DX LISTENING DIGEST 5-150, August 30, 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 EXTRA 60: Tue 2330 WOR WBCQ 7415 [usually] Wed 0930 WOR WWCR 9985 Wed 1600 WOR WBCQ after hours [webcast 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 Extra 60 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/worx60h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/worx60h.rm (WOR Extra 60 is the same as COM 05-06, with WOR opening added to hi) WORLD OF RADIO Extra 60 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/com0506.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/com0506.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0506.html WORLD OF RADIO Extra 60 in true SW sound of Alex`s mp3 (stream) http://www.dxprograms.net/worldofradio_08-28-05.m3u (download) http://www.dxprograms.net/worldofradio_08-28-05.mp3 WORLD OF RADIO Extra 60 downloads in studio-quality mp3: [Unfortunately this site +podcast were down as of August 26-29!] (high) http://www.obriensweb.com/worx60h.mp3 (low) http://www.obriensweb.com/worx60.mp3 WORLD OF RADIO PODCAST: www.obriensweb.com/wor.xml (currently [not] available: Extra 58, 1281, 1282, 1283, Extra 59, 1284, Extra 60) ** ANTARCTICA. ANTÁRTIDA, 15476, R. N. Arcángel San Gabriel en español, 1905-2000 UT, 29-08-2005, hablan sobre los huracanes, las compañías aseguradoras y catástrofes. Comentarios culturales y canciones. A las 1943 se identifican ``...música y cultura, Radio Arcángel San Gabriel desde la Base Esperanza``; se escucha a ráfagas, varía la propagación, pasando de un sinpo 33333 a 21321. Interfiere La Voz de Rusia en francés que emite en 15465 con mucha potencia. A las 2000 UT casi inaudible (La primera vez que escucho esta emisora). Receptor: JRC NRD-535, Antena PBX-100 - Hilo largo 10 mt., Lugar: Casco urbano. Saludos y buenos DX's, 73 (José Bueno - Córdoba - España, Noticias DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB-AUSTRALIA A'05 REVISED SCHEDULE wef 28th August till 30 Oct' 2005 0000-0030 : 15525 - East Asia - English 0030-0045 : 15405 - South and South East Asia - Nepali 0045-0100 : 15405 - South and South East Asia - Chattisgarhi (Sunday), Bangla (Monday-Saturday) 0100-0115 : 15405 - South and South East Asia - English (Sun), Chattisgarhi (Mon, Sat), Bhojpuri (Tues), Tamil (Wed), Marwari (Thurs), Marathi (Fri) 0115-0130 : 15405 - South and South East Asia - Hindi 0130-0200 : 15405 - South and South East Asia - English 0200-0230 : 15405 - South and South East Asia - English (Sunday), Urdu (Monday-Saturday) 0700-0900 : 11750 - South Pacific - English 1000-1030 : 15425 - East Asia - Cantonese 1030-1130 : 15425 - East Asia - English 1130-1200 : 15425 - South and South East Asia - English 1200-1230 : 15425 - South and South East Asia - Indonesian 1230-1245 : 15425 - South and South East Asia - Nepali 1245-1300 : 15425 - South and South East Asia - Hindi (Sunday), Bangla (Monday - Saturday) 1300-1315 : 15405 - South Asia - Chattisgarhi (Sat-Mon), Bhojpuri (Tues), Tamil (Wed), Marwari (Thurs), Matathi (Fri) 1315-1330 : 15405 - South Asia - Hindi 1330-1400 : 15405 - South Asia - English (Sunday), Urdu (Monday - Saturday) 1400-1430 : 15405 - South Asia - English 1430-1530 : 15390 - South Asia - English 2230-2300 : 15525 - East Asia - English (Sunday), Mandarin (Monday - Saturday) 2300-0000 : 15525 - East Asia - Mandarin (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, Aug 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BANGLADESH. Re 5-149, Bangladesh Betar gone from SW: I received it on 28th August 2005 from 1815 to 1900 UT at 7185 kHz in English with 34334 with some muffled audio. Regards, (Partha Sarathi Goswami, El Nino Electronics DX Club Kishalay - Book Stall, College Road Siliguri - 734401, West Bengal, India, Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) But now? ** BRAZIL. Hello, Glenn In DX Listening Digest 5-148, you wrote the following, about a Brazilian colonial language called Nheengatu or Língua Geral: "Portuguese was the colonial language; Nheengatu should be called native or pre-colonial." Nheengatu or Língua Geral was a native *and* colonial language! That language was created by the Jesuit missionaries in Brazil to christianize the natives. The language was mainly based on an Indian language called Tupi, but included some other words from other Indian languages too. During the 18th century, Nheengatu was so much used in Brazil, instead of Portuguese, that the Marquis of Pombal -- who was then the powerful prime-minister of Portugal -- decided to impose the Portuguese language on that colony and expelled the Jesuits, not only from Brazil, but also from Portugal and all the territories under Portuguese domination. It was only then that Portuguese became the language of Brazil. At present, Brazilian Indians are trying to recover Nheengatu, as a language of their own. The inhabitants of the municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira are almost 100% Indian. 73 (Fernando de Sousa Ribeiro, Oporto, Portugal, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL [non]. Programas em português em Boston --- Glenn, Programas em português feitos por radialistas brasileiros com o apoio do Consulado de Boston, por meio de divulgação em seu site. Muito interessante. O programa da Rádio 1330 AM – Cambridge é feito por um colega nosso, o Ezequiel Cassol. http://www.consulatebrazil.org/Consulado-Geral/cgbos/linksculturais.htm 73s! (Célio Romais, RGS, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CFMT-47 Toronto --- I finally got a call from a CFMT tech this afternoon regarding them having two signals on the air at the same time that are shredding each other apart. I sent him a couple of .wmv video files. He's been on holiday (that probably explains a few things). Anyhow, yesterday I had filed a complaint with the CRTC. I wonder if he even knows about that yet (I never volunteered that info). He was impressed that I was also receiving the pirate on ch 15 in Toronto at 37 miles distant. That actually gave him a good idea that I knew what I was talking about and had good reception of Toronto. We'll see if the mysterious second CFMT disappears soon [slightly later:] Interference now gone. I'm assuming the backup transmitter has been switched off --- it was on for 9 straight days! (William Hepburn, Grimsby, Niagara, ON, CAN, Aug 29, WTFDA via DXLD) ** CHINA. Hi, Today I received the following from CRI. I thought that perhaps others here may be interested in it. I'm not endorsing their viewpoints, but I think that most of us here listen to CRI, at least occasionally. 73 de (Phil KO6BB Atchley, swl at qth.net via DXLD) ************************************************* Dear Philip, How are you? We hope everything is going well. This year is the fortieth anniversary of the Establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region. During the past 40 years, there has been great change in Tibet. Our reporters have interviewed people of all walks of life in Tibet and produced a series of programs. These series is now broadcasting throughout our programming. What do you know about Tibet? Would you like to know more about Tibet? Please perk your ears up for our programs. You can also find more information at http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/china/events/tibet/index.htm For your listening convenience, here's the Tibet programming schedule below: Aug. 29, News and Reports, Foreign Teachers at the University of Tibet Aug. 30, News and Reports, Restaurant Bar Run By Foreigners in Tibet Aug. 31, China Horizons, Qiangtang Nature Reserve Sep. 1, News and Reports, Tibetan Herding Communities Begin to Embrace Safer Childbirth Sep. 2, Life in China, A Highland Teahouse in Tibet Sep. 3, News and Reports, Returned Overseas Tibetans Helping Alleviate Poverty in Tibet Sep. 6, Biz China, Brand Awareness of the Ali People and The Construction of Tibet's Information Highway Sep. 7, China Horizons, Multi-Lingual Education in Tibet Sep. 14, China Horizons, Traditional Tibetan Medicine Also, this year marks the 60th Anniversary of Victory Over War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Would you like to comment on it? More information can be found at: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/china/events/anti-japanese60/ By the way, just a few days ago a white paper was issued detailing Gender Equality and Women's Development in China. How have women's rights been protected in China? And what obstacles are women still facing? You can log on and get more information at: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/786/2005/08/25/Zt269@14414.htm You comments and feedback on these issues are most welcome. Best wishes, Yours sincerely, YingLian [collective name], English Service, China Radio International http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/ http://enpf.chinabroadcast.cn/talkchina/ (via Atchley, ibid.) ** CHINA. INNER MONGOLIA – SATELLITE TV & RADIO VIA APSTAR VI This month`s ADXN Satellite Radio & TV news is also available in a larger extended [illustrated!] edition online at http://www.satdirectory.com/--adxn.html and just a reminder, all television and radio mentioned on these pages is received in the DVB digital format unless otherwise noted. The name Xanadu will most likely bring back memories of a much hyped 1980's movie staring Olivia Newton-John on roller-skates, or perhaps you think of the Xanadu Project which was the foundation for hypertext and the world wide web. For many the word Xanadu conveys a sense of mystery, adventure and discovery. It is in remote Inner Mongolia that you will find the true Xanadu. Xanadu (Yuanshangdu) is the legendary palace of the great Mongol emperor Kublai Khan which is now just a deserted ruin over three hundred kilometres to the north of Beijing. The Mongol Empire ruled by Genghis Khan, and later by his grandson Kublai Khan conquered most of the known world. The empire stretched an inconceivable distance from what is now Hungary, all the way to Vietnam. The Chinese built the Great Wall of China to hold back the Mongol invaders, but even the wall couldn't halt the Mongol advancement and in 1215 they rode their horses in Beijing to take control of China. The tables have turned and a sizable section of the Mongol homeland is now an autonomous region of China known as Inner Mongolia. Inner Mongolia should not be confused with the independent country of Mongolia which lies to the north. The Mongolians themselves usually refer to the Chinese controlled region as Southern Mongolia. Inner Mongolia brings to mind images of vast grasslands and horses being ridden by herders living in yurts. In these modern times even a simple yurt has access to digital television and radio, and in Australia and New Zealand we too can experience Mongolian life by tuning in to Apstar VI. Two channels of Nei Monggol (Inner Mongolia) Television can be received with a 2 meter or larger C-Band dish in our region. Both channels also carry a number of Inner Mongolian radio services on their alternative language streams. Nei Monggol Chinese Television The Chinese language channel presents programming for the Han Chinese who now form the majority ethnic group (85% of the total population) in Inner Mongolia. Programming on the Chinese Channel is similar to other Chinese provincial broadcasters with many hours of Chinese infomercials promoting growth hormones and fertility potions during the day. The station also presents the usual mix of economic programming; Chinese soap operas and the evening relay of the CCTV1 national news live from CCTV studios in Beijing. Nei Monggol Mongolian Language Channel The Mongolian language channel of Nei Mongol TV provides a fascinating insight into Inner Mongolia with a large proportion of the day devoted to locally produced programming. The Mongolians make up only 15% of the total population of Inner Mongolia but fiercely promote and defend their language and vertical written script, both of which dominate the channel. Viewing the channel in the Australian morning provides a wealth of fascinating programming with the station opening at 