DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-014, January 24, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.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 1166: WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Sat 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN: Rest of world Sat 0900; Eu only Sun 0530; NAm Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html WORLD OF RADIO ON WMQM, 1600, 50 kW, MEMPHIS TN: Saturdays 10:30 am CST = 1630 UT (Adam Lock, WMQM) [week delay] ** AFGHANISTAN. SUPREME COURT ISSUES BAN ON CABLE TV The chief justice of the Afghan Supreme Court, Mawlavi Fazl Hadi Shinwari, banned five fledgling cable television networks in Kabul this week on grounds that some of the foreign programming being shown was un-Islamic. Shinwari has also refused to consider an appeal against an earlier ban he imposed on a cable network in Jalalabad. Shinwari told RFE/RL that there is no political reason behind his recent decrees and that he is not being pressured by any political or religious factions. He denied that he is trying to return Afghanistan to an era of restrictive interpretations of Islamic law such as those that existed under the Taliban regime. The chief justice said he is ready to resign if the Afghan people reject his decrees on what constitutes a violation of Islamic law. And he insisted that the partial nudity in foreign programs shown by Afghan cable do, indeed, violate Islamic law and traditional Afghan values. Shinwari said he is not concerned that his support for the decree could lead to cutbacks in Western aid disbursements, adding that he would resign if the edicts are rejected. The edicts may face just such a test in the near future, as Afghanistan's deputy chief justice, Fazel Ahmad Manawi, said Islamic scholars of Afghanistan should decide whether the ban is valid or not. ("Afghanistan: Ban On Cable TV Seen As Symptom Of Power Struggle," rferl.org, 24 January via RFE/RL Media Matters Jan 24 via DXLD) We keep seeing stories like this evidencing resurgence of Taleban Thought; for this we bothered? (gh, USA, DXLD) ** ALASKA. José Luis López informa sobre el esquema de la KNLS válido desde el 26 Enero: En inglés a las 08 y a las 13 por los 11.765 kHz, mientras que en 9.615 kHz, emite en ruso a las 09 y a las 11 y en mandarín a las 10, a las 12 y de 14 a 16 (Gabriel Iván Barrera, RN Radio-Enlace Jan 24 via DXLD) Ah, yes, KNLS` weird and frequent schedule change dates: from Jan 26 back on 11765 for both English broadcasts. Spring is on the way (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. A failure of an aerial at the RA Shepparton transmitters will mean that RA's English Language Service and the Chinese Service carried on 9475 kHz (1100-1900 UT) and 9500 kHz (1900-2130 UT) will be operating at reduced efficiency until further notice. The aerial which beams these programs on 329 degrees has a broken element and cannot be used safely. The temporary use of a rhombic antenna, on a bearing of 353 degrees, is the only alternative to suspending the broadcasts altogether. As advised by Radio Australia (John Figliozzi, NY, Jan24, EDXP via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Glenn, HCJB-Australia was assigned the site indicator of "KNX" for Kununurra many months ago, for official frequency management purposes. "HCA" was allocated as the "admin" and "org" abbreviations. HCA advised Jan-24 that a frequency move from 11755 is urgently being sought 0700-1200, to avoid Pori co-channel. Reception in NZ is reported to be very poor. Here in Melbourne, it's virtually unusable, in the 0700-0930 period. I am in contact with HCA's Freq Manager and I will pass on any further news. Regards, (Bob Padula, Victoria, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 25 Jan '03 Dear All, I just heard in HCJB DX Partyline today that the startup for HCJB-Australia broadcasts to India on 15480 has been further delayed till the 2nd of Feb due to damage to the antenna. Regds, Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AZERBAIJAN. What I assume Wolfy lists as the Assyrian Dem. Movement was heard on 9155.0 at 1725, but is not on air at 1800 re-check (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 18 via DXLD) Checked Ashur Radio too, V. of Assyrians ZOWAA at same time today, seems on air approx. 1600-1758 UT, but surprisingly measured on EVEN channel 9155.00 kHz, and only S=2-3, so it could be Azerbaijan site. Reminds me of George Jacobs activities via AZE in 1994-1996 ??? (Wolfgang Bueschel, Jan 18, BC-DX via DXLD) ** BHUTAN. Hi Glenn, I can confirm, Bhutan Broadcasting Service from Thimpu was well received here in SW Finland on 6035 kHz with s/on 01 UT this morning. Fortunately AWR via Abu Dhabi in EE on co-channel frequency just closed down. Bhutan carrier noted 0055. SIO 333 for BBS Thimpu 01 UT with quite heavy splashes from both sides. For some reason beautiful music came a lot stronger than the female announcer. I guess the language was Dzongha. Maybe I´m wrong. Definitely it was BBS Thimpu. TNX Vlad Titarev for this tip! 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku FINLAND, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This ought to be possible in North America, but I don`t recall any reports of it --- too much QRM, I suppose; and it`s UT M-F only (gh) ** COLOMBIA. ELN: PERIODISTAS RETENIDOS Viernes, 24 de enero de 2003 - 05:29 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_2690000/2690025.stm El Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) de Colombia reconoció tener retenidos a dos periodistas que colaboran con el diario estadounidense Los Angeles Times. Durante una transmisión clandestina por radio, el grupo rebelde señaló que la periodista estadounidense de origen británico Ruth Morris y el fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton están cautivos desde el martes. En Estados Unidos, el periódico indicó que ambos se encontraban gestionando una entrevista, lo cual fue desmentido por el grupo guerrillero. Según se informó, ambos reporteros fueron capturados por un comando del ELN en una zona cercana a Arauca, situada a 450 kilómetros al noreste de la capital, Bogotá. En la emisión de radio, el ELN precisó que los periodistas serán dejados en libertad en su debido momento y se comprometieron a garantizar sus vidas. Por otra parte el grupo rebelde expresó en un comunicado que Arauca es una zona de guerra declarada por parte del gobierno estadounidense y el Estado colombiano (BBC Mundo.com via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ELN station not named above, but is named in El Tiempo report: COLOMBIA --- ELTIEMPO.COM - CONFLICTO ARMADO 5:10 p.m. EJÉRCITO DE LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL (ELN) RECONOCE QUE SECUESTRÓ A PERIODISTAS DE LOS ANGELES TIMES EN ARAUCA Se trata del fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton y la reportera británica Ruth Morris. Los "periodistas, sí, se encuentran en nuestro poder, pero en ningún momento venían a sostener una entrevista con los mandos del Frente Domingo Laín o el Frente de Guerra Oriental, dichos señores ingresaron sin permiso del Ejercito de Liberación Nacional a la zona y por tal motivo, en un retén de control y registro del Ejercito de Liberación Nacional, fueron retenidos'', dijo el grupo insurgente en un comunicado. La reportera británica, criada en Estados Unidos, Ruth Morris y el fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton estaban realizando un reportaje en el departamento de Arauca, cuando el martes en la mañana se toparon con un retén de guerrilleros a la altura de la localidad de Corocito. Una vez allí fueron internados en las montañas cercanas con los ojos vendados. En principio se les dijo que se les entregaría un mensaje para la prensa internacional. Posteriormente, el Ejército desvirtuó la versión del secustro, tras señalar que se esperaba el retorno de los dos comunicadores el miércoles en la noche. El Eln, la segunda guerrilla del país, sostuvo que los periodistas "en su debido momento se dejarán en libertad cuando las condiciones políticas y militares así lo ameriten". Además, en el mensaje emitido por la estación de radio clandestina 'La Voz de la Liberación' afirmaron estar "dispuestos a garantizarles la vida y seguridad a estos periodistas". El Eln considera que el departamento de Arauca, donde fueron secuestrados los periodistas, "es una zona declarada de guerra por parte del gobierno norteamericano y el Estado colombiano". Mientras el presidente Alvaro Uribe otorgó más poderes a los militares en tres municipios para frenar la presencia de la guerrilla ahí, recientemente llegaron unos 70 instructores militares de Estados Unidos que entrenarán a tropas locales en la protección de un oleoducto. Según el conductor del taxi que llevaba a Morris y Dalton, Madiel Ariza, los rebeldes que los detuvieron en retén, les "dijeron que los necesitaban para una entrevista para mandar a la prensa internacional", pedido al cual los periodistas accedieron. Ariza dijo que él y los periodistas se internaron en las montañas donde pasaron en la noche del martes en compañía de los guerrilleros. Esa noche fue la última vez que los vio, ya que fueron separados a la hora de dormir por un problema de espacio. La mañana del miércoles, un rebelde le indicó a Ariza que partiera sin los periodistas, ya que ellos seguían conversando con los comandantes. "A las 12 del día a mi dijeron que me viniera porque ellos se los entregaban al (Comité) Cruz Roja Internacional directamente", sostuvo Ariza. Precisó que en "en ningún momento los trataron mal", aunque reconoció que les cubrieron la vista al llevarlos al lugar del encuentro por razones de seguridad. Con AP (Via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) COLOMBIA REBELS: WE KIDNAPPED JOURNALISTS http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35246-2003Jan23.html By Andrew Selsky Associated Press Writer Thursday, January 23, 2003; 9:30 PM BOGOTÁ, Colombia –– An American photographer and a British reporter on assignment for the Los Ángeles Times have been kidnapped by Colombian rebels, the first foreign journalists to be abducted in recent memory in the country's long war. Scott Dalton, a native of Conroe, Texas; and Ruth Morris, a British national, have been "retained" by the National Liberation Army, or ELN, the guerrilla group said in a statement Thursday on a clandestine rebel radio station. The kidnappings come just days after three other Westerners were reported missing and believed taken by a Colombian paramilitary group in Panama, just north of the Colombian border. Robert Pelton, Megan Smaker and Mark Wedeven were reportedly seized by the right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. Pelton gained worldwide attention with an interview of American Taliban suspect John Walker Lindh while covering the war in Afghanistan for CNN. Dalton and Morris had been intercepted Tuesday at a rebel roadblock in Arauca state, one of the most violent regions of Colombia. They were led away from their taxi with hoods on their heads, but had been told they were being taken for an encounter with a rebel commander, their driver, Madiel Ariza, told The Associated Press. Ariza said the rebels told him to leave their encampment the following day, and that the ELN would turn over the journalists to the Red Cross within a day or two. But the ELN statement said the journalists were being held. "In due time, they will be freed, when the political and military conditions permit," the statement said. The Los Angeles Times said the pair were working for the newspaper. "The situation is very fluid, and our primary concern is for Ruth and Scott's safety," the paper said in a statement. The kidnapping comes as the United States is beefing up military aid to the Colombian government, which has been battling the ELN and a larger rebel group for 38 years. Last week, dozens of U.S. special forces trainers arrived in Arauca to train Colombian troops to battle the guerrillas. The Colombian soldiers will be tasked with protecting an oil pipeline in Arauca that has been sabotaged by the rebels numerous times. The kidnapping occurred on a road south of the Colombian town of Saravena, 205 miles northeast of Bogota. Several dozen of the U.S. special forces are to be stationed at an army base in Saravena, located near the Venezuelan border. The ELN statement said the two journalists had arrived in the guerrilla stronghold without their permission. "You must take into account that Arauca state has been declared a war zone by the American government and the Colombian state," the rebel statement said. "For that reason, the National Liberation Army is on a war footing and is (acting) in the defense of the dignity of all the people of eastern Colombia." The ELN said they were "prepared to guarantee the lives and security of these journalists," and did not issue any demands for their release. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota said it was following the situation. "We are concerned about the individuals who have been reported missing," an embassy spokesman said. "We continue to monitor the situation closely with the Colombian government and State Department in Washington to obtain the most accurate information." Both Dalton and Morris live in Bogota, the Colombian capital. Dalton, 34, is a freelance photographer. He had been a photographer for the AP for about nine years, based in Panama, Guatemala and then Colombia, until the summer of 2002. He left to pursue video projects while freelancing for Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Miami Herald and other media. Morris has written articles as a freelancer for the Los Angeles Times, Time magazine, the Sun-Sentinel in south Florida and other publications. She previously was a staff writer for Dow Jones Newswires in Bogota. The kidnapping came as a delegation of the Inter American Press Association was visiting Colombia to urge the government of President Alvaro Uribe to protect journalists operating in this South American country and punish those who kill and kidnap them. Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries to work in, but local journalists have been the ones usually targeted. Nonetheless, foreign journalists working in Colombia could be targeted at any time, warned Jack Fuller, president of Tribune Publishing Co., who was in the delegation. "We have to believe that if Colombian journalists are murdered with impunity, it raises the risk to all journalists who are here," Fuller told the AP on Wednesday. The Tribune Publishing Co. owns the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. Pelton, a 47-year-old freelance journalist, is also the author of "The World's Most Dangerous Places," a guide book to the world's conflict zones. Smaker and Wedeven are Pelton's traveling companions. The Colombian Red Cross said it was in contact with the paramilitary group for a handover of the three travelers (© 2003 The Associated Press, Washington Post, via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. Radio Bayrak International on 6153 at 0620-0900 UT. In English with music and IDs such as "This is R. Bayrak International, Northern Republic of Cyprus, Lefkosa. SIO 322. Heard on my Grundig Y. Boy R. Normally the frequency is 6155, modulation is not good and some times ORF Austria is on preventing us from hearing R Bayrak and then later in the afternoon R SNG is on the air using 6150. Today no news bulletin was aired, I wonder why (Costa Constantinides, Cyprus non-Turkish, BC-DX Jan 17 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. I am perplexed by DW's move to abandon several hundred weekly HF frequency-hours of English output to Australia, NZ and Americas, considering its strong support to introduce DRM transmissions mid-2003. DRM are HF services! Here in Australia, DW English programming is broadcast over the ABC's Newsradio for 10hrs 15mins weekly. Schedule includes one hour daily Mo-Fr, from 3 to 4 am Australian Eastern Summer Time, 4.30-5.00 am Sundays, and 8.15-8.30 am Sats. There's also 30 mins noon until 12.30 pm on Tu-Sa. Not really sure whether those timings would attract a regular audience! Newsradio has limited coverage, mainly in the capital cities on MW plus FM in Darwin and the Gold Coast. Alternatively, after March 29, I would be limited to RealAudio, costing me 20 cents per MB over a dial-up connection, but I think I will pass on that as the car is not so equipped! I will now need to get a DRM-fix as that seems to be where the future HF action will be... (Not really - will spend my time and money on better things, like watching the Australian Football League - gee, the pre-season Cup starts in two weeks!) Regards (Bob Padula, Victoria, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. We took the North American Mailbag off the air simply because we did not receive enough correspondence to fill the programme. Not because we had no interest in broadcasting to your part of the world. This decision had nothing to do with the present decision. If you would like to be informed about the facelift the English Service of Deutsche Welle (DW) will be experiencing with the start of summer time on 30th March 2003, just send an e-mail to: margot.forbes@dw-world.de - referring to: A Facelift for Radio Broadcasts in English and I will be pleased to send you the relevant information. I would also just like to add that our Distribution Department will be putting some information together about rebroadcasters and the times and details of DW programmes they will be featuring. I have your details on record and will send off further information as and when it becomes available. Regards, Margot Forbes DEUTSCHE WELLE (via Dean Bonanno, DXLD) We have received numerous copies of this form letter, altho with some variations, such as in this one about the Mailbag show. And now, a reply to her (gh, DXLD) Dear Ms Forbes, Many thanks for the letter of explanation regarding the imminent changes in English language programming on the Deutsche Welle. I am really puzzled by the use of the term "Facelift" because your English programs have been and are still very attractive and do NOT need a "facelift" but that's just a side issue. More importantly the matter of relying on local stations to replace daily English broadcasts from DW Radio should be closely examined. Our local Public Radio broadcaster, WUIS, Springfield, ILL has DW's "Inside Europe" at 6 AM on Saturday, not exactly a prime time slot! I seriously doubt whether WUIS will ever carry DW Programming during the morning or evening news slots when NPR is scheduled, so listeners to DW will NOT likely hear much from DW on local FM. You are making the same mistake which the BBC made, assuming that there are enough American public broadcasters who will carry your programs during prime or near-prime hours. Many areas in the USA don't even have local Public Radio outlets. That's why people still listen to SHORTWAVE. Luckily my fluent German will allow me to tune in to your programs in that language, but I feel sorry for those listeners who will lose your English programs on shortwave. Cordially, (Martin Gallas, Jacksonville, IL, to DW, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) DW is one of those who have privatized their transmission facilities. It happened indirectly -- Deutsche Telekom took them over several years back, and now Deutsche Telekom is all (or mostly) private...and in tough financial shape. Transmission fees now represent real, arms' length business transactions. Wry comment: T-Mobile, the wireless subsidiary of DT, uses "Get More" as its slogan (sultrily uttered by Ms. Zeta-Jones). In North America, we're "Getting Less"...of DW (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, swprograms via DXLD) Digital shortwave will be half that cost at least because stations can use lower power and probably fewer frequencies. I don't know the cost arrangements involved in being on WRN, but I would venture a guess that it's a lot lower than the cost of pumping all those electrons into the air. I agree that $700,000 a year doesn't sound like a big nut, but the real question is not the figure itself but the figure relative to what? Also, I haven't seen any research on this, but just from observing the clientele at each SWL Winterfest I would guess that the average profile of an SWL is decidedly male, roughly 40-50 years of age (if not higher) with an income level somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Now, I ask you: how many radio and TV stations in the US do you see targeting this profile??? |g| Sad but true (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) ** INDIA. India is celebrating its Republic Day on Sunday January 26, 2003. The running commentary of the parade in Delhi will be carried by all stations of AIR at 0350-0645 UT on that say. Here are details of additional transmissions then. Hindi Commentary: 11900 (plus 6155 9595 11620 normally used for Urdu service at that time and 15770 used for other External services to Middle then) English Commentary: 7140, 9910, 15020, 15050 (Bangalore). (Note: 7140 is scheduled via Hyderabad and Delhi simultaneously!?) External service in Hindi at 0315-0415 on 13695 will not be there on that day. With Republic Day Greetings, ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. JUMPTV.COM DEFIANT IN FACE OF CANADIAN WEB BROADCAST 23/01/2003 Editor: David Minto New laws in Canada outlawing unauthorised internet video retransmissions of TV programming that originates in the US have been swept defiantly aside by Canadian webcaster JumpTV.com. Canada`s broadcast watchdog, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), sided on Fiday with North American broadcasters, closing a ‘loophole’ in Canadian law that would have allowed internet broadcasters to screen US TV shows without the permission of US networks. The loophole depended upon only Canadians viewing the broadcast shows, but the commission ruled that it could not be ensured that internet transmissions were so contained. Montreal-based JumpTV.com, however, has said it had abandoned any plans to bend Canadian TV programming retransmission rules in such a way last year. Instead the webcaster is concentrating on delivering a foreign channel service. Around 20 foreign channels are currently transmitted by the service and include broadcasts from Europe, Asia and South and Central America. CEO Farrell Miller believes he is tapping into a lucrative international market with subscribers paying up to E10 (USD10) a month for each foreign language signal. 