DX LISTENING DIGEST 5-155, September 4, 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 1285: Mon 0300 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0330 WOR WSUI Iowa City IA 910 Mon 0415 WOR WBCQ 7415 [usually closer to 0418-] Mon 1800 WOR RFPI [repeated 4-hourly thru Tue 1400] Tue 2330 WOR WBCQ 7415 [usually] Wed 0930 WOR WWCR 9985 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 or http://wor.worldofradio.org WORLD OF RADIO 1285 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1285h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1285h.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1285 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1285.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1285.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1285.html WORLD OF RADIO 1285 in true SW sound of Alex`s mp3 (stream) http://www.dxprograms.net/worldofradio_08-31-05.m3u (download) http://www.dxprograms.net/worldofradio_08-31-05.mp3 WORLD OF RADIO 1285 downloads in studio-quality mp3: (high) http://www.obriensweb.com/wor1285h.mp3 (low) http://www.obriensweb.com/wor1285.mp3 WORLD OF RADIO PODCAST: www.obriensweb.com/wor.xml (currently available: Extra 58, 1281, 1282, 1283, Extra 59, 1284, Extra 60, 1285) CONTINENT OF MEDIA 05-08 is available from early UT Sept 4: (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/com0508.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/com0508.rm (summary) not yet available ** ARGENTINA. Escuché a las 1130 UT hoy 27 de agosto, a la emisora de SSB en la banda de 19 metros de LR5, Radio la Red, de Buenos Aires. Argentina. La Frecuencia es 15819.0 Kc/s. Sigue LS4, Radio Continental de Buenos Aires, emitiendo en los 8098.0 SSB y en los 5400 en distintos horarios del dia, sobre todo en la programación deportiva, de los domingos (Ernesto Higinio Licciardi, desde la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, Conexión Digital Sept 3 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 6214v, 29.8 0450, Radio Baluarte is an unID, but the music and talk indicated this station. Short ID which I did not get, but mostly ballads. S 2. BEFF (Björn Fransson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Sept 4, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6214.1, 23.8 2145, Radio Baluarte very good in comparison to other LA- signals on SW. QSA 2-3. I repeat the thesis that the antennas must have been improved. JE (Jan Edh, ibid.) ** ARGENTINA. Novedades en la onda media local --- Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. 1710 "AM1710", transmite aparentemente desde mi propio barrio! Yo venía advirtiendo esta posibilidad por los poquísimos avisos comerciales que tiene y la pésima recepción en cualquier otra zona de la ciudad. Ahora lanzó su programación "en vivo" y tiene muchísimos comerciales de los barrios de Villa Urquiza, Saavedra y algo de Núñez. Voy a tratar de contactarme con la estación (mandé un correo electrónico mas no tuve respuesta aún). Su slogan es: "un nuevo aire en Buenos Aires". (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina) 1620, Radio Italia, Villa Martelli, Partido de Vicente López, Provincia de Buenos Aires, volvió a esta frecuencia luego de estar fuera del aire e instalarse posteriormente en los 540 khz, conforme lo informara Marcelo Cornachioni. Recepcionada en la noche del 03 de Setiembre con excelente señal, durante la emisión del programa "Un cachazo de tango". Mi QTH está a no más de 3 km de los estudios de la emisora (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Sept 4, radioescutas via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. ARMÊNIA – A Voz da Armênia transmite um espaço de 15 minutos em língua espanhola. Vai ao ar, diariamente, entre 0230 e 0245, pela freqüência de 9965 kHz. Em 23 de agosto, o colunista acompanhou o noticiário. O apresentador diz que o objetivo da emissora é "informar sobre a atualidade armena e da região do Cáucaso do Sul". Na pauta do dia, as negociações sobre o processo de paz entre a Armênia e o Azerbaidjão, que disputam a região do Nagorno-Karabakh. Aqui vai uma dica: a Voz da Armênia é a única fonte de informações sobre aquela região do Planeta. Não precisa escrever mais nada sobre a importância das emissões em ondas curtas! O sítio da emissora é: http://www.armradio.am/programs/?next O endereço eletrônico é o seguinte: pr@armradio.am. Direção postal tradicional: Rádio Pública da Armênia, Alex Manoocian 5, Yerevan 25, República da Armênia (Célio Romais, Panorama, Conexión Digital Sept 3 via DXLD) Are they still announcing the wrong frequencies? (gh, DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. Black or White: The programme is produced by Jurgen Verstrepen of Vlaams Belang; his weblog is http://jurgenverstrepen.typepad.com/jurgen_verstrepen_maakt_l/2005/08/zwartofwit_digi.html and includes an email address is one of his blogs jurgen.verstrepen @ vlaamsparlement.be (Mike Barraclough, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. Re 5-154: Thanks, I have always thought it means "Coming Plan". If you in Swedish say "He`s CP" it means "He`s crazy". 73s (Björn Malm, Ecuador, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Re 5-154, 5745.75 unID "EWTN Radio Católica Mundial". This station has been reported as "Radio Virgen de Remedios, Tupiza" (Bolivia). --- Hi, I seem to recall hearing it // to some of WEWN's shortwave channels, although there is a bit of delay between the two. I found the Bolivian to be quite strong; I thought it was actually a WEWN spur at first. You can go to their website of http://www.ewtn.com/spanish/index.asp which has feeds of both radio and TV. This would let you know exactly which service the Bolivian station is relaying (Hans Johnson, Jihad DX via SW Bulletin via DXLD) ** BOTSWANA. Re 5-154: Unfortunately, the URL mentioned for Radio Botswana audio in the newspaper report quoted by BBCM appears to be wrong. I have tried it the past several days and can only produce the page "cannot find server." No doubt it's there somewhere, but I haven't yet found it (Andy Sennitt, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Probably this: http://www.tsebeegole.com/ 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.) Ah yes, that looks more like it :-) Whenever I see a Web URL mentioned in a story, my first instinct is to check it. I'm surprised that organisations like the BBC don't do that before they issue stories. Thanks, (Andy Sennitt, ibid.) R. Botswana's audio can be found at http://www.tsebeegole.com/ No live broadcasting. Creative Voice is the only English-language feature I could find (Sergei Sosedkin, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. 6185, Rádio Nacional da Amazônia, 0715-0730, 04-09, portugués, locutor, comentarios y canciones brasileñas. 24322. En paralelo con 11780 con SINPO 23222. Recientemente había salido la noticia de que se había mudado a 6180, pero hoy se escuchaba en 6185 (Manuel Méndez, Spain, DX LISTENING DIGSEST) ** BRAZIL. BRASIL – A Rádio Nacional da Amazônia, de Brasília (DF), foi sintonizada, em Porto Alegre (RS), pelo colunista, em 28 de agosto, às 2107, em 6185 kHz, durante a jornada esportiva, comandada pelo narrador Carlos Borges. BRASIL – Faz algum tempo que a Rádio Canção Nova, de Cachoeira Paulista (SP), não é sintonizada em 4825 kHz. A constatação é do Leandro Renato, de Paulínia (SP). (Célio Romais, Panorama, Conexión Digital Sept 3 via DXLD) ** BURMA [non]. CLANDESTINA PARA MYANMAR, 15478, Democratic Voice of Burma, 1430-1445, escuchada el 4 Sep en burmese; inician emisión con un segmento de música folklorica, locutora con comentarios, sufre fuerte interferencia de la BBC emitiendo en 15485, SINPO 43443 (José Miguel Romero, Sacañet (Castellón), España, SANGEAN ATS 909, Antena telescopica, Noticias DX via DXLD) Another case of side tuning to avoid interference and then going by the readout instead of the carrier frequency, which can easily be determined with the ATS-909 SSB/CW funxion? Or was DVB really varying from 15480? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also UNID ** CHILE. An article in the Sept 2005 Federachi bulletin http://www.federachi.cl/Comisiones/Radioescuchas/espanol/Boletin%20radioescuchas%20Septiembre.htm about SW broadcasting in Chile appends a presumably current list including: CE582 Triunfal Evangélica 5225 0,05 Talagante (via José Miguel Romero, Spain, bclnews.it via DXLD) However, this is listed in the WRTH 2005 with 100 watts on 5825, as the callsign would require. But have seen no reports of it for ages. It could be active and go unnoticed with such low power against QRM if no one is looking for it. Mark Mohrmann`s LA-DX website has it in the archive list, not the current list: 5825 CHILE R Triunfal Evangélica, Talagante [2359*](varies 24.7-25.5) Mar 99 LA 50 watts! Which means it has not been reported for 6.5 years. Would the Chileans please check into it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. (Updated log). 6139.78, Radio Lider, Sept 2, 0550-0613 & 0742-0830. Noted again after an absence of some months, program of Spanish ballads with IDs between just about every song, fair-good. Not back on a regular basis, as I have not heard them again, as of Sept 4 (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6139.8, R. Líder, nice signal at 0857 Sep 2, usual Melodía ascending chimes, then ID: "Desde Bogotá, Colombia, R. Líder, en canal preferencial, HJCU, R. Líder, AM estéreo, 730 kc., otra potente emisora de la Cadena Melodía de Colombia." Ascending chimes again, then: "En R. Líder, 730 kc., AM estéreo, ésta es la hora oficial -- son las 4. Ahora R. Líder, llega los diferentes países del mundo. Escúchenos en la frecuencia 730 kc. onda larga, y 6140 kc. onda corta, banda de 49 metros. Escríbanos a nuestro correo electrónico, radiolider @ cadenamelodia.com o al Apartado Aéreo 19823, Bogotá, Colombia. Indícanos la hora, la ciudad del escucha a R. Líder, y a vuelta de correo, reciba un fabuloso premio. R. Líder, siempre líder en el mundo." I think this is the same announcement they used when they first came on the air. Did anyone ever receive anything from them? (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet Sept 4 via DXLD) ** CROATIA [non]. CROÁCIA VIA ALEMANHA – O que houve com a programação em espanhol da Voz da Croácia, que vai ao ar entre 2230 e 2300, em 9925 kHz? Até bem pouco tempo, a emissora levava ao ar quase 30 minutos com noticiário nacional, local, entrevistas e informações desportivas. Em diversas oportunidades, o colunista constatou que, quando a emissão chega no minuto nove de duração, o apresentador agradece a sintonia e a emissora passa a irradiar várias músicas croatas até preencher o minuto 30 da emissão (Célio Romais, Panorama, Conexión Digital Sept 3 via DXLD) Everyone in Europe goes on vacation in August (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. Nueva FM en La Habana --- La provincia de La Habana cuenta con una nueva emisora radial en el municipio de Santa Cruz del Norte, llamada /La Voz del Litoral/. Ese territorio es de suma trascendencia económica y social pues allí radican importantes industrias como la Termoeléctrica del Este de La Habana, la Empresa de Petróleo de Occidente, Energás, una moderna fábrica de refrescos y la ronera Havana Club, entre otras. De ahí la apertura de esta nueva emisora que forma parte del programa de la Batalla de Ideas de dotar a algunos municipios de mayor interés, de emisoras radiales y plantas locales de televisión que sirvan para divulgar los principales acontecimientos de esos lugares, del país y del mundo. Un colectivo muy joven, entusiasta y capacitado tendrá a su cargo la responsabilidad de crear y transmitir una variada programación informativa y musical que satisfaga los requerimientos y diversos gustos de la población. /La Voz del Litoral/ se une a la red radial de La Habana que cuenta además con Radio Ariguanabo, en San Antonio de los Baños, Camoa en San José de las Lajas, Jaruco y Güines, esta última ganadora del primer lugar en el último Festival Nacional de ese medio de difusión y será sede del próximo evento. Asimismo, posee cabinas en todos los municipios donde no hay emisoras, todas tributan a la planta matriz de la provincia: Radio Cadena Habana, de larga y destacada trayectoria y el honor de que en uno de sus estudios se grabó por primera vez, en plena tiranía, el Himno del 26 de Julio. Los trabajadores de la nueva emisora manifestaron que están conscientes de la responsabilidad que tienen con el pueblo y la cumplirán con la mayor calidad. Esta estación se capta por la frecuencia 102.5 de la FM y se escucha, además de en Santa Cruz del Norte, en Jaruco, Guanabo, Habana del Este y en zonas limítrofes con Matanzas. *(AIN) *Adelina Vázquez -- fuente: http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2005/08/29/cultura/articulo03.html (via Gustavo F. Durán / Santa Fe, Argentina, condiglist via DXLD) TFK! ** DENMARK. Roj: see KURDISTAN [non] ** EGYPT. 