9:28 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time (Sydney time) [2328 UT]. A Mongolian maiden backed by a graphic of the regions famous grasslands runs down the day's viewing schedule before handing over to a Mongolian dubbed version of the CCTV-1 National News from the previous evening. Local Mongolian News follows at around 09:50 AM AEST which includes coverage of local festivals and events. A whole series of morning Mongolian information and entertainment follows with children’s programming commencing just after 10 AM Sydney time. At 10:30 AM AEST English language lessons are presented; I guess you could take the lessons in reverse and use them to learn how to speak Mongolian. Just before the hour, small "filler" segments are often presented featuring Mongolian pop and rock music. One memorable clip featured a Mongolian punk band with the lead singer singing in the haunting traditional "throat singing" delivery. The daily programming features colourful historical dramas reliving the glory days of Genghis Khan and his army of horsemen. What do you expect to watch in your nightly sports television coverage - football, cricket, tennis? Well now imagine a sports news program that doesn't even acknowledge the existence of rugby or AFL! Sports news on Nei Monggol TV's Mongolian Channel follows a very different programming formula to satisfy the fans. Archery, Mongolian wrestling, camel and horse racing are the most popular sports in Inner Mongolia. The daily sports news coverage features both athletes and spectators in colourful outfits on barren sports fields which appear to simply roped off areas of the vast grazing lands. Yurts (Mongolian houses - a blend of igloo and tepee) scatted around the playing fields add to the exotic feel of the television coverage. The largest sporting event of the year is the games of the Naadam summer festival held in Inner Mongolia's capital Hohhot. The dates that Naadam is held each year is dependent on when the grass is at its greenest, though the festival is typically held between mid-July and mid-August. Nei Monggol TV Sports News can be seen each weekday on the Mongolian language channel around 09:30 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time The Mongolian Language Channel broadcasts for around 20 hours each day. The channel opens for its daily broadcast at 9:28 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time. Nei Monggol Peoples Radio Apstar VI also offers both the Chinese and Mongolian language services of Nei Monggol People's Radio. The Chinese language radio channel can be found on the right hand audio channel of the second language stream on Nei Monggol Chinese Television. Nei Monggol Mongolian language radio is found on the left audio channel of the same second language stream. Mongolian language radio is a delight to listen to, with a wide variety of traditional musical programming. Both stations also broadcast on AM, FM and shortwave, opening just before 8 AM AEST (Sydney) time each morning. [2200 UT] Tuning Information Nei Monggol TV Satellite : Apstar VI Orbit Location : 134 East Frequency : 3758 Polarity : Horizontal Symbol Rate : 8400 FEC: ¾ (Mark Fahey, Sept Australian DX News via DXLD) ** CHINA. COUNTRY GRIPPED BY REALITY TV SHOW | Text of report by Singapore newspaper The Straits Times website on 30 August In China for the past month, a televised singing competition called Super Girls - the country's answer to American Idol - has taken over the lives of millions of ordinary Chinese. In one extreme case, a 15-year-old girl from Hunan province actually lost 25 kg and starved herself to death - she died last Tuesday [23 August] - so that she could be slim enough to join next year's contest. The pop-singing competition ended last Friday [26 August], the culmination of an elimination process that began in March when 150,000 aspiring singers auditioned in five Chinese cities. Li Yuchun, a 21-year-old student from Chengdu in Sichuan province, won the final showdown with over 3.5m SMS votes from the public, beating runner-up Zhou Bichang by more than 200,000 votes. However, the debate on the show, as a cultural phenomenon extending far beyond the television and entertainment industry, rages on among observers and scholars. Even the government has jumped in, weighing in cautiously through the official Xinhua news agency and state broadcaster CCTV. The main novelty for the Chinese public is that they get to play judge. Just as on American Idol, mobile text messages sent by the public determine which singer makes it to the next round and who is booted out. Like the US show, Super Girls puts its contestants' emotions under a microscope, from behind-the-scenes interviews with them and their families, to close-ups of every quivering lip and every tear shed in elimination rounds. While such devices are now run of the mill in the reality show- saturated West, in the context of China's state-controlled media where dour news broadcasts and scripted, lip-synching variety shows are the norm, Super Girls is nothing short of a revolution. It is also a success story for the producers, a relatively obscure Hunan satellite TV station. The latter has televised the show live from central Hunan's provincial capital, Changsha, to over 20 million people nationwide, every week for the past one-and-a-half months. Observers have said that the show represents the voice of China's poorer, so-called "second-tier" provinces, mining talent from the likes of Chengdu and Changsha rather than the wealthier cities of Beijing and Shanghai. The lustre of Super Girls as alternative, from-the-ground-up entertainment initially came under some fire from the establishment. Several commentators at CCTV denounced the show's antics as "vulgar, boorish and lacking in social responsibility". The show's producers subsequently deflected this criticism by toning down the contestants' wild hairdos and outfits and introducing patriotic songs into their mainly pop repertoire. Last Friday, the day of the grand final, a commentary appeared on Xinhua tacitly indicating official acceptance of the show. It said: "In this internet age, 'interactivity' is what audiences demand of their culture and entertainment." The article added that mainstream entertainment programmes could "learn" from shows like Super Girls "which are currently all the rage". Some independent observers have even gone as far as to call Super Girls a symbol of "grassroots democracy". They note that the show originated from China's inland and southern provinces rather than the capital, Beijing, as well as its use of mobile text messages and internet bulletin boards to give fans their say. The term "grassroots democracy" refers to elections which have been held at village and community level across the country since the early 1980s, and are now slowly being implemented in the townships. China has stopped short of introducing elections at the larger level of counties or provinces. Comparing what is essentially an entertainment programme with "grassroots democracy" is perhaps too much of a stretch. As one critic in the New Beijing Daily remarked, the "freedom of choice" Super Girls offers the viewer is largely passive and consumerist in nature, not much different from "deciding where to go on holiday or what to order in a restaurant". However, it is worth noting that Chinese civil society is also increasingly using SMS messages and internet chatrooms as tools and forums for covert activism and organized social action. Young student activists used SMS messages and internet bulletin boards to rally support for a series of nationwide anti-Japanese demonstrations in April. Indeed, the way in which fan clubs for the top five Super Girls sprouted up rapidly over the internet, as well as how groups of fans have been canvassing on the streets for their idols, suggest Chinese youth are entirely capable of independent organization. Politics aside, the contest results certainly challenge traditional Chinese ideals of gender and femininity. With their spiky short crops, androgynous dressing and tomboyish demeanour, champion Li and runner-up Zhou shatter the long-haired, Barbie-doll mould of countless female Mandarin pop stars. Super Girls, indeed. Source: The Straits Times website, Singapore, in English 30 Aug 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) Heh, heh, ``American Culture`` will ultimately triumph (gh, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. Re 5-149: Yes, it was the station's website, but the correct spelling is http://www.tensae.com --- a domain with the spelling "tinsae" does/did not exist. More on this matter: http://yekolotemari.blog.com/291652/ The program itself via TDP air time booking (1500-1600 on 15660) was still on the air as of yesterday (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Aug 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Interesting legal question about whether Ethiopian (or any foreign) government can sue dissidents in US for defamation (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Just as explained in 5-127, the new August edition of World DX Meeting from DW is available ondemand this week, 42 minutes into the Mailbag file for 30.08. This was mostly an extension of the mailbag, but concluded with a brief clip of Alice`s Restaurant via Latvia (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [and non]. 177 kHz now DRM --- Today at 07:57:05 [UT?] the Zehlendorf transmitter on 177 switched to DRM and did not revert to AM for the sea weather forecast at 0905, still carried on this frequency. Here is a recording of the very last minute in AM (caution: do not turn up the volume too much towards the end, it gets quite loud): http://www.radioeins.de/_/meta/sendungen/apparat/050827_a3.ram Felsberg on 183 now gets almost entirely drowned out, and it is much more difficult to still pick Bolshakovo on 171 out of the DRM slope [sic]. I wonder if Zehlendorf will still be a problem in the primary target area of 171 (Belarus, Baltics), perhaps even on the other side in French? Here is the start of the mentioned sea weather programme yesterday, still in audible mode: http://www.radioeins.de/_/meta/sendungen/apparat/050827_a1.ram Note the very slow delivery to allow listeners to take notes and the extremely emphasized (already ridiculous for a casual listener) Oooooooost which donates East (Ost). These sea weather forecasts go out on 177 plus audible 1269, 6005 and 6190 in summer at 0440, 0905, 1905 and 2305, in winter at 0540, 1005 and 0005, cf. http://www.dradio.de/seewetter/ And now I see at http://www.drmrx.org/forum/showthread.php?s=974503710b3202ee3fa42569e9c5b1fd&threadid=1012&pagenumber=1 this comment: ``Authorities should think about putting these two stations back into the normal 9 kHz scheme.