17730 & 17740, nor the Qur`an Programme on 15380. So I still think it broadcasts the 2nd Programme as previously. The other 2nd Programme outlet on 11855 - registered 11855 0600-1700 38E,39,48NW JED 50 0 was not audible for any comparison. The last time I heard it, modulation level was low and frequency was slightly on the low side of nominal (Noel R. Green [NW England], dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. Re 5-131: Raúl, Radio Nile was in English tonight (7 August) the entire time. They have an Arabic (?) ID. Last week, it sure sounded like Amharic but the announcer may simply have had a non- Arabic accent. Who knows? Tonight, they had an interesting program on the late Vice President of Sudan. There was a neat African style version of Amazing Grace. The music segments are separated by a trumpet fanfare, followed by what sounds like machine gun fire. 12060 S7+ until only fair by 0450. // 15320 moderate until inaudible at 0450. Off 0457. No jamming heard here (Liz Cameron, MI, UT Aug 7, dxldyg via DXLD) I just caught them at 0457* on 15320 as I was tuning by, good signal here (gh, OK, DXLD) Liz: QSL 100%. Radio Nile was in English this Saturday night, 12060, Aug. 7, (UT Sunday 0430), with little ID in Arabic, and I heard too that trumpet fanfare followed by the machine gun effect. Tho I not payed much attention to the entire transmission, the waterfall-like jamming from the night before was almost inaudible this time. No luck for me with 15320. If this in fact comes from Madagascar, and for the kind of good signal we get, are they using the RN Antananarivo facilities or what? (Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, has been so from the outset, no secret, as listed in RN`s transmission schedule at http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/schedule050327.html?view=Standard 0430-0500 (Sat-Tues) Madagascar 12060 325 250 R. Nile East Africa 0430-0500 (Sat-Tues) Madagascar 15320 335 250 R. Nile East Africa Note the slightly different azimuths, presumably to cover Sudan more completely. Could you describe this ``waterfall`` ``jamming`` further? I doubt that this service be deliberately jammed (gh, DXLD) ** SURINAME. 4990, 28.7 0205, Radio Apintie heard very well for a while (QSA 3), but after a while they quickly faded away. JE 4990, 4.8 0235, Radio Apintie piled up ballads. QSA 2-3 (Jan Edh, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 7, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWITZERLAND. Final selexion on this week`s Global Village from CBC (Via RCI until 0155 UT Sun Aug 7 on 13710, 11990) was by Stimmhorn. That seems to have been the final chance in the week to hear it, per http://www.publicradiofan.com/cgi-bin/program.pl?programid=127 and CBC does not availablize it ondemand, or if so not mentioned at http://www.cbc.ca/globalvillage/ This duet has to be heard to be believed. I found their website which opens with an auto 88-second sample, http://www.stimmhorn.ch/ and some more mp3 samples are at http://www.stimmhorn.ch/deutsch/download.html ``stimmhorn --- Border crossers in the Helvetic landscape of sound At the beginning, there is the alpenhorn. Then, there are the first few overtones. Bizarre sounds are generated before images of the sublime world of mountains. ``stimmhorn`` leave behind all categories and pass beyond all genres: with references to various musical styles and combined with theatrical elements, the duo, using the means of instrument and voice, invents acoustic voyages between traditional and experimental worlds of sound. For their innovative joy in experimentation, Zehnder/Streiff have been given numerous award- winning commissions. ``stimmhorn`` have become a label for a mixture of foreign and familiar sounds of the land from the Alps. ``igloo`` is the name of their latest production, in which the musician ``kold``, with electronics and beats, expands the duo`s cosmos of sounds even further. Besides that, ``stimmhorn`` continue to be on their way as a duo. In their chamber performance, [kammerkonzert] the two musicians share the creative process with their audience.