DX LISTENING DIGEST 1-070, May 15, 2001 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com {Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. For restrixions and searchable 2001, 2000 contents archive see} http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/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] WORLD OF RADIO and CONTINENT OF MEDIA and MUNDO RADIAL SHORTWAVE-ONLY SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE MAY 14, 2001 A new RFPI frequency schedule necessitates our issuing this new schedule. It still always pays to check all RFPI frequencies beyond their scheduled hours. For latest updates see our Anomaly alert page: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/Anomaly.html Days and times here are strictly UT Wed 2330 WOR WBCQ1 7415 Thu 2030 WOR WWCR 15685 Fri 0930 WOR WWCR 7435 Fri 1900 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Fri 1930 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Fri 2115 MR WWCR 15685 Sat 0100 COM RFPI 15049 7445-USB Sat 0130 WOR RFPI 15049 7445-USB Sat 0200 WOR WWCR 3215 Sat 0700 COM RFPI 15049 7445-USB Sat 0730 WOR RFPI 15049 7445-USB Sat 1130 WOR WWCR 15685 Sat 1300 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Sat 1330 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Sat 1730 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Sat 1800 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Sat 2330 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Sun 0000 WOR RFPI 15049 7445-USB Sun 0206 WOR WBCQ2 9335-CUSB [time varies] Sun 0230 WOR WWCR 5070 Sun 0530 COM RFPI 15049 7445-USB Sun 0600 WOR RFPI 15049 7445-USB Sun 0628 WOR WWCR 3210 Sun 1130 COM RFPI 15049 7445-USB Sun 1200 WOR RFPI 15049 7445-USB Mon 0000 WOR WWCR 3215 [9475 from June] Mon 0500 WOR WWCR 3210 Tue 1100 WOR WWCR 15685 Tue 1900 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Tue 2000 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Wed 0100 WOR RFPI 15049 7445-USB Wed 0200 COM RFPI 15049 7445-USB Wed 0700 WOR RFPI 15049 7445-USB Wed 0800 COM RFPI 15049 7445-USB Wed 1300 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Wed 1400 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Latest revision of this schedule version is at: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wormassw.html Master schedule including satellite, AM, FM: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wormast.html World of Radio homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/ Note: I really have not intended to publish DXLD on a daily basis -- preferably 2 or 3 times a week -- but so much is happening, if I can keep up with it, might as well get it out without further delay, and without making single issues any larger ... (Glenn) ** ARGENTINA. Gabriel Iván Barrera wrote: Amigos de la Lista, Alguien de Argentina, posee una historia o información detallada del S.I.R.A. (Servicio Internacional de la República Argentina), el servicio previo al nacimiento de la RAE. Agradeceré por esta vía comentarios. Gracias. 73's GIB A falta de otros comentarios, permítaseme el siguiente: El Servicio Radiofónico Internacional, S.R.I., que luego se llamaría Servicio Internacional Radiofónico Argentino, SIRA, dependiente de la Secretaría de Difusión del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto, fue inaugurado en abril de 1949, funcionando luego a lo largo de la época del gobierno justicialista, es decir hasta el derrocamiento del General Perón, en septiembre de 1955. El servicio se originaba en los estudios de Ayacucho 1556, C.F., en donde estaba ubicada la Radio del Estado de entonces, y para el servicio se usaban los transmisores de onda corta de la misma Radio del Estado, así como también los de Radio Belgrano, Splendid y El Mundo. (El 25 de mayo de 1956, la Radio del Estado cambia de nombre y empieza a llamarse Radio Nacional. El suspendido servicio oficial de onda corta reaparece en 1958 bajo el nombre de RAE, Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior). El SIRA llegó a emitir en seis o siete idiomas, entre ellos también en sueco. Veamos lo que sobre el SIRA se llegó a publicar en algunos boletines nórdicos: En el boletín número 107 de "Sweden Calling DXers", de Radio Suecia, fechado el 11 de marzo de 1950, se anuncia el inicio, a partir del primero de abril, de las emisiones en sueco y en alemán a través del S.R.I. Se prevén emisiones de prueba para la segunda quincena de marzo, pero en dicho boletín no se dice ni a qué hora ni en qué frecuencias. En el boletín número 202 de "Sweden Calling DXers", del 5 de enero de 1952, se publica el siguiente horario en UTC para las transmisiones en inglés de la emisora que ya se identifica como SIRA, Servicio Internacional Radiofónico Argentino: LRS 11880 1800-1900, LRU 15290 1900-2025, LRA 17720 2230-0130, LRU 15290 0400-0600. También se anuncia la próxima puesta en funcionamiento de 15345 para emisiones en varios idiomas. (No se dice en cuáles). Las emisiones en sueco continúan, dice el boletín, a través de LRS (Radio Splendid), en 11880 kc/s (en esta época ya no se habla de "kHz") a las 1900- 2000. El boletín número 265 de "Sweden Calling DXers", del 20 de marzo de 1953, revela que hay emisiones en alemán a las 1800-1900 en 15345, y en inglés a las 2000-2100 en 11880. No se mencionan para nada las emisiones en sueco, que parece que ya fueron suspendidas. El SIRA envió a sus oyentes tarjetas QSL, banderines y boletines mensuales de programación en varios idiomas. En un número del boletín impreso del SIRA del año 1950 se comentaba que entre los oyentes que tenían en Dinamarca había uno que se llamaba Jens M. Frost. El editor del WRTH ya casi no se acordaba de eso, y menos había visto la publicación, de manera que le gustó mucho que se lo obsequiara. (HENRIK KLEMETZ, Suecia, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Muy agradecido, colega Henrik Klemetz, por los interesantes comentarios históricos en relación al SIRA y por haber respondido a la inquietud. Ciertamente, en el exterior siempre hay más información que aqui localmente sobre nuestra propia radiodifusion. GRACIAS. GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. I`m hearing RA Indonesian 0000-0030 on 21680 via Darwin, running \\ 17750 (Shepparton). Very strong & pronounced satellite delay. Earlier audio problems appear to have been cleaned up. There was an attempt to fire up the English service on 17775 at 0000 (also Darwin), but carrier on and off for 10 minutes & it seems they gave up eventually. 15/5/01 (Craig Seager, ARDXC via DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. A few days Radio Bangladesh was off-air. On 7 May heard again on 15520 kHz after 1200. Quite weak reception. At 1400 Hindi Service of the BBC occupies the frequency, and Bangladesh signs off during that broadcast. BBC is much stronger, and I cannot determine the moment of Bangladesh's broadcast end (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, Signal via DXLD) ** BELGIUM. RTBF radio stations available on internet | Text of report in English by Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal "Radio World" on 13 May We end here in Brussels with news from our friends and neighbours and colleagues at RTBF, the public broadcaster of the French-speaking community in Belgium. On 17 April that's this Tuesday [as heard] the RTBF radio stations make their appearance on the Internet. At 0500 UTC sharp, the first national programme La Première, the regional stations of Fréquence Wallonie with its three sub channels and also the station for Brussels - Bruxelles Capitale, the classical music station Musique 3, the popular music station Radio 21 and Radio Trafic - which as the name indicates offers traffic information on mediumwave and in DAB - will all be on line. If you want to check it out visit their well-presented site http://www.rtbf.be Source: Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal, Brussels, in English 1830 gmt 13 May 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) BLTN ** CANADA [and non]. British Columbia