`` Well, authorities were in fact thinking about putting these two stations back into the normal 9 kHz scheme ten years ago. Back then I was frankly told ``we will stay on 177 as long as we receive no letter with a seal``. This was when the Dutch authorities were in favour of the Delta 171 project and considering to insist on Zehlendorf moving out of 177 and back to 180, which would of course have Felsberg required to move to 180 as well. (Actual idea behind this comment is using 189 kHz for either transmitter. There is certainly no need to discuss this further here.) All the best, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. Babis: I hope you are back to work so that we can find out what has happened to Avlis 3. We hope that the problem is only temporary. Last night, there was nothing on 9420 from Avlis 3 at 0000- 0400. So far today, nothing yet either (John Babbis, Silver Spring MD, Aug 30 to Babis Charalabopoulos, ERT, via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Que nada es secreto en internet acaba de ser demostrado con una inesperada sorpresa sufrida por el director de uno de los buscadores más famosos del mundo: Google. Eric Schmidt, director de ese gigante de la información en internet se quedó boquiabierto al encontrar detallada información sobre su persona en un artículo en el portal estadounidense News.com, con lo cual queda demostrado que el buscador Google, el más grande del mundo, puede violar la privacidad de las personas, aunque ahora el propio Schmidt, víctima de su propio invento, dice que esa no es la finalidad de las actividades de su empresa. No deja de ser curioso el hecho de que el director de Google haya reaccionado con mucho enfado al ver que información privada suya está al alcance de cualquier persona, en cualquier lugar del mundo, mientras que precisamente su empresa Google, guarda en su sistema todos los detalles de búsqueda de millones de personas que utilizan Google en el mundo entero. No hay que olvidar que más de la mitad de los internautas del mundo, utilizan Google en sus búsquedas en internet. Gracias a eso, ese buscador, localizado en Mountain View, California, se ha convertido en el más grande del planeta con su lema de tener toda la información del mundo para todo el mundo. Así que cuando alguien quiere saber algo de alguien, de su vida privada, de su pasado o de su presente, acude a Google, y en la mayoría de los casos tiene a su disposición casi toda la información deseada. Por eso a una astuta periodista se le ocurrió demostrar el increíble poderío de Google, acudiendo a los servicios del propio Google, para indagar sobre el presidente de esa monstruosa máquina buscadora. Toda la información sacada de Google fue luego publicada en un artículo en portal mencionado anteriormente. Ahora sabemos cuanto dinero el Sr. Schmidt ha ganado con sus acciones de la bolsa, cuál es su preferencia política, cuáles son sus pasatiempos y mucha más información considerada como estrictamente privada, pero que la periodista en cuestión pudo encontrar en menos de media hora de búsqueda en su ordenador. El Sr. Schmidt y Google reaccionaron con preocupación y enfado y han prohibido a la periodista en cuestión, la Sra. Elinor Mills, cualquier contacto con Google o su departamento de relaciones públicas hasta el mes de julio de 2006. La prensa estadounidense ha reaccionado con sorpresa al reconocer lo peligrosa que puede ser para muchas personas, la información que se puede tener sobre su vida privada, utilizando un buscador tan poderoso como Google (Radio Nederland Radio Enlace Aug 26-28 via DXLD) {Google exec loses privacy, gets tables turned on him. Might be worth googling up an English version (gh)} ** IRAN [non]. Recent clandestine observations: V. of Komala, *0255-0400* & *1600-1730* on 3930, 4610, both jammed of Iranian Kurdistan, *0145-?? & ??-1633* on 3970, 4860, ditto V. of the Revolution, *1425-1533* on 3880, 4380, 6425, all jammed V. of the Communist Party of Iran, *1627-1755* also on 3880, 4380, 6425, all jammed (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Sept BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) See also KURDISTAN ** IRAQ. Killing journalists: see U S A [non]; see also KURDISTAN ** ITALY. [Cf. 5-128]. R Maria, 26000, 1110 1 August, telephone calls in Italian, 1200 ID, SIO 142; also at 0945 5 August, religious talk in Italian, 1000 church bells, ID, SIO 243 (Dave Kenny, England, BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN. IRAQ. V. of Kurdistan is heard at *0250 sign-on and 1455* sign-off on 6335 with ``Hymn of Kurdistan`` (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Sept BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Probably not continuous ** MEXICO. Update on the Canal 40 strike, cf 5-132: LA INFAME HISTORIA DEL CANAL DE TELEVISIÓN SECUESTRADO Ciro Gómez Leyva (Milenio) -- La huelga del Canal 40 cumple este viernes tres meses. Estalló porque había un adeudo salarial con los empleados. Fue, por lo mismo, una huelga justa. Pero cuando el dinero llegó y los líderes nacionales de la CTM comenzaron a inventar pretextos para no terminar el conflicto y" con ello las angustias económicas de 350 familias, la huelga se pervirtió. Si el Canal 40 sigue en huelga es porque hay una poderosa voluntad política que así lo tiene decidido. -- http://www.senadorcorral.org/article.php3?id_article=808 (originally from Milenio Diario, via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. SPECIAL MEDIUMWAVE TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE NETHERLANDS TOMORROW Tomorrow, 31 August, is the 31st anniversary of the end of Dutch offshore radio. In commemoration of the event, tomorrow there will be a special transmission called "The Day the Music Died" jointly organised by Laserradio, Stichting Norderney, Mixers and Quality Radio bv. Frequencies used will be mediumwave 1557 and 1584 kHz at 0700-1800 UTC, and the programme will be relayed on 1395 kHz by Big L Radio London at 1200-1600 UTC. The broadcast will also be streamed worldwide on the Internet at http://www.laserradio.nl and http://www.veronica192.nl The programme will be broadcast live from the Laserradio studios in Zeewolde. One of the founders of Radio Veronica, Bull Verweij, will be featured on the programme, along with other pioneers of the station, and some of the artists who were popular during the offshore era. From 1200 UTC there will be programmes by various well-known DJ's. # posted by Andy @ 16:51 UT Aug 30 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. EXTRA RADIO NETHERLANDS DRM TRANSMISSIONS 2-7 SEPTEMBER In connection with the IFA in Berlin, Radio Netherlands will have a few extra DRM transmissions on the air from 2 to 7 September: Juelich: Daily: 3965 kHz 1600-1700 UTC and 1900-2100 UTC, Omni-antenna (Thanks to Jacques Gruson for using their HFCC co-ordinated frequency) Rampisham: 5-7 September only: 9770 kHz 1300-1500 UTC Daily: 7240 kHz 0830-1300 UTC and 1500-1600 UTC 62 degrees; 2/4/0.5 antenna Flevo on 7240 kHz will be switched off between 0800-1300 UTC and 1500- 1600 UTC. Programmes will be a mixture of Radio Netherlands Dutch and English programmes. On weekdays between 1000-1100 UTC we'll try two audio services on one channel. # posted by Andy @ 15:13 UT Aug 30 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Programmes I Like (# 9) "Newsline"--Radio Netherlands: Similar to the BBC World Service's "World Briefing", "Newsline" is the main news and current affairs programme from this often-overlooked broadcaster. And, like its BBC counterpart, it is presented by a team of broadcasters. Each edition opens with an illustrated billboard of upcoming items. A world news bulletin of 4 minutes follows. This news is global in scope, and not just European, as is the station's slant in most of its other shows. It covers both major, and lesser-known, stories. After that we have the interviews and reports which form the "meat" of the show. These often come from the station's own correspondents, in addition to stringers and freelancers. The first one or two pieces cover the main stories of the day. The latter ones delve into lesser- known items. These items frequently take a different slant or approach to stories covered by other mainstream media. Sometimes, this means an interview with someone who can provide a different "take" on the news item. At other times, over-looked stories are featured. Mid-programme, there is a short (1-2 minute) bulletin of Dutch news. The show closes with a 4 minute review of the Dutch press by Marijke van der Meer. This not only covers the editorials and commentaries of those papers, but it delves into both major and minor news items as well. The selection is made by the reviewer, and also includes some off-beat items. The host converses with the reviewer in a scripted dialogue to elicit the content of the review. "Newsline" is a fine news and current affairs programme that makes a nice addition to the regular programmes of this genre on the more popular stations. Website: http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/radioprogrammes/newsline (Peter Bowen, Canada?, Aug 30, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) ** PERU. 4965.77, Radio Santa Mónica, (presumed), 1037-1100 Aug 30. Noted a man in Spanish comments while presenting huaynos music. This signal was very good, but the announcer sounded like he never used a microphone before. All his comments were slurred and in the echo effect. It sounded like he was just playing around. Nothing was understandable. Had there been a decent announcer on the air, this would have been a perfect logging (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston FL, DX LISTENIING DIGEST) ** PUERTO RICO [non]. 1120, UNITED STATES, WPRX, Bristol, CT, AUG 29 0036-0054 - While driving near my first high-school in Dorval (Jean 23), I did notice this one often very good on peaks of 20 or 30 seconds, but with 2 or 3 minutes cycle fading and splashed by almost urban-quality WBBR-1130, with salsa, merengue and bachata and "Once- Veinte La Puerto-Riqueñísima" ID. The bachata tune was from either Aventura or Extreme. This can be easily confunded with WMSW out of Hatillo, PR as reported by Jim Renfrew on the IDXD of NOV 13, 1998 wich is really from Puerto Rico; is for that reason that I report it. This one as well as 910 YVRQ at 0117 and 530 very weakly (RVC) were the only spots with Spanish on the dial last night (Bogdan Chiochiu, QC, Latin MWDX yg via DXLD; he also explains how he has been fighting manic-depression and testicular cancer) ** RUSSIA. Saludos cordiales colegas Diexistas de todo el mundo; les invito a escuchar el programa "FRECUENCIA RM". "FRECUENCIA RM", es el programa diexista del Servicio en Castellano de La Voz de Rusia, que sale al aire cada martes (miércoles UT) entre 0120 y 0135. Su conductor y realizador es el gran amigo y colega Francisco Rodríguez "Pancho". "FRECUENCIA RM", tiene actualmente 15 minutos de duración en los que damos un vistazo a la actualidad en el mundo de las telecomunicaciones y su historia en sus más diversos aspectos. Pueden sintonizar "FRECUENCIA RM" por los 7300, 7330, 9830, 9945, 11510 y 12010 para América Central y América del Sur. En internet podrá escucharse haciendo "click" en: http://www.vor.ru/Spanish/world.html Este martes 30, saldrá la primera parte de una entrevista nada menos que con el mismísimo Arnaldo Slaen del Grupo Radioescucha Argentino desde Argentina. 73 (Dino Bloise, Florida, EEUU, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAUDI ARABIA [and non]. Ahh, hints of autumn, with BSKSA again making it on 13 meters, Aug 30 at 1415: Arabic music on 21640 better than // 21505; talk, presumably HQS, weak on 21460; YL in French with Arabic accent on 21600. But none strong enough to kick in all the mixing products. SA was actually stronger overall than REE Spain, the second-best 13m signals, on 21570 and 21610 --- O o, it`s La Bañera de Ulises, my weekly Tuesday morning favorite of Mediterranean music, so it`s off to excellent 17595 for the rest of the hour, starting with a Tunisian singer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Solar-terrestrial indices for 29 August follow. Solar flux 89 and mid- latitude A-index 9. The mid-latitude K-index at 1500 UTC on 30 August was 0 (4 nT). No space weather storms were observed for the past 24 hours (SEC via DXLD) And K=0 previously back to 0300 UT, and still at 1800! (gh) ** SERBIA & MONTENEGRO [non]. INABILITY TO HEAR RADIO SERBIA MONTENEGRO I have been monitoring Radio Yugoslavia (now Radio Serbia Montenegro) since the late 1980s and have not found a trace of it on 9580 at either 0000 or 0430 UT. I have also used a web-controlled Drake shortwave receiver and still come up with nothing. Any ideas? I have sent an e-mail to Radio Serbia Montenegro, but I suspect, as always that they will not respond, probably not in the budget or a serious priority. I continue to have great admiration for your work considering all of the cuts in shortwave. Best wishes, (Philip David Smith, UT Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. We have started a 6 hour a day broadcast to Iraq-Iran and Israel and the Middle East and Africa, 11920 from 1600 till 2200 UT (E-mail from Bro. Stair, Overcomer Ministry, 25 July via Dave Kenny, Sept BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) This is WWRB; does Scare really think this gets thru as far as Iran with a listenable signal? Does it even get thru to Europe? Azimuth = 45 (gh, DXLD) ** SPAIN. DESCONOCIDO, 17745.10, R. Exterior de España, (frecuencia inusual, anuncian 17770 kHz). 