Saturday, October 31, 2009

Hamfestindia 2009 Programme Schedule

Programme List for Hamfestindia 2009 in Bangalore
Venue: Sri Nijagunara Kshetra, Bull Temple Road, Basavanagudi, Bangalore

Day One - 7th November 2009 (Saturday)

8.00 am to 9.30 am : Breakfast at the venue.
8.45 am to 11.00 am : Inaugration of Hamfestindia 2009
Lighting of Lamp
Welcome Address By General convenor.
Talk by Special Guest
Talk by Chief guest
Inaguration of Exhibition and Stall.
11.00 am to 11.15 am : Tea Break
11.15 am to 1.30 pm : Presentation of Representatives of various clubs of india.
1.30 pm to 2.30 pm : Lunch at the venue
2.30 pm to 4.00 pm : Technical presentation by Hams/Swls.

4.00 pm to 4.15 pm : Tea Break
4.15 pm to 5.30 pm : Technical presentation by hams/Swls.
6.30 pm to 8.30 pm : Cultural Programme.
8.30 pm to 10.30 pm : Dinner at Venue.

Day - Two 8th November 2009 Sunday

8.oo am to 9.oo am : Breakfast at Venue.
9.00 am to 11.00 am : Inaguration of Golden Jublee Celebration of
Bangalore Amateur Radio Club. VU2ARC.
Lighting of Lamp
Welcome address by President of BARC
Talk by special Guest
Talk by Chief Guest
Distribution of Prizes for winners
11.00 am to 11.15 am : Tea break
11.15 am to 12.00 am : Bidding and Handing over of Hamfest Flag.
12.00 am to 1.30 pm : Valedictory Function.
1.30 pm to 2.30 pm : Lunch at the Venue.
2.30 pm to 3.30 pm : Auction Sale of New and Used Equipments
3.30 pm to 4.00 pm : High Tea and Farewell.

( If u have not Registered as Delegate Please register and enjoy the Hamfest 2009)

(VU3ITI)

Mumbai CR station Jago Mumbai to air from Jan '10

By: Anita Iyer 30 Oct 09 18:10 IST
MUMBAI: 'Jago Mumbai' 107.8 FM, the community radio venture initiated by the Union Park Residents Association, Mumbai is hopeful of hitting the airwaves in January next year.Having signed the GOPA (Grant of Permission Agreement) in September 2009 with the Information and Broadcasting ministry, the NGO is on the lookout for sponsors to fund the project.

Read the full story here :

http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/mumbai-cr-station-jago-mumbai-air-jan-10

Friday, October 30, 2009

Invitation to participate in Workshop on Community Radio

Dear friends,

Until now, the mention of the word radio would bring two contrasting images to mind, one would be the droning educational programmes of AIR FM, and the other is the ceaseless, ebullient banter of the cult of the radio jockeys of commercial FM stations - where content and music are only incidental to radio programming. In this duality of the past and the present, there is a third category that is little known and to be sure, little 'heard' of. This is the phenomenon of the Community Radio. But what is Community Radio?

Community Radio is not just about broadcast content, it is more about the process of community engagement. It is about ordinary people having a presence in the media landscape, seeking support for their views and becoming responsible for their own content. Community Radio is also about the process of developing a critical view of media by making media yourself. At the practical level, CR is a medium which is affordable, readily available and portable enough to fulfill the needs of listeners. It stands for community ownership and control, community participation and is non profit in nature.

In India, radio has been in the hands of the state ever since its inception. However, by the 1970s and 80s, with the attention of the government turning to television, radio had become a neglected medium, with AIR languishing in the shadows. A change came in 1995 when AIR launched FM broadcasts and allowed private producers to take slots on sponsorship basis.

1995 was also the year of the famous Supreme Court judgement: "Airwaves constitute public property and must be utilised for advancing public good". Justice PB Sawant went on to say "Diversity of opinions, views, ideas and ideologies is essential to enable the citizens to arrive at informed judgment on all issues touching them. This cannot be provided by a medium controlled by a monopoly – whether the monopoly is of the State or any other individual, group or organisation."

After a long-drawn series of negotiations between government and interested individuals and groups responding to the 1995 Supreme Court judgement, a set of Community Radio Guidelines, limited to educational institutions, was announced in 2003. Its scope was later expanded to include civil society organisations as the Community Radio Policy of 2006. According to the CR Policy, the government can issue a maximum of 4000 Radio Station (CRS) licenses in India. However, there have been less than 300 applications and as of October 2009, only 57 had actually got licenses in hand for starting their CRSs. It's time for those with public communication on their agenda to wake up to this hard-won advantage.

Comet Media Foundation, in collaboration with Media Information and Communication Centre of India (MICCI) and Frederich Ebert Stiftung (FES), is organising a community radio workshop to spread awareness about CR and to encourage eligible NGOs to apply for licenses.

This is where NGOs like you, who have been working in a particular field for more than three years,stand to benefit. You are eligible to apply for a licence to start a community radio station in your geographical area of operation. There are many advantages of initiating community media for development - it fosters the community diversity and provides a space for voices of the marginalised within that community to be heard. This is a great opportunity for civil society to hear these vibrant and diverse voices through the CRSs. For initiating the process, one has to go through a lengthy and rigorous process, but the fruits of media pluralism and democracy are to be realised through such initiatives.

The themes planned for the various sessions are as follows:

• The basics of community radio (CR), principles and practices
• Empowering community voices and navigating the regulatory landscape
• The back end: technology to support CRS
• Experiences of NGOs setting up and running CRSs
• Content creation: once you get started, how do you generate programming?

Among the speakers will be persons from the following list (arranged alphabetically), subject to their availability:

• Aaditeshwar Seth: works on digital technologies to promote community media, Delhi
• Amol Goje: heads VIIT campus station at Baramati
• Navin Chandra of Union Park Radio of Khar-Bandra-Santa Cruz Trust
• Sushama Shendge, MVSS Radio, Satara
• Chhavi Sachdev: radio producer, running two streaming audio channels
• Fr Richard Rego of Radio Sarang from St. Aloysius College, Mangalore
• Frederick Noronha, journalist and Community Radio activist
• Hemant Babu: Nomad Radio India
• Indira Mansingh or her colleague Anuja from Radio Bundelkhand
• Nandini Sahai: Honorary Director MICCI, Delhi
Neeraj Hatekar: MUST (Mumbai University Students Transmission)
• P V Satheesh or one of his colleagues from Sangham Radio, Deccan Development Society, Andhra Pradesh
• Bharatiben: Kutch-ri-Vani community radio of KMVS
• Rajeshwar Dayal: Frederich Ebert Stiftung, Delhi
• Ramnath Bhatt: Maraa, Bangalore
• Sajan Venniyoor: Community Radio Forum
• Shoba Ghosh: Professor of English and Film Studies, Mumbai Universty

Participation in Workshop on Community Radio

Please let us know if you are interested to take part in this unusual and intensive exposure. Confirm as early as you can, and tell us how many persons we could expect from your organisation.We request you to register yourself with a fee of Rs. 350/- to cover meals and refreshments for the two days.

The venue will be in Mumbai.