Provincial Election –- Green Party Wednesday's B.C. Provincial election MAY have international ramifications, and garner coverage on the international bands. The governing NDP are no doubt about to be defeated, but on a scale to make Kim Campbell's defeat in 1993 look like a moral victory. Storyline #1: The Liberal Party, which has not formed the government in 80 years is poised to win. Nobody disputes this. The magnitude of the victory is what is the story. The NDP is SO discredited that the Liberals have 65% in the polls!!!!! There is a possibility that the Liberal Party will win ALL 79 seats in the legislature. These are not traditional Liberals, very right-wing -- at least that's how they're being portrayed. Storyline #2: The NDP is even trailing the Green Party. There is a possibility that the Greens will elect their first ever member in Canada, and reportedly only the second ever in North America. I've heard no evidence on BBC or DW, but apparently in Europe, the press is starting to take notice of this possibility. There are European and other international press covering this possible story. Perhaps it might get coverage on BBC or DW. Polls close at 11 PM EDT, Wednesday. By the way, the riding where they forsee a Green victory includes the town that was the setting for the Beachcombers TV series. No word on how "Relic" intends to vote! In fact, if the results are 78 Liberals and 1 Green, that would make the Green Party Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, entitling them to gobs of research money and other perqs. NDP MAY elect some in Vancouver. Current polls have Liberals @ 65%, Greens 16% and NDP at 15%. If the Green or NDP #s are concentrated in one or two ridings they will elect somebody. If spread out across the province it will be 79 out of 79 for the new gov't. Just a heads up; some of you are interested in environmental causes (Fred Waterer, Ontario, May 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHECHNYA [non]. Russia/USA: North Caucasus broadcasts said "great mistake" | Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 14 May: A former director of Radio Liberty's Moscow bureau said on Monday that a decision by the radio station to broadcast in three North Caucasus languages - Chechen, Avar and Circassian - was "a great mistake." This was "a great mistake committed in Washington," Savik Shuster told Moscow's Ekho Moskvy radio. "I am categorically against this." Shuster said this would have been acceptable in peacetime, for example, after Aslan Maskhadov was elected Chechen president and Chechnya signed a peace treaty with former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. "Today, in a conflict situation, this is a pure provocation," he said. He said he did not think, however, that any Chechen militants would be allowed to speak on Radio Liberty programmes for the North Caucasus. Shuster also said that for journalists, the situation in Chechnya was primarily a freedom of speech issue. They "cannot cover events taking place there; they are not allowed to go there." In general, "there are, and there have always existed, problems with freedom of speech" in Russia, he said. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1808 gmt 14 May 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) Shuster Slams Radio Liberty's Chechen Service Plans Former director of the Moscow bureau of Radio Liberty Savik Shuster who was dismissed last week considers Washington's decision to begin Radio Liberty broadcasts in the Chechen language a big mistake, the NTV.ru web site quotes him as saying. Shuster says that "In the current conflict situation, it is a pure provocation." The opening of the Chechen service is scheduled for August. The Russian authorities have already warned the radio station that if they go ahead they will take tough measures vis-à-vis the Moscow bureau and that they do not intend to tolerate interference in Russia's internal affairs by the radio station which is directly financed by the US Congress. Many critics say the CIA is behind the the radio station's decision. //RIA Novosti 05.15.01 (via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Shuster Says Gusinsky Contributed to His Sacking Former chief of the Radio Liberty`s Moscow bureau Savik Shuster says that the fugitive media tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky could have contributed to his sacking. ''It could have been his revenge, or his people’s, or of those who are making his PR in the United States. This is my feeling, but I have no proof,'' Shuster said in his interview with the Moscow News daily, published on Tuesday. Shuster said that Gusinsky was ''very unsatisfied'', when Shuster appeared on the NTV channel. Shuster said that he supposed that ''some pressure was applied after that on the Washington level, including the Congress level.'' //Interfax 05.15.01 (via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DXLD) ** CONGO. Am hearing Brazzaville via long-path on 9610, with good strength at 0545 t/in. Format doesn`t sound too African, except for the occasional drum flourish, but gives plenty of IDs. Beware SRI via Jülich (which is also in French 0430-0500), and BBC Ascension (French from 0600), both also here/listed. The LF long path African stuff has been a bit ordinary so far this season, so nice to have a couple of higher frequency alternatives to whet the appetite! (Craig Seager, Australia, ARDXC May 15 via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. On Sunday and Monday (local nights) I heard RFPI on 7.445 MHz in USB mode. I guess it`s the same transmitter used on 21815 throughout the day (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, May 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This morning around 0315 UTC found 7445 kHz back on the air but not in usual AM mode, instead had a strong usb portion and almost nothing on lsb, unlike // 15049 AM which came in a bit weaker. Still seems to have kinda problems, hm? Will keep an ear on it tomorrow, 73! (Joachim Kornek, Germany, May 15) USB on 7445 is deliberate ** COSTA RICA. University Network, 5029.07, May 12 0220-0300+, Dr Gene Scott programming, weak; better on \\ 6149.97, 9724.93, 7375 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 12280, R Rebelde (2 x 6140) 1135 UT May 15. Fair signal strength. Fundamental audible with strong level. // with 5025 (David Hodgson, TN, USA, harmonics@yahoogroups.com via DXLD) ** EL SALVADOR. Artículos y entrevistas sobre la radio salvadoreña Desde el año pasado tenía para subir a mi sitio algunos artículos y entrevistas relacionados con la radio salvadoreña; hasta ahora he podido ordenarlos y ponerlos en línea en http:\\www.geocities.com\hmolina.geo ó http:\\www.geocities.com\capecanaveral\lab\7104 [I was surprised to find that this URL works even with backslants, automatically converting to forwardslants on my IE browser -gh] (En el menú seguir el enlace "artículos") Los títulos son: - Ondas en el tiempo, 74 años de radio. (Historia breve de la radio en El Salvador). - Elena valiente. La primera locutora. (Entrevista) - Las radios comunitarias luchan por coexistir. (Entrevista con Guido Flores, Presidente de ARPAS, miembro de AMARC) - Las radios comerciales. Férrea competencia. (Entrevista con Antonio Saca, presidente de ASDER, miembro de AIR). Todos provienen de una revista que la asociáción de periodistas salvadoreños, APES, editaron el año pasado y cuya publicación es permitida citando la fuente. Saludos desde San Salvador (Humberto Molina, May 14, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** EUROPE. With the greatest respect Maryanne, the charm of Eurovision is surely its sheer awfulness. Wogan`s comments are spot on -- to take it seriously would be impossible. It may be true that 'singers' from Bosnia might not have the opportunity to reach a mass audience without Eurovision and for that alone it is commendable, but to treat it as the best in European music is laughable -- indeed it has never been regarded as such. Fortunately, British