1835-1900 UT, 29-08-2005, Emisión sefarat en judeo español, hablan sobre bibliotecas y libros religiosos. Canción ``Una tarde de verano``, 33333 (José Bueno - Córdoba - España, Noticias DX via DXLD) 17745 1825 1855 37E,38,39,47,48 NOB 350 110 D SPANISH/AR E REE REE 17770 1825 1855 37E,38,39,47,48 NOB 350 110 D SPANISH/AR E REE REE Mondays only, despite these 1234567 270305 to 301005 listings, and not in Spanish or Arabic, but as said in Judeo Español. HFCC A-05 lists both, but they only use one, so these must be alternates, with which one is currently in use, the studio has not kept up (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also SAUDI ARABIA ** TIBET [non]. See CHINA for CRI programming about Commie imperialist conquest of this once proudly independent and unique nation (gh) ** U K [and non]. AWR Europe Moves Into New Office AWR Europe has a new address: Adventist World Radio - Europe Region Director: Bert Smit 1 Millbank Court Millbank Way Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1RP United Kingdom Tel: 44-1344-401-401 Fax: 44-1344-401-419 E-mail: europe @ awr.org Bracknell, England, 10.08.2005/APD ... Staff at Europe's Adventist World Radio (AWR), the international radio service for the Seventh-day Adventist church, moved into the newly-purchased office building in Bracknell, England. Previous office space, located adjacent to Newbold College, has been sold. The facility offers more space for staff and AWR's global distribution system, which is managed in England, and room for future growth, according to AWR officials. AWR has three other regional offices around the world: in Africa, the Americas and Asia/Pacific. They assist in the development of new studios and languages and coordinate radio broadcasts to each region. Worldwide, AWR airs 1,200 hours of programming each week, in 55 languages. [Editor: Shelley Nolan Freesland/AWR/APD] (via Dr. Hansjörg Biener - Neulichtenhofstr. 7 - DE-90461 Nürnberg, http://www.biener-media.de Aug 29, DXLD) ** U K. [Spoiler alert]. The lilting theme tune which precedes the 0048 [BST/GMT, currently 2348 UT] broadcast [of The Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4 longwave and FM, webcast] has lulled many a Radio 4 listener to sleep, but hopefully not too many sailors, is called ``Sailing By``. It was composed by Ronald Binge who scored more than 50 films and TV programmes for the BBC. Recorded in 1965 by the John Scott Orchestra, it was written to go with footage of a hot-air balloon over the Alps. It also accompanies the RTE 1 sea-faring programme ``Seascapes``. There are many shipping forecast maps online, including that of the Met. Office http://www.metoffice.com/leisure/shiparea.html and the BBC version. If you want a more decorative map complete with boats and sea creatures, see http://www.gwp.enta.net/shipmap.htm (Chris Brand, from a much longer book review of ``Attention All Shipping``, Sept BDXC UK Communication, via DXLD) Maps will reveal where Malin, Fastnet and Cromarty are, among many other wacky names. I tuned in just a little too late Aug 29 to hear the theme, but listened to the entire weathercast until 2359 when they played GSTQ, 0000 UT timesignal but no Big Ben, as they joined WS for World Today. How are we to imagine nautical scenes now, knowing of the hot-air balloons over the Alps!? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** U K. BRITAIN'S ELITE GET PILLS TO SURVIVE BIRD FLU - Sunday Times - Times Online http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1753892,00.html The Times and The Sunday Times electronic paper The Sunday Times - Britain August 28, 2005 Sarah-Kate Templeton and Jonathan Calvert MEMBERS of Britain's elite have been selected as priority cases to receive scarce pills and vaccinations at the taxpayers' expense if the country is hit by a deadly bird flu outbreak. Workers at the BBC and prominent politicians -- such as cabinet ministers -- would be offered protection from the virus. Ken Livingstone, the London mayor, has already spent ?1m to make sure his personal office and employees have their own emergency supplies of 100,000 antiviral tablets. If there is an avian flu pandemic in the coming months there would be enough drugs to protect less than 2% of the British population for a week. The Department of Health has drawn up a priority list of those who would be first to receive lifesaving drugs. Top of the list are health workers followed by those in key public sector jobs. Although senior government ministers would be among the high-priority cases, the department said this weekend that it had not decided whether to include opposition politicians. BBC employees would be protected because the corporation is required to broadcast vital information during a national disaster. Politicians and the media have been placed before sick patients, heavily pregnant women and elderly people by government planners. Yesterday, leading BBC presenters were surprised to learn that they would be given preferential treatment. Jeff Randall, the BBC's business editor, said: "Are you really telling me that I am on a priority list for bird flu jabs? Marvellous. I always knew there would be an advantage from working at the BBC." John Humphrys, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, said: "I think if I were offered the jab I would probably pass it on to someone 40 years younger than me." Nick Clarke, presenter of BBC Radio 4's World at One, said: "I'm sure I wouldn't qualify. My programme has news and comment and the one thing you can do without in a pandemic is comment . . . They would want to have Huw Edwards and reassuring newsreaders on radio." Fears that a "doomsday" virus may sweep the world have been heightened by the recent spread of the lethal strain of avian flu, H5N1. The death toll, estimated at 120, has been of people whose work brought them into close contact with infected birds. Scientists have warned that millions could die if H5N1 mutates. The Department of Health would not currently be able to cope with such an onslaught. Although it has ordered 14.6m doses of Tamiflu, an antiviral drug thought to be effective against the H5N1 strain, only 900,000 doses are in stock so far. The full supply will not be delivered until March 2007, at a total cost of about ?100m. Besides the NHS and BBC, firemen, police and the armed forces are among those listed in the two top-priority groups to receive the vaccine (via Dan Say, DXLD) ** U K. I hesitated to mention this in order not to jinx it, but, what the f---, it`s there for anybody to hear: What a pleasure to listen to a programme from a MATURE country, where the F-word, in all its variations, may be repeated on the radio countless times with apparent impunity --- well, countable, I suppose but I did not bother, averaging maybe two or three times a minute, plus an occasional S- word! This was a dramatized reading following the entire Prom 57 Listen Again via the BBC Radio 3 website, which I sometimes let run as the proms audio files usually go on for the better part of an hour afterwards for some unknown reason (and it stays available for a week until Saturday Sept 3). Unfortunately, by the day I got around to Listening Again, August 29, programme listings for August 27, a date so far begone, had vanished, as they always do. It was announced as a cutting-edge contemporary drama, on ``The Wire`` series, ``God Can See Down Entries``, by Linda Brogan (sp?), ``a raw, poetic drama, contains very strong language from the start``. Which was 2:21 into the file. Unfortunately, it ran out incomplete 35 minutes later into the half-sesquihour programme. One could probably find its own complete L.A. file directly. That said, in favour of free speech and to demonstrate that I am not offended, a prude, or even aghast, I could easily do with less crudeness in this world; I rarely use these words myself, and when I do they are likely to be real expletives, not just a crutch for an inadequate vocabulary. BTW, the Prom 57 preceding it had some popular favourites, including as an encore, the Knightsbridge March by Eric Coates, starting about 2:14 in, worse-known as the DX Partyline theme (Glenn Hauser, OK, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. So, did anyone else catch Fox News at 2047 GMT today, when the reporter outside the New Orleans' Superdome asked a random guy "Why are you still here?" to which Random Guy replied "It's none of your FUCKING business." This was promptly followed by the airhead female host stating, simply: "We apologize." It was classic TV! (Terry L, Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, Aug 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Fine Fox` ass megabux!! (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Don`t you believe that ``OK`` is an acceptable abbr. for Okeechobee, as appearing more than once in the log section of the Sept BDXC-UK Communication. As everyone should know, even abroad, Oklahoma is OK! How about Ok`bee or OKCB for the FL transmitter site? HFCC evades this problem by designating it YFR (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. IRAQ: NEW MEDIA KILLING LEADS TO CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION | Text of press release by International Federation of Journalists on 29 August The International Federation of Journalists today said that the shooting of a Reuters sound technician by United States troops in Iraq at the weekend brings to 18 the number of journalists and media staff killed by US troops since the invasion of Iraq. "The number of unexplained media killings by US military personnel is intolerable," said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary. "Media organisations and journalists' families face a wall of silence and an unfeeling bureaucracy that refuses to give clear and credible answers to questions." In a letter to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, today, the IFJ called upon UN leaders to establish an independent inquiry into the killings of media staff at the hands of US and coalition forces. "The United Nations has, in theory, a responsibility to ensure that international law and the rights of victims in this conflict are properly protected," writes the IFJ. "The time has come for the UN itself to step in and demand that there is justice and respect for basic humanitarian rights on the part of democratic countries involved in this conflict." The IFJ accuses the US army of incompetence, reckless soldiering, and cynical disregard for the lives of journalists - particularly Iraqi - who are covering events in Iraq. The shooting of Waleed Khaled in the Hay al-Adil district of west Baghdad, an incident in which cameraman Haider Kadhem was wounded, brings to 70 the number of Iraqi media staff killed since the US invasion in March 2003. Altogether, and counting all essential media staff including drivers and translators, the IFJ says 95 journalists and media staff have died in the Iraq conflict. "The toll is appalling, but the fact that 18 of these deaths are at the hands of US soldiers and that there are still questions to be answered more than two years after some of the incidents is particularly shocking," said White. The IFJ is backing Reuters in their demands for the immediate release of Kadhem who is still being held by US forces more than 24 hours after the killing of his colleague. The US military said it was still investigating and refused to say what questions it was putting to Kadhem. It would not say where in Baghdad he was held nor identify the unit holding him. "The fact that Iraqi police say that the news team was shot by US soldiers raises serious suspicions of a cover-up by the US military which must be answered immediately," said White. The IFJ is asking the United Nations Security Council to take up their concerns. "We believe that a full, independent and inclusive inquiry into all of these cases is urgently needed in order to en sure that