80 percent of subscribers currently reside in the US, many of whom belong to large expatriate communities based there. Article location: http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=14562 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SATELLITE RADIO REPLACES AM, FM Two services offer car drivers the luxury of listening to the radio without commercials --- By Eric A. Taub, NEW YORK TIMES Jan 5 When Michael Scantlen purchased a Sirius satellite radio system for his car, he had to buy not only the equipment but extra gasoline as well. "The first week I got Sirius, I used up an extra half-tank of gas because I didn't want to stop listening to the programming," said Scantlen, 47, an electrical engineer in Agawam, Mass. "I haven't listened to regular radio since I bought it." Comments like Scantlen's must come as relief to Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, the two companies in the business of supplying an alternative to conventional AM and FM broadcast radio. Both have spent billions of dollars on satellites, transmission equipment, studios and programmers (and seen their stock prices plummet in the process) to create all-digital radio networks. Think satellite or cable television without pictures, and you will understand the digital satellite radio concept. Both Sirius and XM offer 100 channels of static-free radio reception in the car or at home, scores of unique and proprietary channels coast to coast, and excellent sound, no matter whether you are driving through Manhattan or the Arizona desert. Like satellite or cable television, satellite radio requires you to sign up as a subscriber (usually through a car audio dealer) and pay a monthly fee: $12.95 for Sirius, $9.99 for XM (Sirius offers discounts for long-term subscriptions). You also need to buy new equipment. Replacement receivers are available for cars (they also receive AM and FM broadcasts and come with the typical options like CD and tape players), as are adapter kits that work with existing audio systems, feeding the signal through the cassette player or over an unused FM frequency. Starting with the 2003 model year, many auto manufacturers are including satellite radios with certain cars. For the home, receivers are available that connect to stereo systems, usually through an auxiliary input. Sirius and XM use somewhat different satellite technology. Three Sirius satellites orbit the earth in a figure-eight pattern, with two of the three always over the United States. To ensure uninterrupted programming, all three transmit the same signal, but with a four- second delay between any two satellites. This allows a memory buffer in the receiver to smooth over any loss-of-signal problems. XM's network consists of two geostationary satellites hovering over the United States -- one over the East Coast, the other over the West -- that also employ a delay-and-buffer system. A small roof- or window-mounted car antenna picks up the signal. Since the radio signals travel by line of sight, both companies have also created a network of ground-based repeater stations to ensure that the signals can be picked up in the shadow of a mountain, in the steel canyons of New York or in other areas where the transmissions might be blocked. Similar services The similarity of the two services' programming outweighs their differences. Both have created extensive digital studios for live broadcasts and original performances. Both offer at least 60 channels of music plus 30 or more channels of news, talk, variety and sports; an uncensored comedy channel; children's programming; radio dramas; and news from the BBC, CNBC, CNN, C-Span and Fox News, among others. Fans of National Public Radio's signature news magazine programs, "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," won't find them on either service, although Sirius does offer NPR talk and variety shows. "Our news programs are staples of public radio, and it's important to keep them exclusive to our stations," said an NPR spokeswoman. Sirius hopes that will change. "Stay tuned," said Jay Clark, the company's vice president for programming. "We're having discussions with NPR about that." One difference between the services is in their policies on commercials. All of Sirius' 60 music channels are commercial free. XM runs ads on half its 70 music channels but pledges that it will never program more than six minutes per hour of commercial spots, which is one-third the amount found on standard commercial broadcast radio. Both companies emphasize the abundance of offerings to encourage listeners to surf the dial. Beatles fans listening to the group's songs on one channel might be directed to another channel to hear an interview with Paul McCartney. People who like one type of music may be advised that a similar group is playing on another channel. In that way, the companies hope to build loyalty to the service, not just one channel. Both companies offer a wide range of specialty music genres. Jazz and blues fans have a choice of seven channels on XM, and eight on Sirius. XM has separate channels playing the hits of each decade from the 1940s to the 1990s, while Sirius offers four similarly themed channels. XM and Sirius both classify 11 of their channels as rock- oriented, and both break down the genre into channels playing classic, heavy, album, alternative, soft and mainstream rock. Free samples Listening to the offerings is the best way to decide which service is most appealing. Customers can sample both services free at the companies' Web sites -- siriusradio.com and xmradio.com. XM offers a three-hour loop of each music channel, and Sirius simultaneously provides each channel's content in its entirety. To date, most subscribers have arranged to receive service by buying a replacement car radio or adapter. But both services are counting on licensing agreements they have forged with car manufacturers to push sales to their break-even point. BMW, Ford and DaimlerChrysler are offering integrated Sirius- compatible radios as a dealer-installed option on certain 2003 models. GM is offering XM-compatible radios on 25 of its models, including all Cadillacs. XM service will also be available as an option at many Toyota dealerships and to purchasers of Honda's Accord, Pilot and Acura MDX models. Nissan plans to offer Sirius and XM to customers on select 2003 models, and Volkswagen/Audi says it plans to offer both but has not specified when. Sirius and XM have agreed eventually to market a radio that can receive either service, but both companies say that it will not be available any time soon. Meanwhile, integrated dealer-installed radios for either service typically cost $325, and after-market add-on units can be purchased for $200 or more, including installation. To ease the burden for new-car buyers, manufacturers will often offer to fold the cost of the radio and a year's service into the lease or financed purchase price. Plenty of presets Is digital satellite radio worth the price? Some early adopters, frustrated with the limitations of regular commercial AM and FM radio, say it definitely is. William Dreskin, a rabbi in Greenburgh, N.Y., keeps his children content on car trips with the youth-oriented channels on the XM radio he bought when he leased a new car. "I've set six channel presets on children's programming for my kids, six for me and six for my wife. I like to listen to jazz, but with a regular jazz radio station, I never knew what I'd hear and if I'd lose the signal when I was driving to Queens or Long Island to serve my congregants." Brian Stafford, who owns a machine tool factory in Little Rock, Ark., and travels 200 to 300 miles a week on business, said: "Since subscribing to Sirius, I can't remember the last time I've listened to regular radio. The variety's unbelievable and I can hear the programming wherever I go. I haven't even bothered to reprogram my radio for the AM and FM channels I used to listen to." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRAN. IRANIAN LEADER LAMBASTS US BROADCASTS TO IRAN Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, Head of the Expediency Council of Iran, has said the United States is erroneously following policies aimed at restoring a secular system in Iran. He said US leaders have been listening to statements by a small group of opposition activists who possess propaganda means. Rafsanjani said the US has inaugurated a round-the-clock radio station in the Persian language [Radio Farda] to broadcast poisonous propaganda against Iran, a country rich in natural resources and with a strategic location in the Middle East (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 24 January 2003 via DXLD) ** IRAN. Just been listening to IRIB on the Grundig 600 and telescopic whip that is sat next to the main PC. English broadcast from 0030, still on at 0223 when I quit, 9580 kHz good signal, some fading, no noticeable interference. Announced frequencies as 6120 and 9580 for North America. Never thought I would hear pop songs by groups such as ABBA and the Shadows on an Iranian station, but that is what they use as signature tunes for their programmes! Much religious talk in amongst news and general interest programming. 73 (Sean G4UCJ Gilbert, UK, Jan 25, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Ashuria/ZOWAA 9155 : see AZERBAIJAN ** KASHMIR [non]. For almost one week now, I am getting a new station identifying as "Radio Sadaye Kashmir" on 9890 at 0230-0300 UT. 0230- 0310 it`s in Urdu and at 0310-0330 in another language. The carrier and test tone comes about 20 minutes before the program starts and it is very strong at my location in Hyderabad, S. India. Station identification is given only once at sign on during the entire program and no address is given. The sign on announcements includes the particular date of broadcast. The program consists of songs and easy going talks (not the hard type.) I did not see any reports on this station any where yet. Any more details are welcome. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J National Institute of Amateur Radio, Box 1555, Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082, India, dx_india via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Hi Glenn, just heard the .RAM file of WoR 1166. There was a slight update of the RFA Tinian frequencies at that hour. That`s 13625 from Tinian throughout 1400-1700 in Korean now. 1400-1500 KOREAN 5855U 7475Y 12000T 13625T 1500-1600 MANDARIN 7540D 9905P 11945T 13695T 13745T 15510T 17565T 1500-1700 KOREAN 11870S 13625T 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LEBANON. 837, Radio Lebanon (Ida`atu Lyubnian) booming in here with great signal at 1400 UT Jan 11, news in Arabic. At 1410 ceremonial announcement about new US made superpower transmitter of 1000 kW "covering Egypt, Turkey, etc." and mentioned Bulgaria already too. Reception without using loop-antenna, just built-in aerial (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** MALTA. From http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=117785 ISLAND SOUND RADIO OFF THE AIR 'TEMPORARILY' BROADCASTING AUTHORITY INVESTIGATING --Herman Grech Island Sound Radio is off the airwaves but the management has denied the station is closing down after 11 years of broadcasting. The station ceased its broadcasting schedule on Monday at 9.45 a.m., mid- way through Marisa B's programme and is now broadcasting Voice of America 24 hours a day. When contacted, station managing director Colin Tabone said Island Sound was off air "because we have some equipment parts missing that need to be imported". Mr Tabone said staff had been informed to take their leave but had not been laid off. There are 12 members of staff at the station, most of them part-timers. "Very soon we will be back on air, and, no, we are not negotiating with anybody," Mr Tabone insisted. A spokesman for Network Publications said however that negotiations were going on with a view to purchasing the station, though he would not give further details. The spokesman said the company was looking to further diversify its media product. Network publishes the Sunday newspaper Malta Today and The Sunday Circle magazine and produces the daily TV programme Reporter, among others. A spokesman for the Broadcasting Authority said the Island Sound case was being investigated. "Island Sound has a promise of performance. It cannot change the schedule content without the permission of the authority," he stressed. The spokesman said Island Sound had been issued a frequency provided it adhered to the "promise of performance". (via Mike Terry, DXLD) WTFK?? ** MONACO [non]. 