music has a larger platform on which to perform and the Eurovision contest is only a circus sideshow. That Britain does not have 'Eurovision supremacy' is no dent in the national pride -- I think I would be more embarrassed if we did win (Joe Wheller (speaking here as a private individual, not for the BBC World Service for whom I work), swprograms via DXLD) ** GABON. Some freq changes of Radio France International via Moyabi effective May 6: DEL 9790 04.00 - 04.56 French ADD 9550 04.00 - 04.56 English+French <<<<<<< till Sept.2 DEL 11700 05.00 - 05.56 French ADD 11685 05.00 - 05.56 English+French <<<<<<< till Sept.2 DEL 11700 06.00 - 06.56 French ADD 11710 06.00 - 06.56 English+French <<<<<<< till Sept.2 DEL 11955 18.00 - 19.56 French ADD 9790 18.00 - 19.56 French (Observer, Bulgaria, May 14 via DXLD) ** INDIA. First private FM radio station in India 14 MAY 01 First private FM radio station to start broadcasting in India ------------------------------------------------------------- `Music Broadcast`, the Mittal-Star alliance will put India`s first privately owned FM radio station on air in Bangalore w.e.f 1st June 01. `Radio 1`, as the radio station will be called, is expected to be inaugurated by chief minister of Karnataka province in the first week of June & will cover a radius of around 60 km. State of the art imported studio equipment is already in place & the station`s signal is under test. The music radio station will kick off with a team of six young disc-jockeys who are under training. The Bangalore FM launch is to be followed by Lucknow soon afterwards. Meanwhile, `Music Broadcast` has sought permission from the Information & broadcasting ministry in India to set up an interim broadcasting tower to begin FM broadcasting operations from Delhi & Mumbai too. Warm regards, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, May 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WTFK? ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Douglas Adams [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] [1 Audio + Print Obits] The follwing from the author of this week's http://www.spikereport.com An NPR tribute with clips from the "Hitchhiker" radio show (Real Audio): http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/wesun/20010513.wesun.06.rmm "I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Douglas Adams; the popular British novelist died unexpectedly on Saturday at the age of 49. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," the 1979 novel in which the youthful Adams combined humor and science fiction in fresh and original ways, grew out of a 1978 BBC radio show which also spawned a television series, notes the BBC Online. In addition to writing books, Adams founded a multimedia company, campaigned for animal rights and was involved with a long-delayed film version of "Hitchhiker's Guide." "Teardrops on my keyboard." Friends and fans post tributes on Adams' own site. "His sophisticated humour was founded in a deep, amalgamated knowledge of literature and science," writes biologist and author Richard Dawkins in the UK Guardian. "His death...is a total bummer to say the least," says actor and friend Stephen Fry in the UK Observer. The Times of London, UK Guardian and AP carry obits of Adams; this NPR tribute includes clips from the "Hitchhiker" radio show." BBC Online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1326000/1326657.stm Adams site: http://www.douglasadams.com/ Dawkins: http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,490372,00.html Fry: http://www.observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,489979,00.html Times obit (continuous URL): http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/05/13/stinwenws02019.html Guardian obit: http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,490971,00.html AP obit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20543-2001May12.html NPR tribute (Real Audio): http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/wesun/20010513.wesun.06.rmm (Chet Copeland, May 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JORDAN. R. Jordan still insist on using 11690, May 12 1600-1630*, weak-poor with RTTY QRM. English news to 1608, Arab and US pops, closing announcements at 1630 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LUXEMBOURG. DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). From: radiocarolinemailinglist@yahoogroups.com I found the following article on the Discussion Board at http://welcome.to/208 I thought it "might" be of interest. Interesting to see how much RTL want to lease the old AM transmitter. "Both RTL and Eric Wiltsher maintain the 208 project is very much alive, but all parties are bound by a confidentiality clause which stops any public comment. One of the major backers died last year and a supportive executive at RTL left the company. The project is apparently now regarded by RTL as "small". Just before Christmas the company was on the verge of closing down the transmitter for ever, but in January daytime airtime was leased by MEGA RADIO at a cost of 1.4 million Euros per year. The evening lease is available for 1 million Euros. Both RTL and Davric Productions are intent on returning with a nostalgia service but the RTL board has been running financial checks on the group since December and remain unconvinced of its potential. My contacts in the radio business are also sceptical that the service would be financially viable - even though it would be greatly welcomed by its many former listeners. Perhaps if the programming offered a genre of music not easily available in the UK and Europe, perhaps R'n'B, C & W, or R'n'R, then the service would have a purpose. With Atlantic 252, RTL's UK station struggling in the ratings, the company is unlikely to show much enthusiasm for the old '208', and will continue to broadcast their German oldies service until 2200 UK time, which is part of their licence commitment with the Luxembourg government". Andrew Smith (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Alpha Lima International, 15069.79, May 5-6 2335- 0220+, oldies rock & roll by Smoky Robinson and others. IDs, E-mail address; Box 663, Netherlands address. Fair-good (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Freq change of Voice of Russia in Portuguese and Spanish to Eu: 2000-2100 NF 11630 (53453) co-ch CNR in Mandarin, ex 12020 // 7440 (44544). (Observer, Bulgaria, May 15 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Regarding this item in DXLD and BC-DX: TV reporter visits Popov txing centre in Samara. [Presenter] The Radio Day is being marked today throughout Russia, including Samara Region which has a unique site - a tx which sends out signals to almost half the world. Here is a report from the tx by Andrey Vol`kov. etc. As usual when journalists are describing technical facilities, the outcome is somewhat confusing. The original Samara longwave facility was constructed in 1942 on the basis of the RV-1 500 kW transmitter in Moscow, which was evacuated beginning October 16, 1941, and brought to Samara to escape the Hitler armies. Designed by Aleksandr Mints, the father of Soviet high power broadcasting, RV-1 originally became operational in April 1933 and consisted of 5 parallel 100 kW txers. The station was reopened in Samara in November 1942, where this monster size txer was further expanded to 1200 kW. An old Russian electronics textbook found by Bernd Trutenau shows a picture of the 1200 kW facility (with no site mentioned). Russian DXers going to Samara in the early '90s found a facility in good agreement with the published picture at Novosemeykino, north of Samara. During WWII a shortwave station using several 15 kW txers was also built near Samara. The exact location is not known. At the time of the visit by the Russian DXers, the site of the 1200 kW txer also included a MW facility and various rhombic antennas that could have been used by the 15 kW units. The 1200 kW LW txer has since long been replaced by a new 2000 kW one west of Syzran. This facility was confirmed by DXers passing by on the railway. The replacement seems to have happened already before 1980. The current txer has the registration number RV-390; the number of the old txer must have been different as there were less than 150 txers on the air when it started in Samara. Apparently the old txer site has been preserved as a backup or perhaps as a museum. The big shortwave station in Samara is located in the northern outskirts of Samara city. It has a main section with dozens of curtain antennas and a second section with some more curtains. 