Saturday, July 31, 2010

Complete digital cable switchover by December 2013: Trai

MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has set sights on 31 December 2013 as the sunset date for a complete shift from analogue to digital cable, a target that most industry observers feel is impossible to meet in the wake of massive fund requirements and current chaos in the sector.

Full story at :
http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k10/july/july261.php

Friday, July 30, 2010

Switzerland’s global voice turns 75

Seventy-five years ago on Sunday, swissinfo's predecessor, a shortwave radio service from the Swiss Broadcasting Corp., transmitted its first signal round the world.

More at :
http://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADSA_enIN343IN344

AWR Hindi moves to 11685 to avoid SLBC

From 28th July 2010, Adventist World Radio (KSDA) has moved from 11905 to 11685 kHz at 1530 - 1600 UTC in Hindi to avoid co-channel interference from Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corpoartion.

(Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad)

(Via dx_sasia yg)

Voice of Russia on your cell

http://english.ruvr.ru/cell

Mob destroys private radio and television station in Sri Lanka

A private radio and TV station Siyatha Radio & TV, Real FM & Vettri FM was destroyed in a mob attack in Colombo Friday morning.

Read the full story here :
www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/337169,television-station-sri-lanka.html

Power of waves: Cops to ‘connect’ through radio

Neeraj Chauhan
Posted: Jul 30, 2010 at 0147 hrs IST
New Delhi
Besides uninterrupted music, radio channels in Delhi would be playing a very important role during the Commonwealth Games. For tourists and athletes, and much for the general public, the Delhi Police has decided to rope in seven radio channels in the Capital to disseminate information about the Games tournaments, general alerts, traffic situation and diversions during the October 3-14 event.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Grace Digital Tuner Wi-Fi Radio & Media Player connects to 30K Internet stations

Grace Digital Audio has unveiled another Internet radio device for your living room, but the Tuner Wi-Fi Radio & Media Player isn’t as great a deal as it might look at first glance.

More at : http://tinyurl.com/34lqbf2

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Hamming it up

Jul. 28, 2010
By Chris Umscheid
NORTH LIBERTY LEADER

Read the story here :
http://www.northlibertyleader.com/article.php?id=2120

SDXL Special broadcast via SWR & Competition

SDXL in co-operation with Northern Dimenson DXers, Haapavesi Folk High School and King´s Village DX announced a competition for DXers in Finland and abroad ! Who will be able to pick up the broadcasts on August 6th-7th from the biggest distance (from the TX site at Virrat, Finland N 62°23' E 23°37').
Correct reports will be replied with a special QSL-Card.
Details about SDXL-Summer Meeting 2010

806 FM channels on way

The FM-III, as it is called, will see the rollout of 806 new FM channels across 217 towns in the country. The private FM radio will cover all the towns with a population of over 100,000.

read the full story at :
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/tune-in-806-fm-channels-on-way/652074/

Monday, July 26, 2010

Random HF Logs - Audio Files

Finally got some time to upload few of my logs from past, here's a selection. More will be uploaded soon & will post the links.....

Random HF logs - Audio Files

V.O.Tazik Hindi 7245 1131 UTC 30 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/23p4ort

V.O.Tazik 7245 1146 UTC 30 May 2010 (Playing Hindi song from movie "Fanaa")
http://tinyurl.com/26c4atj

Radio Ethiopia 7165 1630 UTC 30 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/25dh6v8

UK Rocks the World 15760 1502 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2w63nrl

V.O.Africa (Libya) 21695 1449 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/24oxpq7

RTV Marocaine 15345 1732 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2bfkcp3

Radio Sultanate of Oman 15140 1451 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/35lkl7b

RDPI 9820 1959 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/332p7b5

RDPI 11905 1720 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/39um83d

Radio Damascus,Syria 9330 2115 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/35pdbxv

Radio Cairo 11510 945 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/37ryfap

ORTN-La Voix du Sahel (Niger) 9705 2057 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/37bf6zs

Barkulan Radio 15750 0518 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/399zkbz

RTE -Ireland 6225 2023 UTC 16 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/3xvbuyc

SARL-ARMI via Sentech 17570 0833 UTC 9 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/289rnkv

V.O.Nigeria 15120 1815 UTC 10 May 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2aupwab

Radio Democracia via TDP 21555 0945 UTC 11 Apr 2010
http://tinyurl.com/2utfx93

(ICOM R71 + 60' Longwire end fed to SWL-1G 10:1 Balun)

Saturday, July 24, 2010

ILLW 2010 Indian Operation - Surathkal Lighhouse to be activated

VU2JHM informs that the Lighthouse Department has given them official permission to operate in Surathkal Lighthouse from 7th to 22nd August 2010 - a group of Eleven operators from Bangalore & Mangalore have teamed up for the ILLW 2010 and awaiting for Special Event Callsign from WPC.

For further details please contact :
Lion Ajoy - VU2JHM
# 9/1, "Kshitija", Opp Geetanjali Theatre,
5-Cross, Malleswaram, BANGALORE-560003
Res Phone +91-80-23442600.

