DX LISTENING DIGEST 4-107, July 13, 2004 edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.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 For restrixions and searchable 2004 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 1237: Wed 0930 on WWCR 9475 Wed 1600 on WBCQ after-hours http://wbcq.com Mon 0330 on WSUI 910, webcast http://wsui.uiowa.edu WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html WORLD OF RADIO 1237 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1237h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1237h.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1237.html WORLD OF RADIO 1237 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1237.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1237.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1237 in the true shortwave sound of 5070: (stream) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_07-11-04.m3u (d`load) http://www.piratearchive.com/media/worldofradio_07-11-04.mp3 FIRST AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1238: Wed 2200 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2030 on WWCR 15825 ON DEMAND: from early UT Thursday, change 1237 above to 1238 DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Why wait for DXLD? A lot more info, not all of it appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our new yg. Here`s where to sign up. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/ (Glenn Hauser, May 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS updated by John Norfolk July 12: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. U.K.(non): Internews Radio / Salaam Watandar in Pashto and Dari via Merlin Comm: 0130-0300 on 11795 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg 1330-1500 on 17700 RMP 500 kW / 085 deg DHA = Al-Dhabbaya, UAE RMP = Rampisham, U.K. (Observer, Bulgaria, July 13 via DXLD) 11795 had been assumed UK (gh) ** ALBANIA. 7185/9570, 1830-1900 UT R Tirana German service starts again from Aug 5th via Shijak site, using two n e w 100 kW units. See new tentative B04 schedule below. Request by Drita Cico: Dear Volker, I have a good question for you: Our technical director gave me the B04 Radio Tirana Pre-Schedule, to check it, make remarks and so on. He told me that taking into account your forwarded e-mails of missing Radio Tirana on SW, there it is planned to transmit in German on 7185 kHz and/or 9570 kHz at 1830-1900 UT, via two n e w SW transmitters in Shijak radio station, each 100 kW. Could you please, tell us the reception quality for each frequency in the past? Which one would the German Listeners would prefer more? It would be great, indeed, if you could contact other German SWLs from different parts of Germany and make them the same questions... Vielen Dank und alles gute to you and your family, Drita Cico (Drita Cico, Albania, ALB, ARTV Head of Monitoring Center, via Volker Willschrey, Germany, July 12, BC-DX via DXLD) Dear Mrs. Cico, is the Radio Tirana German service time 1830-1900 UT okay?? In A04 HFCC Plan your administration director ordered/ registered German service on both frequencies of 7185 and 9570 kHz, but at 1730-1800 UT time slot! At 1830 UT here in Stuttgart Germany: I noted 7185 kHz co-channels QRM by both Deutsche Welle Kigali relay S=3 rating, and Radio Bangladesh S=4. 9570 kHz IRIB Tehran in Albanian, and probably a Chinese CRI Kashi/Kashgar station co-channel, both S=3 rating. (wb, July 12) [to Volker Willschrey] Dear Volker, First of all, we would very much like to THANK YOU all for your very prompt kind assistance. It seems, we are misunderstood. My question was related the reception quality of 7185 kHz and 9570 kHz in the past, during previous Radio Tirana Schedules. Is that clear? The new SW Transmitter in Shijak radio station will be ready on August 5, 2004. Yesterday, I emailed you a copy of my suggestions on B04 ALR pre-schedule sent urgently on 09 July 2004 to our Technical Director, who is our frequency manager. I'm glad that he took into account most of them. So, in his attached B-04 ALR pre-schedule, 10 July, 2004 is also chosen: 6130 1830-1900 28 SHI 100kW 350deg daily 311004-260305 GERMAN ALB ALR. This is the pretended frequency to be on air. (DC) [6130 seems to be a good choice, just between Radio Tirana Greek and RAI Rome in Serbian on co-channel. Provisional frequencies requirements registration file for discussion at HFCC conference in Finland in August 23-27. wb.] Tentative B04 ALR schedule from Oct 31, 2004. All SHI 100 kW: as of 10-Jul-2004 ALR, 1=Monday ... 7=Sunday. FREQ STRT STOP CIRAF Z AZI ANT DAYS FDATE TDATE LAN ADM BRC ----+----+----+-------+---+----+-------+-------+------+------+-------- 6100 2130-2300 28 350 141 1234567 311004 260305 ALB ALB ALR 6115 0000-0130 8 300 216 1234567 311004 260305 ALB ALB ALR 6115 0245-0300 8 300 216 .234567 311004 260305 ENG ALB ALR 6115 0330-0400 8 300 216 .234567 311004 260305 ENG ALB ALR 6115 1945-2000 27 300 216 123456. 311004 260305 ENG ALB ALR 6115 2000-2030 27 300 216 123456. 311004 260305 FRE ALB ALR 6130 1830-1900 28 350 141 123456. 311004 260305 GER ALB ALR 6135 2215-2230 28 ND 925 123456. 311004 260305 SERB/CROA ALB ALR 7110 0730-1000 28 ND 925 1234567 311004 260305 ALB ALB ALR 7130 2230-2300 27 300 216 123456. 311004 260305 ENG ALB ALR 7160 0245-0300 8 310 146 .234567 311004 260305 ENG ALB ALR 7160 0330-0400 8 310 146 .234567 311004 260305 ENG ALB ALR 7185 1830-1900 28 350 141 123456. 311004 260305 GER ALB ALR 7210 1945-2000 27 310 146 123456. 311004 260305 ENG ALB ALR 7210 2000-2030 27 310 146 123456. 311004 260305 FRE ALB ALR 7240 1900-1930 28SW ND 925 123456. 311004 260305 ITA ALB ALR 7270 0000-0130 8 310 146 1234567 311004 260305 ALB ALB ALR 7295 2130-2300 28 350 141 1234567 311004 260305 ALB ALB ALR (Drita Cico, Albania, ARTV Head of Monitoring Center, BC-DX July 13 via DXLD) Apparently the two new 100 kW apply to all transmissions, not just German; note the English to NAm at 0245-0300 and 0330-0400, which in summer timings are 0145-0200 and 0230-0300 UT. Perhaps the new transmitters from August 5 will also improve reception here on 6115, 7160 (and no longer vary?) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS. Monitored schedule of the transmitter in Sasnovy on 1170. This transmitter is on the air from 2200-2100 with the following relays: 2200-0200 VOR Russian (RMR) 0200-0300 VOR Russian (Radiokanal Sodruzhestvo) 0300-0400 VOR Russian (RMR) 0400-0600 BR1 0600-0800 VOR Russian (RMR) 0800-0900 VOR Russian (Radiokanal Sodruzhestvo) 0900-1000 BR1 1000-1500 VOR Russian (Radiokanal Sodruzhestvo) 1500-1700 BR1 (includes relays of regional programs; see below**) 1700-1745 VOR Hungarian 1745-1830 VOR Czech 1830-1900 VOR Slovak 1900-2100 R. Minsk (External Service in various languages) VOR = Voice of Russia; RMR = (VOR) Russkoye Mezhdunarodnoye Radio; BR1 = Belaruskaje Radyjo 1. The power is 700 kW with directional antenna at 244 degrees; for the BR1 relays the transmitter is switched to a non-directional antenna. ** Mon-Fri 1500-1540: Mon R. Ekspres - Homielskaja khvalia, Tue R. Viciebsk, Wed R. Brest, Thu R. Mahilioú, Fri R. Hrodna; Mon-Fri 1540- 1600 & Sat/Sun 1500-1600: R. Stalica (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, July 13, MWDX yg via DXLD) ** BERMUDA. Bermuda's TV channels on high band: Actually, I saw them while on Provo on tropo on a couple of occasions so do not discount the relatively low power (around 900 miles as I recall). However, I slightly disagree as to when the best time of year would be to catch them along the eastern USA coast on tropo. My experience is mid March to 1 June, NOT in the also logical August-September period (Bob Cooper in New Zealand, July 12, WTFDA via DXLD) I've always been surprised that Bermuda's TV hasn't tropo'd to ECNA; perhaps it has, but I don't remember. KAZ (Neil Kazaross, IL, ibid.) ** CANADA. New additional transmission of Radio Canada International to SE USA/Cuba/Haiti, all Sackville 250 kW / 227 degrees: 1000-1200 Mon-Fri French 17765 co-ch DW Turkish 1030-1100 1000-1300 Sat/Sun French 17765 co-ch DW Turkish 1030-1100 1500-1900 Mon-Fri French 17765 co-ch VOA Kurdish 1600-1700 1600-1900 Sat/Sun French 17765 co-ch VOA Kurdish 1600-1700 1900-2200 Daily English 17765 2200-2400 Daily French 15300 New schedule of Radio Canada International in Portuguese to Brasil: 2000-2030 Fri 15225 and 17765 both SAC 250 kW / 163 deg cancelled 2100-2130 Fri 15165 and 17740 both SAC 250 kW / 163 deg new txion 2330-2400 Sat/Sun 11825 & 15455 both SAC 250 kW / 163 deg new txion* * repeat Friday transmission (Observer, Bulgaria, July 13 via DXLD) ** CANADA. FM news: CHOI 98.1 Quebec City "Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2004-271" "In this decision, the Commission **DENIES** the application by Genex Communications inc. for the renewal of the broadcasting licence for the French-language commercial radio station CHOI-FM Québec." http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/eng/decisions/2004/db2004-271.htm This kind of "radical" decision hasn't happened in a long time here, but in this case the CRTC didn't have much choice. If freedom of expression and radio stations responsabilties issues interest you, take the time to read this lengthy decision. In any case, if you want to try to log this station, you have until August 31st to do so. And in the meantime, the CRTC is calling for applications for a new radio licence in Quebec City on 98.1. 73, (Charles Gauthier, St-Lambert, QC, July 13, WTFDA via DXLD) CHOI-98.1 "unrenewed" The CRTC has *denied* the renewal application of CHOI-98.1 Quebec City. Charges include promotion of piracy (an announcer urged listeners to pirate satellite TV); inappropriate language (for example, using crude sexual language to describe a weathercaster on a Quebec TV station; and stereotyping African students at Laval University); and harassment. (urging listeners to harass employees of competing CJMF-FM) The station had been previously admonished for similar offenses, and received a short-term (2 year) renewal at the end of its previous license term. (normally, Canadian licenses are renewed for seven years) The Commission considered a six-month *suspension* of the CHOI license but concluded that wouldn't do any good. CHOI is required to leave the air by the end of August. Also today, the CRTC solicited applications for a new station in Quebec City to use the former CHOI facilities. This is a Class C station in a major market; expect plenty of applicants! (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, ibid.) ** CROATIA. Hi Glenn, The Voice of Croatia noted with program in English on 1134 kHz in parallel with 1124 kHz at 2223 UT. 2230 Spanish program was heard. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, July 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EL SALVADOR. Re DXLD 4-106: Hi Glenn, according to: [Humberto Molina`s list of FM and AM stations, as of 2/2003] http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/7104/amfm.htm Doble F is ex- Radio Farabundo Martí. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Finland, July 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. African Union Radio is currently audible here with excellent signals from 1730 UT tune-in on 8 July via Radio Ethiopia on 9561.44 and also fair on \\ 7165.4 kHz. Currently in presumed Amharic with the odd item in English about the African Union summit. There appears to have been some confusion over the dates of the special AU Radio broadcasts, but the African Union web site at http://www.africa-union.org confirms that the radio broadcasts commenced on 4 July and are aired at 1700-2100 UT - see http://www.africa-union.org/AU%20summit%202004/live%20Radio.htm The summit is scheduled to end today [July 8] so I wonder if this will be the last day of these special broadcasts (Dave Kenny-UK, BDXC-UK July 8 via BC-DX July 13 via DXLD) No, the website indicates the actual summit dates were July 6-8 only, but the broadcasts would last 8 days starting July 4, i.e. thru 11 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Hello, Here are some news, from AM stations in France. Since 10 days, RMC Info is on the air from METZ (North-East of France), on 1584 kHz with 1 kW. RMC Info, will also be on the air, before the end of July, from BREST (Brittany), on 1485 kHz with 1 kW. Radio Orient (in French & Arabic) will start broadcasting from NICE on 1350 kHz (300 kW) and NÎMES on 1602 kHz (1 kW), from next July 15th (Christian Ghibaudo, France, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GEORGIA [non]. ROMANIA, RRI 11830 English. By the way, I came across the RRI English 0700-0727 UT outlet on 11830 kHz today. So the 11810 kHz of previous week which harmed the Radio Georgia German service was a single faulty operation of the technicians at Galbeni. So luckily German audience to TRY to follow Georgia's thiny German service, just above threshold (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, July 10, BC- DX via DXLD) ** HUNGARY. Rádio Budapest: Revista de DX-ismo HUNGRIA – A partir de 18 de julho, o programa Revista de DX-ismo, da programação em espanhol da Rádio Budapest, volta a ser irradiado de forma quinzenal. Após seis meses de ausência, passa a contar novamente com a apresentação de Laszló Garay. Na semana em que a Revista de DX-ismo não vai ao ar, a Rádio Budapest emitirá o programa Correo del Ayre, onde o apresentador Pérez responde as cartas, relatórios de recepção e perguntas dos ouvintes. Lembrando que a Rádio Budapest pode ser captada, em espanhol, entre 2130 e 2200 UTC, em 11830 kHz. Outras informações do Panorama DX, edição desta semana, também já estão disponíveis no sítio de Sarmento Campos. Acesse: http://planeta.terra.com.br/arte/sarmentocampos/RadioActual.htm 73s! (Célio Romais, Porto Alegre, Brasil, Junte-se ao DXCB! http://www.ondascurtas.com radioescutas via DXLD) ** ICELAND [non?]. Hello everybody, I get AFN on 9980U with a weak but stable frequency, during the whole day. AFN has NEVER ever been available 24/7. But it is [now?] and I'm happy except the frequency gets blocked often, but where is the transmitter? Someone thinks Iceland but I doubt that as Iceland very rarely comes into Tasmania. Can you help? Kia ora, (Meaning 'Good Health to you' - Maori) From (Robert Wise of Hobart, Australia, July 12, ARDXC via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Note: another participant at the latest Grayland WA DX- pedition, Guy Atkins, has filed his report; much of it more or less duplicates the material in Walt Salmaniw`s report in 4-106, so we carry here only a somewhat different take on a few items about INDONESIA and PAPUA NEW GUINEA [q.v.] (gh) Another enjoyable Grayland DXpedition is in the history books. Taking part were John Bryant, Don Nelson, Walt Salmaniw, and myself. This Thursday through Sunday DXpedition coincided with Grayland's annual kite festival; we had good fun trying to impress the kiters with the DXing hobby, and vice-versa. Did you know that some kites cost as much as a Ten-Tec RX340? You do now! On the shortwave side of the spectrum, Walt and I were determined to get an ID out of RPDT Manggarai (2960v). However, in 3+ hours of monitoring this tantalizing signal we never noted an ID. Catholic Radio Network (4960) in Papua New Guinea boomed in with excellent reception on July 11th, providing 100% readability during a live broadcast of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG. It was interesting too, to hear advertisements on CRN on July 9th -- ads with local flavor just like those found on the PNG regionals. 2960v, 1040-1310+, RPDT Manggarai, July 11. First noted with poor-fair signal at 1040 with sleep-inducing monotone Indonesian male announcer. Heard only on the NW Beverage. Mentions of Ruteng Flores at 1105 and again at 1115, but no ID or break noted. Drifty signal from 2959.85 to 2960.05. Near grayline conditions between Grayland and Manggarai at tune-in; signal slowly varied up and down from threshold level to poor by 1124; occasional brief peaks of better reception. Various music styles to announcements 1158 (but no ID) and into RRI network at 1200, parallel 4750 and 3266.4. Good signal as local Grayland sunrise approached. Back to local programming of music at 1225. No ID heard in the 1258-1310 timeframe either, but 'who else could it be?'. Casual monitoring while packing up the DXpedition gear showed Manggarai still on the air past 1400. 3266.4, 1126-1145, RRI Gorontalo, Jul 10. 'Kang Guru Radio English Show' with male and female announcers assisting Indonesian listeners with writing/reading the English language; comments in both Indonesian and English. Credit given to the 'KGIA' (?) for production of the Kang Guru program. At 1138, sound bites of 1950s tune 'Hey Hey Mr. Postman' bracketing tips for improving your postal letter writing. PO Box address given at 1140. Good signal (Guy Atkins, Puyallup, WA USA, DXing at Grayland, WA, Modified RA6790GM & R75, Kiwa MAP / ERGO / DSP- 59+, 740 ft. SW and W Beverages; 940 ft. NW Beverage, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. At the other end of the spectrum, the easiest Indonesian is probably Suara Indonesia, 9525, with an excellent signal here most mornings, such as July 13 at 1355 wrapping up the transmission with news headlines, Warta Berita, full address and website info, and national anthem. Carrier stayed on for a while. IF ONLY VOI would follow this with their English hour, they would actually have a North American service, at least to the western half of the continent. All Indonesian registrations in HFCC A-04 have been censored out, so we can only guess at the parameters for this. Per WRTH 2004, the 1300 English hour is for SE Asia, and it must be 250 kW from the Cimanggis site near Jakarta. From that angle, it may well be aimed unintentionally also at North America, much further in the same direxion (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. RADIO FREE WORLD --- LIBERTY-STARVED COUNTRIES SEE A BOOM IN CLANDESTINE RADIO. By Nir Boms & Erick Stakelbeck July 13, 2004, 8:57 a.m. Although it often seems like a solitary outpost of democratic sanity, the U.S. is not alone in waging the war of ideas. Since 9/11, over a dozen privately owned, pro-democracy radio stations have emerged in freedom-starved countries like North Korea, Syria, Iran, and Cuba. . . http://www.nationalreview.com/voices/nir_boms_stakelbeck200407130857.asp (National Review Online via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. BAHRAIN [tentatively] Thanks to detailed info from Henrik Klemetz I was able to log the 250 Watt seaborne transmitter sailing somewhere in or near the Arabian Sea today: [then why is it headed BAHRAIN? --- gh] 15500-USB, Coalition maritime forces, Radio One, 1655-1744*, July 12, Punjabi and Afghan instrumental music with some vocals. Messages of 2- 4 minutes duration at 1658 (in unID language), 1715 (probably in Urdu), 1733 (in Arabic) and 1741 (in Farsi). No ID heard, but no doubt that station according to the description. Very weak with S-meter varying between 0 and 2, but clear audio. SINPO 14321. QRM from the Qur`an Program of R Kuwait on 15505 (QSA 3). (Anker Petersen, Denmark, BC-DX July 12 via DXLD) ** IRAN. Updated summer A-04 schedule for VOIROI/IRIB: ALBANIAN 0630-0727 15235 15340 1830-1927 9545 9570 2030-2127 9535 11775 ARABIC 0330-0427 9610 11875 "Voice of Islamic Palestinian Revolution" 0330-1157 13790 registered till 1027 0530-1627 15150 1630-1927 9935 1930-2027 9935 "Voice of Islamic Palestinian Revolution" 2030-0527 9935 ARMENIAN 0300-0327 11860 0930-0957 9695 15260 1630-1727 7230 9780 AZERI 0330-0527 13710 1430-1657 6200 BENGALI 0030-0127 9855 9890 0830-0927 11705 1430-1527 7305 9520 9810 12015 BOSNIAN 0530-0627 15235 15340 1730-1827 7295 9835 2130-2227 9810 11875 CHINESE 1200-1257 17535 21460 21490 21630 2330-0027 13715 15230 15450 till July 31 2330-0027 11735 12000 13715 from August 1 DARI 0300-0627 13740 0830-1157 13720 1200-1457 9910 ENGLISH 1030-1127 15600 17660 1530-1627 9635 11650 1930-2027 9800 11750 FRENCH 0630-0727 17560 17590 1830-1927 13755 HAUSA 0600-0657 17810 21810 1830-1927 11860 11930 HEBREW 0430-0457 9610 11875 additional transmission 1900-1927 3985 5970 HINDI 0230-0257 15165 17635 1430-1527 11695 12030 13805 JAPANESE 1300-1327 15555 17810 KAZAKH 0130-0227 11665 11935 1300-1357 11665 13755 KURDISH 0330-0427 11920 Sorrani dialect 1330-1427 5990 Sorrani dialect 1430-1627 5990 Kirmanji dialect MALAY 1230-1327 15200 17555 2230-2327 9685 9830 PASHTO 0230-0327 7130 9605 0730-0827 15440 1230-1327 6175 9790 11730 1430-1527 7270 1630-1727 6015 7195 RUSSIAN 0300-0327 9650 11925 0500-0527 11870 15215 17595 17660 1430-1527 7165 9580 9900 1700-1757 6210 7175 1800-1857 6205 7260 1930-2027 3985 7175 SPANISH 0030-0127 9655 9905 11610 0130-0227 9655 9905 11610 0230-0327 9905 0530-0627 15530 17785 2030-2127 9650 11760 SWAHILI 0330-0427 15265 15340 0830-0927 17660 17690 1730-1827 9655 11995 TAJIK 0100-0227 9740 1600-1727 5955 TURKISH 0430-0557 15260 15365 1600-1727 7165 9915 URDU 0130-0227 7130 11880 11965 1330-1427 6175 9665 11695 1530-1727 7270 1730-1757 7220 9530 UZBEK 0230-0257 9740 1500-1557 5955 (Observer, Bulgaria, July 13 via DXLD) ** IRAQ [and non]. GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTRY FINANCES ARABIC RADIO FOR YOUNG IRAQIS | Text of Marco Stahlhut report by German newspaper Die Zeit on 8 July headlined "Between pop and politics - Berlin's new Arabic radio for Baghdad" Telefon FM, a radio programme produced in Germany and broadcast in Baghdad, will go on air this week. Germany's Foreign Ministry finances the programme, but does so without the customary institutions involved in such projects: neither the Goethe Institute [Germany's cultural institution which promotes the study of German abroad and encourage international cultural exchange] nor Deutsche Welle [Germany's external broadcaster] will take part, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation only assumed the sponsorship of the project so that it can be financed from the public purse. Telefon FM radio is being organized by Anja Wollenberg and Klaas Glenewinkel, two young media producers from Berlin, and is being produced together with three Iraqi presenters who have come to Berlin for this purpose. In the first six weeks, Telefon FM will initially broadcast for an hour and a half every day via Baghdad's Hot FM station [104.1 MHz]. Radio Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) will take over the best parts of the programme and broadcast them once a week. The declared aim, naturally, is to promote intercultural dialogue and strengthen civil society structures in Iraq, introducing a young audience to the cheerful, non-ideological communication habits of Western media. Glenewinkel had the idea of establishing a Baghdad radio station last year when he accompanied a private television team to Iraq. "Despite the images of war and terrorism that we see over here, there is normal life going on there as well," Glenewinkel says. Telefon FM intends to reflect and, at the same time, reinforce some of this normality. Discussion programmes will deal with "private" topics such as career prospects and family planning, with politics only being of marginal interest. This is the main difference to traditional programmes Western stations have produced for the region such as the BBC World Service and Radio Monte Carlo [Middle East], which were popular in Iraq in the past. In contrast to Deutsche Welle, for which the communication of Germany's image is a central concern, Telefon FM follows the lead of youth programmes produced by such public service broadcasting stations of the laender as Radio Fritz (RBB) or Eins live (WDR - WestDeutsche Rundfunk) with their typical mix of music and word contributions. There are programmes such as Local Heroes [previous two words published in English], in which businessmen, for example, tell their success stories. German film director Tom Tykwer will have a chat with Uday Ramsheed, an Iraqi colleague who is currently trying to find production partners in Germany. The Foreign Ministry does not only support Telefon FM, but also two other cultural projects in Iraq: the Books for Iraq campaign, which involves collecting books for the German Studies Institute at Baghdad University together with the Goethe Institute, and a German-Iraqi cultural centre called German House. This centre will have a similar brief in the future as Goethe Institute. Cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has already been completed with the purpose of inviting Iraqi scientists to participate in conferences in Germany. Autonomous activities of the Goethe Institute are currently only theoretically considered in view of the security situation. The radio project produced in Germany and broadcast by a local station in Iraq is, therefore, also just an interim solution. Should the political situation in Iraq actually stabilize after the formal handover of power, competition on site will definitely not be a long time in coming. A Deutsche Welle contact man is already in Iraq. Since Saddam's overthrow many local radio stations have sprung up, but they offer either pure entertainment or pure propaganda. There are stations devoted to party politics and religion on the one hand and stations blaring music on the other, but none of them reflects day-to- day reality. The three presenters of Telefon FM represent a new target group that is at home in the Arab world, yet has a great interest in all things Western. A young journalist who used to work for the BBC is among them and speaks perfect English, while her two colleagues worked for Uday Husayn's [Saddam Husayn's son] radio, Voice of the Youth, and now have a record store selling Western music in Baghdad. These two, in particular, give the impression of being totally apolitical, unless you interpret their openness towards the West as a political attitude. Nevertheless, they dislike the limelight because journalists live dangerously in Iraq. In June, an attack was carried out on the building of Baghdad partner station, Hot FM. This is why the idea of a radio station for young people has something surreal about it in decaying Baghdad. Should the project work, though, Germany would not only be the first country seeking to get into direct dialogue with Iraq's Western-minded middle class. It would also help to strengthen the self-confidence of this middle class. Source: Die Zeit, Hamburg, in German 8 Jul 04 p38 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ITALY. Some frequency changes of RAI International: 0055-0115 English DEL 9675 0055-0115 Spanish DEL 12030 0115-0130 French DEL 9675 0115-0130 Portuguese DEL 12030 0130-0315 Italian DEL 9675 and 12030 0315-0335 Spanish DEL 9675 and 12030 0345-0405 Russian DEL 7235 0405-0425 Ukrainian DEL 7235 1500-1525 Italian NF 11855, ex 11925 1630-1655 Arabic NF 11700, ex 9645 and DEL 11665 1700-1800 Italian DEL 9730 1805-1825 German NF 6110, ex 5990 1820-2020 Italian DEL 9605, 11890, 17735, 17780, 21550 Sat Calcio 2000-2020 Russian NF 9700, ex 9670 2000-2020 Swedish NF 9890, ex 9745 Mon/Wed/Fri 2000-2020 Danish NF 9890, ex 9745 Tue/Thu/Sun 2000-2020 Esperanto NF 9890, ex 9745 Sat 2025-2045 English DEL 9670 2050-2110 Portuguese DEL 9670 2230-0055 Italian DEL 9675 and 12030 (Observer, Bulgaria, July 13 via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. Voice of Korea: QSL received... Hi! For a detailed reception report and program comments via regular mail on the April 30 Voice of Korea broadcast (11710 kHz, 1000 UT), I got the following today: a QSL card, blank reception report form, Radio Pyongyang pennant, Voice of Korea pin, frequency schedule, the June 19 issue of P`yongyang Times, and a reply letter. Very nice! Y`know, some stations put together some fairly elaborate packages for listeners; most notable to me are Radio Taiwan International and Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran. However, I didn't expect a two-month turnaround from the DPRK when I've had no luck with larger stations such as Radio Australia. Anyway, here was the frequency schedule, less the Pyongyang time column. BTW, there was no indication of date or season on this schedule, though it looks reasonable enough: 0200-0300 Southeast Asia 11845, 15230 1000-1100 Southeast Asia 11735, 13650 0100-0200 Northeast China 7140, 9345, 9720 0300-0400 Northeast China 7140, 9345, 9720 1300-1400 West Europe 15245, 13760 1500-1600 West Europe 15245, 13760 1900-2000 West Europe 15245, 13760 2100-2200 West Europe 15245, 13760 1600-1700 Middle East, North Africa 11735, 9975 0100-0200 Central America 15180, 11735, 13760 1000-1100 Central America 15180, 11710, 9335 1300-1400 North America 11710, 9335 1500-1600 North America 11710, 9335 Thanks! (Michael L. Semon, Lakeland, Florida, USA, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGST) From what I hear, it is rather unusual to get a QSL reply in the US direct from this Evil country (gh, DXLD) ** LATVIA [and non]. According to the operator, the transmitter in Ulbroka was completely off on Sunday 4 July. The "test transmissions" on 4 July must have been from a SW pirate. This does not come so much as a surprise perhaps, since the cancellation of the Kiss Radio broadcast on 4 July was announced already before the weekend; apparently somebody "took the chance" here to be heard. On 11 July the regular transmitter was in operation; I assume that the bad reception on Gotland was due to propagation conditions (in connection with the close geographical distance to Latvia), since the signal was heard well in other parts of Europe (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, July 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Kiss Radio was heard with excellent conditions Sunday July 11th, at 0800-0900 UT on 9290 (Christian Ghibaudo, France, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA. Radio Vilnius, Sitkunai offers strong and nice signal with program in English 0830-0900 UT. They said they are "The Biggest English Language Service in the Baltic". Frequency is 9710 kHz (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, July 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. XESDD-1030 is testing // XESS-620 --- They're on tonight, relaying the excellent tropical format of XESS-620 "La tropical 6-20". (I think the 920 outlet is still on from the old site and NOT //620 or 1030). Signal is loud but surprisingly no real slop between them and KURS-1040. Go get 'em. 73, (Tim Hall, Chula Vista, CA, July 12, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) ** NAMIBIA. On Friday evening July 9 at 1820 UT I heard a station playing very nice African music on 6060 kHz. Unfortunately I couldn`t identify it. My guess is I was listening to NBC Windhoek. Some splashes from R Sweden on 6065 kHz. Is this the only active outlet of NBC? 90 mb has been silent for years. 73s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND [and non]. CLEAR CHANNEL REACHES ACROSS THE PACIFIC The observation that Clear Channel Communications is expanding overseas (such as Belgium) is old news to the radio industry in both New Zealand and Australia. [4-106 USA] Clear Channel have a 50/50 joint venture with Australian media giant APN in the Australian Radio Network (ARN) and New Zealand's The Radio Network (TRN). This arrangement has been around for a number of years now. ARN operate 12 metro stations, mainly the MIX-FM brand in Australia. TRN have around 45% of the commercial radio market in New Zealand, operating such legacy brands as NewsTalk ZB, Radio Hauraki, and Easy Listening i, along with the ubiqitous Radio Sport (which accounts for the overnight relays of XETRA 690) on both AM/FM, along with FM only networks ZM-FM, Classic Hits FM, and The Edge, and solus jazz and blues player in the Auckland market, Cool Blue FM. So, of the two major commercial radio network players in NZ, one (CanWest) is currently 100% Canadian owned, and the remaining (TRN) is currently 50% Australian and 50% US (Clear Channel) owned. I think we should have reciprocal rights, but the FCC refuses to allow NZ investors to own radio stations in the USA, and the Canadians won't allow us there either. So much for 'free trade' and 'globalization'. And, whilst North Americans may have current issues with loss of localisation and increasing spread of network brands - I think you'll find we've been the rats in the listening laboratory. When I first listened to WOAI on 1200 AM some 35 years ago, I never would've believed that this 50 kW Class 1A Clear Channel was going to end up owning half my own local radio stations some 7,000 miles away from San Antonio. I can still hear WOAI like a local - the problem is, it now owns my locals too! Including the 'Good Guys' from former pirate Radio Hauraki - who set out to break down a monopoly and ended up being part of a duopoly. Even my faith in pirates is shattered on the rocks of corporatism! Warm regards (David Ricquish, Wellington, New Zealand, July 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. 17800, Voice of Nigeria, 2000-2300*, programming switches to this frequency [from 15120, presumably] without warning between 2000-2005. At s/off the NA is played, followed by a tone. The transmitter seems well modulated, but the intelligibility varies from program to program; some announcers are easy to understand and the audio is nice, others are distorted, over modulated and heavily accented (Chris Lobdell, MA, DXplorer via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 4960, 1140-1209, Catholic Radio Network, Vanimo, July 9. Today is the first time I've noted advertisements on CRN. Ads in English by female for PNG Motors ("mention this ad to get an especially generous offer at only 72,500 Kina")($22,511 US) and Michael's Sporting & Fishing ("Phone 9821133 or 9821132"). Religious chorus in Pidgin 1201; "Good night listener program" in Pidgin by male at 1203. Mentions of United Nations Development Program and Leadership Development Program at 1204 in Pidgin. Very good signal. On July 11, an excellent signal was heard at 0953 tune-in, with broadcast of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNG in Pidgin and English. At 1011, numerous Catholic and PNG government officials were introduced ("A warm welcome to the Honorable Alfred Sumani of Bougainville..."). Mentions of various issues facing the bishops such as youth problems, HIV/AIDS in the community, etc. The bishops were reminded that they want only government cooperation, not money for their participation in tackling these PNG problems (Guy Atkins, Puyallup, WA USA, DXing at Grayland, WA, Modified RA6790GM & R75, Kiwa MAP / ERGO / DSP-59+, 740 ft. SW and W Beverages; 940 ft. NW Beverage, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** SCOTLAND [non]. To clarify: the 5775 transmission on 15/7 at 1900 UT goes ahead as scheduled; the transmissions later this month are make-goods (Tony Currie, Radio Six International, July 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AMERICA. Hola Amigos de la lista! Esta noche seguiremos con las emisiones en 6307 kHz! La transmision anoche en su mayoria fue de música continua con algunos IDs de vez en cuando hasta las 0315 UT cuando la programación pasó a ser en inglés con transmisión hasta pasando las 08 UT de esta mañana. Esta noche de nuevo estaremos en el aire a partir de las 2200 UT hasta las 1000 UT del dia de mañana. La frecuencia como "siempre" 6307 kHz. Ayer el transmisor "sólo" dió 12-13 vatios. Hoy estaremos cambiando de nuevo el transistor de salida, a ver si podemos alzar la potencia a más o menos 20 vatios. Saludos de Jorge R. Garcia, Radio Piraña Internacional (ConDig list July 13 via DXLD) This South American pirate (Chile or Argentina?) was on the air last night, and is on again tonight (UT Wed until 1000), on 6307 with 12 to 20 watts. In case North Americans & further want a real DX challenge - -- (Glenn Hauser, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [and non]. Received this message on 13 July, 2004: -------- Dear Mr. Savolainen, I am writing from Sudan Radio Service in Nairobi, Kenya. I was browsing the DXing.info website and came across this discussion about Radio Peace and some other radios in southern Sudan. Your final posting was the following: In addition, I got some info from Southern Sudan, that there is a 50 Kw transmitter (shortwave I think) under construction very near the Radio Peace installation. My source describes it as "South Sudan Government" station. I'm unable to contact him at the moment to get more detailed information. I wonder if this will be the planned SIRS (Sudan Independent Radio Service) to replace the Sudan Radio Service transmissions from various relay sites. See http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/newsletter/sudan.html I wanted to help clear up any confusion. Sudan Radio Service (SRS) is not affiliated with Radio Peace or with the new Sudan People`s Liberation Movement (the southern Sudan government, for all practical purposes) station that is still under construction. SRS had originally been titled Sudan Independent Radio Service when the project was proposed, but we dropped the word ``independent`` to avoid any unintentional political connotations that word might imply. So SRS is here to stay and is not going to replace, or be replaced by, another broadcast service. SRS is an independent provider of news and information and promotes peace and development in Sudan. SRS is a project of Education Development Center, an American non-profit NGO (non-governmental organization) with support from USAID/OTI (the United States Agency for International Development / Office of Transition Initiatives). Our studios are in Nairobi, Kenya, but our transmissions come from a site in the U.K. For more information about us or to hear our daily broadcasts, please visit our website, http://www.sudanradio.org Again, I wish to emphasize that we have no affiliation with any of the other radio stations that are starting to crop up around southern Sudan. I hope you will pass this message on to your colleagues at DXing.info. Thank you very much. Best regards, Jeremy Groce, Radio Programming Advisor Sudan Radio Service (SRS), a project of Education Development Center (EDC), Inc. POB 4392, 00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya Mobile: +254 (0) 721 433 755 E-mail: jgroce @ edc.org or jgroce @ sudanradio.org Phone: +254 (020) 57 09 06 Fax: +254 (020) 57 65 20 ------- The latest news I got about this new SPLM station was in April. They had received a set of new transmitter tubes. The original plan was to transmit somewhere in the 31 meterband region (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, July 13, DX LISTNEING DIGEST) ** SYRIA [non]. An important newcomer to the clandestine-radio arena is Syria. Last week, the U.S.-based Syrian Reform party launched "Radio Free Syria" in order to "educate the Syrian public on issues of democracy, freedom and the cessation of violence." The station, which is available on shortwave frequency and the Internet, plans to air cynical and humorous programs criticizing Syria's ruling Baath party as well as on-air plays written by dissident Syrian playwrights. "Radio Free Syria will help us unite and consolidate the reformers inside Syria with the reformers pressuring the regime from the outside," says Farid Ghadry, president of the Syrian Reform party and Syrian Democratic Coalition (Nir Boms & Erick Stakelbeck on Clandestine Radio on National Review Online http://www.nationalreview.com/voices/nir_boms_stakelbeck200407130857.asp via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** TURKS & CAICOS. Following up on earlier post concerning the presently operating FM stations in Turks and Caicos Islands (22N/71- 72W). Consider this an updated version of previously sent to be filed away for when Es is working into the Bahamas and beyond: 1/ 88.7 Island music - 100 w (*) 2/ 90.5 Progressive rock - 250W (**) 3/ 92.5 Hit List - 250W now, 2 kw by 1 September (*) 4/ 93.9 Classic Rock - 35w (**) 5/ 99.9 Country - 35w (**) 6/ 101.5 Fox News (radio) - 35w (**) 7/ 101.9 Radio Turks & Caicos GRAND TURK 8/ 102.5 Oldies R & R - 35w (**) 9/ 103.9 Radio Turks & Caicos North and Middle Caicos 10/ 106.3 Gospel - power unknown 11/ 107.7 Radio Turks & Caicos Providenciales ... * - All but 7 and 9 are on Provo/Providenciales. There is also one more religious station on Provo, frequency and power unknown, but satellite fed except on Sunday mornings when it does a local church service - power believed to be 250 watts. Those with one (*) asterisk use (vertical) 4 element yagi antenna arrays directed west and east from the approximate middle of Providenciales - which I personally installed in the early and mid 80s. The power towards New England for example would be in the region of 10 watts eirp while in the favored direction of the yagis in excess of 100 watts eirp. ** - 92.5 is increasing power to 2 kW transmitter by 1 September and both this frequency and 88.7 will share a new circular polarised omni directional antenna. That will make these two channels (88.7, 92.5) by far the best shots throughout the eastern USA with 92.5 having the advantage of 2,000 watts versus 100 watts at 88.7. I have the verie information (email of station owner who happens to live in suburban Rochester, New York) and he is "anxious" to verify reception (!). He's also a long time ham enthusiast and for those who care, the founder of Ramsey Electronics (Bob Cooper in New Zealand, July 12, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U K. Extraña mezcla en 12095 --- Hola chavales: Un detalle curioso que ha estado ocurriendo en la frecuencia de 12095 con la emisión de la BBC. Desde aproximadamente las 0745, cuando he comenzado a escucharla, hasta que me he cansado de castigar mis oídos a eso de las 0815, he podido oír dos emisiones diferentes de la BBC en dicha frecuencia. Me explico --- Antes del boletín de las 0800, se podía escuchar un locutor leyendo lo que parecía literatura. Al mismo tiempo y con la misma intensidad se escuchaba un programa de música pop. Incluso antes de escuchar las señales horarias, se oían dos identificaciones diferentes, una a cargo de un locutor y otra de una locutora. A las 0800 se oyó el boletín de noticias y tras acabar éste, empiezan dos programas diferentes, uno sobre Lorca y otro sobre elecciones en Venezuela. ¿Curioso, no? Supongo que los técnicos han bebido más cerveza de la debida a estas horas de la mañana. ;-))) (Ignacio Sotomayor, Segovia, Castilla, España, July 13, Rcvx: ICOM R- 75; SONY ICF -SW7600, Anx: Hilo largo de 20 metros y Balun; KIWA Pocket Loop, Noticias DX via DXLD) HFCC A-04 shows only Woofferton supposed to be on then (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. VOA CHANGES PROMPT STAFFER PROTESTS By Barbara Slavin, USA TODAY Posted 7/12/2004 9:19 PM http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-07-12-voa-protest_x.htm?POE=click-refer WASHINGTON — A revolt is underway at the venerable Voice of America radio and TV network, which is under a congressional mandate to broadcast news abroad objectively. Anchors Katya Wakim, left, and Fadi Shahwan, center, talk to Doug Drew on the set in Springfield, Va. Al-Hurra [caption] Nearly half of Voice of America's (VOA) 1,000 staffers have signed a petition protesting what they call the "piece-by-piece" dismantling of the 62-year-old service, which reaches 87 million people in 44 languages. The petition asserts that the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees U.S taxpayer-funded broadcast outlets, has been funneling money into new radio and TV stations that are not subject to the same journalistic standards and monitoring as VOA. The new broadcast outlets are directed primarily at the Middle East, where the U.S. image is at a historic low. "As broadcast professionals ... we call on the U.S. Congress to conduct an immediate inquiry into the actions of the Broadcasting Board of Governors," the petition says. It goes on to accuse the board of "killing VOA" by closing its Arabic radio service, reducing English-language broadcasting and launching services with "no editorial accountability" and limited breaking news. Norman Pattiz, a board member, says the accusations are unfounded. He says that new services are doing a better job reaching target audiences in the Middle East. Pattiz was the main supporter of Radio Sawa, a 2-year-old station that primarily broadcasts pop music, and a new satellite TV station based in Springfield, Va., called Al-Hurra. Pattiz cites a recent survey showing that 80% of Radio Sawa listeners in seven Middle Eastern countries and 53% of Al-Hurra viewers believe the news they receive on those stations is "very" or "somewhat reliable." The telephone survey of 3,500 people in April showed that Al-Hurra is being watched by an average of 29% of satellite-equipped households in major cities in Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Shibley Telhami, an expert on Arab media and public opinion at the Brookings Institution, says a separate survey he has just completed of 3,300 people in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates doesn't indicate that Al-Hurra has had much impact on viewers in those countries. The survey shows that Al- Jazeera, a decade-old Qatar-based network often criticized by the Bush administration for having an anti-American slant, is the No. 1 choice for news, followed by al-Arabiya, a Dubai-based channel that is only a year old. No one surveyed said Al-Hurra, which went on the air in February, was a first choice and only 3.8% picked it as a second choice for news, according to that survey. Alan Heil, a 36-year veteran and historian of VOA, who retired in 1998, says Radio "Sawa has been on the air for 26 months and has never had an independent review" of its news content for accuracy and depth. Heil and many VOA staffers also cite the reassignment July 1 of VOA news director Andre DeNesnera as evidence of an effort to undermine VOA's objectivity. Heil says DeNesnera had fended off attempts by VOA director David Jackson to downplay negative news from Iraq and highlight positive developments over the past year. Jackson, a Bush appointee and former Time reporter, denies trying to skew the daily news report. He says DeNesnera was reassigned to be diplomatic correspondent as part of a shakeup "to reflect a world where television is more important." VOA's charter, signed in 1960 and enacted in 1976, forbids government interference with content in the station that aims to provide news with an American voice. The decision to spend $62 million on Al-Hurra, which means "the free one," has been controversial. Edward Djerejian, a former assistant secretary of State and director of the Baker Institute at Rice University, says U.S. taxpayer money would be better spent on creating a "corporation for public diplomacy" that would purchase "quality American content" to offer indigenous Arab satellite stations. Pattiz counters that the only way to project American views in the Middle East is by "controlling the distribution pipeline." He says VOA had become little more than a translation service for news written in Washington and that the organization must embrace new technologies to remain relevant (USA Today July 12 via DXLD) TO THE EDITOR, USA Today: As Voice of America News correspondents, we find comments by Norm Pattiz of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors in Barabara Slavin's Tuesday's story about the Voice of America deeply disturbing. Over the years, VOA News correspondents and reporters from its 44 language services (including English) have covered wars and civil strife on the scene from Asia to Africa to Latin America at great personal risk. Evidence of this reportage can be found every day on our website http://www.voanews.com The risks we face are greatly compounded because of anti-American hostility. Dismissing VOA as "little more than a translation service for news written in Washington" is more than just a disservice to an organization. It is highly offensive to a group of men and women who have put their lives on the line in pursuit of honest journalism. These views are solely those of the undersigned correspondents and do not reflect the views of the Voice of America or the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA News Correspondents Gary Thomas Chaliss McDonough Jim Malone Michael Bowman Stephanie Ho Bill Rodgers Al Pessin Delia Robertson Nick Simeone Alex Belida Daniel Robinson Sonja Pace Jim Teeple Paula Wolfson Alisha Ryu Mike O'Sullivan David McAlary Scott Stearns Larry James Barry Wood (via DXLD) Gov. Pattiz sent the following letter to USA TODAY To The Editor: Readers of Barbara Slavin's July 13, 2004 article, "VOA Changes Prompt Staffer Protests," might be given the incorrect impression -- from the last sentence she wrote -- that I have less than the highest regard for the Voice of America (VOA) as a professional news organization. Nothing could be further from the truth. Daily, VOA's correspondents put themselves in harm's way around the world to bring accurate news and informations to the service's international audiences. I have never felt that VOA is now, or should be, merely a translation service for news written in Washington. VOA's challenge -- like that of all our journalistic organizations -- is to use the latest technology and broadcast techniques to reach the largest possible audiences for maximum impact. Norman J. Pattiz, member, Broadcasting Board of Governors (via DXLD) ** U S A. CPJ: AT VOA, CHANGES PROMPT CONCERNS ABOUT CREDIBILITY, INDEPENDENCE Committee to Protect Journalists, 330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA Phone: (212) 465 1004 Fax: (212) 465 9568 Web: http://www.cpj.org E-Mail: info @ cpj.org Washington, July 13, 2004 --- Following a series of major newsroom and programming changes at the U.S. government–funded broadcaster Voice of America (VOA), hundreds of employees have petitioned Congress to say that political interference is endangering VOA’s credibility. VOA management has denied the charge, saying it remains committed to objective and authoritative news coverage The 450 VOA journalists submitted the petition July 6, accusing management of ``dismantling`` existing news services while creating formats open to political pressure. The petitioners, who represent nearly half of the agency’s 1,000 employees, have asked for a Congressional inquiry into the actions of VOA’s Board of Governors, which is appointed by the president. VOA`s new formats are targeted at the Middle East. They include Radio Sawa, which recently replaced VOA`s longtime Arabic service, and al- Hurra, a satellite-fed Arabic television service. The petitioners say the entities were not established under VOA`s traditional charter, which ensures the agency provide ``a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news`` that is ``accurate, objective and comprehensive.`` The charter, enacted in 1976, is also designed to prevent government interference with VOA content. VOA officials confirmed that Radio Sawa and al-Hurra were not established under VOA`s traditional charter. Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of VOA’s Board of Governors, said in a statement that the new Middle Eastern news services will ``have professional standards similar to those of the 1976 VOA Charter.`` They will be governed, he said, by the International Broadcasting Act of 1994, which requires the ``highest professional standards of broadcast journalism,`` and news that is ``consistently reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective and comprehensive.`` Radio Sawa offers a mix of news and entertainment, including Western and Arabic music designed for a young audience. Al-Hurra mixes news and talk shows, but emphasizes commentary over breaking news. Employees took their petition to Congress five days after VOA reassigned its award-winning news director, Andre de Nesnera. Although the transfer was not mentioned in the petition, several VOA employees told CPJ the leadership change helped fuel the petition drive. VOA Director David S. Jackson, who was appointed in 2002 by VOA`s Board of Governors, ordered the reassignment. Eight of the nine board members are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate; the ninth is the current Secretary of State. On July 1, Jackson informed de Nesnera that he was being reassigned to the new position of ``chief diplomatic correspondent.`` In an e-mail announcing the change to VOA staff, Jackson said he was making the move to ``take full advantage`` of de Nesnera`s ``extensive international reporting experience.`` But VOA journalists told CPJ they believe that de Nesnera was pushed out of top management because he resisted putting pro-U.S. slants on VOA reports. ``They removed a dedicated journalist who was interested in maintaining the integrity of the Voice of America and complying with the VOA charter,`` said Timothy Shamble, who represents VOA newsroom employees as president of Local 1812 of the American Federation of Government Employees. ``As head of the news division, Andre de Nesnera was making sure VOA produced balanced and accurate news.`` ``Every day we walk a fine line between being a government agency and a credible news organization,`` added Gary Marco, who represents VOA radio technicians as president of Local 1418 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. ``We have political appointees from either party at any time calling the shots.`` VOA spokesman Joe O`Connell said de Nesnera, who ran VOA`s central newsroom for more than four years, ``served with great distinction.`` He told CPJ that political pressure had nothing to do with the reassignment, pointing out that de Nesnera ran VOA`s newsroom longer than any other news director. Jackson, in his memo to staff, said the reassignment was one of many changes being made ``to strengthen`` VOA`s ``ability to more effectively cover the diverse peoples and cultures to which we broadcast.`` Last year, U.S. Foreign Service officers honored de Nesnera with the Tex Harris Award for Constructive Dissent. The award from the American Foreign Service Association recognized de Nesnera for standing up to political pressure from State Department spokesman Richard A. Boucher and other U.S. officials after VOA ran excerpts of a 2001 interview with the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar. The same story earned de Nesnera a Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism from the University of Oregon. ``VOA aired the story in the face of strident opposition from the U.S. National Security Council and senior State Department officials,`` according to the University of Oregon’s newsletter. De Nesnera declined to comment to CPJ on his reassignment. But in a departing e-mail to staff, he wrote: ``Our strength and steadfastness come from our charter, which requires us to present the news in an objective, balanced, and comprehensive manner. To do anything less is self-deception and our audience will perceive it as moral cowardice.`` Theodore A. Iliff, who has the new title of ``associate director for central programming,`` has replaced de Nesnera. Iliff, who worked for more than 12 years at CNN and CNN International as an executive editor and executive producer, most recently served as the general manager of the U.S.-funded Iraq Media Network in Baghdad. Iliff became associate editor at VOA earlier this year and has worked closely with Jackson. According to a VOA e-mail obtained by CPJ, Jackson instructed VOA staff covering the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib Prison to consult with ``Ted Iliff [who] will be the first point of contact for information on which pictures can be used.`` In the same May 11 e-mail, Jackson cautioned that some pictures should not be shown on VOA ``in consideration of our responsibilities`` to our ``diverse, global audience.`` Frank Smyth Washington Representative and Journalist Security Program Coordinator The Committee to Protect Journalists DC Office: Tel.: 202-244-2948 Fax: 202-244-2946 4449 Warren Street, NW, Washington, DC 20016 franksmyth @ compuserve.com http://www.cpj.org (via DXLD) ** U S A. CULTURE SHOCK --- today's editorial July 13, 2004 http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/161905-1263-021.html As an Arab-language pop music station, Radio Sawa's play list of schlocky teenybopper tunes and news sound bites shouldn't exactly attract controversy. But the outlet, part of the agency that operates the Voice of America, has been slammed by both Islamic fundamentalists and federal employees for its efforts to export American pop culture. Yet, one theory goes, if a closed society is given a taste of pop culture, it will begin to embrace liberty over tyranny and terrorism. Some students of the Cold War point out that communism in the Soviet Union was doomed the moment teens behind the Iron Curtain got their hands on Levi's jeans. Pop culture and consumerism also have weakened the Chinese government's hold on the hearts and minds of the people. Radio Sawa may help do the same. As an agent for change, Radio Sawa isn't perfect. It's too preoccupied with propaganda and would be better off in private hands. But it may succeed where Voice of America, Radio Martí and their interminable speechifying have failed (Indianapolis Star editorial via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Re: Interference on WRMI 7385, 4-106 Glenn, I agree totally with this mail. Erich Bergmann from Stuttgart reported that digital signal some three weeks ago, estimated as jamming against WRMI on 7385 kHz. KLINGENFUSS 2004 shows two entries BUT a lot of Kilohertz apart, like 7351.4 WHX CE R, Annapolis, MD USA DIG 7391.4 WHX CE R, Annapolis, MD USA DIG similar digital tones on 11637 FAAZNY FAA New York, NY USA DIG ALE 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello Glenn and Everyone, I checked out 7385 today at 0620 and could hear the interfering signal you write about. I am not a utility expert, but believe this is what is called an ALE type transmission. There are lots of them audible here in the UK - most of them in the maritime bands. At mid-day there are S9+ signals on such as 2173 and 3370 which must indicate a UK location and possibly the former Naval station at Inskip which is located about 9.75 miles east of my location. At those frequencies I would guess they are being used as internal (UK) information carriers. Others I know well are 6230, 6895 and 11540. All frequencies are approximate. And a same type of transmission spoils reception here of AFRTS on 7507 on weekdays. It's usually off Sat/Sun. I suspect that one may be located on your side of the big pond. Of course 'someone' could be radiating this noise maliciously on 7385, but I would suggest not. I think WRMI are just unlucky - yet lucky in another sense if this is a MARS frequency! Maybe Jeff White should look around for a better spot on the 40 metre band - how about 7445, or is the former user expected to return? 73s from (Noel Green, UK, July 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I hadn`t taken a close look at WRMI`s schedule lately, but I see in the current version dated June 9, it`s a total loss on weekdays as far as rational listeners are concerned for 21 hours a day: Nothing but Christian Media Network, 1200-2300 on 15725, 2300-0900 on 7385. Thank god for the weekends. 7385 noise still there UT July 14 around 0200 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. GERMANY: Additional transmission for WYFR Family Radio via DTK T-systems from July 12: 1700-1800 11785 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg to ME Daily in Turkish (new lang) Effective from July 10 Deutsche Welle cancelled transmission in German to AUS/NZ: 0600-1000 on 11795 WER 500 kW / 270 deg (Observer, Bulgaria, July 13 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. WYFR via CIS transmitters: 1700-1900 Russian on 9495 TAC 200 kW / 311 deg to EEu 1900-2000 Spanish on 7350 MNS 150 kW / 270 deg to SEu 1900-2000 German on 7360 ERV 500 kW / 305 deg to WEu 1900-2000 Italian on 9490 MSK 250 kW / 250 deg to WEu 2000-2200 English on 7350 KCH 500 kW / 295 deg to WEu ERV = Gavar/Yerevan, Armenia KCH = Grigoriopol, Moldova MNS = Minsk, Belarus MSK = Taldom/Moscow, Russia TAC = Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Observer, Bulgaria, July 13 via DXLD) ** U S A. George Jellinek is about to retire from ``The Vocal Scene,`` heard on WQXR 96.3 New York and 25 other stations. At one time 75 stations took the show, but there`s been a shrinkage in the number of classical music stations, and even less interest in vocal classical music, including opera. Jellinek, 84, does not relish the commute from Hastings-on-Hudson NY, but says he won`t disappear. He plans to continue doing special projects for the station (Bruce F. Elving, July FMedia! via DXLD) WQXR airtime is UT Fri 0200-0300; subjects from WQXR website: Thursdays, 10:00 – 11:00 PM: The Vocal Scene with George Jellinek: July 1: ``Beverly Sills and the Tudor Queens`` July 8: ``Rivers in Song`` July 15: ``José van Dam in French Opera`` July 22: ``Schubert`s Last Year`` July 29: ``Mascagni`s L`Amico Fritz`` Aug. 5: ``Christa Ludwig Remembers`` Aug. 12: ``An Essay on the Trio`` Aug. 19: ``Remembering Cesare Valletti`` Aug. 26: ``Flagstad and Melchior`` The program`s own page http://www.radiofeatures.com/vocal.htm for syndication shows a completely different schedule for this period: #1845 A Visit with Renata Scotto (July 4) – Your mail tells us that some of your favorite Vocal Scene programs are those in which we have a guest artist. This program will surely rank as a collector`s edition as the delightful Renata Scotto shares her stories and her music. #1846 The Art of Titta Ruffo (July 11) – Titta Ruffo, the great baritone and Caruso contemporary, is cited by George Jellinek as one of the primary influences on his decision to focus his broadcasting career on the vocal arts. In this hour you`ll hear why. #1847 A Fritz Wunderlich Tribute (July 18) – The career of Fritz Wunderlich was cut tragically short in 1966. His recordings thus preserve his glorious voice in eternal youth both in opera and operetta where he was equally at home. #1848 Verismo (July 25) – In 19th century literature ``realism`` was the province of Zola, Flaubert and Ibsen. In Italian opera of the same period it was Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Puccini who sought true-to- life tales to go with their great melodies. #1849 George London Remembered (August 1) – George London was one of the first American singers to conquer Europe after the Second World War. That he left Lana Turner and Hollywood High to go there and try is a story in itself…and George Jellinek will tell it. #1850 A Heavenly Blend (August 8) – If one superb soprano voice is a heavenly experience, two such voices must constitute at least a celestial event. Join the angels in sampling the heavenly blends we have for you in this hour of the Vocal Scene. #1851 The Return of Renata Tebaldi - I (August 15) – We are going to dip into the Vocal Scene archives for our next two programs. They were recorded in 1996 when the great Renata Tebaldi returned to New York for the first time in 20 years. #1852 The Return of Renata Tebaldi - II (August 22) – In 1996, on her first visit to New York in 20 years, Renata Tebaldi took time to share her music and her memories with George Jellinek. This week we`ll bring you the second half of that trip down memory lane. #1853 The Songs of Tchaikovsky (August 29) - Great romantic sweeps of melody flowed from Tchaikovsky`s pen into the hearts of music lovers everywhere. And his songs were no exception, as you shall hear in the voices of some of Russia’s greatest singers. Publicradiofan`s program info page for The Vocal Scene http://www.publicradiofan.com/cgi-bin/program.pl?programid=1431 shows these ``Live Broadcasts``, i.e. recorded webcasts, UT: Wed 0000 WWNO Wed 0300 WFIU Thu 0300 KBYU Fri 0200 WQXR Sat 0300 WQED Sat 1630 KSUI, WCNY Sun 2000 WHRO Sun 2100 WWFM (via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. AL FRANKEN TO RENAME RADIO SHOW NEW YORK (July 13) - Al Franken`s radio show, ``The O`Franken Factor,`` is changing its name to ``The Al Franken Show.`` The new, more typical, show name was chosen over candidates such as ``The O`Limbaugh Factor`` and ``The O`President Bush Factor,`` Franken said in a statement Monday. Franken`s daily three-hour show on the liberal talk radio network Air America Radio was dubbed ``The O`Franken Factor`` in a jab at Fox News host Bill O`Reilly. The 53-year-old comedian said he`s changing the name because ``no matter how hard we tried, conservative entertainer Bill O`Reilly wouldn`t sue us.`` O`Reilly had no comment Monday. Last year, a judge threw out Fox`s request to ban Franken from using the slogan ``Fair and Balanced`` on the cover of his book, ``Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.`` The ruling turned into a bonanza of publicity for Franken. Air America Radio is betting that a menu of left-leaning political commentary, current affairs talk and satire will resonate with those opposed to the Bush administration. 07/13/04 07:27 EDT Copyright 2004 The Associated Press (via John Norfolk, dxldyahoogroup via DXLD) ** U S A. MONSTERS SEEK SENSITIVITY --- CLEAR CHANNEL SENDS SHOCK JOCK TEAM FOR TRAINING AFTER RACIAL SLURS By ERIC DEGGANS St. Petersburg Times Published Saturday, July 10, 2004 http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20040710&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=407100360&SectionCat=&Template=printart Amid a growing controversy over the use of racial slurs, including a rebuke from St. Petersburg city officials and complaints from a local NAACP president, Clear Channel Radio will remove the shock jock radio team The Monsters from the air next week for sensitivity training. The training was inspired by complaints over the team's use of derogatory terms for homosexuals and people of color on air. And part of the team's retraining might include an on air talk upon their July 19 return with civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson. The slurs, revealed in a St. Petersburg Times story Tuesday, prompted a St. Petersburg City Council vote Thursday to send a letter to Clear Channel condemning the language. Darryl Rouson, a lawyer and president of St. Petersburg's NAACP chapter, called the company Friday to tell them he would bring up the matter next week at the group's national convention in Philadelphia. "We've paid attention (to the complaints) and taken some action," said David C. Reinhart, regional vice president and Gulf Coast market manager for Clear Channel Radio. "They're being trained not to use those terms. We're hoping to leave it at that." The Monsters, which originates in Orlando, also airs in Jacksonville and from 6 to 10 a.m. locally on WXTB-FM 97.9 (98 Rock). During the group's training next week, Clear Channel will air "best of" shows that have been scoured for racially insensitive material, Reinhart said. Monsters leader Russ Rollins said he feels abandoned by company officials, who often encouraged his team when ratings were good, before receiving public complaints. The show features jokes about white rural culture and a cast who champion the pleasures of sex, partying and pranks. Popular for years in Orlando, the show came to WXTB in March when shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge Clem was fired after incurring a record $755,000 fine for airing sexually indecent material. "I'm (thinking) `OK, isn't this the type of broadcast that was OK'd by the company? You wanted us to be edgy,' " said Rollins. "Now, we're not just talking about (eliminating) racial slurs, we can't make fun of stereotypes. It's irritating, because you don't know where the line is." But Rouson, who called Reinhart Friday morning when a salesperson from WXTB visited him to discuss advertising on the station, said responsible broadcasters should know to avoid using such harmful slurs. "(Sensitivity training) is not enough if it does not clear up the comments that are offensive and derogatory towards minorities . . . but I'm willing to give it a chance," said Rouson, who still plans to report Monday on the Monsters controversy to NAACP officials. "With my calling . . . and what City Council did, they knew the snowball effect was taking place. Something had to be done." Reinhart couldn't say why Clear Channel allowed the Monsters to air such epithets, or why they concluded Friday that such conduct was no longer acceptable. "Of course we monitor what they do," said Reinhart, who also couldn't say how many complaints the company received this week. "We've just had them on the air (in Tampa) a short time." Reinhart and Rollins each said Jackson, who hosts a live, national talk show for Clear Channel from Chicago, might appear on The Monsters show July 19 to discuss racial sensitivity. But representatives for Jackson said they were unaware of any such plans. Rollins, who always has said his show makes fun of a wide range of people, wasn't sure how much the Monsters might change after their break. "We can't come off like we're choir boys when we come back . . . we won't keep our core listeners," he said. "Once again, Clear Channel is backing down . . . I guess we'll just start picking on each other and making fun of rednecks. That's always OK." (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Clear Channel well entrenched in New Zealand, q.v. ** U S A. CLEAR CHANNEL's taking another struggling AM to liberal talk, flipping Sports WRFX-A (FOX SPORTS RADIO AM 940)/MIAMI to a format similar to its AIR AMERICA affiliate KPOJ-A/PORTLAND. Like the PORTLAND station, WRFX, which will revert to its longtime previous WINZ-A calls, will carry JONES' ED SCHULTZ show. The move knocks the number of Sports stations serving the market back down to two (WQAM-A and WFFL-A; another, WEFL-A/TEQUESTA, serves PALM BEACH and north) and adds a non-brokered general-interest talker to an area with surprisingly few such choices (CLEAR CHANNEL sister WIOD-A and rimshot WEST PALM-based WFTL-A in MIAMI-DADE and BROWARD). It also puts liberal syndicated talk up against local liberal NEIL ROGERS, a dominant market mainstay on WQAM (from http://www.allaccess.com via Brock Whaley, July 12, DXLD) I always associate Neil Rogers with WINZ-940, since he was on that station when I lived in S Florida in the 80s (gh) ** U S A. I forget --- what is the official "turn-off" date for analog television? Will it be the entire country, or just the large markets? (Bob Timmerman, WTFDA via DXLD) Theoretically, the end of 2006. Most believe the conditions that allow extension of that date will be met, and analog will live a while longer. However, the FCC is considering a ruling that would change the definitions (Congress left them room to do that, probably unintentionally) and might make it possible to close analog "on- schedule". I have to think any move to close analog at the 2006 deadline would be met with a legal challenge, if not from anyone else from LPTV interests. Rules for the DTV transition by LPTV stations & translators have not yet been set. If they were set today, it would be difficult for many stations to complete the necessary paperwork and get a digital signal on the air by the end of 2006 (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, ibid.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ IS BROADBAND OUT OF A WALL SOCKET THE NEXT BIG THING? The New York Times July 11, 2004 TECHNO FILES By JAMES FALLOWS http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/11/business/yourmoney/11tech.html?pagewanted=print&position= I WANT to finish this column before a familiar mood has passed. That is the sense of wonder at seeing that a new form of technology actually works. Based on previous episodes, the mood will soon give way to jadedness. (The first time I used a digital camera, I was amazed that I could see the pictures immediately after I shot them. Within a few days, I had a list of ways the camera should be improved.) So, in this fleeting upbeat moment, here is a word of appreciation for an advance that already has me wondering how I lived without it. It is known variously as B.P.L, for broadband over power lines, or as HomePlug. As a concept, it has been around for a long time. What is new in the last two years is a series of technical breakthroughs, mainly in chips designed by Intellon, a tiny company in Ocala, Fla. These chips have made power-line transmission fast enough, cheap enough and reliable enough to merit serious attention. A standards- setting group called the HomePlug alliance has also played an important role. The idea behind this approach is that plain old electric wires can do double duty in carrying high-speed digital data, much the same way that cable, fiber-optic and D.S.L. networks do. The advantage is that the needed electric wires are already there, bringing power to nearly every house in the nation and almost every room in each house. So for a tiny fraction of the cost of building new connections, this approach could help solve the familiar "last mile" problem: how to bring Internet service from trunk lines to each school and household. It can immediately deal with the increasingly vexing "last hundred feet" problem: how to bring broadband service to every nook and cranny of a building. Here's how it can work inside your house: First, you need a high-speed connection. For me, that's a Starpower cable modem. Then you need a router so your computers can share the connection. Routers have become cheap and very easy to set up. I have a model from Linksys that creates a WiFi zone for my house and costs $60; similar models go for less than $50 on eBay. If I have a wireless network, why do I want anything else? Because my house has walls, and the walls (and floors) get in the way of the wireless signal, which is coming from the attic, where the cable happens to enter the house. So in half the rooms of the house - to say nothing of the back porch - I suffer the indignity of a weak or unusable WiFi signal. Until recently, my options were to endure this hardship stoically, to pay the cable company to drill new holes and move the cable modem to a central location, or to drape unsightly Ethernet cable down the staircase and through the house to hook up more computers. I toyed with the Ethernet cable option, but one glance from my wife at the garish neon-yellow coils convinced me that stoicism was the wiser course. Now there is another option: a HomePlug network. I needed a "power- line bridge" to make the network available over the electrical lines in my house - mine was the Netgear XE102 and cost about $50; similar models come from Siemens, Asoka Belkin and other companies that meet the HomePlug standard. I connected it to the router and plugged it into an ordinary wall socket. Instantly, every other socket in the house, and on the porch, became a high-speed-connection site. If I plug another bridge into any other socket, I have the equivalent of an Ethernet port. If I plug in a device called a wireless access point, like a $60 model I got from Siemens, I have a new WiFi hot spot wherever I want it - until I decide to move it someplace else. In Potomac, Md., outside Washington, I recently visited a nondescript tract house set up to demonstrate the potential of such technology. Using only the built-in electric wires as a transmission system, the house had as much broadband activity under way as a typical college dorm: A movie streaming to a big-screen TV. Music playing from a Web site. A multiplayer interactive game under way, via Xbox. Four or five ordinary computers on the Internet. A computer in one room sending instructions to a printer down the hall. Telephone calls being made via Internet transmission - and much more, all of it coming right out of the wall sockets. I suppose it would have been more impressive had it come right out of the sewer, but this was pretty good. The demo house was designed by a company called Current Technologies, which uses power lines to solve the "last mile" problem. Current recently struck a major deal with Cinergy, the investor-owned utility in the Cincinnati area, to use Cinergy's electrical lines as an Internet transmission system. In areas where Cinergy is rolling out the service, customers don't even need a cable modem or D.S.L. connection. When they sign up for service, which costs slightly less than cable or D.S.L. rates, they get one free plug-in modem - and others for $30 each - and then have a true "plug and play" broadband connection. The routers are on outside utility poles; the circuitry of the entire house carries both electrical power and Internet data. "Our customers have loved it," said Bill Grealis, executive vice president of Cinergy, "because they can take the little modem from outlet to outlet and they can have many people online at once, without the hassles of setting up routers. And the speed is terrific." Mr. Grealis said Cinergy had expected 10 percent of its eligible customers to sign up in the first year and another 10 percent in the second. In fact, 15 percent signed up in the first eight weeks, so Cinergy's main problem has been managing customer demand. BILL BERKMAN, the chairman of Current, said the power-line system had advantages for utilities like Cinergy because it made their electric grids "intelligent." The systems can automatically sense service interruptions, problems and performance levels more quickly and precisely than they otherwise could. But no one, including Mr. Berkman, contends that power-line transmission is the exclusive or final answer to broadband problems. "It's another tool in the toolbox," he said, to be used with cable, D.S.L., a promising wireless technology called WiMax and other systems, employing each one where it is most efficient. John H. F. Miner, the president of Intel Capital, said that in the long run, all of today's data networks might have to give way to fiber-optic systems with even higher capacity. But that could take a long time - and in the short term, power-line transmission could be valuable not only in the United States, but also "in places with inferior telecom infrastructure but great power grids, like Russia." Tomorrow that may sound ho-hum. As I write, it still seems exciting. James Fallows is a national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) !!!! The man must never try to listen to a radio. My respect for Fallows has taken a deep plunge (gh, DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ USB radio dongle Posted Jul 13, 2004, 6:43 AM ET by Simon Spagnoletti Related entries: Misc. Gadgets http://www.engadget.com/entry/8143838859548140/ We had almost given up on broadcast radio and here Avermedia goes and makes a radio USB dongle (the interface of choice these days: pretty soon you’ll be able to have anything you could possibly want plugged into a USB port). But this one doesn’t just play radio. That would be boring and a clear waste of the fact that it’s a USB radio. The accompanying software scans the airwaves and presents you with a list of available stations. It also lets you record said stations, which is most probably going to get them sued by the RIAA sooner or later even though last time we checked we were allowed to record the radio. Rebels. Oh, and they named the thing the USB Radio. Simple. Fantastic (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ``Airwaves`` -- do they actually mean broadcasts thru the aether? USB? These computer types need to realize that ``USB`` is already in use and means something quite different (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Glenn, Obviously this will affect --- has affected? --- radio propagation. 73, (Harry Helms W7HLH, Las Vegas, NV DM26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WILL COMPASSES POINT SOUTH? --- July 13, 2004 By WILLIAM J. BROAD http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/13/science/13magn.html?ex=1090731757&ei=1&en=6e5715253370cca3 The collapse of the Earth's magnetic field, which both guards the planet and guides many of its creatures, appears to have started in earnest about 150 years ago. The field's strength has waned 10 to 15 percent, and the deterioration has accelerated of late, increasing debate over whether it portends a reversal of the lines of magnetic force that normally envelop the Earth. During a reversal, the main field weakens, almost vanishes, then reappears with opposite polarity. Afterward, compass needles that normally point north would point south, and during the thousands of years of transition, much in the heavens and Earth would go askew. A reversal could knock out power grids, hurt astronauts and satellites, widen atmospheric ozone holes, send polar auroras flashing to the equator and confuse birds, fish and migratory animals that rely on the steadiness of the magnetic field as a navigation aid. But experts said the repercussions would fall short of catastrophic, despite a few proclamations of doom and sketchy evidence of past links between field reversals and species extinctions. Although a total flip may be hundreds or thousands of years away, the rapid decline in magnetic strength is already damaging satellites. Last month, the European Space Agency approved the world's largest effort at tracking the field's shifts. A trio of new satellites, called Swarm, are to monitor the collapsing field with far greater precision than before and help scientists forecast its prospective state. "We want to get some idea of how this would evolve in the near future, just like people trying to predict the weather," said Dr. Gauthier Hulot, a French geophysicist working on the satellite plan. "I'm personally quite convinced we should be able to work out the first predictions by the end of the mission." The discipline is one of a number - like high-energy physics and aspects of space science - where Europeans have recently come from behind to