1467 Superloustic, a station for children under 12, is back on the air after an 11 year absence. They are using the Monaco [sic, outside of Monte Carlo at Fontbonne on France soil, ed.] transmitter on 1467 kHz between 0530 and 1730 with 50 kW. This seems to be just a test and it is not clear yet how long it will last. They are actually testing the program they will put on the air if they are awarded a MW channel by the CSA next month (Remy Friess, France, MWCircle, via Mike Barraclough, UK, Jan 21 BC-DX via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. The limited series of special DRM tests from Bonaire 12025 0600-0655 to Aus/NZ, being in-band, have wrecked reception of anything else between 12015 and 12040, as anticipated. This stuff is broadband in 20 kHz "spectrum blocks". There are supposed to be spectrum masks to limit output, but this is not effective. These technology assessment tests ought to be out-of-band, or where they can do no damage (Bob Padula, Victoria, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See DRM sexion below ** PAKISTAN. Radio Pakistan noted on every Sat *1530-1600* on 4790, program in English and political commentaries. Just at 1600 there are the news on 4790 11570 15070 etc. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** SUDAN. Around 1700 UT on 7200 I picked up a station called (Voice of the Armed Forces) "Sout Alquwat al Musalaha" in Arabic; the program started with the National Anthem followed by an ID by a YL followed by Qur`an Reading and then program details by the same YL. ID followed by a patriotic song and then a program "Called with the Soldiers". They said the program is from 0700 till 1000 P.M Sudan time (1700-2000 UT). (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, SU1TZ, BC-DX Jan 19 via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. STRUGGLING FOR NEWS IN TURKMENISTAN By Michael Clarke Over the past four years, the Turkmen government has undertaken a systematic campaign to cripple the educational system and prevent any information from the outside world from reaching the people of Turkmenistan. But my personal experience in Turkmenistan -- I lived and worked there as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1998 until 2001 -- has convinced me that these efforts are bound to fail. Three months into my service with the Peace Corps, I began to understand just how hard it is to get real news on the radio. One evening, as a Turkmen friend and I sat watching the national television station, I naively inquired if he ever heard news from outside Turkmenistan. He mentioned ORT, the Russian state-owned television station that is broadcast throughout Turkmenistan (with a tape delay to allow the censors time to cut anything deemed inappropriate). Murat added that if you wanted factual news you had to listen to shortwave radio broadcasts from Prague. Cautiously, Murat fetched his weathered, battery-powered shortwave radio. He made sure all of his family was asleep, and he quietly turned on the radio. He warned me not to tell anyone about this, not even at school or in the Peace Corps. This was our secret, since if word got out that "the foreigner" was listening to underground radio with a local, there could be big problems for both of us. Nearly every night we listened to RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, as my friend translated Turkmen to help me follow the broadcast. Via those broadcasts, Murat heard news about the outside world that certainly would never pass the Turkmen censors. We listened to reports that included news of the opening of a new OSCE office in Ashgabat and Murat's favorite, the sports scores. There are only two radio stations widely available in Turkmenistan: the state-controlled channel and Radio Mayak from Russia. Most of the people I knew listened to Radio Mayak, broadcast out of Moscow, which can loosely be described as a Russian version of the U.S. National Public Radio. Mayak broadcasts every day throughout the former Soviet Union, offering music, news, and human-interest programs. Although, in theory, one can listen to Mayak safely, most people would turn off the radio if a neighbor stopped by. On paper, the Turkmen Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press. In practice, those who express views that differ from those of the state are subject to a range of reprisals: having their utilities cut off, losing their jobs, being exiled domestically, or ever being imprisoned. Throughout the time I worked in Turkmenistan, the government- controlled media intensified their focus on President Saparmurat Niyazov. There was not a public building, car, bus, train, airplane, newspaper, television program, magazine, book, or public event on which the president's photo was not prominently displayed. His portrait is literally everywhere. Toward the end of my time in Turkmenistan, underground cable operators began setting up illegal networks of satellite dishes able to receive a variety of uncensored news. Recently, Niyazov ordered more stringent controls on the broadcasting of Russian cable television, saying that these channels "are designed against Turkmenistan and are slanderous." Actually, these channels aired U.S. movies, Brazilian soap operas, and Russian variety shows. Newspapers are another way in which the media serve the state, particularly the president. Each day, a prayer appears on the front page of every newspaper praising Niyazov the Great and asking that terrible punishment come unto those who betray or disappoint him and/or the motherland. Every newspaper must display a front-page picture of Niyazov and cover his daily activities. Such "news" is so predominant that important world affairs are often not even mentioned or appear only on the back pages, as was the case with Turkmenistan's humanitarian involvement in the antiterrorism struggle. Newspapers and magazines from Russia used to provide embassies, Turkmen citizens, and companies with reliable information and a needed distraction from the perpetual onslaught of Turkmen propaganda. These periodicals were available at the bazaar for roughly half the average Turkmen monthly salary. But on 16 July 2002, the Turkmen Communications Ministry officially halted the delivery of all Russian print media into the country. Turkmen, the official state language, limits the range of information available to the people of Turkmenistan. Recent policies discourage children from learning foreign languages in another effort to isolate the country's population. The Turkmen government has also instituted the obligatory teaching of President Niyazov's "Rukhnama," a work Niyazov compares to the Koran or Bible. There are also state prizes for citizens who follow the "Rukhnama's" code. All high-level officials, teachers, and doctors are required to own the book if not to memorize it. The Internet poses a major headache for the Turkmen government. In May 2000, the government withdrew the licenses of all private Internet providers, leaving only state-owned Turkmen Telecom, which has set access fees so high that now the average citizen cannot afford to use the Internet. A few bustling Internet cafes did spring up around the capital city, Ashgabat, and several opposition websites were launched. Unfortunately, in June 2001 the government revoked all the Internet cafes' licenses and forced them to shut down Internet operations. Today, as far as I know, the only public-access Internet sites are funded by the U.S. State Department. Its Internet Access and Training Program provides academics, professionals, and other Turkmen citizens much-needed access to the world of Internet information. On 25 November, President Niyazov survived an alleged assassination attempt that left at least one bodyguard seriously wounded. Turkmen media, particularly state television, were deployed to show a series of Stalinist-style public confessions of the alleged would-be assassins. My experience in Turkmenistan clearly showed me that its people -- and its growing diaspora -- want to be part of the global information community and will persist in finding uncensored news. One personal example will suffice. On 9 September, I took part in an RFE/RL briefing in which three Americans discussed living and working in Turkmenistan. After that briefing was aired, Murat contacted me and let me know that he had been listening to RFE/RL that night and heard my familiar voice. Murat told me that he was proud to be a part of its message: that the people of Turkmenistan represent the country's best hope for the future. Michael Clarke is a development coordinator for the International Research Exchanges Board, a U.S. nonprofit organization (RFE/RL Media Matters Jan 24 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. BBCWS DRM on 6010 confirmed as Sackville tests: see DRM at bottom (gh) ** U K. ISRAEL/UK: EX-AMBASSADOR TO BRITAIN SLAMS BBC'S "UNBALANCED REPORTING" | Text of commentary in English by Yehuda Avner, who served as ambassador to Britain, entitled: "'Sherlock Holmes probes the BBC"; published by Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post web site on 17 January The BBC is a redoubtable establishment with a formidable reputation. Its World Service, which is currently celebrating its 70th anniversary, attracts an audience of 150 million listeners a week. One man who was quite partial to the British Broadcasting Corporation was Menachem Begin. The first thing he did upon rising at five each morning was to switch on the BBC and wash and dress to the intoning of the news announcer speaking with the imperturbability of a cricket commentator during a somewhat dull moment in the match. Begin loved the BBC's economy of style, its unexcitable precision and clarity of speech. His partiality stemmed from his days in the Irgun, when good English phrases were weapons, and he would sit glued to his wireless set in an inconspicuously cunning hideaway absorbing the bulletins and mastering the tongue. In later years he would talk whimsically of those BBC language exercises in the underground. And like an aficionado of history who adores lampooning the foibles of the long-gone famous, he would take pleasure in charming overseas guests with stories of knotty BBC vocabulary tests he had set himself, like Disraeli roundly trouncing Gladstone across the parliamentary aisle, saying: "The honourable gentleman is a sophistical rhetorician with the exuberance of his own verbosity." When the premier recited this nugget of hyperbole the words rolled trippingly off his tongue and his guests would lap it up delightedly. Begin considered the BBC's coverage of world news professional, factual and, by and large, trustworthy. On October 6, 1981, when word reached him that an attempt had been made on the life of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, he typically instructed his secretary to tune into the BBC. He