For latest updates please visit:
http://cometmediafdn.wordpress.com/

Here we will be regularly - for the next month till the workshop - be uploading readings, links, info about speakers, participants and the evolving content of the seminar. Please feel free to comment and add your suggestions.

For further details contact: Pooja/Sandeep - 022-2382 6674 /022- 2386 9052

Sincerely,
Chandita Mukherjee
Director, Comet Media Foundation

(Via cr-india mailing list)

New timings for VOA Urdu Service

Effective 1st November Pakistan will go back to normal time ie. UTC+5.00 hrs and VOA URDU SERVICE will use the following schedule:
MW 972 1539 kHz is available at 1400-0200 hrs instead of 1300-0100 hrs.
SW service 0100-0200 UTC (ex 0000-0100) on 9520 (Sri Lanka) 9765 (Thailand) kHz.
SW service 1400-1500 UTC (ex 1300-1400) on 7440 (Thailand) 9390(Germany) kHz.
(Alok Dasgupta, Kolkata via http://dxasia.info/news/ )

Pakistan bans BBC broadcasts on FM stations

Read the radioandmusic.com report here :

http://tinyurl.com/yzsaa4t

Thursday, October 29, 2009

4th Himalayan Contest 2009

Date: 31st October 2009 1200 UTC (1730 IST) to 1st November 2009 1200 UTC(1730 IST).
This contest is open for VU QSOs only. Regular/Occasional Net controllers, Organisers of this contest, are not ELIGIBLE FOR ANY PRIZES. They may, however, take part and send their logs to help the participants.
RULES :
- Bands: 1.8 to 28 MHz except WARC and VHF/UHF.
- Modes: CW, SSB, Mixed. - Contest Call: VUs call “CQ Himalaya” in SSB and “CQ HC” in CW.
- Category: Single Operator Single Band CW or SSB or Mixed.
Single Operator Multi Bands CW or SSB or Mixed
- SWLs: Multiband CW or SSB or Mixed - Exchange: VUs give “six digit PIN code” combination to VUs.
- Restriction: A particular VU can be worked only once in any band irrespective of Mode.
- Only VU-VU QSOs. If you work VU2ABC on 7 cw, no need to work him again on any other band or mode.
- Scoring: Every QSO with a unique PIN code is 1 point.
- All VUs located in States like JK,HP,UP,SK,WB,AS,AR count for 5 points each. They have either the foothills or the Himalayan range in their State.
- Bonus: Every CW QSO gives 5 points Bonus.
- SWLs: VU SWLs must report complete 2-way QSOs of contest stations. Every station can be
logged only once.
- A complete QSO between VU and VU gives 5 points on any band.
- Multipliers: Every unique exchange which a VU station gives is a multiplier.
Example: 600042,602002,615003, 695403,560075,571313 etc are different multipliers.
A multiplier is counted only once for all bands taken together.

Final Score: It is the (sum of QSO points from individual band/bands) multiplied by the (sum of multipliers from individual band/bands)
Logs: Mark each log sheet with your call sign and category. Kindly send your logs by POST ONLY, to the
Contest Manager VU2UR Arasu,
MIG-6, 80 Feet Road,
Kengeri Upanagara,
Bangalore 560060,
India,
before the 20th November 2009

Awards to be issued: - For VU stations, top three in every category get certificates. - For VU SWLs, suitable certificates are going to be issued.

Any feed back regarding this contest, may please be sent to: gopal.madhavan @ gmail.com and vu2ur @ rediffmail.com.

vy 73, Namaste de Arasu VU2UR
(Via ARSI Mailing List)

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

QSL Card Exchange @ HamfestIndia 2009

Greetings to you from the HamfestIndia 2009 Team.

Those of you attending the HamfestIndia 2009 at Bangalore please use this opportunity to exchange QSL cards without spending money on post. If you have made QSOs with any of the following special event stations AT6MM, AT7CD,AT8ESP,AT8WFF,AT8LH then please bring in your cards for these QSOs. You will get your special QSLs at the QSL Card Counter Lot of money and time is saved, in these days of high postage rates. If you know someone who is very active, but not attending the Hamfest, pse tell him and get his cards too. Contact either VU2UR or VU2LX for more information at the venue.

73

Ramesh Kumar
VU2LU
Member, Organising Committee
HamfestIndia 2009

Radio Heritage Free Memorabila Offer + Holiday Books and CD's

Holiday Gifts Newsletter
Radio Heritage Foundation
www.radioheritage.net

Radio Heritage Foundation Holiday Season Gifts plus FREE Radio Hauraki Memorabila

This holiday season, we're trying to give something back to people who support our radio heritage preservation projects......as we know that credit cards and budgets are stretched everywhere and good causes are lined up at every street corner rattling their tins.....

In this message, we've got details of great holiday reading and gifts you can get from our online bookstore [www.radioheritage.net/shop1.asp] as well as how you can get your piece of Pacific radio heritage. Here at the Radio Heritage Foundation, we're committed to giving free global access to our research, features and content at www.radioheritage.net because we think no-one should have to pay to access their heritage and history.

Radio Hauraki Memorabilia
Donate US$20, $40 or $50 for book and CD thank you

This holiday season, we're also giving away original Radio Hauraki memorabilia in return for donations............... Radio Hauraki was the pirate radio ship that broadcast 1966-1970 and forced the New Zealand government to allow the return of private broadcasting..........

In return for your donation of US$20 we'll send an individually numbered and original Radio Hauraki 40th Anniversary Reunion entry ticket as our way of saying 'thanks' and.......

........if you double the donation to US$40 we'll also include your choice of either an autographed copy of the classic 'Shoestring Pirates' book OR a copy of the classic Hauraki story 'Fresh Pacific Wind' CD........and we also throw in international shipping as well.

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You can read about all these gifts at our website www.radioheritage.net and use your VISA, Mastercard or Amex card for secure donation payment.

Great Book Prices at our Amazon store
WRTH 2010 is just US$23.10 Worldwide!
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Remember when you buy anything from our Amazon bookstores, you earn a small commission for us so can choose from millions of items and help a good cause at the same time......and you may qualify for free shipping and gifts.......

Visit our Pacific RadioShack
www.radioheritage.net/PRS.asp
for DVD's, Toys, Games, Electronics

Finally, check out our Pacific Radio Shack for great bargains with merchandise ranging from magazine subscriptions to IPOD accessories, digital and FM radios, mobile phone accessories, movies, DVD's and more books....the choice is all yours...and every purchase helps our good cause.

Why Radio Heritage Foundation needs your donations ..........Every year we save more collections of Pacific wide radio memorabilia from the trash can or the fireplace, find more forgotten hours of audio, search out and rescue old magazines, books and memorabilia that hold treasures of their time, save oral histories and stories from radio pioneers, research historic features and articles and bring you a taste of what's in our collections for free at our global website www.radioheritage.net........

...........We're a registered non-profit organization and our total income in 2008-2009 was just US$6300. This covers only a small proportion of our operational costs [such as office overheads, power, broadband, consumables, travel etc] and we can't afford to pay wages so our full time volunteers have mortgaged their own home to underwrite operational costs and their living expenses for 5 years.........

