DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-090, May 23, 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 later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3e.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1183: RFPI: Sat 0130, 0730/0900, 1330/1500, 1730, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700/0830, 1300/1430 on 15039 and/or 7445 WWCR: Sat 0600, Sun 0230 on 5070, 0630 on 3210, Wed 0930 on 9475 WJIE: Sat 0930, Sun 1030, 1630 on 7490 and/or 13595 (maybe) WBCQ: Mon 0445 on 7415 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1183.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1183.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1183h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1183h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1183.html [k4cc.net host had a DOS attack slowing downloading, OK now?] WORLD OF RADIO ON WINB. Thanks to an invitation from Hans Johnson, WINB in Pennsylvania will start broadcasting WORLD OF RADIO June 7, Saturdays at 1730 UT on 13570. The antenna heading is registered with HFCC as 242 degrees with 50 kW. ** AFGHANISTAN. U.S. GOVERNMENT DONATES TV TRANSMITTER A new $1 million television transmitter in Afghanistan, donated by the U.S. government, will increase the broadcast signal from the capital to five times its present strength, according to the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). The new 500-watt transmitter, currently being installed in Kabul, will broadcast TV Kabul throughout a 100- kilometer radius, reaching areas such as Wardak Province for the first time. While the broadcasting equipment significantly improves the broadcasting capacity of Afghanistan in the post-Taliban era, nationwide coverage remains elusive. Abdul Hameed Mubarez, an official with the Information and Culture Ministry, said the problem would not be easy to fix. "We can't broadcast easily across the nation because it's so mountainous," he told IWPR. "We can do so only with the aid of foreign nations, who can help us install satellite communications." IWPR reported that Afghanistan's current domestic television programming is considered so boring that many viewers are turning to foreign cable and satellite stations that show movies and popular- music shows. There have been some calls for more entertainment programs, a greater female presence on television, and an end to censorship. CC (RFE/RL Media Matters May 23 via DXLD) $1 million for a 500 watt transmitter covering a 100 km radius? These figures don`t add up! (gh, DXLD) ** BELARUS`. 17 May, 2120-2200, 2830 kHz, Belarussian Radio - 1st National Channel. LSB or partly suppressed carrier. SIO 444 (open_dx - Vyacheslav Oleinik, Chisinau, Moldova, Signal via DXLD) ** CHILE. 6010, Radio Cooperativa (via Radio Parinacota, Putre), 0810- 0835, Mayo 20. Español. Programa: "El Diario de Cooperativa". Noticias deportivas: comentario sobre el partido Cobreloa-Boca Jrs, por la Copa Libertadores. Anuncio de la emisora: "La Libertadores... se vive en Cooperativa... en directo desde Calama, Cobreloa vs Boca Juniors, lo mejor del fútbol de ambos paises... por Cooperativa, todos por el fútbol". Reporte del tiempo:"... le dice la temperatura en Cooperativa. . . 6 grados en Santiago". Comerciales locales. Datos de la hora: "26 minutos para las 5, 26 minutos para las 5". Anuncio e ID: "De la noche a la mañana en Cooperativa"; 33543; mejor recepción en modo LSB (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Dear Listener, Welcome to the latest edition of the WRN Newsletter update. Published weekly, the updates will keep you informed of programme highlights so that you can better plan your listening, no matter how or where in the world you listen to WRN’s English language networks. This week we are very pleased to welcome Radio Guangdong to WRN. Guangdong Today, the weekly 15-minute English programme about the province and its people is being specially produced by Radio Guangdong for broadcast on WRN. The first edition of the programme is broadcast on Saturday May 24 and looks at the province’s anti-SARS efforts and the measures that people in Guangzhou are taking to preventing the spread of disease. In future weeks, the programme will focus on social, economic and cultural developments of the region and will offer a deeper understanding of this important Chinese province by looking beyond the headlines. Radio Guangdong is based in Guangzhou, the capital of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong and Macao. It is one of China’s the leading media groups with eight radio channels, two newspapers, one audiovisual company and one advertising company. Guangdong Today can be heard on WRN each Saturday at 1600 UT / 1200 Eastern [daylight] Time in North America and at 1600 UT/ 1800 Central European [summer] Time in Europe. On Sundays the programme is broadcast at 0800 UT to South America, Africa, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. If you can’t manage to tune in at these times then the programme will also be available in Real Audio, Windows Media and downloadable ftp file formats from the WRN website at: http://www.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=93 If you do tune then why not send Radio Guangdong a message about their programme to: Radio Guangdong, 686 Renminbei Road, Guangzhou 510012, P. R. China Tel: +86-20-36235075 Fax: +86-20-36235075 Email: gdnews@radio-gd.com Web: http://www.radio-gd.com (WRN newsletter May 23 via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Just received the latest broadcast schedule from China Radio Intl in today`s mail. I see they say they broadcast a relay from BRAZIL in English (and I assume other languages) to the Caribbean (?) area. Does anyone know what frequencies they use? I have a list of freqs given, but no key to which ones are from where. Thanks in advance (Bob Combs, New Mexico, USA, May 22, hard-core-dx via DXLD) The only known Brasília relay of CRI is in Spanish at 0100 and 0300 on 9665. 5990 at 2300 is via Cuba (gh, DXLD) Bob; I recently received CRI Messenger and a printed sked that shows no relay sites as they have in the past. The English service to the Caribbean Sea (as they call it) is from 2300-2400 on 5990 kHz. The printed sked I have does show transmitter sites on a world map and the azimuth that they , but you have to guess as to where each transmitter is actually located. This map shows the South American relay more or less located at French Guyana. Can you tell me did they actually mention a Brazilian relay? Perhaps, if you have the same sked as I, it is the French Guyana site (which they do/or have used) that you see. 73 (Mick Delmage, AB, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. Re additional R. Martí SW frequencies, 3-087: Temporary expansion, now ended and back to normal schedule, but that never included 9755 (Dan Ferguson, IBB, May 23, SWBC via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. U.S. PROPAGANDA SPUTTERS IN ANTI-CASTRO CRUSADE Special to washingtonpost.com Friday, May 23, 2003; 6:35 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29077-2003May22.html If President Bush intended to send a strong message of solidarity to those struggling for freedom in Cuba, he didn't succeed. His special 40-second broadcast in Spanish to commemorate Cuban Independence Day aired Tuesday on Radio Marti, which just about guarantees few Cubans heard it. Created under the Reagan administration nearly 20 years ago, Radio Marti started operations in 1985 to ``promote the cause of freedom'' on the island by providing an alternative to state-run media. A television twin, TV Marti, began operations in 1990. The two Martis were to be a special arm of the Voice of America, the United States' well-respected tool of public diplomacy. But thanks to the clever maneuvering of Cuban-Americans in Congress, all Marti operations began moving to Miami about six years ago. Ostensibly the move would have improved content as broadcasters could draw from the talents of the large exile community, but once far from VOA's standards of accuracy and objectivity, its message became shrill and propagandistic and its Cuban audience lost interest--at least those who could receive a signal despite Fidel Castro's continued attempts at jamming the transmissions. Meanwhile, critics believe, Marti's managers became more interested in pleasing anti-Castro Cuban exiles. It's not hard to find policy analysts who believe the Martis, with a $23 million annual budget, are a waste of taxpayers' money and should be shut down. The chances of that, however, are slim. In the wake of one of Castro's harshest crackdowns on pro-democracy dissidents, Bush is unlikely to do anything that could be construed as softening the hard line he has pledged toward the regime in Havana. Liberals themselves would be hard pressed to dismantle Marti, since the recent arrests and extraordinary sentences imposed on Cuban dissidents, including 28 independent journalists, are the greatest testament to Castro's fear of the power of information. With funding destined to continue, it's time to reinvigorate Radio and TV Marti as a foreign-policy tool. Bush has said as much in previous Cuba policy speeches promising to modernize the Cuba broadcast operations and take them in a new direction. To do so in a meaningful and purposeful way, at least three things must happen: --The Martis need to direct themselves back to Washington. Left within the sphere of influence of South Florida's powerful Cuban exiles, any serious efforts to restore their credibility would remain questionable. The conservative Heritage Foundation, for instance, last month proposed ending TV Marti's expensive broadcasts. Yet even Heritage advocates, as do other longtime observers, giving the Martis a second chance as long as the stations return to Washington and reshape their programming. --The United States must figure a way around Castro's signal-jamming and get the job done, or give up that which is most affected, TV Marti. Both liberal and conservative analysts believe that unless the jamming can be overcome, funding would be better spent on other outlets such as Radio Marti or VOA-TV. --Quality of programming must improve. Moving to Washington and upgrading the technical nature of the transmissions will do little if content is not addressed directly. If their programming does not serve the needs of those on the island, the Martis may never overcome their reputation for waste and end the mocking cynicism which they face today. Last month's naming of Pedro V. Roig as new director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting that supervises Radio and Television Marti appears to be a good start. Roig has pledged to restructure programming and to fulfill the mission `of bringing objective news and information, along with the broadest spectrum of thought and opinion` to Cubans in Cuba. Judging by Bush's low-key May 20 commemoration, an occasion often used by U.S. presidents to unveil new anti-Castro measures, the White House is carefully evaluating its options on Cuba. Tightening the bolts on an embargo policy that can hardly be tighter may only play into Castro's hands and his penchant to portray himself as the victim. U.S. officials talk instead about the need to better implement tools already at their disposal. But unless Radio and TV Marti's improvements are far-reaching, they will do little to lift the blockade against the free flow of information to and within Cuba -- a blockade where a public `suspicious of government proclamations ... has no means to be heard,` as Cuban poet and journalist Raul Rivero once put it. For his struggle for a free Cuban press, Rivero was sentenced last month to 20 years in prison. © 2003 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Here are the schedule changes planned for implementation on June 1, for HCJB, Pifo: 9525 0100-0500 Spanish DELETE 9745 0000-0600 English DELETE 9745 0100-0500 