73 (Olle Alm, Sweden, May 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. EKHO MOSKVY MAY BE NEXT IN LINE FOR GAZPROM TAKEOVER By Sophie Lambroschini and Francesca Mereu Last month, Russia's state-backed Gazprom gas monopoly succeeded in its takeover bid of NTV television, the crown jewel in Vladimir Gusinsky's Media-MOST empire. Since then, the gas giant has chipped away at more of Gusinsky's media businesses, shutting down the opposition "Sevodnya" daily and firing the staff of the "Itogi" political weekly. Of Media-MOST's most prominent news organizations, only one remains untouched -- radio station Ekho Moskvy. But a court decision last week, which handed shares in a number of Media-MOST outlets to Gazprom and granted it majority control of Ekho Moskvy, has put the popular and outspoken station's future in doubt. The first radio station in Russia to adopt a "talk radio" format, Ekho Moskvy is the country's largest private, information-based station, with its programs rebroadcast throughout the country by over 70 regional stations. In Moscow, independent monitors rank the station fifth in listenership, after two powerful state-controlled stations and two music-based stations. Eight percent of Muscovites tune in daily to Ekho Moskvy's famous jingles. Founded more than 10 years ago, the station is older than most of its fellow Media-MOST outlets. Aleksei Venediktov, the station's current editor in chief, remembers how in 1990 a group of young journalists from the state-owned station Golos Rossii, or Voice of Russia, tired of government restrictions and decided to open the country's first private radio service. "[One of the founders,] Sergei Korsun -- fed up with working for the government radio, with its atmosphere of censorship, propaganda, and lies -- was able to register Ekho Moskvy and then to get [radio] license No. 1 in Moscow. So out came Ekho Moskvy. It first began to broadcast on the 22nd of August, 1990." On its first day on the air, Ekho Moskvy broadcast news, a conversation with perestroika-era politician Sergei Stankevich, and the Beatles hit "All My Loving." The station soon became an open forum for political debate, airing different points of view and offering an alternative voice in a country where radio broadcasting, to this day, is dominated by state-owned stations. Venediktov says that from the very beginning, Ekho Moskvy's journalists distinguished themselves by reporting on the top news events as Russia struggled to break with its communist past: "It was in September 1990 when the military maneuvers first started around Moscow and the army turned against [Soviet President Mikhail] Gorbachev. We were the first -- and only -- ones to report on it. Then, in 1991, we had the Vilnius [independence demonstrations], and we turned into a European and internationally known small radio station." The station now combines strong news reporting with lighter informational fare. Twice daily -- in the morning and early evening - - Ekho Moskvy broadcasts "information blocks" featuring general news, business and finance updates, and press reviews. The station's commercially sponsored daily programs include everything from gardening tips to Moscow medical care to helping listeners untangle the grammatical complexities of the Russian language. For several years, one of Ekho Moskvy's trademark shows -- sponsored by the Council of Europe -- aired news on European affairs and held a daily call-in game show on Europe. A separate program invited listeners to call in and voice their opinion on daily news issues ranging from the economy to Chechnya. But perhaps the station's greatest claim to fame -- and what has made it an indispensable source for Russia-watchers -- are its live interviews with prominent Russians and foreigners. Ekho Moskvy is the only private radio station in Russia to have hosted heads of state. Its guests have included U.S. President Bill Clinton, who visited the station during his visit to Moscow last year, and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who answered radio listeners' questions live during his two-day summit last month with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian on-air guests have included former Prime Minister Sergei Kirienko, pop superstar Alla Pugacheva, and Media Minister Mikhail Lesin. Unlike most other Media-MOST outlets, Ekho Moskvy was not the brainchild of magnate Vladimir Gusinsky. Ekho Moskvy had spent four years building its reputation as a reliable source of news and information before joining Media-MOST in 1994, when a ruble depreciation forced the advertising-dependent station to sell some of its stakes to Gusinsky. Gusinsky currently holds a 38 percent stake in the station, with station journalists holding 33 percent and Gazprom holding 25. But on 4 May, in the latest round of ongoing litigation over Gusinsky's outstanding debt to the gas giant, a Moscow court ruled that an additional 25 percent of many Media-MOST outlets, including Ekho Moskvy, be handed to Gazprom. If the court decision holds, Gazprom will hold a controlling stake -- 50 percent, plus one share -- in the radio station. While Media-MOST considers an appeal, journalists at Ekho Moskvy are fighting to keep the station under their own control, saying they are negotiating with Gazprom to buy back the 25 percent stake -- something that Venediktov doubts they can persuade the gas giant to allow. While Gazprom-Media head Alfred Kokh has repeatedly said that the company is acting out of purely financial concerns as a creditor, Venediktov argues that Ekho Moskvy's news format means high costs and low revenues -- "not exactly what a businessman would be looking for." According to Venediktov, the station's real worth can be found in its political value, and he fears that if Gazprom does gain majority control of Ekho Moskvy, it will mark the end of the station's independence. "If Gazprom succeeds in taking the majority of the shares, we will soon be a government station, even if not from a formal [point of view]," Venediktov said. "Then I think that I, as the editor in chief, and most journalists who came here after they left state radio, will have to leave this radio station. There will be only an 'echo' left of Ekho." (RFE/RL Media Matters May 14 via DXLD) ** TIMOR EAST. G`Day from Darwin. I have been on an excellent DXpedition up the centre of Australia. Whilst in Darwin have been in contact with the UN office here and on the phone to Díli in East Timor. The UN is running a station "Radio UNTAET" on 684 kHz 24 hours a day with 5 kW. Program is mostly in Indonesian but some English, Portuguese and the local dialect [Tetum?] are used. I have heard the station in both English and Indonesian. The overnight music program starts at 1200z and runs thru to 2100z. No announcements are made during this period. You can e-mail them at lim4@un.org (technical manager) or drurz@un.org (program manager). The term UNTAET stands for United Nations Transitional Administration East Timor. I have spoken to Lim a few times on the phone which is a local phone call for Darwin and trunks via satellite to the PABX in Díli for which you need to know the extension of the person you require. He tells me that as East Timor is not yet a country and that there is no regulatory control for radio quite a few pirates have sprung up - mostly on the FM band. Further monitoring from a DX site we visited on the Cox Peninsula turned up another station