More info on Surathkal Lighthouse :
Update 7th Aug :
Happy to announce the special callsign VU0LH allocated for ILLW 2010 Surathkal Point Lighthouse - VU2JHM

International Lighthouse Lightship Week : Aug 1-8
Register at : http://illw.org/
Guidelines : http://illw.co.uk/

English shortwave schedules updated

The Prime Time Shortwave English schedules have been updated by Ernest Riley, July 23, 2010, version A10v06.

Daniel Sampson
www.primetimeshortwave.com


KNLS - http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/ (Walter Eibl-D, wwdxc June 09)
Changed - 1200-1300 As 11765, 12105 to 7355, 9680

WYFR - (R BULGARIA DX MIX News, Ivo Ivanov, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 15/22)
Added 1500-1600 Af 17580as
Added 1800-2000 ME 9830uk
Added 2100-2300 Eu 9715ae

RADIO HAVANA CUBA -
http://www.radiohc.cu/espanol/c_frecuencia/frecuencias.htm
Deleted 0500-0700 NA, LA 6000
Changed 2030-2130 LA 11760 to 2000-2100

RADIO UKRAINE - (BC-DX #970)
Added 0000-0100 NA 7440

VOICE OF RUSSIA -
Changed 0000-0200 NA 7440 to 0200-0300

WYFR - http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/ (R BULGARIA DX MIX News, Ivo Ivanov)

Added 2000-2100 Af 5975ae, 9450ae, 9740ae
Added 2100-2200 Af 5975ae, 9450ae, 9740ae
Changed 1600-1800 Eu 21455 to 21485

WYFR - http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/ (DX Mix News # 633 via Alokesh Gupta, India)
Added 1300-1400 As 12155ka
Added 1700-1800 Af 11810uk
Added 2000-2100 Af 9510uk

VOICE OF AFRICA - http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/ (wb, Germany/HCDX)
Changed 1400-1557 Af Libya 17725, 21695 to 15235, 15240

RADIO ROMANIA - http://www.rri.ro/art.shtml?lang=1&sec=20&art=30820
(Harvey Bell- WDX2RIG)
Deleted 2200-2300 NA 6015, 9610
Others updated also.


OVERCOMER MINISTRY - http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld1029.txt (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Added 1900-2000 Eu Germany 6155
Added 1900-2000 Af,ME Germany 7425
Added 2000-2100 Eu Germany 6155