........... That's why your financial support, partnerships and volunteer time is so important to us, because what you see at www.radioheritage.net is only the tip of an iceberg of Pacific wide radio heritage you're entitled to share. We're regulated by the Charities Commission in New Zealand with whom we file annual and financial reports although we operate globally.

PS...remember, donations of US$20, $40 and $50 qualify for our range of thank you gifts and our free Radio Hauraki memorabilia offer whilst stocks last.
.....and visit our Amazon bookstores and Pacific Radio Shack for great holiday season gift ideas and free shipping options PPS...how are today's radio stories, popular culture connections and heritage being saved for future generations in a digital world where the click of a mouse can destroy thousands of images and hours of audio?

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Radio Australia celebrates 70 years of broadcasting

Radio Australia's exclusive webpage on 70 years of International broadcasting ...

http://blogs.radioaustralia.net.au/70/

AIR Dibrugarh - Waves of neglect ruin radio station

Oct. 23: The Dibrugarh All India Radio station, fitted with the most powerful transmitter in eastern India, is a pitiably understaffed organisation, struggling to maintain normal operations.

Read the full story here :

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091024/jsp/northeast/story_11643362.jsp

6th GLOBAL SHORTWAVE COORDINATION CONFERENCE

http://www.abu.org.my/abu/index.cfm?pageid=623

WRN launches new website

The World Radio Network web portal has been completely redesigned and brought up to date with many new features.

Visit : www.wrn.org

Russian Dxer in Delhi

Few days back a Russian dxer "Igor Sannikov" from Kirov, Russia came to India & some of us from the delhidxers group had a chance to meet him at Connaught Place. The photo of our meeting alongwith an audio file has been posted on Voice of Russia Hindi home page, here's the link :

http://hindi.ruvr.ru/index.php?lng=hin

(scroll down & u can see the news item "rusi bhartiya radio shrotao ki mulakat" )

Direct Link :
http://hindi.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=hin&q=1972&cid=52&p=21.10.2009

THE WINNERS OF THE 2009 “GEORGE ENESCU INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL” CONTEST ON RRI

The Enescu contest was held with the support of several sponsors and partners whom we thank once again. The contest was sponsored by S. C. ELECTRECORD S.A. and the Public Corporation "Monitorul Oficial", being also supported by the "Radio House" Publishing-House.

Here are the name of winners :

There are 24 runners-up, among whom let us mention our listeners or
Internet users:
Ian Morrison of China
Deepa Kumari of India
Alan Holder of Great Britain
Kurt Svensson of Sweden
Agide Melloni, Giorgio Borsier, Fiorenzo Repetto of Italy
Tatjana Rubin and Ivica Smolcic of Serbia
Gaik Octembrian of Rusia
Alibek Ahmadiev of Kazahstan
Lai Xing, Fan Yurong, Wang Yang and Wang Chuntian of China
Emile Christian Duchimé of Camerun
Gloria Suciu of Romania
Olena Makovii of the Ukraine
Klaus Weinhart of Germany
Francisco Solorzano, El Salvador, Alfonso Flores Oliveira of Peru
Jorge Garcia Rangel of Venezuela
Khalid Said Dayan of Yemen
Jaroslaw Jedrzejczakof Poland

50 third prizes went to our listeners or Internet users:

Martin Galas of the USA
Shunicki Sekiya of Japan
Shankar N. and Prasenjit Bhakat of India
Mogire O. Machuki of Kenya
Safira Akter Panna of Bangladesh
Christer Brunstrom of Sweden
Brian Kendall of Great Britain
Aaron Tiu of the Philippines
Cao Fujie of Malaysia
Milentije Miljkovic of the US
Dmitri Balikin, Vladimir Yaroshik and Viaceslav Izrianov of Russia
Alina Ledroumaguet, Philippe Marsan and Jean–Pierre Bailly of France
Alessia Porreca of Italy
Olexandr Kozlenko of the Ukraine
Hans-Martin Friedrich of Switzerland
Daniel Bustos Aravena of Chile
Eduardo Ladislao Trejo Recinos, El Salvador, Gerardo Andres Groh of Argentina
Berny Solano of Costa Rica
Glauber Gleidson Peres, Brazilia, Jorge Alberto Jimenez Suarez of Columbia
Hamrani Mousa, Abdel-Hamid Djabbari of Algeria
Mohamad Ben el Bashir of Tunisia
Idriss Fitouri of Libia
Abdel-Naser Mohm Rashad Kamel of Egypt
Abdel-Karim Nadjim of Morocco
Batoul El Atas of Saudi Arabia
Rossella Buccilli and Alessandro Errichetti of Italy
Alfred Arinze of Libia
Mogire O. Machuki of Kenya
Safira Akter Panna of Bangladesh
Norbert Bonnet of France
Patrick Vong of France
Tang Jingbo, Han Shenglin, Zhou Lüjun, Li Meng, Xue Bing, Li Ming,
Yang Tietong, Luo Yinghu, Wang Jian, Zhang Shifeng, Zhang Lili ÅŸi Zhou
Fei of China.

The 5 winners of the second prize are:

Efim Arteev of Russia
Silveri Gomez of Spain
Abdel-Hamid Kharifi of Morocco
Hans Verner Lollike of Denmark
Xue Sanyang of China.

The 13 winners of the first prize are:

Valeria Matskevici of Russia
Jacques Augustin of France
Romanian-born Alina Seman of Italy
Roman Bondarevski of Ukraine
Christoph Preutenborbeck of Germany
Javier Gonzalez Balon of Ecuador
Hugo Calderon Carbajal of Mexico
Mohamad Suleiman Shokr of Egypt
Stefano Citterio of Italy
Thein Soe of Malayesia
Bezazel Ferhat Ben Rabah of Algeria
Cui Wenbai of China
He Guoliang of China.

First prize winner,
Christoph Preutenborbeck of Germany wrote:
"I'm very fond of music and I take particular interest in classical music. Participating in the contest run by RRI, I had the opportunity of knowing the life and work of George Enescu. RRI brought closer this son of the Romanian people to us, foreign listeners and I'd like thank the RRI staff for that. It was interesting to find out about the measures taken by the communists against him and about the debates on the date of his death. I'm also glad that I had the opportunity of
finding out that Enescu was not only a composer, but also an exceptional violinist who took part in the training of the famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin."
We conclude quoting the entry of first prize winner, Cui Wenbai of China: "Every man has got his hobbies; one of my hobbies is classical music and George Enescu's music holds pride of place in my preferences. I've got many of his works and tired after a day's work, I'm often delighted to listen to his music. Listening to his music, I feel as if I were immersed in an ocean of sounds. Time seems to go back and the energy which notes give to me provides me with a matchless experience. You can see the influences of Enescu's music everywhere, whether you are in Europe or in America. Enescu had his unique perspective both in his creation and his interpretation. His work has become a national wealth, but at the same time, it has entered the world artistic heritage. His artistic achievements are now a landmark in musical education and science. That is why, I have entered this contest."

(Source : RRI)

Voice of Russia is 80

http://english.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&rt=231&p

Radio Nepal gets new head

Monday 26 Oct 2009
A veteran broadcaster, Tapa Nath Shukla, has been appointed Executive Director of Radio Nepal.

Read the full story here :
http://www.abu.org.my/abu/index.cfm/elementid/56202/Radio-Nepal-gets-new-head

RCI B09 schd's

New RCI B09 technical & program schd's are now available in pdf format :

http://www.rcinet.ca/rci/en/horaires.shtml

VOIRI Eng B09

VOIRI English B09

http://tinyurl.com/ylkyx8h


(Alexey Zinevich, Minsk, Belarus via DXLD)


Sunday, October 25, 2009

B09 PTSW English shortwave schedules

The first edition of the Prime Time Shortwave English schedules are available at Prime Time Shortwave. Thank you to Ernest Riley for making this possible. The schedules are available in text, excel, dBase and tab delimited formats and are sorted by time, country and frequency.

Daniel Sampson
http://www.primetimeshortwave.com/

all station sort by country http://home.centurytel.net/danielsampson/country.txt

all station sort by time http://home.centurytel.net/danielsampson/time.txt

all station sort by frequency http://home.centurytel.net/danielsampson/freql.txt

additional files available http://home.centurytel.net/danielsampson

(Daniel Sampson via DXLD yg)

AOKI B09 Shortwave Frequency Schedules

Provisional version of "Aoki List B09" was released.

Text File: http://www.geocities.jp/binewsjp/bib09.txt

Excel zip File: http://www.m2.mediacat.ne.jp/~binews/bib09.zip

Perseus userlist: http://www.geocities.jp/binewsjp/userlist.txt

(S.Hasegawa NDXC-HQ via DXLD yg )

All India Radio B09 Schedule

The B-2009 External Service Schedule of All India Radio is now available in my site as follows :

AIR B09 Time Wise : http://www.qsl.net/vu2jos/es/time.htm
AIR B09 Language Wise : http://www.qsl.net/vu2jos/es/language.htm

AIR QSLs Page Updated 24th Oct, 2009 http://www.qsl.net/vu2jos/qsls/air.htm

73
Jose Jacob, VU2JOS
National Institute of Amateur Radio
Hyderabad, India

Noida gets its first community radio station

By: RnM Team 24 Oct 09 10:19 IST A+A-Set Default

NEW DELHI: The Asian School of Media Studies owned by Marwah Studios head Sandeep Marwah, based in the film city Noida has been given permission to establish, maintain and operate a Community Radio Station. With this, the number of CRs will increase to 59 in the country. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has signed a Grant of Permission Agreement with the School and the Letter of Intent had been issued to the organization after recommendations of the Inter Ministerial Committee and seeking requisite clearances from various Ministries. The Community Radio Station is expected to be operational within three months as per the agreement.

Full story at :
http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/noida-gets-its-first-community-radio-station

Friday, October 23, 2009

BBC – India Bol: BBC Hindi audiences have their say

BBC Hindi audiences can now speak out on issues that affect their lives in a special weekly live programme, BBC – India Bol. Broadcast every Tuesday, the new 30-minute programme is a platform for millions of listeners and online users, who tune in to BBC Hindi radio and access the programmes via bbchindi.com, to share their views. BBC – India Bol is modelled on World, Have Your Say, the multimedia interactive programme on BBC World Service and now also on BBC World News television. Amit Baruah, Head of BBC Hindi, comments: "The philosophy behind BBC – India Bol is to lend a voice to our listeners and their concerns and interests. "We put technology available to us to optimum use to make the programme as open as possible, so our audiences can participate by phone and emails and leave their comments on the programme blog on bbchindi.com. "It is an example of how we engage our audiences in a global conversation by offering them a platform for interactivity and real-time response." One of BBC – India Bol's presenters, BBC Hindi's Rupa Jha, adds: "This is also an excellent platform to make the audience part of our editorial call, and we invite them to come up with the topic for discussion. "With people across the country telling us what they want us to talk about, BBC – India Bol gives us a fantastic opportunity to feel the pulse of the country. This is what has made the programme high on demand, and the free number has made it accessible to the most remote parts of India." To contribute their comments, listeners can either call a 24-hour free number 1800-11-7000 to record their messages – or call in to the live programme between 8.00pm and 8.30pm India Standard Time on Tuesdays. They can also log on the special BBC – India Bol section on bbchindi.com to share their opinion on the weekly theme. As listeners share their views on radio, a 'live text' with transcripts of their opinions is simultaneously uploaded on the programme page on bbchindi.com.
BBC – India Bol is part of BBC Hindi's news and current affairs programming produced from London and Delhi, and is available on shortwave, medium wave and via cable television. The BBC also offers special 'infotainment' output for India's FM market, in Hindi and Tamil, available via partner stations across India, in the UAE and in the US. Hindi-speakers across the world can access BBC Hindi in text and in audio via the website bbchindi.com. Notes to EditorsBBC Hindi programmes are produced from London and Delhi, set in a rolling format, with news, current affairs and features. The interactive morning and evening programmes, Aaj Ke Din and Aaj Kal, bring news, analysis and interviews on a range of issues, from current affairs and careers to showbiz and sports. BBC Hindi is available on shortwave, medium wave, FM and via cable television. Hindi-speakers across the world can access BBC Hindi programmes in text and in audio at the 24/7 news site bbchindi.com. The BBC's special output for India's FM market includes infotainment updates in Hindi and Tamil languages. This programming is available via partner stations in India: Radio One in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Pune; Radio Choklate in Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack and Rourkela; Hello Radio 106.4 in Chennai, Kovai, Madurai, Trichy, Nellai, Tuticorin and Puducherry; Radio Tadka in Jaipur and Udaipur; Radio Tomato in Kolhapur; Radio Misty in Siliguri and Gangtok; Radio Chaska in Gwalior; and Radio Rangila in Raipur. It is also available via Radio Spice in Dubai, UAE; and in the US via HumDesi Radio in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Jose and Washington DC. BBC World Service is an international multimedia broadcaster delivering 32 language and regional services. It uses multiple platforms to reach 188 million listeners globally, including shortwave, AM, FM, digital satellite and cable channels. It has around 2,000 partner radio stations which take BBC content, and numerous partnerships supplying content to mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices. Its news sites include audio and video content and offer opportunities to join the global debate. For more information, visit bbcworldservice.com.
(BBC Press Release)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Broadcast India 2009

