WORLD OF RADIO #1298, produced December 21, 2005 by Glenn Hauser
      [for full credits listen to show or consult recent DXLDs]

*Standard disclaimer
*R. Insurgente, Zapatista clandestine in Mexico, claims it is on SW
 6.0 MHz, imaginary? Press release said it would be on Dec 19 at 6 pm
 CST, and from Dec 30 every week at that time on Fri = UT Sats 0000;
 but nothing heard
*Instead we heard Radio Republica on new 5965, unknown site from 0000.
 Had been on WRMI 9955 only, 8+ hours per day, still announced. So
 happens that RHC is testing new transmitter also on 5965 at 00-05,
 coincidence? Blocks RR. Republica also heard at 0300 on 7110 instead
 of Ethiopia. http://www.radiorepublica.org had nothing about
 additional broadcasts; monitored sked: 22-24 on 6135, 00-02 5965, 02-
 04 7110 [matching that subsequently posted]; but what is site? 7110
 could not be North America, so from Europe, VT Merlin or T-Systems?
 [later: 6135 is so strong, seems North America or Caribbean]
*Bjoern Malm`s website not updated since Nov 26 and we finally learned
 Dec 20 that he had died of a heart attack Nov 29. Was a much-liked
 DXer and specialist in Latin America; see his legacy in his website
 Voces de la America Latina, lots of audio clips and visuals,
 http://www.malm-ecuador.com
*New Peruvian on 5800, sounds like Radio Mayabit, at 0130 from San
 Ignacio, Cajamarca dept., northern Peru
*BBC plans to cut 6000 jobs, save 355 megapounds ayear; 88% of job
 cuts voluntary, but other 12% = 280 individuals to be fired
*BBCWS already closing down some language services: Bulgarian finale
 Dec 23 at 1600; also Polish Dec 23; Slovak already closed Dec 20
*Plan for Czech service to move to BBC Worldwide rejected, and will
 also end
*Danish Radio ceases foreign languages including English after Dec 30;
 English during first 5 minutes [not first half hour as I said],
 weekdays at 0930, 1605, 2100 on MW 1062. This and LW 243 may also
 close down completely
*Xmas specials via Latvia 9290, include KWRN, Nordland Radio, Dec 25
 09-10
*V. of Russia announces that Joe Adamov has died; started at Radio
 Moscow in 1942, for more than 60 years; hosted Moscow Mailbag, keen
 sense of humor. PBS interview with him:
 http://www.pbs.org/redfiles/prop/deep/interv/p_int_joe_adamov.htm
*Carl Watts to be subject of People of Uncommon Destiny on VOR, Dec
 27 at 1745, 1945, 28 at 0445; maybe replaced now by Joe Adamov?
*R. Ukraine International seeking better frequency to NAm 00-05 on
 outskirts of 49m, currently 5910 clashing with Colombia
*Yearend changes in international broadcasting; Dec 31 was another
 possible termination for R Slovakia International. But has got three
 month extension with reduced budget, 1/5 of what is needed
*MW 594 in Osijek, Croatia, testing DRM with only 10 kW, but causes
 heavy interference to Hessischer Rundfunk, Germany also on 594
*R. Tirana, Albania, external service back on the air from Dec 20,
 including English 1945 on 7465 7530
*New Italian on 1620, heard all over Europe with speechs of ex-Pope
 John Paul II; at Veneto, near Verona in northern Italy
*Who is organizing SW relays from Bulgaria for IRRS and others?
