CONTINENT OF MEDIA 03-06, produced December 29, 2003 by Glenn Hauser
  [with DXLD issues for further reading on each story]

*The final COM for 2003, tho most will be hearing it in early 2004
*RFPI is off the air since early November; COM was produced especially
 for RFPI and hope it shall be again; meanwhile you may hear this
 program in a World of Radio timeslot, when it needs a one-week break,
 instead of a WOR Extra, so don`t be confused
*COM available from http://www.dxing.com sponsored by Universal Radio,
 and also at http://www.worldofradio.com
*Also carried by SIU Edwardsville Web Radio: new schedule from Jan. 12
 is UT Tuesdays 0430, alternating with Mundo Radial [3-227]
*COM sponsored by Universal Radio, offering quality amateur and SW
 equipment since 1942; catalog toll free 1-800-431-3939; or visit
 http://www.universal-radio.com
*We hope RFPI will be back streaming in early 2004, before it can
 resume SW broadcasting, and will let you know when COM is scheduled
*RFPI hoping to raise $10,000 at the outset, minimum required to get
 back on air; timeline of up to 12 months to get back on SW is not
 carved in stone. Everything depends on getting partners with long-
 term commitment. The $10K covers only buildings and equipment, not
 staff and licensing expenses. See http://www.rfpi.org and
 http://www.saverfpi.org [3-215]
*COM is about media around the American continent, not especially SW
*Three neighborhood X-band stations in Buenos Aires have very small
 groundwave coverage areas, but heard worldwide at night in near-SW
 propagation, such as BBC relay on 1670; only one station has good
 groundwave coverage of entire city, R. Diez, 710 [3-219]
*ID recorded around 1954 for XEFW, 810, Brownsville, TX, in English,
 but it`s actually Tampico. A would-be border-blaster. That`s nothing:
 XEG, 1050, Monterrey NL, used to announce an address in Fort Worth,
 11, Texas [3-219]
*Excellent propagation beacons in form of Cuban jammer harmonics
 against R. Marti, heard on 23860; also check 30660, 27640, 35340
 [3-217] [also 18090 = 3 x 6030]
*Steve Smith reports on `barn-raising` of new LPFM in Immokalee, FL,
 WCTI, 107.9, mostly in Spanish for farm workers; very limited
 coverage will be even more so when Gulf tropo opens. Another LPFM
 coming soon in Carrboro, NC, near Chapel Hill, 103.5 [WCOM!]. Can
 they be DXed? Difficult but possible [3-219, 3-230]
*Another way to get minority-interest station on air: rent subcarrier
 from existing FM. R. Maria, Houston is on 67 kHz of KPFT, not KUHF
 as claimed. Strange bedfellows, but it`s a business proposition.
 KUHF still has reading service for the blind  [3-225, 3-227]
*Denver`s 1510 Americana format, commercial KCUV; Boulder public radio
 station KGNU had wanted to purchase it with help from Public Radio
 Capital; see http://pubcap.org  [3-218, 3-220]
*National Rifle Association in US thinking about getting Mexican
 border blaster or even an offshore operation. Earlier report said
 looking to buy US TV or radio station, to be treated as news
 organization, exempt from spending limits in campaign finance law
 [3-219, 3-226]
*Handful of US MW stations off frequency for years; FCC enforcement
 not what it used to be, but helps DXing them. KPUR, Amarillo TX,
 still on 1439.7; I also hear het on 1600; NE US DXers are hearing a
 het on 1630.8; and Elk City OK has been off 1240 for years, hetting
 Wichita here in between them in daytime [3-224]
*If postage goes up to 40 cents, proposal that Todd Storz, creator of
 Top 40 radio, should get a commemorative; started with KOWH Omaha,
 added others such as KOMA OKC. Write Terrence McCaffrey, Manager of
 Stamp Services, USPS, Suite 5670, L`Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC
 20260-2435 [3-216 Oklahoma]
*This is Continent of Media 03-06, woradio at yahoo.com or P O Box
 1684, Enid, OK 73702
*From January, Embassy of Ghana in Washington DC, starts daily
 broadcast at 6:30-8:30 pm ET on WAMU 88.5: presumably means via
 subcarrier; already involved in TV show African Lifestyles, Sats on
 Pax, WPXW [3-216]
*Scavenge BI-LO grocery stores in the South, coffee section for cups
 labelled ``Radio Coffee`` [3-215, Radio Equipment Forum]
*Forgotten radio genius: Fr. Josef Murgas, competitor to Marconi, on
 WVIA-TV special, Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Used two tones instead of
 on-off for sending code; search for a few internet sites on him
 [Radio Equipment Forum in 3-220, 3-223]
*FCC has web history project. Second phase is on mobile radio, after
 TV in first phase. See http://www.fcc.gov/omd/history [3-222 Musea]
*FCC criticised for the way it regulates spectrum, but it could be
 worse: new CSIS study says the White House should replace FCC as
 regulator of airwaves. Guess what: FCC is already under executive
 branch, commissioners appointed by President
*FCC approved spectrum for road hazard notification use; one article
 didn`t mention frequencies! FCC says 5.85-5.925 GHz, so no threat to
 broadcasting. ``Smart cars`` terminology, ``comparable to creation
 of the Internet``. May put an end to flawed Safetycast nonsense, but
 still experimenting on 91.7 in one Florida county, to allow emergency
 vehicles to override all broadcast frequencies [3-228 REF]
*Harper`s magazine has excellent articles on media concentration. See
 Dec 2003 issue in print, not online, for two articles on Clear
 Channel [3-216]
*Plans for Liberal radio network, ASAP in election year. Al Franken
 says it could start as early as March, name not yet announced [3-229]
*CBS should keep Dan Rather to the end, commentary [3-220]
*Pirate in the Fruitvale barrio of Oakland, Radio Sonidera, 102.7;
 sonido style popular in Mexico created by charismatic DJs [3-228]
*ARRL sponsored meeting in November about powerline communications.
 ARINC told a horror story about neighborhood powerline modems
 interfering with their Half Moon Bay, CA receiving station [3-221]
*Multicultural CHIN Toronto expands to Ottawa with CJLL 97.9; but
 uncertain whether bikini contest will be acceptable in the capital
 [3-218]
*Glenn Hauser, concluding Continent of Media, 03-06 ###