Spanish ADD 9860 0600-0800 English DELETE 12005 0500-0515 Kikongo DELETE 12005 1100-1430 English DELETE 15185 2000-2200 English DELETE 17660 2230-2300 German DELETE 21455 0000-1530 Various DELETE 21455 0000-0630 Various ADD (dual azimuth to CIRAF 27-28, 55, 58-60) 21455 0800-1530 Various ADD (dual azimuth to CIRAF 27-28, 55, 58-60) (Bob Padula, EDXP ADMIN, May 23 via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Despite their on-air announcements and printed stationery, cards and letters, the Radiodifusora Católica Cultural "Voz del Upano" in 9 cases out of 10 is referred to as "La Voz del Upano". The 5965 outlet from Tena, which per Malm´s clip identifies itself as "Voz del Upano" was first reported by Malm in DXLD 1073 (May 20, 2001). The official Ecuadorian frequency listing says this extension of Misión Salesiana de Oriente is located at Km. 3 vía Tena - Puerto Napo (Napo). (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, May 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. It appears that SWR Germany has changed their format from music to news all the time. For years I have listened to this low power 10 kW station from Stuttgart Germany with an excellent music program. I don't speak the language but made no difference. Sorry to see the change. I was always amazed at such a clear signal with low power (Bob Montgomery, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INDIA. MAKING AIRWAVES: FM RADIO'S POTENTIAL MALIKA RODRIGUES, TIMES NEWS NETWORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2003 01:40:50 AM It's been around just a year, and you just can't tune out. To get an idea of the potential of FM radio as an advertising medium, one has to take the ironing-board test - that's how a seminal piece of research into radio is known in the industry. What happens is this: a group of housewives in a room are asked to test an iron. While they're ironing, FM radio plays in the background. After the 'test' is over, the women are quizzed on what they'd heard in the meanwhile - and it turns out that they remember not only the music and the commentators, but also an extremely high proportion of the ads. Ask radioman and former BBC anchor Mark Tully, and he swears by radio. "Unlike television, you can go to sleep without bothering to switch it off. And you can also do other things while listening to the radio," he once said. There's little doubt that, as a medium, radio delivers to the advertisers - and it's big bang for the buck. "Radio is underutilised," agrees Divya Gupta, president, The Media Edge, one of India's leading media planning and buying agencies. "We don't use it enough in our media mix, but it's very effective in terms of impact and cost as a multiplier medium," she adds. Whether it's the high-octane advertising, the non-stop promos, the 80-rupee radio sets that every second commuter has, it's obvious that private FM radio is a hit. While audiences definitely seem to have taken to the airwaves, the birthday celebrations seem somewhat bittersweet for the industry. Some marginal players are taking a bow, some of the lesser stations are struggling to stay on air, the regulatory hassles have kept players on their toes. For a few large players, the champagne was on ice for the one-year bash. Of course, it's still a long way to go, but since FM radio as a category is developing, the brand is now playing a more important role. Take Mumbai, for instance - FM radio penetration hit 61 per cent, according to the an independent IMRB survey released in November 2002 (RADAR). Listenership has soared since, with weekly listenership touching almost 60 lakh. Radio Mirchi (from the Times of India Group) clocked 74 per cent of weekly listenership, and Radio City (from Star) comes second with 43 per cent. Interestingly, the same survey points out that listenership is heavily skewed towards the SEC A and the 15-34 age group. Indian players have found that like in most markets abroad, radio is a medium that's extremely popular, and has great impact in terms of ad recall. Research agency Millward Brown discovered that redirecting just 10 per cent of television spends to radio can increase the efficiency of a campaign by 15 per cent. In the UK, radio is the fastest growing advertising medium, though it accounts for just five per cent of total adspend, compared to 10-12 per cent for more developed markets like the US and Australia. AP Parigi, managing director of Entertainment Network India, whose Radio Mirchi is the only station with a national footprint, operating in nine cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, says radio is a frequency medium and, more importantly, it's city-centric. "Radio should be the first option: the cost economies are awesome. And apart from frequency, it offers interactivity," he explains. Agrees Mike Powell, a US-based consultant who's worked in radio in the UK, as well as consulted in the US and Asia: "Across the world, audiences love radio." Audiences also believe in it: research by The Henley Centre, a strategic marketing consultancy, shows that consumers put particularly high levels of trust in radio as compared to any other media - with two-thirds of the population surveyed saying that they would trust their radio station to be honest and fair. One instance when this trust factor was leveraged by an advertiser was during the recent crisis that ICICI Bank faced in Gujarat. After a run on the bank that started in Ahmedabad on Friday night, ICICI Bank released spots on Radio Mirchi in Ahmedabad on Saturday and Sunday, announcing that the RBI had confirmed its liquidity and sound financial position. The ad budgets may still be small, but the potential to grow is huge. Industry estimates total spends on FM at about Rs 40-45 crore nationally, with Rs 25-30 crore from Mumbai alone. Says Sumantra Dutta, COO, Radio City, "In Mumbai, the growth of advertising is totally disproportionate to the growth in listenership." Advertisers have been slow to get on board - and too stingy with their money when they do, he feels. Take a look at the figures: across the country, radio spends are only about two per cent of advertising budgets. Advertisers who have taken to the airwaves do feel that it's paid off. Both media planners as well as broadcasters feel it hasn't been the really big spenders like FMCG companies who have taken the chance - it's financial services and automobiles. ING Vysya, one of the first advertisers in Bangalore on Radio City, used radio in its launch phase to build brand awareness, and get responses to its call centres. Says Gautam Sharma, vice president and head of marketing, ING Vysya, "It can't be zapped. If you're listening, you've to listen to the ad; so you're captive, especially when people are on the road. And in the early days, it was clutter-free." One myth marketers still believe in is that radio can't work for a launch. Says Nandini Dias, national media director, Lodestar, which launched Mahindra's Scorpio in Mumbai with a radio blitz: "In the history of car advertising in India, radio has never been used as a launch medium. All car advertisers use it as a reminder activity after the press and TV launch." What Lodestar did was put together a package that capitalised on the interactivity offered by radio. The Scorpio was paraded through the city in a cavalcade, with a radio jockey on board, who was in constant touch with the studio. So listeners knew exactly when the car was in their area, and were invited to see it and sign up for a test-drive. "It was very interactive, and worked very well for us," says Dias. Pepsi, currently running a major promotion on air, believes in FM since it's an on-the-go medium: "It's relatively closer to the point of purchase, compared to other conventional mediums," says a Pepsi spokesperson. Dias believes that while marketers may be willing to try out the medium 'on faith', a long-term commitment needs research to back it up. Advertisers agree. "The biggest issue today is lack of measurement," says Dalip Sehgal, executive director - new ventures, Hindustan Lever. While HLL has taken a number of its brands - including Axe, Clinic, Kwality Walls and Sunsilk - on to FM, he feels it will prove difficult to evaluate the medium unless there's reliable research on the listener numbers. At this point in the development of the industry, while the brand has begun to play a role in differentiation between channels, pricing of spots is crucial. With rates quoting almost at par with those of niche satellite TV channels, radio is not really that cheap a medium, feel some media observers. Look at it another way: while a niche channel may have national reach, it's still a tiny audience, and nowhere near as well-defined as an advertiser might desire - and in a one-TV household, it's quite likely to be zapped in favour of a far more expensive general entertainment channel. What one can't underestimate is the multiplier effect of radio. A study done by The Media Edge in Mumbai shows that if combined with TV, the multiplier effect is maximum due to radio's ability to 'transfer image' - since a strong audio mnemonic can be used to trigger the brand's audio-visual communication in listeners' minds. Add to that the fact that most audiences are captive, and there's no remote control, and advertisers are just beginning to put more money where the medium is (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. The audio quality on XM just plain sucks. Sorry to be so direct. I've been very disappointed with their audio quality. I dont know about Sirius, and cant comment about them. They also appear to have poor compression/processing which could be their codec. In my opinion XM's audio has about the same fidelity as a 24 KB mp3. I've heard AM radio stations with far better high frequency reproduction. Now on the other hand, the programming is EXCELLENT (Paul Smith, W4KNX, Sunny Sarasota, Florida http://www.amtower.com NRC-AM via DXLD) See also CHINA; OKLAHOMA; SAUDI ARABIA; SOMALIA ** IRAN [non]. SURVEY OF ANTI-IRANIAN VISION OF FREEDOM TELEVISION ON 23 MAY 03 The following provides spot-checks of the news programmes of Mojahedin-e Khalq (MKO) TV (Sima-ye Azadi - "Vision of Freedom"), monitored by the BBC Persian Team on 23 May. The station announces 24-hour "round the clock" broadcasting. The TV carried a 15 minute news bulletin at 0830 gmt and another 30 minute bulletin at 0930 gmt. The news were interspersed with filler programmes including biography of Mojahedin-e Khalq "martyrs", foreign news analyses, music, songs, quotes from reports of foreign agency interviews with world leaders and unspecified video footage on the achievements of the Mojahedin-e Khalq warriors in their endeavour to topple the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Postal address of the TV: P.O. Box 14061; London NW7 4SE; England Telephone: 0044208-2030096 Internet address: http://iranntv.com/ During the news bulletins, the television continuously carried subtitles of the latest news in Iran and the world. The news announcer used the term "clerical regime" and "regime" to describe the Iranian government. In addition, the announcer used the title "cleric" before the names of Iranian officials. For example, he referred to President Khatami as cleric Khatami. At 0855, the television carried pictures of a demonstration held by dozens of the group's supporters in London calling for the group's name be removed from the American terrorist list. They also protested to the disarmament of the group. The demonstrators shouted slogans such as : "The clerics are the terrorist", "The clerics are the threat", "Down with the terrorist regime in Iran", "Down with the terrorist mollahs (clerics) in Iran", "Down with the mollah's regime in Iran" and "Iran, Rajavi, Rajavi, Iran". The participants carried pictures of the MKO members who have been presumably killed by the Iranian government. The participants carried Iranian flags with the lion and sun emblem as well as placards calling for the MKO's name to be removed from the terrorist list. A number of patriotic song were also played at the demonstration. A number of participants were interviewed. They said that they had come to demonstrate their hatred towards the Iranian government and protest to the afore mentioned issues. A participant read out a communiqué issued by MKO demonstrators in Berlin. [0930: see below] At 1002, the television broadcast an English version of the Persian news bulletins. The female announcer observed the full Islamic dress code. The bulletin ended at 1019 gmt. At 1024 gmt the television began to broadcast an unnamed movie in English with Iranian subtitles about the second world war. The film was about the racism which existed in the German war camps in which American and Australian POWs were kept. At around 1300 gmt, the television began to broadcast programmes in English. These programmes, which ended at 1400 gmt, consisted of a news bulletin and interviews with experts and commentators about the MKO and Iran. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 23 May 03 (via DXLD) PROGRAMME SUMMARY OF ANTI-IRAN VISION OF FREEDOM NEWS 0930 GMT, 23 MAY 1. 0930 Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) issues a statement about Iran's demand from America to handover those elements behind the blast in Imam Reza's holy shrine. The announcer also gives background information on the issue. [No video] 2. 0937 Announcer quotes Associated Press about the holding of demonstrations by MKO members calling for the organization's name to be removed from the terrorist list. [TV shows video footage of the demonstration] 3. 0939 Announcer quotes the Jane Research Centre's report about Iran's nuclear activities in Natanz. [No video] 4. 0941 America imposes sanctions on a Chinese and Iranian company because of their military activities. [No video] 5. 0943 In a statement the Iranian Youth and Student Network voices support for the National Iranian Liberation Army. Announcer reads part of the statement. [No video] 6. 0945 Announcer quotes AFP about the holding of demonstrations by MKO members calling for the organization's name to be removed from the terrorist list. [No video] B. World News 1. 0947 Security Council agrees with the lifting of sanctions against Iraq. [TV shows video footage of a Security Council meeting] 2. 0949 Japanese prime minister meets American President George Bush. [TV shows video footage of the meeting] 3. 0950 Report on meeting between Hamas leaders and Palestinian prime minister. [No video] 4. 0952 Report on the EU agreements about police and law enforcement activities to counter suicide attacks. [No video] 5. 0953 Latest reports about the earthquake in Algeria. [TV shows video footage of the casualties] C. More news on Iran: 1. 0955 Report on official announcement about as ban on the sale of some clothes. [No video] 2. 0956 Report on the shortcomings of President Khatami's plan to create employment opportunities in Iran. [No video] 3. 0958 Report claiming that Iranian officials have purchased private aircraft. [No video] 4. 0958 Quoting Iranian daily about the rise in the number of divorces in Iran. [No video] D. 0959 End bulletin Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 23 May 03 (via DXLD) ** IRAQ. TELEVISION'S RETURN By SAMEER N. YACOUB, Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- During Saddam Hussein's 33-year reign, the Iraqi people could watch only state-controlled television networks whose main task was to act as Baath Party mouthpieces and praise Saddam and his policies. But today, in a small room at Baghdad's bunker-like conference center, journalism is being practiced in postwar Iraq -- by Iraqis. "Now, I have freedom in selecting and handling the subjects the way I like," TV reporter Mahmoud Faud said. "Now we are able to criticize everybody -- including the Americans." Faud is part of the 70-member staff of the Iraqi Media Network, the first new -- and coalition-backed -- television station to reach the airwaves from Iraq since the April overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The newsroom is in a VIP lounge of the Conference Palace, which is now occupied by Iraq's U.S.-led administration. When the tapes are ready, they are sent over to the al-Salhiya transmission tower across the street from the television station, which was demolished in coalition bombing raids. Faud started working for Iraq's state-controlled television three years ago, monitoring international satellite channels that ordinary Iraqis were not allowed to watch. He studied the foreign broadcasts and learned how to structure a TV report and do interviews. "We tried to imitate them," Faud said. After Saddam's ouster in April, Iraq's state-run TV stations went off the air and Baghdad's inhabitants could only tune in to the grainy Iranian channels broadcasting from across the border. The Iraq Media Network, launched May 13, begins airing its programs at 6 p.m. every day by showing the Iraqi flag accompanied by the music of "My Homeland," a popular patriotic song. The station's regular fare includes cartoons, Egyptian soap operas, performances by Iraqi folk singers, news and sports reports, and man- in-the street interviews complaining about the shortages in electricity and fuel and the lack of security in the Iraqi capital. Don North, an official with the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, the civilian wing of the U.S. occupation force, said the television station's equipment is ancient and difficult to integrate with the more modern, digital equipment provided by ORHA. On its first day of operation, the new channel interviewed Jay Garner, then the top U.S. administrator in Iraq. But when they wanted to broadcast the interview, North said, the tape was nowhere to be found. "Maybe," he joked, "some Baathist stole it." (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** IRAQ. Hi Glenn, Re DXLD 3-088: Sorry, you got me at it now :-) It should of course be Salam. I am so used to typing Salman Pak that I do it without realising! 73, (Andy Sennitt, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. In response to your question "What's Gardai" - it's Irish for "Police", a term commonly used there even when speaking English. Regards, (Dave Kernick, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PIRATES CUT DOWN TO SIZE The past week has seen an unprecedented crackdown on unlicensed broadcasters in Ireland. Raids by staff of the Commission for Communications Regulation accompanied by the Garda (the Irish police) have silenced many of the stations, which jointly accounted for 7% of total radio listening in Ireland. This week's raids are the culmination of an effort that has been gathering pace in recent months. Some stations have vowed to to return to the air, but for others it marks the end of an era... http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/ireland03052.html (Media Network newsletter May23 via DXLD) ** ITALY. Re 3-088: But has anyone heard them lately on 6231.5??? ``To the World``, indeed (gh, DXLD) The reply is NO ONE, cause the station is definitively closed down on SW. The SW TX blow up last year and to repair it cost too much (Dario Monferini, (Playdx Italy), May 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re 3-088: Hi Glenn, Radio Speranza Modena is inactive on 6231 since June 2001 (Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Voice of Korea, Pyongyang is coming in well these days, I logged them on 15245 from 2100 to 2200 in English at 454 AND, what has happened to their audio modulation? It is now loud and clear, they must have installed a new transmitter or serviced the old one, I can actually understand what is being said without any effort at all, previously, their audio has always been muffled and low in level making it hard to log what they were speaking about. I will be sending them a report which will be the first I have sent to North Korea since the 1970's! The same applies to CRI and V. O. Russia, so I had better get cracking (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, May 23, EDXP via DXLD) ** MEXICO. ¿CONCIERTO CIUDADANO? 23-May-03 Desde abril, la XEQK es la emisora de los ciudadanos. Y desde entonces hemos escuchado desfilar toda suerte de propuestas de radio educativa, en las que como era de suponerse, hay una variabilidad de producción que llevaría a la audiencia a desequilibrarse, de tan disímbolas y desiguales que son. El primer gran problema del 13-50 de AM es la señal, a grado tal que resulta incluso difícil percibir esta emisora en un radio de onda corta y de muy amplio alcance. [??? It`s not on SW; used to be 9555] ¿Pero para qué escuchar la Radio Ciudadana del IMER? Bueno, en principio, para asegurarse de que allí se están transmitiendo los 64 programas que fueron vencedores en el Primer Concurso de Proyectos Ciudadanos de Radio. La primera sorpresa es que no están aún al aire el total de las propuestas que se calificaron para ser transmitidas, y la segunda, que hay en la XEQK un programa que se llama ``Concierto ciudadano`` con Mario Díaz Mercado, que se transmite a las 15:00 horas y que ni siquiera aparece en las listas de los concursantes. Ahora todos dirán cuál es mi encono. Es uno muy sencillo: sucede que además de que este megaproyecto de Mario Díaz Mercado no está entre los ganadores, es una propuesta que dura una hora con 30 minutos diarios. Ahora, ¿cómo me atrevo yo a cuestionar al maestro que nos hizo el examen de locución a tantos y tantos aspirantes hace cosa de 15 años? Me lo cuestiono, porque en Radio Capital (830 de AM), emisora de Grupo MAC, se transmite los sábados por la mañana de 7:30 a 8:30 horas, una serie llamada ``La voz de los capitalinos``, y que busca cumplir los mismos objetivos y tareas que ``Concierto ciudadano``. Si, ahora imagino que la respuesta lógica sería: hay tantos programas de cocina en el cuadrante como recetas para preparar. Pero es que el asunto resulta escandaloso, porque he tenido en mis manos tanto el proyecto que abandera en Radio Capital Alfonso Rentería, como uno que entró en concurso bajo la representación de Víctor Navarro y que es, sin lugar a dudas, quien realiza esta serie ``Concierto ciudadano``, o por lo menos él está a cargo de la ``Cartelera ciudadana``, sección del mismo concierto. En la coincidencia de los dos programas hubo que ir a investigar, y por supuesto, me he enterado que la oferta que conducirían Rubén García Castillo, Víctor Manuel y Alfonso, es la misma, en puntos y comas, que la que realizan Díaz Mercado y Navarro. Yo aquí sólo puedo pensar una cosa: el proyecto fue plagiado en la XEQK. Pero de inmediato recuerdo las palabras de José Álvarez de Grupo Imagen, quien dice: ``No es que uno se robe las ideas, es que las ideas están en el aire y se toman``. Sea como sea y en el papel, la oferta que sustenta Víctor Manuel Navarro y que resultó ganadora es algo que se llama ``Voces ciudadanas y radio barrio en Álvaro Obregón``, pero este programa no coincide ni en nombre ni en propuesta a ``Concierto ciudadano``, que sí tiene dentro de sí, secciones como radio barrio y esta de la ``Cartelera ciudadana``. Yo sí pediría a las autoridades del IMER que pongan y esclarezcan más la lógica en la que seleccionaron los proyectos que hoy forman la radio ciudadana, porque es una gran sorpresa escuchar programas que no ganaron, además, es un agravio el que éste, el de Víctor Manuel Navarro, se forme de por lo menos tres proyectos registrados, y que por sí solos no pasaron la prueba del jurado. Cuestionar la pésima calidad sonora de la XEQK y las muy cambiantes producciones que hay entre ``Sintonía AMIC``, ``Mundos religiosos`` o ``Zócalo``, hace que nadie en su sano juicio se quede prendido a la emisora que muy amablemente, la señora Dolores Beistegui ha abierto para que las voces de los capitalinos se expresen. Yo no entiendo por qué, si estamos escuchando en las