9990.1, 23.8 2115, Radio Cairo beginning English program, heavy humming modulation and completely not understandable, so who cares to listen? Almost a curiosity that they broadcast; nobody can understand any of this. Maybe the satellite link is better, I don't know. 44444 BV (Bjarke Vestesen, Denmark, SW Bulletin Sept 4, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST 9990.1, Radio Cairo, 2113-2137 Sep 3, instrumental music with time pips and TC at 2115 by a woman who gave ID and program previews. Program of Egyptian until time pips at 2130, ID, musical Fanfare And the news. Fair to good signal (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA ECUATORIAL. 5005, Radio Nacional, Bata, 0447- 0512, 04-09. Esta emisora abre su programación matinal a las 0457. Escuchada a esta hora con el himno nacional, música africana e identificación. Curiosamente siguen anunciando una frecuencia que hace bastantes años que desapareció para esta emisora, 4926 kHz. Así se identifican al iniciar su programación matinal: "En la banda de 60 metros, 5005 kilociclos por segundo y 4926 kilociclos por segundo, y en frecuencia modulada, 99.9 y 102 megaciclos por segundo, Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial, programas culturales, musicales, de entretenimiento y deportivo, contamos con Usted, gracias por estar aquí" (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain Grundig Satellit 500, antena de cable 10 metros. Escucha realizadas en Friol, 27 Km. W. de Lugo, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. CLANDESTINE (Eritrean), 12130, Voice of Delina via TDP-Armavir. Full data prepared QSL Cards, signed, for my postal report to their California address. Reply in 12 days. Report sent to this address: Tesfa Delina Foundation, 17326 Road, A-230 Cerritos, California 90703. v/s illegible (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, Sept 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. Seven days later I check YLE Radio Finland again to see if they are still cutting off Nuntii Latini before it`s over. Started at 1355 UT Sept 4 as scheduled, but 15400 was very weak with quite disturbed propagation conditions; normally this is one European signal which holds up better than most. Yes, cut off abruptly at 1358*. I thought someone from YLE was reading DXLD, but no one has gotten the message yet (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Solar-terrestrial indices for 03 September follow. Solar flux 74 and mid-latitude A-index 30. The mid-latitude K-index at 1200 UTC on 04 September was 5 (72 nT). The mid-latitude K-index at 1500 UTC on 04 September was 3 (29 nT). Space weather for the past 24 hours has been minor. Geomagnetic storms reaching the G1 level occurred (SEC via DXLD) ** FRANCE. FRANÇA – A boa música de países como Guiné Bissau não chega até o Brasil pela mídia tradicional. Em ondas curtas, por exemplo, você tem acesso ao trabalho do guineense Rui Sangará. A programação em português da Rádio França Internacional apresenta o trabalho do intérprete de Guiné Bissau dentro dos espaços Mega Fórmula, nos sábados, e Carta de Paris, nos domingos. A RFI tem fácil sintonia, entre 1700 e 1800, em 15530 kHz. Confira! (Célio Romais, Panorama, Conexión Digital Sept 3 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Notes from the IFA Berlin: The German service of Deutsche Welle will be thoroughly reformatted with the start of B05. There will be no unified program anymore but customized versions for the individual target areas (sounds familiar...). The current structure with a 4 hours schedule will become a thing of the past. Not further researched yet: There were hints about German TV to be closed down by the end of this year (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also DIGITAL BROADCASTING ** GREECE. Babis: During the 0000-0400 UT period to North America last night, Avlis 3 on 9420 was silent; although 7475 was in the good range, and there was poor reception from 5865. I can't get anything out of 9420 during the rest of the day. I hope that you enjoyed a pleasant vacation and will be back on the job tomorrow. Today is my 87th birthday, but I am only a day older! (John Babbis, Silver Spring MD, Sept 4, to Babis Charalabopoulos, ERT, via DXLD) Happy birthday! (Glenn) ** GUINEA-BISSAU. See FRANCE ** INDONESIA. The following item copied from V. of Indonesia web site about my query of asking for QSL card. 73s, (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, Sept 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOI QSL card --- I was surprised when noted that you are asking for IRC / return stamp for QSL card. I think Indonesian govt. should spent some money for its overseas listeners. Swopan Chakroborty, swopan @ gmail.com Kolkata 700092 Dear Mr. Swopan Chakroborty, It seems to us that you are shocked to know that if our listeners expect some QSL card, they can give us some IRCs. The budget allocated by the government for our service is not sufficient. Priority is given to the maintenance and survival of the broadcast. Please be advised accordingly. Best regards from Jakarta - Indonesia English Desk/Service (from http://www.rri-online.com/modules.php?name=SLN_English&op=letter_detail&id=15 via Swopan, DXLD) ** IRAN. IRÃ – Está em andamento a décima edição do concurso Fadjir da Voz da República Islâmica do Irã. O tema: qual o papel das políticas expansionistas das autoridades norte-americanas em aumentar os atos terroristas no mundo? Os artigos devem ser enviados para a Redação em Espanhol da emissora até o dia 31 de dezembro de 2005. A emissora promete "valiosos prêmios". O resultado sai em 11 de fevereiro de 2006, ocasião em que é comemorado o triunfo da Revolução Islâmica naquele país. A dica é do Cristiano Torres, de Belo Horizonte (MG). E-mail: spanishradio@irib.ir (Célio Romais, Panorama, Conexión Digital Sept 3 via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Clandestina: 7460, Radio Payam e Doost, 0215 TU, sinpo 34443, en farsi. Señal vacío [meaning open carrier?], 0220 señal pitido secuencial, 0230 inicio YL ID "Baha`í Radio" bardomi, 0237 YL web http://www.bahairadio.com Continúa canción con instrumento de cuerda (v. hombre). 0240 YL "Zedaye Payam e Doost ", 0242 invitado doctor menciona a Payam e Doost. 0246 jamming o utilitaria ( fracción de segundos). 0252 YL ID "Zedaye Radio Payam e Doost), 0258 QRM de World Harvest Radio iniciando su ID 7465. (03 TU inicio de su programa DX domingo); continúa plática de doctor (ahora en sinc-LSB, mejor señal ), 0310 info de frecuencia, teléfono, 0314 sonido de trompeta y finales. 0315 sign off (Héctor Álvaro Gutiérrez, Perú, Conexión Digital Sept 3 via DXLD) Fecha? ** JORDAN. After talking about Radio Jordan in English, I had my radio on 11690 at about 1355 hearing a female in English playing lots of modern English music including Santana. At 1400 there was some news mentioning Damascus and Syria and what sounded like an ID with '...FM'. A lot of interference from a station on 11695 (I haven't looked at any docos yet to see what that was). Then I fell asleep and woke after 1500 to hear a male announcer and more music with a 'Radio Jordan' ID at 1515 approx. So it is possible to hear them in English. Now I'll have to stay up late one night and try to get a report out (Wayne Bastow, Australia, Sept 4, ARDXC via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. TURKEY ASKS DENMARK TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST KURDISH TV | Excerpt from report in English by Turkish news agency Anatolia Ankara: Turkey has asked Danish authorities to launch criminal proceedings against ROJ TV, the broadcasting organ of the terrorist organization PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party], Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Namik Tan said on Friday [2 September]. Answering a question, Tan said that Turkish embassy in Copenhagen launched initiatives at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2004 after Turkey received some tip-offs that the broadcasting organs of the terrorist organization would try to provide a broadcasting license in Denmark. Tan noted that Turkey asked Danish authorities not to give this license to a TV station that would [put out] propaganda for the terrorist organization. Turkey again launched initiatives at the Danish Foreign Ministry immediately after the ROJ TV started broadcasting in Denmark on 1 March 2004, said Tan. According to Tan, Danish Foreign Ministry, in its response to Turkey, said that "this issue was under the responsibility of the Danish Radio and TV Agency, which was an independent institution" and stressed that "this agency was authorized to cancel this license." "After this development, our embassy in Copenhagen handed over a file, comprised of information, documents and tapes showing the links of ROJ TV with the terrorist organization, to the Danish Radio and TV Agency, and reiterated our demand for cancellation of the broadcasting license. We have not received any positive response from this agency," said Tan. "Then, we have given not only the file, comprised of information, documents and tapes showing the links of ROJ TV with the terrorist organization, but also the files about the statements used in the broadcasts of this ROJ TV, including threats, provocations and violence, to Danish police and other local authorities. And, we have asked them to launch criminal proceedings against ROJ TV. This issue is currently being investigated by the concerned Danish authorities" added Tan. Source: Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English 1616 gmt 2 Sep 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** LATVIA. 9290, 04/09 *0900-0930, R. CITY - Riga/Ulbroka (Latvia), English, IDs, OM and oldies. Only today. Reports to: Ostra Porten 49 - S-442 54 Ytterby (Sweden). They ask 1$ or IRC for return postage. Very good (LUCA BOTTO FIORA, Rapallo (Genova), Italy, HCDX via DXLD) ** LATVIA. 9290, Radio Tatras International via Ulbroka. Full data verification letter, from KREBS TV, verifying my reception. Reply in 38 days, in response to my postal report, for April 10. v/s Raimonds Kreicbergs (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, Sept 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA [non]. 11965, Star Radio (via Ascension), full data Star Radio QSL Card, with accompanying information letter. This in response to a follow-up report to Hirondelle Foundation, after no response to their e-mail address. Reply in 14 days, for postal report. v/s Darcy Christen (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, CANADA, Sept 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LUXEMBOURG. RTL just launched an English web site http://www.radioluxembourg.co.uk/ Jingle plays automatically. Nothing but audio linx and a 7+ day countdown; strangely, mouse arrow goes behind the logo in the middle and also disappears when directly over audio linx (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. 