Thursday, July 22, 2010

ILLW - a week of operating fun



Be sure to register at http://illw.org

KBS World Radio Quiz Winners for the 2nd Quarter of 2010

1 Abhisheka dubey India
2 Abul Hussain khondoker UK
3 Ade Sadariah Indonesia
4 Ahmed Taher The Netherlands
5 Akio Uemura Japan
6 Alissa Glassco USA
7 Amanda Australia
8 Amirah Aina binti Azahari Malayasia
9 Ana Roldan Canada
10 ANAND MOHAN BAIN India
11 Andreas Fessler Germany
12 Andrew Nogovitsyn Russia
13 Andrey Chub Ukraina
14 Anran Wei Australia
15 Ashley Cruz USA
16 AyÅŸe TaÅŸ Turkey
17 BENABBOV NASSER UK
18 Caitlin Capps USA
19 Cao Thi Minh Nga Vietnam
20 Chandana Bhowmick India
21 Cherie Pun Hongkong
22 Cheryl Hiew Singapore
23 Choong-Woong Kim(Charlie) Australia
24 Cindy Zhang Canada
25 daphné Belgium
26 David Twaddle Canada
27 Donny Chandrakusuma Indonesia
28 DRISS ELHHOUBBI France
29 DRISS ELHHOUBBI Morocco
30 eka yunita Indonesia
31 Elena Gastalla Korea
32 Emele Newzealand
33 Enchev Bulgaria
34 Ernest Ng Singapore
35 Esko Heinonen Finland
36 Fazeel Ahmed India
37 FOUZIA LAHMAR Algeria
38 fritiss hajer Tunisie
39 Gabriel Schvartz Argentina
40 gasmi yasmina Algeria
41 Geir Kristiansen Norway
42 GERWYN ROBERTS UK
43 GIORGIO ROMANIN Italy
44 Goutam Mandal India
45 Günter Kastner Austria
46 H. Darsono Indonesia
47 Hans Verner Lollike Denmark
48 hiba larahc Morocco
49 Homayoon Khoshideh Iran
50 Honey Aslam India
51 Huang Guo Fu China
52 Hubert Kubiak Austria
53 Ian Morrison China
54 IFTIKHAR AHMAD Pakistan
55 Imteya Ahmed India
56 James Lee USA
57 JAMIE NARAJA Philippines
58 Jeff Bolognese USA
59 Jessica Rosales Guatemala
60 JINKY C. RAVELA Philippines
61 Joé Leyder Luxembourg
62 John Rutledge USA
63 Joseph E. Passe USA
64 kamran ali khan Pakistan
65 KANWAR SANDHU Canada
66 kelly liew Singapore
67 kimsan ang Cambodia
68 Koichi Saito Japan
69 Kristell Adante Philippines
70 Kristine UK
71 Kristine Gu Canada
72 Lani naraja Philippines
73 Li Ming China
74 Lim Sher Lynn Malayasia
75 Lim Yie Poh Singapore
76 Lo Cecilia Hongkong
77 Ma, Jaekoo Korea
78 Mai Vue USA
79 Maisaarah bt Muhd Sairi Malayasia
80 mallam modu mulima Nigeria
81 MAO QING YU China
82 Maruf Dewan Finland
83 Md. Moniruzzaman Bangladesh
84 Michelle Lau USA
85 Michelle Lim Malayasia
86 milon Bangladesh
87 MING ZHI 明智 China
88 MISS. B. ANUSHA Srilanka
89 Mitsunori Kawazoe Japan
90 Mohammad Ashraful Islam Bangladesh
91 MOHAMMED SENTO Bangladesh
92 Mora Dearni Indonesia
93 Moualkia Alaa Algeria
94 mouncef gaari Morocco
95 MR. A. BALENDRA Srilanka
96 Mr. K. VIJAY KUMAR India
97 mr. Vladimir Alekseyev Russia
98 Mr.Nimchand Ganguly India
99 Mrs. Sama Bangladesh
100 MUHAMMAD SHAMIM India
101 N.T.CHAN Hongkong
102 Nasir Aziz Pakistan
103 Nolasco Josephine Korea
104 Nurul Farhana binti Rosli Malayasia
105 OMOEFE ONORIOBE USA
106 Onn Mei Wong Malayasia
107 osama mohamed gado Egypt
108 Panha Pen Cambodia
109 PARITOSH CHATTOPADHYAY India
110 Park kyu ook Korea
111 Paul Reinersch Germany
112 Peiyu Qu Spain
113 Prather Bobby USA
114 QIAN Xiu-Ping China
115 Rachel Wong Singapore
116 rafique habib Pakistan
117 Rassem ben brahim Libya
118 Rebecca Lim Singapore
119 remziye Turkey
120 REZOUGUI Omar Algeria
121 Richard Chen Trinidad & Tobago
122 Rizki Akbariyah Indonesia
123 Robin Svensson Sweden
124 Rokeya Khatun Bangladesh
125 Rupam Sarma India
126 Salahuddin Ibrahim Bangladesh
127 Selene Lim Malayasia
128 Selene Lim Singapore
129 Shaira Samira Bangladesh
130 Shoichi Tamane Japan
131 Sophia Choi UK
132 Soukaina Morocco
133 STELLA LIHAN Malayasia
134 Supar Hariyanto, S.IP Indonesia
135 Suzy Nadhirah Singapore
136 Tep Chanlyna Cambodia
137 Tetsuya Sato Japan
138 Thein Soe Malayasia
139 TSUYOSHI USUI Japan
140 Ushio Kido Japan
141 vamsi chitturi India
142 Winnie Kwok Hongkong
143 Yang-Ju Bals Germany
144 YEO ENG HUAT Singapore
145 YONG CHER LEONG Malayasia
146 Yoselin Gálvez Ramos Peru
147 Zhang Zongyao China
148 Zhao Lei China
149 ZHAO LIAN GUI China

(KBS World)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

War of words growing in Somalia as Al-Shabaab establishes more radio stations

Wednesday, 21 July 2010 11:30
BY ABDULKADIR KHALIF, MOGADISHU

http://tinyurl.com/3aa9q7h

KBS World opens Internet service, KBS World i

The international broadcasting service of KBS, KBS World, has celebrated its 7th anniversary on July 1. KBS World now has a total audience of over 45 million households in 71 countries worldwide. As part of the celebration, KBS World has launched the Internet streaming service "KBS World i" which allows audiences to access KBS World anytime, anywhere. "KBS World i" started its service in 57 countries in Europe and Central Asia on a trial basis and is expected to xpand its service in Asia, Oceania and Africa. Also, is available via KBS World's Internet homepage, kbsworld.kbs.co.kr, for audiences in Europe and Central Asia with $6 per month.

Radio Bulgaria DXprogram July 16, 2010

http://www.bnr.bg/sites/en/Lifestyle/DX/Pages/1607DX.aspx

10 Reasons Satellite Radio Rocks

http://www.satellitedish.org/blog/2010/10-reasons-satellite-radio-rocks/

IOTA SWL Contest

Hello friends,

Just few notes about the IOTA SWL Contest to be held the next weekend. This Contest is a worldwide event managed by RSGB from several years and the SWL Section has been picked up by the MDXC/SWL from 2006. A lot of stations will be active from several IOTAs and you can find their great number by checking the updated list of Announced Operations by NG3K at http://www.his.com/~wfeidt/Misc/iota2010.html

Not only a Contest but a good opportunity to collect new IOTAs and to try to enter in the IOTA SWL Annual Listing. The standard rules ask to submit at least 100 QSLs from different IOTAs to enter in this Listing, but there are good news. Now the SWLs participating in the Contest can submit, instead of the QSLs, the list of Contest QSO/HRDs. There are some limits (e.g. max 50 QSO/HRDs) and a not difficult procedure must be followed but this way it will be more easy to enter in the SWL Listing, the most important official Listing for SWLs, being the DXCC not available to SWLs.