emisoras comerciales este bombardeo de las farmacias similares en contra de la corrupción del IMSS, no haya una sensibilidad también, cuando el IMER está ofreciendo una programación que no coincide con los resultados que publicó en los diarios, acerca de este tan llevado y traído concurso de proyectos ciudadanos de radio. Es más que ofensivo, el que ``La ventana ciega`` sirva de expresión para dos chicas estudiantes de comunicación, que han dejado de prestar sus servicios sociales, porque ambas han sido ``agredidas e insinuadas`` por Víctor Manuel Navarro. De verdad, a Dolores Beistegui le sugiero aquí, que ponga más atención sobre el comportamiento de la Radio Ciudadana, porque aunque su frecuencia sea casi inaudible, es una oferta del gobierno federal, en la que se nos ofreció expresar sin politización la voz de los ciudadanos. Si es correcto que me cuestione, si los proyectos concursantes fueron leídos y sirvieron para dar vida a otros híbridos que no estaban contemplados en concurso, no lo sé, pero creo que, así como nos abrimos a hacer escándalo por ``Los libros de Marta Sahagún``, también debemos de parar bien la oreja para tener claro cuándo se están fusilando o clonando programas como éste que es un ¿Concierto ciudadano o un desconcierto ciudadano? Claudia Segura (Milenio via Héctor García Bojorge, DF, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Hi OETA, A number of questions about your operations I would appreciate answers to. I will greatly appreciate your answering each of these questions fully! Thanks, (Glenn Hauser, Enid, to OETA) Glenn, I will see what I can do to answer your questions. Q1) Do you have any plans to operate 24 hours on the air?? TV Guide Has started listing 13 as running all-night, but I assume this is only Cox Cable in OKC (not ENID!), with PBS, NOT OETA itself, correct? A1) In Oklahoma City and Tulsa when our normal broadcast day ends we feed Cox Cable in both cities the PBS Schedule X program feed. We are able to do this because both studio locations are connected to the cable system with a fiber interface. We are under serious budget constraints because of the shortfall in state revenue so there are no plans at this time for a 24 X 7 broadcast day. Q2) I notice that KOED-3 is running about a second behind KETA-13. Are you now using a satellite feed to your relay stations? Details, Please. Do you have your own transponder, if so which and where, or are you dependent on Dish or DirecTV? (I don`t have any satellite TV myself). A2) In the past OETA fed its 15 translators through a series of off- air pickup points and microwave relay links. Approximately 4 years ago, OETA started uplinking its network feed to SES (GE) #5. This would create a slight time delay in signal when compared to a PBS feed or one from a full-power station of OETA's. We are also carried by Dish and DirecTV in their local-into-local market coverage in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. PBS is working with these two DBS vendors and state networks, like OETA, to try to secure permission for anyone in the state served by a state network to be able to get the signal if they are in the satellite's local-into-local footprint. Q3) If there is a satellite feed, why is Cox Cable Enid still picking up 13 off the air, along with all the interference that often occurs this time of year from Dallas and elsewhere? (They have most of the OKC commercial stations on satellite feed now). A3) OETA cannot dictate to a cable company such as that serving Enid where they get the signal they put on their cable system. OETA has made a number of mailings to cable company owners in Oklahoma providing information on our satellite service and have encouraged them to take advantage of it. Q4) Is KETA-DT 32 now on the air? How much power, full power? Full time? I occasionally see a degraded signal on Enid`s only local TV station, KXOK-32. That`s no great loss, since they broadcast nothing but Dr. Gene Scott!!! But isn`t running DTV in OKC and analog TV in Enid on the same channel about 65 miles apart a bit too close for comfort?? How could this happen? Do you have priority on 32 which will cause KXOK to go off or move? I should think they would interfere with your DTV reception to some distance south of Enid, definitely a reduction in coverage compared to 13. A4) KETA-DT Channel 32 started running programming tests under the authority of its construction permit May 1, this year. The station is authorized to broadcast when licensed 1 megawatt ERP. Under our current test authority we are broadcasting 500 kW ERP. The analog low power station operating on Channel 32 in Enid and KETA-DT operating on the same channel has been authorized by the FCC. When the transitional period to digital ends all stations must be digital and the Enid station will have to seek another channel for its digital operations. Theoretically, the stations interference to each other should be very limited because of the tuners used in analog and DTV receivers. Once we get our KETA-DT licensed, if KXOK indeed causes interference and they are within our protected area, we could ask them through the FCC to stop the interference. Q5) Is 46 Medford still taking an off-air feed from 13? Will this and other far-flung translators change to satellite? What about DT? How will the signal get there if 32 is blocked by Enid`s KXOK? A5) Channel 46 licensed to Medford is now taking the OETA satellite feed rather than Channel 13 off the air. The FCC has not issued a report and order indicating what the digital transition plans for translators and low power will be. We are now in the 2nd review bi- annual period as promised by the FCC. We may learn in the next few months what the plans are for the transition to digital for these other services. Q6) During the May 9 tornado which tracked near your facilities, your 13 transmitter stayed on the air (until about 11:30 anyway), but ONE MOMENT PLEASE was the video; audio came and went, and was from all over the place, including channel 9 for a few minutes. How could this happen? Evidently you were prevented from getting your programming into the transmitter which itself was operating OK. Aren`t they at the same location now on N. Kelly? A6) During the May 9th storm, OETA technical operations center (TOC) in Oklahoma City (which is co-located with Channel 13's transmitter) took a lightening hit. We were not able to immediately restore operations, and in fact signed off early that night. If there is a problem in TOC it can disrupt our network operations and feeds to all stations including our satellite uplink. Q7) I was unable to check, but very curious as to whether the entire OETA network was disrupted during this period, or 3, 11, 12 and all the translators continued without interruption? A7) The problem in TOC on May 9th caused a problem in our ability to feed all transmitters. After 7 pm in the evenings our TOC only operates with one on-air operator on duty who is not an engineer. The weather that night prevented engineering staff from reaching the station in a timely fashion. We currently are testing KETA-DT Channel 32 normally from about 6 to 10 pm nightly. Monday through Thursdays we are running a mixture of SD and HD programming directly from PBS. Friday through Sunday we are running 4 SD channels in a simulcast mode of operation. Since this is a testing phase for us, we cannot promote a regular schedule, and in fact the test period may be moved to some day time hours on some dates. If I can provide additional information, please let me know. Thanks, (Steve Staton, Deputy Director, OETA to gh, via DX LISTENING DIGEST) INFORMATION ON RECEIVING OETA BY SATELLITE Basic Requirements: Ku Band Digital Satellite Receiver and Ku Antenna with digital LNB Only the following specific receiver will work: Receiver: DigiCipher II Digital Satellite Receiver* manufactured by General Instruments (Receiver must be capable of tuning SCPC Service) Satellite: GE-5 -- Transponder 4 -- Location: 79º West L Band Frequency: 1042.38 MHz Horizontal Polarization 4. Virtual Channel: 810 5. VCT: 603 6. Code: 3/4 (Forward Error Correction) 7. Mega Symbol Rate: 4.88 8. Mode: Fixed Key (Sent in the clear) 9. Audio: Stereo & SAP (Descriptive video service when available from PBS) *Note 1: Not all General Instrument DigiCipher II receivers have the necessary firmware to receive the OETA signal. Please furnish the information we are providing to your equipment dealer and have them verify that the model you own or the one you may be considering purchasing will receive OETA. You will want a dealer to warranty the receiver to be able to pick up OETA. Note 2: Be aware that even though DirecTV, EchoStar, and other "small dish" direct broadcast satellite systems utilized Ku Band frequencies, the equipment provided for this type of service cannot tune in GE-5 and decode OETA's signal. Currently, these two companies are introducing in Oklahoma City and Tulsa a local-into-local package of certain stations including OETA that may be available to you. Check with a local dealers near where you live or with either company directly to see if you could receive the signal and otherwise qualify for it. Note 3: For clear sky conditions, OETA recommends a minimum antenna size of 2.4 meters for home use. Revised: 1/10/2003 (via Steve Staton, OETA, DXLD) ** PERU. Owner and manager of Radio CORA del Perú has died. The following item is from El Comercio newspaper, May 22, 2003: FALLECIÓ EL PERIODISTA Y LOCUTOR RADIAL JUAN RAMÍREZ LAZO A menos de quince días de haber cumplido 76 años, falleció el periodista y locutor radial Juan Ramírez Lazo, quien se hiciera conocido por sus editoriales que comenzaban con la popular frase: "Nos preocupa...". Ramírez Lazo murió el último martes y sus restos fueron cremados ayer en el cementerio Jardines de la Paz, en La Molina. Venía siendo tratado en el hospital Guillermo Almenara de una enfermedad incurable. Con más de 60 años de trayectoria profesional, nació el 6 de mayo de 1927 en Piura y desde la década del 40 estuvo ligado a la Radiodifusión. Estuvo casado con Monina Mendizábal y deja cuatro hijos y varios nietos. ----------------- There is an interesting story and a picture of Ramírez Lazo, a legend in Peruvian broadcasting, also known as "La Voz", at http://www.boletindenewyork.com/jrl.htm (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, May 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4904.69, Radio La Oroya, 1014 Noted music until 1016 May 23 when man in Spanish comments. This followed with canned ID, then back to music. Signal was poor (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4625, 13 May, 0240, Radio San Agustín, Celendín, Dept. Cajamarca. No ID heard, but signal was quite good. Identified with a help of Nordic DX site - station recently returned to SW. 34333. 