6024.88, Voice of Islam program via RTVM, Aug 30, Sept 1 & 2, at 1400 two time clicks, ID ``Radio Suara Islam,`` young woman & man with program of various music, reciting from the Koran, 1450-1500 news. Often gives ``Salaam Alaykum`` greeting, several frequencies given, including ``FM,`` singing jingle for ``Suara Islam`` and many IDs for Suara Islam. Assume in Malay, consistently fair (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, RX340, with T2FD antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 4810, XERTA, Radio Transcontinental de América, 0440-0640, 04-09, locutor, comentarios religiosos y canciones, identificación a las 0610: "Estamos ene la banda de 60 metros, 4810 kHz, Radioemisora Cultural". Sólo se logra escuchar en LSB. SINPO 24222 variando a 14111 (Manuel Méndez, Spain, DX LISTENING DIGSET) ** MYANMAR. See UNIDENTIFIED ** NEPAL. STATE MEDIA BLACK OUT MAOIST CEASE-FIRE NEWS - Nepalnews.com | Text of report by Nepalnews.com website on 4 September The state-run Nepali media have "blacked out" the news of three-month- long unilateral cease-fire declared by the rebels Maoists beginning Saturday [3 September]. Even after nearly 20 hours, the state-run Nepal Television and Radio Nepal did not utter a word about the important political development. The government-owned newspapers, Gorkhapatra and The Rising Nepal dailies, too deliberately avoided the development. Gorkhapatra daily instead published a "front-page box item" regarding the resignation of former treasurer of Nepali Congress [NC] Rambabu Khanuprude Prasai. Prasai had resigned from even the ordinary membership of the party alleging the NC of deviating from its traditional ideological basis, according to the report. The 11th General Convention of Nepali Congress - that concluded last week - had decided to omit the reference to "constitutional monarchy" in response to HM [His Majesty] King Gyanendra's act of taking over powers in February this year. Major media all over the world, however, covered the news of the unilateral cease-fire declared by Nepali rebels with due importance. "Nepal rebels declare cease-fire in bid to unify king's opponents," reported New York Times daily. Reuters news agency quoted Kunda Dixit, editor of Nepali Times weekly, as saying that (this) was the most significant move towards peace since August 2003. "But the situation is now much more complicated," he added, referring to the king's assumption of power. Nepal rebels announce cease-fire, reported online edition of ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). "Turning heat on the king, Nepal maoists take u-turn, call three-month cease-fire," reported Indian Express - a leading Indian daily. BBC reported that King Gyanendra would be in a quandary about how to respond to the cease- fire. Meanwhile, Nepal Samacharpatra daily reported that an emergency meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) was held Saturday evening after the Maoists' announcement of unilateral cease-fire. The meeting discussed about mobilizing security forces during the cease- fire and Maoist motive behind it but no decision was taken, the news report said quoting sources. There has been no official word from the authorities as yet regarding the Maoist latest move. Source: Nepalnews.com website, Kathmandu, in English 4 Sep 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Não esqueçam: em entrevista a Cassiano Macedo, do programa Encontro DX, da Rádio Aparecida, o diretor-artístico da programação em espanhol da Rádio Nederland, Jaime Báguena Garcia, disse que a emissora "reconhece a força dos ouvintes brasileiros". De acordo com ele, "cerca de 30% da audiência da programação em espanhol encontra-se no Brasil". 73s! (Célio Romais, RGS, Sept 3, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. 11885, ENGLAND, Salama Radio International, 1947- 2030* [Sunday] Aug 28, man with talk in Hausa language followed by vocals from 1951. At 1959 an English announcement and religious singing switched over to English. At 2009 an ID ("You are listening to Salama Radio International?" followed by a long religious talk. Closed with P. O. Box 6316, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria postal address and salama_niger @ yahoo.com e-mail address. Poor reception (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. 1640, KFXY, Enid - 8/31 2300 EDT [=0300 UT Sept 1] - Poor in WKSH null with Oklahoma Department of Human Services PSA, then "Your Fox Sports Radio - 1640 KFXY, Enid-Oklahoma City." WTNI [Biloxi] disabled or destroyed by the hurricane. OK # 35 (Steve Francis, Alcoa, Tennessee, GE Stereo, Select-a-tenna, Intermatic timer, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. Major foulup on KWTV-9 Sunday Morning, Sept 4, where CBS program of same name is delayed 30 minutes from network feed, just so KWTV can do half an hour more of repetitive local news. OK until almost 1400, when a Special Report from CBS News began as acting president Bush was about to speak, having gone to church first! about the late chief justice. So KWTV cut away from the delayed SM to the live CBS Special Report. Bush made pro-forma remarx of no news value whatsoever, and could certainly have been delayed 30 minutes with no loss, if they had to be carried at all. After the S.R., back to the delayed S.M. But guess what happens half an hour later? The S.R. cutaway is REPEATED, this time because it`s part of the 30-minute delay! Furthermore, Harry Smith had egg on his face for 10 or 15 seconds afterwards due to confusion in the NY studio about what to do next. Everybody screwed up on this one, but it would not have been such a mess here if KWTV would simply run S.M. at its original live feed time of 1300-1430 UT instead of 1330-1500. Furthermore, sprinkled thruout S.M. were plugs for the upcoming Face the Nation. Trouble is, because of the half-hour delay, F.T.N. was already planned to be squeezed out of the KWTV schedule, since live CBS coverage of a stupid ballgame started at 1500 and runs all day long! In the past, KWTV in such situations would occasionally put F.T.N. on late Sunday night/Monday morning to make up, but not this week! Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon starts at 0400 UT (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PARAGUAY. 9736.9, 2200-2255, 03-09, transmisión del partido de fútbol Paraguay-Argentina, identificación: "Esta es la RNP", anuncios comerciales, "Esta es Nacional, la RNP", "Estamos cerquita de la victoria, vamos Paraguay, vamos albiroja, una histórica victoria ante Argentina, luego de 75 años, salgamos a la calle a festejar esta histórica victoria, ganó Paraguay". 34333 variando a 44444. También 0824-0840, 04-05, locutor, canciones, identificación: "Para tu compañia, tu radio, la radio de todos, Radio Nacional del Paraguay, 920 kHz.". Comentario sobre Roque Sánchez, pionero del radio-teatro en Paraguay. "Son 4 y 27 minutos en toda la República del Paraguay, esta es Radio Nacional del Paraguay, 920 AM, se siente en el alma la música paraguaya". Música. 34333 (Manuel Méndez, Spain, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. R. San Andrés, 5544.6, replied to my postal report, $1 and a prepared card, with a 5-page e-mail including photographs. in 134 days from Leoncio Samane Meza, leonico-meza @ hotmail.com (Rich D`Angelo, PA, QSL Report, Sept NASWA Journal via DXLD) Yes, two spellings for his first name; so try both (gh, DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO. Finally has a webcasting public radio stration, R. Universidad, WRTU, http://www.wrtu.org/ Programming includes a variety of Latin music blox, mostly in the daytime, and US public radio programming, presumably in the original English (via publicradiofan.com via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAINT HELENA. Further information from Robert Kipp in Germany regarding Radio St. Helena: What do you think of the chances of getting St. Helena back on shortwave? --- Well, we are trying. There is no TX available at present, but I am trying to clarify that point. The old antenna MAY still be there, but I need to clarify that also. Then again, it might be better to buy and modify a 100 Watt / 200 Watt Ham TX and also a GOOD 1500 Watt linear amplifier (modified to TX on 11092.5 kHz). The TX / Amp would have to hold up to 4 or more hours of continuous USB operation. This equipment would have to work on 240 VAC / 50 Hz mains power. If that all came true, then it would be great to have a 3-element (not more; the gain is important but not the directivity) (monoband?) beam for 11092.5 kHz (perhaps from "Force 10"; St. Helena is subject to some severe storms now and then). I am NOT sure where the beam could be mounted (crank-up mast needed??) OR how far the antenna would be from the TX (would 50 meters of 1/2 inch hardline with N-connectors be sufficient)?? I "assume" that Cable & Wireless would provide us with power and a place to put all this equipment, IFFFF we can get a station together. So, as you can see, *everything* is up in the air at present. Hope?? Well, yes, we still have some. Many thanks for your help. Cheers, Robert Kipp (via Rich D`Angelo, NASWA Flashsheet Sept 4 via DXLD) ** SERBIA & MONTENEGRO [non]. SÉRVIA E MONTENEGRO – Analisando a grade de programação da Rádio Internacional da Sérvia e Montenegro, enviada pela emissora a José Elias Díaz Gómez, de Barcelona, na Venezuela, conclui-se que a emissora resume suas transmissões a apenas duas freqüências: 6100 e 7200 kHz. Esta segunda, é usada entre 1900 e 1930, em espanhol, para a Europa. Aliás, a grade informa que a área de cobertura da estação é o território europeu. Assim, certamente devido a problemas financeiros, a Rádio Internacional da Sérvia e Montenegro caminha a passos largos para um possível encerramento das emissões. Vale ressaltar que a emissora teve seus estúdios bombardeados pela OTAN, a mando do então presidente norte-americano Bill Clinton, em abril de 1999 (Célio Romais, Panorama, Conexión Digital Sept 3 via DXLD) ** SINGAPORE [non]. Marie Lamb sends word that the transferring of production of the Wavescan program from England to Singapore over Adventist World Radio has been delayed. AWR still plans to re-launch the program as part of its Asian edition with Adrian Peterson providing consultation and some script preparation. Recently, the delays caused concern in the DX community that this program was quietly terminated. Apparently, that is not the case although when we will hear Wavescan again is not certain at this time (Richard A. D`Angelo, NASWA Notes, Sept NASWA Journal via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. It`s not clear what bearing this will have, if any, on the RSI external service, but FWIW, no English version found: (gh) Noticia extraida de la web de RSI. http://www.slovakradio.sk/rsi/ ALCANZAN ACUERDO LA TELEVISIÓN Y LA RADIO ESLOVACA TOCANTE A LOS PAGOS CONCESIONARIOS Luego de largos meses de contradicciones y remilgos los directores de los dos medios de comunicación públicos, la cadena televisiva STV y la Radio Eslovaca, Rychard Rybnièek y Jaroslav Reznik respectivamente, llegaron a acuerdo en los aspectos principales para elevar una propuesta conjunta sobre la nueva ley de pagos concesionarios. Según esta nueva proposición las tarifas para las personas físicas deberían mantenerse al nivel actual quedando aún en proceso de análisis cual sería la tarifa para las personas jurídicas. La nueva normativa debería simplificar la forma de pago y crear los mecanismos adecuados para lograr efectividad en el cobro. De acuerdo con el presidente del Consejo de la Radio, Michal Dzurjanin, ``existe consenso en la mayoría de los puntos creándose las condiciones para que la ley pueda ser aprobada``. La reunión de ambos directores se llevó a efecto respondiendo a una iniciativa del ministro de Cultura, František Toth. El director del Consejo de la Televisión Eslovaca, Miroslav Kollar, alberga dudas sobre cual será la posición de los parlamentarios. Ambas partes demostraron un mayor interés por las negociaciones luego que se dejaron oir voces en el ministerio de Cultura que seòalaban la posibilidad de que el financiamiento de ambas instituciones públicas corriera a cargo del presupuesto estatal como hace aòos atrás. De acuerdo con encuestas realizadas recientemente más del 50 por ciento de la población considera que las fuentes de financiamiento de la televisión deberían ser los pagos concesionarios y en menor escala la publicidad. Sin embargo, la realidad indica que los pagos concesionarios sólo han alcanzado el 60 por ciento de lo previsto