Conference: 29 - 30 October, 2009
Exhibition: 29 - 31 October, 2009
Venue: Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon (E), Mumbai, India
The 19th Broadcast India 2009 Exhibition & Conference will be held on 29 - 31 October, 2009 in Hall V - Bombay Exhibition Centre, Off Western Express Highway, Goregaon (East), Mumbai. Over 500 companies from 31 countries will exhibit their latest products, launches, technologies and services for the film and television industry at the show.
Present at the show will be some of the worlds leading manufacturers like Panasonic, Harris, Benchmark, VIZRT, Grass Valley, AVID, Playbox, Canon, da vinci, Seachange, Datavideo, Hitachi, Digital Vision, Sennheiser, Euphonix, ARRI, Panther, P+S Technik, Cooke Optics, Aaton, Dalet, RCS, Wide Orbit, DVS, Digital Rapids, Monarch, AJA, Kinoflo, Unicorn, RSG & WASP3D to name just a few. For the entire list of exhibitors, please visit our website at http://www.broadcastindiashow.com/
One of the highlights at Broadcast India 2009 this year will be a mini helicopter which can take a load of an ARRIFLEX camera as well as HD and digital cameras, a boon for film makers to shoot on complicated narrow alleys as well as chase sequences. P+S Technik will be demonstrating their Weiscamm 2K camera, which shoots up to 4000 frames per second, an advantage for filmmakers who crave to shoot at super high speeds in super slow motion.
Broadcast India covers all aspects of Television, Film, Radio, Video, Audio, IPTV, Mobile TV, Computer Graphics, Visual Effects, Multimedia, Music, Lights, Cable, Satellite, Broadband, Internet, Transmission and all the leading innovations from the infotainment industry.
About Saicom Trade Fairs & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd.
Being part of the film and television industry, the two directors, Kavita and Ramesh Meer formed a company, Saicom Trade Fairs & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. to organize exhibitions and conferences exclusively catering to the needs of the entertainment industry. Its first show Broadcast India Exhibition & Symposium was organized in 1991 and since then the company has been holding these shows every year in the month of October/November in Mumbai.
Ramesh Meer, Saicom Trade Fairs, +91 (22) 22151396
Kavita Meer, Saicom Trade Fairs, +91 (22) 22152721

RTÉ announces long-terms plans for Donnybrook site

RTÉ has announced long-term plans for the redevelopment of its Donnybrook site. The project envisages the gradual replacement over a 10-15 year period of most of the current 1960 and 1970s buildings on the Donnybrook site with a purpose-built modern building complex designed for the digital and High-Definition age. The timing of RTÉ's announcement has been determined by Dublin City Council's planned preparation and consideration of a new Dublin City Development Plan. This requires that RTÉ, in common with other major landowners in the city,
present its long-term observations at this time. Project 2025, a redevelopment proposal, that is the result of detailed analysis and planning carried out since 2002, has been discussed with local members of the city council in advance of the review of all council area land zonings that begins in October. Subject to planning approval, the phased development is intended to begin with new high definition (HD), digital TV and new digital Radio studios and to culminate in a wing incorporating further production areas, rehearsal and performance spaces and staff offices. The plan has evolved through a full review of all options for the renewal of RTÉ's production base and capital facilities.
Speaking today, RTÉ Director- General, Cathal Goan said: "Rapid change in production and broadcast technology obliges us to plan and provide for the future. Clearly this is not an ideal time to be announcing a large proposed construction project. But to remain competitive and to continue to give Irish viewers, listeners and web users the best possible services, we have to invest in new facilities built for the digital age. "RTÉ has considered carefully the best way to upgrade and develop our broadcast production and transmission facilities while continuing to stay on air. We are confident that the most cost effective, sustainable and technically robust option available is to re-configure our existing site and incorporate all facilities into a single new building. "This proposal clearly sets out RTÉ's intention to remain a key provider of multi-media
services to the Irish public for many years to come." Given the planning process and the current prevailing economic conditions RTÉ does not anticipate that any construction work on the site could start before 2012.
Discussion will take place with local residents' groups as an integral part of the planning process. RTÉ will make an application for a 10-year planning consent for the new building development on Friday 9 October. Further details will be available at that stage.

(Press Release)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

VOA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Special English

Washington, D.C., October 19, 2009 – The Voice of America's (VOA) Special English celebrated its 50th anniversary today, with speakers saying the teaching program is more popular than ever because of its credible, quality journalism. "Even with the changes in technology … in journalism, information still matters," said keynote speaker Frank Sesno, director of George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs. "Credibility still matters. Quality still matters." Sesno, a former CNN anchor who started his journalism career as an intern with Special English, said the Service has a long tradition of helping people learn American English by broadcasting news and information at a slow pace. Using a core vocabulary of 1,500 words and short, simple sentence structure, Special English, launched on October 19, 1959, keeps listeners informed about current events while helping them improve their language skills.VOA Director Danforth Austin said Special English has expanded on new platforms so it is available on radio, television and on the Internet. The Special English website, one of VOA's most popular, will also soon have a Twitter page, a YouTube video channel and a "verb phrase of the day" SMS service.

The ceremony also honored Walter Roberts, part of VOA's original staff in 1942. "It's good to be home," Roberts said. Calling Special English an "ingenious invention," he said, "People with a minimum knowledge of English listened, and understood the message of the Voice of America."Special English also produced a slideshow of viewers, listeners and Internet users in their everyday surroundings. Nearly 1,000 users submitted photos of themselves. They can be seen at www.VOASpecialEnglish.com. Links to view or listen to today's ceremony are available at www.VOANews.com/english/About/2009-10-02-SpEnglish-Anniversary.cfm

(VOA Press Release)

Monday, October 19, 2009

RAE 15345 Logged

Its my pleasure to inform that I logged RAE i.e.RADIODIFUSION ARENTINA AL EXTERIOR Argentia English on October 1st, 2009 on 15345 kHz by my Grundig YB400 Rx with just a few meters of copper wire as external antenna from 1844 UTC onwards. There was perhaps DX Programme cum tourist Infos feature was going on (guessed).I was very surprised at first time & couldn't believe myself ..but later listening further ...upto..a few moments..I've no doubt it is indeed RAE..though the signal varied from fair to poor plus with occasional fading plus more displeasure was QRN..atmospheric noise..after English transmission signing off announcement by YL at 1856UTC there was interval signal of RAE plus ID announcement in Spanish perhaps..plus repeated for nearly four minutes or so sometime ID was announced in Male voice, around 1900UTC came the time signal & then music, another spell of ID announcements etc seems to me opening announcements of next service in perhaps either in Spanish or Italian..

73 & 55,
Gautam Kumar Sharma(GK)
Abhayapuri (Assam), India

Trial Issues of DSWCI Publications

This message especially to our not-yet-members:

We have uploaded new trial issues of DSWCI publications. Amongst them are the latest DX Window (No. 387 of 14th October 2009) and the September/October issue of Shortwave News.

You can download them at www.dswci.org/try

This page also gives an overview of the free material the DSWCI offers on the Internet. Most material is for members only though, as members fees are essential for the existence of a DX club.