4389, 13 May, 0250, Radio Imperio, Chiclayo. No ID either. Quite fair. 34333. It's from the Pacific coast; station from that part of Perú do not often propagate in my region (open_dx - Sergey Mulyk, Chervonograd, Ukraine, Signal via DXLD) In the same time period he also reports the Peruvians on 4790, 4950, 4975, 4995 (gh) ** RUSSIA. MOSCOW YESTERDAY AND TODAY In the first edition of Moscow Yesterday and Today in June -- on the air on June 2 and the week following -- we'll tell you about Russian literary genius Alexander Pushkin and about the time he spent in Moscow, which the poet himself described as the happiest in his life. The next three Moscow Yesterday and Today programs will focus on the history of Russia's ancient capital. We'll be speaking about Arbat, one of Moscow's oldest streets, which is over 500 years now. We invite you to tune in to the three consecutive editions of Moscow Yesterday and Today, beginning Monday, June 9. The program goes on the air on Monday at 0830 and 1930 UT and is repeated throughout the week. Our program guide can be found at: http://www.vor.ru/ep.html (via Maryanne Kehoe, swprograms via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. SAUDI ARABIA/FRANCE/UK: OPPOSITION GROUP SAYS FRENCH GOVERNMENT PUT "BLOCK" ON AL-ISLAH TV | Text of report by Movement for Islamic Reform web site in Arabic on 23 May 03 headlined "Reports about intervention by the French Government to close Al-Islah TV and transmission is temporarily transferred to another satellite" At the request of the Saudi Government, the French Government has applied pressure on Eutelsat [Paris-based firm providing transmission service through commercial satellites] to block the transmission of Al-Islah Channel, which was broadcasting on the Eutelsat-owned Hotbird. As far as the Movement is concerned, the blockage came without informing the party benefiting from the service about the reasons behind the decision. Eutelsat has been avoiding a reply to an official request by the firm benefiting from the service. The movement is perplexed about whether to be astonished by the decision of France's Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau to submit to Saudi pressure and prevent the freedom of _expression or be astonished by Eutelsat's decision to abandon legal practices and immediately block the service without informing the beneficiary. As far as the Movement is concerned, the party benefiting from Eutelsat's service will take the appropriate legal measures in order to resume the transmission or impose the specified penalty. The issue is being followed up by several legal parties that are involved in maintaining freedom of expression. They are carrying out contacts to ascertain whether political pressure was used in this case. If this is confirmed, the parties will carry out a powerful campaign against the French Government and Eutelsat and attempt to apply pressure to resume the service. For those who are determined to receive the transmission, the Movement is currently transmitting on another satellite. Below are the details: Satellite: Sesat; Location: 36 degrees east; Transponder: B6; Frequency: 11136 MHz Polarization: Horizontal; Symbol Rate: 4883; Forward Error Correction, FEC 3/2. As it seems, this satellite has the advantage of carrying only information, internet, and conservative channels. Therefore, it is suitable for those who want to install a satellite receiver without receiving offensive channels. Source: Movement for Islamic Reform web site, London, in Arabic 23 May 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SINT MAARTEN. ST. MAARTEN RADIO STATION STREAMING WORLDWIDE Laser 101 on St. Maarten is the first radio station on the Caribbean island to be streamed live worldwide on the Internet in Windows Media format. Other radio stations on St. Maarten will follow shortly. To listen, log on to http://www.laser101.fm, and click "live radio." Because fibre optic technology is being used, the audience benefits from nearly real time audio. This will enable listeners abroad to participate in live programmes (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 23 May 2003 via DXLD) Haven`t listened but it looks like another boring station; not even a program schedule on the website, and the link to News is dead. Has a slide show with scenes of the equipment and Sint Maarten vistas, bringing back memories of my visit; callsign on van is PJD-5, not seen anywhere else (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA. MOGADISHU-BASED STN RADIO LAUNCHES SATELLITE BROADCASTS | Text of report by UN regional information network IRIN Nairobi, 23 May: The Mogadishu-based Somali Television Network (STN) radio and television broadcasting station has officially launched a radio satellite broadcast, according to a press statement issued this week. The statement said the radio broadcast would cover "every single part of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and North America (Minneapolis)", 24 hours a day. The launch would soon be followed by a satellite TV channel. The channel currently broadcasts in Somali, but plans are under way to introduce other language services such as English, Arabic, Amharic and Swahili. "The Somali-speaking people in different parts of the world can discuss their affairs, express their opinion live through STN Satellite Radio, which has never happened in Somali history before," said STN Chairman Abdirahman Robleh Ulayareh. "What is unique is the STN satellite radio broadcasts 24 hours (a day) and can be accessed in every single city and village in Somalia. In addition, the STN is in a position to transmit its broadcast via FM everywhere in Somalia on demand," added Abdulkadir Sharraay, the STN operations manager. The network will provide a blend of news, business and cultural programmes and inform its listeners about political, economic and social trends at home, the STN statement said, adding that it welcomed the participation of interested partners. Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, in English 23 May 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. MOTHER BUSH In South Africa in the late 1980s, the apartheid regime strictly controlled the airwaves, but the CASET educational trust found a way of getting around the regulations - by distributing their programmes on audio cassette. Now Bush Radio, the community radio station that grew out of CASET, has just celebrated its tenth anniversary. My colleague Hélène Michaud recently visited this Radio Netherlands partner station. This is her report. And in case you missed her radio documentary, you can listen to it on the Web. . . http://www.rnw.nl/special/en/html/030518bush.html (Media Network newsletter May23 via DXLD) ** SUDAN: SURVEY OF THE COUNTRY'S MEDIA ENVIRONMENT Overview; limits on media freedom The government and the ruling National Islamic Front dominate Sudan's media environment, one of the most restrictive in Africa. Government influence on the media is so pervasive that the country is ranked among the least free in Africa by watchdog organizations such as Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders. The state-owned radio and television stations are controlled directly by the government and are required to reflect government policy. Until recently the country had no privately owned broadcasters, but in 2002 a pay television station, jointly owned by the government and some private investors, began retransmitting foreign television via cable. Having banned more than 40 publications following the military coup that brought it to power in 1989, the government of President Umar al- Bashir now indirectly exerts its influence over the 15-20 remaining newspapers through the National Press Council, according to the US State Department's 2002 Human Rights Report. The council is directly responsible to the president, who, along with the National Assembly and the government-controlled Journalists' Union, appoints its members. The press council has the power to set press policy, to license and suspend newspapers, and to suspend journalists. According to the Human Rights Report, the government also restricts press freedom by "suspending publications, detaining journalists and editors, confiscating already printed editions, conducting pre- publication censorship and restricting government advertising to pro- government media only". As a result of such actions, most of Sudan's privately owned newspapers practise self-censorship. Local journalists working for foreign news agencies also practise self-censorship in order to keep their work permits. Radio is the most widely accessible media source in the country, partly because it represents a continuation of the oral tradition and partly because of factors that restrict access to other media. The literacy rate in Sudan is 46 per cent, significantly limiting newspaper readership. Poor transport infrastructure restricts newspaper circulation to major cities, and low incomes further limit readership. These constraints on newspaper readership are magnified in the south, where income, development and literacy rates are lower than in the Muslim north. Though not as widely accessible as radio, Sudan's newspapers manage to offer somewhat more diverse views and reporting on issues of domestic and foreign policy. Some papers are willing to criticize the government and individual officials, despite the risks of fines, suspension, and imprisonment. The International Press Institute's web site chronicles government actions throughout 2002 against several Sudanese newspapers that refused to be silenced. The Khartoum Monitor and its editor, for example, were both fined for reporting on slavery in the country. Al- Hurriyah, Al-Sahafah and Al-Watan reported on clashes between students and police at Khartoum University, for which their editors were arrested and the offending editions were seized. All of these newspapers repeatedly ran foul of the authorities during the course of the year. Though local media are strongly influenced by the central government, the Sudanese do have access to foreign media and the varying viewpoints they provide. The most readily available international media are the radio broadcasts from sources such as the BBC, which can be heard via shortwave, as well as through rebroadcasts on local FM stations. Clandestine radios operated by opposition groups from areas outside government control can be heard in some locations. Those few who can afford television and satellite dishes can watch a number of pan-Arab stations without interference from the government. According to the State Department's 2002 Human Rights Report, Internet access is "uncensored but potentially monitored" and available through two ISPs, as well as through the Internet cafes that can be found in the major cities. Sudanese are also avid consumers of Arabic-language newspapers and magazines from London and Cairo that give them an international perspective and often contain more penetrating interviews with Sudanese officials than appear in local publications. These foreign papers are widely available in Khartoum, but they are prohibitively expensive for most people. Observers say there is a lively second-hand market for them. Arabic, the country's official language, is also the most widely used language in Sudanese media. Arabic has long been the dominant language in the north of the country, and it is gradually supplanting English as the lingua franca in the south, where the population speaks a variety of indigenous African languages as their primary tongue. English-language media find their principal audience in Khartoum and other urban areas, where English comprehension is most widespread among the foreign community and Sudanese who have been educated abroad. Radio The government-controlled Republic of Sudan Radio is the only domestic radio station in Sudan, where the government does not allow privately owned radio stations to operate. Republic of Sudan Radio operates various services (including the "General Programme", a Koranic channel, and broadcasts for the regional states). All of them adhere to a common editorial line. The General Programme broadcasts around the clock in Arabic on FM, mediumwave and via satellite. It also broadcasts on shortwave (7200 kHz), although this transmitter has been unreliable for some time and is unlikely to provide adequate nationwide coverage. Sudanese radio formerly had an external service, Radio Omdurman, as well, but this is no longer heard. Republic of Sudan Radio is not available on the Internet. There are no reliable survey data indicating how many people listen to the government radio. Experienced media observers report that the government radio has a larger audience than foreign broadcasts in Sudan. News reporting on Sudanese radio clearly reflects a bias towards the government, according to experienced observers. News bulletins focus heavily on the activities of the president and then on other government officials. Opposition figures are largely ignored in the news, unless they are making some kind of concession to the government. Reports of major news events usually first appear on radio as formal government statements. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these statements are often aired well after news of the event is circulating by word of mouth and are often regarded as unreliable by much of the population. In addition to the news, Sudanese radio carries music, sports programmes, and commercials. The music programming includes religious, romantic, jihad and patriotic music. Death announcements follow the main news bulletins and almost everyone listens to them because of social obligations in an extended family and tribal society. The radio also broadcasts cultural and educational programmes, such as discussions of traditional folklore; interviews with prominent figures, academics and authors; and advice on health and child nutrition. There are also religious programmes, especially on Fridays, which elucidate aspects of the Koran and explain the background of religious festivals. There are some listener call-in shows, usually dealing with uncontroversial social topics. The New Sudan Council of Churches runs Radio Voice of Hope with the support of Radio Netherlands. Voice of Hope's objectives, according to its web site, are to act on behalf of the "voiceless," to make people aware of the impact of war on the people of southern Sudan, and to bring a resolution to conflicts among groups in southern Sudan. Voice of Hope broadcasts one 30-minute programme on shortwave four days a week via Radio Netherlands' relay station in Madagascar, and a one- hour programme daily from an FM station in Kaboko, northwest Uganda. Programmes are in Arabic and English and are prepared in Uganda and the Netherlands. According to media observers, the main audience of this station is the southern Sudanese, but it can also be heard in Kenya and Uganda. Voice of Hope has a web site: http://www.radiovoiceofhope.net. Other foreign radio stations are also heard in Sudan. BBC World Service broadcasts are relayed on FM in Khartoum and Wad Madani and are also available countrywide on shortwave. The Paris-based pan-Arab station Radio Monte Carlo, relayed on FM in Khartoum, is audible in the rest of the country after dark from its mediumwave relay in Cyprus. Over the years several clandestine radios, serving as mouthpieces for various Sudanese opposition groups, have broadcast into the country from various locations. The opposition National Democratic Alliance currently broadcasts on 8000 kHz shortwave, apparently from Eritrea, in Arabic and English on a station identifying itself as "Voice of Sudan, Voice of Democracy and Peace". The second-largest armed opposition group in the country, the Sudan Alliance Forces, operates "Voice of Freedom and Renewal, Voice of the New Sudan," which is currently broadcast in Arabic on 6985 kHz shortwave. Print media Most of Sudan's newspapers are published in Khartoum and find their audience primarily among the northern Arabic-speaking urban population. The notable exception is the English-language Khartoum Monitor, which, according to long-time media observers, has strong appeal among people from the south. The privately owned press has somewhat more freedom of expression than the state-owned broadcasters, but the government does retain and use powers to influence what is published. In September 2002, for instance, the authorities barred distribution of two privately owned newspapers - the Khartoum Monitor and Khartoum Al-Hurriyah - for criticizing the government's decision to pull out of the peace talks (French news agency AFP, 4 September 2002). Despite an official end to press censorship in 2001, authorities continue to harass, detain and fine journalists and newspapers for reporting that is critical of the government, that makes allegations of official corruption, or that touches on matters of national security (Human Rights Report 2002). The effect of such harassment is to pressure many journalists and newspapers into some degree of self- censorship. Sudanese newspapers commonly report on topics related to the international campaign against terrorism, economic issues, civil war and foreign relations. In addition to news articles and editorials, Sudanese newspapers have advertisements and obituaries. The advertisements are generally for news stands, restaurants, furniture and imported electronics. Death notices in Sudanese newspapers refer to the deceased as "martyrs" if they were killed while fighting in southern Sudan. The papers routinely carry articles from foreign news agencies - including AFP (France), AP (USA), Reuters (UK), the Pan-African News Agency PANA and Egypt's MENA - on international topics, especially the Middle East. Reliable circulation figures for Sudanese newspapers are not available, but experienced observers report that the following papers are among the more influential: \ \ The privately owned Khartoum Al-Ra'y al-Amm is one of Sudan's most popular newspapers. Experienced observers note that the paper has pro-government and Islamist leanings, but relatively objective reporting, compared to the broadcast media. It is available in cities and small towns throughout northern Sudan, making it one of the most widely distributed newspapers in the country. The newspaper serves the diaspora and Arabic speakers around the world via its web site http://www.rayaam.net/ which updates regularly. \ \ Al-Ayam is a long-established paper that is well-respected and widely read. Its reporting is regarded as objective. \ \ Al-Watan, known for exposing scandals, was shut down by security authorities in late December 2002, according to state-owned Sudanese television and news agency reports. This paper remains banned from publication. \ \ Al-Ra'y al-Akhar was a widely read newspaper that had been willing to criticize the government. According to Reporters Without Borders, the newspaper has been suspended about 10 times since it was founded in 1995. In February 2001, the newspaper and its chief editor were fined for running a story charging the governor of the Khartoum State with corruption. The paper is not currently being published. \ \ The Khartoum Monitor was established in October 2000 by a group of southern journalists. The target audience of this newspaper includes people from southern Sudan living in Khartoum, expatriates and diplomats. It also has a significant readership in the southern city of Juba. The paper gives voice to southern grievances and has repeatedly run foul of the government as a consequence. In January 2002, the paper's managing editor was sentenced to jail and the paper was fined for publishing a report on slavery in the country. Issues of this weekly are frequently confiscated by the government. Khartoum Monitor has a web site, http://www.khartoummonitor.com., but it is often inaccessible. \ \ Alwan is run by a former National Islamic Front leader, now heading the opposition Popular National Congress, Hasan al-Turabi. He has been imprisoned or under house arrest since February 2001. \ \ Al-Khartoum favours the alliance of northern opposition parties, especially the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The paper seems to appeal to wealthy Arabic-speakers in northern Sudan, though its sports coverage is popular with the youth. A PDF version of the newspaper is posted on the web. \ \ Al-Anba is an official government newspaper. Sudanese newspaper web sites mainly serve the diaspora. Some of Sudan's hard copy newspapers, such as Al-Ra'y al-Amm, Al-Ayam and Khartoum Monitor, have online versions. Television State-owned Sudan Television broadcasts news, entertainment and education programmes nationally, in both Arabic and English. A military censor ensures that Sudan Television reflects the government's position (Human Rights Report 2002). Sudan Television broadcasts via satellite to Sudan, north Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and western Europe. No Sudanese TV programmes are available on the Internet. According to the State Department's 2002 Human Rights Report, "the government and private investors jointly own one television cable company". This pay cable network rebroadcasts, according to the State Department report, "uncensored programmes from CNN, BBC, the Dubai- based, Saudi-owned Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Dubai TV, and Kuwait TV", among others. Although there are some restrictions on the ownership of satellite dishes, they are becoming common in affluent areas. Arab TV stations such as Al-Jazeera, MBC, Dubai TV, Kuwait TV and the Egyptian Space Channel are some of the most popular, according to media observers. Egyptian soap operas and films have long been popular in Sudan. People in Sudan also watch uncensored CNN. Frequent power outages, lack of access to electricity and the high cost of a television set limit access to television but do not absolutely prevent the poor from being influenced by it. In low-income areas, groups of people sometimes gather around a single battery- powered TV to watch a favourite programme. Internet Formed in 1995, Sudanet http://www.sudannet.net is the country's major Internet provider. Sudanet's main customers include government ministries, companies, and international organizations. The majority of Sudan's population does not have access to the Internet because of infrastructure and cost constraints. According to a survey conducted by Nua.com, an Internet research and marketing company, in December 2001, there were 56,000 Internet users in Sudan, or about 0.15 per cent of the country's population. Internet cafes are becoming increasing popular in urban areas. Internet news sources include Sudanile, a privately owned news site that reports on government, opposition, and rebel activities with what media observers judge to be an even-handed approach. Its URL is: http://www.sudanile.com/ Another news site, Akhir Lahzah, http://www.akhirlahza.com/ frequently carries anti-government news and represents the Islamist opposition - specifically the youth wing of Turabi's Popular National Congress. Other Sudanese web sites host travel, weather, discussion boards and links to Sudanese newspapers. According to media observers, the discussion boards often feature lively -sometimes heated - debates on controversial subjects such as the civil war, the peace efforts, and other current events and social issues. Sudanese expatriates and citizens within the country participate, apparently freely and without fear of any sort of censorship or intimidation. Strong north-south antagonisms and polarization on major issues are clear from exchanges at these sites. There are several anti-government web sites based outside Sudan. Free Sudan http://mathaba.net/sudan/index1.htm for example, posts reports on human rights abuses and provides links to Sudan.Net http://www.sudan.net/main1.shtml a news site with articles on Sudan from AFP and other press agencies. Various Sudanese human rights organizations like Sudan Human Rights Organization - Cairo Branch http://www.shro-cairo.org/about.htm and expatriate groups such as Vigilance Soudan http://www.vigilsd.org/ are also active on the Internet. News agency The government-run Sudan News Agency, Suna, is the country's only news agency. It is available in Arabic and English on the Internet but is not updated daily. Most Sudanese dailies, including Al-Ayam, Al-Ra'y al-Amm, Khartoum Monitor and Al-Khartoum, occasionally carry Suna articles. Suna does not appear to have an international audience. Suna regularly reports on relations with foreign governments and statements by Sudanese officials. Source: Chris Greenway, BBC Monitoring research May 03 (via DXLD) ** TIBET. 