 Spaceline Ltd., in Sofia provides SW, wants to join HFCC, but issues
 with Bulgarian government have delayed this
*New TWR station in Benin: SW tower is up, transmitter building mostly
 complete, praying to get licensed! MW tower is also up, to be on 1566
*V. of Nigeria morning broadcast on 7255 two hours later, opening at
 0654 to 0859* with English from 0701
*V. of the People, independent station in Harare, Zimbabwe, raided,
 staff arrested, but transmits via Madagascar; as of Dec 17,
 transmissions continue but no new programs received, 17-18 on 11705
*The media magazine you monitor with your mind, World of Radio 1298,
 http://www.worldofradio.org -- address: woradio at yahoo.com or P O
 Box 1684, Enid, OK 73702 USA
*Thanks this week for financial support go to Pete Bentley in NY
*Dec-Jan edition of Mundo Radial now on WWCR, 7465, Fri and Mon 2215
*Thanks to WRN, we are also heard on Sirius Satellite Radio. Dear
 Sirius: if Howard Stern gets $500 million, could I have maybe $5
 million? I could start talking dirty and discussing the breasts of
 various shortwave broadcasters, if that would help
*V. of Ethiopia, 9560.8, English from 1559 to 1630 heard in Japan
*Sudan Radio Service finally updated website to show 15575; English
 sked is: M-F 03-0345 7120, 15-1545 15575, except Weds half an hour
 only. Also on Sat 04-0430, 16-1630 only in Toposa, latter the only
 clash with Portugal; SRS via UK
*AFRTS SSB via Diego Garcia, approximate frequency change times are
 1500 from 12579 to 4319; and 0258 from 4319 to 12579
*Liberal talker Ed Schultz on AFN, and now Al Franken too from Air
 America, first hour only, M-F 1706-18; should be on DG and other AFN
 USB frequencies
*New clandestine for North Korea, 5880, severely jammed since Dec 16.
 Two different programs during the hour: 1501: Radio Free North Korea;
 1530 Open Radio for North Korea with Free Korean Central Broadcasting
 Station, produced by Union for Korean Democratization. Site confirmed
 as Irkutsk, Russia. Also on MW 981 via Mongolia, 500 kW. Mongolia is
 a further, safer haven for NK refugees in China
*Year End Party of Radio Japan Dec 31, additional Merlin relays
 include from 1430 UT: 6090 Skelton, 9575 Woofferton, 9750 Ramipsham,
 12045 Woofferton, 21630 Ascension; coming on later: 9860, 9795, 7195
*Separate program streams from Radio Austrlia, for Asia and Pacific,
 on satellite, web and soon SW, Sun-Fri at 2330-0900; new flagship
 show to Asia is Breakfast Club, Sun-Thu 2330-0130
*Leap second to be inserted between 2005 and 2006: WWV announcement at
 4 minutes past the hour vanished, but we recorded it earlier in Dec
 [recording]; will be at 2359:60 UT Dec 31. Further reading:
 http://hpiers.obspm.fr/iers/bul/bulc/bulletinc.dat
 http://www.npl.co.uk/time/leap_second.html
 http://www.livescience.com/technology/050705_leap_second.html
 http://skyandtelescope.com/aboutsky/pressreleases/pdf/200512134134.pdf
*Texas Utilities to start broadband over power lines, claiming no
 interference will be caused, in northeast quadrant of TX starting
 with DFW, 2 megahomes and businesses; Pennsylvania Power & Light had
 concluded it does not make economic sense
*KRMG 740 Tulsa to replace talk with Mannheim Steamroller Xmas eve 10
 pm overnite to 6 am Xmas day
*New LPFM in Tulsa featuring jazz, KJZT-LP, 107.9, with playlists but
 no streaming; mono smooth jazz, http://www.jazztulsa.org
*MW DX tests from Alabama, different arrangement than usual,
``inventory insert``, Dec 27 28 and 29 from Birmingham`s WAPI 1070 and
 WJOX 690. One-minute tests at :59 past the hours 0600-0900 UT, and
 also floating on 690 beween 19 and 34 past the hours. All about this
 in DXLD 5-217
*Usual reminder that on Xmas eve and NY eve, you may hear unusual
 stations, especially from Latin America, back on air for occasion
 only, or extended schedules
*Welcoming New Year by listening to computer: cool site with hour by
 hour webcasts for each time zone, to be udpated:
 http://www.ibcworks.net
*At winter solstice, daytime MW DX is possible; tune around at noon
*Propagation outlook from Boulder Dec 20: flux range 80-95
*Remember our website for much more info, DXLD archive:
 http://worldofradio.com
*With seasonal greetings,
*Glenn Hauser concluding another World of Radio, #1298, and hoping
 you`ll hear me again next week ###