`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. There was a bit of a problem with the live broadcast of BBC Radio 3 Prom No. 30 on Friday August 5 --- some continuous feedback in the Royal Albert Hall prevented its starting on time; they tried again half an hour later, but still had not gotten rid of it! This one I was prepared to hear live, but decided it would instead be an ideal one to delay for a so-called ``Listen-Again`` session. All this is preserved in the Proms Player file for the following week, where, unless you want to the hear all the fill music and embarrassed apologies, whilst maintaining the audience was waiting in good humour for the solution, you may safely skip forward 3 x 15 minutes and 2 x 5 minutes and then wait 2 minutes till it finally starts for real, 57 minutes late, with Francesca da Rimini by Chaikovsky --- or listen to the first two minutes and then do the skipping. Amazing it took that long to fix a feedback problem --- and why would there be any chance of that? Orchestras normally play in an indoor hall such as that without further amplification. But will the automated file, which usually has a lot of additional programming after the Prom tacked onto it, stay going long enough to contain the entire hour-late concert? Later: no, Sibelius` Fifth was not quite over when the file ran out abruptly at 2 hours and 46 minutes. I e-mailed them that they should fix it ASAP (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. A Brief History of U.S. International Radio Broadcasting and War --- by D Westover and J-C Molleda A Brief History of U.S. International Radio Broadcasting and War: From the Voice of America to Radio Tikrit --- by Capt. David Westover, USAF Strategic Public Relations Management: International Perspective and Dr. Juan-Carlos Molleda April 22, 2003 http://ics.leeds.ac.uk/papers/vp01.cfm?outfit=pmt&requesttimeout=500&folder=141&paper=1239 (via Arnaldo Slaen, Conexión Digital August 6 via DXLD) ** U S A. Why does WMLK even bother to turn on the transmitter? Tuesday Aug 2, in a previously overlooked logging, at 1615 detected an open carrier of fair strength on 9265, but could not hear any modulation above some hashy QRM which could have been local or all they were transmitting. Modulation level is usually in the single- digits (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. What is it with World Harvest Radio and auto racing? Some race was being covered complete with sound FX, Sunday afternoon Aug 7 as I tuned by 15285 at 1959, contrary to their online schedule showing: 1930 SU 0330 PM 0400 PM EVANGELISTIC FAITH MINISTRIES JUDDE PEYTON 2000 SU 0400 PM 0430 PM RADIO WEATHER ROD HEMBREE And how come the PM times are in EDT instead of EST, still vigent in South Bend? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Greetings!! The 700 letters of introduction being sent various Ministries all across America are now going in the mail 30 to 50 letters at a time. We do not expect a flood of response but this will place WWRB in the minds of ministries (Name [ call letter] recognition. We have updated our FAQ page to include WWRBshortwave position on 'DRM' WWRB shortwave is now on the 'front burner' --- big time! Regards!!! (Dave Frantz, WWRB, Aug 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Q: I`ve been hearing about shortwave radio stations beginning to use something called DRM, or Digital Radio Mondiale. What is this? Does Radio Station WWRB support DRM operations? A: Digital Radio Mondiale, also known as DRM, is a technology that replaces ordinary analogue shortwave broadcast signals with digital signals. DRM is being developed to provide listeners with better shortwave reception and greater clarity than is possible with current shortwave technology. A highly experimental developing technology, Digital Radio Mondiale requires most shortwave radio stations to purchase new transmitters or substantially modify existing units to achieve compatibility. However, due to the versatility of Radio Station WWRB's transmitters, we are fully DRM ready. In fact, Radio Station WWRB was the first privately owned radio station in the continental United States to successfully test and utilize digital radio. However, while Radio Station WWRB supports DRM operations, we do not currently offer DRM capabilities to our clients, for to receive digital radio broadcasts, listeners must purchase extremely costly digital radio receivers. Listeners in economically depressed nations, such as many of the nations of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, cannot afford to upgrade their radios. As for listeners in the rest of the world, the scarcity of DRM broadcasts and the uncertain future of the technology prevents the upgrade to digital radio receivers from being cost-effective. Our attitude towards Digital Radio Mondiale is to wait until it becomes more commonplace and less experimental before offering it to our broadcasters (from http://www.wwrb.org/faq/faqindex.htm via DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO WAVES HIDE UNKNOWN ANNOUNCER By Clyde Davis: Local Columnist Inspired partly by Tom Petty`s Last DJ, and partly by a lonely stretch of late night radio reception, somewhere northeast of Amarillo, this piece is entirely fiction. Or, maybe not. I can`t tell you where I am. Not exactly, or even within a close proximity. The FCC has been tracking me for months, off and on sometimes more on than off and if they hone-in on my signal, it could be messy. When they do get too close, I just move. For the same reasons, I can`t use my real name. But I will take your requests and dedications that`s a big part of why I`m here. You call me on my cell phone, I play what you want. In between, I play what I want to play, and say what I want to say, not what Blank Channel radio tells me to say. Nope, I`m not a computer generated, could-be-anybody located-anywhere voice. You can only hear me in Colorado or northern New Mexico. That, however, covers a lot of territory. Do I know people send messages on my dedication line? Well, duh. Like when the same anonymous teenager calls in every weekend to request Can You Slip Away? (Anyway, why does his girlfriends dad dislike him so much?) Passing messages is one of the cool parts. Keeping my sponsors happy? If you tune into my show, you realize I don`t have any. Dear old grandpa is my sponsor. When he died, he left me enough that I could either quit working and live modestly, or keep working and fund my own radio station. I chose the latter. Look at it this way. I`m the essence of public radio. Sometimes I even blindfold one of my friends or listeners, take them to where I`m broadcasting, and let them get on the air and just talk. Last month I let a guy from Loveland talk for two hours about art in public spaces. Frequently I let my local coach friend give high school wrestling reports. Pretty exciting. Format? Hey, where else can you hear Screamin Jay Hawkins, Hank Williams Sr., and Five for Fighting in the same half hour music set? Gotta go now. I need to fiddle with my equipment. Yeah, of course I change my frequency every two months or so. Another way to keep the FCC guessing. Clyde Davis is pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Portales and an instructor at Eastern New Mexico University. He can be contacted at: clyde_davis @ yahoo.com (Clovis News Journal via Mike Cooper, Aug 6, DXLD) Apparently not the sharpest tack in the drawer; publishing your endeavors in a newspaper is not all that brilliant (Terry L. Krueger, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Unless this really be fixion? WTFK?? ** U S A. Q ABOUT NON-COMMERCIAL TRANSLATORS IN THE COMMERCIAL BAND Hello, My understanding (from Scott? Doug?) was that translators in the commercial band had to perform direct pickup of the station they rebroadcast. Out here in my area, KVIP has a giant network of translators stretching far from their home in Redding CA. Some of them are in the commercial band, like K257DT Sunriver (99.3). K257DT does _not_ pick up KVIP's signal directly. Rather, it picks it up from 91.9 K220IG Chemult, about 40 miles further down the road towards Redding. I know this as, when K220IG is off, K257DT unwittingly rebroadcasts 91.9 KWSO Warm Springs. Is this legal? If it is, I'm doomed. I can already see the apps for other distant stations trying to make their way into my area. For example, KYPL Yakima has a CP for 103.9 Prineville, which I assume will feed their CP on 92.1 Bend. Neither can possibly grab KYPL over the air, so I assume one will relay a translator from somewhere else, and they'll form a chain into this area. Comments? Scott? Doug? Others with knowledge? (Dave Williams -- Redmond, OR, Aug 7, WTFDA via DXLD) Alas, such daisy-chaining of translators is legal, even in the commercial band. The rule specifies that translators must get their feed off-air, but it doesn't have to be from the primary itself. It's shocking - shocking! - to find out that K-Love has been in the forefront of such maneuvers. Many of its applications in last year's translator window were predicated on such daisy-chains. One that I noted brings 95.9 Grafton WV up to Pittsburgh via four or five translators along the way. Needless to say, one good trop opening and the whole daisy-chain collapses :-) s (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) Thanks Scott... Here's a follow-up. A semi-local lpfm which came on last year stated in its license