4820, CHINA, Xizang PBS, Lhasa, 2253-2307, May 21, Mandarin. Female with talks over instrumental music, "Sounds of Silence". Music, ads, traditional music until 2300, pips, station ID then male and female announcer w/ a presumed language lesson, lots of repetitive words and phrases by female. Identification sounded very much like China National Radio, "Zhungyang Renmin Guangbo Dientai". If I read the listing in WRTH correctly CNR 1 is relayed from 2200-2340. Poor (Scott R Barbour Jr , Intervale, NH-USA, Sangean ATS 818, RF Systems MLB-1, RS longwire w/ RBA balun, EDXP via DXLD) ** U A E [and non]. Hi Glenn, Reasonable MW-conditions to the Middle- East last Wednesday around 2030 UT. Logged even Radio Farda from UAE on 1170 kHz in parallel with 1593 kHz from Kuwait. Some Interference by Slovene Radio Capodistria broadcasting in Italian on same frequency. Also noted some stations from Iran e.g. 1503 kHz. WRTH tells this is "Sarasarye" Nationwide network. Norwegian 1200 kW powerhouse was in trouble with an "Arabic" station on 1314! Could be UAE R, BBC or VoA from Dabiya. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku FINLAND, Rx: AOR 7030+, Ant: Wellbrook ALA 1530P-active loop, May 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBC FACES MORE AUDIT INQUIRIES The Government said it would examine the idea of giving the National Audit Office much greater access to the BBC's accounts in order to monitor economic efficiency and effectiveness. At present, the NAO can investigate the BBC's television licence fee collection arrangements and the grant-aided BBC World Service, but not the BBC Home Services expenditure. During the committee stage of the Communications Bill in the Lords, Lady Buscombe (C) said it was important to widen the powers of the NAO to examine the efficiency, economy and effectiveness of the BBC's services. (from http://www.telegraph.co.uk 23-05-03 via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U S A. FCC'S ADELSTEIN SEEKS CONCESSIONS ON MEDIA-OWNERSHIP PLAN By Mark Wigfield, Wall Street Journal WASHINGTON -- Having lost a battle to delay deregulation of the broadcast industry, a Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission asked for concessions from the Republican majority's plan. Television broadcasters seeking to merge with other stations should be required to certify their continued efforts to improve the quality of local news and information, said Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. He added he said he would accept a 14% increase in national limits on television-station ownership if the FCC began investigating whether independent producers of programs need protection from the networks. Mr. Adelstein made his suggestions in a speech before The Media Institute, a nonprofit research foundation specializing in communications policy. A person close to the proceeding said he hadn't yet made the suggestions to FCC Chairman Michael Powell. A vote on the matter is pending for June 2, and Mr. Powell appears to have the support of the Republican majority for his plan. The plan would increase a 35% national television-ownership cap to 45% and loosen local-ownership restrictions to allow one owner to have three television stations in the largest markets instead of two, while eliminating in most markets a ban on cross-ownership of television stations and newspapers. Mr. Powell has called his plan moderate and said it responds to court decisions that have challenged FCC rules and a congressional mandate to deregulate the industry in light of new competition from cable and satellite. But Mr. Adelstein called Mr. Powell's proposals "extremist." "Rather than allowing massive consolidation," said Mr. Adelstein, "we should take a conservative approach that gradually permits additional mergers we can evaluate before completely unleashing the industry." Courts have affirmed the FCC's right to regulate broadcast ownership to protect the flow of diverse sources of information over the public airwaves. Mr. Adelstein and other opponents of deregulation say consolidation will undermine broadcast "localism," or the commitment of local stations to provide local news and information. An FCC study cites contrary evidence, showing that network-owned and operated stations produce more local news and information. But to guarantee that, Mr. Adelstein is proposing that merging broadcasters be required to show how they will improve local coverage and report annually on compliance with those plans. Calling consolidation the "McDonaldization" of the American media, Mr. Adelstein said the public "needs a balanced media diet, a diverse menu." He added the FCC should take a second look at its repeal a decade ago of so- called financial interest and syndication rules, or fin-syn, that limited the networks' ability to own the programming they air. Repeal of the rules saw independent producers' share of the market go from 85% of all programs to 15% to 20%, said Mr. Adelstein. He is pushing for the review to be authorized in the June 2 vote. Mr. Powell's office has indicated the FCC may take up the matter in a separate proceeding later this summer (via Fred Vobbe, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. 60-METER OPERATION TO REQUIRE OPERATOR PRUDENCE, CAUTION When the five channels of the new 60-meter amateur allocation become available later this year, Amateur Radio operators will have to learn some new operating habits and adopt some new on-the-air attitudes. The limited spectrum and stringent bandwidth requirements will mean amateurs will have to demonstrate their best behavior and operating skills if the Amateur Service ever hopes to get an actual band segment at 60 meters. ``In terms of Amateur Radio spectrum, we usually say, `Use it or lose it,``` said ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. ``The watchword for 60-meter operators should be, `Misuse it and lose it.``` The channelized scheme -- similar to the 5-MHz experimental operation under way in the United Kingdom http://www.rsgb-hfc.org.uk/5mhz.htm -- puts unfamiliar technical compliance demands on US hams who have, until now, not had to worry much about frequency stability or transmitted audio bandwidth. The FCC has granted amateurs 5332, 5348, 5368, 5373, and 5405 kHz -- the last channel common to the UK experimental operation`s band plan. These are all ``channel center frequencies,`` the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said in a March 13 letter to FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) Chief Edmond J. Thomas. The NTIA, which administers federal government spectrum, opposed allocation of an actual ham band citing the ongoing spectrum requirements of federal licensees with homeland security responsibilities. The channels will be available to General and higher class licensees. The NTIA says that hams planning to operate on 60 meters ``must assure that their signal is transmitted on the channel center frequency.`` In general, the NTIA has advised, users should set their carrier frequency 1.5 kHz lower than the channel center frequency. According to the NTIA: Channel Center Amateur Tuning Frequency 5332 kHz 5330.5 kHz 5348 kHz 5346.5 kHz 5368 kHz 5366.5 kHz 5373 kHz 5371.5 kHz 5405 kHz 5403.5 kHz (common US/UK) ARRL Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, says the assignment of these channels implies that amateurs now must adhere to certain frequency tolerances for their use. While the international Radio Regulations don`t list these for the Amateur Service, he notes, they do stipulate tolerances on the order of 20 to 50 Hz for other services. ``We haven`t been told anything specific about frequency tolerances for these channels but would probably annoy federal regulators if we strayed any more than 50 Hz from the assigned carrier frequencies,`` Rinaldo cautioned. Keeping one`s audio within the 2.8 kHz wide channel to comply with the 2K8J3E emission specification is another important issue. ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, believes prudence calls for not having baseband audio below 200 Hz nor greater than 2800 Hz--for a total bandwidth of 2.6 kHz. ``That will probably keep us out of trouble,`` he said. Noting that the high-frequency response ``can vary a lot from radio to radio,`` however, Hare recommended that amateurs play it conservatively. Additionally, the FCC has restricted operation to USB only, with a maximum effective radiated power (ERP) of 50 W. The USB-only requirement stemmed from NTIA interoperability concerns. The NTIA wanted to make sure that federal users could copy and, if necessary, identify any amateur station using one of the 60-meter channels. As a result, the 60-meter frequencies will become the only ones available to the general amateur community that do not permit CW operation. For the sake of this particular grant, the FCC said it would consider a half-wave dipole to have a gain of 0 dBd. In its letter to the FCC, the NTIA stipulated that radiated power should not exceed ``the equivalent of 50 W PEP transmitter output power into an antenna with a gain of 0 dBd.`` ``Although this is less spectrum than the American Radio Relay League petition requested, this is the best we can do pending a definition of Homeland Security HF requirements,`` concluded Fredrick R. Wentland in the NTIA`s letter to the FCC`s OET. Sumner has predicted that, over time, amateurs can and will ``develop a record of disciplined, responsible use of the five channels in the public interest that will justify another look at these rather severe initial restrictions.`` Just when amateurs will get their first crack at 60 meters is not yet clear. The changes to Part 97 go into effect 30 days after publication of the Report and Order (R&O) in The Federal Register, which has not yet happened. Publication could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. ARRL will announce a specific date as soon as it`s known. The FCC Report and Order in ET Docket 02-98 is available on the FCC`s Web site http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03- 105A1.doc (ARRL Letter May 23 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. TEXACO CANCELLATION PROVOKES WAVE OF MET NOSTALGIA By VERENA DOBNIK, The Associated Press, 5/23/03 1:06 PM NEW YORK (AP) -- For 63 years, millions of Americans have kept a regular Saturday afternoon date with their radio. The "Texaco Metropolitan Opera Radio Network" filled homes, cars and workplaces from Maine to California with its arias, celebrity-studded intermissions and whimsical trivia quizzes. The fans' pleasure turned to operatic-pitch lament this week when ChevronTexaco Corp., as the company is now called, announced it would stop funding the broadcasts after next season. While the Met is confident it will find a new sponsor, fans wrung their hands and waxed nostalgic over a show that changed their lives. "Ratfinks!!! Boy, I can remember riding around in the car in the '50s looking for a Texaco station to gas up at, because they sponsored the opera!" Avise Nissen, of Mount Rainier, Md., wrote in an e-mail to Opera News magazine, which publishes weekly previews of the broadcasts. Nissen first heard opera on the Texaco program, when she was in her early teens in Arkansas. "It's a democratic thing that Texaco did," Nissen said later in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "Opera has this snobby, snotty mystique and people thought, 'Oh, opera -- ugh!' But the Texaco thing made it available to people who would never have seen it on stage. The broadcasts created fans all over the country." The Saturday afternoon broadcasts have been a staple on classical music stations since 1931, with Texaco beginning sole sponsorship nine years later. The broadcasts now reach about 10 million people in 42 countries, through 360 U.S. public and commercial stations, as well others across the globe. For David Scally, a retired doctor in Chevy Chase, Md., the broadcasts provided a music education. He was one of the hundreds of worried fans who wrote letters and e-mails to the Met this week. "I still have fond memories of moving my aunt's old portable Philco to where I would not disturb the rest of the household and listening to my first Met broadcast -- Wagner's 'Lohengrin' on Jan. 25, 1947," Scally wrote in his e-mail. If all else fails, he said he'd contribute "my own meager resources" to keep the show on the air. Sponsorship of the broadcasts, live from Lincoln Center, changed after Chevron acquired Texaco two years ago in a $39 billion deal. The more cumbersome corporate name was inserted, but the show otherwise remained intact. ChevronTexaco said its withdrawal from the opera was a marketing decision. "As our business has evolved, we believe it is important to focus more of our resources directly with the countries and markets where we do business," spokeswoman Patricia E. Yarrington said in a statement. Thus ended the longest continuous sponsorship in the history of American radio -- one that began with Texaco's Dec. 7, 1940, broadcast of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro." Met General Manager Joseph Volpe, who said he's "determined to have these broadcasts continue," remembers hearing his first show with his Italian immigrant grandmother while growing up in Queens. "My grandmother did not have the opportunity to hear music. She had one or two old records I would have to turn for her," Volpe said. "So the Saturday Met broadcasts were very important to her. She thought it was good for me to sit next to her, and to listen." (Still, he adds with a laugh, when his less-strict mother listened to the broadcasts, "I escaped out the door as soon as I could!") Volpe, 62, said that within a month, he expects a new company or private donor to pledge the $7 million needed annually so the performances can be aired live each Saturday, from December to the spring. The intermission features are set in a small hall behind the Met's main theater, where the Met chorus rehearses. Panel guests have ranged from opera buffs such as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, to Pavarotti and tenor Placido Domingo. Regulars include Broadway playwright Terrence McNally, of "Lisbon Traviata" fame. Fans send letters and e-mails to "Opera Quiz," getting prizes of recordings or books if their questions are answered in laughter-filled chatter among each week's changing panelists. For his part, Volpe isn't wasting time being nostalgic about the loss of "Texaco" in the broadcast's name. "That memory faded rather quickly when we had to put Chevron before Texaco." (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) SATURDAY AFTERNOONS: TUNE IN TO WAGNER The New York Times May 23, 2003 To the Editor: Re "ChevronTexaco to Stop Sponsoring Met's Broadcasts" (Arts pages, May 21): How ironic that the last radio broadcast from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House that ChevronTexaco will sponsor will be Wagner's "Goetterdaemmerung" ("Twilight of the Gods"). The abandonment of sponsorship after more than 60 years of Texaco's continuous support is yet another sign that classical music in our country is headed toward its own twilight. If the show is to go on, the Met will have to come up with Plan B, and I suggest some alternatives: There are, of course, other corporations that might step into the breach, though in today's economic and culture-shy climate this may simply be wishful thinking. An estimated 10 million people worldwide listen to the broadcasts. If each of these listeners were to send in a $1 contribution, that would more than cover the costs. Since the broadcasts give the singers an incredible amount of exposure, why not ask the artists to take a reduced fee just for the broadcast performance, earmarking the payroll savings for the broadcasts? That would not cover all the costs, but it would certainly help keep these essential Saturday afternoon broadcasts alive. ERNEST GILBERT, Croton Falls, N.Y., May 21, 2003 To the Editor: I was dismayed to read "ChevronTexaco to Stop Sponsoring Met's Broadcasts" (Arts pages, May 21). I grew up in a very small town in Wisconsin, and every Saturday, starting in the 1950's, my father listened to the Texaco broadcasts. They were his cultural lifeline, and still are. For me, as a child, they were background music. But they reached me I have been a Met subscriber since 1997. I hope that ChevronTexaco realizes what it is abandoning the opportunity to reach and inspire so many people in so many places. KAYE DERMAN, Yonkers, May 21, 2003 Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VIETNAM. RELAY STATIONS TO BE BUILT FOR OFF-SHORE FISHERMEN Some 17 short-wave transmission stations will be built along Vietnam's 3,260-km-long coast line to provide off-shore fishing vessels with information, weather forecasts and safety procedures. Construction of the relay stations, expected to be completed by 2005, is part of a project designed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment to develop a communication system exclusively for off-shore fishing vessels. Under the US$338 million project, these stations, with a transmission coverage of 200 km, will use satellite-positioning technology. Voice of Vietnam website 23-5-03 http://www.vov.org.vn/2003_05_23/english/vanhoa.htm 73 (via Kim Elliott, DC, May 23, DXLD) WTFK?? I assume we are not talking about broadcast services (gh) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. OHIO HAM HIT WITH $12,000 FINE IN MALICIOUS INTERFERENCE CASE Cooperation between Canadian and US amateurs has resulted in a $12,000 Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) from the FCC to an Ohio amateur. The FCC has alleged that Ronald E. Sauer, WE8E, of Bedford Heights violated Part 97 rules prohibiting deliberate and malicious interference, transmission of music and failure to identify. The case involved daily interference to the Trans Provincial Net http://www.tpn7055.ca/ a Canadian net that operates on 7.055 MHz. ``This was no small task and was accomplished with the help of many people from the US and Canada working together,`` said ARRL Great Lakes Vice Director Dick Mondro, W8FQT, who expressed thanks to all involved. In addition to TPN members, that included Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) http://www.rac.ca officials, Industry Canada, the FCC, ARRL Michigan http://www.arrl.org/sections/?sect=MI and Ohio http://www.arrl.org/sections/?sect=OH Section officials, ARRL Official Observers and members of the Cuyahoga Amateur Radio Society http://www.cars.org/ ``This was indeed an example of teamwork in action and proves again that the FCC does care and continues to work with us to stop interference,`` Mondro added. TPN Assistant Manager Jim Taylor, VA3KU, said the interference to the net had gone on for several months. ``Our break came when the jammer decided to intensify his efforts by going to his local library and sending out repulsive and threatening e-mails to a few of our members,`` Taylor said. He and other Canadian hams were able to determine that the e-mails had come from a public library terminal in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Taylor contacted CARS President Bob Check, W8GC, for assistance in zeroing in on the jammer. Tracking down the signal source involved mobile direction-finding work by three CARS members, who passed along their findings to the FCC`s Detroit Office late last January. Already alerted to the situation, the FCC`s Detroit Office had called on the Commission`s High Frequency Direction Finding (HFDF) facility in Maryland. The HFDF group monitored jamming and the playing of music and narrowed down the search to an area near the intersection of Interstates 480 and 77 in the Cleveland area. In the meantime, the FCC received the CARS report indicating that the interference was coming from Sauer`s residence. On January 31, an FCC agent also used direction-finding techniques to track the source of the interference on 7.055 MHz to Sauer`s home and conducted an inspection. The FCC said Sauer ``admitted that he had been playing music and deliberately jamming the frequency of 7.055 MHz.`` Sauer ``further admitted to jamming and playing music on this frequency on previous days.`` Based on its findings, the FCC concluded that the $12,000 fine was justified. The FCC ordered Sauer to pay the fine within 30 days or file a written statement seeking a reduction or cancellation of the proposed forfeiture (ARRL Letter May 23 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ FM ATLAS & STATION DIRECTORY Just a quick note to the folks on this list who might be new to DXing and to Bruce's extremely valuable FM Atlas. If you have never tried DXing with the FM Atlas at your side, you do not know what you are missing. Maybe it is because I have gotten used to having one around since I started DXing in the early 80's (9th edition-1984), but if you think having the internet alone for helping ID stations is enough, think again. With the Atlas' maps alone, imagine getting an eskip opening to a certain area. Just whip out the book and you can see what stations to target in a given area. You can also mark off the ones you have already heard so you don't waste time trying for one you already have. Then there are the frequency listings. OK, you could generate one of these from a few different sources, but the Atlas has stations by frequency, with power, antenna height, city, state (or Province), Stereo indication (this CAN be helpful) - all on one page fitting into a nice compact, bound 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" reference guide! There is also listings by state with extensive translator listings and format codes and even estimated coverage area and SCA format. Granted, the info becomes out of date the second it hits the press, and for that the VUD, 100000watts.com, the FCC database and this list are the best ways to keep updated (Bruce also has a newsletter for updates), but for having a handy reference right next to you when DXing at home, in the car, in a plane, on top of a mountain, at work or in a cabin in Northern Minnesota (been there done that!) you need to have this book! Last commentary. Bruce and his wife Carol put a lot of time and energy into creating this masterpiece once every few years. As with other great DX products that pop up from time to time (phase box, APS antennas, etc) this one is certainly worth supporting with your $$$$'s and is a very good deal at only $21. If you have never bought one and couldn't imagine why, give it a try. You won't be sorry ! Oh, last bonus of this book. I have a bookshelf history of radio stations going back to 1984. It is very cool when DX conditions are lousy, to pull out that 9th edition from 1984 and look at how few stations there were, and what their calls used to be, and to see what used to be my "total list of stations received" at that time. Now, when the heck are we getting some e-skip out east !!!!! (Bill Nollman, Farmington, CT, WTFDA via DXLD. Send $21 plus $2 shipping to FM Atlas, P O Box 336, Esko MN 55733- 0336. If you want two or more the price drops to $19 plus $1.50 per book shipping. Or use American Express, Visa or Master by e-mail or by calling 1-800-605-2219 (Bruce Elving, via Nollman, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ PROPAGATION REPORT Flare activity has remained very low over the last week. Solar wind speed declined as expected early on starting to ramp up again after 20UT on May 18. After this geomagnetic field conditions became unsettled, to active at higher latitudes. Some spread F has been noted and also some intense sporadic E in southern ocean and Antarctic regions on May 19. Conditions then calmed for a day or 2 before solar wind speed picked up again on May 21 with some active conditions from then until now. Solar wind speed and geomagnetic levels have now dropped again. The same pattern may continue for the next few weeks. A previously flaring area returned to the visible solar disk 2 days ago but so far has produced nothing of substance. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, SA, May 23, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ###