DX LISTENING DIGEST 5-073, May 4, 2005 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING 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 2005 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 AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1273: Wed 2200 WOR WBCQ 7415 17495-CUSB Thu 1600 WOR WBCQ after hours Thu 2030 WOR WWCR 15825 Fri 0000 WOR WTND-LP 106.3 Macomb IL Fri 0200 WOR ACBRadio Mainstream [repeated 2-hourly thru 2400] Fri 1030 WOR World FM, Tawa, Wellington, New Zealand 88.2 Fri 1600 WOR WBCQ after hours Fri 2300 WOR Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 87.35 96.55 105.55 Sat 0000 WOR ACBRadio Mainstream Sat 0800 WOR WRN1 to Eu, Au, NZ, WorldSpace AfriStar, AsiaStar, Telstar 12 SAm Sat 0855 WOR WNQM Nashville TN 1300 Sat 1030 WOR WWCR 5070 Sat 1130 WOR World FM, Tawa, Wellington, New Zealand 88.2 Sat 2030 WOR R. Lavalamp Sun 0230 WOR WWCR 5070 Sun 0300 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Sun 0330 WOR WRMI 7385 Sun 0630 WOR WWCR 3210 Sun 0830 WOR WRN1 to North America, also WLIO-TV Lima OH SAP Sun 0830 WOR KSFC Spokane WA 91.9 Sun 0830 WOR WXPR Rhinelander WI 91.7 91.9 100.9 Sun 0830 WOR WDWN Auburn NY 89.1 [unconfirmed] Sun 0830 WOR KTRU Houston TX 91.7 [occasional] Sun 1100 WOR R. Lavalamp Sun 1200 WOR WRMI 7385 Sun 1300 WOR KRFP-LP Moscow ID 92.5 Sun 1500 WOR R. Lavalamp Sun 1730 WOR WRMI 7385 [from WRN] Sun 1730 WOR WRN1 to North America Sun 1900 WOR Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 87.35 96.55 105.55 Sun 2000 WOR RNI Mon 0230 WOR WRMI 7385 Mon 0300 WOR WBCQ 9330-CLSB Mon 0330 WOR WSUI Iowa City IA 910 [1272] Mon 0430 WOR WBCQ 7415 Mon 0900 WOR R. Lavalamp Mon 1600 WOR WBCQ after hours Tue 0600 WOR WPKN Bridgeport CT 89.5, WPKM Montauk NY 88.7 Tue 1600 WOR WBCQ after hours Wed 0930 WOR WWCR 9985 Wed 1600 WOR WBCQ after hours MORE info including audio links: http://worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WRN ON DEMAND [from Friday]: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL] [from early UT Thursday] WORLD OF RADIO 1273 (high version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1273h.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1273h.rm WORLD OF RADIO 1273 (low version): (stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1273.ram (download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1273.rm (summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1273.html WORLD OF RADIO 1273 in true shortwave sound of Alex`s mp3 [expected]: (stream) http://www.dxprograms.net/worldofradio_05-04-05.m3u (download) http://www.dxprograms.net/worldofradio_05-04-05.mp3 DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Why wait for DXLD? A lot more info, not all of it appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our yg. Here`s where to sign up http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/ ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 15500, Internews/Salaam Watandar via Rampisham, UK at 1330-1431* UT on Apr 26, with time pips at 1430 into ID: "Salaam Watandara, Salaam Watandara, da Salaam Watandara Radyo-dah. Inja radio-ye Salaam Watandara ..." OM and YL alternating, and off. Fair (Finn Krone, Denmark, April 26, wwdxc BC-DX May 3 via DXLD) ** ALASKA. KNLS` new schedule in effect, and just as I predicted, a collision: English at 1400 May 3 on 9795 mixing at about equal level with Vietnamese, which per HFCC is RFI via Japan. In East Asia, chances are that RFI has the advantage. Since both are in HFCC A-05, why was the collision allowed to happen? There is hardly any overlap in official CIRAF target areas: 9795 1400 1500 44S,49,50,54 YAM 300 235 1234567 270305 040905 D Vietnamese J RFI TDF 9795 1400 1500 22-24,34,35,44,45 NLS 100 270 1234567 270305 301005 D English USA NLS FCC Per the CIRAF map, these target zones translate to: RFI: SE China, Taiwan, SE Asia [including Myanmar, Malaysia], Philippines, Indonesia [except Papua] KNLS: NW Siberia (but not NE Siberia!), DVR, E China, Korea, Japan So the only overlap according to this is SE China, where neither Vietnamese nor English is a primary language. Of course, none of KNLS` targets are English-speaking beyond the ESL level. But why is RFI aiming at so much of Asia beyond Vietnam for its Vietnamese broadcast? Anyhow, in practice it`s obvious that the two will be colliding unacceptably over much of East Asia. But it`s not my problem, except when I would like to listen, very far off-target, to KNLS in the clear in English. Meanwhile, their Mandarin on 9615 at 1400 was in the clear here. Checked again May 4, on 9795, RFI Vietnamese was on top (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA [and non]. Voz Cristã keeps on occupying 15475, and LRA- 36 keeps on hetting it: May 3 at 2002 UT there was definitely a carrier audible here on 15476 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. *** Tuesday evening edition: *** New recording of 4498.11 Radio Estambul. This evening Tuesday I made another recording of the new Bolivian station Radio Estambul, now with a clear address to the station. Better signal strength this time. Comments, photos and recordings at: http://www.malm-ecuador.com 73s (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, May 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. BRAZILIAN MEDIUM WAVE LIST, NEW EDITION The 3rd edition of the Brazilian Medium Wave List, compiled by the DXCB (Dx Clube do Brasil), is online. You may download freely as a PDF document at http://www.ondascurtas.com/listasemissorasmw.asp (Rocco Controneo, ER, MWDX yg via DXLD) LISTA DE EMISSORAS EM OM BRASILEIRAS - 3. EDIÇÃO Após quase um ano de revisão, o DX Clube do Brasil apresenta a 3. Edição da Lista de Emissoras Brasileiras de Ondas Médias. Este trabalho mobilizou dezenas de amigos radioescutas de todas as partes do país e o resultado final poderá servisto na home-page do DX Clube do Brasil: http://www.ondascurtas.com Convido aos amigos para visitarem nossa home-page e baixarem GRATUITAMENTE este material, em formato PDF, o qual consideramos ser uma excelente ferramenta para os amigos que apreciam o dexismo em ondas médias. Diferente da lista oficial da Anatel, que consta todas emissoras, incluindo outorgas temporárias, e até emissoras inativas e outras com entidades diferentes das efetivos atuais, a Lista de Emissoras Brasileiras de Ondas Médias representa toda a informação atualizada de forma a permitir a identificação correta da emissora. A lista apresenta informações úteis como a formação de redes, fuso horário brasileiro, informações úteis para identificação das emissoras, mapas etc. o que a torna extremamente útil e prática ao radioescuta e dxista. Um fato importante é a permanente atualização das informações, já que este é um território super dinâmico. Para isso utilizamos o e-mail: carlos@ondascurtas.com destinado aos amigos nos enviarem informações sobre novas emissoras, mudanças de frequência etc... Bom uso ! (Sarmento F Campos, Rio de Janeiro - Brasil, Membro do DX Clube do Brasil, Junte-se à nossa família! http://www.ondascurtas.com Noticias DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. CJML Winnipeg on today --- Hi all, 580, CJML, MB Winnipeg, 5-2 1130-1205 EDT, good with music of 1937-39 sponsored by "Peak of the Market". Good but not as strong as other Winnipeg stations. Said still tweaking transmitter. Will be on for two weeks in celebration of Victory in Europe Day. Tuned in on vintage Zenith Trans-Oceanic and Hallicrafters S-38 receivers. Still going strong at around 1800. Power is 99 watts (Morris Sorensen, MB, May 2, ODXA via DXLD) ** CANADA. Am hearing CFTR blowing away my 50 kW local WCBM, which is only 12 miles away. Their antenna must be way out of whack. 680 CFTR ON Toronto. 4/30 2222-2230 {EDT], Weather with temps in Celsius, hot tub ad, and ID as "Toronto's only all news radio station." Local WCBM phase nulled. Interference from presumed WPTF and a Latin (either Cuba or Puerto Rico). The Wobbler was making trouble too. New here. (WJH- MD) (Bill Harms, Elkridge, IRCA mailing list via DXLD) CFTR noted equal and occasionally over WPTF - Raleigh (about 100 miles with 50 kw) with weather report 5/1 at 0120, and back to "talk"/ "news." Thanks to all for posting the tip (Mike Hardester, Jacksonville, NC. (34.47 N / 77.23 W) ICOM R-70 - 2 x 75 foot (23 meter) random wires Quantum Phaser and Patience, ibid.) ** CANADA. Hello, This Week on Quirks & Quarks we stretch the boundaries a little: "Don't Panic: The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Space is big. Really, mind-bogglingly big. So big, in fact, that everything that could ever happen, has happened somewhere in the universe. And, as improbable as it sounds, here, in our insignificant part of the universe, someone has published a book. A book full of facts and fantasy, aimed at explaining the science behind another improbable book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Hitchhiker's Guide was the creation of an ape descendent named Douglas Adams, and has appeared in various guises: a BBC radio series, a BBC TV series, a five-part trilogy, and, just last week, a new movie. Now another ape descendent has written the book about the book, wisely titled, "The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." We'll talk to the author. Plus - discovering the differences in dinosaur diets ... All this and more on Quirks & Quarks, Saturday right after the noon news on Radio One (Bob McDonald, Host, Q&Q mailing list via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. ETHIOPIA, 9560.1, Voice of Democratic Alliance?, via R. Ethiopia at 1456-1505 UT on Apr 26, Arabic song to 1459 then pause and at 1600 drum-like start and YM in Arabic but not possible to ID. Went to 11800 which was occupied by strong (Asian language) speaker, so went back to 9560.1, but still no good luck there with heavy splash sandwiched as it was between 9555 / 9565 kHz. 7165.1 had a very weak carrier. Had to leave at 1520, and when I came back 1555, 7165.1 a bit better, but none good enough to establish whether in \\. 18000 completely empty, as expected. This is going to be a difficult one to ID (Finn Krone, Denmark, April 26, wwdxc BC-DX Apr 26 via BC-DX May 3 via DXLD)) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. 15670, Radio Xoriyo, Voice of the Ogadeni People, via Juelich-Germany at *1631-1645+ on Apr 26 (Tue), Somali talk, many mentions of Ogaden (the station focuses on the Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia). Web-site http://www.ogaden.com/ says, and I quote: "Radio Xoriyo waxaad ka dhegaysan kartaa Mawjadda 19 MB ee dhererkeedu yahay 15670 KHZ, Maalmaha Talaadada iyo Jimcaha 7:30PM waqtiga Afrikada Bari" (dated Apr 26), hi. Weak, clear channel. radioxoriyo @ ogaden.com and raadioxoriyo @ yahoo.com (Finn Krone, Denmark, , wwdxc BC-DX May 3 via DXLD) Notice the phrase ``waqtiga Afrikada Bari`` for the timezone, and compare it to Indonesian! (gh, DXLD) ** GAMBIA [non]. GERMANY: Gambia Democracy Project tests on April 27- 29 via DTK T-Systems: 2000-2015 Wed-Fri on 9430 JUL 100 kW / 210 deg to WeAf in Wolof and English (Observer, Bulgaria, May 3, via DXLD) Cland, 9430 Save Gambia, 1956 April 28, a signal with harsh audio. Crash opening with talks in French then in local language, with references to Gambia, Senegal. S10 44444 sometimes with short audio gaps. Also April 29 at 2012 talks in a local language with several words in English as leader, National Alliance Democratic Development. At 2013:00 YL starting with bonjour but immediately stopped, 35 seconds after with highlife music having several audio gaps and at 2015:30 audio gone leaving just background buzz. A strong background noise in the audio channel (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki Greece, Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75, Lowe HF150, Degen 1102+1103, Tecsun PL200, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000, Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m Australian loop, http://www.geocities.com/zliangas DX LISTENING DIGEST) ?? No one else has reported them in French, and why would they be using French at all? Unless slipup with some other audio (gh, DXLD) ** GREECE. Final Farewell --- By Dimitris Kalantzis As of today, Panos Geramanis will rest in peace in Lilantio Pedio. In a climate of grief, hundreds of colleagues and relatives, artists and ordinary people from all over Greece who knew him and loved him on ERA`s radio, flooded the church of Agios Nikolaos in Chalandri for the funeral service and then escorted him at his final trip to his hometown, Vassiliko, in Euboea. With an extended applause, a small token of recognition and respect, they paid their final tribute to a beloved friend, an exceptional colleague, a famous radio producer with fanatic listeners, a tireless reporter and explorer of Greek music, our Panos Geramanis. "The Board of ESIEA (Journalists Union of Athens Daily Newspapers) bids farewell to a colleague, whose qualities are priceless to Greek journalism." These were the words of journalist Dimitris Tsalapatis, while Vasilis Nikolopoulos, who spoke on behalf of Ta Nea newspaper, said "Dear Panos, your contribution to Greek music and sports has been dearly appreaciated, while your contribution to Ta Nea has been priceless. Our newspaper will miss you a lot," ended Mr Nikolopoulos in tears. Dimitris Chalivelakis, his friend and colleague over the past 45 years, was devastated during the funeral, while the Club of Stelios Kazantzidis' Friends paid their last respects to Panos Geramanis with a poem. The funeral service took place in a very emotional atmosphere in the presence of political leaders, artists, journalists and Panos Geramanis' friends. KKE General Secretary Aleka Papariga, PASOK spokeperson Nikos Athanasakis, Maria Damanaki, Stefanos Tzoumakas and SYN Parliamentarian Panagiotis Lafazanis were some of the politicians present in the funeral. As for artists, Marinella, Mary Linda, Kaity Grey, Poly Panou, Maria Farantouri, Manos Eleftheriou, Stamatis Kokotas, Dimitris Mitropanos and Manolis Mitsias paid their last respects. "On behalf of KKE, we are saying goodbye to an old friend, a social fighter with a yearlong and multiform contribution to the preservation of our folk tradition and music," said Theodoros Tziantzis. "Panos passed away shortly after my father, we were friends, he loved my father, he loved me and I loved him back, I am sure they will be hang out up there", said Grigoris Bithikotsis to reporters, while PASOK parliamentarian Mimis Androulakis said among other things that "there was no one like him nor will be." Translated by Sofia Soulioti FROM THE VOICE OF GREECE'S WEB SITE (VIA JOHN BABBIS, SILVER SPRING, MD, USA, DXLD) ** INDIA. Dear Friends, All the stations of All India Radio have introduced new email IDs. E.g.: *****@air.org.in In the place of ***** the location of station is to be put. E.g.: aligarh for Aligarh, bangalore.spt for Bangalore, bhopal for Bhopal etc. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Prompted by wb and Mick Delmage, checked for VOI May 3 at 1850, and on 9525, contrary to what one would expect here, good signal in French with Indo music; in fact, apart from WWCR 9975, some other US signals, TIRWR 9725 and a couple Firedrakes, it was the best signal on 31m. 1900 promptly into German. But when I rechecked at 2000, nothing audible on 9525, faded out by then? Nor anything on 15150v, and after 2000 anyway VOI would have a tough time getting past WYFR 15155 in Spanish. So what is the azimuth, anyway, of this 9525 transmission presumably for Europe? Such info censored out of HFCC A- 05 but NDXC A-05 says 315 degrees from Cimanggis at 1600-2100, whilst at 0800-1400 it`s 30 degrees, more favorable for NAm. At 18 the mid- latitude K-index was 3; higher frequencies were depressed. I`m afraid this only reinforces my contention that VOI could and should have a reliable and well-heard English to NAm service if only they would put it on 9525 in our mornings. Today May 3 there was an open carrier still on 9525 at 1439, nominally closed at 1400*, ditto May 4 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Why stations do not QSL !!! Greetings, Check the following link to The Voice of Indonesia and see why stations have stopped QSLing --- and I don't mean the IRC's part! http://www.rri-online.com/modules.php?name=SLN_English&op=letter_index (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, AB, HCDX via DXLD) This is a very weird page; many of the letters are dated later in 2005! Some are totally off-topic, such as Monique wanting someone to take responsibility for her pregnancy. . . I sent this letter to it; must recheck sometime to see if it ever appear: (gh, DXLD) There are many in North America who would love to hear VOI in English on shortwave. But none of the current timings are suitable for us. Combining the two essential factors, when we are awake, and when propagation works on a certain band, I ask you to put the English hour on 9525 during our mornings. We can hear that very well most days, when in Indonesian or (formerly) Korean! Why not fill the suspended Korean hour at 1200 UT with English? That would be 7 am here in Oklahoma. Or at 1400 UT, by extending the transmission one more hour (I have already noted the carrier sometimes staying on past 1400), when it is 7 am on the west coast, 9 am here. Thanks. (gh to VOI, via DXLD) 15150, RRI [sic], 1930 in English [sic; English supposed to be 2000- 2100] with signal S5 24222 on quite noisy floor, 26 April. 15150 also on 4 May with dangdut songs (kopi dangdut, bang toyib) at 1342Z. At 1400 heard talks in Malay; around 1520 nearly nothing heard though ripples found on AM mode. Fair to extreme QRM from VoIRI Iran. Again 11860 at 1318Z 4 May with news program from RRI Jakarta then with stocks and money with mentions of several cities. Wipeout by V. of Turkey at 1330-1400 and medium QRM from BBC a/o [and another? Among other? All over?] Arab station on QRG, several days (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75, Lowe HF150, Degen 1102+1103, Tecsun PL200, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000, Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1 m Australian loop, May 4, http://www.geocities.com/zliangas DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SATELLITE RADIO EXPANDS BEYOND CARS By SARAH MCBRIDE, The Wall Street Journal http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/05-05/05-01-05/d03bu440.htm (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) One clear difference between the two services will be of prime interest to international and public broadcasting fans. Sirius has a much greater variety of offerings from this genre with carriage of World Radio Network on stream 115 (programs from about two dozen international stations -- almost all of which will be familiar to listeners of shortwave radio), two NPR streams; NPR Now and NPR Talk with content available through NPR but some of which is probably not carried on your local affiliate); and PRI World which, among other offerings, offers considerable content from CBC Radio One. Once Sirius Canada's license application for service in Canada is approved, the CBC will have its own channel on the Sirius systems serving Canada and the US. Like XM, Sirius also carries C-SPAN Radio and the BBC, although XM carries the Americas stream and Sirius carries the PRI stream which is more heavily weighted toward news and current affairs (John Figliozzi, NY, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. HAMSAT INDIA --- Dear Friends, India's first Amateur Radio Satellite is scheduled to be launched tomorrow morning 5 May 2005, weather permitting. Its details are: Uplink frequency 435.250 MHz Downlink Frequency 145.900 MHz Beacon 1 145.936 MHz (Unmodulated carrier); Beacon 2 145.860 MHz (CW) The satellite's picture and more info are available at: http://www.isro.org/Cartosat/Page5.htm http://www.isro.org http://www.niar.org/special.html All India Radio and Doordarshan TV will give more news about it. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad 500082, India, Tel: 91-40-5516 7388 Telefax: 91-40-2331 0287, EchoLink: Node No. 133507 VU2NRO, http://www.niar.org May 4, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. BAHREIN --- Wie bei dxing.info gemeldet sendet Coalition Maritime Forces Radio One auf der neuen Frequenz 9133 kHz USB. Ich konnte die Station heute um 1722 UTC mit arabischer Musik und Frequenzansagen empfangen. Der Empfang ist deutlich besser als auf der alten Frequenz 15500 kHz (Patrick Robic, Austria, A-DX Apr 29 via BC-DX May 3 via DXLD) ** IRAN. IRAN MEDIA WATCH: RADIO IRAN TURNS 65 Radio Iran turned 65 on Sunday 24 April. The station was launched in two rooms at the Tehran Telegraph Centre , and it broadcast the news in five foreign languages from the first day it went on air, 24 April 1940. Early days On its first day, Radio Iran started its programme at 1700 and signed off at 2230 local time . On its second day it broadcast its programmes in two parts , part one lasting from 1130-1400 local time, and part two from 1715-2330. From this day on, Radio Iran broadcast two daily commentaries in addition to news and music. As World War II broke out, the development of Radio Iran came to a standstill and was not resumed until 1947, when new transmitters were bought for installation in a new building intended as production studios. These studios were officially opened in 1961. In the meantime, 12 radio stations were set up in provincial capitals. In its early years Iranian Radio was part of the Ministry of Post, Telephones and Telegraph. Later on a Publication and Propaganda section was set up at the Prime Minister's Office to take care of affairs relating to the radio. This office was later handed over to the Labour Ministry, but reverted again to the Prime Minister's Office in 1947. In 1953 the Publication and Propaganda Office became an independent organization. The radio later became a part of the Ministry of Information in 1963 . In July 1971, National Iranian Radio and Television was established. Radio Iran was part of this organization until the Islamic revolution in 1979, when radio and television became part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Iranian Radio after the 1979 revolution Between 1979 and the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988, the country's main radio station was the national channel of Radio Iran, officially known as the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran. After the war, and along with the economic development which started during the first term of Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani's presidency in the early 1990s, several other national and local radio stations were set up in Iran. One of the most successful ones was Radio Payam, a local station for Tehran , broadcasting travel news as well as a variety of programmes featuring extensive use of Iranian music. The Iranian capital, Tehran, enjoys the luxury of two local channels , Radio Tehran and Radio Payam and a range of national stations which are available on medium wave and FM all over Iran. These national stations are: 1. Radio Iran ( national network) This is Iran's main radio station and the Iranian government's official voice. Apart from news and current affairs, this station broadcasts a range of cultural, social and entertainment programmes made in its production groups: Social, art and culture, economy, Islamic culture, knowledge, children and young adults, politics, history and holy defence. Listeners who are interested in the news usually tune in to one of the main news bulletins on this station at 0430, 0930, 1630 and 1730 gmt. 2. Youth (Javan) network This is a 24-hour -a day channel intended to meet the intellectual needs of Iranian youth. This channel, like many others was set up to counter what Iranian officials described as the "Western cultural invasion", meaning the influx of foreign programmes beamed into Iran via satellite television. The channel mainly discusses cultural and social issues and broadcasts plenty of music. 3. Sports (Varzesh) network This is a 24 - hour -a - day channel with about six hours of repeat programmes after midnight. It is exclusively about sport. 4. Health (Salamat) network This channel broadcasts programmes about public health four hours a day from 1000 to 1400 local time??? . 5. The Kor`an network This channel broadcasts recitations of the holy Kor`an 24 hours a day. Other programmes include discussions about the Kor`an and the news of Kor`an-related events in Iran and abroad. 6. Culture (Farhang) network This channel broadcasts its programmes from 0500 2400 Tehran time. This channel's programmes are mainly on music, art, literature and Iranian studies. This channel also broadcasts the debates of Iranian Parliament, the Majlis, though not regularly. 7. Islamic culture (Ma'aref) network This 24 -hour -a- day channel broadcasts programmes relating to Islamic studies, the Shi'i version of Shari'ah and the rules of prayers, fasting and other Islamic rites. Provincial radio These radio stations are available in various provinces, which have their own provincial radio stations too. Local languages and dialects Until the early 1960s, Iranian radio broadcast 15 minutes of programmes in Azeri and 15 minutes in Kurdish for the two largest ethnic minorities of the country. The broadcasts stopped in late 1960 when provincial stations started to broadcast a major part of their daily programme in local languages and dialects. However, this ended in the early 1970s, when Persian became the only official language for all programmes, regional and national. External services Meanwhile the external services of Radio Iran broadcasts programmes, including news and political commentaries, in 25 languages. These languages are: Arabic, Albanian, Armenian, Bangladeshi, Bosnian, Chinese, Dari, English, French German, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Kiswahili, Kurdish, Pashtu, Russian, Spanish, Tajiki, Turkish and Urdu. Newsgathering After the early 1970s, Iranian radio made its newsgathering independent of the national news agency (then Pars News Agency, now IRNA) and established its own newsgathering service, Central News Bureau (CNB). This in-house news agency also offers stories and commentaries to newspapers but very few of them use CNB stories and dispatches. Central News Bureau is the only permitted news source across IRIB's widespread national network. Even international news can be broadcast only when "processed" by CNB. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 28 Apr 05 (via DXLD) ** IRAN. Hi there!!! This is English Radio!! We would be very pleased to send you our programs. We have QSL cards and special rewards for whom hear listener's special program too. So please send us at least a letter in a month and tell us your opinion about our programs. Thank you so much. Hope to hear you soon. Azar and Zohreh IRIB ENGLISH SERVICE BROADCASTING SCHEDULE (A2005) 1030-1130 sw 16 m 17660 Indian Sub Continent, Pakistan, Kashmir 19 m 15600 Indian Sub Continent, Pakistan, Kashmir MW 702 Republic of Azerbaijan 765 [no target specified] 1130-1230 (Voice of Justice) Receivable only via internet and Hotbird satellite 1530-1630 SW 31 m 9635 Indian Sub Continent, Pakistan, Kashmir 25 m 11650 Indian Sub Continent, Pakistan, Kashmir 1930-2030 SW 25 m 11860 Europe 41 m 7205 Europe 31 m 9925 South Africa 31 m 9800 South Africa 2130-2230 Receivable only via Internet and Hotbird satellite 0030-0130 Receivable only via Internet and Hotbird satellite 0130-0230 (Voice of Justice) SW 31 m 9495 North America 25 m 11875 North America Mail your correspondence to IRIB English Service, P. O. Box: 19395- 6767, Tehran, I.R of Iran E-mail: englishradio@irib.ir Website: http://www.irib.ir/worldservice/englishradio (via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. BROADCASTING AUTHORITY CHIEF DISMISSED | Excerpt from report in English by Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post web site on 2 May The government, in an unprecedented move, voted Sunday [1 May] to oust the director-general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority, Yosef Barel. Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz recommended dismissing Barel following a state comptroller's report that accused Barel of violating rules of conduct. Among other infractions, Barel appointed his confidants and employed workers without going through a tender as required. Thirteen ministers, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, voted in favour. [Passage omitted] Industry, Trade and Labour Minister Ehud Olmert, who has responsibility for the Israel Broadcasting Authority and who led the campaign to get Barel ousted, called for the ministers to adopt Mazuz's recommendations. Olmert told the cabinet Barel ran the IBA in a completely unacceptable manner, and turned it into his personal fiefdom. Sharon told the cabinet that in principle he is opposed to the government dismissing heads of government authorities. However, Sharon said that he read the material presented to him on the matter over the weekend, including what he said was the unequivocal recommendation of the attorney-general, which gave him no choice but to vote for the ouster. [Passage omitted] Barel's attorney Yosi Arnon said on Monday he was very sorry over the government's "unfortunate decision." "The future will prove that we were right," Arnon told Israel Radio shortly after the cabinet decision. "I hope for the IBA that someone worthy will take his place." Among the contenders to replace the ousted Barel are Second Authority for Television and Radio director-general Motti Shakler and Israel Radio veteran Amnon Nadav. Nadav stood at the helm of Israel Radio for 15 years until he was forced to step down in 2003. Since then, Nadav has been hosting the popular morning news-behind-the-news programme "Another Matter". Until a permanent replacement is found for Barel, Olmert - in consultation with Sharon - will name an acting director-general whose name will be presented to the cabinet for approval next week. Steve Leibowitz, head of English news at IBA, told The Jerusalem Post that Barel was the founder of the IBA, and that while they had their differences in recent years, "it is thanks to Barel that we stayed on the air". Leibowitz said he wished Barel well and that he hoped the future director-general of the Broadcasting Authority would find the English news equally important. [Passage omitted] Source: The Jerusalem Post web site, in English 2 May 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Updated summer A-05 schedule for Kol Israel: ARABIC 0245-2115 5915 AMHARIC 1800-1835 9345 11590# 15640 ENGLISH 0330-0345 9345 11605 17600 0930-0945 15640 1730-1745 9345 11590# 15640 1900-1925 11590 15615 15640 FARSI 1400-1525 9985 11605 17535* Sun-Thu 1400-1500 9985 11605 17535* Fri/Sat FRENCH 0345-0400 9345 11605 1000-1015 15640 1700-1715 9345 11590# 15640 1930-1945 9345 11590# 15640 HEBREW 0400-0455 9345 0500-1355 17535 2000-2055 11585 15640 2100-2255 11585 2300-0330 9345 HUNGARIAN 1645-1700 9345 11590# 15640 1845-1855 9345 11590# 15640 LADINO 0945-1000 15640 1500-1525 11605 15640 17535* Sat MUGRABIAN 1015-1030 15640 MUSIC 1530-1545 11590# 15640 17535* ROMANIAN 1625-1645 9345 11590# 15640 1745-1800 9345 11590# 15640 RUSSIAN 1500-1525 11605 15640 17535* Fri 2000-2100 9345 SPANISH 1545-1555 11590# 15640 17535* 1715-1730 9345 11590# 15640 1945-2000 9345 11590# 15640 TIGRINA 1835-1845 9345 11590# 15640 YIDDISH 1600-1625 9345 11590# 15640 # ex 11605 * ex 15760 (Observer, Bulgaria, May 3, via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. 6071.53, Voice of Korea, (presumed!) 0956-1021 May 3. Noted a woman in comments. Could not ID the language since the signal was too weak. At 0957 noted a period of silence until 1000 when chimes heard briefly followed by more comments by a woman. I believe this is the carrier I have been hearing for the last month on this odd frequency. I checked parallel frequencies that VOK is on at this time, and all were nil heard. Incidentally, this is supposed to be in Japanese during this time frame and frequency. Signal was threshold at best (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This was previously under UNIDENTIFIED, thought to be INDONESIA (gh) ** KUWAIT. Re 4th IBB transmitter: From Biblis-Germany? - I guess rather Continental 250 kW SW unit originating from former IBB Holzkirchen Germany site. Another [rather unpopular {amongst the staff...}] Thales 250 kW unit has been seen as spare unit at Lampertheim amongst the Continental beast farm last year (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, May 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Hello from Hilversum, Today is a sombre day in the Netherlands, and our national Remembrance Service takes place as on every 4 May at 2000 local time. Tomorrow, 5 May, is a national holiday marking the 60th annoversary of liberation at the end of World War II. Our Dutch service is broadcasting special programming tomorrow, including this: Radio Netherlands to recreate Radio Oranje's liberation programme On Thursday 5 May, which is the 60th anniversary of liberation at the end of World War II, the Dutch service of Radio Netherlands will be recreating the historic broadcast of Radio Oranje that announced the end of German occupation. The programme will be broadcast at 1415 UT on shortwave in Europe, and worldwide via satellite and Internet. Radio Oranje was set up in London shortly after the German occupation of the Netherlands, and broadcast daily until shortly after liberation. The broadcasts were designed as a counter to the censored Dutch press, and to give Dutch people hope. On 5 May 1945 at 8.15 pm Dutch time, Radio Oranje broadcast a special 30-minute freedom programme which included an address by Prime Minister Gerbrandy. The audio of 19 minutes of this historic broadcast remain in the archive. The other 11 minutes have been lost. But Peter Veenendaal, head of the Dutch service of Radio Netherlands, explains that "since we have the full transcripts of all the Radio Oranje broadcasts we're in a position to make an accurate reconstruction of the original transmission. Sixty years of freedom seemed an appropriate occasion to do that." The news summary will be read in the style that was normal in 1945. Breaks in musical fragments will be replaced by original recordings from that time. The famous poem De Achttien Dooden [The Eighteen Dead] that was read by a Radio Oranje announcer in the original transmission, will be played from a later recording made in 1946. By using specialised production techniques, the substitute pieces are seamlessly mixed with the original material. The broadcast is now available on demand via the link on this page: http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/nl/specials/meispecial/radio_oranje050503?view=Standard Tonight, 4 May, and tomorrow, 5 May, there are also special Dutch transmissions covering the fortunes of Dutch clubs PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar in the semi-finals of Europe's two major football competitions. For those interested, frequency information is given on this page: http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/nl/radioafdeling/ontvangst/KG_sch/Eur_Voetb?view=Standard Please note that on our Dutch site, all times are Dutch summer time (deduct 2 hours for UT). (Andy Sennitt, Media Network Newsletter May 4 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Bonaire 6190 --- Hi Andy: As I pointed out in dxld 5-067 no trace of RN in Spanish at 0300 from Bonaire; altho GH mentioned they must be running 50 KW, they don't even seem to have 500 watts. Curious but as many days gone by, nobody except me has complained about this, thus no Spanish-speaking listener is aware of this, or they must be hoping that RN make not a frequency or transmitter, but go on the air as they are supposed to be on their recent Spanish printed sked. I just read dxld 5-070 where RN Spanish service said they have good news, changing 11900 to 5995 for their 0000 - 0200 Spanish slot to South America [via Ascension]. Well, we Central Americans need RN to turn on that transmitter on 6190 at 0300, cause I´m not hearing anything, completely clear channel, and there's no other frequency for us at that time. Regards. Raúl Saavedra, Costa Rica. Acabo de dirigirme en mi escaso inglés al Sr. Andy Sennitt de Radio Nederland a ver si por sus buenos oficios nos soluciona la no presencia de RN en español vía Bonaire a las 0300 como aparece en su esquema impreso. Será que nadie los escucha a esa hora, pues no he visto ninguna queja. Así como acaban de abortar su transmisión para Sudamérica vía Ascención en 11900 por 5995, es de esperar, no que cambien frecuencia, sino que enciendan el transmisor en 6190 a las 0300, porque ahí colegas, francamente yo no escucho NADA, aunque nuestro amigo Glenn mencionó que deben estar trabajando con 50 kW, no parece que tuvieran siquiera 500 watts en dicha frecuencia. Quisiera leer las experiencias de otros colegas al respecto. Saludos de Costa Rica (Raúl Saavedra, May 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Raul, I just received this explanation from our engineers: Frequency 6165 kHz at 0200 UT and frequency 6190 kHz at 0300 for Spanish are temporarily off the air due to problems with the antenna/frequency combination on 6 MHz with the 50 kW transmitter. Frequency 15315 kHz with 50 kW is operational between 0000 and 0200 UT. We advise for Costa Rica to tune in at 0000-0157 on 9895 kHz (Flevo) and 0200-0257 on 7325 kHz (Flevo). Or via Bonaire 0200-0257 on 9590 kHz (Andy Sennitt, dxldyg via DXLD) Te confirmo que efectivamente hubo algunos "cortes de emisión" durante las transmisiones en español (también a mediados del pasado mes de abril por problemas con el emisor de baja potencia). Me consta que los colegas en Bonaire hacen todos los esfuerzos posibles para cuidar y mantener todas las emisiones sin interrupciones. Comparto el mismo consejo que mis colegas del depto. de distribución: sintonizar a la 01 UT F9895 y a las 02 UT F7325 (ambas frecuencias llegan sorprendentemente bien hasta en la Argentina!), o bien los B9590 kHz. 73 (Jaime Báguena G., RN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yet another RN anomaly: English at 1930 May 3 on 21580, unlisted, but // 17810 Bonaire and synchronized. 21580 was quite weak under depressed propagation conditions, and no splatter detected, tho seemed a bit distorted. Why not? It appears only one Bonaire transmitter is on the official schedule at this hour, weekdays (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Andy, We will use frequency 21580 kHz again on May 4th and 5th 1830 - 2157 UT for football. May be Bonaire was just testing the transmitter on May 3rd???? Regards, (Ehard Goddijn, RN, via Andy Sennitt, DXLD) ** NIGERIA. NIGERIAN STATE MEDIA ON STRIKE OVER UNPAID ALLOWANCES Thousands of workers in Nigeria's state media organisations today began a strike to protest what they said was the government's failure to pay 18 months of allowances. Three unions representing journalists and producers launched the strike to press for payment of the money which government promised them under a policy of replacing benefits in kind with cash allowances. Radio Nigeria has gone off air while NTA Television and the external service, Voice of Nigeria, have been disrupted. "The union leaders chased us out of studio and locked us out of the premises. We had no option that to comply, since the action is in our interest," a presenter on Radio Nigeria told the AFP news agency. "We are managing to provide skeletal services from our transmitters in Ikorodu town," a director at Voice of Nigeria said. Journalists at the News Agency of Nigeria wire agency have also gone on strike, workers there said. The unions also locked out workers at NTA television, a senior worker in the station, Yinka Craig, said. "The problem of payment is purely administrative. We are making an effort to pay the arrears. We plead for workers' understanding," a top official in the information ministry said, speaking on condition of anonymity. # posted by Andy @ 15:39 UT May 3 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Re 5-072: Wide Angle: White Smoke airs Sunday, 5/8 at 7 pm (Carolyn Hassan, OETA, to gh, via DXLD) Carolyn, Glad to hear that, but I am astounded you will be bumping Nature for it (tho that week apparently a repeat). So will Wide Angle be on every week at that time? Please, let us have EVERY episode the week they are originally aired, preferably on Tuesday nights. Regards, (Glenn Hauser, Enid, to OETA, via DXLD) Mr. Hauser, I have just learned that Nature will air as scheduled on Sunday, May 8. The new season for "Wide Angle" begins Tuesday, July 12 at 8 p.m. [CDT = UT -5] and remain in that time slot until the episodes complete. "Wide Angle" will be replacing "Frontline". Sorry for the confusion; PBS had made several quick changes due to the death of the Pope. Thanks for your patience and understanding (Carolyn Hassan, OETA, ibid.) KPTS Wichita online sked originally showed Wide Angle for 8 pm this Tuesday, but before airtime had changed it to Frontline (gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Re: Funny how no one reports KFNY – almost I've basically never mentioned that since they are a routine catch here in Barrington IL (55 km NW of Chicago) with Disney (WKSH) looped or nulled by my BOGs. Due to their DA they don't have a huge signal, but can be found almost any night. 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, May 3 dxing.info via DXLD) Now KFXY 1640 Enid-OKC, actually Hennessey ** PAKISTAN. Summer A-05 for Radio Pakistan: ARABIC 1815-1900 ME 9340 11550 ASSAMI 0045-0115 SoAs 9340 11565 [still partly in English??] BANGLA 0115-0200 SoAs 9340 11565 1200-1245 SoAs 15625 17495 CHINESE 1200-1230 FE 11570 15070 DARI 1515-1545 CIS 5860 7375 ENGLISH 1600-1615 ME 11570 15100 EaAf 11850 15725 GUJARATI 0400-0430 Af 9340 11565 FARSI 1715-1800 ME 9325 11550 HINDI 0215-0300 SoAs 9340 11565 1100-1145 SoAs 9340 11565 NEPALI 1245-1315 SoAs 15625 17485 PASHTO 1500-1545 CIS 6060 RUSSIAN 1415-1500 CIS 9340 11585 SINHALA 1015-1045 SoAs 15625 17495 TAMIL 0315-0345 SoAs 11565 15625 0945-1015 SoAs 15625 17495 TURKI 1330-1400 CIS 5860 6060 TURKISH 1630-1700 ME 11565 15725 URDU 0045-0215 SoAs 11580 15485 0500-0700 ME 11570 15100 17835 0800-1105 Eu 15100 17835 [open and close in English] 1330-1530 ME 11570 15100 1700-1900 Eu 9365* 11570 * from June 15100 1800-1900 ME 9325 Islamabad program 1915-0045 ME 7570 (Observer, Bulgaria, May 3, via DXLD) The PAK sched in Observer is not completely correct. The service in Gujarati is no longer for Africa but now for S Asia. And Turkish at 1630 UT should be using 11550 (x11565), while Irani and Urdu at 1715- 1900 should be using 9320 (x9324) kHz (Noel R. Green-UK, wwdxc BC-DX May 3 via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. PALESTINIAN RADIO TO BE RELOCATED, TRANSMISSIONS MERGED | Text of report by Palestinian radio Voice of Palestine on 4 May The deputy prime minister and information minister, Dr Nabil Sha'th, has said that it has been decided to relocate Voice of Palestine to a new building which could house the radio station's new technology, noting that a financial allocation has been earmarked in this connection. Speaking to our radio station, Sha'th added that the new technology donated by the United Arab Emirates includes transmission equipment, digital studios and other technologies aimed at transmitting Voice of Palestine to all parts of the homeland. The information minister praised the level of professionalism at Voice of Palestine. The Palestinian Media Council headed by Sha'th decided in its meeting two days ago to merge Voice of Palestine transmissions and cancel the references made to the first and second programmes of Voice of Palestine. Source: Voice of Palestine, Ramallah, in Arabic 0900 gmt 4 May 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ANALYSIS: PALESTINIAN PUBLIC BROADCASTING - ONE STEP NEARER? | Text of editorial analysis by Peter Feuilherade of BBC Monitoring Media Services on 4 May 2005 It has been a week of changes for the Palestinian official media, culminating in the announcement on 4 May that the Voice of Palestine is to be relocated in new headquarters. A series of recent decrees have made the official Palestinian broadcasters publicly accountable for the first time. The Information Ministry has been given responsibility for the activities of official radio and TV and the Wafa news agency. According to Dr Nabil Sha'th, deputy prime minister and information minister, the next step will be the formation of a National Council for the Media, to be independent of the government. But media analysts question how far the measures represent a real step towards creating a public service broadcaster. New structures On 26 April President Mahmud Abbas transferred responsibility for the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and the Palestine Satellite Channel (PSC) to the minister of information. Up to then, they had been run by the chairmanship of the PLO Executive Committee and the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). On 27 April, Dr Sha'th announced that the PBC and the PSC were to be unified into a single corporation, the Palestinian TV and Radio Broadcasting Corporation, to be affiliated with the Information Ministry. And he also merged the national news agency Wafa and the General Information Commission into a single institution. Financial crisis, political pressure Palestinian journalists have complained for decades about the strict control that the PNA exercised over the official media, especially Palestine TV. As Paris-based watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) states in its 2005 annual report, "the opposition media, mostly supporting the Hamas militants, is censored or has been shut down". This has led to self-censorship and a brain drain of journalists to foreign and pan-Arab stations. A lack of proper funding and the physical damage inflicted by Israeli attacks on broadcasting installations have also prevented Palestinian official media from competing with pan-Arab satellite TV channels in attracting audiences. When Mahir al-Rayyis, former head of the Palestinian satellite TV channel, resigned in mid-April 2005, he gave the reason as financial, saying the channel "had been deprived of most of its operating budget for many years". But according to the Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat al-Jadidah on 14 April, Al-Rayyis also complained of political interference in how the channel was run, including the appointment of unqualified staff. "Too many officials around (PNA Chairman Mahmud) Abbas are interfering with our work," one journalist told The Jerusalem Post newspaper. "They think the station should serve as their private public relations department." However, unlike in several Arab countries, there are many independent newspapers, magazines and radio and TV stations on the West Bank and in Gaza. As RSF notes, "local radios have now sprung up in the Gaza Strip, which had hitherto been under tighter rule". The internet is not restricted, and people have free access to satellite TV stations. Restructuring The restructuring announced at the end of April is, in part at least, a response to mounting demands by journalists working in the PNA- controlled outlets for genuine reforms to make the media independent, as well as for higher salaries and better conditions. Dr Sha'th outlined his vision of how the new unified Palestinian media sector would function in a lengthy interview broadcast on Palestinian TV on 30 April. Sha'th said that no one could deny that "the reality of the Palestinian media today is difficult". He explained the difficulties that Palestinian journalists had had "in changing the image of the Palestinian from terrorist to freedom fighter, from refugee to normal human being wanting to establish a homeland". He stressed the need to have a single TV and radio station in order to be able to "reach out to the Palestinian people" equally in the West Bank, in the Gaza Strip and to the Palestinians in the diaspora. He said overstaffing and the fragmentation of the past had damaged the Palestinian media's potential and creativity. Sha'th also promised that the National Council for the Media would be independent of the government. The creation of this body has been seen by sections of the Palestinian media as an attempt by the leadership to tighten its grip on newspapers and TV and radio stations. New moves "not enough" While some Palestinian legislators and journalists would like to see the PBC privatised to enable it to compete with Arab satellite channels, others say the answer lies in pressing ahead with its transformation into a genuine public service broadcaster. Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab, director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al-Quds University in Ramallah, told the BBC he approved of the restructuring. He said: "Until now the PBC and PSC have operated with the public being left in the dark as to how decisions are made. Ever since its creation the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation has not had a legal reference point, and its budget and appointments were outside any public accountability." But Kuttab said more reforms were needed, adding: "As long as the reference point is the executive branch rather than an independent board or at least the legislative branch of government, it will continue to be a government mouthpiece and not a public service broadcaster." Source: BBC Monitoring research 4 May 05 (via DXLD) ** PERU. Quito 3/5 2005 *** Tuesday edition: *** Recording of 1140.00 Chami Radio, Otuzco (Perú) --- I have been listening for the last week to an unID Peruvian station on 1140 kHz. Many ads from Trujillo and some from Otuzco. Greetings to persons living in both these towns. Is not listed in WRTH 2004 so perhaps a new station. Before I have had nothing from Perú on 1140. The sound is a little bit distorted. Close down 0300 UTC. Otuzco is located in the department of "La Libertad" 30-40 kms northeast from the city "Trujillo. Jingel "Señal de Libertad". Comments, photos and recordings at: http://www.malm-ecuador.com 73s (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Chami Radio, 1140, is on the web, very good streaming audio, too, http://www.chamiradio.org --- Another station, known from sw 5487, is now also available in streaming audio with an even better signal, http://www.reinadelaselva.com.pe (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, May 3, HCDX via DXLD) ** TAHITI. Years ago 15170 was used by a station in Papéeté, Tahiti. Programming was in French and consisted of "island" music, and was always a delight to hear. Does anyone know if they're still there? Thanks (Bill Wildes, Homewood, Alabama, HCDX via DXLD) 15170 is long gone; some are able to pull in their MW 738 (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) RFO Tahiti has been off 15170v for some years now --- perhaps 8 years? At least it seems that long! I sorely miss their music; the only way I can catch them now is via their 738 kHz MW frequency. Fortunately I live in an area where they can be heard with regularity and good strength on coastal DXpeditions. Most evenings I have a het from them on 738 here in Puyallup, which is inland from the coast; I last heard audio out of them from my home location in the Fall of 2004. Tahiti had a 25mb frequency too, but it's been off even longer (Guy Atkins Puyallup, WA USA, ibid.) The other RFO Tahiti frequencies were 11825 and 6135, the latter QSLed by me with 4 kw in 1968 from Texas (Steve Kamp, ibid.) See my hi-resolution 1959 QSL at http://www.w4uvh.net/tahiti.jpg Index to my QSL display: http://www.worldofradio.com/QSL.html (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non]. 17780 --- And yesterday I "found" a CNR transmission around 0630 on 17780 which I hadn't noted before, and gradually another station in the background manifested itself, and I could hear the music usually played by RFA before sign off at 0700. And this was \\ 17720 which became clearly - although weakly - audible when KAS went off around 0657 UT. Today, 17780 is definitely IDed as the RFA Tibetan service and in \\ with 17510. Both signals were at times "beating" the jammer, and at good strength. 17720 was heard - just about - thru CRI and a little better when they went off. I could not be 100% certain that 17495 was on air due to splatter from CRI on 17490 and 17505 same time. But there was positively NO SIGNAL on 17485, and I would guess that 17780 may replace it. I used to hear it reasonably well. I could not get any audio out of either 21500 or 21690 but I could detect that something was operating there (Noel R. Green-UK, April 29, wwdxc BC-DX May 3 via DXLD) New 17685 0630-1030 R. Free Afghanistan via RFE/RL Kuwait relay, 250 kW at 70deg in Dari/Pashto. R. Free Asia Tibetan also 250 kW and 70 degrees on 7550 2300-2400, 9365 0100-0300, 11540 1500-1600, 11590 1200-1400, 17780 0600-0700, 17855 1100-1200 (April 4) (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) ** TOGO. TOGOLESE MEDIA IN CHAOS FOLLOWING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Telephone, Internet and fax communications in Togo have become increasingly difficult since 22 April 2005, making it virtually impossible for local and international media to work effectively. Jacques Djakouti, president of the Union of Free Radio and Television Stations (URATEL), told Reporters sans Frontières that telecommunications had been virtually blocked in the country since the 24 April presidential election. On the night of 24 April, Thierry Tchukriel, a journalist with Rd'Autan radio station, was detained and beaten up by Tongolese soldiers. His identity papers, including his press card, were also confiscated. The French consul in Togo said an embassy doctor had examined the journalist and seen his injuries. Tchukriel was badly shaken after being beaten on the neck and head by four soldiers as he covered the vote-counting at an election office near the Lomé market. According to Rd'Autan Radio Board Chair René Pagès, "Tensions rose from the moment the vote-counting got underway and the situation rapidly deteriorated. Thierry Tchukriel was struck on the head and thrown to the ground. His belt was taken. His passport, press card and camera were confiscated. Wishing to file a complaint, he went to the [French] consulate, but officials were unable to locate a police commissioner." Tchukriel had gone to Lomé on 19 April to cover the presidential election. In another incident, on 25 April, La Paix radio station was ransacked and burned to the ground in Atakpamé, central Togo. The station, launched in 2002, supported the government. It became the latest victim of the tense post-electoral climate in Atakpamé, where police clashed with young anti-government demonstrators. (Source: Reporters sans Frontières) # posted by Andy @ 13:09 UT May 3 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ** TURKEY. Enjoying the music on VOT, 15350, until 1500 UT May 4, then timesignal 4 or 5 seconds slow, compared to WWV! What`s the point of broadcasting a timesignal if it can`t be any more accurate than that? The pips imply a high degree of accuracy, at LEAST correct to less than one second. I am NOT nitpicking. Either get it right or do away with it (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Glenn -- this is the best piece done on the atmosphere at VOA and the Sawa issue so far: http://www.cjr.org/issues/2005/3/peinVOA.asp (Dan Robinson, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) THE NEW WAVE --- THE VOICE OF AMERICA IS BEING DROWNED OUT BY A MIX OF POP-FLAVORED PROPAGANDA. WHAT SHOULD AMERICA SOUND LIKE? By Corey Pein Even as insiders fear it could be muted, the Voice of America can find few friends at home, where it needs them. Which is not entirely surprising, since many American journalists think of it as a mere propaganda outlet, while many in government --- particularly those of a hawkish bent --- see the network as a $158 million albatross that combines the worst of the private-sector press (liberal reporters) and the federal bureaucracy (career civil servants). These caricatures owe much to the fact that one doesn`t hear the Voice within U.S. borders. They are mostly wrong. The Voice does run government-line editorials http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/ but its news is similar in tone and substance to that of The Associated Press, with a sound that echoes a mid-size National Public Radio affiliate. The thousand-strong staff of the Voice includes serious journalists who are emphatic about the agency`s code, which mandates editorial independence and fair treatment for all points of view. Its advocates see a straightforward journalistic approach as the best possible demonstration of American values in a time when the nation`s popularity is slipping around the world. But particularly in the Middle East, the Voice is being supplanted by a new model, something closer to MTV than the BBC. Voice people are nervous about the future of journalism at their network, some fearing it will be replaced by pure propaganda. On paper, this should be a boom time for the Voice. The Bush administration proposed upping by $60 million the $592 million international broadcasting budget next year, and adding new programming in Persian, Pashtu, Urdu, and other ``critical war-on- terrorism languages.`` Chided by the 9/11 Commission for ceding too much ground to Osama bin Laden in a ``war of ideas,`` foreign policy types have a new enthusiasm for ``public diplomacy`` over the airwaves. Indeed, how Arabs and Muslims feel about the United States, and vice versa, could determine whether we will measure the current wars in years or in generations. Despite the windfall, the number of hours and frequencies devoted to English-language programming by the Voice have declined dramatically in recent years. Alan Heil, a retired deputy director of the Voice who published a history http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/catalog/data/023112/0231126743.HTM of the network in 2003, says that for all practical purposes, the global English-language service is finished. ``They`ve been cutting it to ribbons, so now you only have a strong presence in East Asia and Africa. It`s slightly weaker in South Asia, dark in Europe and Latin America.`` And in 2002, the Voice`s Arabic service was axed entirely. It was replaced by the music and headlines of Radio Sawa http://www.radiosawa.com (meaning, ``together``), and, in 2004, a television network called Al Hurra http://www.alhurra.com (for ``The Free One,`` though, because of an unfortunate near-homonym, hurayrah, it`s known to some as ``the kitten network``). The old Arabic service cost $4 million in its last year. Next year`s budget calls for nearly $80 million for Sawa and Al Hurra. The new operations were pitched as models for future international broadcasts. Like the Voice, they ultimately answer to the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an appointed body of four Democrats and four Republicans plus the secretary of state. If Edward R. Murrow --- who ran the U.S. Information Agency for President John F. Kennedy --- is the grandfather of overseas broadcasting, Sawa and Al Hurra seem like estranged young relatives. The new networks are the brainchildren of a board member, Norman J. Pattiz, who made his name building Westwood One, the commercial radio giant. A California Democrat and Clinton appointee, his vision for overseas broadcasting has nonetheless found eager patrons in the Bush administration*. Pattiz believes in steering young Arabs away from ``hate media,`` using pop culture as the draw. ``They`re attracted by the music, but that`s not what we`re there for,`` Pattiz says. The networks exist, he says, to present views of U.S. policy not found in the Arab media. ``Our mission is a journalistic mission.`` Between the Arabic pop ballads and old Bryan Adams hits that fill up three-quarters of its airtime, Sawa is supposed to be a credible information source, just like the Voice. But whereas the old Voice Arabic service earned a measure of respect among the region`s seekers of serious news --- the noted Middle East scholar Juan Cole http://www.juancole.com called it ``among the best and most extensive providers of news and discussion programs in the Arab world`` --- the regional media have received Sawa and Al Hurra with scoffs and sneers. Ali Abunimah http://www.abunimah.org a Palestinian-American journalist and activist, spent a day in 2002 monitoring Sawa on a trip to Jordan. Where the BBC reported on civilian casualties and a huge rise in child malnutrition in the occupied territories, Abunimah wrote, Sawa highlighted official Israeli pronouncements and reports on corruption in the Palestinian Authority. It`s tough to independently assess Sawa content from afar, but program summaries and interview transcripts from the State Department help. Sometimes, the questions asked by Sawa correspondents are more revealing than the answers: Can you please state what is our stated policy towards the fence that the Israelis are building right now? What is the U.S. going to do, in order to swipe away this illusion and this fear of the Arabs and the Iraqis of something called the ``U.S. occupation,`` which is not really what the U.S. is doing in Iraq? Iraqis accustomed to road checkpoints and house-by-house raids may not easily be convinced that they are living through an ``illusion`` of occupation. And whatever ``our`` policy is, ``fence`` is a loaded term for the concrete wall snaking through Israel and Palestine. Pattiz holds that the success of Sawa and Al Hurra --- and their journalistic quality --- is demonstrated by the size of the audience, which he puts at a combined 40 million to 50 million. But others question those numbers, as well as the idea that Arabs prefer the new American networks to Arab networks. (By way of comparison, Al Jazeera`s audience is generally put at 30 million to 50 million.) ``We`ve got reams of audience research from independent, reliable sources,`` Pattiz says, ``and all I hear from our detractors is anecdotal evidence.`` But perhaps that`s because the board of governors has kept unfriendly studies out of public view. Last October, The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A28031-2004Oct12?language=printer reported that the board was delaying release of a highly critical State Department audit of Sawa. A copy of the draft obtained by CJR reveals that the report`s harshest findings were scrubbed. It faulted Sawa for failing to comply with the VoA charter, which mandates an ``accurate, objective, and comprehensive source of news`` that presents U.S. policies ``clearly and effectively.`` The audit cited sloppy hiring practices, frequent mistranslations (alluding to an infamous Sawa blooper, a reference to Secretary of State ``Colin Bowel``), and a heavy Lebanese tilt that turned off listeners in other countries. A section titled ``No Basis for BBG`s Claim That Radio Sawa Is the Leading International Broadcaster`` was deleted entirely. So was the blunt conclusion of one expert commissioned to assess the network: ``America can do better than this.`` Pattiz contends that the draft was so poorly done that the State Department ``wouldn`t dare put it out.`` He refused, however, to share the board of governors` written objections to the draft. Mamoun Fandy, a fellow at the James Baker Institute http://bakerinstitute.org/Persons/bio_mfandy.htm who has advised the State Department on public diplomacy, contends that Sawa is not a credible source of information. ``The elements of a news story are not there,`` Fandy says, citing Sawa`s failure to identify its announcers and cite its sources, and its lack of on-site coverage. ``It comes across as propagandistic and lacking in professionalism.`` The year-old Al Hurra draws similar complaints from the Arab press. Arab journalists say it employs too many Lebanese nationals and foolishly sticks to a regular schedule of nature documentaries and cooking shows, even during important events like last year`s tsunami and the killing of the head of Hamas. Six months after the station`s launch, Tariq Al Humayd, the editor of the pan-Arab paper Asharq al- Awsat, which has shown more sympathy to America`s presence in the region than others, lamented Al Hurra`s sorry state: ``We hoped that Al Hurra would emerge as the voice of reason and a source of information and investigative reports at the level of those produced by the U.S. media. The last thing we expected was that the United States would try to sell us its bad goods.`` Mamoun Fandy argues that Al Hurra undercuts America`s proclaimed hopes for the Middle East by failing to promote free speech and women`s rights. Amid all this, is there room left for ``old-fashioned`` (as Pattiz describes the Voice) journalism? Voice correspondents have historically felt some pressure to advocate for U.S. policy, but under the current administration, the pressure is barely disguised. The current Voice director, David Jackson, is a former Time reporter who left in 2001 to create the Pentagon`s p.r. Web site, http://www.DefendAmerica.gov/ In 2004 he demoted the Voice`s popular news director, Andre deNesnera, who shortly after 9/11 had broadcast an interview with a Taliban leader. The interview led many, including William Safire of The New York Times, to attack the Voice on the ground that this was not the time to know thine enemy. (DeNesnera declined to comment for this story, saying he was ``out of the loop.``) Last July, nearly half of the Voice`s staff signed a petition protesting deNesnera`s removal ``after years of fighting to maintain VoA`s high journalistic standards,`` and pleading for Congress to review the BBG`s embrace of ``taxpayer-funded, pop-music networks.