application that it would locally originate programming, and that the purpose of the station was primarily to be a hands-on learning experience at an associated elementary school. Instead, they came on the air as a 24/7 LifeTalk Radio Network clone, satellite delivered. And the school mentioned in the app doesn't seem to exist, via google, phone book, education directories, etc. Legal? Not legal? I'm assuming legal, but inquiring minds want to know :-). (Dave Williams, ibid.) Would you settle for "not quite legal, but unlikely to be actionable"? If they came on last year, then they must have been uncontested, which means that the FCC never even got so far as to consider the various promises (local programming, etc) that add up to the points that you need to win a contested LPFM. So none of those promises were legally binding on the applicant, and they're OK to be running the satellite programming. However, if they invented a school name for the purpose of their application, as it sounds like they may have done, that begins to tread on the slippery ground of "candor before the Commission." *IF* someone could show standing to complain, which would probably mean being in the station's signal range, minimally, one could conceivably challenge the license on that ground. The Commission does NOT like being lied to. s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) Here's what the FCC says: Noncommercial educational non-fill-in translators operating on Channels 201 through 220 which are owned by the licensee of the primary noncommercial educational FM translator station may use alternate means [that means microwave or satellite] to receive the primary FM station's signal. Non-fill-in noncommercial educational translators on Channels 221 through 300 [the commercial channels] are prohibited from any alternative methods of signal delivery, including programming feeds by satellite. See 47 CFR Section 74.1231(b). So, you can string the translators together, but you can't feed them directly. Or, you can do like EMF is doing here -- buy a class A in some forgotten town, and string a set of translators off it. The FCC did not envision what happened with the translator rules happening, and has been trying to fix the problem. Perhaps they'll send out some NPRM on the subject eventually. If you want to read full text of the operative section of the Rules (which is a bit wordy), here's a link: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=47&PART=74&Section=1231&TYPE=TEXT Hope this helps (Peter Baskind, J.D., LL.M., N4LI, Germantown, TN/EM55, ibid.) Then how do the two Colorado translators for the WWFM-89.1-NJ network get fed ? Clearly not off-air. The same would have to be true for numbers of foreign religious translators. I have to believe that rule no longer exists or else has a loophole big enough to drive a tank through (Russ Edmunds, PA, ibid.) I didn't make myself clear enough. In the "commercial band" (92.1- 107.9), translators must be fed off-air. In the NCE band (87.9-91.9), translators that are co-owned with the primary may be fed via any distribution method, including satellite, as WWFM does with its Colorado translators. s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) There are multitudes of these, mostly by various groups affiliated with relaying of religious programming into foreign areas. A fraudulent app isn't legal yet, so I suspect reporting them might bring some interesting results - trouble is whomever would report them would probably have to be interfered with by their signal before any action would be taken (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA ( 360' ASL ), ibid.) The Rule still does exist, and it`s pretty clear of exceptions: An FM translator may be used for the purpose of retransmitting the signals of a primary FM radio broadcast station or another translator station the signal of which is received directly through space, converted, and suitably amplified. However, an FM translator providing fill-in service may use any terrestrial facilities to receive the signal that is being rebroadcast. An FM booster station or a noncommercial educational FM translator station that is operating on a reserved channel (Channels 201-220) and is owned and operated by the licensee of the primary noncommercial educational station it rebroadcasts may use alternative signal delivery means, including, but not limited to, satellite and terrestrial microwave facilities. 