media have confidence that governments are honouring their obligations." The IFJ acknowledges that many of the incidents may have been unavoidable in the context of the war, but in a number of cases there are serious questions still to be dealt with that have given rise to suggestions of deliberate targeting of media staff. "We need to clear the air, but we also recognise that in a period of transition to Iraqi authority it is necessary to set the highest standards possible for the investigation and reporting of all incidents in which journalists and media staff are killed," said White. Source: International Federation of Journalists press release, Brussels, in English 29 Aug 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ANALYSIS: MORE JOURNALISTS KILLED IN IRAQ "THAN DURING VIETNAM WAR" - WATCHDOGS | Text of editorial analysis by Peter Feuilherade of BBC Monitoring Media Services on 30 August The number of journalists and support staff killed in Iraq since the start of the war in March 2003 now exceeds the toll among the media during two decades of fighting in Vietnam from 1955 to 1975, according to separate reports from two international journalists' organizations. The Brussels-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) reported that Walid Khalid, a sound recordist working for the Reuters news agency, was shot by US forces in Baghdad on 28 August. A Reuters cameraman, Haydar Kadhim, was wounded in the shooting and then detained by US forces. INSI said in a press release on 29 August: "Eighty-one members of the news media have died since the war began in March 2003, according to figures compiled by the International News Safety Institute. More than half - 50 - were murdered by insurgents and other unidentified gunmen and bombers. American firepower is the next most significant cause of death. There is no firm evidence that US forces have deliberately targeted the news media. But there is widespread suspicion that American troops do not take adequate precautions to try to ensure the safety of journalists. None of the other Coalition forces has killed any journalists." The INSI press release went on: "Iraq persists as the most dangerous location in the world for the news media. As well as the Iraqis, the war has claimed the lives of journalists from Algeria, Argentina (two), Australia (two), Britain (three), Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan (two), Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Poland, Spain (two), Ukraine and the United States (four). In addition to those killed by terrorists and US forces, seven died in crossfire, two were killed by Iraqi soldiers before the fall of Saddam Husayn, one was believed to have been shot by Iraqi troops working with the Coalition and eight died from accidents or health-related problems. By comparison, the Vietnam war claimed about 70 news media deaths over 20 years." The Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres on 28 August reported that Khalid was the 66th journalist or media assistant to be killed in Iraq since the conflict started in March 2003. "A total of 63 journalists were killed in the Vietnam war, which lasted from 1955 to 1975," RSF added. Plea to UN for independent inquiry The International Federation of Journalists, meanwhile, has sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling on UN leaders to establish an independent inquiry into the killings of media staff at the hands of US and Coalition forces. "The number of unexplained media killings by US military personnel is intolerable," said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary. "Media organizations and journalists' families face a wall of silence and an unfeeling bureaucracy that refuses to give clear and credible answers to questions." In a press release from its Brussels headquarters on 29 August, the IFJ said the shooting of Walid Khalid on 28 August brought to 18 the number of journalists and media staff killed by US troops since the invasion of Iraq. The federation accused the US army of "incompetence, reckless soldiering, and `cynical disregard' for the lives of journalists - particularly Iraqi - who are covering events in Iraq". "The toll is appalling, but the fact that 18 of these deaths are at the hands of US soldiers and that there are still questions to be answered more than two years after some of the incidents is particularly shocking," said White. The IFJ acknowledged that many of the incidents may have been unavoidable in the context of the war, but it said that in a number of cases "there were serious questions still to be dealt with that have given rise to suggestions of deliberate targeting of media staff". "We need to clear the air, but we also recognize that in a period of transition to Iraqi authority it is necessary to set the highest standards possible for the investigation and reporting of all incidents in which journalists and media staff are killed," White said. Another media watchdog, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), puts the media death toll in Iraq at 73, comprising 53 journalists and 21 media workers. A CPJ press release on 29 August said in part: "The circumstances surrounding several of these deaths suggest indifference on the part of US forces to the presence of civilians, including members of the press, according to CPJ's analysis of the killings." Source: BBC Monitoring research 30 Aug 05 (via DXLD) ** U S A. Hurricane info: the newest is at the end of this sexion --- Am watching WWL TV here in Copenhagen (full screen). Thanks indeed for everybody's info! Great job they are doing from their remote studio [LSU Bâton Rouge]. But do you have any suggestions for coverage from Mississippi? Kind Regards, (Erik Køie, DK-2840 Holte, Denmark, 1858 UT Aug 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, it`s fascinating television and there are some very sad stories, many dead, I have been watching for some time (Mike Terry, UK, 2033 UT Aug 29, ibid.) WLOX-TV in Biloxi I was watching last night, but I see no link to video feed now on their site, just: Hurricane Katrina Update --- WLOX has suffered roof damage due to the high winds of Hurricane Katrina. Some parts of the building have one foot of standing water due to the leaking roof. Updates of storm coverage are being supplied from WLOX's sister stations. Besides WWL TV via CBS, the NBC affiliate in New Orleans is also video streaming: http://www.wdsu.com/video/4909353/detail.html I think that was the one which temporarily originated from WAPT in Jackson MS, but apparently not any more. But it keeps crashing my IExplorer after a few seconds! We also have wall-to-wall coverage on cable channels Weather, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, also business aspects on CNBC (Glenn, ibid.) Good to read that WWL had such wonderful contingency plans. But their transmitter went dead today at 12:43 am Central Time with no warnings, in mid-sentence (just after they read a news report about the first power outages in the area)! BTW, a few calls from DX-listeners from KY, TN, TX were aired before that. From what I heard, at around 1 am the weather in New Orleans wasn't that terrible yet. Yet the major station was easily silenced! I guess it shows how "ready" New Orleans was for such a disaster. No much help from the Internet (even if it's delivered over the power lines) when the nature strikes! Does anybody know R. Reloj's power? After WWL went dead Reloj was booming in Chicago (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) No one outside Cuba knows anything for sure about Cuban MW stations, even their certain location. WRTH 2005 has this as 1 kW from Sancti Spíritus (gh, DXLD) IN HARM'S WAY: KATRINA HITS NEW ORLEANS RADIO Aug. 29, 2005 By Tony Sanders As destructive category four hurricane Katrina made landfall in southern Louisiana early this morning (Aug. 29), reports were already filtering in about radio stations getting knocked off the air. The only confirmed report Billboard Radio Monitor has received is that Entercom’s news/talk WWL was knocked off the air around 7 a.m. WWL’s signal is now airing on sister FM WLMG (101.9), according to Entercom exec VP/general counsel Jack Donlevie. Calls to Clear Channel for a status report weren’t returned by Monitor deadline. Attempts to pick up streaming-audio from ``listen live`` stations in the market proved fruitless, with each attempt delivering either an error message or notice of failure to connect. ``I`m in the dark as much as you are about what`s going on down there right now, but it looks like we have two stations on the air, and possibly four," Donlevie told Billboard Radio Monitor this morning. Entercom`s offices in New Orleans are on the fifth floor of a building near the Superdome, says Donlevie, adding that ``some of the windows at our offices have been blown out so we`ve moved people to the center of the building.`` He also said he was able to monitor some of the group`s New Orleans stations by checking their audio streams over the Internet. Reports from the radio news networks were also slowly filtering in. Fox News Radio began ``wall to wall`` coverage at 5 a.m. Monday, according to a spokeswoman, and planned to trim that coverage to six reports an hour after 12 noon (ET). The fledgling radio news network also made the move to provide its news feeds ``as a public service through XM and Sirius satellite radio.`` Fox News Radio will be heard as part of XM`s emergency alert channel 247 and on Sirius channel 126. It`s unclear if reception of the satcaster signals would be hampered by the presence of a heavy storm cloud cover from Katrina. Visit http://BillboardRadioMonitor.com later today for updates on this developing story (via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) AMATEUR RADIO NETS ACTIVE AS KATRINA COMES ASHORE http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/08/29/2/?nc=1 NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 29, 2005 --- The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN), the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) and the West Gulf ARES Emergency Net (3.873 and 7.285 MHz) are among the primary Amateur Radio resources now actively involved in Amateur Radio`s response to Hurricane Katrina. Now a somewhat weakened Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 MPH, Katrina was centered near Picayune, Mississippi, some 60 miles south-southwest of Hattiesburg, as of 1600 UTC. HWN Manager Mike Pilgrim, K5MP, says the net will remain on 14.325 MHz ``as long as needed in support of those in the path of Hurricane Katrina.`` In addition, WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center has been on frequency to accept incoming ground- level weather data reports from HWN participants. ``We will be particularly interested in collecting significant damage reports in the wake of the storm,`` Pilgrim said. The SATERN International net is also active on 14.265 MHz to support health-and-welfare traffic and inquiries, and Pilgrim referred all such communications to that net. SATERN National Coordinator Pat McPherson, WW9E, says that in addition to the HF net, SATERN is operating an EchoLink conference node, K7CWA SATERN, to aid in Katrina response. ``Hurricane traffic can be handled through the SATERN International Net on 14.265 MHz, via the EchoLink conference node and health-and-welfare traffic may also be handled through the SATERN Web site by clicking on the `Health and Welfare` link,`` McPherson explained. The HWN and SATERN nets were active through the weekend as Hurricane Katrina worked its way toward the Gulf Coast as a Category 5 hurricane. The West Gulf ARES Emergency Net was scheduled to commence today at 0500 UTC. Stations not involved in emergency traffic or participating in the net are asked to give the operation a clear frequency. Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth of the FCC`s Enforcement Bureau said he does not anticipate the need for an Emergency Communications Declaration to accommodate HF emergency nets. ``Section 97.101(c) gives priority to emergency communications at all times,`` he pointed out. Efforts are under way by Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams in areas adjacent to Louisiana and Mississippi to have personnel in place to deploy to the affected area. ``Standard ARES mutual assistance rules are in effect,`` South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Jerry Reimer, KK5CA, announced early today on behalf of his counterparts in Louisiana and Mississippi. Reimer emphasized that ARES volunteers intending to travel should not leave without specific instructions, however. ``Once the storm passes and the local ARES leaders have a better feel for what resources are needed and where, that information will be provided,`` he said. At this point, ARES leaders in nearby sections are identifying ARES volunteers who are qualified and willing to travel into the areas expected to be affected by the storm once the hurricane passes through. A Web site signup form is being developed and will be announced. A hurricane warning remains in effect for the north-central Gulf Coast, from Morgan City, Louisiana, eastward to the Alabama/Florida border, including the City of New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. Hurricane force winds are expected to spread as far as 150 miles inland along Katrina`s path, while tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 230 miles. Coastal storm-surge flooding of 15 to 20 feet above normal tide levels along with large and dangerous battering waves can be expected near the storm`s center and to the east. ``Storm surge flooding of 10 to 15 feet --- near the tops of the levees --- is still possible in the greater New Orleans area,`` the NHC said. ``Significant storm- surge flooding is occurring elsewhere along the central and northeastern Gulf of Mexico coast.`` Rainfall of 5 to 10 inches, and possibly up to 15 inches in some areas, is possible along Katrina`s path across the Gulf Coast and into the Tennessee Valley. Copyright © 2005, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved (via John Norfolk, dxldyg) From the radio info.com Louisiana board: The two New Orleans TV stations, who have been streaming their live coverage of Hurricane Katrina, have been forced to move their anchor desk operations out-of-town due the impending storm. Both did so late Sunday evening (August 28th). WWL-4 has set up a temporary newsroom at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and is originating their coverage from a TV studio normally utilized by the college's TV production classes. WDSU-6 has fled to the studio of WAPT-16 in Jackson, Mississippi, owned by WDSU parent company Hearst/Argyle. However, WAPT is an ABC affiliate. Both are simulcasting live wall-to-wall coverage. Both stations are still streaming coverage of the storm through their websites (at least for now; it's still possible that the storm could disrupt these streams at some point). I would think that Fox affiliate WVUE-8 and ABC affiliate WGNO-26 have also fled their normal studios, probably originating coverage at, respectively, Fox and ABC affiliates in a nearby market that will not score a "direct hit" from the worst of the storm (Joseph Gallant, radio-info.com Louisiana board via DXLD) I've had WWL running for almost an hour solid without drop outs right now... looks like they re-routed the streaming as the streamer is ID'ing as 'KHOU Houston' (another Belo station) (Canadian Radio Dude, ibid.) WWL's massive signal went silent at about 12:40 AM this (29 AUG 2005) morning (while fielding a caller from Atlanta, IIRC). It's still silent as of 01:05 as I listen here in Dallas. WLNO/1060 is blasting in here (maybe on the 50,000 watt day pattern). However, the programming remains the usual paid blocks, currently a health program is airing as a potentially catastrophic hurricane heads to New Orleans (Bob Nelson, radio-info.com Louisiana board via DXLD) When 1060 was still WNOE, I used to get them in Tulsa, OK on the nighttime pattern. I never tried when I lived in Dallas, though it wouldn't be surprising if you could hear it on the nighttime pattern there. If WLNO is running at its daytime power and running commercial programming at night, it's violating the law. It's probably in the clear if it's running at night power. However, I have to question any broadcaster that wouldn't at least provide some coverage of such a powerful storm (Kent, ibid.) As of 1:30 P.M. EDT Monday (August 29th), all of NOLA.com's webcams are out. According to NOLA.com, all the webcam outages were due to Hurricane Katrina (Joseph Gallant, ibid.) Hope the FCC gets some **** and pulls the license of ANY station that insists on running paid programming in an area where a Cat 4-5 Hurricane is threatening. Especially if other stations in the area are knocked off the air that are performing a public service and being a source of important, live saving information. This includes the pay- for-pray outfits (GenXdxerLR, ibid.) Agreed. Or if there is justice, the towers of those station would be ripped down first (nate81, ibid.) On my way to work at 1070 KNTH Houston, Texas: WWL continues to be off the air at 3:45 [am] CDT. I was able to pick up 690 WTIX. It was a poor to fair signal fading in and out. I heard the announcer mention that Katrina would head into the lake about 25 to 30 east of New Orleans. I could also tune in to 1060. It's time like this, I wish the old WNOE was still there. Yesterday morning, while on 95.7 The Wave, I welcomed New Orleans residents who evacuated the area and came to Houston. I offered a short hourly update on my morning show. Godspeed (Chuck Tiller, radio- info.com Louisiana board via DXLD) I'm in Lafayette (about 90 miles west) so I can only pick up the higher powered stations. So far, only 92.3 WDVW appears to still be online, and they're only running dead carrier. The other stations I can usually pick up here - 93.3 WQUE, 95.7 WTKL, 97.1 WEZB, 104.1 KHEV and 105.3 WKBU - all seem to be off. Also, I'm not sure if it's something to do with our Cox system here in Lafayette or with their transmitter, but 2 WBRZ/Baton Rouge has been static all morning. 9 WAFB/Baton Rouge is still going, as are 33 WVLA and 44 WGMB (Stelly, amfmacadiana, Aug 29, radio-info.com Lousiana board via DXLD) WLOX 13 in Biloxi didn't evacuate right away. Someone watching the video stream said the air staff finally realized they needed to leave this morning. Their weatherman said, "I'm the last one here, we're evacuating", and he simply walked off (chrispc, ibid.) I was driving up from Alexandria to Shreveport last night. From 7:30 p.m. till I arrived at 9:30, WWL provided what I think was very good coverage and information. Sadly, the Shreveport emergency management stations had nothing but music. There were so many evacuees still on the road at that time on I-49. You could see them getting off at Alexandria, Natchitoches, and Shreveport, only to find that all the hotels were booked. The Shreveport stations could have provided, at the very least, some weather and hotel/shelter information for these folks. As I've already heard on the media about some lessons to be learned from and address following this disaster, this may be another issue to be addressed (ghll2005, Aug 29, Radio-Info.com Louisiana board via DXLD) One would think that there SHOULD be stations along the evac routes to carry such information. I am in Memphis and was surprised that not one of the stations here was carrying any type of public service information of this type. If I was 400 miles from home, it sure would be good info to have (b3grinder, ibid.) Exactly right. Just watched the noon news on WREG in Memphis and it seems like most area hotels are full due to the evac. Such info would be nice to pass on to the folks, along with alternatives. Years ago I bet the old "Great 68, WMPS" (Plough days) would be giving the info out. Another great station lost! The 680 signal, now WWTQ, is beamed to the Gulf Coast at night and is clearly heard in Mobile and Gulfport/Biloxi(as well as along I-55) with a mere 5 kW. If daytime power were put into the directional array during a hurricane it would be a flamethrower. What a waste of a great service to the public. A station like WWTQ should be the secondary northbound "evac" station. I'm sure WWL has a great emergency plan, but nothing can fight a Cat 4, or 5 hurricane. WWTQ may have a great plan too, but the next time the Mississippi flows backward during the long overdue New Madrid quake, there will most likely be silence on 680. Maybe WWL can beam info in? Seems a shame the "owners" of some of these frequencies no longer feel the need to do anything that doesn't put cash in their accounts. The public should challenge this at renewal time. I thought the public owned the frequencies, guess not. Kinda' funny how good ole' AM can't be beat in an emergency (pr680, ibid.) I was able to listen to WWL last night here in Northeast Georgia with their typically crystal clear skywave signal. While watching the Weather Channel this morning, Dr. Steve Lyon, their hurricane specialist, mentioned around 8 a.m. Eastern that WWL Radio went off the air while he was speaking to them. Since they are the designated emergency information station, I wondered if maybe they lost their two big towers south of New Orleans? Anyone know what happened? The only other skywave AM out of that area we could get was WTIX on 690, obviously on daytime pattern, as they should have been, and 1130 KWKH which was playing music. I'm disappointed Clear Channel doesn't do more with that fantastic signal which should have at least rebroadcast WWL or something. A lot of New Orleans residents who were out on the road in Texas and Florida would have appreciated that service. What a waste of what was once a great radio station (artsutton, radio-info.com Louisiana board via DXLD) How can you blame Clear channel for WWL's lack of backup systems? CC can`t easily rebroadcast an AM signal that is not broadcasting itself. Does anyone even know if "the Entercom family" of stations are on air at all, When listening to WWL last night here in Ohio before they went dark, they rambled off like 7 stations they where simulcasting on between their many breaks of Commercials. I would think one of them had to be on air. Channel 6 is still on according to their reporters, which is also heard on 87.7 FM as ch6's audio falls on that frequency. Honestly the best coverage I have seen so far has been from National Fox News Channel, they have had cell reports from the superdome and other various places including Bourbon Street, and also had live satellite shots from Gulfport MS. The TV stations down in N.O. that I`ve seen on the web have just been talking about the storms and showing radars and reading wire reports from remote sister station studios. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone down there, from the shots I`ve seen on TV, looks like there is major damage (Lenks, Program Director/Music Director, X Music Online, The X, Today's Best Music http://www.xmusiconline.com/ ibid.) If you would read my post more carefully you would see I didn't blame Clear Channel for WWL's problem. Also, don't assume WWL didn't have a backup. At least they said they did on the air, while they were on the air. My comments about Clear Channel pertained to their own KWKH which, despite a huge 50 kW day and night signal continued to broadcast automated classic country music while thousands of people from New Orleans were driving through its coverage area. You would have thought someone at CC Shreveport would have had enough common sense to put some information programming on it when the largest and most powerful hurricane in a century was about to hit their home state. Maybe because it was a Sunday night, no one wanted to go to the station (artsutton, ibid.) IMHO, the MSNBC coverage carried on XM was even better than the FNC coverage. CNN was pretty lame, except for Wolfe Blitzer's program. (dudefan, ibid.) What you can blame them for is not having any sort of hurricane information at all. In Shreveport, they have both of the emergency management stations. For the two hours I listened to them last night, they had NO emergency information at all. I flipped back and forth between the AM and FM stations, and both were in regular programming. So much for the folks travelling up I-49 and tuning into the stations for any sort of information, especially since their stations are listed on the hurricane evacuation signs, beginning just north of Alexandria. (ghll2005, ibid.) ENTERCOM/NEW ORLEANS HIT HARD BY KATRINA Entercom VP/News & Talk Programming Ken Beck tells R&R that News/Talker WWL was knocked off the air by Katrina overnight but reports the station's coverage has continued on the company's FMs in the market. However, those stations as well have been on and off the air intermittently since the storm hit the Big Easy. "Our studio and office windows are blown out," reports Beck, "but thankfully no one has been hurt as of 11 am." Meanwhile the New Orleans Superdome, the city's primary storm shelter, lost a portion of its famed domed roof overnight. No injuries were reported to any of the 10,000-plus citizens who took refuge in the stadium. Power in the Superdome failed at about 5am, and although emergency generators kicked in to provide light to the arena, the backup power is not enough to run the building's air conditioning units (From Radio and Records via JamzUSA, Aug 29, radio-info.com Louisiana board via DXLD) None of the New Orleans signals that I can usually hear in Lafayette can be picked up. That includes the AMs WWL, WNOE, WTIX and the FMs WQUE, WYLD, and WRNO. I am receiving a carrier with no program on 92.3. Am I to assume they are off the air? Or are they operating at reduced power? I have to think that many station transmitter sites are flooded since many are along Paris Road in Chalmette. As to WWL, I assume there is a serious problem keeping them off the air. I believe it is unprecedented in my lifetime for WWL to be off the air for this long (News Type, 6:08 pm Aug 29, which is probably in EDT, ibid.) Diva 92.3's transmitter site is in LaPlace, LA, about 40 miles west of New Orleans. If their New Orleans studio lost power or the STL failed, then there would be a dead carrier if the transmitter were still on. (nkd, ibid.) That is too bad. WWL was an important information resource to residents who were on the road and needed reports from home. WWL failed them. I am disappointed with them, that they could not do a better job. The hurricane winds had not even started when they went off the air (peppertree 5706, ibid.) I wouldn't be so quick to jump to a conclusion that WWL failed its audience. Last night, they switched to their auxiliary studios at the emergency headquarters of civil defense which apparently was in a very secure building and not at the WWL studios. Just because their windows were blown out at the studios shouldn't have impacted their ability to broadcast, or the way it was explained on WWL last night, it shouldn't. I suspect the problem was much more serious and likely at the transmitter site. I wouldn't be surprised if their two 620 foot towers may have been damaged or the site, south of downtown, was flooded (artsutton, ibid.) I listened to the explanation given after midnight of where the broadcast was coming from. That is, a former garbage incinerator with no doors or windows and I was impressed. I planned to be running tapes all night. Broadcast engineers are well aware, that to get a signal into the air, a chain of events must take place, from the announcer's voice on the mic up to the transmitter signal going out. If one piece of the chain is breaks down then the rest of the chain is useless and there will be no broadcast. I am disappointed that the WWL engineers did not have a backup or even a redundant backup for every piece of the chain. Starting with a backup announcer to a backup transmitter which is protected (somehow) from flooding. This is WWL! A unique radio station with a unique signal and special plans should have been taken to preserve this particular station. That is why I am critical, because they are strategic in an emergency (peppertree5706, ibid.) I understand your point, but one of the things that's unique about WWL is the topography of the area it serves. I attended a presentation at the NAB convention in April by WWL's CE about their emergency plans, which were extremely comprehensive and well thought-out. Unfortunately, when your entire area sits at or just below sea level and the big one (or even, in this case, the nearly-big one) hits, even the best plans can fall short. The WWL transmitter site, if you've never been there or seen it, sits IN Barataria Bay, about five miles south of New Orleans. It's outside the levee system, but both the building and towers are on concrete pylons that are meant to keep them safe from just about anything. There are weeks of emergency fuel at the site, and it's linked by multiple means to the emergency studios at the emergency operations center nearby. I don't know yet why the transmitter site went down. It sounds as though they got back up at some point from their auxiliary transmitter at the WWL-TV tower, which is also in low land just across the river from downtown New Orleans. What else could WWL have done? I suppose they could have had another transmitter standing by on 870 at a location outside the immediate New Orleans area, but that's an extraordinarily expensive proposition and assumes that you'd even have a way to get programming there. For the local audience, it sounds as though the various Entercom FMs (which have transmitters at a number of separate locations) stayed on through much of the storm, providing information. I also don't know, because I'm not down there, whether Entercom AM WSMB 1350 stayed on; it, too, was simulcasting WWL's coverage. But I've talked to the WWL engineers and seen at least the broad outlines of their emergency plan, and I'm certainly in no rush to criticize them. Sometimes you just can't get a signal out. This is evidently one of those times, and unless you're the one down there actually making it happen, I don't think you're in any position to stand in judgment (Scott Fybush, ibid.) And without knowing the full story of what happened you have no right to be so critical. I'm someone who has a job that has to plan for these sort of things. You can have every contingency plan in place and executable, but in a storm such as this unpredictable things happen. Perhaps the site flooded, and their longwire backup fell down. I'm fairly sure they are doing everything they can to get back on the air too. Don't be so judgmental unless you know the full facts (whyhellothere, ibid.) I spoke with a friend around lunch time and said that WWL is on the air, but it may be at a reduced power. I'm just north of Lafayette and cannot receive anything (stevenNOLA, ibid.) Amazingly I was listening to WTIX 690 here in Memphis at 3 AM Monday morning. They had a SOLID signal - apparently they run a different pattern at night and stayed on the daytime signal because I've never picked it up before. Those guys were doing a great job with coverage, despite the fact they said they had no power and only the studio console & transmitter were on a generator. WWL was apparently knocked off the air early (Classicradionut, ibid.) WWL must be back at full throttle. They are coming in like a local here in Bowling Green, MO as they do every night. Sounds like they are doing a good job with their wall to wall coverage, but you would think with a disaster of this magnitude, they wouldn't be airing so many spots. Sounds like they have been running their full spotload (Mike Batchelor, ibid.) The bills still have to be paid. Some of those spots have flight dates that also may end before the end of the month as per the contract (Chuck Tiller, ibid.) It's just ludicrous; they're running ads for DSL! Not to mention public events in Kenner and Slidell next week! (chrispc, ibid.) They kept running a spot last night for the Imperial Palace Casino in Biloxi which probably doesn't even exist anymore (Brian Craig, ibid.) Another thread pointed out that one of New Orleans' other high powered AM station was airing "colon blow" programming and such as the storm approached. A poster suggested the station should have its licensed revoked. Hard to argue with that opinion. It's a shame that AM stations like that ignore the situation and take the path of least resistance. Afterall, stations are licensed to operate "in the public interest, convenience and necessity." I don't fault WWL in this situation. Storms and natural disasters can wreak havoc on even the best laid contingency plans. By the way, ever been in a blizzard? Snow, blowing so hard it takes your breath away, wind chills so cold, the average body can sustain only a few minutes outdoors, even with the warmest clothing. Visibility so low, you can't see more than a few feet ahead of you in the middle of the day. The WWL crew most likely did their best to provide service to their area but the power and force of the hurricane took most, if not all, of their options off the table. Many years ago, I worked with a gentleman who eventually became the VP of Engineering at the company that owned WWL. He was a knowledgeable, hands-on type who ran a tight (meaning squared-away, not cheap) ship. The stories he told me about the WWL transmitter site (complete with alligator buckshot, duckboats, hip-waders and anti-venom for the water mocs) lead me to believe that contingency plans were in place. 100+ mph winds and a 12' tidal wall can wreak havoc with even the best plans (Mike Radknowski, ibid.) New Log, WTIX 690 --- Was monitoring yesterday morning during the height of Hurricane Katrina, NO trace of 870 WWL, But I did get WTIX 690 New Orleans with Hurricane info, bulletins, etc., approx. 5:45 to 6:00 AM CDT. I have never gotten this station before, did not realize that they are in New Orleans until I researched further. Perhaps they were, are on daytime power, pattern. While New Orleans was spared the complete cataclysm earlier predicted, It still looks very, very bad in So Louisiana and Mississippi (Bill Snyder - Omaha, NE, Aug 30, ABDX via DXLD) It appears that WWL is running considerably less than their usual 50 kW. Barely audible here tonight --- normally they blow up the radio (Tom Bryant / Nashville, TN, 0043 UT Aug 30, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) Well, when I checked after 0500 UT Aug 30, WWL seemed back to full strength, with usual hurricane talk. So the question remains, what put them off 23 hours earlier and what kind of damage was there to their facilities? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: WWL, 870, New Orleans, 0950 Aug 30, On again when I checked this morning at 0950 (UT). With out a doubt WWL is the best source of information on the aftermath of Katrina. The station was passing health and welfare information provided by callers, many of whom were New Orleans residents who have taken refuge out of state. Time and again the callers thanked the station for being the only life line they had to their home. Many people, including those in the radio industry, believe AM radio is obsolete, but no other technology is currently providing an equivalent level of communication. If there was ever an argument for retaining analog radio this is it! I just heard the announcer say (1050 UT) that the station has only about 1 more day worth of diesel fuel to keep on the air (David Hodgson, TN, Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hurricane Katrina make for some listening... http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/la/allwarnings.html I've been listening to the /Mississippicoast link on http://ve3nsv.no-ip.org:8000/ (Rasputin Novgorod, Aug 29, ODXA via DXLD) See the FIRST POST in the link below, lots of radio and TV links there. http://flhurricane.com/cyclone/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=tb2005&Number=52009&page=0&fpart=all WTOK-TV in Meridian, MS is being streamed on http://www.WJHG.com --- look in the upper right hand corner and click on the Hurricane Katrina link (Radioray, Aug 30, radio-info.com Louisiana board via DXLD) Listening to 870 WWL between chores since 1 p.m. ET today, nonstop regional callers. Interviewing Mayor Ray Nagin (2:22 p.m.