CONTINENT OF MEDIA 05-01, January 10, 2005 by Glenn Hauser [with DX LISTENING DIGEST issues where you may read more] *Hello, and welcome to COM 05-01, recorded January 10, 2005, to be released later as WOR Extra 55 *COM made possible by Universal Radio, for quality amateur and SW radio equipment; for a catalog phone them at 1-800-431-3939 or check http://www.universal-radio.com Also sponsors http://www.dxing.com for much more info including the latest edition of this program, and DX Listening Digest *COM is about media around the American continent, not especially shortwave *Visitor to Ecuador got US TV network sound on UHF channels around 65, including CBS via WSEE-35, Erie PA; pirated from Echostar or DirecTV; AMC-3 satellite, Primetime 24 package for big dish owners; why did a small affiliate in Erie get to be the satellite source for CBS? Record of not pre-empting the network [Yes, WCBS does pre-empt the CBS network, for stupid ballgames] [4-190] *Caribbean Beacon, Anguilla, background on 690 and 1610; R. Anguilla and private stations [4-187] *Ken MacHarg on how radio has changed in Costa Rica since 1990 [4-182] *Website on history of radio in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua includes a brief SW station, Radio Mar on 5055: http://www.pto-cabezas.com/radioporte%C3%B1a.htm [4-190] *History of Radio Swan, declassified: http://cuban-exile.com/doc_226-250/doc0241.html [4-184] *Mexican broadcasters complain of growing competition from US digital signals [4-183] *Unusual formats on two Mexican MW stations: time checks with news, weather on XESJ, 1250, Saltillo, Coahuila [4-184], and now XEVOZ, 1590, Mexico DF is Radio Reloj [5-002] *Newcaster on CBC Radio [at least Saturday mornings] with unusual name: Dzintars Cers, of Latvian origin [4-191, 5-001] *Visit to CKWX Vancouver, with pictures: http://community.webtv.net/AM-DXer [4-179] *And of Paran antenna at KAPS, Mount Vernon, WA at same site [4-180] *KPOJ, 620, Portland, OR, had to move antenna site due to city incompetence, now shared with KEX 1190 [4-179] *Continent of Media 05-01; P O Box 1684, Enid, OK 73702, USA or woradio at yahoo.com *Federal Highway Administration has weekly HF backup net testing Wednesdays at 1400-1500 UT, 10 minutes each on 4821, 5255, 7419.5, 9197, 10891, 13434, all USB with variety of call prefixes and thus agencies *``Yosemite Sam`` operated Dec 19-23 on 3700, 4300, 6500, 10500, all DSB minus carrier, 10 seconds each with ``Varmint, I`m gonna blow ya to smithereens!`` reportedly near Albuquerque --- recording and more info from http://www.spynumbers.com/YosemiteSam.html *New station just for women in Utah from early `05; AM-820, already KUTR, owned by Bonneville, KSL [5-001] *KOSU 91.7 Stillwater OK announces it will soon be heard in 4 states, also AR, MO, KS, via new relay licensed to Ketchum OK, NE of Tulsa, on 107.5, to be KOSN ex-KGND; also expanding beyond OKC [4-182, 4- 186] *WBBZ, 1230 in Ponca City, OK, may be last of locally-owned and programmed small-town radio station with live DJs, and streams via http://www.wbbz.com --- used to be AM stereo, maybe still [5-002] *Texas installing broadband wifi at all 102 highway rest stops, by yearend; via http://www.roadconnect.net including 2 hours of free internet access [5-001] *Digital transition may have tax benefits for broadcasters, as analog equipment depreciates faster than otherwise [5-004] *Engineer reports WXBQ and WAEZ in Tennessee speed up their music by 1.6 percent, less than the 5 percent in the 1970s [5-005] *Tom Ray, engineering director at WOR, 710, NY, says they are moving transmitter site in New Jersey, and will be off the air at times. Will try to notify DXers in advance. New site in swamp, with pilings 165 feet deep to bedrock. Contact him or CE Kerry Richards for a tour [5-002] *I lament that AFAIK, no US SW station ever plays the Star Spangled Banner, but one major AM station does daily at 6:08 am ET: WBT, 1110, Charlotte NC, maybe a help to DX and ID it [5-002] *Forecasters face losing key tools --- microwave frequencies which can see thru clouds from satellites, due to encroachment by commercial users of same frequencies, putting weather forecasting and climatology at risk [4-187] *Greatest terrestrial DX via long path, from closest stations accompanied by long-path echo, more like a reverb, less than a satellite delay: now we have heard VOA Greenville, 17580 at 1843 in French, some 38 megameters away, further than previous catch of WHRA 17650 in Maine [5-001] *Glenn Hauser concluding COM 05-01, a.k.a. World of Radio Extra 55 ###