in East Timor on 1404 kHz. this station is run by the Catholic Bishop of Bacáu. There is far more Portuguese heard on this station including relays of Rádio Portugal. Also lots of religion with prayers by nuns and recitations. Commercials are in Indonesian with reverb. The currency there appears to be Aussie dollars. "Radio Timor" 1404 does not run 24hr. S/on seems to be at 2100z. I am making further enquiry as to the address and any e-mail for the station on 1404. Many mentions of "Timor more as'i " (sic) can be heard and I will find out what this means. [Loro Sae, rising sun, i.e. East -gh] To DX East Timor the strongest signal out of 684 & 1404 is by far 1404 kHz and Portuguese should be the clincher for it. East Timor is GMT +9. Happy DX, more to follow (Chris Martin, Darwin NT, where the weather is excellent, May 15, ARDXC via DXLD) ** TURKEY. I was listening to Fresh Air on KCRW, about memory loss, when suddenly, I remembered just in time at 2210 UT Tuesday May 15, to tune in Live from Turkey! SW 11845 was poor with noise, so to http://trt.net.tr for webcast, which lost connexion only once at 2237, quickly reëstablished. Reshide Morali said they had zero calls the past two weeks, so were quite pleased to get one this time, and called him right back at TRT expense: Wilder Picard, in Evanston, Illinois (whom I last heard from a good many years ago). He`s now 72, retired, lives in a garage apartment right next to Lake Michigan, and has been listening to VOT since the 60s, thanked them for a 1976 QSL, three years before the Morali sisters joined the station. (They are planning a trip to Istanbul, 6.5 hours on the bus, to see their brother.) Will enjoys photography, Mozart, Haydn, but is choosy about classical music after Beethoven. He recalled that in the 60s, there was another Reshide who announced at VOT, surname O`Callaghan, from Britain. After a long conversation with him, they filled the rest of the show with letters from the mailbag, including someone who wanted a recording of Turkey`s Eurovision entry, but TRT does not supply those. Nothing was said this time about moving the show to an earlier hour. SW reception improved slightly toward the end, but I kept listening on the web, meaning I had to miss BBCR4 show on Maronite Music; I can pick up Fresh Air later, if I remember (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Here is the reply I got, Glenn (Eric Cooper, Mission Viejo, CA, DXLD) Original Message----- From: Jerry Timmins jerry.timmins@bbc.co.uk Sent: Monday, May 14, 2001 6:11 AM Subject: BBC response Dear Mr Cooper, Please find attached a response to your letter to the Director of BBC World Service (Jerry Timmins, Head of Americas, BBC World Service tel 44 (0)207 557 2511; fax 44 (0)207 497 8035) http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/americas/index.shtml Viz.: Dear Mr Cooper Thank you for your e-mail, which you sent to Mark Byford, about shortwave transmissions to North America. Mark passed it to me for a detailed reply. I am sorry that you feel we will be losing you as a listener. That is certainly not our wish and I very much hope you will find an alternative way of accessing our programmes in the future. First, let me stress that the BBC is committed to remaining the World`s most trusted international broadcaster. We believe we can maintain this reputation through targeting our resources carefully, and providing audiences with relevant news and information through the most modern and accessible media available. This is no easy task and we have to constantly adjust our delivery strategy, in line with our available income and the changing habits of our listeners. In deciding to cut shortwave in North America we had to consider how our listeners access World Service in this area. It has become increasingly apparent that newer forms of media provide the key to serving and finding new audiences. In recent years Online in particular has given people access to our programmes on a 24-hour basis and our output has become increasingly available on FM. I realise that in your case, your local stations do not provide BBC programmes at convenient times for you. We are very keen to encourage stations to take more BBC programmes and we are working closely with our distributor in the USA to achieve this goal. It`s a real shame that the stations you mention have limited coverage of World Service. You may want to consider contacting your local public radio station directly to ask them why they do not schedule World Service programming during the day. Station managers tend to listen to their audiences -- since they want to provide a service that is valued locally. But please do not forget the other means by which you can receive BBC programming. All of our output is available online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice In partnership with Yahoo, this service makes the complete range of BBC World Service programmes available, free of charge. In the near future there will be improved access to World Service programming through new arrangements with two providers of national digital radio services in the United States, XM Radio and Sirius Radio. Meanwhile, it remains possible for satellite listeners to hear us via C-SPAN satellite and some cable outlets. Further details of all these services can be found on the Americas pages of our website http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/americas Or you can call us on telephone number 011 44 8700 100 670 for more information on how you can still listen to the World Service. We very much hope that we can keep you as a listener and would like to keep you informed of future BBC activities in the States. If you e-mail us at onair.network@bbc.co.uk we will let you know how to register for email updates. If one of the services I have mentioned above is not already available to you, we will be able to alert you to it when it does come on stream. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information. Yours sincerely, (Jerry Timmins, Head of Americas, BBC WS via Eric Cooper, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UK. Glenn, I nearly fell out of my DX chair when you dropped the bomb about the Beeb. This is a shattering development and one that I think will put the future of ALL international broadcasting in doubt. The prospects for the SWL hobby look grim indeed. Here is my letter to BBCWS. I had to fight the urge to hurl vitriol at their directors, but I hope I got my point across. The real nasty- gram will follow if they actually pull the plug! 73 / (John Cobb, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) To: worldservice.letters@bbc.co.uk Subject: WORLD Service? Dear Sirs, For years I have relied own your broadcasts as an antidote to the appallingly biased treatment given to news reporting by the American media. I consider your coverage of world events to be unexcelled by any source. My wife is a British subject, from Little Marlow, Bucks. She has been in "The States" for many years but becomes terribly homesick between returns to visit her family. Several years ago I gave her as a Christmas gift a small, portable shortwave radio, and it is the best present I've ever given her. All the memory channels are loaded with your frequencies, and she now enjoys keeping in touch with home on a daily basis. You are making a serious error in judgment to assume that we in North America have BBC programming available by other means. In Atlanta, Georgia, a metropolitan listening audience of over two million, there are NO relays of BBC programs on any National Public Radio FM station, except for maybe a weekly "My Word" re-run. I dare say this is the case in many other areas, even as you claim to the contrary. Also, my wife and I do not use the Internet. As unfashionable as that is becoming, it is simply elitist to think that we all have home computers, or that we would even prefer such an expensive and non- portable alternative. If you go through with your plan to leave your English-speaking cousins out in