himself used a special line to speak to the Israeli embassy in Cairo, but they could tell him nothing amidst the general mayhem. President Jimmy Carter broke in with a call from the White House to share the good news that Sadat had been only slightly wounded. The American ambassador in Cairo, Alfred Atherton, had told him so. As more initial reports came through, the prime minister's secretary fiddled systematically with the radio, monitoring other stations as he searched for the BBC. The Voice of America repeated what Carter had told the prime minister. Radio Monte Carlo, on the other hand, said Sadat was mortally wounded and might already be dead. Radio Free Europe alleged that the Egyptian president had walked away from the assassination attempt unscathed. And then the secretary finally alighted on the BBC, where its unflappable newsreader told his listeners that Anwar Sadat was dead, shot at the Cairo military parade that marked the eighth anniversary of the Egyptian crossing of the Suez Canal at the start of the Yom Kippur War. "Hinei, ha-BBC," muttered Begin, grimacing at the bad news. "Zo ha'emet. Sadat nirtzah!" ("That's the BBC. It's the truth. Sadat's been murdered!") He gave instant instructions to set in motion an emergency stratagem for fear a military coup was under way in Cairo. One could see the arteries throbbing in his neck as he gave the order. Such were the days when statesmen would sometimes make decisions based upon the reputation of the BBC. And whereas its commentators might spare no rod in criticizing this or that aspect of Israeli policy, its current affairs producers were for the most part impartial, accurate and balanced, bound by the ethic of fair play. A Royal Charter created the BBC in 1926. Over the years, in agreement with the British government, various procedures have been put into place to ensure accurate reporting, among them an official code of conduct called "the Producer's Guidelines". The Royal Charter requires the governors of the BBC to monitor and supervise compliance with this code. Chapter 2 of the Guidelines states that: "Due impartiality lies at the heart of the BBC. All BBC programmes and services should be open- minded, fair and show a respect for the truth. No significant strand of thought should go unselected or underrepresented on the BBC. The BBC is explicitly forbidden from broadcasting its own opinions on current affairs." Thus, impartiality, truth, dispassion, fairness, accuracy, context, faithful representation - these are the ethics of the BBC. Fidelity to that code is what gave the corporation its monumental reputation as the gold standard of current affairs broadcasting. Until the intifada, that is. Just at a time when the Israeli journey turned suddenly perilous, the BBC's coverage of it turned suddenly rough. While professing to blow trusty horns of impartiality, its interviewers have become hostile, strident and clipped, without sympathy or empathy. BBC announcers uttering the word "Zionism", "settler" or "Sharon" seem do so through a curled lip. Opinionated, slanted and emotional advocacy have replaced accurate, honest and straightforward journalism. Obfuscation has taken over from plain speech. Ian Duncan Smith, leader of the British Conservative Party, speaking in Cardiff on December 9, told the BBC: "Stop using platitudes and describing Hamas and Islamic Jihad by such euphemisms as 'radical' and 'militant'. Broadcasters should call these groups what they are: terrorist organizations. Such fudging of what Hamas or Islamic Jihad are confers a dangerous legitimacy on people who could easily extend their war of terror to this country." Internet "bloggers", fair-minded folk with no axe to grind, have been posting their outrage and compiling rap sheets of blatant bias against Israel from those who claim objectivity and then broadcast their political views as facts. The psychological tentacles of innuendo, insinuation and outright bias have seemingly so penetrated the BBC's corporate culture that some analysts conclude a pernicious virus has infected the system, malevolent to the Jewish state. Thus The Financial Times in its weekend edition of 16-17 November, wrote: "In a study earlier this year of the BBC's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the British lawyer Trevor Asserson and (his research assistant) the Israeli lawyer Elisheva Mironi, the authors found that the BBC breaches its license agreement to be impartial by 'incorporating use of language, unbalanced reporting, inappropriate selection of material and distortion or omission of facts a clear and significant trend of bias' against Israel and against Jews." The study in question was an analysis by a prominent highly respected London solicitor. He has now published a second report, working with an impressive committee of academics and lawyers. Oxford-trained and a senior partner in one of the world's largest law firms, Asserson first addressed the matter of alleged BBC bias in 1986, not with respect to Israel, but in the context of a British general election. He was at the time a member of the legal team instigated by former British Foreign Secretary David (now Lord) Owen to bring a high-profile action against the BBC for bias in its lack of coverage of the Social Democrats and Liberal parties in that election. The BBC settled the action and amended its policy rather than face its critics in the courtroom. Applying a similar forensic technique, Asserson has now authored two reports http://www.bbcwatch.com exhuming a pattern of BBC bias against Israel. As meticulously documented as a coroner's inquest, Asserson shows how Britain's only tax-funded broadcasting body, is, in fact, purveying biased views as news. "We have found," says his Executive Summary, "that the BBC preserves a superficial impartiality by allotting broadly similar time to supporters of each side to the conflict. However, against most other criteria we have found the BBC to fall consistently short in its aim of impartial and accurate reporting At times, by a mere selection or omission of facts, the BBC provides a report which portrays the very opposite of the truth. "Frequently, the BBC is misleading. At times it appears to invent material to suit its own bias." Over two randomly selected periods of time, Asserson and his team analysed the BBC's major coverage of the Middle East in its main news programmes. Then, collating their findings into the two reports, they documented in devastating detail breach after breach of the BBC Guidelines, among them: emotive use of language; unbalanced reporting; selective use of material; distortion and omission of facts; unfair choice of interviewees; an almost consistent sympathetic portrayal of Yasir Arafat with no corresponding profile of a major Israeli leader; refusal to use the legal and dictionary definitions of the word "terrorist"; calculated omission of Israeli viewpoints; suppression of stories that do not suit the BBC world view; the abusive use of pictures; biased reporters expressing personal views, and an almost automatic attempt to find an anti-Israel angle to numerous news stories. Asserson acknowledges that between the publication of his first report (March 2002) and his last (December 2002), a number of defects have become less blatant. For example, references to "occupied Palestinian land" are now rare. Instead, the less emotive "occupied land" is used. Arafat is now seldom referred as "president," but rather, correctly, as "chairman" of the Palestinian [National] Authority. This is fine. But when measured against the rich tapestry of partiality which the BBC weaves, it adds up to very little indeed. The overwhelming bias Asserson so conscientiously demonstrates, and which myriads of listeners and viewers sense daily for themselves, persists. Which is why the Asserson Report concludes: "The BBC has significant power, heavy responsibilities and clear legal obligations. By failing to break out of its own cycle of inaccuracy and partiality in its reporting of the Middle East the BBC is abusing its power, behaving irresponsibly and is in breach of its legal obligations. If it is to maintain its reputation for impartial and accurate reporting we consider it should now put its house in order." The question is, how? One answer may lie in the fact that, unusually for a news organization, the BBC's Guidelines are not mere aphorisms. They are mandatory. The BBC is a publicly funded body subject to legal redress enforceable in British courts. And Asserson, with his meticulous magnifying glass and assiduous nose for evidence, might well turn out to be the Sherlock Holmes of the case, who, with the help of some keen and generous Dr Watson, could unearth enough material to go to court. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1042690520257 Source: The Jerusalem Post web site, in English 17 Jan 03 (via BBCM and via Joel Rubin, DXLD) ** U S A. CHRISTIAN RADIO HOST TELLS LISTENERS TO ABANDON CHURCH Religion Today Associated Press http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/5014512.htm OAKLAND, Calif. - An influential Christian radio host, best known for his failed predictions of the second coming of Christ, has run into more derision and criticism for telling listeners to abandon the church. Harold Camping says his Bible studies have revealed that what he calls "the church age" has ended. He has told his worldwide radio audience that Satan has taken over all churches. For the past two years, Camping has been teaching that God wants people to worship privately in their homes instead - with no leaders, no baptism and no communion. "The Bible says God is not saving people any longer in the churches," Camping said in a recent interview at Family Radio's headquarters in Oakland. "They're being saved outside the churches." Critics call the idea heretical, and say the self-described Bible expert doesn't know what he's talking about. Some evangelical Christian leaders complain that his call is hurting their churches. "He's in critical locations in the United States and the rest of the world. He has a large listening audience," said David Clark, who tracks Christian fringe groups. "He's got pastors all over the United States in an uproar. He's gone over the edge this time." Camping, 81, parted ways several years ago with the conservative, evangelical Christian Reformed Church in which he grew up. Retired from his own construction business, he serves full time as the unpaid president of Family Radio, which he helped start in 1958. The network grew and gained international attention in 1994 with Camping's well-publicized prediction that the world would end that September. Since then, he has made several more apocalyptic predictions. Christ never came - but the radio network has thrived. From its base, a modest reddish-brown building sandwiched between a burger joint and an auto parts store on a road to the Oakland airport, the network has built a broad and powerful reach. Its signal is broadcast or relayed on more than 150 stations and translators in the United States. It airs in several major metropolitan areas, on the Internet and in Europe, Africa and Asia. It reaches mainland China from a station in Taiwan and is building a station to reach much of Southeast Asia. Its signature show - "Open Forum" - features Camping answering called- in questions, often rambling about obscure Biblical and religious references in his slow, deep voice. He repeatedly refers to Matthew 24, the Bible passage that speaks of how wars and other trials will precede Jesus' second coming. The Sept. 11 attacks were "a diversion from what the real terror is," he said. "When Christ comes, there will be no more mercy, no more Gospel, no more salvation. ... God always follows through." Devoted callers ask Camping - who graduated with a civil engineering degree in 1942 from the University of California, Berkeley - what the Bible says about everything from homosexuality to home schooling to financial planning. He also hears from his share of skeptics. "I understand you had some misunderstandings a couple of years ago. My only question is - should people follow you now?" asked one recent caller. It's not clear how many listeners are tuning in. Camping says he doesn't know. But donations, one measure of the network's effectiveness at reaching people, totaled more than $12 million in 2000, according to documents the nonprofit filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Camping this month released a book, "The End of the Church Age and After," one of many he has written but the first devoted to his new beliefs about the church. Church leaders have complained that Camping's teachings are costing them parishioners. Some are so angry that they have held special meetings to discuss Camping. Many affected congregations are tiny, and the departure of just a few people can have a devastating impact, said Dave Rastetter, 35, a deacon at Faith Presbyterian Church in Akron, Ohio, and the man behind http://www.familyradioiswrong.com - an anti-Camping Web site. Rastetter used to enjoy listening to Camping and stuck with him despite his failed predictions. But in 2000, he says, Camping became obsessed with teaching about Satan. At first, Camping said most churches were bad. Rastetter finally broke away when the radio host declared all churches bad, no exceptions. Rastetter believes Camping was "trying to save face" after his predictions had failed to materialize. Clark, who calls Camping "an authoritarian spiritual meathead," says the talk-show host keeps a tight rein on the radio network and refuses to answer his critics, who say they can find no trace of his teachings in the Bible. "I believe he can be destructive to churches and individual lives. His worldview is nonnegotiable," Clark says. Camping calls all the criticism "character assassination" but says he is not surprised that church leaders aren't embracing a teaching that, if true, would lead to their churches' dismantling. Of his critics, he says, "I worry about their standing with the Lord." (via Ulis Fleming, http://www.radiointel.com via DXLD) (Also a version of the above article appends this:} As for the second coming of Christ, Camping predicts it's not far away. "Most of the people living in the world today will be here when Christ comes." This time, he said, he won't predict the date (via Andy Sennitt, Brock Whaley, DXLD) BTW, Family Radio has a huge SW operation, out of Okeechobee, FL, known as WYFR, which AP didn`t think worth mentioning, and a growing SW relay network. But what, other than Taiwan, is this ``building a station to reach much of SE Asia??? Obviously, wacky religionists attract equally wacky supporters (gh) ** U S A. KCRW GM Ruth Seymour talks with Norm Pattiz, who helped develop Radio Sawa and Radio Farda to bring American culture to the Middle East, on the Politics of Culture Tuesday (1/28) at 2:30 PM [PDT; 2230 UT] (KCRW Newsletter Jan 24 via DXLD) And should be % ondemand as most KCRW programs ** U S A [non]. 3980 Radio Liberty via Biblis in Ukrainian. 23 Jan. 1800-2100. Interference from 3985 DW and 3975 Budapest (Silvain Domen, Belgium, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Winter schedule for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Updated on Jan. 20 ALBANIAN 2000-2030 792 7180 9600 11765 ARABIC 0200-0300 5965 7105 7175 0300-0400 1314 5965 7105 7175 0400-0600 7115 9695 11970 0600-0700 11970 15255 17740 1400-1600 1314 6130 9685 11835 11965 1600-1700 6130 9685 11835 11965 1700-1800 9845 11725 11835 1800-1900 9785 11725 11835 2100-2200 9645 11965 2200-2300 6015 9645 ARMENIAN 0300-0400 6170 7120 1500-1600 11895 1700-1800 9825 11865 AVARI 0515-0530 9575 11705 11780 1815-1830 9615 11930 12130 AZERI 0400-0500 9605 1000-1100 15205 17670 21530 1400-1500 11795 15430 17605 1600-1700 9665 1900-2000 9670 BELORUSSIAN 0400-0500 612 1188 6140 9615 9835 0500-0600 612 6140 9615 9835 1400-1600 612 1600-1800 612 7190 9615 15460 1800-1900 612 6150 7205 9865 1900-2000 612 6150 7205 9865 2000-2100 612 1188 6140 7205 9845 2100-2200 612 1188 6010 6140 9845 BULGARIAN 0700-0730 9870 1100-1130 17730 1500-1630 9625 1630-1700 9625 Sat/Sun 2000-2030 9745 Mon-Fri CHECHEN 0530-0545 9575 11705 11780 1830-1845 9615 11930 12130 CHERKESSI 0545-0600 9575 11705 11780 1845-1900 9615 11930 12130 DARI* 0330-0430 801 6010 9825 12140 15690 0730-0830 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 0930-1030 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 1330-1400 801 15525 15690 17630 19010 21690 1400-1430 801 15690 17630 19010 21690 1730-1800 801 6170 11770 12140 15120 15690 1800-1830 801 11770 12140 15120 15690 2330-0030 801 972 5835 5910 7175 12140 GEORGIAN 0500-0600 9605 1600-1700 11895 2000-2100 9505 KAZAKH 0000-0100 6135 7145 9625 0200-0300 6135 7145 11795 1200-1300 9520 15110 17680 1400-1500 9660 12010 17680 1500-1600 4995 6055 17680 1600-1700 4995 7105 11920 KYRGHYZ 0100-0200 7295 9555 15590 0200-0300 5035 9555 15590 1300-1330 11660 15515 17750 1400-1430 12030 15515 17750 1500-1600 9540 11780 13865 1600-1700 7260 9595 9675 PASHTO* 0230-0330 801 6010 9825 12140 15690 0630-0700 15690 17595 19010 21690 0700-0730 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 0830-0930 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 1230-1330 801 1143 15525 15690 17630 19010 21690 1630-1700 801 11770 12140 15120 15690 1700-1730 801 6170 11770 12140 15120 15690 2230-2330 5835 5910 7175 12140 PERSIAN# 0030-0400 1539 1593 9515 9585 9795 0400-0600 1539 1593 9585 9795 0600-0800 1539 1593 9585 15290 17675 0800-0830 1539 1593 9585 13680 15290 17675 21575 0830-1400 1539 1593 13680 21575 1400-1700 1539 1593 9435 13680 15410 1700-1900 1539 1593 11705 11845 1900-2000 1539 1593 6140 11960 11985 2000-2130 1539 1593 11960 11985 2130-0030 1539 1593 ROMANIAN 0400-0430 6030 6130 Mon-Fri 1600-1630 7165 9725 1700-1730 7165 9725 1730-1800 7165 9725 Mon-Fri 1900-2000 7165 9725 Mon-Fri RUSSIAN 0000-0200 5985 6095 7155 7220 7235 9520 0300-0400 5955 6105 7155 7255 9520 9635 0400-0500 5955 6105 7220 9520 9680 11885 0500-0600 5955 7120 7220 9520 9680 11885 13810 0600-0700 7220 9520 9680 11875 11885 13810 0700-0800 7220 9520 9680 11875 11885 15205 15250 0800-0900 9520 9680 11885 15205 15250 15370 17845 0900-1100 9725 11930 15410 15445 1100-1300 9805 11885 15120 15215 15370 17805 1300-1400 7220 9805 11725 11885 15370 17730 1500-1600 7220 9520 11805 11885 15130 15370 1600-1700 6105 7220 9520 11805 11865 11885 1700-1800 6105 7220 9505 9520 11805 11885 2000-2200 5955 6105 7220 7265 9520 9620 9845 9865 2200-2300 5955 6095 6105 7220 9520 9865 2300-2400 5985 6105 7155 7220 7235 9520 RUSSIAN/CE.AS 0500-0515 9575 11705 11780 1800-1815 9615 11930 12130 SERBOCROATIAN 0330-0430 1197 0830-0900 9565 11730 15215 1400-1430 9555 11885 13650 1700-1800 1188 1197 7115 7245 9695 1830-1900 1188 7155 9705 11750 1900-1930 7155 9705 11750 1930-2000 1188 7155 9810 11750 2100-2200 7175 7265 9680 2230-2300 1188 2300-0100 1188 1197 6115 7115 9725 TAJIK 0100-0200 4760 6050 7275 0200-0400 6050 7275 11665 1400-1500 9695 15405 17660 1500-1630 9695 11705 11910 1630-1700 4760 9695 11705 TATAR-BASHKIR 0400-0500 7255 9635 0600-0700 11730 11855 1600-1700 6180 9505 2000-2100 7245 7295 TURKMEN 0200-0300 864 6160 7295 9680 0300-0400 9680 15470 17865 1400-1500 9565 15185 15345 1500-1530 9530 9565 11740 1530-1600 864 9530 9565 11740 1600-1800 9565 9770 11740 UKRAINIAN 0400-0500 6170 7245 9750 Mon-Sat 0600-0700 5980 7245 9695 Mon-Fri 1800-1900 5985 6170 9625 1900-2000 6170 7125 9625 2000-2100 6170 7125 9625 Sun-Fri UZBEK 0100-0200 864 0200-0400 7190 9725 21770 0400-0600 9725 17655 21770 1300-1400 1143 1600-1800 9835 12020 17610 *Radio Free Afghanistan #Radio Farda 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 24 via DXLD) ** U S A. COMMUNICATION CELEBRATION: BEDFORD MUSEUM SHOWCASES MARCONI'S BROADCAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS By DAVE BROOKS, Telegraph Staff Wednesday, January 22, 2003 Staff file photo by Bob Hammerstrom The Marconi Museum in Bedford celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first two-way, transatlantic broadcast last weekend. Did you stop Saturday and honor the centennial of one of the great events of modern technology, a Cape Cod accomplishment that altered the world more than any three Internet discoveries combined? Well, don't be embarrassed. I forgot about the 100th anniversary of the first two-way, transatlantic broadcast, too. The neglect is shameful in the Nashua area, since we're a snowball's throw from the Marconi Museum in Bedford, which celebrates this event. And it's really bad for me, since I've visited the museum and you probably haven't. Hoo boy . . . call this column a makeup. At least the centennial was marked Saturday in a pretty cool way: Guglielmo Marconi's daughter went to Cape Cod on Saturday and sent a signal to the Space Shuttle. It wasn't exactly gooseflesh-producing copy - "Cordial greetings and good wishes," etc. - but verbal flourishes weren't needed, since the medium was the message. Those words came straight from the Morse-code message sent Jan. 19, 1903, from President Theodore Roosevelt to King Edward VII of England. Before that moment, it took at least a week to get a message from Massachusetts to Cornwall, England. Afterward, it took, for all practical purposes, no time at all. Humanity had never seen as great an improvement in communication times before, and unless we discover a universe-leaping wormhole, never will again. So why wasn't this centennial wildly celebrated - the way that, for example, the Dec. 17 centennial of the Wright Brothers' flight will be? Perhaps it's because the broadcast was part of a continuum. The first one-way broadcast occurred a year earlier, when "S" in Morse code was sent across the Big Pond; and regular transatlantic messaging didn't start up until some time later. Or maybe it's because the arrival of voice-carrying radio, which followed shortly afterward, is what sticks in our memory. Whatever the reason, just a couple hundred people - including many ham radio folks - showed up for the anniversary Saturday on Cape Cod, a few hundred yards from Marconi's original transmitting station, which is now under water because of erosion. They had to make due with a replica on the bluff above. If you head to Bedford, though, you can do better. The weird and wonderful Marconi Museum, in a former school, has one of the original signs from Marconi's station on its wall, and other paraphernalia as well. The founder, Ray Minichiello, snagged the material when owner MCI Worldcom took the station apart in 1997. In fact, the museum has enough goodies to keep fans of engineering, history, broadcasting and even popular culture agog for hours. Material ranges from crystal-receiving sets with "cat-whisker" tuners, to early "ready-made" radios by companies such as the Victor Talking Machine Co., through early transistor radios, and even old transmitting equipment from Nashua radio station WSMN. The museum was placed in the former schoolhouse by the 86-year-old Minichiello, a former General Electric engineer who as a young boy met Marconi. Minichiello collected most of the material before retiring to Bedford in 1990, because he liked the town. It isn't the best publicized, or organized, cultural facility in the region, which explains why it's such a hidden treasure. Even official Web sites of the centennial - such as the Cape Cod National Seashore site http://www.nps.gov/caco/news/MarconiIndex.htm - ignore it. We don't have to: Plan a visit, and soon. If nothing else, then you won't have to feel guilty about missing the centennial. Science From The Sidelines appears Wednesdays in The Telegraph (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Re Truckin` Bozo station list: I would think KLAC would drop the Truckin' Bozo now that they're Adult Standards. (73 and good DX from Eric Amateur Radio Station N0UIH Bueneman, IRCA via DXLD) I've listened to KTDD-1350 on the internet quite a bit in the 10pm-1am time slot and have not heard Truckin Bozo or any mentions of it --- I doubt they are carrying it anymore (Don Kaskey, ibid.) ** U S A. RADIO DISNEY I used to always listen to the radio in bed during the early morning hours, through the earpiece of course as to not alert the parents that I was up. So it actually makes some sense to continue Radio Disney broadcasts through the night. Back when I was growing up, AM was the only choice. Now with FM, it's easy to question just how much of a listenership Radio Disney may have at any hour. In Boston, AM 1260 Radio Disney is heavily promoted on billboards and during weekday television cartoons. A couple of years ago while teaching fifth grade, there was a handful of students familiar with Radio Disney, AM 1560 WQEW in fact, but they were in the minority. Perhaps like many of the ethnic broadcasters in the Boston area, Radio Disney is looking ahead to AM IBOC digital (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, NRC-AM via DXLD) Guys, I am going to break the mold here and say something that might break ranks with all of you. Kids think that the programming sucks. That we all know. BUT! I know something else that many of you do not. I live in a predominantly Mormon and Catholic neighborhood. This means one thing. BIG families. I have families here with 10 and even 12 kids. There are kids everywhere and I talk to a lot of them. There are a LOT of kids who are interested in DX. A LOT. Most grow out of it about the end of the 8th or 9th grade but some don't as evidenced by all of us here.... The problem is that they are turned off by the (mail lists) clubs because they say they don't like the way they are treated. A large part of this is their fault because of the way they act, but a part of it is the attitudes some of us have with dealing with kids in general. There are a lot of kids who play around with radios at night to see what they can hear. Just because they think radio stinks, doesn't mean that they aren't in propagational aspects and hearing as far as they can. Most are amazed that they can hear things several hundreds or thousands of miles away. Sounds like a lot of us (Kevin Redding, Mesa AZ, ibid.) The entire Radio Disney thing is a strange anomaly. They have 50+ stations with plans to expand to 70 or 75. All but a handful are AM. Some have mentioned that the network might be sort of an advertising "write-off" for the Disney trademark. I guess that is a possibility. If you figure $3 million per station, the entire network was probably built for around $150 million which is not a big investment for a company the size of Disney. But even a company that size can't afford to just throw money away. They must be justifying it with some kind of benefit. There have been 2 full time Radio Disney stations (1550 and 1690 AM) operating here in the Denver market since 06/03/98. I don't think they have ever shown up on the local rating books. Yet I have visited several of their "remotes" (actually public appearances since they don't broadcast from them) and every one of them has always been absolutely jam packed with kids and adults from wall to wall. One I attended in a nearby suburb required the police for traffic control. As far as I know the only advertising for these events is one or two quick local promo inserts per hour on the Disney stations. It seems to me that most of the kids I have seen at these events are in the 8 to 12 year old range. My guess is that most of the listeners are moms in cars with kids on board. :-) (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, ibid.) Michael Eisner, the CEO of Disney, has said repeatedly that the Radio Disney branding is core to the overall maintenance of Disney as a brand in the entertainment business. They are, in fact, expanding to Argentina, Chile, and Guatemala and elsewhere in Latin America with Disney branded radio, mostly FMs. Remember that ratings don't measure kids under 12... the target of Disney radio. As to why they run overnight, an anecdote: One of my first FMs, HCTT [ECUADOR], ran 6 AM-midnight. One morning, at sign-on time, I got a call that the transmitter would not go on and that there was a strange smell. I suspected a component had shorted, got up and went over to the station. It seems that, at midnight, a rat had been attracted to the warmth of the powered down transmitter, and had gone to sleep in the power supply. When the transmitter was turned on, the rat presented a direct path to ground, and proceeded to heat up and explode all over the inside of the transmitter. Never wanting to clean a dead rat out of a transmitter again, I went 24/7 the next day. Power on is the most stressful point in a transmitter's life. Many a station has gone 24/7 just to avoid not going on in time for morning drive and its associated revenue. It's better to automate overnights and keep the transmitter running... breakdowns will be random happenings, not stressful pre-Drive Time emergencies (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) But at what age were you doing that ? Probably not at 6 or 7, which is about where RD aims its stuff. Much beyond 10, which is about when I started listening at night ( of course that was about when I got my first portable ), and kids are beyond Disney. I'd bring that downward. I cannot imagine a 12-year-old today being caught dead at a Radio Disney function. RD's aim is younger because they've already lost them by 12. How about ABC/Disney using this to keep the AM facilities warm for something bigger once IBOC becomes prevalent (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) My youngest (almost 13) says she doesn't particularly like Radio Disney, but when she comes back from a trip to see her cousins in Chicago, she'll turn on our local and listen to it because it reminds her of her aunt's car - she says it's always on in there for her 8- and 5-year-old cousins. Considering the amount of Disney videos, CDs, etc. that they have, it's a logical progression! (Lynn Hollerman, Lafayette, LA, ibid.) I just rechecked the interview with Radio Disney president and GM Jean-Paul Colaco in GM Journal from last October. He says their demographics show that they are reaching 2.7 million kids age 6 to 14 and 1.5 million moms each week. That indicates that over 1/3 of their audience are adults (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, ibid.) WRT late-night broadcasting on Disney affiliates... It seems to me the programming is by no means offensive to adults. It's a whole lot more listenable than an episode of "Barney". More than once I've found myself listening to a Disney outlet for 10-15 minutes, not as DX, but simply because I *enjoy the music*. And no offensive DJ's believing they need to find a way to be more offensive than the competition. I used to listen to 88.7 Way FM (religious rock) for that reason before they started carrying right-wing "preachers". I don't think it's a stretch to believe many parents are listening long after their kids are in bed. I wonder if the business model is simply to get the Disney name out there? Remember that commercial radio existed for years before the first ad was sold. The first commercial stations existed to promote the owners' products. The broadcasting effort itself was a money-loser, but money was made on increased sales in the company's other lines of business. Is it not possible Disney has concluded this business model can still work today? Disney has been in business for a long time. Of course every successful company occasionally makes a mistake, but IMHO there's no way they would have launched Radio Disney if they didn't believe, at the time they launched it, it would *somehow* improve the company's bottom line. They're not stupid, and they're not hobbyists (Doug Smith, ibid.) I tried Radio Disney on my kids at different times through the past years. My daughter who listens to 80s hits and Pop at the time didn't care for it - she was 15 when I first tried Disney on the radio (now she's 17). My two boys who at first listened to CHR/Pop listened a little, but didn't embrace it. They were 8 and 9 at the time. About a year afterward, the boys flipped from Pop (WAPE) to Active Rock exclusively (Planet Radio 93.3 Jacksonville, FL, Rock 104 WRUF-FM Gainesville, FL, and O-Rock 105.9 Deland-Orlando, FL.) When I put Radio Disney on now I get all-out protests. Sometimes I'll listen for some of the contemporary pop hits, I like the formatics and it's on AM. (Radio Disney either 600 WBWL Jax, and 990 WDYZ Orlando) (Ron Gitschier, Jacksonville - Satsuma, FL, ibid.) Kids are much more sophisticated these days (grow up too fast). It seems that most have their own radios by 6 or 7 years old. My niece at age 5 (she says "almost 6") has both the Barbie radio with microphone to sing along, and the Bratz car with its own factory installed radio. (I had nothing to do with it, although I'll likely buy her a shortwave portable someday.) She knows about Brittany Spears, boy bands, and similar pop music, probably more from watching TV and her gymnastics classes than from radio though. From my years with 10 year old 5th graders, I found that most the boys had already graduated to hard rock, punk, and rap, and they knew how to find rap with explicit lyrics on the Internet. The girls seemed to hang on to the danceable kid pop longer. And yes, my interest in radio and pop music didn't start 'til about 6th grade, age 11. Times have changed (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) To date in the past year there have been two major pieces in the local newspapers about Disney on local 1380, and by major, they fill up an entire page of newsprint with multiple pix, all very feature oriented, and seemed to me to be soft puff pieces. I always have suspected they got in there as a favor to someone. I personally have no tolerance for listening to them. Some time ago, my posting 'flashlights and headphones' set out my feelings about Disney programming encouraging small kids to listen late at night while supposedly being asleep for school the next day, against (presumably) their parents' wishes. What are the demos on this?? (Bob Foxworth, ibid.) ** U S A. IBOC News [STA = Special Temporary Authorization] I finally discovered how to get a list of the IBOC STAs that have been issued by the FCC. Here's what you do: go to http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_sear.htm and in the Application Search form, select "AM Digital" in the "Service" box (or "FM Digital" if you want FM IBOC). Leave all of the other fields blank, click the "Submit Search" button, and you should get a nice list of all of the AM IBOC STA applications, and whether they've been granted or are still pending. As of today, the database shows a total of 7 AM and 16 FM IBOC STA applications. The AM stations are: WKDL- 730 VA (DC) WSB- 750 GA KXNT- 840 NV WTMJ- 620 WI WTWZ-1120 MS WKAT-1360 FL WRHB-1020 FL The last two have not been granted yet. Note that this search does not show the experimental IBOC STAs that were issued to stations such as WOR and WCHB prior to the October 2002 FCC Report and Order on IBOC. In other news, the Greater Media group has announced that all 19 of their stations will go IBOC "in early 2003". This includes 4 AMs: WPEN- 950 PA WWTR-1170 NJ WMTR-1250 NJ WCTC-1450 NJ Other AM stations that have announced plans to run IBOC soon: WCGA-1100 GA KMRY-1450 IA And here's an interesting one: WJLD-1400 in Birmingham AL, claims to be the first non-experimental AM IBOC station, and they say they began IBOC operations on Dec. 20. However, the FCC database shows no STA for WJLD - in fact, no applications of any sort since 1996. So, either the FCC messed up and forgot to update the database, or the station is operating illegally (or not actually running IBOC as they claim to be). Hmmm... Th-th-that's all, folks... (Barry McLarnon, Ont., Jan 22, NRC-AM via DXLD) Hey Barry: I don't know what "AM Digital" means in this case but I don't think it means IBOC. Those "AM Digital" grants were listed before the FCC approved IBOC, and some of them (WSB, WTMJ, WTWZ) are stations that have had no known IBOC testing as best I know. KXNT did some IBOC during NAB if I remember correctly, and I know there was a Washington area station other than WTOP who was doing a bit of testing and assume it was WKDL (Chuck Hutton, WA, ibid.) Au contraire, Chuck... I'm quite certain that "AM Digital" does mean IBOC. The WKDL grant was in Nov., WSB and KXNT in Dec., and the others were just this month. These aren't former IBOC test stations, they're the first wave of non-experimental IBOC stations. KXNT is a special case, set up for the CES in Vegas. I've seen some of these stations (e.g., WTMJ) mentioned in other circles as going IBOC soon. BTW, the other DC-area test station was WILC, not WKDL (Barry McLarnon, ibid.) Sorry about that. WSB et al had been listed forever and I didn't re- check to realize there was a November / December / January update. So the FCC site is up to date. That's good news and thanks for spotting that (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) In the FCC CDBS public access database there's a field for "digital status" but I've checked those that have been testing IBOC and the field is blank. I've also noted that digital TV callsigns can't be searched. I've tried entering WBZ-DT, WCVB-DT, etc. and come up empty. There seems to be a void in the database regarding any sort of digital broadcasting (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) The DTs are in there, but they show up as part of the package under their "parent" analog status. So you'll find WBZ-DT by searching on WBZ-TV, etc. s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Voice of the People: This station, which broadcasts to Zimbabwe via the Radio Netherlands Madagascar relay station, will be changing its schedule as of Monday 27 Jan. The broadcasts will be Mon-Fri at 1655-1755 UT on 7120 kHz. The morning transmission at 0330 will be discontinued (Media Network newsletter Jan 24 via DXLD) Get them while you can, they have been pretty regular on 7120 at 0330. 1655 won't be for us in North America. Also seems like a bit of a cutback, I think they were daily at 0330 (Hans Johnson, TX, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ REALISTIC RADIO REVIEWS FROM A SERIOUS DX'ER Solder Drops Of Wisdom, Editors Comment - Duane Fischer, W8DBF Phil Atchley has owned/used more receivers over the four years that I have known him, than most retailers sell over a two decade period. He buys, fixes, sells or swaps them off faster than most of us change our underwear! He is a very serious short-wave, long wave and beacon listener. He has listened since about the time in history that some female decided that weird looking crud covering her cave mate should be called 'dirt'. Phil has logged, and verified by QSL card or letter, in excess of 160 countries. He has a USAF career background and is a very experienced and highly competent electronics repair technician. He has fixed things for me that absolutely nobody else could or even wanted to attempt. Phil has not made any attempt to do a typical radio review, as you can find them in many other places. What he has done is try to give you, the reader and short-wave listener, some personal, practical and real insights based on his listening skills and observations. He is a very demanding DX'er, far more so than most of us, but even the new comer can learn much by reading Phil's commentary. My personal thanks to Phil for taking the time out of his listening schedule to write this up. Somehow, I think, I am going to owe him a favor in return - (patented Fischer smirk) Here is that promised paper on what I Like, dislike, known issues etc on various receivers that I have owned in the past 4-5 years. If I missed any it's probably because after awhile some kind of fade into the haze. This posting just represents my "opinions" and not to stir up controversy or arguments. Phil KO6BB ... http://www.w9wze.org/SWL/Static.php?PathNom=Static/static.txt and page down a bit till you find this long sexion (via gh, DXLD) GRUNDIG YACHTBOY 400PE Just in case anyone wants more information, Nick Hall-Patch did a review of this model and his review is on the IRCA website (link is in my signature) as a .pdf file... (Lynn Hollerman, Lafayette, LA, hard- core-dx via DXLD) IRCA Web site at http://www.ircaonline.org The main reason is that Grundig has kept naming most of its portable radio receivers with different "Boy" names for decades, at least since the mid-sixties. I was a very happy owner of the Yacht Boy 300 since 1982. It gave me long hours of excellent SW/MW/LW reception, and really got me into serious SW DXing later. A fairly simple design, not too expensive, analogue of course (Sony ICF-2001 was like a Space Shuttle then), but still able to pull in a lot of stuff with just a telescopic whip (Igor, YT1MM, Pifat, Serbia-Montenegro, ibid.) DRM +++ This page last updated Monday, 20 January, 2003 Test Transmissions & Latest News Tests are just that. New software becomes available and equipment is tweaked. So sometimes, the transmissions listed below may not be there. Remember too, that consumer grade DRM receivers are not yet on the market. So the broadcasts are for "circuit adjustment purposes only". Extra DRM transmissions from Bonaire From Monday 20 Jan, Bonaire will conduct extra DRM transmissions towards New Zealand and SE Australia for a period of 7 days at 0600- 0655 UT at 12025 kHz. Programming will be in Dutch. DRM transmissions from Sveio Sveio, Norway is on air from 20-24 and 27-31 Jan at 0700-1000 UT on 5945 and 2000-2300 on 6175 kHz. Both transmissions are beamed 23 degrees to Scandinavia. DRM Long Term Test Transmissions Updated 17 January 2003 Long-term DRM tests from Merlin Communications, Deutsche Welle, Deutsche Telekom and Radio Netherlands Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles are continuing as follows: UTC Days kHz Beam Target AM Carrier Power (kW) Av. DRM Power (kW) Programme Site 24h daily 531 Burg 2 Multimedia- Medien-anstalt Sachsen-Anhalt 24h** daily 855 Berlin Deutschland Radio Berlin 0000-0100 daily 6010 268 E North America 250 70 BBCWS+ Sackville 0400-0500 daily 6010 253 W North America 250 70 BBCWS+ Sackville 0930-1200 daily 15440 040 Europe 250 70 DW English Sines 1000-1100 daily 15170 050 SW Europe 25 10 RNW Bonaire 1000-1200 M-F 9780 033 Scandinavia 75 30 BBCWS Rampisham 1400-1450 M-F 5875 105 W.C+SE Europe 75 30 BBCWS Rampisham 1305-1455 daily 5975 290 or 060 *) W Europe 100 40 Multimedia - T- Systems Media Broadcast Juelich 2130-2230 daily 11755 050 SW Europe 25 10 RNW Bonaire *) different beams in alternate weeks. **) may be interrupted for analogue coverage of special events +) temporarily a 5 minute tape loop. BBCWS relay will start soon (de http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/drm_latest.html Jan 20 via DXLD) I absolutely agree with Olle - that the DRM operators will need to clean up their transmissions to prevent such levels of spurious emissions. The wide bandwidth is bad enough. If several of these start regular operations at night on 41 and 49m the results can perhaps be imagined. The effects already experienced from some AM splatter are almost as bad as that from DRM via some stations (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 18 via DXLD) ADDX ACCEPTED AS DRM ASSOCIATE MEMBER The German listeners' club ADDX has been accepted as an associate member of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM). In a press release, the club explains that "Digital Broadcasting on frequencies below 30 MHz will be introduced at the World Radio Conference in Geneva in June 2003. The use of this new and impressive technology will be of major impact for national and international broadcasters and listeners. We are glad that for the first time a listeners club has a voice within this consortium." ADDX has approximately 4000 members, and its magazine Kurier has for some time been devoting considerable space to coverage of digital shortwave developments (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 24 January 2003 via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ MICHAEL SCHNITZER`S NEW HOMEPACE Hello everywhere, here you can see my new four-lingual internet presentation: http://home.arcor.de/mschnitzer/ The site contains information in German, English, Spanish and Italian concerning the following items: - view in my shack - a lot of background information about the EWE-antenna - all about the DX-Camp Bavaria - historical and present station recordings - historical log-book - rare QSL-cards and radio pennants Please have a look. Bye (Michael Schnitzer, hard-core-dx via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ BUSHFIRE DAMAGE TO IPS CANBERRA FIELD STATION Dear IPS Customer, You will be aware that the recent Canberra fires severely damaged the Mt Stromlo Observatory. IPS has a station located on the slopes of Mt Stromlo which provides data to our ionospheric and geomagnetic monitoring network. Fortunately, our station was not destroyed by the fires - there is some partial damage to the building on the site and there is damage to facilities in the area such as power and telephone supplies. IPS services remain as before, available through the Internet http://www.ips.gov.au or through direct consultation (02-9213 8000). The loss of data from the Canberra site only slightly degrades the general IPS HF propagation services. Such services are based on a network of stations and the loss of any one station is partly compensated by the remaining stations in the network. However, if you need information or advice specific to the Canberra region please contact us. IPS has equipment ready to restore the Canberra operations as soon as power and telephone is available. At this stage, we expect to have the site working within about two weeks. If you experience any difficulties related to IPS services please contact us by telephone on +61-2-9213 8000 or by email on office@ips.gov.au Patrick Phelan, IPS Customer Services, 24 Jan 2003 (via Robert Williams, Sydney, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###