+) live now. He's talking about the plan to drop 3,000-pound (!!!!!!!!!) sandbags on the breached section of levee from helicopters. 1060 WLNO, New Orleans either low power, altered pattern or silent (not that it matters, they'd just be running canned Christian or brokered faux medicine shows as they were the day prior to Katrina's landfall). Just a carrier on 1060 here. KBON 101.1, Eunice is streaming A-OK and running usual great Cajun, Creole & Country oldies (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, 1832 UT Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I assume Terry is listening direct on 870 at midday, typical WWL propagation across the Gulf (gh, DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. RADIO FREE EUROPE CORRESPONDENT SENT TO PRISON | Text of report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty website on 29 August A correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Uzbek Service based in Namangan, in Uzbekistan's Ferghana Valley near Andijon, has been sent to prison for six months for allegedly insulting a security officer. The correspondent, Nosir Zokirov, was summoned to court in Namangan on 26 August, tried without the presence of defence counsel or the examination of witnesses, and sent directly to prison. Deeply disturbed at the news, RFE/RL President Thomas A. Dine said, "This was a kangaroo court, bearing no resemblance to internationally accepted legal norms." Dine added, "the sentencing of Nosir Zokirov on such an absurd charge marks a new low in an intensifying campaign waged against him and other RFE/RL correspondents that was evident even before the Andijon massacre". Zokirov was sentenced under Article 140 of the Uzbek criminal code, which makes it a criminal offence to insult a member of the security forces. The criminal complaint was based on an angry phone call Zokirov made to security police in Namangan on 6 August, in which Zokirov protested attempts to pressure a local poet, Khaidarali Komilov, to lie about an interview he gave Zokirov, broadcast in early August. For months, Zokirov, an experienced correspondent in his mid-fifties who has filed news reports with RFE/RL for eight years, has been targeted by local media that have published slanderous and untruthful articles about his family and lifestyle, as well as his work for RFE/RL. The campaign against Zokirov intensified after the bloody suppression of an uprising in Andijon in mid-May and after the Uzbek Service broadcast an interview by Zokirov with Komilov, who criticized the government's handling of Andijon. Zokirov was summoned several times to the local police station because of his reporting; at one point, service to his home and mobile phones was cut off. Dine noted that at least three other native Uzbek correspondents for RFE/RL's Uzbek Service have been subject to similar pressures by Uzbek state authorities. They and their families have received threatening phone calls, been interrogated by security officers and had recording equipment confiscated. Noting also the harrassment suffered by journalists working in Uzbekistan with the BBC, Internews Network, Institute for War and Peace Reporting and other media outlets, Dine said "it is incumbent on us, living in a free society with free media, to let the world know what is happening to Uzbek journalists inside Uzbekistan". Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty website, Washington, D.C., in English 29 Aug 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** VATICAN [and non]. Vatican R., 4005.14-LSB, 2016 UT 15 August, English talk, monastery in Cologne to 2018 ID, then IS, 2019 Spanish (Alan Pennington, Caversham, Berkshire, BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Note the frequency offset, which might be useful in tracking the Vatican vs the Santa Maria di Galeria transmitter (gh, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Legal Analysis --- WAS PAT ROBERTSON'S CALL FOR ASSASSINATION OF A FOREIGN LEADER A CRIME? By John W. Dean August 26, 2005 [NOTE: The following legal analysis was prepared by Former Counsel to The President of the United States John W. Dean and Originally Published at Findlaw.com] Had he been a Democrat, he'd probably be hiring a criminal attorney. On Monday, August 22, the Chairman of the Christian Broadcast Network, Marion "Pat" Robertson, proclaimed, on his 700 Club television show, that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez should be murdered. . . http://www.rethinkvenezuela.com/news/robcrime.html (Venezuelan Information Office, DC, via gh, DXLD) Re 5-148, what was Robertson thinking? Substitute the name of Sheik whomever in place of Pat Robertson, and then substitute the name of the US President in place of Hugo Chávez, and watch how quickly the indignation goes off the scale! (Jim Renfrew, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. 6612.0, R. Zimbabwe, Aug 29, 0422-0500, programming in African language, man announcer with nice program of African highlife music (African pop, Calypso steel drums, etc), many local time checks in English (UT + 2 hours: such as ``16 minutes till 7 o`clock``), singing jingle for ``Radio Zimbabwe,`` did not hear any spoken ID for R. Zimbabwe, just the jingle, ToH drums and tentatively seemed to go off the air but am not positive. Fair signal and certainly the best I have heard them (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ ¡Hola!: Ante todo permítame saludarle y presentarme. Mi nombre es Alexis Castillo. Tengo 34 años de edad. Soy ciego de nacimiento. Practico el diexismo desde hace mucho tiempo. Soy amigo en lo personal de nuestro querido Alfonso Montealegre, persona a quien admiro muchísimo. Hace muy poco descubrí estas listas para diexismo y las considero genial. Trabajo la computadora con un lector de pantalla llamado Jaws que es genial. Le he agregado en mi Messenger de Yahoo. Desde hace mucho tiempo lo sigo en sus informes y me resultan buenísimos y de mucha utilidad. Aquí en Cuba se le admira mucho a usted y se le quiere y respeta. Bueno, solo quería hacerle estas letras y decirle que por la Habana tiene un amigo más (Alexis Castillo, Aug 29) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ HFCC B-05 VALENCIA List of officially registered participants: http://www.hfcc.org/valencia/valencia-reg240805.xls (via José Miguel Romero2, Noticias DX via DXLD) Podran observar que para RSI [SLOVAKIA] está invitada la señora Edita Chocholata, encargada de estos menesteres por RSI, pero hay que recordar que renuncio meses atras a su empleo, desconozco quien sustituyó a dicha persona en este evento, importante para el futuro de esta emisora (José Miguel Romero, ibid.) En la siguiente dirección se puede descargar la circular CR/239 de la UIT para las diferentes administraciones de los Estados Miembros de la UIT, con el fin de presentar los nuevos horarios y frecuencias que salgan de la reunión de la HFCC en Valencia. http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-r/md/00/cr/cir/R00-CR-CIR-0239!!MSW-S.doc Esta circular es de fecha 26 Mayo del 2005 (José Miguel Romero, Spain, HCDX via DXLD) This explains the procedure in the coördination process, deadlines, and how to fill out entries in HFCC format; also refers to three regional coördination groups (gh, DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ ADDITIONAL DRM: see GERMANY; NETHERLANDS HD RADIO WEB SITE SHOWS INDUSTRY MYOPIA http://www.audiographics.com/agd/s2082905.htm Is HD Radio good for the radio industry? It's great PR. It's also good for industry trades looking for a news story. But, is HD Radio going to blow up in everyone's face as the panacea that doesn't pay off? That's a possibility which raises its head. It's demonstrated by how HD Radio is being presented to the radio industry and the public by the powers that be; the link below shows how poorly that's being done. Use the link. See how whoever has put this "web site" together is using the same technique that HD Radio is following for public exposure. There's plenty of buzz about the term HD Radio but no real explanation of what it is or the benefits it brings. (Those are two elements you'd expect to find at a web site titled "The HD Radio Playbook.") The web site page you land on (after clicking the link below) has nothing that matters except a long list of names, a registration field, and a statement of "Will Pay Cash For Promos." The long list of names reflects the radio industry's need to constantly pat itself on the back. But there's no reason to pat anyone's back yet. HD Radio hasn't done anything that's of importance. It certainly hasn't rung any bells with consumers. You may consider a tally of "540 HD Radio stations on-air today," "938 HD Radio stations licensed," or "2,500 HD Radio stations committed" as being newsworthy. The web site link below does. However, all that these numbers spell out is a less than 25% commitment by the radio industry after HD's 10 years of existence. The web site page that you land on also offers registration. You'd think by "registering" there'd be a payoff, some info of value delivered. Not the case here. In return for giving someone, somewhere, my personal information I receive the following: "Your message to the HD Radio team was sent successfully. We will contact you soon. Thank you. Return to Home page." That's really not good enough when I was expecting entry to the "HD Radio Playbook." As for "...cash for promos," this short section starts with "Announcing the first radio promo competition of the 21st century!" Considering we're already six years into this century, it's sad that radio hasn't had a promo contest already. (Someone, please ask Arbitron what happened to "The Great Radio Promotion Contest" of the 1990s.) (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ ELECTRIC FENCES FOR HORSES AND DXING Last week was devoted to the construction of a 2400 foot long electric fence for our horses. It consists of two tape strands and is supported by 99 insulating posts. Naturally, we decided to build it during a week when it hit at least 100 every day! So what does this have to do with DXing? This: if I were going to construct either a permanent or temporary Beverage antenna, then I'd start with a visit to a farm or ranch supply store, like the Tractor Supply Center chain found in Texas. Our fence is supported by solid fiberglass insulated poles we got from TSC. These come in lengths from 4 to 6 feet, are light but very strong, and can be driven into the ground with a hammer without splintering. They also have attached clips for supporting fence tape/wire and you can add additional insulators/supporters if you wish. These would make great Beverage antenna support posts. A solid ground connection is an absolute necessity for an effective electric fence as well as a Beverage, and TSC has really terrific round rods. These aren't the skinny, copper-plated junk you get at Radio Shack, but instead 1.5-inch thick, 6-foot long monsters that would be ideal anchors for "radial farms." The one thing you can't get at TSC would be the antenna wire itself (unless you want to build a Beverage from heavy gauge insulated wire used to carry power from the source pack to the fence!). But I notice Home Depot has 500-foot spools of insulated "speaker" wire that look tempting. . . Two sides of our fence run about 800 feet in both east/west and north/south directions, straight line directions, and there is a spare insulating clip at the top of each fiberglass support to clip another wire. Since we will put our horses in their stalls at night and shut off the fence, it appears I will also have a pair of phased Beverages for DXing this winter as a result of last week's effort! Anyway, check out a local ranch/farm supply house before your next antenna project. You might be surprised at the useful stuff you might find there (Harry Helms W5HLH, Smithville, TX EL19, http://futureofradio.typepad.com/ ABDX via DXLD) ###