the cold, in favor of more recent ex-colonials where you apparently feel that you have a greater obligation, I suggest that you revert to the General Overseas Service name, or better yet, "BBC Regional Service". You certainly won't be broadcasting to the world any more. And we'll be lucky if we can be listening. Sincerely, (John H. Cobb, Jr., Dorothy Anne Cobb, Roswell, GA, USA, May 14 to BBC WS, cc to DXLD) ** U K/ U S A. Another thread from swprograms, May 15: WS: Shifting the Payment Responsibility Pardon me while I wax philosophical for a moment. If you don't enjoy philosophical musings, save yourself aggravation and press the 'delete' key now. As I was contemplating the BBC's announcements of the past week, one thing that struck me was that all the alternative means of delivering World Service content to my ears requires some sort of monthly subscription fee: Public radio: In the US, regular 'begathons' goad / shame listeners to contribute to their local stations SAP on cable TV: That ol' monthly cable subscription fee Internet: Whether it's the phone line or the monthly access fee, some type of subscription is required. Free Internet access, in the US, can get you 40 hours per month of usage in a metro area, but the horsepower and overhead required to put advertisements on your screen can bring a PC to its knees if you try to listen to audio as well. One reason, perhaps, that the "numbers" look better to Bush House for non-shortwave program delivery methods is that the users are picking up a piece of the tab. So, in theory, dollars per listener-hour come out poorer for shortwave. In this increasingly mercantile world, O'toole's Law is even more apropos: There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Absent the need to broadcast propaganda or counter-program against it, stations continue to be somewhat rudderless in serving North America. Thankfully, there are exceptions to this sweeping generalization, including RNW, Radio Sweden, and a few others. If you don't have an ideology to push, then you better make the venture break-even at worst. For many years, it seemed that shortwave, courtesy of our friend the ionosphere, was above this fray. It doesn't seem to be that way any more. Can we recapture those good old days? Not without a significant global conflict, either declared or undeclared, I fear. We have to get creative with broadcasters and other parts of the "value chain" to create win-win solutions that get us our shortwave back while providing the broadcasters whatever they need, be it numbers, dollars, or whatever. Looking for creative ideas... (Richard Cuff, Allentown, PA) I must admit to being very confused by the figures that have been coming out in recent days. The official statement that Kim and I were first given mentioned that three times as many people were listening to the BBC on FM in North America than on shortwave. I'm no Einstein, but I make that 25% listening on shortwave. But on Communications World, Kim quotes the BBC as saying that "88 percent of their audience in North America listens on FM, and only 12 percent listens exclusively via shortwave. Now, that's not a small discrepancy - one figure is more than twice the other! The picture is complicated further if you look at the "Resurgence of Shortwave" speech at http://www.merlincommunications.com (click on the scrolling banner on their home page if you have Acrobat Reader installed). I can't recall exactly when this was released, but I don't think it was much more than a year ago. There we read that the BBC says its global shortwave audience is increasing and, more relevantly: "We are also fairly sure that there has been some growth in North America, France, Iran and a few others, but it is impossible to put a figure on this growth. The household penetration of SW sets in the US and Canada remains at about 10 to 11%..." A table shows that 36 million people in the US and Caribbean live in homes with access to shortwave. This and other figure quoted are from Graham Mytton, former head of audience research at BBCWS, whom Kim will confirm is acknowledged as one of the leading authorities in his field. If Graham Mytton did not observe a massive decline only a couple of years ago, what has suddenly changed? (Andy Sennitt, Holland, standard disclaimer) From: "Andy Sennitt" : saying that "88 percent of their audience in North America listens on FM, and only 12 percent listens exclusively via shortwave. Now, that's not a small discrepancy - one figure is more than twice the other! Right, but it's all how you put a spin on the numbers. Does 88% constitute: - actual listenership - listenership for a specific time period - is it based on listener response - potential listenership on a market basis - ??? The problem is that the numbers are not quantifiable and any marketing assumptions have been snipped for brevity. The bottom line is the prototypical advertisement that says a product is better (but doesn't say better than what). 73, (Mark J. Fine, VA) / mark.fine@fineware-swl.com Vapor. If you get to the r-sel (arbitron data raw tapes), you'll see just how small an audience we are dealing with. BBC's only big success story is WBUR in Boston which doesn't do badly (Lou Josephs) As a reformed marketer I can underscore Mark's observations. There isn't enough meat here to draw conclusive comparisons. Keep in mind that the word "exclusively" shows up only in the reference to shortwave, which suggests some sleight-of-hand is being done, or extrapolations from different sets of calculations. Keep in mind the 25/75 split had no inference of exclusivity attached to it. Many of us here in the group probably use multiple methods, and thus wouldn't be part of the 12% "exclusive" group. I wouldn't be surprised if the survey had a question like, "which methods of listening do you use? Tick all that apply". I had a nice conversation with Rory Maclachlan, director of Business Development for Merlin, regarding the "Resurgence" speech back in late February. Merlin`s enthusiasm is focused primarily at South Asia and China, where they're trying to co-develop a commercial English- language shortwave venture. I believe the speech was prepared November of 2000. I'm speculating here, but one likely component of the BBC's analysis and these percentages is something like, "What percent of our audience uses shortwave? 25%, eh? OK, of that 25%, how many use SW exclusively? Roughly half? That means, if we were to leave shortwave, at least half of our current SW audience in North America has other means of access to the World Service..." Of course, I could also be totally clueless, but that's an issue for another day. Andy, or Kim, have either of you been able to connect with Graham Mytton for his take on all this? Even if it's off the record, his insight would be useful (Richard Cuff) Well, one third of 88 percent is 29.3 percent, so perhaps 29 percent of the BBC audience listens to shortwave, but only 12 percent to shortwave exclusively (i.e. not also via FM). Or... 59% FM exclusively 29& FM plus shortwave 12% Shortwave exclusively I wish I could see the research report that yielded these figures. I was VOA's audience research officer for ten years, and I could sort it out. Alas, BBC does not let journalists see these reports (Kim Elliott, DC) Interesting. A 29% combined listenership isn't bad. It's the 12% SW only that's the problem and if it's the reality I can see why they'd pull the plug. I can see the curve trending downards over the next few years. Seeing the FM numbers would help. Stations and markets, actual vs potentional (Lou Josephs) This shares the distinct odor of how I've observed that government politicos arrive at their rationale for decisions. Make the decision first, then gather the "facts" -- and *only* the facts -- that back up your decision. If that includes non-sequiturs, half-truths and selective research -- well, it's OK because, as the theory goes, the other side is doing the same thing. In my training as a policy development analyst, we were