seize the initiative, dismaying some American experts. No matter what the new findings, the public has no reason to panic, scientists say. Even if a flip is imminent, it might take 2,000 years to mature. The last one took place 780,000 years ago, when Homo erectus was still learning how to make stone tools. Some experts suggest a reversal is overdue. "The fact that it's dropping so rapidly gives you pause," said Dr. John A. Tarduno, a professor of geophysics at the University of Rochester. "It looks like things we see in computer models of a reversal." In an interview, Dr. Tarduno put the odds of an impending flip at more likely than not, adding that some of his colleagues were placing informal bets on the possibility but realized they would probably be long gone by the time the picture clarified. Deep inside the Earth, the magnetic field arises as the fluid core oozes with hot currents of molten iron and this mechanical energy gets converted into electromagnetism. It is known as the geodynamo. In a car's generator, the same principle turns mechanical energy into electricity. No one knows precisely why the field periodically reverses, but scientists say the responsibility probably lies with changes in the turbulent flows of molten iron, which they envision as similar to the churning gases that make up the clouds of Jupiter. In theory, a reversal could have major effects because over the ages many aspects of nature and society have come to rely on the field's steadiness. When baby loggerhead turtles embark on an 8,000-mile trek around the Atlantic, they use invisible magnetic clues to check their bearings. So do salmon and whales, honeybees and homing pigeons, frogs and Zambian mole rats, scientists have found. On a planetary scale, the magnetic field helps shield the Earth from solar winds and storms of deadly particles. Its so-called magnetosphere extends out 37,000 miles from Earth's sunlit side and much farther behind the planet, forming a cometlike tail. Among other things, the field's collapse, scientists say, could let in bursts of radiation, causing a variety of disruptions. Dr. Charles H. Jackman, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., has worked with European colleagues on a computer model that mimics the repercussions. A weak field, they reported in December, could let solar storms pummel the atmosphere with enough radiation to destroy significant amounts of the ozone that protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet radiation, the short, invisible rays from the sun, can harm some life forms, depress crop yields and raise cancer rates, causing skin cancer and cataracts in humans. Dr. Jackman said that the ozone damage from any one solar storm could heal naturally in two to three years but that the protective layer would stay vulnerable to new bursts of radiation as long as the Earth's magnetic field remained weak. "It would be significant" in terms of planetary repercussions, he said in an interview, "but not catastrophic." High levels of ultraviolet radiation would spread down from polar regions as far south as Florida. Like many of the Earth's invisible rhythms, the field reversals are typically slow, taking anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 years to complete. Strong evidence of their reality first emerged in the 1950's and 1960's when scientists towing magnetic sensors behind ships found that the rocky seabed exhibited odd stripes of magnetization. It turned out that continuous flows of seabed lava became alternately magnetized over the ages as the polarities of the Earth's field switched one way, then the other. The seabed acted like a huge tape recorder, and the same proved true of the layered deposits of old volcanoes on land. How did the rocky memories form? Molten lava proved to hold tiny mineral grains that acted like innumerable compasses, or miniature magnets, freely aligning themselves with the contemporary field. But as the lava cooled, the tiny compasses froze in place, immobile even if the field shifted. Experts called it paleomagnetism and found that the tiny compasses were often made of magnetite, a naturally magnetic mineral. Paleomagnetic studies showed that the Earth's field reversed every half million years or so, but in a fairly random way and with early patterns more chaotic. During the age of dinosaurs, for instance, no flips occurred for roughly 35 million years. As scientists began to understand the importance of reversals in the planet's history, they examined the fossil record for evidence of damage to life. In 1971, Dr. James D. Hays of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University noted a strong correlation between recent flips and species extinctions of tiny marine creatures known as radiolarians. "The evidence," he wrote in The Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, "is strongly suggestive that magnetic reversals either directly or indirectly exert a selective force." But no consensus ever formed on how the flips might have doomed some creatures and spared others, and some experts faulted the correlations as statistically insignificant. Meanwhile, starting in the late 1970's, scientists began to find wide evidence that many animals relied on the Earth's magnetic field for navigation. Dr. Joseph L. Kirschvink of the California Institute of Technology discovered such reliance in bees, pigeons, bacteria, salmon, whales and newts, among other animals. The magnetic sense, he found, usually relies on tiny crystals of magnetite - the same mineral that gets immobilized in cooling lava. Investigators looking into the origin of the reversals got new clues in 1995 when scientists at the Los Álamos National Laboratory and the University of California at Los Ángeles succeeded in making the first computer simulation of the geodynamo in action, including field reversals. Dr. Gary A. Glatzmaier, who was one of the Los Álamos scientists, said it showed that the Earth's solid inner core resisted the flipping because the field there could not change as rapidly as it did in the fluid outer core. "The reversal starts with a small region that gets larger," he said in an interview. "Most of the time they die away, but other times they continue to grow." To date, the simulations of millions of years have produced more than a dozen flips. The current collapse drew wide scientific attention on April 11, 2002, when Nature, the British journal, published a major paper that detailed its growing weakness. Dr. Hulot and colleagues at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, where he works, as well as the Danish Space Research Institute, called the large drop remarkable. They found it by comparing readings made in 1979 and 1980 by the American Magsat satellite with measurements by the Danish Oersted satellite, launched in 1999 and still operating. In particular, Dr. Hulot and his team discovered a north polar region and a spot below South Africa where the magnetism is growing extremely weak. The finding drew wide attention because the magnetic anomalies seemed consistent with what the computer simulations identified as the possible beginnings of a flip. "We postulate," Dr. Hulot and his co-authors wrote, that the new evidence reflects how "the geodynamo operates before reversing." In an interview, he said that the field's southern spot was 30 percent weaker than elsewhere and that some satellites passing over it had already suffered electronic malfunctions when highly charged particles from the sun were able to penetrate the weakened magnetic shield. In March 2003, "The Core," a Hollywood film, gave a wildly exaggerated portrayal of what would happen if the field vanished. People with pacemakers fall dead. Pigeons fly into people and windows. And the planet, a scientist warns, will fry in a year. Dr. Tarduno said that practical effects on things like satellites and the ozone layer would be the same no matter whether the field reversed or simply weakened and bounced back. A major collapse of the Earth's magnetic shield, he added, could let speeding particles penetrate deeper into the atmosphere to widely knock out power grids, as solar storms do occasionally. The consensus among biologists seems to be that the reversals are slow enough, and the Earth's creatures resilient enough, that most would learn to adapt. They note the lack of correlations in the fossil record between flips and mass extinctions. Dr. Kenneth J. Lohmann, a biologist at the University of North Carolina who has pioneered magnetic navigation studies in loggerhead turtles, said if the field became weak enough "there would be problems for the turtles." His research suggests they use it not only for a general sense of direction but as a precise map of their location. To better understand the current collapse, the European Space Agency plans to launch three satellites in 2009. The spacecraft, flying in polar orbits a few hundred miles up, are to map its intricacies until perhaps 2015. Dr. Hulot said scientists would combine the satellite data with computer simulations to make not only distant forecasts but possible warnings of current hazards. Among the possible solutions would be to increase satellite shielding. "It will be interesting to see what's going to happen in that South Atlantic anomaly," he said. "If you want to keep satellites flying, you want to know if the situation is going to deteriorate." (via Harry Helms, DXLD) The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to active. The first five days of the summary period were dominated by mostly quiet geomagnetic field conditions with isolated high latitude unsettled periods. The onset of the CIR on 10 July resulted in occasional active periods at all latitudes. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 14 JULY - 09 AUGUST 2004 Solar activity is expected to range from low to high levels. Mostly moderate to high level activity is expected early in the period from active regions in both the northwest and southeast solar quadrants. The complex active regions currently on the visible disk at the time of this writing have potential to produce moderate to high levels of activity until 24 July. Backside SOHO MDI imagery also indicate that one or more complex regions will rotate onto the visible on 17 - 18 July. Consequently, moderate or even isolated high activity levels are possible during the latter half of the forecast period. A greater than 10 MeV proton event is possible. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to reach high levels on 26 – 27 July due to a recurrent coronal hole high speed stream. The geomagnetic field is expected to range from quiet to active levels with minor storm periods at high latitudes. Unsettled to active conditions with high latitude minor storm periods are possible on 16 - 17 July due to possible CME effects, and again on 25-26 July as a recurrent coronal high speed stream rotates into a geoeffective position. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2004 Jul 13 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2004 Jul 13 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2004 Jul 14 135 12 3 2004 Jul 15 140 20 4 2004 Jul 16 140 15 3 2004 Jul 17 135 10 3 2004 Jul 18 135 10 3 2004 Jul 19 130 10 3 2004 Jul 20 130 10 3 2004 Jul 21 130 8 3 2004 Jul 22 130 8 3 2004 Jul 23 125 8 3 2004 Jul 24 115 8 3 2004 Jul 25 105 15 3 2004 Jul 26 95 15 3 2004 Jul 27 95 10 3 2004 Jul 28 95 10 3 2004 Jul 29 100 12 3 2004 Jul 30 100 10 3 2004 Jul 31 95 10 3 2004 Aug 01 95 10 3 2004 Aug 02 95 10 3 2004 Aug 03 95 10 3 2004 Aug 04 95 10 3 2004 Aug 05 95 10 3 2004 Aug 06 95 8 3 2004 Aug 07 105 10 3 2004 Aug 08 125 15 3 2004 Aug 09 125 10 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1238, DXLD) ###