47 CFR Sec. §74.1231 So, the Rule implies that all stations must feed through the air – by the primary itself OR by another translator of the primary - UNLESS the translator is educational, non-commercial and operating below 92.1. Now, I`ll admit, there is an argument that an inventive lawyer might make (DANG LAWYERS!). He might argue that the Rule is poorly written and is meant to be illustrative, not exhaustive. Basically, he would argue, the Rule says the translator may be fed over the air, but it does not say it MAY NOT be fed via satellite or microwave. This argument is almost surely a loser, but the poor draftsmanship invites it. Still, I think the intent here is clear. But, I digress... But, as has been discussed, there are two ways around this: 1. Set up a long chain of translators. In the West, where translators get big, this can especially be useful. But, as has been noted, when there is a failure in the chain, all transmitters behind the fault fail, too. 2. Buy a lame-o Class A that you may feed via satellite, and hang translators off it. The country is full of small town Class As that can be had for a song. We have a classic example here in West TN: WKVZ/Ripley, TN is in a small town that really no one cares about. They grow great tomatoes there in Summer, but it’s quiet there the rest of the year. Still, it seems, all of West Tennessee thirsts for programming out of this quaint little ‘burg. Here’s the list: 1. W239AJ 95.7 UNION CITY TN 2. W245AR 96.9 JACKSON TN 3. W269BB 101.7 BROWNSVILLE TN 4. NEW 98.5 DYERSBURG TN 5. W271AU 102.1 COVINGTON TN 6. W292CZ 106.3 JACKSON TN 7. K277AV 103.3 BLYTHEVILLE AR 8. W257BN 99.3 HALLS TN 9. W254BB 98.7 UNION CITY TN 10. NEW 96.1 MILAN TN 11. W255AU 98.9 MARTIN TN 12. W292CS 106.3 MCKENZIE TN And, EMF is doing the same thing with another 94.9 near me, in Byhalia, MS (which, coincidentally, is short-spaced with Ripley). And, some of these translators are whoppers. Heck, one translator application to Bartlett, MS, while only 10 watts, would be ~ 830’ in the air, rivaling the signal of its parent. And, no, I am not going to beat up on EMF. They are just using the Rules to their advantage. But, gosh, I do hear them all over the dial as I drive around West Tennessee. Oh, well... (Peter Baskind, J.D., LL.M., N4LI, Germantown, TN/EM55, ibid.) ** U S A. Involvement of NBC Universal/Telemundo/General Electric in breaking strike at Mexico`s Canal 40: see MEXICO ** U S A. More on banning ABC-TV: see RUSSIA ** U S A. A Show Goes On --- Two dynamic sportscasters proved that a Spanish-language Red Sox radio show could thrive. But it took a tragedy to earn the program the attention it deserved. Uri Berenguer (left) and Juan Oscar Baez, at work in Fenway, continue the tradition at the Spanish Beisbol Network. (Globe Staff Photo / Matthew J. Lee) By Will Kilburn | August 7, 2005 Uri Berenguer did not expect to become the senior broadcaster in the Spanish Beisbol Network's booth at Fenway Park so soon. And not like this. When he turned 23 in May, he was already a press-box veteran, a statistician for the sports radio station WEEI by age 13 who called his first game in Spanish at 17. But he was still the junior partner to J.P. Villaman, known to fans as "Papa Oso" ("Papa Bear"), a 46- year-old native of the Dominican Republic whose operatic treatment of even routine plays complemented the younger man's stat-heavy analysis. The duo was a natural fit for the five-year-old network on a mission to modernize Spanish baseball radio while retaining the drama and celebration of the old school. On game days, their booth hosted a fiesta filled with laughter, jokes, and friends as high-energy dance music punctuated the beginning and end of each inning. It was a party that was unknown to most of Red Sox Nation until late May, when Villaman died in an early-morning car accident after a game. The tragedy thrust the network and Berenguer into the spotlight. . . http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2005/08/07/a_show_goes_on/ (via Bill Westenhaver, QC, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. 1170 VUELVE A CAMBIAR DE NOMBRE... Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. El pasado 03/08 pude captar en los 1170 kHz de la OM, a las 1907UT, que la antigua Radio 1070 (1170 kHz) --- la cual había cambiado su denominación hace un año a Radio Celestial 1170 AM --- ha retomado las identificaciones como "Radio 1070, la turística del Caribe". Anunciaban nueva administración y más potencia. La emisora usualmente está en el aire hasta las 6 ó 7pm hora local, (22/23 UT). Radio 1070 es la estación de radio pionera del Estado Vargas y en sus comienzos se llamó Emisora Vargas. 