Best 73
Rolf Wernli
webmaster @ dswci.org
Danish SW Clubs International

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

19th Broadcast India 2009 - Conference & Exhibition

19th Broadcast India 2009
Conference 29-30 Oct'09
Exhibition 29-31 Oct'09
Venue :
Bombay Exhibition Centre
Goregaon (E)
Mumbai
10.00 am - 6 pm
Details at :

For further information please contact:
SAICOM TRADE FAIRS & EXHIBITIONS PVT. LTD.
Address:
148 Admiralty House
Near Colaba Bus Station
Mumbai 400 005
India
Tel: + 91 22 2215 1396/ 2215 2721
Fax: + 91 22 2215 1269

Initiatives taken by Govt in J & K

Listing the initiatives taken by the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry in Jammu & Kashmir, Smt. Ambika Soni said one of the highest priorities is to improve the quality of TV and Radio Transmission and increasing the broadcast coverage in the State. She said a provision of Rs. 100 crores has been made in the current financial year for setting up of High Power TV Transmitters in the border areas of the state and Lower Power FM Transmitters in uncovered areas of the State. She said under the scheme 3 High Power (FM & TV) Transmitters are to be set up at Sirpath, Jasrota Top and Khalsar in Kashmir, Jammu and Leh region respectively. One FM Transmitter would be provided at Naushera and one TV Transmitter for DD-1 and DD-News at Rajouri. Low Power FM Transmitters at four locations are also to be set up. It is also proposed to open up more towns to private FM channels with special incentives for border areas under the new FM Phase III policy, which is on the anvil.Smt. Soni said a new Doordarshan Studio at Leh is expected to be completed during 2010. She said a revamp of the programmes is under way for DD Kashir channel and new programmes produced and executed by young people of the State are expected to be available from 1st January 2010. She said Rs. 14.64 crores have been allocated for DD Kashir's commissioned programmes in 2009-10.
(Source : Press Information Bureau, Govt of India)

TWR-Africa Launches New Web Site

TWR-Africa announces its newly revitalized Web site at www.twrafrica.org The first phase of the site officially went live this morning. Phase two should follow within the next ten days and will include: National partner pages, a link to TWR.org, a flash photo gallery and an archive of past articles. Visit www.twrafrica.org to find out how God is ministering through radio in Africa.

Farewell to broadcasting site after nearly 60 years

Just stepping on the property one knew that it was a special place. Others declared that it was holy ground.Whatever a person's viewpoint, these 110 acres of rolling green fields with a spectacular view of the perfect snow-covered volcanic cone of Mount Cotopaxi to the south were a single point from which shortwave radio programmes could be beamed from Ecuador to the four corners of the earth.Pifo, as the transmitter site for Radio Station HCJB, the Voice of the Andes, was known ...

Read the full report here :
www.hcjb.org.uk/global-news/farewell-to-broadcasting-site-after-nearly-60-years.html

Radio Vlaanderen International to leave shortwave

http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/2009/10/radio-vlaanderen-international-to-leave.html

CVA via RVA in B09

Sun, 11 Oct 2009
For the first time Vatican Radio (CVA) is going to use regularly - Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) transmitter in the Philippines to India in B09 schedule period for their second morning transmission at 0200-0320 hrs. Earlier this service was relayed via Russian transmitter and at present it is coming from Santa Maria. This should improve reception in South Asia. This service
comprising Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and in English(repeat of 0040-0200 hrs transmissions)at 0200-0320 hrs can be heard on 15460 kHz in B09 ie.
effective 25th October 2009.

RVA via CVA in B09

Mon, 12 Oct 2009
In Exchange Radio Veritas Asia will use Santa Maria transmitter of Vatican Radio in B09 in Urdu at 1430-1457 hrs on 9585 kHz and Filipino to the ME at 1500-1553 hrs on 11715 kHz w.e.f 25th October 2009.

(Alok Dasgupta via http://dxasia.info/news/)

SLBC resumes its transmissions on Wanni service

Mon, Oct 12, 2009, 07:07 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Oct 12, Colombo: The Wanni service of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, which has been suspended temporarily due to the war in the North in the past, resumed its service again. SLBC confirmed that the Wanni service had commenced a testing transmission this morning. SLBC is transmitting its services to the Wanni region from Irattaperiyakulam in Vavuniya. The Wanni service suspended its broadcasting in 2002 due to the heavy fighting between Sri Lanka Army and the LTTE. According to the SLBC sources the service will transmit its programs in both Sinhala and Tamil languages.

VOA Boosts Broadcasts Across Pakistan on AM and FM Stations

Washington, D.C., October 13, 2009 - The Voice of America (VOA) is expanding its reach across Pakistan. A new arrangement with Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) now allows VOA to broadcast Pashto language programs on medium-wave (AM) radio and Urdu broadcasts on FM stations for the first time."We're delighted Pakistan's Cabinet has ratified our agreement with PBC," said VOA Director Danforth W. Austin. "This arrangement will allow millions of people in all parts of Pakistan to listen to the VOA's popular news and information programs.

"VOA's Deewa Radio, a Pashto language service for people in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, is now available on medium wave (AM) at 540 kHz from a transmitter in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.From 1800 to 2200 daily, Deewa Radio's AM signal will broadcast news and current affairs programming plus call-in shows on politics, literature and poetry. Deewa, which began in 2006, continues to broadcast nine hours of radio programming daily on shortwave, FM (transmitters located in Afghanistan) and Internet (www.VOANews.com/Deewa/).For the first time, VOA's Urdu language program Radio Aap Ki Dunyaa (Your World) (www.VOANews.com/Urdu) will be heard on the FM band. A 30-minute morning program at 0900 and a 30-minute evening program at 1800 will air on 11 FM stations across Pakistan, including Islamabad and Lahore.VOA's audience is strong in Pakistan, with almost 12 percent of the population listening to or watching Urdu programs. Beyond the Headlines is a 30-minute television program that airs on Geo News, Pakistan's leading cable and satellite TV news channel

(VOA Press Release)

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Malaysia's Digital radio plans

Excerpts ....

As RTM moves forward, their future plans for radio are not less than impressive. The government radio stations have not only started planning for the dawn of digital radio but its implementation is also underway. "There are two areas when talking about digital radio; the station and the transmission. So far at RTM, we have developed our digital radio infrastructure since 1995, with digital radio studios set up throughout the country."

He added, "The next step will be the transmission phase, which is divided into two categories, DRM (digital radio mondiale) and DAB + (digital audio broadcast plus). For DRM, basically it is a secondary transmission, with DAB+ being the primary transmission, thus those who want to replace FM should use DAB+."

For short wave the use of DRM is best. With DRM, one can use analog and digital but DAB+ can only be used for digital transmissions. "In most of our radio stations, we use FM except in Kajang and Kuching where we have DRM and also for Suara Malaysia and Suara Islam stations, short wave transmission is used. However for Suara Islam and Suara Malaysia we have introduced Internet protocol."

Datuk Ibrahim goes on to explain that it was in the year 2008 that the DRM trial run was carried out in Kajang and MCMC has reported good transmission on DRM is received all over the country including Sarawak. "Our ultimate goal is for all major stations to be equipped with DAB+. DRM will be mainly for areas which need their own transmitter, such as rural areas surrounded by hills and mountains."

It is with this encouraging start that RTM hopes to implement digital radio along with digital TV in 2012. The only obstacle to this plan is the issue of cost as for listeners to enjoy digital transmission, they need to be equipped with a digital radio set. At the moment, digital radio is not yet available in Malaysia thus cost cannot be calculated. However, taking the America as a reference point, a digital radio set costs US$100.