lo que pone en peligro la propia existencia de ambos medios de comunicación. La Televisión Eslovaca, en lo que va de aòo, ha reportado pérdidas por más de 9 millones de euros y en el caso de la Radio las pérdidas, en el transcurso del pasado ejercicio fiscal, se elevaron a varios millones de euros. En caso de ser aprobada, la ley entraría en vigor a partir de enero del 2006. Quedan aún por resolver en el marco de la normativa cuestiones que no disminuyen el carácter de la misma pero que el ministro de Cultura solicitó sean resueltas antes del 10 de septiembre. Vale destacar que la propuesta de ley anterior, que había preparado el ministerio de Cultura en mayo de este aòo, no pasó ni a la segunda revisión en el Parlamento. En ese momento la Televisión Eslovaca cabildeó en contra de la ley, pues a todas luces ésta era más favorable a los intereses de la Radio (via José Mas, Aug 30, bclnews.it via DXLD) ** TURKEY. See KURDISTAN [non] ** U K. Re ``Unfortunately, William, the BBC apparently does not exist to cater to the tastes of any one listener segment (Scott Royall)`` I'll agree with your statement if you agree to take out the word "one"... :-)) For NAm (well, the USA now and perhaps Canada in our lifetime), most/ all of this has moved to satellite. In very limited situations, some WS feature programming turns up on local FM or MW public radio channels; but the only way to really assure yourself of hearing what increasingly limited feature programming the BBC produces/carries in a "radio"-style form is via XM. Sirius carries the news/current events stream only, which does have some further limited feature programming that fits the news/current events theme, on weekends. WS has already announced that by spring it will have engineered a wholesale shift in its programming philosophy emphasizing news during the week and sending any feature programming it has left onto the weekends (presumably so they can shut down most of the news operation on weekends to save further money for only god knows what). BBC has announced a significant expansion of DRM shortwave for Europe and, of course, there is the internet (John Figliozzi, NY, swprograms via DXLD) I suspect that "minority" wouldn't be any more palatable to you. Look, I don't happen to like the current situation either. But, I recognize that the BBC is under increasing pressure to grow a larger audience. That pressure is coming from the people who pay the bills. Of course I remember the "good old auntie" I grew up listening to, but I also remember $.35 gas (Scott Royall, Conch Republic, ibid.) No, I just mean that they're running the real risk of satisfying no one. Look. Change is fine if it's going somewhere and is directed by people who know what they're doing. Flailing about introducing a flavor a week is just dumb. 24 hour news is being done to death--and not all that well either--by everyone. The BBCWS had something that was unique. It's losing that, if it hasn't lost it already. I understand why it's happening too. But, for the most part, they have the wrong people in the wrong places making the wrong decisions. In a million channel universe, it would seem best to distinguish yourself in some way. Yes, it's a tall order. But management had that to work with already and IMHO all they've done is piss it away aping commercial radio (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) Unfortunately, they perceived -- correctly or not -- that they were previously reaching fewer and fewer people doing things that were likely to influence the UK. That made them frantic (Scott Royall, ibid.) ** U K. BBC WEB TO HAVE ADS OR NOT FOR INTERNATIONAL BROWSERS Read more... Linkname: BBC NEWS | Magazine | From the editor's desktop URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4208284.stm ....The BBC News site costs around 50p from every #126.50 licence fee. We also receive a significant chunk of our funding from the World Service, which in turn gets "grant in aid" money from the Foreign Office. It may all ultimately come from the taxpayer, but I believe this long-established funding of the World Service to provide reliable, impartial, in-depth news to the world, fostering understanding and debate, is something we should be proud of. I find the idea of compromising those principles by asking for a subscription from overseas readers extremely uncomfortable. At a stroke we'd be alienating many of those we are striving to reach. Advertising on pages accessed abroad has also been whispered in some quarters from time to time, but to my mind any revenue it brought in would be comfortably eclipsed by the damage it did to the BBC's reputation for clear, uncluttered, impartial, ad-free news. Serving basic web pages to an international audience is not a particularly expensive business, after all. Providing broadband quality video to an international audience is a much trickier one. Costly, and with rapidly expanding demand, it needs a different model. That is why people overseas are offered narrowband video from the site, with an option to subscribe to broadband through a third party. But, as ever, I'm very interested to hear your views. The form's at the bottom (via Dan Say, BC, DXLD) ** U S A. WRMI`s new website is finally up, and it looks nice, same URL as before, http://www.wrmi.net Navigation has been improved, but unfortunately certain things such as an overall program schedule, and times for individual programs are not yet included. So I have no idea why I heard Voices of Our World from WRN at 1400 Sunday Sept 4 on 7385, instead of World of Radio, which had been on at that time for a couple weeks. BTW, there was considerable QRM from RTTY around 7380 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: There are still a number of things that are in the works here. WOR and DXPL should be back next Sunday morning (and permanently thereafter). There is a transmission schedule on the new website (WRMI TRANSMISSION SCHEDULE at the bottom of programs list on left). Shortly, each program blurb will have times and frequencies, and there will hopefully be a schedule of all programs by time. Also live streaming will be resumed. "Poco a poco," as we say here! (Jeff White, WRMI, Sept 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. END OF SUMMER SOLAR STORMS AND SOME OBSERVATIONS Posted at 22:18 on Sep 3, 2005 in hf and wbcq. Conditions are disturbed across the bands from this storm. WWRB 6890 weak and disturbed. WWRB 5050 stronger and clearer than I've ever heard with some boring bible beater. Brother Scare on 6890 is whacked badly and only audible on lower sideband. I wonder if he's making it to Asia or Africa or the middle east as is claimed? LOL. The WWRB winner tonight appears to be the 3185 service with Mike Gibson's bluegrass gospel music booming in with a great signal and no interference at all at 0234. Mike's southern accent and manner of speaking, combined with WWRB's signature shit-poor audio processing makes for a somewhat incomprehensible listening experience, but it's clear he's he's sending out listener requests for good ol' traditional gospel music at 0237. I wish he'd stick to bluegrass instead of the pure gospel stuff, though. Mike is having trouble with his tape/power system/audio procesing; he's started the same song at least five times before giving up. Mike says he's live at 0244 and "you never know what's gonna happen," god bless him. Truly awful audio processing by WWRB combined with truly awful music presented by Mike prevents enjoyment of this show, though. Yearg! I have never potted down a sound so quickly (Larry Will, RFMA blog via DXLD) ** U S A. Foggy Bottom misstep? TODAY'S COLUMNIST By Joel Mowbray September 1, 2005 One of President Bush's closest confidants,Karen Hughes, this weekend is scheduled to address the annual conference of an organization whose primary purpose is the promotion of Saudi-sponsored Wahhabist Islam — and whose president has publicly denied that al Qaeda was behind September 11, and whose Web site to this day sells a book that lavishes praise on Osama bin Laden. Not only is Mrs. Hughes publicly endorsing the Islamic Society of North America with her mere presence, but this is the first major public address in her new role leading public diplomacy with the Muslim world. Asked whether the woman who was instrumental in Mr. Bush winning the White House knew the true nature of the group she is speaking to in Chicago this weekend, State Department spokes-man Noel Clay responded, "Karen Hughes has been briefed on the organization." Somehow, it just doesn't seem likely that Mrs. Hughes has been fully briefed on ISNA. If she had, she almost certainly wouldn't be headlining its annual conference — let alone as her first major appearance in her new post. Of all the Muslim groups claiming to be moderate in this country, ISNA is perhaps the easiest to expose as anything but. Spun off of the Saudi-created and funded Muslim Students Association more than 20 years ago, ISNA is likely the largest single provider of Islamic materials to mosques in America. For a sampling of what might be contained in Saudi-sponsored pamphlets and literature, one need look no further than the Freedom House report issued earlier this year. Using moderate Muslim volunteers to gather Saudi-published or sponsored materials in more than a dozen prominent mosques across the country, Freedom House found shocking intolerance, anti-Semitism and even advocacy of violence. . . http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20050831-091718-8792r.htm (Washington Times [Moony], via kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. KUWAITI: 'THE TERRORIST KATRINA IS A SOLDIER OF ALLAH' For your edification, astonishment, and possible enlightenment, here's the piece Mark Steyn cited in his column: PROOF THAT NOTHING CHANGED AFTER SEPTEMBER 11 http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn04.html Special to World Tribune.com MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE Thursday, September 1, 2005 Muhammad Yousef Al-Mlaifi, director of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Endowment's research center, published an article titled "The Terrorist Katrina is One of the Soldiers of Allah, But Not an Adherent of Al-Qaeda."(1) the Aug. 31 edition of the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa. Following are excerpts: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "...As I watched the horrible sights of this wondrous storm, I was reminded of the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah [in the compilations] of Al-Bukhari and Abu Daoud. The Hadith says: 'The wind is of the wind of Allah, it comes from mercy or for the sake of torment. When you see it, do not curse it, [but rather] ask Allah for the good that is in it, and ask Allah for shelter from its evil.' "When the satellite channels reported on the scope of the terrifying destruction in America [caused by] this wind, I was reminded of the words of [Prophet Muhammad]: 'The wind sends torment to one group of people, and sends mercy to others.' I do not think - and only Allah [really] knows - that this wind, which completely wiped out American cities in these days, is a wind of mercy and blessing. It is almost certain that this is a wind of torment and evil that Allah has sent to this American empire. . . http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/front2453615.183333333.html (via Curtis Sadowski, WTFDA Soundoff via DXLD) ** U S A. All the big sins covered with one storm, lust and gluttony, that`s New Orleans and gambling, that's the Miss waterfront. Mobile, Alabama, is taking a beating from Hurricane Katrina tonight. Mobile Bay is overflowing into the city. The Alabama National Guard has been activated. So logically, it would follow that Nancy Grace is covering the Natalee Holloway story tonight (after all, it's Day 92). Cute White Girls can apparently trump an entire Alabama city in the eyes of Ms. Grace. Going to the break, Nancy was visibly choked up ("Beth - we are rallying behind you. Don't stop fighting, friend." (how low can CNN headline news sink) Rhode Island listeners may be interested to know that WJHY FM`s Bill and Al show spent several years on an FM station in Mobile. Al hated the place. The big 50 kW station in New Orleans went silent last night around 1:30 AM Eastern. The tower went down for WWL http://www.wwl.com [I don`t think its tower went down! How could it have resumed a few hours later with at least 25 kW --- gh] The station moved out to LSU and also is now on low power so if you can hear this one at night, consider yourself a DX'er. More on the story is here http://www.radioandrecords.com/NewsRoom/2005_08_29/Topstory.asp Best blog coverage --- this is a toss; you can try Belo's WWL-TV http://www.wwltv.com but it's not easy. This is the local paper they have been updating blog style. There is also a blog on this site as well but it's mainly now reposting emails: http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/ New Orleans TV 6 also has a great blog http://www.wdsu.com/weather/4908558/detail.html Brian Williams is up to the job. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8045532/ Hard to believe, but Shepard Smith on Fox is a pretty damn good reporter. http://www.foxnews.com A record setting day for steaming media on both CNN and the MSNBC web site. But a record day for news sites in general. http://www.akamai.com/en/html/industry/net_usage_index.html (from http://www.myjamby.com/medianetwork/2005/08/30 Lou Josephs` blog August 30 [nothing since], via Svenn Martinsen, MWC via DXLD) ** U S A. TV COVERAGE CAPTURES DRAMA By bringing the devastation and human loss of Hurricane Katrina into the nation's homes, television journalists are reviving their image. By Robin Abcarian, Times Staff Writer, Sep 2 2005 The macho postures were predictable and they were instantly mocked. Here was CNN's Anderson Cooper, the hood of his red jacket whipping around his head in the high winds of Hurricane Katrina as he struggled to narrate the weather. And there was Fox's Steve Harrigan, blown nearly out of the camera frame, exclaiming, "Oh man, I think this wind can knock me down!" ("We're not asking you to take one for the team here, Steve," the anchor replied dryly, off camera.) The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-reporters2sep02,0,411435.story (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** U S A. WWL-TV ON THE AIR THROUGHOUT HURRICANE AND AFTERMATH WWL-TV, the market-leading CBS affiliate in New Orleans, owned by Belo Corporation, has remained on the air "live" since Hurricane Katrina's arrival and disastrous aftermath, the only New Orleans television station to do so. WWL's news, production and technical teams have overcome tremendous logistical, communications and personal challenges to serve their communities during this crisis. Professionals from Belo's television and newspaper media companies across the nation have stepped in to support their colleagues' extraordinary efforts. Robert W Decherd, Belo's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said, "The entire Belo organization is extraordinarily proud of the WWL team for overcoming tremendous obstacles to broadcast continuously what is arguably some of the finest disaster news coverage in the history of television journalism. They have demonstrated the highest possible commitment to their communities and profession, setting aside personal needs to provide people in New Orleans, the Gulf Coast region and the world with ongoing updates about what is happening, how those in need can get help, and what others can do to support the mammoth relief efforts underway following one of our nation's worst natural disasters. "Journalists at Belo television stations and newspapers across the nation have supported this Herculean effort by contributing news crews, broadcasting equipment, supplies and logistical support. We also greatly appreciate the professional assistance being provided by Louisiana Public Broadcasting and its Baton Rouge affiliate, WPBL-TV, and Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, which has allowed WWL to broadcast from their facilities. In addition, every one of Belo's 24 other media companies is leading community fundraising drives that have already raised more than $10 million to support hurricane relief efforts by the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and other organizations." WWL has been able to broadcast locally without interruption due to advance arrangements made with LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication to use its facilities in Baton Rouge. When WWL's own facilities on Rampart Street in the French Quarter had to be evacuated, WWL personnel continued the station's live coverage using the LSU facilities as well as WWL's emergency broadcast facility at its transmitter site in Gretna, Louisiana. WWL shifted its broadcasts to the WPBL studios on Wednesday, August 31. Additionally, WWL's signal is being carried statewide in Louisiana and Mississippi through a network of digital channels, on all public television stations in Louisiana, and on several cable channels in local communities in Louisiana. Several Louisiana radio stations are also broadcasting the audio portion of WWL-TV's signal. Other Belo stations, including WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth, KHOU-TV in Houston and KVUE-TV in Austin, are also carrying WWL's live coverage. Echostar, a satellite television provider, is making WWL's signal available to evacuation centres in Texas. Belo is also offering WWL's signal to all broadcasters in non-Belo markets for broadcast on their digital multicast channels. Stations in Chicago; Boston and Springfield/Holyoke, Massachusetts; Syracuse and Albany, New York; Hartford/New Haven, Connecticut; Birmingham, Alabama; and Panama City, Florida are among those providing WWL's hurricane response coverage through this service. WWL has been video streaming its hurricane coverage on the station's Web site, in an effort to reach those directly impacted as well as others concerned about the affected communities. The Web site has experienced a tremendous surge in usage since Hurricane Katrina hit, with more than 10.2 million page views, 562,000-plus unique users and 1.3 million total online sessions to its live video streaming broadcasts on its peak day, Tuesday, August 30. This represents more than 35 times the average number of daily page views and more than 22 times the average number of unique video users during the first two weeks of August. In addition, WWL finalized arrangements to be the exclusive provider of hurricane-related Web links and video streaming coverage for Yahoo!.com's site on Hurricane Katrina. http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/hurricanes_and_tropical_storms The wwltv.com site includes live video streaming news coverage from WWL-TV's broadcasts, the latest photos and news coverage, phone numbers for government and charitable relief agencies, community and employee blogs, and county-by-county news and weather links. # posted by Andy @ 11:34 UT Sept 4 (Media Network blog via DXLD) No matter how dire the situation there is always time for a suitably worded self-promotional puffy press release, which this should have been flagged as (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. WDSU-TV BROADCASTING IN NEW ORLEANS AGAIN The New Orleans affiliate of the ABC network, WDSU-TV, has resumed broadcasting to the New Orleans area after evacuating to Jackson, Mississippi a week ago. The station offers live video feeds of its continuing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The station is currently broadcasting via channel WPXL 49 instead of its assigned channel 6. Programming is coming from Jackson, and at the time of this entry was being anchored by the WDSU weatherman and a colleague from sister station News 9 in Jackson. WDSU is appealing to its employees to contact the station's owners, Hearst-Argyle TV, to let them know they're OK, and to give a a phone number or E-mail address where they can be contacted. WDSU website http://www.wdsu.com/index.html # posted by Andy @ 11:10 UT Sept 4 (Media Network blog via DXLD) WDSU is affiliated with NBC, not ABC. But they sure make it hard to find that out on their website until you get to a small link at the bottom (Glenn Hauser, 09.05.05 - 1:18 am, ibid.) ** U S A. WWL THE BIG 870 --- NO RADIO STATION DEFIES HURRICANE --- 'THE BIG 870' SERVED AS VITAL COMMUNICATION TOOL THROUGHOUT CITY'S ORDEAL --- Sunday, September 04, 2005 By JEFF AMY Staff Reporter http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1125825359122680.xml&coll=3 Call it the talk show from the end of the world. WWL-AM 870, New Orleans' oldest and most powerful radio station, has continued to broadcast since Hurricane Katrina struck. With a collapsed telephone system, no power and several television stations off the air, "The Big 870" has tossed an information lifeline to a drowning city. The broadcasts are a stunning mix of interviews with officials, many of whom say it's their only way to plead for help from the outside world, plus call-ins from desperate residents, and long soliloquies from exhausted anchors pondering what future, if any, New Orleans may have. "The best communication we have is this radio station," said Phil Capitano, the mayor of Kenner, during an interview Wednesday on the station. Kenner, where the city's main airport is located, is west of New Orleans. Southwest Alabama listeners can hear the station patchily during the day. At night, the 50,000-watt transmitter can be heard clearly in Alabama and in parts of 41 other states. [so what would be the nine states it supposedly can`t be heard in? AK, HI, WA, OR, CA; then what, ID, MT, NV, UT or ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT? --- gh] In the New Orleans area and in other parts of Louisiana, other radio stations are simulcasting WWL's programming and combining resources, calling themselves the United Radio Broadcasters of New Orleans. At least nine stations are part of the group. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin made national news when he blistered the performance of President Bush and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco in an interview over WWL's airwaves late Thursday night. "I've been out there man," Nagin told the radio station. "I flew in these helicopters, been in the crowds talking to people crying, don't know where their relatives are. I've done it all man, and I'll tell you man, I keep hearing that it's coming. This is coming, that is coming. And my answer to that today is B.S., where is the beef? Because there is no beef in this city. There's no beef anywhere in southeast Louisiana..." There have been many other moments when frustration, despair and anger bled from the radio. Aaron Broussard, president of suburban Jefferson Parish, took to the airwaves Wednesday afternoon to declare his parish the independent nation of "Jeffertonia" saying he believed residents could get aid better that way than as American citizens. "Excuse my cynicism," Broussard said with a snort. He begged the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send promised supplies. He pleaded with FEMA for fuel to keep emergency vehicles running. Both Broussard and New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas described as "zombies" the shellshocked New Orleanians walking over the downtown Mississippi River bridge to the West Bank. Thomas went on to speculate that maybe God, seeing the wickedness of the people who would turn to looting, had visited Katrina upon New Orleans, just as he had punished Sodom and Gomorrah. "Most of what we know and what we knew does not exist anymore," Thomas said Wednesday. "There's enough water in this city now that it is Lake New Orleans," Thomas said. "If there was a Lake Zero, then that's where we're at now." When there are no officials around for WWL to interview, the drama quotient doesn't drop. The station just takes calls from listeners. A woman told about her deaf brother, who had gone back to his house near Carrollton Avenue from the Superdome, after being unable to communicate with shelter officials. A man living in Terrytown, on the West Bank, who described himself as a Vietnam veteran, appealed