instructed to do the research first and develop a policy from the evidence gathered. I must say that in my quarter century of professional life, I have only very rarely seen it done the way I was taught. Most of my personal struggles in this realm revolve around my own very stubborn insistence on doing it the way I was taught -- which in part at least explains my stunning success in this arena, but that's another story. :-) In the instant case, the BBC has decided to end shortwave to NA and then gone in search of only data -- and much of it "spun" data at that -- that will serve to provide justification for the decision. Richard is "spot on" as the British say when he describes the polling question used. I distinctly recall receiving such a survey from the WS a little more than a year ago with this precise question on it. If I recall correctly, it may have even asked me to quantify by percentage the extent to which I used each method. I don't know who else received the survey or how a list of recipients was developed. I want to second Richard's suggestion regarding Graham Mytton. Given his personal integrity and the fact that he has little patience with stupidity (observed in person at a few gatherings), I would be much influenced by his judgment about this situation (John Figliozzi) The numbers are understandable if you look at the different ways to get to the numbers. Public radio people look at ratings differently than commercial radio people do. For individual programs, they tend to ignore ratings, focusing more on how much cash each given program brings in during fundraising. When they talk about how many listeners they have, they talk in terms of the "cume", or cumulative rating over the course of the week (what I referred to in a previous post as "reach"). Given the extremely limited opportunities to hear the BBC on FM relays in North America, I don't doubt that they're looking at the cume to get their figure of 88%. It seems entirely plausible to me that, during the course of a broadcast week, the number of people who listen to a public radio station and just happen to hear a program from the BBC dwarfs the number who listen on shortwave. The surprise to me isn't that 88% of their listenership, counted in this manner, comes from FM, it's that that number isn't much higher. Getting 88% of their listenership from FM seems like failure to me; they should be intending to reach a much larger listenership. Unfortunately, their strategy of getting onto public radio outlets in North America is a flawed one, as NPR and PRI flagship programs like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Marketplace already have the most desirable time slots locked up, and a public radio programmer would have to be insane to program something other than those programs in the usual time slots, even something as good as Newshour. ATC has even crowded out other NPR programs like Fresh Air, which used to air here in the NYC area at 4 pm but now airs at 3 pm when listenership is likely to be less (4-5 can be seen as the beginning of drive time). If they'll do that to their own programs, they'll have no compunction about doing the same to those produced by someone overseas. But by looking at their measure of listeners in this manner, the BBC distorts their vision. The person who wakes up early one morning to catch a flight for a business trip and hears "World Update" counts just as much as the devoted listener who flips the radio to 6175 after dinner and listens for three or four hours in the evening every night. If you were to count the number of hours listened to on shortwave vs. FM, the numbers would tell a vastly different story. I would not be surprised at all to find that shortwave outperforms FM by this measure, particularly given the meager scraps of air time that the BBC has in most cities in North America. Airing from 1 am to 6 am in New York City, as they do, is not the way to build a mass audience. This discrepancy is the one touched on by the eloquent note gh posted today by Will Martin, where he claims for himself the mantle of "Real BBC Listener" that the BBC is trying to give to the person who listens more or less by mistake for an hour or two a week. I avoided the statistical analysis classes in my broadcasting major, preferring to focus on qualitative analysis over quantitative, but even I can tell that the BBC has chosen the measure that does the best job to make its case. In fairness to them, it's one that is widely used within their broadcasting segment here in the U.S. That doesn't make it any less misleading and distorted. This doesn't even address the question of how motivated the person who listens to shortwave is as opposed to how motivated someone who happens to hear a program produced by the BBC on a local FM station is (Ralph Brandi) (ALL: via swprograms via DXLD) ** UK/USA. BBC Domestic and US NPR/radio listings I just want to send a public "thank you" to Glenn Hauser for posting these listings, as he has on and off for the last few months. I find them personally helpful in identifying quality radio programming on the FM and AM bands in North America. Inasmuch as I do quite a bit of night driving in automobiles which lack anything but AM and FM, it's useful to know that there are still a few stations like WGN, which can be heard over vast distances at night, trying to program something thought provoking, as opposed to the vast majority of stations who only seem to want to make your blood boil. If you hear one of these programs that Glenn highlights, it would be a good idea to drop the station an e-mail and thank it for its efforts to program in a way which appeals to our better instincts. Judging from where the ratings and all the advertising money go (contrived "reality" shows, e.g.--now there's an oxymoron if there ever was one--and political diatribe hatefests hosted and populated by what politely can only be described as "dim bulbs"), the station is taking somewhat of a leap of faith in thinking that there are some of us who want something better. Just my 2c worth (adjusted for inflation)... (John Figliozzi, May 15, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. ARRL Executive Committee Reviews Preliminary 5 MHz Band Petition NEWINGTON, CT, May 14, 2001--Meeting May 5 in Dallas, Texas, the ARRL Executive Committee reviewed a preliminary draft Petition for Rule Making seeking a new US ham band in the vicinity of 5 MHz. Experimental operation in that part of the spectrum under a license issued to the ARRL has been going on since 1999. A review of FCC- related issues dominated the Executive Committee session. On a motion from Southwestern Division Director Fried Heyn, WA6WZO, the Executive Committee agreed that the petition should seek a domestic secondary allocation around 5 MHz for the Amateur Service with a bandwidth of 150 kHz. Executive Committee members will review the completed draft petition before it`s filed with the FCC, possibly before the next ARRL Board meeting in July. Participants in the ARRL WA2XSY experimental operation on 5 MHz have established that an allocation at 5 MHz could improve emergency communication capabilities by filling the gap between 80 and 40 meters. An amateur allocation in the vicinity of 5 MHz long has been an objective of the International Amateur Radio Union. The IARU`s Administrative Council has approved a goal of ``a narrow allocation, even on a shared basis in the vicinity of 5 MHz.