`` It failed to get much response. Since then, morale has hit bottom. In March, President George W. Bush nominated his longtime adviser Karen Hughes to serve as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. Her plans for international broadcasting aren`t public knowledge, but she is a relentless spinmeister who has not earned a reputation for sympathizing with the journalistic mission. On April 7, network chiefs told employees that work done by the overnight shift of the central news service, which compiles correspondents` reports and wire copy for all of the Voice`s forty-four language services, would be shipped off to the Hong Kong bureau. Voice correspondents have also grumbled about censorship. Specific cases include being discouraged from showing images of Abu Ghraib, or covering the recent federal practice of distributing fake news reports to domestic television stations. Government-supported broadcasters like the Voice bear a stamp of approval from U.S. taxpayers. In that sense, its name can be taken literally. Nancy Snow, http://bakerinstitute.org/Persons/bio_mfandy.htm a propaganda expert at USC`s Annenberg School for Communication who has advised the government on public diplomacy, is among those who argue that if the Voice were strengthened with editorial staff and expanded frequencies, it could eventually match the BBC`s stature around the world. Condoleezza Rice has expressed some nostalgia for the cold war-era Voice, but correspondents are skeptical. ``They want everyone to die off or leave,`` a source at the Voice said. Barring some help from Congress, such gloom is probably justified. * In the print version of CJR, this article incorrectly states that Norman J. Pattiz donates money to Mother Jones magazine. Pattiz donates to many organiziations, but Mother Jones --- which reported on his donations to the Democratic party --- is not one of them. CJR regrets the error. Corey Pein is an assistant editor at CJR. (Columbia Journalism Review via Dan Robinson, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Frequency change for Voice of America, English to ME: 0900-1200 NF 9520 KAV 250 kW / 105 deg, ex 9705 \\ 15205 KAV 250 kW / 095 deg and 17745 IRA 250 kW / 299 deg (Observer, Bulgaria, May 3, via DXLD) ** U S A. There was another WBCQ after-scheduled-hours transmission last night at 0430 UT (May 4 '05). This one mentioned being on board the boat (the Katie) with Larry Will and Dr. Scott Becker, and also contained slow-scan TV transmissions at 0510 UT and at least once more later. However, this was definitely a taped repeat, based both on the comments of the participants and the fact that they said that it would be a 2-hour broadcast but it cut off around 0530. Also, right at the end, I could swear that I heard someone say that the current date was "September 11", but I was just about asleep by then so will not swear to it. I had sent an earlier reception report and got a response from Larry Will and I enclose excerpts from that below. Note that he says that the actual transmissions from the Katie will begin in June. 73, (Will Martin, May 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ****Notes from Larry**** We've been doing impromptu broadcasts like this for a little while now. Usually we'll run live on 5105 after Radio Six signs off at 9 PM eastern time, and if conditions appear to be favorable Dr Becker will run the show again at 0430 on 7415. And if we think the show is worth repeating later on, it may appear in one of the available air time slots on 7415, as you heard at 2100 Wednesday. That's why I say "undisclosed frequency" because I know they'll put it in whenever they have an open slot... and we're also trying to have a little fun. If all goes according to plan we will originate broadcasts from the M/S Katie in Boston Harbor in mid-June. These will be fed via wireless broadband and the internet to the transmitters in Monticello. We'll announce dates and times when we get our travel plans settled. The WBCQ staff party is scheduled for June 18, so I'm sure there will be lots of unscheduled "out of schedule" broadcasts that weekend. ****End of note from Larry Will**** (via Will Martin, dxldyg via DXLD) Will, I was listening as well last night to WBCQ on 5105 (actually 5105.190 for me). Indeed a sharp sign-off at 0530 UT. 7415 was down in the mud by 0500. 5105 was mixed with heavy "ute" interference like it usually is from this location most of the time. They really need to move off of 5105 (say move up 5 kHz). Regards, (Dave Zantow, Janesville, WI, ibid.) ** U S A. Summer A-05 for DX-ing With Cumbre: Fri 2100-2130 11765 HRA 250 kW / 090 deg Angel 5 [actually 2107v] Sat 0330-0400 17510 WHR 100 kW / 300 deg Angel 3 0500-0530 7315 HRI 250 kW / 152 deg Angel 1 7465 HRI 250 kW / 042 deg Angel 2 0700-0730 9510 WHR 100 kW / 225 deg Angel 4 0730-0800 7315 HRI 250 kW / 152 deg Angel 1 7465 HRI 250 kW / 042 deg Angel 2 0900-0930 9510 WHR 100 kW / 225 deg Angel 4 1230-1300 11785 HRI 250 kW / 315 deg Angel 1 1930-2000 15285 HRI 250 kW / 173 deg Angel 1 Sun 0500-0530 9510 WHR 100 kW / 225 deg Angel 4 1500-1530 11555 WHR 100 kW / 285 deg Angel 3 1530-1600 15285 HRI 250 kW / 173 deg Angel 1 2030-2100 15785 HRI 250 kW / 042 deg Angel 2 Mon 0230-0300 5850 HRA 250 kW / 060 deg Angel 5 0330-0400 7315 HRI 250 kW / 152 deg Angel 1 (Observer, Bulgaria, May 3, via DXLD) ** U S A. `AIR AMERICA' RETURN MAY NOT BE A GOOD THING Eric Zorn, Published May 3, 2005 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0505030001may03,1,5216356.story?coll=chi-newslocalchicago-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true There's good news and bad news for Chicago-area liberals this week. And it's the same news. Air America, the left-wing talk-radio network that disappeared from local airwaves due to a financial dispute shortly after it debuted a year ago April, appears certain to return to a new home at 850 on the AM dial. The formal announcement will come "within the next 24 to 48 hours," said Fred Eychaner on Monday morning. He's the owner of Newsweb Corp., which operates nine area radio stations, including the future WCPT (for "Chicago's Progressive Talk"). It's good news for lefties because local talk radio is now dominated by conservative voices. WLS-AM 890 has gradually sloughed off or muted its liberal hosts, while WIND-AM 560 is now a full-time outlet for syndicated right-wing programming. It will be refreshing to hear steady chatter from Bush administration critics for a change, instead of the defenders and apologists who now dominate the dial. Even though my listening tastes run toward balanced debate and an illuminating clash of ideas and philosophies, I'll take our side's agitprop over theirs any day. But it's bad news for lefties because AM 850--now oldies rock station WAIT--is a weak, daytime-only station based in Crystal Lake. It sends out a 2,500-watt signal (compared with WIND's 5,000 watts and WLS' 50,000 watts) that reaches the west and northwest Cook County suburbs and into downtown, but is weak in much of Lake and DuPage Counties and southwest Cook County. Air America had much better coverage when it rented time last year on the transmitter of WNTD-AM 950. And 2004, with its polarizing presidential election, was a zestier political climate for talk radio than 2005 is. Isolated ratings reports from around the country suggest Air America, which is on some 50 stations, most of them low-powered, is struggling. The station drew less than 0.1 percent of the overall listening audience in Washington, D.C., in recent ratings, 0.3 percent in Los Angeles, 1.2 percent in New York City, 0.4 percent in Boston and so on. An Air America spokeswoman in New York said that listenership among the target audience of 25- to 54-year-olds has been "consistently encouraging," particularly for hosts Al Franken and Randi Rhodes. She had no national numbers to back up that assertion. The format starts with a built-in disadvantage--most liberals got out of the habit of listening to commercial talk radio during its right- wing renaissance in the late 1980s. Now it's attempting a daytime-only Chicago revival in a political off year. It looks to me like a recipe for failure. Inevitably weak ratings will tell advertisers and programmers that there's no market for left-wing talk, dooming us to decades of smug, hectoring conservatives. "I don't believe that," said network co-founder and major investor Sheldon Drobny of Highland Park. I asked him if 850 AM is the proper station at the proper time for Air America in Chicago. "We'll do fine. The socioeconomic profile of our target audience is excellent. And it's either this or no broadcast at all." Drobny sounded a little frustrated with me. I've been bugging him since last year about the curious lack of an Air America outlet in the hometown of not only its wealthy co-founder, but also the hometown of Eychaner, who is a Democratic Party mega-donor along with being a broadcast impresario. Eychaner could have started up an Air America outlet at almost any time with a fraction of the dough he's been heaving at liberal candidates and causes in recent years. Then came a false alarm in mid-March when Al Franken announced on the air that Chicago would be back on the air March 31 to mark the network's first anniversary. "It took a lot longer for all the contracts and technical issues to come together than we thought," said Eychaner. He insisted that he's not mixing his business with his politics here--that WCPT is simply a good investment. Newsweb Corp. station's vice president Harvey Wells and officials at Air America hedged far more than Eychaner did Monday about if and when a formal announcement will come. This leaves open the slim possibility -- or is it a hope? -- that the news about WCPT-AM is just another false alarm (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. PROGRESSIVE TALK RADIO STARTS THURS. WCPT TO BE AT 850 ON AM DIAL AND TO USE SOME PROGRAMMING FROM AIR AMERICA RADIO --- By Kate Ryan http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=16371 Chicago`s Newsweb Radio Group today said it will launch a new local radio station for ``progressive talk`` at 850 on the AM band. WCPT, Chicago`s Progressive Talk, will begin broadcasting Thursday at 8 a.m. with programming that will include talk shows, news on the hour and traffic and weather reports. Among the personalities with shows to air on the station are Jerry Springer, Al Franken, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Ed Schultz. WCPT will also air a show called Morning Sedition. Several of WCPT`s programs come from Air America Radio, a national talk radio network launched in March 2004 that sought to counter the popularity of conservative talk stations across the country. Progressive talk radio ``has grown dramatically and has become available in most of the top markets in the country,`` according to a statement by Newsweb. Chicago has been without such a station for more than a year, after a first attempt at Air America Radio on the Chicago dial closed in its first month. Newsweb Radio Group, a division of Newsweb Corp., owns five AM and four FM stations in the Chicago area. Owned by entrepreneur Fred Eychaner, Newsweb also prints foreign-language and alternative newspapers, and in 2002 sold WPWR-TV/Channel 50 to Rupert Murdoch`s News Corp. for $425 million. Mr. Eychaner is a significant donor to Democratic causes, giving at least $1.1 million to groups working to defeat [acting] President Bush last fall (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. KUAT CELEBRATES 30 CLASSIC YEARS By Cathalena E. Burch ARIZONA DAILY STAR http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/allheadlines/72686.php Tucson's lone full-time classical music radio station is letting its hair down and kicking up its heels for its 30th birthday party on Tuesday. KUAT (89.7/90.5-FM) has reason to celebrate: Turning 30 in the classical music world dominated by publicly funded stations such as KUAT is a rarity these days. Classical music stations are increasingly dropping off the dial, jumping to the more popular news and information format. The latest victim: Washington, D.C.'s prestigious WETA, which converted to all-news in the past couple of months. "We have a very strong listenership in Southern Arizona and we believe it will remain strong for a long time to come," said KUAT station manager John Kelley. Kelley and the folks at the KUAT Communications Group are so committed to the format and the future that they are getting ready to invest in improvements to the station's transmission. The station hopes by year's end to convert to digital, high-definition transmission, if it secures funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cover the estimated $120,000 costs. It also hopes to improve its signal throughout Northwest Tucson, in places like SaddleBrooke and Marana, where reception can be spotty. KUAT's reach extends throughout Southern Arizona and will grow even stronger with the high-tech transmission, Kelley said. KUAT Communications includes National Public Radio-affiliated news station KUAZ (89.1 FM/1550 AM) and Public Broadcasting Service television station KUAT, Channel 6 (via Sheldon Harvey, DXLD) ** U S A. WXDU UNDER INCREASED SCRUTINY by Diana Ni May 02, 2005 An unidentified, middle-aged man has been intently tuning in to Duke`s radio station, WXDU (88.7 FM), and its webcam for the past two weeks. Dubbed `Our Listener` by WXDU officials, the man sends an e-mail every morning with a list of profanities and the time they are broadcast to the University’s top brass. The increased scrutiny of WXDU has spurred the station’s administrators to take extra caution with on-air content. . . http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/05/02/4276029f340ba (via Sheldon Harvey, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [and non]. CUBA/VENEZUELA: CUBA TO BUY STAKE IN VENEZUELAN PAN-REGIONAL TV CHANNEL | Text of report: "Cuba, Venezuela sign 11 agreements on communications" published by Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional web site on 1 May Venezuela's Ministry of Communications and Information, the Cuban Information Science and Technology Ministry, and the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television [ICRT] signed 11 agreements in the area of social communication during the Cuba-Venezuela Meeting for the Implementation of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas. According to an ABN [Bolivarian News Agency] report, Andres Izarra, head of the Venezuelan ministry, explained that the agreements would benefit the state, community and alternative media. Staff from Venezolana de Television, Televisora del Sur (Telesur) and Radio Nacional de Venezuela may conduct training courses on the island. ICRT President Ernesto López says the agreements signed will promote the exchange of experiences between Cubans and Venezuelans. Cuba will acquire a 19-per-cent stake in Telesur. Producers on the island must broadcast 1,000 hours of information, educational and film productions. Source: El Nacional web site, Caracas, in Spanish 1 May 05 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. RADIO STATION TO BE IMPROVED BY NEW OWNERS Radio station WSTX in St Croix, US Virgin Islands, is to receive upgrades and improvements after signing an agreement with a prospective buyer. Attorney Kevin Rames said last week that Family Broadcasting Inc has entered into a time brokerage agreement with Caledonia Communication Corp, of which he is the president and sole shareholder. Rames said the agreement is to control the programming of WSTX-AM 970 and WSTX-FM 100.3 radio stations. Family Broadcasting still maintains the licences, but Caledonia will run the programming. Rames said Caledonia plans to ultimately purchase the radio stations. The FM station previously simulcast the AM station, but Rames said with the new agreement the FM station has changed format to reggae programming, while the AM outlet continues to carry the popular news, sports and talk radio programs. (Source: Virgin Islands Daily News) # posted by Andy @ 11:20 UT May 3 (Media Network blog via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ OBITUARY FOR DXERS Nachruf - nota necrológica - necrologio - article nécrologique - necrologie - dödsruna - nekrológ http://www.schoechi.de/obituary.html This page contains lists of DXers, hams, pirate radio ops and other radio personalities that left us. Some of them were my own friends. I want to remember them and all others I did not personally know with this page. Of course I can not say 'additions are welcome' but please write to me if you have the obligation to include someone else in this list. You can also contact me if you have material about these friends (photos, stories etc.). These things can be included in a PDF file and I will add it to my page. Thank you (Martin Schöch, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO JAMMING IN THE SOVIET UNION, POLAND AND OTHER EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. --- By Rimantas Pleikys Appears toward the bottom of the current Top News at WWDXC, i.e. BC-DX #711: http://www.wwdxc.de/topnews.htm (via gh, DXLD) NEW EDITION OF BROADCASTS IN ENGLISH The Summer 2005 (A05) edition of Broadcasts in English is now available from the British DX Club. It was compiled by Dave Kenny and includes details of all currently known international broadcasts in English on shortwave and mediumwave for the A05 schedule period. The 32-page booklet is in time order throughout and covers all target areas. Transmitter sites are given where known. It also includes a comprehensive guide to DX and Media Programmes; schedules for Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) transmissions and World Radio Network in English to Europe. Copies are available at the following prices (postage included): United Kingdom - 2 pounds sterling Overseas - 6 International Reply Coupons; 5 Euros or 5 US Dollars Sterling payments by cheque/postal order to "British DX Club" Dollar or Euro payments in cash. We can now accept payment via Paypal - please email for details. Secretary @ bdxc.org.uk All orders/enquiries to: British DX Club, 126 Bargery Road, Catford, London SE6 2LR, UK Or visit the BDXC-UK web site at http://www.bdxc.org.uk (via DXLD) BRAZILIAN MW LIST updated: see BRAZIL DRM +++ SCHEDULES DRM A-05 En la siguiente dirección pueden disponer de las frecuencias en DRM para el período A-05 http://baseportal.com/baseportal/drmdx/main (JOSE MIGUEL ROMERO ROMERO, bclnews.it via DXLD) While we are at it, two other DRM schedule versions I know of, and they never all match: [by time:] http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/dossiers/drm_schedule.html [by frequency:] http://www.hfcc.org/data/A05drm.html However, NONE of them show any current usage of 15375, where I heard a DRM signal 15370-15380 May 4 at 1429. These frequencies have been used both by Calera de Tango and Pifo. NO mention of 15375 since Feb in a search of the DRM fora (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FRANCE, 6175, DRM --- Today I noted loud DRM on 6175 at 0648 - RFI? - and blocking reception of VOA 6180. There was another on 9720 at 0710 - ORF? - and another at low level on 7210 same time. And on about 9677 (USB only?) there was another type of digital racket. They are swarming around like angry bees !!! (Noel R. Green-UK, wwdxc BC-DX May 3 via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ NEW PROJECTS UPLOADED TO MY WEBSITE Hi, I feel the following is "On Topic" as 'everyone' needs a multicoupler or pre-amp in their SWL listening post |grin|. While the site is primarily LF oriented, a number of the projects are also applicable to Shortwave radio. The past couple of days I've been working on my website and have created and uploaded pages for several new projects. I'm especially pleased with the latest preamplifier and Multicoupler circuits. They are in daily use here and may be found in the "Homebrew" section. Sheesh, it takes quite a bit of time to draw those schematics using Windows "Paint" ;-) A couple of the projects have been contributed by other members of the Beacon mail list, but most are my own work and design. I intend to add new features as various projects are implemented here. In the works is a rotatable loop antenna, recycling and repair of TV rotators for radio work etc. Some of the projects on my site: 1. The latest "KO6BB" Multicoupler (as well as the earlier one). 2. The latest "KO6BB" LF/HF Preamplifier (and earlier ones). 3. An article about how I implemented the "Poorboy Narrow CW filter". 4. Broadcast Band Reject Filter. 5. 510 KC Low Pass filters. 73 de (Phil, KO6BB, Atchley, 991 Different NDB's heard to date. SWL QSL GALLERY: http://photobucket.com/albums/y123/KO6BB/ THE BEACONEER'S LAIR: http://www.geocities.com/ko6bb/ --- Merced, Central California, 37.3N 120.48W CM97sh, swl at qth.net via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to major storm levels. The period began with the field mostly quiet to unsettled, with one isolated active period at middle latitudes early on the 25th, as effects from a weak coronal hole wind stream were still present. These conditions persisted through 25/1500 UTC. Thereafter, through late on the 29th, the field was quiet to unsettled. By 29/2100 UTC, levels increased to active, and by early on the 30th, levels were at active to minor storming, as a large, recurrent coronal hole high speed stream rotated into a geoeffective position. By 01 May, activity levels further increased to minor to major storming, but ended the summary period quiet to unsettled. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 04 - 30 MAY 2005 Solar activity is expected be at very low to low levels with a chance for M-class activity from Regions 756 and 758. A greater than 10 MeV proton event is not expected. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at high levels 04 – 08 May, 10 – 16 May, and 28 – 30 May. The geomagnetic field is expected to range from quiet to minor storm levels. Recurrent coronal hole high speed wind streams are expected to produce active to minor storm levels on 09 – 11 May, 17 May, and 27 – 28 May. Otherwise, expect quiet to unsettled conditions. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2005 May 03 2215 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 2005 May 03 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2005 May 04 110 8 3 2005 May 05 110 5 2 2005 May 06 105 5 2 2005 May 07 100 5 2 2005 May 08 95 10 3 2005 May 09 95 20 4 2005 May 10 95 25 5 2005 May 11 95 18 4 2005 May 12 95 12 3 2005 May 13 90 8 3 2005 May 14 90 8 3 2005 May 15 85 5 2 2005 May 16 85 5 2 2005 May 17 85 20 4 2005 May 18 80 5 2 2005 May 19 80 10 3 2005 May 20 85 5 2 2005 May 21 90 10 3 2005 May 22 95 10 3 2005 May 23 100 5 2 2005 May 24 100 5 2 2005 May 25 100 5 2 2005 May 26 100 10 3 2005 May 27 100 20 4 2005 May 28 105 25 5 2005 May 29 105 10 3 2005 May 30 105 10 3 (http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1273, DXLD) ###