Thursday to others in the area to rally to him as a vigilante militia to suppress looting in the area, though announcer Garland Robinette advised against that approach. Others calling in were evacuees trying to learn the fates of their own neighborhoods. Many said they had received panicked calls reporting rising waters from relatives left behind. How, they asked, are Chalmette, New Orleans East, Metairie, Gentilly, Marrero, Lacombe? Often, the announcers replied, "We know it's bad." Sometimes, they had to say: "We don't know, nobody's heard anything from those areas." WWL has stayed on the air despite being driven from its downtown headquarters, to an emergency command post, and on to another radio company's complex in Baton Rouge. On the air Monday night, host Bob Del Giorno described huddling near a closet with employees at the station as windows blew out at the height of the storm in a studio complex of WWL and five other stations owned by Entercom, a Pennsylvania-based radio company. Billboard Radio Monitor, an industry publication, reported that two engineers kept the transmitter going only with a "heroic" trip to the swampy area where it is located. Eventually, the station employees were plucked from their studios on Poydras Avenue, the office-tower-lined boulevard leading from the Mississippi River to the Superdome. Clear Channel, which is one of the other broadcast groups that has teamed up with Entercom, rented the helicopter. Some ended up in the basement of the Jefferson Parish Emergency Operations Center. WWL has continued to broadcast from a makeshift studio there, even as the main operation went on to Clear Channel studios in Baton Rouge. Often, during interviews, the emergency center's operator can be heard in the background paging workers. The broadcasters of WWL pay them no mind, as the Big 870 keeps beaming out news. (The Associated Press contributed to this report.) © 2005 The Mobile Register© 2005 al.com All Rights Reserved (via Kevin Redding, ABDX viax DXLD) ** U S A. As I hear of Katrina evacuees depending on WWL Radio's broadcasts to keep up on happenings in their hometown, I wonder... What if major stations on frequencies near 870 were running IBOC? A quick scan of the FCC CDBS shows only four stations on nearby channels authorized for the buzz mode: KFUO-850 Clayton (St. Louis), MO KOA-850 Denver KONO-860 San Antonio WWDB-860 Philadelphia No stations on 880 or 890 are authorized for IBOC right now. Some stations that are authorized are known to *not* be using it. KFUO *is* IBOC. The poor propagation recently has been a mixed blessing - making HF relief communications more difficult but helping reduce the KFUO buzz in the affected area near sunrise and sunset. Imagine better propagation and IBOC on WLS --- Imagine *nighttime* IBOC with many New Orleans FM stations off the air --- Imagine the effects of WOR-HD on Atlantic Coast residents trying to use WPDQ-690's hurricane broadcasts in a future storm (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, Sept 4, WTFDA Soundoff via DXLD) ** U S A. HOW PUBCASTERS ARE FARING AFTER KATRINA A special update for Current.org, Sept. 2, 2005 By Karen Everhart, Jeremy Egner and Mike Janssen http://www.current.org/katrina.shtml The impact on stations The system responds NPR's coverage The impact on stations New Orleans WLAE-TV lost its roof during the hurricane and its facilities are very likely unusable, according to Mark Coudrain, g.m. The station and WYES-TV share a transmitter site in Chalmette, a heavily flooded New Orleans suburb. "I'm assuming [the transmitters] are under water," he said. Louisiana Public Broadcasting's Beth Courtney has requested a helicopter flyover of the site to assess damage to the transmitters. Coudrain decamped to Pensacola, Fla., and believes that all of his staff left the city safely. "We know this is going to be a long process and we're not really sure where to go from here," he said. He hopes to return to his home on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain and work out of LPB. One of his first priorities is finding a way to get money to staff members who evacuated the city. "They have to pay for hotels and everything and pretty soon their money is going to run out," he said. WYES-TV is very likely flooded. "The coffee house nearby is under ten feet of water," said Randy Feldman, president. He's hopeful that the station's master control and production facilities on the second floor of the WYES building weren't damaged by water. "We just don't know what the status is and we won't know until we can get back in there," he said. Feldman is working out of HoustonPBS and trying to contact staff members. WWNO-FM may have been spared from water damage, but its transmitter is impaired, said Chuck Miller, g.m. of the station since July. After planning to keep the station on the air with staff who volunteered to ride out the storm, Miller told employees on Sunday to heed evacuation orders. WWNO carried audio from the local NBC affiliate until it was knocked off the air. Staff members are safely out of the city, but some lost their homes. The station is located on the campus of its licensee, the University of New Orleans, on the fourth floor of the library building. The UNO campus is on high ground near Lake Ponchartrain that, as far as Miller knows, has not flooded. Miller returned to his home in Atlanta and can be reached via e-mail at millerchuck @ earthlink.net. WWOZ-FM went off the air before the storm and may soon resume webcasting, said David Freedman, g.m. The WWOZ office is in a cottage between the French Quarter and Treme, a heavily flooded region of the city. Falling trees may have hit its broadcast studios in Armstrong Park, and he assumes at least the first floor of the building is flooded. "It's probably a complete loss at this point, until further notice," he said. "Our staff is all over the place but the one place we're not is New Orleans," Freeman said. He evacuated to a hotel in Hot Springs, Ark., and has heard from most of the WWOZ staff. Freedman is now trying to contact the dozens of volunteers with air-shifts. He can be reached at wwozdavid@yahoo.com. WWOZ's website is now a message board and clearinghouse of emergency information. Freedman plans to relocate to Franklin, La., and will try to establish an online service next week. "This is a community station and our community was the music and cultural context of New Orleans," he said. "What we're concerned about is not just putting the station back on the air but finding the pieces and tatters of the culture. We have to rebuild the community, not just the community radio station." The staff of public radio's American Routes has been posting messages on its website. "[R]est assured that our entire New Orleans staff is safe with family and friends spread from Birmingham AL, to Oxford and Natchez, MS, Baton Rouge and Lafayette LA, and Houston TX," said a recent post. Staffers are unsure whether the Routes studios on the second floor of a building in the French Quarter escaped harm, but floods largely spared the neighborhood, according to media reports. Routes staffers hope to produce a post-hurricane show from Lafayette, La., next week. Louisiana Louisiana Public Broadcasting is fully operational and running on adrenaline as a central production hub for local TV coverage of the disaster. CBS affiliate WWL, the only operating New Orleans television station, moved its news staff to LPB's Baton Rouge headquarters and is collaborating with the network's news team to cover the disaster. "We're in total stress overload," said Beth Courtney, LPB executive director. "We're doing so many things on so many fronts. People are covering the story when they themselves are homeless." Courtney described the unmet human needs in the region as overwhelming. "Our national infrastructure does not appear to be working," she said. "We are still in the midst of triage." LPB is carrying WWL's continuous coverage on one of its multicast channels and periodically interrupts programming on its main channel with news cut-ins. The coverage is also streamed online at WWLTV.com. The network is tracking pubcasters displaced by the disaster. Contact Jenne Farr at (225) 767-4200. Mississippi Mississippi Public Broadcasting's TV stations in Biloxi and Meridian went off the air to conserve fuel for the network's emergency generators, but MPB Radio is broadcasting to the entire state. MPB stations in Jackson were operating on an emergency generator Thursday, and Marie Antoon, executive director, anticipated that commercial power to that transmitter site would be restored soon. MPB now has the propane needed to keep an important microwave site running and is searching for a truck to deliver diesel fuel from Memphis. Steve Bass of Nashville PTV came up with the 9,000 gallons of diesel required for MPB's generators, Antoon said. Alabama Alabama Public Television is operating normally. With power outages caused by Katrina, five of its nine transmitters ran out of generator fuel and went off the air this week, said Allan Pizzato, executive director. But commercial power has since been restored to all sites. Although APT's staff fared well during the storm, many have family members who live along the Gulf Coast or in New Orleans, Pizzato said. "This is a horrendous tragedy. It's unreal," he said. THE SYSTEM RESPONDS --- CPB offers relief, broadcasters plan appeals National pubcasting organizations including CPB, NPR and APTS have been discussing aid to stations in daily conference calls, but the discussions have yielded more ideas than concrete plans. CPB approved $500,000 in emergency grants Aug. 31 to address "urgent and critical needs" of stations affected by Katrina. The corporation has released $150,000 of that to pubcasters including Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Mississippi Public Broadcasting and WWNO and WWOZ in New Orleans, said spokesman Eben Peck. The agency will provide the remaining funds when delivery logistics are ironed out, he said. CPB and APTS lobbyists are hoping to get funding for pubcaster needs included in pending federal aid packages. Congress approved $10.5 billion Sept. 2 for rescue and relief efforts in the Gulf Coast region and made clear that more aid would follow further assessment of damages. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is currently spending more than $500 million per day on Katrina relief, according to press reports. The national pubcasting organizations will have another round of conference calls Sept. 7. Meanwhile, the FCC approved blanket waivers allowing public TV and radio stations to raise money for hurricane victims and the relief agencies serving them. Many stations plan to participate in "BroadcastUnity for Katrina Relief" by devoting airtime on Sept. 9 to the relief effort. The National Association of Broadcasters is asking local stations to dedicate specific day-parts to "road-block" fundraising broadcasts so that the airwaves will be filled with appeals for contributions. NAB itself pledged a $1 million cash donation to the American Red Cross. PBS and NPR are developing special programs and content for station fundraisers. NPR is working on a package of news stories and audio montages focused on New Orleans, according to Dana Davis Rehm, v.p. of member and program services. PBS is planning a hurricane-relief fundraising special that will air exclusively on PBS stations and is producing public service announcements in which news personalities appeal for donations, according to Stephanie Aaronson, spokeswoman. Some public radio stations may eventually raise money for the Gulf Coast stations hit by the disaster, said Rehm. "In a humanitarian crisis, most of the focus now should be on the victims, refugees and displaced people," she said. "Down the line, it will be very important to make sure those stations are able to meet the public's need for more information," which will be much greater than in normal times, she said. The PBS Foundation plans to establish a hurricane relief fund for stations hit by Katrina, according to Aaronson. THE COVERAGE --- NPR sends team of 20 to region