`` The League`s experimental license was considered one step in documenting the Amateur Service requirement. A petition to the FCC for a domestic allocation is another important step. Winning an allocation at 5 MHz -- even on a domestic basis -- could take several years. Securing an international allocation will be more difficult and take even longer. Consideration of an allocation at 5 MHz is not on the agenda for WRC-03 nor on the preliminary agenda for WRC-05/06. In other matters, the Executive Committee was told that an FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making still is expected soon in response to the ARRL`s petition, RM-9404, seeking Amateur Radio access to the low- frequency spectrum. Filed in late 1998, the ARRL petition asks the FCC to establish LF allocations in the vicinity of 136 kHz and between 160 and 190 kHz. The minutes of the ARRL Executive Committee meeting in Dallas are available on the ARRL Web site http://www2.arrl.org/announce/ec_minutes_466.html (ARRL via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Experimental ham testing around 5.1-5.2 MHz, I recall (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Dear Glenn: Here's What's New on wbur.org: Daniel Schorr After six decades as one of the world's most respected journalists, Daniel Schorr received NPR's ``Lifetime Achievement Award`` at age 83. He said he wanted to amend it to ``Lifetime Achievement -- So Far.`` Hear Schorr talk about writing history on deadline at: http://www.theconnection.org/archive/2001/05/0514b.shtml (WBUR Newsletter May 15 via DXLD) I couldn`t get the previous URL to play, so try this one (gh) ** U S A. Story on KDKA: Through TV, Tapes, CDs and Satellite, Pittsburgh's Radio Station Endures By YOCHI J. DREAZEN, Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL http://interactive.wsj.com/fr/emailthis/retrieve.cgi?id=SB989873627224230152.djm (May 15 via Richard Cuff, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. AFN, 4995 USB, May 12 0145-0330+ baseball game, many ``AFN`` IDs, PSAs, AP Network news at 0300. Good, listed as Italy [Sicily] site. \\ 6458.5 USB, good (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VATICAN [non]. Glen[n], I tried to tune into Vatican Radio on AM 1530 kHz at 1855 UT and got English but it was not Vatican Radio. It looks like the power cut on their transmitter for that frequency has taken effect. Best 73's, (DXDave Harries, Bristol, England, May 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So, what was it you heard instead? (gh) ** YUGOSLAVIA. Glenn, RY came in loud and clear 0000-0030 11870 May 15. How was it in OK? But I didn't stay awake until 0430 to hear them then. 73, (Ivan Grishin, Oshawa, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) RY was loud and clear on the first broadcast of its revived NAm service, May 15 at *0000 on 11870. Began with a 2-minute statement which I expect to put on WOR 1080. The 0430 broadcast had quite a bit of flutter on 11870 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, I apologise for misreading the online schedule. As pointed out in swprograms, the English broadcast to North America is at 0000-0030 UT, not 0030-0100. Another thing: I E-mailed Radio Yugoslavia and asked for clarification about the transmitter site. Within 10 minutes they replied that it is Bijeljina. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Media Network, DX LISTENING DIGEST) In case anyone hasn`t heard yet, the external service from Belgrade has reappeared, after a year or so away. Noted on 11870 in English from 0430 with a mighty signal. According to announcements, RY has successfully negotiated to use the Bijeljina (Bosnia) site once again. Australian service should be 2200-2230 on 7230 exc Sats per Sennitt on SW Programs mailing list (Craig Seager, Australia, ARDXC May 15 via DXLD) Radio Yugoslavia resumes broadcasts via Bosnian SW transmitters | Text of announcement in English by Radio Yugoslavia on 14 May This is Radio Yugoslavia broadcasting to Europe, Australia and North America on 6100, 7230 and 11870 kHz. Hello and welcome from our studios in Belgrade. Radio Yugoslavia has once again begun to broadcast a shortwave programme after a break of almost one year. The break was a result of technical and formerly legal problems because, as many of you know, our transmitters are located in Bijeljina in Republika Srpksa [Serb Republic] - that is in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Thanks to the new Yugoslav authorities, first of all President Vojislav Kostunica as well as the understanding of representatives from Bosnia-Hercegovina and international representatives in Bosnia-Hercegovina, these problems have mostly been prevailed and Radio Yugoslavia is once again on the air. We will try to objectively and regularly inform our fellow countrymen abroad about events in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and its immediate surroundings in our broadcasts in 12 [foreign] languages and Serbian. We thank for the support and interest which you have demonstrated during the period when we were not on the air, extremely difficult for our staff when we address you only via the Internet. Do write to us and listen to us regularly in the future on our frequencies as well as on our Internet web site - it says in the message by Radio Yugoslavia's director Milena Jakich. [Radio Yugoslavia's web site gives the following schedule for shortwave broadcasts in English: 0000-0030 gmt on 11870 kHz to eastern North America (not Su) 0430-0500 gmt on 11870 kHz to western North America 1830-1900 gmt on 6100 kHz to western Europe 2100-2130 gmt on 6100 kHz to Europe 2200-2230 gmt on 7230 kHz to Australia (not Sa)] Source: Radio Yugoslavia (external service), Belgrade, in English 2100 gmt 14 May 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) My two cents about Radio Yugoslavia: I failed to check the 1300-1430 transmission on 7200, marked as RTS stuff, for TOH announcements, but certainly this is the usual take-over of the "Beograd 1" network, which was inaugurated by RJ when the Stubline site was destroyed. I expected it to end with an abrupt cut-off, but instead the ongoing program was faded out at 1427 and followed by the RJ interval signal, suggesting that this rebroadcast runs through the desk in the continuity studio of RJ. It was quite interesting to note the music selection, which has significantly changed since last August, when artists like The Beatles or Peter Gabriel were never heard on "Beograd 1". Of course I then listened to German 1630-1700 on 9620, which was coming in excellently. My impression is that they read the news live (they included a slip) while the remaining programming is preproduced (slightly different mike sound with more reverb). Quite interesting contents and certainly no propaganda. The broadcast started with the address from RJ director Jakich [as above] in a version which was slightly different from the English one (see http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/medianews.html where Andy also included a picture of the antenna array at Bijeljina-Jabanusa). A feature about religious matters started with thanks for the "wonderful letters" which the editorial staff received during the recent months. I must say that it was a somewhat odd feeling to hear once again this interval signal and jingles in the typical, slightly muffled Bijeljina modulation after such a long period. Probably RJ lived through a longer period without any transmitter than any other station before. Regarding the two transmitters, which were removed from the Bijeljina-Jabanusa site to Stubline: I guess they were only stored there but never used again. 7200 used to be slightly off-frequency until Stubline was smashed into pieces, suggesting that this frequency always originated from one of the existing 100 kW transmitters until the very end. On the other hand the 1994 edition of WRTH already showed only two transmitters in use by Radio Yugoslavia, while the schedule excerpts in the 1991 edition of "Sender und Frequenzen" shows at least three transmitters busy with foreign service stuff alongside with "transmissions in Serbo-Croatian language" (certainly in fact "Beograd 1") 1345-2300 not only on 7200 but also on 9505. Regarding the circumstance that only a single transmitter is in use at present: This is actually not new but was already the case prior to the shut-down, according to my files since about December 1999. Probably they also once again do not use full power but instead 250 kW "only" (Kai Ludwig, Germany, May 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###