WORLD OF RADIO #1168, produced February 5, 2003 by Glenn Hauser

*Standard disclaimer
*WRN on Sirius Satellite Radio changed from Channel 111 to 115,
 including World of Radio Sundays 1500
*WOR also now on Media Sound, internet station, Saturdays at 2100,
 http://www.mediasound.net
*VOA and RFE/RL FY '04 budget has $30 million to start Middle
 Eastern TV in Arabic; double Indonesian radio...
*But most VOA and RFE/RL broadcasts to democracies of eastern
 Europe will cease, 98 positions total, including some RIFs; in
 Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian,
 Polish, Slovene, Slovak, Romanian; RFE/RL no longer in Bulgarian,
 Croatian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak; VOA Ukrainian,
 Armenian reduced; RFE/RL Romanian remains to Moldova only
*VOA and RFE being phased out, as the trend in abandoning our friends
 continues; even VOA in English may be endangered. Needed
 improvements in VOA newsroom still not made. American people do
 not realize their stake in VOA, lacks public support
*Complete VOA language schedule in DXLD 3-018; hear them while you
 can
*Afghanistan`s new interior minister is former head of VOA Persian
 and Pashto service, Ali Ahmad Jalali
*Defense Secetary Rumsfeld trying to merge media and psywar offices,
 endorsed by Britain, opposed by Germany and others: truth vs lies
*WBCQ feels obliged to start a news department, Planet World News,
 Mon-Sat 2050 on 7415; also adding Laser Radio, already via Latvia,
 9335-CUSB from Feb 9, Sundays 2000-2400; and R. Caroline is now M-F
 2100-2200 on 9335
*New on WRMI 7385 is Jupiter 400, UT Mon 0500-1000, international
 melange of live talk and music, variety, comedy; see
 http://radio.jupiter400.net
*KNLS Alaska has made another odd-date seasonal change, including
 English at 0800 and 1300 now on 11765
*KOMA, 1520, Oklahoma City, finally changed to news-talk format after
 a year of rumors, early on Feb 2 because of Columbia instead of
 Feb 4, so planned rocker retrospective did not air; but airchecks
 at http://www.live365.com/stations/174431
*NYC maintenance outage rescheduled to Sat and Sun Feb 8 and 9 on
 WBBR 1130, WEVD 1050, WWDJ 970, 0600-0900 UT; chance to DX something
 else on these frequencies
*Not only hobbyists apprehensive about IBOC, but Leonard Kahn,
 inventor of original AM stereo system, petitions FCC to halt IBOC
 rollout; another petitioner calls for opening the floodgates day and
 night
*Shelagh Rogers goes on 2-month sick leave frrom Sounds Like Canada,
 for high blood pressure, tho dissaisfied with her reduced CBC role
*Bill McNeil, of Fresh Air and Voice of the Pioneer on CBC, died at
 78
*R. Mil, 6010, Mexico City, has jamming-like interference even in
 Mexico City at 0400-0500: it`s BBC digital via Sackville; I have
 been trying to persuade HFCC to recognize the existence of vulnerable
 lowpowered Canadian and Mexican stations, avoid their frequencies
*XEPRS 1090 Baja California making another format change [to sports?],
 and off the air two Sunday nights around 0600-0800 UT, to avoid
 running La Hora Nacional? Opening another DX opportunity
*Via USB, AM, FM, subcarrier, satellite, internet -- and shortwave,
 this is WOR 1168, P O Box 1684, Enid, OK 73702, USA: or by E-mail
 please use woradio at yahoo.com
*Check our website for latest info on our scheduling and huge stash
 of DX Listening Digests among oher things, http://worldofradio.com
*Thanks this week for financial support go to Jim Wishner
*Jamaica reorganizing FM band so each station and its relays be in
 certain portion of the band, like in Britain
*R. Melodia, Colombia, back on SW, 6140.5v, duplicating Melodia AM
 730; Jose Valdes in Venezuela made recording mentioning SW. Also
 carries Half Hour with the World, news in Spanish from VOA
*Colombian clandestine Voz de la Resistencia is still heard daily,
 in Panama at 1250 on 6239.80, usually jammed except on Sundays.
 Unfortunately too late to propagate very far, but hurry up and try
*Lots of strife remains in Venezuela; government broadening clampdown
 on TV and radio stations, for opposition ads showing violence during
 children`s hours: fines, sanctions, suspension or revocations
*FM 105.7 in Caracas had equipment confiscated [for planning to
 interview an opposition leader]
*R. Anhanguera, Goias, Brazil, 4915, heard on 2nd harmonic 9830; not
 parallel to 11830 with separate programming
*DST ending in Brasil Feb. 16, so one-hour shift in most scheduling
*VOA Sao Tome on 1530, 600 kW, temporarily on non-diexional pattern
 which could make it easier in North America; on at 0300, off at 2230,
 Sat and Sun 2200; English, French, Portuguese, Hausa
*R. Liberia International, 6100 in the clear around 0700, better
 modulation than R. Veritas at same time on 5470
*V. of Nigeria heard on 15120 until 2305*; and finally activated
 11770 at same time, also at 0700 blocking HCJB-Australia, \\ 7255;
 not on all three frequencies at once
*HCJB Australia mixing badly with Nigeria in UK at 1000+; more
 clashes on 11770 from China, Mexico. HCJB to Asia on 15480 gets into
 Europe much better; direct broadcast from Ecuador ends February 8
*Thales, French transmitter manufacturer, signs accord to supply
 13 more 500 kW SW transmitters to China this year and ALLISS
 rotatable antenna; likely more crash-and-bang musical jammers
*Turkmenistan elder calls for external services in Russian and English
*Big debate in Afghanistan whether cable TV should be allowed,
 becaue of all that corrupting foreign content
*Head of foreign broadcasting in Afghanistan wants to resume external
 service which started 65 years ago; SW transmitter bombed a
 sesquiyear ago has not been replaced
*RFE/RL to Chechnya at 1800-1900 on 7565, 9840 ex 11930, 12130, //9615
*R. Polonia Media Magazine says transmitting company will be
 confronted with reports, recordings of poor quality of SW broadcasts;
 technical problems should be quickly rectified
*European Music Radio did not broadcast in January via IRRS; now
 February show via Latvia, Sun 9th on 5935 at 1500; special QSL
*Gordon Bennett, former contributor to AWR Wavescan, has died
*Propagation outlook from Boulder, Feb 4; flux range 140-170-115
*And that`s WOR 1168; Glenn Hauser, inviting you back next week ###