More than 20 reporters, producers and engineers from NPR are on site to cover the story, and additional staffers are in tow to help with logistics, said Bruce Drake, the network's v.p. of news. NPR rented two recreational vehicles in Virginia and drove them south to serve as home base for the staff, with one in Baton Rouge and another closer to New Orleans. Reporters are relying on rented cars, though in some cases they have had to drive to Jackson, Miss. --- roughly 185 miles from New Orleans --- for gasoline. One NPR staffer sat in a gas line for more than two hours in Louisiana before giving up, Drake said. NPR lacks a permanent New Orleans correspondent, but Drake said the storm's long-term impact and lengthy cleanup will require the network to establish a "de facto regular bureau" in the region similar to its Baghdad outpost (though Drake was loath to compare the two). As in Iraq, reporting conditions in New Orleans have become increasingly dangerous, with reports of looting, shootings and carjackings. NPR bars reporters from traveling through New Orleans after dark or visiting heavily looted areas. During the country's last major domestic catastrophe, the 9-11 terrorist attacks, "some infrastructure survived around ground zero," Drake said. "Here, you have hundreds of thousands of people with no belongings, no home, no electricity or clean water . . . we're so early in the rescue phase," he said. "It's just a horrible story." Web page posted Sept. 2, 2005 Current: the newspaper about public TV and radio in the United States --- Current Publishing Committee, Washington, D.C. (via DXLD) ** U S A. A lot of good analysis about broadcast coverage is here: http://www.cjrdaily.org/ And I simply haven`t had time to go thru the huge number of posts here looking for usable items since the last batch; maybe you can: http://www.radio-info.com/mods/posts?Board=louisiana (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. NOAA CONDUCTS AERIAL SURVEY OF REGIONS RAVAGED BY HURRICANE KATRINA --- Description: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2495.htm Map Index: http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/katrina/KATRINA0000.HTM (via Ken Kopp, dxldyg via DXLD) If anyone pulls out identifiable broadcast sites from these, let us know (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Be advised of the following compilation of HF nets relating to operations in relief of Hurricane Katrina: http://www.ominous-valve.com/hurricne.txt (Michael A. Mathis http://www.xnet.com/~mmathis DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. A 'SPECIAL' VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS OF EARLY FM RADIO September 4, 2005 BY WYNNE DELACOMA Classical Music Critic On one level, I barely knew Ray Nordstrand, the longtime president and general manager of WFMT-FM who died Aug. 27 at age 72 after a long illness. By the time I came on the scene as the Sun-Times' classical music critic in the early 1990s, he was beginning to fade as a powerhouse at WFMT, a station he had joined as a part-time announcer in 1953 two years after its founding. Our paths crossed occasionally, but I was too stupidly protective of my own self-defined professional dignity to push myself forward, pump his hand and tell him that, along with Norman Pellegrini, WFMT's visionary program director, and their other colleagues, he had changed my life. It's virtually impossible, in this age of constantly multiplying radio, television and Hollywood-based entertainment outlets, to convey the importance of stations like WFMT in the late 1960s and early '70s. A native Chicagoan, I grew up with AM-only radio. FM receivers were expensive and the province of audiophiles. In the '60s, when the technology improved, and the price of FM radios finally came down to the point where my family could afford one, I found myself in the midst of an astoundingly different world. And Ray Nordstrand, along with Pellegrini, were the masters of that enthralling universe. Fresh out of college and living back in Chicago, I found a true window to the world in WFMT. The dulcet chimes that introduced the station's Salzburg Festival broadcasts, not to mention the mellifluous female voice of the announcer describing the Salzburg programs in German, French and English, enthralled me. I became acquainted with the likes of baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and operas by Mozart and Strauss. A stop in Salzburg for some opera and a Fischer-Dieskau recital was a mandatory stop on one of my first post-college trips to Europe. But it was through "The Midnight Special,'' WFMT's enduring Saturday night program of "folk music and farce, show tunes and satire, madness and escape, odds and ends,'' that Nordstrand and I really bonded. Folk music was one of his many passions, and in the turbulent '60s, folkies were the musicians most involved in addressing the issues of the Vietnam War and civil rights that were rocking the nation. It was an era in which construction workers and anti-war protesters took to big- city streets, trading chants of "America, love it or leave it'' and "Hell, no, we won't go.'' Folk music was booming across the nation, and many of the musicians confronted the era's divisive issues head on. With Ray and Norm alternately hosting the show, "The Midnight Special'' became a place where war-related issues and civil rights concerns found a musical forum. There was still plenty of comedy from Elaine May and Mike Nichols and downhome folk music from Appalachia and Chicago's own backyard, but the segments of the show devoted to civil rights and anti-war songs linger most in my mind. On a late Saturday night, it was illuminating to think about the week's appalling headlines in the mordant terms set out in Phil Ochs' hallucinatory "Crucifixion.'' (The Midnight Special'' preferred a searingly simple version by the now-vanished duo Jim & Jean to Ochs' dissonance-wracked, circusy rendition.) Hearing Joan Baez and Judy Collins raise their lovely voices to sing about assassination and warfare somehow gave a sense of context to the constantly churning headlines. Spending Saturday nights with "The Midnight Special'' became my weekly mental health break, as necessary to my well-being as a good night's sleep or a nourishing meal. Best of all, I felt the presence of the show's large audience. We were all in this together, and with luck, if we persevered, we would eventually regain our footing. The times were indeed changing, and "The Midnight Special'' helped many of us navigate those changes. So in honor of Ray Nordstrand, I am going to pull out my records of Judy Collins singing "Marat/Sade'' and Leonard Cohen singing just about anything. I'm going to search the Internet for Jim & Jean's "Crucifixion.'' And I will try to catch a show at the Old Town School of Folk Music, a vital Chicago institution greatly boosted by Nordstrand's unwavering support. Salzburg is divine, but sometimes the soul craves the homier truths of Lincoln Avenue. Copyright © The Sun-Times Company (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. URUGUAI – A Rádio SODRE, de Montevidéu, voltou a ser sintonizada pela freqüência de 9620 kHz. Em 28 de agosto, foi ouvida, em Porto Alegre (RS), pelo colunista, às 2027, com anúncios de sua programação e apresentação de músicas clássicas (Célio Romais, Panorama, Conexión Digital Sept 3 via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Another check this Sunday Sept 4 for ``Aló Presidente``, via Cuba. At 1407 on 13750, just DGS was weak but audible from Costa Rica, and nothing on 13680. At 1412 found 11875 was on with Mundo Siete week in review produced by RHC, // 11670 at 1418 mixing as usual with WYFR. RHC mainstream on 11760 had Mundo de la Filatelia. At 1428 recheck, 13750 had come on with the Venezuela service, despite being only 10 kHz from squealing CRI via Cuba on 13740, still no 13680. On 17750, WYFR only was heard with a much weaker signal than normal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM. VIETNAM DISMISSES "FABRICATED" RADIO FREE ASIA REPORT | Excerpt from report in English by Vietnamese news agency VNA website Hanoi, 31 August: The Radio Free Asia on 28 August aired news about "more difficulties in the religious life of people from the H're ethnic minority group in the central province of Quang Ngai". It said "homes of some Protestants in Son Thuong commune, Son Ha District of Quang Ngai Province were recently pulled down and burnt only because they had refused to drop their belief". The radio quoted a General Confederation of Vietnam Protestant Church (Southern region) representative based in Son Ha District, Missionary Dinh Tan Vinh, as saying that "several local authorities, including the head and his deputy of the commune police, at 8 a.m. [local time], 21 August, came to Dinh Van Hoang's home and told him that Protestants are not welcome in the district. They asked Hoang to sign a behest to quit the religion and threatened to destroy his home if he refused to follow their request. On the heels of their leaving, commune chief Dinh Cai Xoa and his deputy Dinh Van Hoat, together with some war veterans, rushed to Hoang's home, pulled it down and burned all his property." [passage omitted] Yet, the RFA fabricated it and slandered Vietnam with very bad intentions by spreading the news that religious followers in Vietnam are prevented from practising their religions freely. There are nearly one million Protestant followers in Vietnam. They enjoy the freedom to practise the religion in line with Vietnam's laws. No one meets difficulties or has their houses demolished for adopting a religion as imagined by the RFA. That is the truth and no one can twist or fabricate it. Source: VNA news agency website, Hanoi, in English 31 Aug 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) So are Catholics better off than Protestants; Buddhists better off than Catholics? Atheists? (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Emisora sintonizada en 1650 kHz --- Estimado Sr. Glenn Hauser, saludos cordiales. Hoy, domingo 4 de septiembre de 2005, a las 0205 UT (04:05 Hora Oficial Española), sintonicé en la frecuencia de 1650 kHz, desde la localidad de Enguídanos (Cuenca) España, una emisora que transmitía mucha música y, posteriormente, a las 0230 UT se identificó como "World Harvest Radio, from USA". Posteriormente comenzó un programa diexista comenzando con noticias sobre la BBC y Radio Nederland y comentando después frecuencias de onda media en Estados Unidos. El fading era muy alto y sólo pude escuchar de su dirección: P O Box 19 ..... USA. Mi duda es si World Harvest Radio transmite en esa frecuencia, o lo hace a través de otra emisora, pues, si es así, sería mi primer DX transatlántico en Onda Media. El receptor utilizado es: CCrane Radio Plus y las antenas: MKII RF-System (Hilo largo de 12 m y balún de transferencia magnética) y Justice AM Antenna de C. Crane. Atentamente le saluda: (Ángel José Nicolás Esteve (EA5-0957), Redactor de la Sección OL-OM de EL DIAL (AER), Valencia (España), AER, http://www.aer-dx.org DX LISTENING DIGEST) Lamentablemente, no será su primera captación transatlántica en OM, sino una imagen dentro de su receptor, algo que otros experimentan, aunque es la primera vez que oigo en el caso del CCRadio Plus. Se formula así: 1650 x 3 = 4950. 4950 + (2 x 450 frecuencia intermediada) = 5850, la frecuencia de WHRA, estado de Maine, en realidad con DXing with Cumbre a las 0230. Sin duda si controla esa frecuencia, se encontrará en paralelo. 73, (Glenn to AJNE, via DXLD) Now that`s the kind of unID I like, with plenty of detail. We can add the CCrane Radio Plus to the list of MW receivers which produce images from the 49m band SW region in the X-band! WHR certainly does not transmit on 1650 nor have any such relays. What must have happened is this: WHRA 5850 Maine, scheduled 0100-0500 including DXing with Cumbre at 0230, was putting in a strong signal, so that your receiver let it bleed thru on 1650. The formula: 1650 x 3 = 4950. 