PU radio station to go on air soon

Amit Sharma, TNN 8 October 2009, 05:21am IST
CHANDIGARH: Community radio is all set to go on-air at Punjab University, with School of Communication Studies ready to broadcast its first programme within four months. The round-the-clock station is a result of the Memorandum of Understanding between PU and Broadcast Engineering Consultants Limited (BECIL) under Union ministry.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

RFE/RL To Broadcast To Abkhazia, South Ossetia

October 07, 2009
PRAGUE -- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has announced plans to launch daily broadcasts to the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia beginning in November. The 60-minute daily program will be produced by journalists in RFE/RL's Prague headquarters and correspondents in Georgia (including South Ossetia and Abkhazia) and Russia. The new broadcasts will be in Russian and will be available on shortwave radio frequencies every day in the evening. Broadcasts may also be available on FM frequencies. The broadcasts will include news and features and will be interactive with listeners. A website known as "Caucasus Echo" will debut simultaneously with the first broadcasts in November. The web presence will be optimized for dial-up connections, which predominate in the region. The new program's major objective is reconciliation among people in the regions and the bridging of different viewpoints expressed by the parties to the processes in the region.
(Source : RFE/RL)

Community Radio Station to Start at Dharamshala Cantt.

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India has signed a Grant of Permission Agreement with Tibetan Children's Village School for establishing, maintaining and operating a Community Radio Station at Dharamshala Cantt. Himachal Pradesh. Letter of Intent had been issued to the organization after recommendations of Inter Ministerial Committee and seeking requisite clearances from various Ministries. The Community Radio Station is expected to be operational within three months as per the agreement. With this, the number of CRS will increase to 58 in the country.
The Ministry encourages setting up of the Community Radio Stations as it promises to provide an opportunity to the local communities to express themselves, share their views and particularly empower women, youth, marginalized groups to take part in local self governance and overall socio economic and cultural development in the area.
The Tibetan Children's Village School at Lower Dharamshala was established in 1984. Its CRS will focus on programs on developmental, agricultural, health, educational, environmental, social welfare and community development issues.
(Press Information Bureau, Govt of India)

Dxers Unlimited's mid week edition 6-7 Oct 2009

Dxers Unlimited's mid week edition 6-7 Oct 2009
Radio Havana Cuba
By Arnie Coro
Radio Amateur CO2KK

http://dxersunlimited.blogspot.com/2009/10/radio-havana-cuba-dxers-unlimiteds-mid.html

Prasar Bharati: Bharat ki Awaz?

Prasar Bharati is coming up with a slew of measures to revive its falling fortunes, but will it be able to tackle bureaucracy and legacy issues...
GAGANDEEP KAUR
Thursday, October 01, 2009

More at :
http://voicendata.ciol.com/content/service_provider/109100105.asp

New Frequency for VOA Urdu

Sun, 27 Sep 2009
Effective 28th September VOA Urdu service is moving on to 6100 kHz at 0000-0100 hrs replacing 9515 kHz due to propagation from Sri Lanka relay station.

(Alok Dasgupta, Kolkata via http://dxasia.info/news/)

BBC drama series on All India Radio

Indiantelevision.com Team
(6 October 2009 6:55 pm)
MUMBAI: BBC World Service Trust in India will roll out a FM radio drama series in Hindi titled Life Gulmohar Style, designed to promote gender equality and empowerment of women on 7 October. The 156 episodes radio drama will broadcast on five of All India Radio's FM Rainbow stations including those from Delhi, Mumbai, Jalandhar, Lucknow and Kanpur every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 7.30-7.45 pm.

Read the full story here :
http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/oct/oct53.php

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

FEBC in emergency response after storms

As disasters piled up all across FEBC's broadcast areas in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia this week, staff struggled to keep the radio broadcasts on air to guide those in crisis.

In the Philippines, Ella and Peter McIntyre (Feba UK staff working with FEBC since 1988) witnessed the storm damage from Typhoon Ketsana and FEBC in action. Ella writes: “Many of our own broadcasters and colleagues were directly affected themselves. Church property washed away, homes damaged, possessions destroyed. At one bridge near FEBC, a bulldozer scooped up the mountain of black mud – poking out of the pile, a rolled up carpet, an armchair. Pitiful evidence of a home completely swept into oblivion.”

FEBC swung into well-practised crisis mode. DZAS (our local community radio station) was back on air by Sunday, bringing comfort and practical advice to many. DZFE (our other Manila-based FM station) is also functioning as a coordination and distribution centre for aid.

Flood waters poured into the FEBC short wave installation building in Bocaue, Philippines, with 4 high-powered transmitters that broadcast to 54 language groups of Asia (36 hours total daily). These were taken off air for a few days, while staff worked around the clock to clear the mud and dry out the equipment, even before their own homes, in order to restore broadcasts as early as possible. By Thursday the transmitters were back in action, with no permanent damage.

Radio comes into its own in emergencies as a source of information: a familiar voice sharing clear facts rather than rumours, calmly and compassionately cutting through the chaos and confusion, letting our listeners know they are not alone, or forgotten, and offering a place to call to let the authorities know where to direct help.

Ella tells this story of a Filipino lady, showing her resilient spirit amidst the tragedy. When asked how her family fared with Typhoon Ketsana, the lady said: “We are fine. The good thing is, there are plenty of fish to catch!”

Register Now - HamfestIndia 2009

Dear Fellow Hams & SWLs,

The 18th Hamfest in India, HamfestIndia 2009 and Bangalore Amateur Radio Club (BARC) - VU2ARC Golden Jubilee Celebrations is just round the corner. The event being conducted in Bangalore this year and is scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, 7 & 8 November 2009. The venue is Sri Nijagunara Kshetra, Bull Temple Road, Bangalore. We welcome all Hams and SWLs to be part of this Festival in Bangalore with your family and friends.

To encourage advance registration as delegates and to help us plan the overall logistics to ensure that the whole function goes according to plan we request you to register early and encourage us with your support.

Advance registraton by way of sending cheque or DD is Rs.450/- for all Hams & SWLs and Rs.350/- for accompanying spouse & children each. More information is at www.hamfestindia.com

Please note that the "Spot Registration" on 7 & 8 November 2009 will be Rs.600/- for all Hams & SWLs and Rs.350/- for accompanying spouse and children each.

Please call 9845355773 for any further clarification.

73

Ramesh Kumar
VU2LU
Member, Organising Committee
HamfestIndia 2009
Cellphone: 91-9845057731

Monday, October 05, 2009

Community Radio Station to start at Mumbai

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India has signed a Grant of Permission Agreement for establishing, maintaining and operating a Community Radio Station at Union Park Residents Association, Khar Bandra, Mumbai. Letter of Intent had been issued to the Institute after recommendations of Inter Ministerial Committee and seeking requisite clearances from various Ministries. The Community Radio Station is expected to be operational within three months as per the agreement. With this, the number of CRS will increase to 57 in the country.
“JAGO MUMBAI” as the Community Radio Station will generate awareness for demo centers for composting and vermiculture, rainwater harvesting and solar power. The vision is to empower the community Radio Station, awareness and motivation to understand and carry out their civic responsibilities and to proactively participate in their all round development and as well as protection of environment. The proposed Community Radio Station will create awareness and motivate the surrounding community Radio Station cleanliness, health and sanitation, environment, waste management, conservation of water and electricity. It’s intended to empower, unearth and showcase community Radio Station provide a network for social interface resulting in self - development. .
The Ministry encourages setting up the Community Radio Station as it promises to provide an opportunity Radio Station local communities to express themselves, share their views and particularly empower women, youth, marginalized groups to take part in local self governance and overall socio economic and cultural development in the area. .
(Press Information Bureau, Govt. of India)

Saturday, October 03, 2009

No More Printed Schedule or QSL Cards from Radio Sweden

The start of the new transmission period for short and medium wave, as well as satellite, on October 25, Radio Sweden will only be publishing our broadcast schedule on the Web. This is a logical consequence of the increasing importance of the Internet as a broadcast platform and because we have stopped broadcasting our own programs in Swedish. At the same time we are simplifying our marketing and audience services.Listeners to our programs will find the schedules for all our languages under the heading “Frequencies/Tider och frekvenser” on the SR International homepage. When necessary and by request we will also continue to mail printed versions of our schedules in Swedish and other languages. Listeners can also contact Swedish Radio’s Listener Service department with requests. At the same time we are discontinuing mailing QSL cards to listeners in response to reception reports.
Ingemar Löfgren
Head of SR International
(Source : Radio Sweden via T.R.Rajeesh)

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Community Radio Station to Start at Namakkal, Tamil Nadu

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India has signed a Grant of Permission Agreement for establishing, maintaining and operating a Community Radio Station at K.S. Rangaswamy Educational Institutions, Namakkal, Tamilnadu. Letter of Intent had been issued to the Institute after recommendations of Inter Ministerial Committee and seeking requisite clearances from various Ministries. The Community Radio Station is expected to be operational within three months as per the agreement. With this, the number of CRS will increase to 56 in the country.
The Community Radio will strengthen the reach of basic education in the area in and around Tiruchengode municipal panchayat. The broad objectives of the CRS are to empower women to become independent and carve a niche in the public, to bring awareness and to reach zero level in AIDS control, and also to cater to the intellectual and technological needs of rural students. The Ministry encourages setting up the Community Radio Stations as it promises to provide an opportunity to the local communities to express themselves, share their views and particularly empower the women.

(Press Information Bureau, Govt of India)

AIR’s External Services turn 70 on 1st October, 2009

Jose Jacob, VU2JOS
The External Services Division of All India Radio, India’s cultural ambassador to the world will be 70 years old on October 1, 2009. The External broadcasts were started on October 1, 1939 by the then British Government to counter the propaganda of the Nazis directed at the Afghan people. The first broadcasts were in Pushto beamed to Afghanistan and the then North West Frontier Province. Soon broadcasts were started in Dari, Persian, Arabic, English, Burmese, Japanese, Chinese, Malay, French etc.

The External Services today broadcast in the 27 languages (16 foreign and 11 Indian languages) with a total program out put of 70.25 hrs. per day (on MW & SW).

The foreign languages are: Arabic, Baluchi, Burmese, Chinese, Dari, English, French, Indonesian, Nepali, Persian, Pushtu, Russian, Sinhala, Swahili, Thai and Tibetan. The Indian languages are: Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

The maximum duration is the Urdu Service to Pakistan round the clock on DTH and on Short Wave / Medium Wave for 12.15 hrs while the English broadcasts to various parts of the world called “General Overseas Service” are there for 8.15 hrs. During the Haj season, there are special broadcasts in Urdu beamed to Saudi Arabia but I do wonder if the pilgrims carry any radioes with them. The External Services of AIR is even broadcast to Europe in the new broadcasting mode DRM (Digital Radio Mondial).

These transmissions are broadcast by the High Power Transmitters located at Aligarh, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Mumbai and Panaji on Short Waves and from Jalandhar, Kolkata and Tuticorin on Medium Waves. Some of these transmitters are of 1000 kW and 500 kW power. Programs are beamed to different areas of the world except to the Americas but it is often heard there by many radio hobbyists.

In each language service a composite program is presented consisting of news bulletin, commentary, press review, talks on matters of general and cultural interest, occasional feature programmes and documentaries, Indian music as well as music of the area concerned. Most of the programs originate in the New Broadcasting House located in Delhi with a few originating at Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Mumbai, Thiruvanthapuram and Tuticorin.

The External Services Division of AIR has been a vital link between India and rest of the world, especially with those countries where there are Indian emigrants and people of Indian origin. It projects the Indian point of view on matters of national and international importance and demonstrates our way of life through its various programs.

Beautiful QSL cards are issued to the radio hobbyists from time to time by AIR in New Delhi for reception reports of their broadcasts. These are very much sought after by international radio hobbyists.

With the other choices in the media scene like Internet and TV, the number of listeners for Short Wave broadcasting has drastically dropped. That along with high cost of running broadcasts and also changes in political equations has prompted many countries to cut short or even completely abandon their External broadcasts.

It must be mentioned here that the AIR broadcasts to China in Chinese and Tibetan are jammed by the Chinese authorities. Added to this the ageing problems of transmitters and its maintanance, interference from other broadcasting stations due to improper coordination of frequencies etc. hampers the good efforts of AIR.

However it is business as usual for All India Radio’s External Services for the time being.

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation launches satellite broadcasting

Thursday, 01 October 2009 07:24
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation will commence satellite broadcasting today. It will be launched under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Deputy Director General Engineering H.M. Jackson says the City FM, Commercial, Thendral and English Service will have satellite broadcasting from today. It has been made possible by Dialog Telecom. It is expected that the listeners would get a clear broadcasting signal by this transmission. Meanwhile, SLBC will launch another Tamil language broadcasting service from Irattaperiyakulam to the benefit of the people in the north.
(Source : SLBC)

Community Radio Station to Start at Gurgaon, Haryana

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India has signed a Grant of Permission Agreement with The Restoring Force (TRF) a Gurgaon based voluntary organization. TRF would establish, maintain and operate a Community Radio Station at Gurgaon, Haryana. Letter of Intent had been issued to the organization after recommendations of Inter Ministerial Committee and seeking requisite clearances from various Ministries. The Community Radio Station is expected to be operational within three months as per the agreement. With this, the number of CRS will increase to 55 in the country.

The Restoring Force (TRF) intends to work all over the country, primarily in the field of education. The focus of TRF is to provide clean & healthy environment at schools along with basic facilities to improve the quality of education by modern means of learning and to grant relief and assistance to the needy during natural calamities such as famine, earthquake, flood, fire, persistence, etc and to give donations and other assistance to institutions, establishment or persons engaged in such relief work.

The Ministry encourages setting up of the Community Radio Stations as it promises to provide an opportunity to the local communities to express themselves, share their views and particularly empowerment of women, youth marginalized groups to take part in local self governance and overall socio economic and cultural development in the area. The CRS programs will be based on developmental, agricultural, health, educational, environmental, social welfare, community development issues and other cultural programs.

(Press Information Bureau, Govt of India)

DX India completes 8 years

Dx India reflector group which specialises exclusively on broadcasting in India completed 8 years of existence today. It was started on October 1, 2001 to exchange the latest information on the broadcasting scene in India. On this occassion Jose Jacob, VU2JOS founder of DX India thanked all the members of the group and other dx reflectors and dx organisations for their support.

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Related Link: www.qsl.net/vu2jos
To post message : dx_india@yahoogroups.com