Monday, June 30, 2008

SILICON CITY HAM MEET 2008 IN BANGALORE ON 10TH AUG 2008

ALL ARE INVITED FOR THE SILICON CITY HAM MEET 2008 IN BANGALORE ON 10 th AUGUST 2008
VENUE : INDIAN INSTITUTE OF HAMS (VU2IIH) CLB STATION
SHREE KANTEERAVA OUT DOOR STADIUM - 2ND FLR.
KASTURIBA ROAD. BANGALORE 560 001
NEAR CORPORATION OFFICE AND CUBBON PARK

1. PRESENTATION OF PAPERS ON HOME BREW PROJECTS.
2. DEMONSTRATION ON. SDR PROJECTS
    DIGITAL MODE COMMUNICATION AND ECHOLINK MODES.
3. SALE OF HAM EQUIPMENTS AND COMPONENTS FOR HOME BREWERS BY VETERAN HAMS.
4. GREAT BALL

NO DELEGATE FEES FOR THE MEET.
PLEASE SEND YOUR PRESENTATION BY Ist OF AUGUST 2008.
PLEASE INFOR ABOUT YOUR SALE OF COMPONENTS BY 1st OF AUGUST 2008
PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDENCE ON BAND OR OL QSL TO P.O BOX 1927. BANGALORE 560 019.
PLEASE COME AND ENJOY

REGARDS
VU3ITI (VARADAN)

3rd Wellenforum Summer Contest 2008

1. Contest Period:
The contest runs from Tuesday, 15.07.2008 (00.00 UTC) to Thursday, 31.07.2008 (23.59 UTC).

2. BC Stations
Every MW log is given a value, each heard station gets one single value. Every station has to be heard at least for 10 minutes. Notes on the programme heard have to be logged as detailed as possible to really identify the station (no empty phrases like music , news etc.).

3. Conditions of Participation
The contest is free of charge and open to all DXers regardless of their membership in any DX club and their knowledge. Logs have to be made through the wellenforum-Online-Log facility which will be available at : http://www.contest.wavetalk.org
in due course.
Please note, that a registration is necessary to be granted access to the Log-facility.

4. Scoring
Every station from the logger's country gets 10 points, every station from the logger's continent gets 20 points, and stations from other contintents than the logger's get 30 points.

5. Awards
Every participant will receive a participation certificate prompt after the contest has finished showing individual score and ranking.

We wish you good listening!
73, Friedhelm Wittlieb
Contestmanager
--
QTH: Lünen / NRW (near Dortmund)
Grundig Satellit 700 with regenerative loop antenna
member of the addx and medium wave circle uk
www.wittlieb-online.de

FM radio making waves in India

Christian Cotroneo, Foreign Correspondent
Last Updated: June 28. 2008 7:38PM UAE / June 28. 2008 3:38PM GMT

NEW DELHI // As radio listenership plummets in Europe and the United States, it is skyrocketing in the Indian capital, opening up a huge market for new radio stations and cheap radios.
Full story at :
http://tinyurl.com/5e3f2l

Radio Should be Digitalised

Sweden should get digital radio after all. Thursday saw the Radio and TV Authority express its preference for the latest digital radio version of DAB+ to the government.
Full story at :

All India Radio Khampur Curtain Arrays


Friday, June 27, 2008

EMR Relay this Sunday 9290 kHz

European Music Radio
EMR Relay this Sunday 9290 kHz
 
June 29th
Latvia Today  15.00 -16.00UTC
EMR             16.00 -17.00UTC
 
Good Listening  
73s
Tom Taylor
 

Censoring Hong Kong's airwaves

Underground radio station Citizens Radio's legal saga continues, while politically connected Wave Media sees few obstacles in its way
By Winghei Kwok
AsiaMedia Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
 
Full story alongwith photo of RTHK at :

Thursday, June 26, 2008

BBC shuts down Romanian service

The BBC World Service is to close its Romanian language service, after 69 years of broadcasting. Transmissions in Romanian will cease on 1 August. In a statement, World Service Director Nigel Chapman praised the service, which he said had been "a beacon of free and independent information".

Full story at :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7473778.stm

(Thanks to Naleen Kumar for the link)

AIR’s organises music competition

Udayavani - Bangalore,India
Mangalore, June 25: All India Radio (AIR) is organising its annual music competition to identify and encourage new talent in the field of music. While the preliminary rounds of the competition will be held in the respective AIR stations, the second round of competitions for Carnatic music and Hindustani music will be held at AIR, Chennai and AIR, New Delhi respectively, a press release from AIR, Mangalore has stated.
Full story at :

BIG to enthrall Indians in Singapore with Bollywood tunes

Economy Bureau
Posted online: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 2236 hrs IST
Kolkata, Jun 24
After Reliance's BIG Entertainment announced grand plans to foray into Hollywood, it's now leading FM radio BIG 92.7 FM's turn to go overseas. On July 1, it's launching a station dedicated to Bollywood in Singapore.
Full story at :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/BIG-to-enthrall-Indians-in-Singapore-with-Bollywood-tunes/327062/

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

New BBC Hindi transmission at 1630 UTC via R.Nepal on 576 kHz

Mon, 23 Jun 2008
Effective 23rd June 2008 BBC Hindi Service has added another Hindi transmission at 1630-1700 hrs on 576 kHz (via R.Nepal) replacing BBC WS program in English. The programs mostly consists of a repeat of 1430-1500 hrs transmission b'cast earlier on the same day.
(Alok Dasgupta via http://dxasia.info/)

This is just re-packaging of the feature based segment Indradhanush, which was the second half of our 1930 hrs IST flagship programme Aajkal. Now 3 days in a week BBC Hindi will broadcast the old 29 min long programmes- Ek Mulaqat, Aapki baat BBC ke saath and Khel aur khilari. Rest of four days instead of Indradhanush segment, daily 2 features of 14 min each will be aired as a package. All this will be aired from 2000 hours IST. But the same will be repeated again on 2200 hours IST from the Nepal transmitter on 576 kHz. After this repeat broadcast the regular 30 min programme will be aired from 2230 to 2300 hours IST.
Listen to the promo for this new txn logged by Gautam Sharma of Assam on 21st June at 0244 UTC :

(Thanks to Gautam Sharma & Naleen Kumar for providing additional details)

Radio Free Asia offers 22nd QSL Card

Radio Free Asia announces its 22nd QSL card that is scheduled for distribution for all confirmed reception reports dated July 1 to August 31, 2008. This QSL card celebrates the XXIX Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China which will be held August 8-24, 2008. The Games have always brought people from around the world together in peace to respect universal moral principles. The card shows the graphic of Radio Free Asia's pin, as created by RFA's Brian Powell, which will be used by their reporters at the Games.

 

Monday, June 23, 2008

New DX and communication programs on IRRS-Shortwave

Dear listeners,
Just a short message to inform you that we recently added new programs to our Shortwave and Internet streaming schedule devoted to shortwave listening and communication, as follows:
- DX Party line, produced by Allen Graham at HCJB, the Voice of the Andes in Quito, Ecuador, aired via IRRS-Shortwave every Saturday evening at 20:45-21:00 CET (1845-1900 UTC, summer) on 7290 kHz, and:
- World Of Radio, by Glen Hauser, aired every Friday at 2130-2200 CET (1930-2000 UTC, summer) on 7290 kHz.
Both programs are now aired on behalf of IPAR (International Public Access Radio) via our new 150 kW antenna beam to Europe, Middle East and Africa. We welcome comments and reception reports, that we will gladly forward to the producers of the above programs for verification. Please email: reports (at) nexus (dot) org.
Our latest frequency and program schedules are available online at :
http://www.nexus.org/NEXUS-IBA/Schedules/

Stay tuned!
73s,
Ron
--
Ron Norton
NEXUS-Int'l Broadcasting Association
http://www.nexus.org/

Saturday, June 21, 2008

QSL Card from VU2DPD, Kolkata


Radio Japan QSL card with verification details in Hindi

Received this QSL card from Radio Japan for thier new frequency 15215 kHz with verification details in Hindi !

Radio can be a rich experience

Wed, 18 Jun 2008
Radio, the cinderella of media, got spotlighted as a medium which could offer young listeners a "richer experience" in the seminar Digital Radio: Turning Creatives Into DJs. In the last 50 years, radio has hardly changed but this does not need to be the case said Steve James, head of advertising and marketing at Commercial Radio Australia.

Read the full article at :
http://www.screenafrica.com/news/cannes_lions/622394.htm

Friday, June 20, 2008

Article on Shortwave radio in the latest issue of "The Economist"

An article on shortwave radio appeared in the latest issue of "The Economist". Read the article at :
http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11590746
(Thanks to Naleen Kumar for passing on the link)

RSI English service last transmission on 31st July, 2008

---------------------- Breaking News ----------------------

Responding to my reception report Karamjit Kaur, Sr Station
Administrative Executive at RSI English Service informed that Radio
Singapore International will cease transmission from end July 2008,
they are in the midst of winding down with last broadcast on 31st
July 2008.

Weekend special broadcasts

Relays this weekend via 9290 kHz
June 21st
Latvia Today 10.00 -11.00UTC
Radio Casablanca 11.00 -12.00UTC
June 22nd
Latvia Today 15.00 -16.00UTC

Radio Gloria Internation this Sunday
Date 22 nd of June 2008,
Time 1200 to 1300 UTC
Channel 6140 KHz
The transmissions of Radio Gloria will be broadcast over
the transmitting station Wertachtal in Germany.
The transmitter power will be 100 000 Watts, and we will
be using a non-directional antenna system (Quadrant antenna).
(Via Tom Talylor)

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

INDONESIA: Old radio hands reunite, fault gap in foreign language skill

Voice of Free Indonesia announcers and colleagues gather for the station's 62nd anniversary.
The Jakarta PostTuesday, June 17, 2008Former radio announcers of the Voice of Free Indonesia (VOFI) have criticized contemporary announcers for their low proficiencies in foreign languages, especially English."They must improve their language skills because the radio programs are broadcast all over the world," Zuraida "Ida" Rosihan Anwar said here Monday.
Full story at :
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=93772

HAMFEST INDIA 2008

HAMFEST INDIA 2008 will be held on 11th & 12th October, 2008 at Gandhinagar,Gujarat, India. Further details & registration form available at :

http://hfi2008.com/

Radio Sweden new english frequency

Because of schedule changes Radio Sweden will no longer be relaying programs from Swedish Radio’s domestic service between 20:00 and 21:00 hrs UTC. They’re being replaced with Radio Sweden programming, which means that the English broadcast to Africa at 20:30 hrs UTC will also be carried on medium wave 1179 and shortwave 6065 kHz to Europe. They will return to the previous schedule on August 18, 2008.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

VOA EXPANDS COVERAGE OF ZIMBABWE'S RUN-OFF ELECTION

Multi-media news and information updates country's citizens
Washington, D.C., June 16, 2008 – The Voice of America (VOA) has expanded coverage of Zimbabwe's presidential run-off election to provide up-to-the-minute, multi-media news and information to millions in the country, which has experienced a surge in political violence. Responding to the deepening crisis in Zimbabwe, VOA's Studio 7 program has doubled radio broadcasts in English, Shona and Ndebele (the primary languages in the country), enhanced Internet offerings, and increased subscribers to its daily e-mail news bulletins."We are using every available avenue to get accurate news to Zimbabweans leading up to the June 27 presidential run-off," said VOA Director Danforth Austin. "Providing a multi-media stream of timely news and information to the people of Zimbabwe is critical during this time," he added.Studio 7 airs 19 hours of radio broadcasts weekly to Zimbabwe, including a repeat of its 90-minute evening broadcast. Programming includes reports from correspondents on the ground, interviews with local political leaders, and local, regional and world news. The service offers daily news bulletins via text message to more than 15,000 subscribers in Zimbabwe and ongoing updates online.
Though the Harare government has been deliberately interfering with Studio 7's AM signal for the past two years, the program reaches listeners on shortwave and VOA now reaches more than 10% of adults each week, the largest audience of any international broadcaster in Zimbabwe. In addition, VOA's website traffic increased 126% between January and May.Studio 7 broadcasts seven days a week at 7:00 p.m. local time on medium-wave (AM) and shortwave radio. From Monday through Friday program segments are 30 minutes each in English, Shona, and Ndebele. On Saturday and Sunday, language segments are 20 minutes each.
The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1,250 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 115 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages.
(VOA Press Release)

Monday, June 16, 2008

BBC Sound Advisers Survey

It seems ages since our last survey so we really hope you're ready to contribute to this quick piece of research. By doing so you'll help us improve the BBC World Service. The survey takes around ten minutes to complete online and this time we're asking you about our presenters and their programmes. I hope you choose to take part and that you enjoy the experience. As always, the answers you give will be extremely valuable to us.
With best wishes,
Meriam Soopee
BBC World Service
Click here to LOG IN and begin the survey.

Over 60,000 attendees expected for BroadcastAsia 2008

Indiantelevision.com Team
June 15th, 2008
The television trade event BroadcastAsia2008 kicks off in Singapore on Tuesday 17 June 2008.
This year the theme is Digital: The Journey Forward. It will bring together 760 companies from the broadcast and digital media industry to showcase the latest products and technologies. The annual event, held alongside CommunicAsia2008 from 17 – 20 June 2008, at the Singapore Expo is expected to attract over 68,000 trade attendees. About 50 per cent is expected to come from overseas, reflecting the international nature of the event.
Full story at :

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Centre raises FDI cap for radio channels

Chetan Chauhan, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, June 14, 2008
The government has decided to free the groups or holding companies owning FM radio channels from the current 24 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) cap across sectors. The companies will have to register the FM channels as separate companies to avail of higher FDI ceilings for other sectors.
Full story at :

Indian Meteorological Department to launch TV channel

Indiantelevision.com Team
(11 June 2008 8:10 pm)
MUMBAI: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is planning to come up with a TV channel by year-end. The proposed channel will provide weather news.
Full story at :

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

BBC outsourcing article in latest issue of Tehelka

Another article on BBC outsourcing appeared in the 14th June'08 issue of Tehelka.
Here is the scanned copy of the article :
http://alokeshgupta.googlepages.com/tehelka_bbc.pdf

This issue is also available online in the Tehelka website.
http://magazine.tehelka.com/

EMR Relay this weekend on 6140 khz

Date  15th of June 2008
At      1159 to 1259 utc (Broadcasting time changed by T-Systems)
On     6140 khz  (100 kw from Wertachtal in Germany)
Sunday 15th of June & Monday via the Internet at www.emr.org.uk
May & june Programme repeats via the Internet:
11.00 to 11.30 utc -- May  Programme
11.59 to 12.59 utc -- June Programme and 6140 khz
15.00 to 15.30 utc -- May  Programme
16.00 to 17.00 utc -- June Programme
19.00 to 19.30 utc -- May  Programme
20.00 to 21.00 utc -- June Programme
Email   EMR this Sunday at:  studio@emr.org.uk
Good Listening  73s Tom
 

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

NASB & US DRM meeting files now available at NASB website

MP3 files & power point presentations of May 2008 annual meeting of NASB and US DRM meeting is now available at NASB website :

http://www.shortwave.org/mediafiles.htm

Visit to Radio JU 90.8 MHz

Veteran dxer & well known ophthalmologist from Kolkata Dr.Supratik Sanatani visited Radio JU (Jadavpur University) 90.8 MHz during last month. Here's the link to the article & pictures :

World Radio Competition

World Radio Competition 
Enter today to Win!!!!!
 
Enter our easy World Radio Competition today and you're in with a chance to win a great prize from the Radio Heritage Foundation.
 
1. Visit
www.radioheritage.net, our 24/7 global media platform 
2. Visit our on-line bookstore in The Emporium [Books General]
3. Answer this simple question - What is the title of Book #1?
 
Email your entry to
info@radioheritage.net with 'World Radio Competition' in the subject line.
Entries close at midnight [your local time] on June 30 2008.
The winning entry will be picked at random from correct answers and receive a copy of the World Radio TV Handbook 2008, almost 700 pages packed with details about global radio, receiver reviews, features and much more. A great gift for yourself or a friend!   PLUS...we're including a genuine souvenir ticket from the Radio Hauraki 40th anniversary party! These are numbered and were only sold to people directly connected to the original Radio Hauraki, NZ's pirate radio 1966-1970!! 
We've a wide range of new and used radio broadcasting books in our online bookstore, as well as in our special Antique Radios online bookstore, so if you see any books you like, just order them with a few clicks and you'll be able to enjoy them at home very shortly. Special offers often available with your order such as free shipping, see individual books for details.
Enter the World Radio Competition today! Entries close June 30 2008. Visit
www.radioheritage.net and go to The Emporium [Books General]
_____________________________________
The Radio Heritage Foundation is a registered non-profit connecting radio heritage and popular culture across the Pacific. This competition is open worldwide except where prohibited by local laws, and the judges decision will be final and no correpondence entered into. By entering the competition you agree to us storing your email address and using it to write to you in the future. This information is kept confidential and not shared with anyone else. You can ask us to remove your email address from this list by emailing
info@radioheritage.net with 'remove' in the subject line.
______________________________________
 

Monday, June 09, 2008

NIAR organises a seminar on Amateur Radio

National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR) will conduct a seminar on "Amateur Radio for Next Generation" on 21st June 2008 at NIAR Campus, Hyderabad.
Quoting from the invite ...........
Dear Sir,  It gives me a great pleasure to invite you to the Seminar on "Amateur Radio for Next Generation" on the 21st June 2008 at NIAR, Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad. The National Institute of Amateur Radio (NIAR), with its objective to promote amateur radio, has reached a landmark of completion of 25 years with a reputation of being a world-class institution for its activities and achievements, by encouraging people particularly youth towards this scientific and technical activity in the country. Amateur radio is a continuous process in the path of development, involving over three million licenced amateur radio enthusiasts around the world. These amateurs build their nation into an economic power. The number of amateur radio stations in countries like USA, Germany, England, Japan is almost half of the total compared to many developing countries of the world. India is lagging behind in the number of Amateur Radio licences and needs a multifold increase to achieve sustainable growth in scientific empowerment of people and self reliance in areas of Communication and Information Technology.  NIAR plans to bring out a comprehensive road map document for increasing awareness and Ham population by developing innovative strategies and approaches. Office bearers and representatives of Amateur Radio Clubs, Individual Radio Amateurs & SWLs are invited to participate in this Seminar.  The inputs provided by the experts in the field and discussions at this seminar are expected to give impetus to achieve multifold increase in Ham population in the country. We would be grateful if you could kindly send us your nominations to attend the Seminar by Phone/Fax/email. Incase of your absence you may also send us your valuable suggestions on seminar topics for discussion. Looking forward to hearing from you, and the active participation of your club/society in this seminar.
Thanking you.
Yours sincerely,
(S. Ram Mohan, VU2MYH)
Director
Brochure: http://www.niar.org/sj/foundation_day.pdf
 

Radio Tirana frequency changes

Radio Tirana will make the following changes effective 12 June 2008:
1800-1830 UTC Italian to Eu, 7430 KHz, ex-1730-1800 7460 KHz to avoid interference from IBB 7465 KHz.
2000-2030 UTC English to Eu, 7465 KHz, ex-7460 KHz to avoid interference from IBB 7455 KHz
2030-2200 UTC Albanian to Eu, 9395 KHz, ex-9390 KHz 9390 to avoid QRM by Algiers relay at 2000-2200 UT. Radio Algeria Holy Qur'an program started on May 26th their relay service via Issoudun site in central France.
2300-2430 Albanian to NoAm, 9345 KHz, ex-9390 KHz to avoid interference from WWCR 9385 KHz overrun until 2355v
1805-1835 UTC German to Germany, 1458 KHz, ex-1801-1829UTC, this shift in time is made to facilitate studio sites, because of three programs running at the same time at around 1800UTC. (Via Drita Cico,Radio Tirana)

They've got mail - Article on CRI

An article on China Radio International was published in 8th June 2008 edition of Hindustan Times, Delhi.
Article alongwith pictures can be accessed at :

Saturday, June 07, 2008

AIR Srinagar to start hourly FM news headlines

Jun 07
All India Radio will soon start hourly FM news headlines from its Srinagar station. This was announced by the Director General, News Dr. P.K. Bandyopadhyay in Srinagar while addressing the parttime correspondent  workshop. He said, Radio will make all out efforts to reflect the aspirations of people and the issues confronting them at grossroot level and is contemplating to start another five minute newscast from Radio Kashmir, Srinagar. The three day  workshop was inaugrated in Srinagar by the Union Minister Prof. Saifuddin Soz yesterday. Twentytwo PTCs, apart from News Heads of the Radio Kashmir, Sringar, Jammau and Leh, are participating in the workshop. The workshop will conclude on Sunday.

Friday, June 06, 2008

DW Freq change w.e.f June 10, 2008

German 1600-1800 UTC 15485 kHz(ex 17650)

Relays this weekend on 9290 khz

June 7th
Radio Joystick 09.00 -10.00 UTC
Latvia Today 10.00 -11.00 UTC

June 8th
Latvia Today 15.00 -16.00 UTC
(Via Tom Taylor)

Thursday, June 05, 2008

RTI Listeners club photo's now available on RTI web site

Radio Taiwan Int. (RTI) Listeners Club meeting details ( with picture slide show) is now available via RTI web site.
Click on:

(Via : Swopan Chakroborty,Kolkata)
 
 

DW Global Media Forum opens in Bonn

SFM expands its network in north east

By Anita Iyer
Radioandmusic.com
(4 June 2008 3:00 pm)
MUMBAI: Sun Network will launch its FM radio station in Shillong this week through its subsidiary South Asia FM. Currently Shillong has only one private FM radio station Radio Ooo La La by NE Television Networks apart from AIR. Talking about this new development, SFM project head Nisha Narayanan avers, "It is challenging for any national player to break through and compete with a local player. The broadcasters based regionally understand the local ethos and pose as a threat to any national player."
Full story at :
http://www.radioandmusic.com/headlines/y2k8/june/4june/sfm.php

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Radio S'pore Int'l to close

RADIO Singapore International (RSI), the shortwave service run by MediaCorp Radio, is shutting down at the end of next month. The station, which was set up in February 1994, broadcasts to the region in four languages, including English, Chinese, Malay and Bahasa Indonesia. It has a following in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China. MediaCorp said in a press release on Tuesday that the effectiveness of a shortwave radio service has 'diminished over time with changing technology and media consumption habits'. While FM radio broadcast has remained strong, audiences are turning to a plethora of alternative channels for their news, such as Internet radio and the Internet, said its spokesman. More people around the region are also tuning into MediaCorp's Channel NewsAsia (International) feed for news and information on global developments with Asian perspectives and hence it is 'not optimal to continue with a full regional radio service'. The majority of RSI's listeners, particularly those from its popular Chinese service, are middle-aged and older. Although it offers a mix of infotainment and music programmes on top of its news and current affairs line-up, industry sources say RSI has been unable to attract young listeners in recent years and that could be one reason for its demise.All RSI staff, which number about 50, will be redeployed to other areas such as TV news and scriptwriting.
http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Latest+News/Singapore/STIStory_244013.html




7 ham radio stations to help tackle deluge this year

Amateur radio enthusiasts to conduct courses for residents
Sayli Udas Mankikar
Mumbai
A PERMANENT radio station was installed at the Acropolis Building on the Little Gibbs Road in Malabar Hill on Monday . A part of the disaster management effort of the municipal corporation, it will work with the six other amateur radio stations in different parts of the city to help in tough times, whether natural like heavy rainfall or man-made like the chaos during public festivals. The station came about as a joint initiative of the municipal corporation with the JNA Wireless Association and the Malabar Hill Residents Association. The spot was chosen because it provided a clear field for the transmission of radio signals. A ham radio course will be conducted for residents by neighbourhood amateur radio enthusiasts from the third week of June. It will enable people to operate various kinds of ham radio equipment to talk with other radio amateurs. The six-month course will begin on June 22 and be held at the Cathedral Infant School on Little Gibbs Road and at the Sathaye College in Vile Parle. "If many of us get on board from different parts of the city it will prove to be an im , portant communication tool during disasters like the 26/7 deluge," said Indrani Malkani, honorary secretary of the Malabar Hill Residents Association. Malkani is spearheading the ham radio cause and hopes to get a sponsor for it. "It is a system that succeeds where all others fail and is an alternative communication device," said Sudhir Shah, honorary secretary of the JNA Wireless Association, one of the oldest ham groups in the city . As of now seven permanent ham stations - three in three ward offices, three private stations and a central station at the BMC headquarters - exist to pass on information in times of need. Now, if the city is ever visited again by a flood like the one on July 26, 2005, the ham stations in Milan Subway Chembur, Kalina, , Nana Chowk, Santacruz and Malabar Hill will be humming. "After the 2005 monsoon deluge, we started working with ham operators," said Vilas Vaidya, head of the disaster management cell of the corporation. "They have become a part of the disaster management system and a great help during Ganpati immersions."

KBS World Radio Launches Daily K-Pop Show

KBS World Radio, the voice of Korea, is expanding its English broadcasting service!
With about a million foreigners currently residing in Korea, KBS World Radio is constantly working to meet the demand for diverse and high-quality English language programs. The International Broadcasting Team is excited to announce the expansion of the English language service with a new lifestyle and entertainment program called "K-POP Connection." An extension of the popular Sunday show 'Korean Pop Interactive (KPI),' this 30-minute talk and music program, created for K-pop lovers in Korea and abroad, will be available via KBS' KONG Media Player, KBS World Radio's website and satellite radio. Attempting to 'connect' the world with Korea, 'K-POP Connection' will feature the latest hits, play song requests, and provide listeners with news and events happening in Korea. 'K-POP Connection' will be hosted by the voices of KPI, Sarah Jun and Chris Dykas. The duo, who have already secured a fan base through KPI, are ready to spread their lively and fun show to local and foreign listeners within Korea and abroad. Listeners can visit the KBS World Radio homepage (world.kbs.co.kr) to listen to the show, request songs, post messages and enter contests, including a special giveaway to celebrate the show's launch! KBS World Radio's English service began as 15-minute broadcast back in August 15th, 1953. KBS WORLD Radio also now broadcasts in Korean, Japanese, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Arabic and German as well, for a total of 11 languages. Available on shortwave, AM/FM, satellite and the internet, KBS and KBS World Radio has been lauded as a bridge between Korea and the world.

'K-POP Connection' Broadcast Times
KONG: 18:00 - (rebroadcast 6 times a day)
World.kbs.co.kr: 21:00 – (rebroadcast 5 times a day)
Satellite: 06:30 – (rebroadcast 5 times a day)
Visit world.kbs.co.kr for links, broadcast schedules and to download KONG.
(Source : KBS)

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Indiantelevision.com's interview with BBC World Ltd. managing director Anne Barnard

HAM radio: Mumbai's new troubleshooter

Samriti Grover
Tuesday, June 3, 2008 (Mumbai)
June end is the time when Mumbai keeps its annual date with the monsoon. It's a season which gives 12 million people a sinking feeling. But this year, voices crackling over the HAM radios will help Mumbaikars tide over their monsoon blues. This is how the BMC has thought to fight the monsoon this year. And a HAM  radio station has already been set up at the Acropolis building in Malabar hill. It's a set towards disaster management so that the information reaches quickly and clearly and the action is faster. Included in the civic disaster management plan for the first time, these radio stations will be set up at five locations across the city. Some prominent locations include Nana Chowk, Milan Subway, Kalina, Santacruz and Chembur. All of these will be linked to the civic headquarters at CST. And the authorities are also very excited about the initiative.
''Well, where nothing works ham works,'' says Sudhir Sha, Secretary, JNA Wireless Association. When a person tunes into this frequency, mobile HAM stations and HAM operators will relay information to the centralised control room at the civic headquarters helping the caller in the problem time. This is Andheri, a western suburb in Mumbai, where water logging is a problem, but perhaps not because now, HAM operator is here to inspect the site and give quick info about it. Thus, the authorities hope that these radio stations make the life of an ordinary Mumbai citizen easier.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080051898

AIR, DD employees withdraw proposed 'tool down' strike

New Delhi (PTI): Doordarshan and All India Radio employees on Tuesday called off their proposed day-long 'tool down' strike after a meeting with Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi. The decision was taken after representatives of National Federation of Akashvani and Doordarshan Employees (NFADE) were assured by the Minister
that their demand of retention of Prasar Bharati employees and its assets with the Centre would be looked into during the next Group of Ministers (GoM) meet. A senior ministry official told PTI that the employees had met Dasmunsi late last evening. "They decided to call off their strike after the Minister assured them that all their grievances would be looked into during the next GoM meeting," the official said. The AIR and DD employees had on Monday threatened to go on a 'tool down'  strike demanding fulfilment of the demands. Their talks with Prasar Bharati CEO B S Lalli late last month had failed to yield any result. NFADE chairman S Anilkumar claimed that the Minister had told them that the issues would be addressed "within two months" once the GoM is convened. "We have, therefore, decided to call off our strike as of now," he said. The Ministry official, however, said that the date for the GoM is yet to be decided.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200806031759.htm

Monday, June 02, 2008

Japanese assistance to Bhutan Broadcasting Service

June 2: The Japanese government will be giving a grant assistance of about Nu. 240 million to the BBS. The exchange of notes to formalize the grant was signed in New Delhi On Friday, May 30. It was signed by Bhutan's Ambassador Lyonpo Dago Tshering and the Japanese Ambassador Hideaki Domichi. The money that will be given to BBS will be used to enhance programme production and news coverage by upgrading facilities and equipment, setting up a master control system and establishing transmission system for the BBS bureau offices.
(Source : BBS)

Sunday, June 01, 2008

SLBC drops MW Tamil service to India

From 1st June 2008, Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) has stopped the MW Service on 873 kHz to Indian listeners. This frequency was mainly used for Tamil Service. This particular service started on 1925 & at present the only MW Tamil service from SLBC is on 855 kHz for the Sri Lankan Tamil listeners. Few years back they stopped the evening service on 873 KHz. From January 2008 they reduced the morning service. According to the SLBC officials, they didn't get advertisement for that service, they spend three lahks Rupees per day to transmitt the programme to South India. Here in Tamil Nadu so many private FM's acquired the SLBC clients for the advertisement. This is also the one of the reason to stop the well known historical service.
(Via : T.Jaisakthivel, Chennai)