4950 + (2 x 450 IF) = 5850 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sr. Glenn Hauser. Le quedo muy agradecido por su información. La verdad es que me llevé mucha alegría cuando escuchaba la emisora y estaba esperando regresar a Valencia para formularle la pregunta. Aquí, en España es muy difícil sintonizar emisoras americanas en Onda Media, ya que las cadenas SER, COPE y RNE sincronizan los centros emisores locales con la red nacional, por lo que la solución, desde el este de España, pasaría por intentar la banda expandida. Sr. Glenn, siento mucho lo ocurrido en su país con el huracán Katrina. Ha sido una verdadera catástrofe, pues ha sido de magnitud fortísima. Espero que pronto se puedan solucionar los problemas y también ruego porque nadie de su familia se haya visto afectada por el mismo. Cordiales 73 desde Valencia (España). (Ángel José Nicolás Esteve (EA5- 0957), DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Re 5-154, somewhere on 31 m: Heard the same station again. Once again, the programming was in English. Today, I heard the news from "Radio Yangkou" (this is how I heard the station name this time), followed by a children's program, which featured a folk tale about two glass ball dealers and a gold cup (which may narrow it down to the country), and a series of songs by Doris Day and a few kids. At the end of the program, "RY" said that it resumes at 2100 hours local time. Will check to see what time that translates to, and if it remains on same frequency (I've left my receiver on RY's frequency). (Varakorn Ungvichian, Thailand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi there, "Radio Shenkou" ---- How about Radio Yangoon? In WRTH 1990 (I only have 1983+1990 at hand) there's English 0700-0730 on 9730, would be ending 2 pm local time, so could be called "afternoon broadcast". (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, ibid.) Varakron, Here`s a good suggestion, referring to Yangon/Rangoon, Myanmar/Burma. It is still scheduled on 9730 with English at 0700-0830 UT. Apparently you have a receiver without an accurate dial readout, but even so you should be able to approximate frequencies by comparing what you are hearing to known stations. For instance, BBC in English via Singapore is on 9740, VOA Philippines is on 9760, etc. (Altho maybe not until later in the evening.) Comprehensive schedules are available online, such as these by time and by frequency: http://www.eibi.de.vu/ Well, 2100 LT also fits for Rangoon, which at UT +6:30 resumes English at 1430 UT, but on 5986! (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DIGITAL BROADCASTING ++++++++++++++++++++ DVORAK FALLS FOR DRM HYPE If they only knew what they were talking about! Sometimes this shortwave radio hobby of ours can be frustrating when ``experts`` chime in with their opinions. A case in point was a recent column called ``Inside Track`` by John Dvorak in PC Magazine that talked about Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM). According to Mr Dvorak, this is the ``latest and greatest digital radio technology.`` In his opinion DRM has already reached critical mass and is expanding everywhere but in the US where we have never heard of it. Three interesting points, all of which are wrong. To bolster his unsubstantiated claims he quotes the propaganda, unchallenged, that appears on the DRM website. He claims critical mass, when a commercial receiver capable of decoding the signal has not been produced (there are expectations that this may happen in Europe in time for Christmas sales). Although frequently tested in Europe with mixed results, isolated tests in North, South and Central America cannot be called ``expanding everywhere.`` DRM has a long way to go but it clearly will not be a worldwide platform. Regional or one hop use is possible. Finally, he is not aware of the US DRM Group that is looking into the issue. However, the use of DRM domestically may require an entire new mindset from radio listeners that technology alone may not be able to deliver. The good news is, a computer columnist is talking about shortwave radio with a future. The bad news is, he needs to do more homework on the subject (Richard A. D`Angelo, NASWA Notes, Sept NASWA Journal via DXLD) 11815 kHz: DRM 2? This morning Sept. 4th, at 0900-1000 UT, on 11815 kHz I noted that the DRM transmission planned as Virgin Radio from Moosbrunn (Austria) emits a noise completely different from the 'well' known wide-hash and the positive fact is that - with a Degen DE1103 - the frequencies at +-5 kHz were absolutely not interfered (Luca Botto Fiora, Italy, HCDX via DXLD) DRM RADIOS AND SERVICES PUBLICLY LAUNCHED AT IFA DRM Members Texas Instruments and RadioScape introduced three multi- standard, tabletop consumer radios with DRM, DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast), FM - RDS, LW, MW and SW capabilities, which use RadioScape's RS500 module and TI's DRM350 multi-standard digital radio baseband. The Roberts receiver has Pause Plus (for digital pause and rewind), built-in stereo speakers, and runs on batteries or mains electricity. The Morphy Richards receiver has mmc or sd card storage, and is capable of record or playback. And Sangean's radio features MP3, plus mmc or sd card storage. DRM Member Coding Technologies, in cooperation with AFG Engineering GmbH and Himalaya (Power) Electronics, demonstrated a DRM-capable radio based on Analog Devices' Blackfin®. Additionally, DRM Member Fraunhofer IIS has developed a complete DRM processing chain for integration into a DRM- only or multi-standard receiver IC, supplemented by Coding Technologies' Audio Decoder Library. DRM Member Robert Bosch GmbH presented a modified car receiver with DRM capabilities. In collaboration with DRM Member RTL Group, Visteon Corporation demonstrated its in-vehicle DRM, FM & AM CD Tuner. Panasonic showcased an OEM DRM-capable car radio prototype. "The arrival of a range of consumer-priced, DRM-capable products at IFA marks the European launch of DRM," said DRM Chairman and Deutsche Welle COO Peter Senger. "The timing is excellent --- at the same time that popular commercial stations and respected public broadcasters are increasing the availability of DRM content, DRM- capable consumer products are heading for the shops for Christmas 2005." RTL Group announced at IFA that it is broadcasting three DRM services, in German, French and English. Deutsche Welle is broadcasting 90 hours of DRM content per day, and will launch a new channel designed for European listeners in 2006. (more) BBC World Service launched its DRM Europe service to the Benelux countries, and neighboring France and Germany, with 18 hours of DRM content per day, delivered from three transmitters. DeutschlandRadio is broadcasting 24 hours of DRM content per day on both medium-wave and long-wave, and has announced that all its transmitters will be DRM-capable by 2006 for German national broadcasts. Radio Netherlands, Voice of Russia, TruckRadio, TDPradio, and CVC are sending DRM broadcasts. WRN announced plans for a DRM service to Europe, as well as a 26 MHz and medium-wave DRM test project in London. TDF and French broadcasters RFI, Radio France, RTL, Europe 1, Radio de la Mer, Superloustic, Radio Orient, Radio Télérama, Radio Nouveaux Talents, Beur FM and Littoral AM joined together for a special DRM transmission at IFA. T-Systems broadcast RADIO1 during the show. Recently, UK commercial broadcasters Virgin Classic Rock, Classic Gold Digital, Asian Sound Radio, Premier Christian Radio and CVC conducted a medium-wave DRM pilot scheme in the UK, provided by VT Communications. (via Peter Jackson, DRM-L yahoo group via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) DRM radios - IFA fair report There's a report from someone who attended the fair here spotted by N. Scheer on the drmrx forums: http://www.funkerberg.de/drm/ifa2005/index.htm The model he has got most information and pictures on is the Roberts/ Sangean RD2 to be released in the German market for Christmas, 250 to 300 Euros (Mike Barraclough, DX LISTENING DIGEST) © auf Deutsch (gh) SOME NOTES FROM THE DRM PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY AT BERLIN: In next year Deutsche Welle will start to run the famous 6075 kHz (German 24/7) outlet in DRM during certain hours in order to guide listeners to DRM. ``There will be only digital transmissions in future.`` The 1485 kHz test outlet at Berlin has been switched from RBB Radio Eins (used as modulation for mere engineering tests) to Oldiestar as official test now. This commercial station is understood to start a DRM service via Burg 1575 before yearend. A cooperation agreement of DAB with Ibiquity exists but is suspended at present. One guest asked what he should do with his many shortwave receivers; can he send them in when he can no longer receive DW with them? Yes, for the museum. It was said for a laugh that Deutschlandradio received calls from listeners asking if the 177 kHz transmitter suffered a failure, since there is only white noise. Here are the promised DRM receivers on display: http://www.funkerberg.de/drm/ifa2005/start-big.htm Note the ``DIGITAL radio DR`` logo, denoting DRM plus DAB. One picture portrays the Radioscape chipset, mounted on a demonstration board. Appears to be a bit too big to design radios of the size of an ATS 909. Unfortunately I forgot to ask about the power consumption. I took a closer look at the Roberts RD 20 with the size of a small ghettoblaster: The DRM reception behaviour appeared to be more or less what is already known from software decoding solutions. For some reason the set was not able to decode the local 177 kHz signal. It was promised that this set will be available for Christmas and cost 200...250 USD. Re.: ``693, Sep 2, 2220-, Germany: Voice of Russia via Germany. In Arabic. Terrible noise caused by the DRM simulcast; I wonder how this sounds at the 'target area'?`` --- Just the same, but even more distinctive and disturbing since a local-strength AM signal is supposed to be noise-free. Listening from Berlin reveals that there is not only the ever-present background hiss but also a crackling (at least this was the case a few days ago). And the most important lesson for me: Take always a spare microphone cable with you, or at least a spare XLR to miniplug adaptor if you are going to use a MiniDisc recorder (it is quite funny to combine such a fragile device with a mike four times as heavy). Otherwhise there is a small risk that you will go back home without even a single minute of audio. Quite frustrating. Good night (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Check out Jonathan Marks` blog for Sept 1-4+ about the IFA: http://criticaldistance.blogspot.com/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) How well would WWL get out if there were nighttime IBOC all around it? KFUO-850 MO is bad enough. See U S A RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ RX340 WORTH MORE THAN TWO NRDs Have been adjusting to my new RX340. It certainly is an impressive looking set and the performance is also nothing less than outstanding. It`s a radical departure from my JRC sets (NRD535D and NRD545). I had always thought the JRCs were excellent but they do not compare to the Ten-Tec receiver. Almost all the stations I heard before are now heard with much stronger reception. Tuning through the bands I now note a number of stations that in the past never got above the threshold level, but now I am able to make out program details. Of course I am still learning the ins-and-outs of the various filters but it is basically an easy set to get the feel for. True, it is expensive, but after trading in both JRCs to Universal Radio, it was not all that bad. The only negative thing I can say about the RX340 is that it makes me want to stay up all night, EVERY NIGHT, and enjoy the reception, which is just not possible. Maybe when I retire, hi (Ron Howard, Monterey CA, Musings, Sept NASWA Journal via DXLD) HOLLOW STATE NEWSLETTER IS NOW ONLINE That great newsletter from the past is online! The newsletter catered to the interests of boatanchor users is available online now. http://www.hollowstatenews.com/ (Les Locklear Monitoring since '57 Located on the Gulf of Mexico (via rec.radio.shortwave, via SW Bulletin Sept 4 via DXLD) ###