73s y buen DX (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Aug 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Checking Aló, Presidente, Sunday Aug 7 at 1407, the RHC warmup was under way on 13750 --- not TIRWR/DGS at this hour, nothing on 13680, best on 11875, and weak/mixing about equally with WYFR producing 132/min SAH on 11670; not audible on 17750. Meanwhile, RHC`s own programming was on 9550, 11760 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. Amigos, Uma recepção ontem à noite de bom interesse a todos: 7460 kHz, Radio Nacional de la RASD (RASD = República Árabe Saharaui Democrática), origem não confirmada, se é Western Sahara, Marrocos ou Argelia. 06/08 2145 UT, árabe, canções regionais e noticiário com referencias à África e Argélia. 25422. 73, (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo, SP, BRASIL, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Radio Nacional de la RASD observed a few minutes ago (0710) back on 7460 kHz (LUCA BOTTO FIORA, QTH: Rapallo (Genova) Italy, Aug 7, BDXC- UK via DXLD) As has been reported here for some time (gh, DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. 6165, ZBC, *0249+, August 2, Vernacular, "Fish Eagle" IS into choral music. Not // with 4910 which was noted as early as 0240 with same format. Poor. 4910-booming (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, R75, 200' Beverage antennas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Your great DX work is highly appreciated! Vy 73, (Erik Køie in Copenhagen) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ A GREAT SOFTWARE LEAD FOR ALL SHORTWAVERS! Located by Daniel Jackson! Hello: Dan 984 here! If you are into better shortwave radio reception and want the best technology in software then you will want to check out the DSP freeware on the Net. Most of the Freeware for digital signal processing is offered as high tech unregistered freeware. There are some demos that require registration in the list. Out of all of the freeware that I have tested the two most interesting items are the Echo 2 filter and the SD radio .94. Both work off of the audio line level input to the PC. If you want the best item of them all then you want the SD Radio version .94 there is a .95 version but it may have bugs with certain software and is currently under evaluation: you may however download both versions at http://www.weaksignals.com The SD Radio looks like a radio front or console panel but is a type of self adjusting DSP software with a BFO: it will tune to the right or left of the Audio side bands and will also tune FM. It does this merely by using the line level audio from the shortwave receiver and will work with any shortwave receiver. Small portable, analog or digit technology. If you are into shortwave radio and have access to the Net then you would be foolish to miss this freeware. Albert I2PHD an amateur radio operator of Italy designed this technology and told us to use it and spread it around! It's wondrous freeware! So take Dan`s word for it check it out soon and download it! Download here, Select working version .94 and .95 may also work well for you! Just click sites below: http://digilander.libero.it/i2phd/sdradio/index.html or: home page, http://www.weaksignals.com (Daniel Jackson, Dan 984, Morning Star Communications Limited, 2058 Turkey Creek Rd, Baughman, KY 40911, SFG Research Limited, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I know nothing about this; beware (gh, DXLD) MONDAY MORNING MAINTENANCE nostalgia I grew up in northern New Jersey and actually remember the anticipation of PJB coming on the air with their 500 kW. When it did, yes, we could hear them but it was not always the "signal to blow the barn doors down" that we had expected. At that time 800 in the US was full of daytimers, all generally 1 kW or less. The Canadians were the fulltimers there, and CKLW in Windsor ON was the big dog here, with a lot of just plain listeners (not DXers) who caught them nightly, all over the NorthEast USA. It was a rare event to hear others such as CJBQ. One night I heard CHAB in Moose Jaw, a really unusual log for me. And from New Jersey, once verified a frequency check from KDBM Dillon, Mont. on 800 with CKLW off the air. In those days, most US stations had a single main transmitter, and ran it all night 6 days. Monday morning was picked as the "off night" for maintenance as it was supposed to have the fewest listeners of any night. In some farm areas, Sunday morning was the silent night, as the early Monday farm news was important. WHO 1040 Des Moines the best example of that I can recall. The Sunday AM receptions of KHVH 1040 Honolulu on the East Coast were tales of legend. I think I had them all of 3 times, and never well enough to report. Once in 1967 I ran a reel of tape all night and the signal faded in just as the tape ran out, with the man talking about the Hawaiian Village Hotel. Today virtually all stations have Alternate Mains and can take one or the other down for maintenance at will, so the silent periods are reserved for antenna work, which is much less frequent. Also the reliability of transmitters is now so much better, that a weekly silent period is not needed, nor are the frequency checks. Some radio history (Bob Foxworth, FL, ABDX via DXLD) DANGER THAT A WHOLE GENERATION WILL GROW UP WITHOUT RADIO [UK] OFCOM WARNING --- Julia Day writing in the Media Guardian reported that Ofcom chief executive Stephen Carter has warned the radio industry that there is a danger that a whole generation will grow up without radio. Mr Carter said one of the main challenges for radio broadcasters was retaining the youth audience who are more interested in other, newer technologies. "Most of my generation grew up with radio. Memories of that first car, that first cigarette, that first pint of heavy, are for many of us inextricably bound up with particular pieces of music, particular radio programmes or DJs," he told the Edinburgh Radio Festival. "Today, while television can still capture children up to their early teens and the challenge is simply getting them back in their twenties, for radio, is there a generation growing up who are simply not introduced to the habit and may thus not get the point as they mature." Mr Carter said mobile phones were one of the key technologies through which radio can be used to tap in to the youth audience. "Two-thirds of today's young mobile users have their phones on and within easy reach for between 21 and 24 hours a day. I earnestly hope that radio - possibly using the mobile as delivery medium - can capture at least some of that time." He also warned that radio's reliance on mainstream chart music can no longer guarantee audiences. "The biggest hit has been taken by chart- led mainstream music. In part this reflects the generic decline of the chart from something central to mass audience judgements on popular music, to a smaller part of the overall music scene. The gradual decline in mainstream chart radio listening over the past five years has accelerated: from 40% of commercial listening at the start of the decade to 30% and still falling. Some interesting parallels with mainstream, mass audience television; but unlike mass television there are no rising power ratios to sustain the value of radio advertising." Mr Carter went on to discuss how Ofcom believes the radio industry can open the door to a digital future. He said the regulator would reach a decision this summer about whether to license up to two new national digital multiplexes to boost capacity for digital radio stations that are able to broadcast across the whole of the UK. "We are also consulting about a further one or even two national multiplexes and digesting, carefully, the responses that we have received. We will reach a decision on this over the summer." Digital One - set up by Classic FM owner GWR, which is now part of Gcap Media - is currently the only national multiplex owner and argues that its massive and early investment in digital radio should be protected. Mr Carter said Ofcom was also committed to making three new blocks of spectrum available for new local multiplexes. "This will enable us to ensure that every region in the UK has at least one digital multiplex. By our analysis that means DAB coverage for 69% of stations by volume (94% by analogue commercial listening), though that still leaves 89 stations landlocked in analogue." (via Mike Barraclough, UK, Making Contact, August World DX Club Contact via DXLD) WORLD'S FIRST HAND-CRANKED DAB RADIO 5 August 2005 --- You have a man who lives on a island in the Thames to thank for the crank-powered DAB radio before you. In the early 1990s, Trevor Bayliss invented the wind-up radio and spent years being ignored before successfully setting up Freeplay, a company that's spent the past decade knocking out great hand-powered FM radios. Making a digital - DAB - version has proved tricky because it's so battery hungry. This October sees the solution: the Freeplay Devo. It's charged by winding a crank, has an analogue FM tuner and a DAB digital tuner so you can pick up 6 Music, 1Xtra and more than a dozen other stations. Sixty seconds of winding produces three minutes of DAB but when fully charged the radio will play six hours of digital radio. Boating, camping and outdoorsy types will also be glad to hear it's finished in ABS - that's Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, plastics' fans - which is famed for its rigidity, hardness and heat resistance. The Freeplay Devo's on sale in October from John Lewis for £100. http://www.stuffmagazine.co.uk/hotstuffarticle.asp?de_id=388 (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) I can't resist saying that this preview from Stuff has got to be a wind-up! While it's one-up to Baygen for cracking the power- consumption issue of DAB, at least on the surface, can you really see somebody spending two hours keeping both hands occupied- one to hold the set and one to crank- to listen to six hours of 6 Music? Only the most miserly would feel this necessary, surely --- though I suspect the cost to health of RSI or some similar wrist muscle impediment would soon negate any benefit gained in money saved. Although the physicists among us would probably be quick to point out that the "efficiency" of this device is magnificent: 3 times the amount of "output" (time listening) over the amount of power input (i.e your wrist movement) puts it way ahead of any lever or pulley I've ever heard of in mechanical terms! Mind you, my (G)CSE physics teacher would never have dreamt of turning kinetic energy into acoustic energy --- unless of course he was a friend of local lad Trevor Baylis, who once turned his "kinetic energy" into water power as a champion swimmer in Southall. Little known facts that nobody cares about... (MARK Savage, ibid.) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ WWRB`s policy on DRM: see U S A DTV DX over local analogs One night, I watched the snow on "local" CFMT-47 Toronto (33 miles - I can see the xmtr out my window across the lake) increase. I was noticing a signal on the Win-TV card while I could still see the analog through the snow. When the snow got a bit stronger - and I could barely perceive the analog, I decoded WTVH-DT-47 Syracuse, NY perfectly with NO errors at 175 miles on a stinky little 2-bay UHF antenna. I could barely see an analog making it through well...but a digital..and with no errors! 'Never thought that was possible, but it is. That means to me that EVERY channel here in Grimsby, ON (E of Hamilton) is open for digital DX..even 11 mile CITS-36 which can be blocked out by hills using a ground-level antenna. Still waiting for my Humax. Can't wait after hearing more of Steve's comments (Bill Hepburn, ON, WTFDA via DXLD) I have received DTV through semi-locals, but never through my locals. Most of my locals are within 5 miles, and the farthest is 10 miles, so getting anything through them has just not happened. I have seen them get noised up with DTV snow during strong tropo, but nowhere near a level that would allow decoding a picture. I have been able to receive strong Es through my local DTV on channel 4 (Girard Westerberg, http://www.DXFM.com Lexington, KY, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ OLD ROY TOOTS HIS HORN Today I turn 65, so allow me to toot my horn. DXing TV here on Cape Cod for some 34 years. My best catches for sporadic E; short 5 CBAFT Fredericton, NB at 365 Miles. Long, 2 YNTC Managua, Nicaragua at 2,235 Miles. Notable Es, 10 from Nfld., 5 from CUBA, double hop to PR, twice to D. R. and Venezuela. For Meteor Scatter; Short, 2 and 4 Boston at 59 Miles. Long, 3 CBWFT Winnipeg, MB, 1,406 Miles. Verified. Hi-Band total 9, 4 on ch 12 and 2 on ch 13. Total M.S. 94. Tropo:[my favorite mode] VHF Lo-Band long, 6 Wilmington, NC at 640 Miles. VHF Hi-Band, 11 WINK Ft. Myers, FL at 1,200 Miles. Notable, 8 CBNT Saint John's, Nfld. at 964 Miles. Last two verified. UHF [Where it's at]; Long Northeast 15 and 34 New Glasgow at 482 Miles. Notable, 13, 31, and 42 PEI. at 481 Miles. North: 32 CIVK Gascons, Quebec at 535 Miles. West; 35 WWTO LaSalle, IL. at 947 Miles. South [Downcoast] 6 From Miami at 1209 Miles. Notable, 36 WFTX Cape Coral, FL at 1201 Miles. Longest LP W42AM Daytona Beach, FL at 1060 Miles. Notable; Total stations from FL 33, 36 from N.S., 76 From VA and 61 From NC. Totals 821 analog + 127 DTV= 948 (OLD ROY [BARSTOW] FROM OLD CAPE COD, Aug 7, WTFDA via DXLD) ###