You can find the above procedure, the previous results, a FAQ and the complete rules at http://www.mdxc.org/swl/


Good Contest!
Dan, I1-12387


(IW1QLA VIA SWARL)

HCJB installs new radio station in Nepal

http://www.mnnonline.org/article/14493

Also read the HCJB release here :
http://www.hcjb.org/HCJB-Global-News/third-partner-station-established-in-nepal-with-help-from-hcjb-global.html

Monday, July 19, 2010

QSL Information - HCJB Australia

Dear DX-friends all parts of the world,

Here is a piece of information on very unique QSL-card. The Japanese service of HCJB Australia is currently issuing different QSL-cards every month. These cards are not issued by the station HCJB in Melbourne, but by the Yodobashi Church in Tokyo.

The address for reception reports is mentioned at the end of this e-mail. Now, July edition of its QSL-card is featuring an DX-pedition held from 25th to 27th of last June. The participants of this DX-pedition are six Japanese men and held on a small island called "Katsurashima". This island, Katsurashima is located in the bay of Matsushima, near Sendai, one of the major cities in the Northeast of Japan and apart from Tokyo approximately 350 kilometers. As this island is under noise-free environment, so we hold DX-pedition once or twice every year.

This QSL-card would be issued for the reception reports in July, but if you miss to receive the broadcast within July, I suggest that you ask the Yodobashi Church to issue the July edition even after the reports in August.

Program schedule:
Japanese service of HCJB Australia:
22:30 - 23:00UTC on 15525kHz Friday/Saturday only.

The address for reception reports:

HCJB c/o Yodobashi Church,
1-17-8 Hyakunin-cho, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo 169-0073
JAPAN

Return postage in the form of International Reply Coupon is necessary.

Information by: Nobuya Kato (A Japanese radio hobbyist), Kanagawa, Japan
July 14, 2010

nobuya05k@yahoo.co.jp

Ireland - FM set to stay as radio execs consider digital's future

Sunday Independent
By Christian McCashin
July 18 2010

Ireland's millions of radio listeners have been told they will not have to throw their sets away after the Government vowed it would not be switching off the country's FM signal.

Britain and parts of Europe are planning to switch off their analogue signal in favour of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), sparking fears that the same would happen here.

Standard radios can't pick up the digital signal, which would make them, and millions of car radios, obsolete.

Full story at :
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fm-set-to-stay-as-radio-execs-consider-digitals-future-2263311.html

Egypt's public radio: is anyone listening?

Nadine Emile
Can the radio survive mounting competition from other media?

From its vast headquarters on the Nile, the Egyptian Radio and Television Union still faithfully broadcasts public radio programs from nine networks. The programs cover news and culture, play Egyptian and foreign music, and feature talk shows and readings of the Quran, providing a wealth of entertainment and news for the Egyptian public. But is anyone still listening?

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/egypts-public-radio-anyone-listening

Related news :

EGYPT: English-language radio Nile FM gaining popularity as shows deal with once-taboo issues

http://tinyurl.com/2uosnup

Friday, July 16, 2010

Signs of Traction for Global Digital Radio

In many nations, 2010 is looking like the year where digital radio finally is gaining some traction. While HD Radio was getting a boost (literally) from regulators in the United States, Digital Radio Mondiale's DRM30 system has gained significant support in Russian and India, and the Eureka-47 family of DAB standards is seeing good growth in Australia, as well as continued acceptance in Europe and new projects in Asia.

Read the "Radio World" story here : http://www.rwonline.com/article/103498

Voice cracked

A radio-mechanic-turned-entrepreneur who made it to NCERT textbooks—and penury

Read the "Down to earth" story by Alok Gupta here :

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/1545

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Rastrapathi (President) Award to Bharathi Prasad,VU2RBI

Rashtrapati (President) Awards to the Adult Leaders of Bharat Scouts & Guides for the year 2009 was presented by H.E. Smt.Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, President of India on 14th July 2010 at 11.00 A.M. at Ashoka Hall, Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.
Mrs.D.Bharathi Prasad, VU2RBI, Chief Coordinator, National Institute of Amateur Radio received "Thanks Badge" from the President of India for her meritorious service for Amateur Radio activities of the Bharat Scouts & Guides.

Congratulations to Mrs.Bharathi Prasad, VU2RBI!

More information available at :

http://tinyurl.com/2336jmb

(Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio)

Brazilian Platform of Digital Radio Mondiale

http://www.drm-brasil.org/

In English ( Translated version) : http://tinyurl.com/37yh3md

Japan Issues Digital Radio Report

http://www.radioworld.com/article/103268

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Smt. Ambika Soni Inaugurates First Regional Conference of Media Units in North East at Guwahati.

Communication Roadmap for the North-East Region on the Anvil.
Focus to be on Infrastructure Upgradation, Innovative Programming and Content Development to Address Cultural and Linguistic Needs.

Smt. Ambika Soni, Minister for Information & Broadcasting today inaugurated the 1st Regional Conference of Media Units in the North-East at Guwahati. Speaking on the occasion, Smt. Soni said, all efforts would be made to innovate communication tools and processes in order to address the communication needs of the North-Eastern region. For this purpose, the initiatives of the Ministry would aim to empower the people with quality information, while at the same time looking into issues related to infrastructure upgradation for Media Units, manpower requirements for enhancing information dissemination , programming and content creation for effective outreach.

Elaborating further, the Minister said, the initiative of convening the 1st Regional Conference provided a platform for comprehensive discussions on outlining the future communication roadmap for the region and facilitated a face-to-face interaction with the key Principals of the State Governments.
Such interactions also served as a guiding tool in designing the outreach programmes in the Media Units during the 12th Plan. This platform also provided an opportunity to State Governments to understand the working of the Media Units in the context of the recent policy initiatives undertaken by the Ministry for the region namely digitalisation, funds for software development, increasing the bouquet of channels under DTH services under DD Direct Plus from 57 to 97 in Phase-I , policy support for small and medium newspapers in local regional languages. The Minister specifically mentioned that media units such as Directorate of Field Publicity and Song & Drama Division would be strengthened from both the infrastructure and human resource perspective so that the awareness of Government's schemes could reach the far flung areas of the country.

In her deliberations, Smt. Soni assured the participating States that issues regarding uplinking/downlinking and quality of transmission would be addressed by the recent initiatives of the Ministry pertaining to digitalization. It was also mentioned that through the Phase-III policy of FM radio, an attempt was being made to invite the participation of private players in the segment. Incentives were being provided to facilitate the partnership of private stakeholders. Regarding the Exhibition put up by DAVP on Bharat Nirman at Kalashetra, Guwahati, Smt. Soni said, that similar exhibitions would be displayed in other North-Eastern States in due course.
This would enable the region to understand the development initiatives of the Government related to flagship schemes. The exhibition displays in local languages would enable the community to relate to key initiatives.

The Conference discussed in detail the initiatives undertaken by the Media Units for the region. For Doordarshan, the initiatives highlighted included its efforts to promote Free to Air DTH Service of 'DD Direct Plus' by distributing 25,000DTH receiver systems through the nodal officers appointed by the state government, upgrading the satellite earth stations at Kohima, Imphal, Itanagar, Agartala and Gangtok to 2+1 systems, shift from D-9 cameras and edit suites to tapeless technology, enhanced budgetary support for in-house production thereby providing opportunity for local participation and projecting local culture. Rs.25 crores has been allocated to Doordarshan for the year 2010-11.

The Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity outlined the initiatives taken to effectively implement the special provisions in policies for relaxation in empanelment of newspapers in North-East. Currently, 2.4% of total newspapers empanelled by DAVP are from the North -East. The region got 19.3% of the total insertions given by the Directorate. It also highlighted the measures taken to implement special provisions for empanelment of TV channels in the region.

The Directorate of Field Publicity highlighted the publicity work carried out in the remote and inaccessible areas not reached by other media. The grass-root level communication programmes in the insurgency affected areas, border areas, char island population, tribal and dominated villages was shared with the state representatives. The proposals for revitalizing the Directorate after the withdrawal of the ERC, with specific focus on the North Eastern States.

Song & Drama Division, informed the representatives of different States about the major initiatives taken by the Department in increasing the empanelment of private performing groups and artists from each State. The Department expects to double the number of such agents of public outreach in next few months. Special emphasis is being given to all those areas like Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Nagaland where there had been nil representation.

Press Information Bureau outlined the initiatives being taken in the North-East in the context of Public Information Campaigns being conducted to highlight the flagship programmes of the Government. It stated that events such as the Editors' Conference on Social and Infrastructural issues held in Guwahati on 12th & 13th July, 2010 was an attempt to sensitize the media on key initiatives being undertaken in the region.

Summing up the discussions, Secretary(I&B), Shri Raghu Menon stated that the Community Radio as an outreach tool would be strengthened in the 12th Plan. For the North-Eastern Region, the Ministry would consider the proposal of providing Seed Capital for initiating such effective outreach tools during the next Plan period. He also stated that the Ministry would address the concern of States by interacting more frequently and addressing concerns in a time-bound manner.

(PIB Press Release)

After 70 years monitoring the airwaves, BBC listening post could be cut off

Budget review threatens Caversham Park, which broke news of JFK's assassination By Cahal Milmo, Chief Reporter
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
BBC Monitoring, a little-known section of the corporation which listens in on 3,000 media sources from around the world, is facing swingeing budget cuts as a result of a drop in its government funding which could lead to its closure.

Read the full story at :http://tinyurl.com/358a2t9

AIR Looks to Buy or Upgrade 248 Transmitters for DRM

AIR Looks to Buy or Upgrade 248 Transmitters for DRM

Monday, July 12, 2010

FIFA World Cup Football Final Commentary logs

Running commentary of FIFA World Cup Football Final noted on foll freq's :

AIR SW

4810 Bhopal
4837.3 Gangtok
4910 Jaipur
5050 Aizawal
9425 Bangalore
9470 Aligarh

AIR MW
531, 576, 603, 612, 621, 630, 639, 648, 666, 747, 774, 864, 972 (co-ch qrm VOA Urdu), 981, 990, 1008, 1017(co-ch qrm ), 1026, 1044, 1143, 1206, 1215, 1224, 1287, 1377, 1404, 1476, 1566, 1593.

AIR FM
102.6

Also on :

RNW : 5915, 9895, 11670, 13685 (Dutch)
RFI : 15300 (French)
REE : 12015, 15110 (Spanish)
RRI : 11970

Sunday, July 11, 2010

BBC Monitoring faces 'grim' cuts

Director at Cabinet Office-funded service warns staff of 'tipping point', with significant job losses and even a risk of closure

James Robinson
guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 July 2010 17.24 BST
BBC Monitoring, the Home Office-funded body that translates media coverage from around the world, faces budget cuts and significant job losses as part of the coalition government's austerity measures.

Read the full story here :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/09/bbc-monitoring-faces-grim-cuts

Breaking Radio Silence

Hindustan Times article on Community Radio scenario in India

http://tinyurl.com/295saok

DW 12095 DRM Txn via Trincomalee

Tried listening to some DRM txn's today after long time, here's a screenshot for DW12095, SNR around 21 dB, stable audio

(click on the image to enlarge)

Civic employees will learn to use HAM radio

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, July 11, 2010
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to promote HAM technology in all its wards. HAM uses private wireless set to communicate with other HAMs and can be used to communicate in disasters, when landlines and mobiles don't work.

Read the ful story at :
http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/mumbai/Civic-employees-will-learn-to-use-HAM-radio/Article1-570578.aspx

Tuning in to the right frequency

Tarannum Manjul
Posted: Sun Jul 11 2010, 02:01

On a crowded concrete slab in his two-bedroom house in Lucknow's HAL township, is Dinesh Chandra's favourite toy, an amateur radio station, a Ham radio. The unit takes up the entire space on the slab, making concession only for a dancing Nataraj statue.

Full story at :
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tuning-in-to-the-right-frequency/644794...

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Eight Appointed to the Broadcasting Board of Governors

Washington, DC, 07/09/2010
President Barack Obama has appointed eight media, communications, and foreign policy leaders to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the federal agency which supervises all U.S. civilian, international broadcasting.
The Broadcasting Board of Governors is a bipartisan board comprised of nine members appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate; the ninth is the Secretary of State, who serves ex officio. The new governors include the following individuals.

Walter Isaacson, Chair Walter Isaacson is President of the Aspen Institute and serves as chair of the board of Teach for America. He is the former Chairman and CEO of CNN and former editor of Time Magazine. Mr. Isaacson is the author of Einstein: His Life and Universe and Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, and the co-author of The Wise Men. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he was appointed vice-chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. Mr. Isaacson is a graduate of Harvard College and Pembroke College of Oxford University.

Victor H. Ashe Victor H. Ashe recently served as United States Ambassador to Poland from June 2004 to October 2009. He also previously served as a Tennessee State Senator and State Representative. Mr. Ashe was the longest serving Mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, was the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors from 1994 to 1995, and received the Distinguished Service Award for Leadership from the Mayor's Conference in 2003. He is a former member of the Americorps Board of Directors and currently sits on the Board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the American Rivers Association. Mr. Ashe is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Tennessee's College of Law in 1974.

Michael Lynton Michael Lynton is the Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. He is the former CEO of AOL Europe and Chairman and CEO of Pearson plc's Penguin Group. Mr. Lynton is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Rand Corporation. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School and is proficient in French, German and Dutch.

Susan McCue Susan McCue is President of Message Global, a strategic advocacy firm she founded in 2008 for social action campaigns. She was the founding President and CEO of The ONE Campaign to combat extreme global poverty and was Chief of Staff to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from 1999 to 2006. Before that she held numerous communications positions in government and campaigns. She is currently Vice Chair of Humanity United and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. A New Jersey native, Ms. McCue is a graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., with degrees in economics and journalism.

Michael P. Meehan Michael P. Meehan currently serves as President of Blue Line Strategic Communications, Inc. and as Senior Vice President at Virilion, a digital media company. He also served as the first President of BGR Public Relations, LLC. For over two decades, Meehan served in senior roles for U.S. Senators John Kerry, Barbara Boxer, Maria Cantwell and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, two presidential campaigns, two U.S. House offices and congressional campaigns in 25 states. Mr. Meehan earned a B.A. in political science from Bates College.

Dennis Mulhaupt Dennis Mulhaupt is founder and managing director of Commonwealth Partners, Inc., providing advisory services to philanthropic institutions and families. He previously served as Executive Vice President at KCET in Los Angeles, a west-coast flagship public broadcasting and media company. Earlier in his career, he was Vice President at Claremont McKenna College; Vice President for Medical External Relations at Stanford University; and Senior Associate Dean in the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences at the University of Southern California. Mr. Mulhaupt received his B.A. from the University of Southern California and an M.Phil. in international relations and criminology from Cambridge University.

Dana Perino Dana Perino is the founder of Dana Perino and Company, a strategic communications firm, a member of the Burson-Marsteller Global Strategy Team, and a Fox News Contributor. She is the former White House Press Secretary to President George W. Bush. She is the creator of Minute Mentoring, a program helping young women entering the workforce, and a member of the ONE Campaign's Women's Advisory Board, Mother's Day Every Day, Running Start, and Pets2Vets. Ms. Perino served in the U.S. Justice Department, was Director of Communications for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and worked for Representatives Dan Schaefer (R-CO) and Scott McInnis (R-C). She holds a M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois - Springfield and a B.A. in Mass Communications
from Colorado State University - Pueblo.

S. Enders Wimbush S. Enders Wimbush is Senior Vice President at the Hudson Institute. From 1987-93, he served as Director of Radio Liberty in Munich, Germany. Mr. Wimbush has worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, Science Applications International Corporation, and the Rand Corporation as a consultant, strategist and analyst of international security issues, and for Runzheimer International as director of communications. Earlier Mr. Wimbush directed the Society for Central Asian Studies in Oxford, England. In addition to dozens of policy studies, Mr. Wimbush is the author or editor of seven books. Mr. Wimbush studied for a PhD at the University of Chicago, where he received his A.M. from the Committee on International Relations. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency, supervising all U.S. government-supported, civilian international broadcasting, whose mission is to promote freedom and democracy and to enhance understanding through multimedia communication of accurate, objective, and balanced news, information, and other programming about America and the world to audiences overseas. BBG broadcasts reach an audience of 171 million in 100 countries. BBG broadcasting organizations include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Marti).

(BBG Press release)

Friday, July 09, 2010

RNW World Cup final frequencies

Frequencies for Netherlands vs Spain World Cup final on July 11, 2010:

1200-2200 on 1296 ORF 300 kW / 096 deg to Benelux
1800-2200 on 5915 MDC 250 kW / 255 deg to South Africa
1700-2200 on 5935 PHL 250 kW / 200 deg to Indonesia, AUS and Indian Ocean
1700-2200 on 5950 WER 500 kW / 210 deg to Europe and Scandinavia
1700-2200 on 9895 NAU 500 kW / 230 deg to SW Europe
1800-2200 on 11670 WER 500 kW / 120 deg to SE Europe and Middle East
1800-2200 on 11905 SAC 250 kW / 240 deg to US East Coast
1800-2200 on 13640 SAC 250 kW / 272 deg to US and Canada
1800-2200 on 13685 NAU 500 kW / 165 deg to Central and East Africa
1700-2200 on 15310 BON 250 kW / 320 deg to Caribbean and Florida
1800-2200 on 15475 GUF 500 kW / 196 deg to South America
1700-2200 on 17535 BON 250 kW / 080 deg to Atlantic Ocean and West Africa

( Ivo Ivanov via Wolfgang Bueschel)

Rs 100cr package to boost DD, AIR in J&K

Himanshi Dhawan, TNN, Jul 9, 2010, 03.07am IST
NEW DELHI: In a bid to disseminate and strengthen information along border areas in Jammu & Kashmir, the Centre on Thursday cleared a Rs 100-crore proposal to broaden its radio and television coverage. The move -- of immense strategic importance -- is expected to counter Pakistan's sustained misinformation campaign in this sensitive area.

Read the TOI report at :

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Rs-100cr-package-to-boost-DD-AIR-in-JK-/articleshow/6144365.cms

DRM Newsletter July 2010

http://www.drm.org/old/index.php?id=368

Thursday, July 08, 2010

New Sangean ATS-909X Coming in November of This Year

The New Sangean ATS-909X Coming in November of This Year
http://herculodge.typepad.com/herculodge/2010/07/the-new-sangean-ats-909x-coming-in-november-of-this-year.html

Universal lists for $260
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/2909.html

This new model was annouced last year when some designs/sketches were released.
http://sw77.blogspot.com/2009/08/possible-two-new-top-sangeans-ats-909x.html

What ails Prasar Bharati

B G Verghese
First Published : 08 Jul 2010 11:32:00 PM IST

http://expressbuzz.com/opinion/columnists/what-ails-prasar-bharati/187866.html

AIR extended transmissions for FIFA World Cup

Special transmissions consisting of Running Commentry of FIFA World Cup Football are scheduled on 7 & 11 July 2010 at 1825 to 2015 UTC or till end of play by the following SW Stations of All India Radio.

4760 AIR Port Blair sign on at 1825 UTC
4775 AIR Imphal sign on at 1030 UTC
4810 AIR Bhopal sign on at 1130 UTC
4837.3 AIR Gangtok sign on at 1800 UTC
4910 AIR Jaipur sign on at 1130 UTC
5050 AIR Aizawal sign on at 1825 UTC
9425 AIR Bangalore sign on at 1320 UTC
9470 AIR Aligarh sign on at 1320 UTC

Also on several MW stations like:
540,549,576,603,612,621,666,684,747,774,864,972,981,990,1008,1017,1044,1143,1161,1269,1287,1377,1404,1566,1594.

Reports to : spectrum-manager@air.org.in

(Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio , Hyderabad )

BBC stops airing content on 87.9 FM in Dubai

"BBC World Service in English and BBC Arabic are no longer available on 87.9 FM in Dubai due to a cessation of our licence," a BBC spokesperson told Gulf News Wednesday.
Read the full report here :
http://gulfnews.com/business/features/bbc-stops-airing-content-on-87-9-fm-in-dubai-1.651635

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

VOA Hausa language programs go mobile

Washington, D.C., July 7, 2010 - Voice of America's Hausa Language Service is now offering its exciting multi-media lineup of news, interviews and feature programs to on-the-go mobile phone users, one of the fastest growing segments of digital communication.

To find VOA Hausa programs on your mobile device go to http://hausa.voa.mobi/

VOA's New Media Director Rebecca McMenamin says, "The explosion of mobile phone use around the world makes the technology a perfect match for the delivery of news and multi-media content, and VOA is working to bring all of its 44 languages onto the mobile platform."

McMenamin says, "The Hausa Service mobile site will offer not only news, but also health information. We think this can be very useful to our audience."

The Hausa language is spoken by about 60 million people, most of them in the West African nations of Nigeria, Ghana and Niger.

The VOA Hausa Language Service reaches an estimated weekly audience of about 21 million with its line-up of newscasts, discussion shows, diverse stringer reports, interviews, feature programs, and special reports covering a wide variety of issues.

To get VOA in English on your mobile device, type http://english.voa.mobi into the browser on your phone. For other available languages, navigate to http://voa.mobi and select from the list.

(VOA Press Release)

Shortwave radio catching up with cell phone technology

Interesting discussion .....

http://tinyurl.com/382tbw7

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

RTÉ Appoints Director of Digital Switchover (DSO)

RTÉ has appointed Mary Curtis to the new senior executive position of Director of Digital Switchover, with responsibility for an effective transition by audiences in the coming two years to digital television using the new Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) system.

www.rte.ie/about/pressreleases/2010/0701/directordso010710.html

BBC World Service 2009/10 Annual Review

BBC World Service attracting millions in new audiences to TV, online,
mobile and FM in changing media climate, says 2009/10 Annual Review

BBC World Service expanded its reach on new platforms last year in the
face of a dramatic drop in global shortwave listening trends,
according to the BBC World Service Annual Review for 2009/10,
published on 5th July.
The Review provides information about BBC World Service's performance
during a year of major news events such as the earthquake in Haiti and
the elections in Iran and Afghanistan.
During the year, BBC World Service attracted around 9 million new
viewers to its television, online and mobile services, in addition to
new listeners to BBC radio programmes through local FM and medium wave
radio partner stations in a number of countries.
This increase came despite a loss of 20 million short wave radio listeners during the year, reflecting the increasing global decline in short wave listening.

Overall, BBC World Service drew a weekly multimedia audience of 180 million across television, radio, online and mobiles – an eight million decline from the previous year. In his foreword, BBC World Service Director Peter Horrocks said: "The headline figures only tell part of the story. The strategic move into Arabic and Persian television channels has been vindicated."

The estimated BBC Arabic television audience was up 3.5 million, making it the largest BBC's largest language service with an audience of 22 million across all platforms, while BBC Persian has an estimated 3.1 million viewers in Iran. Commenting on the effectiveness of BBC World Service, he added: "We are only beginning to appreciate the full impact of our journalism on local media and even on the course of events."

He also cited the impact of citizen journalism on BBC World Service, especially during the disputed elections in Iran, when BBC Persian was receiving up to eight user-generated items a minute and traffic to its online site was up 155%: "BBC World Service will be a standard-setter in the new platforms and the new spaces, just as it has over the years in radio."

Other review highlights:

- Online performance was up 39% to 7.3 million unique users.
- BBC World Service launched 18 new mobile sites in 2009/10, attracting 4 million page impressions.
- Independent research continues to indicate that BBC World Service's reputation for providing unbiased and objective news and information is stronger than that of any other international radio competitor in most markets surveyed.
- BBC Global News – which includes BBC World Service, BBC World News television and the BBC's international news online services – had a record global weekly audience of over 241 million during 2009/10. Peter Horrocks became Director, BBC Global, News in February 2010.
- BBC World Service's Grant-in-Aid funding during 2009/10 was £268m.

(BBC World Service International Publicity)

BBC to shut down Asian Network

The BBC today confirmed that it will go ahead to close down the Asian Network radio station, which is targeted at people with origins in the Indian sub-continent, by the end of 2011.
Full story at :

http://www.hindustantimes.com/BBC-to-shut-down-Asian-Network/Article1-567804.aspx

Monday, July 05, 2010

Second FM radio station in the Laos Capital

The second radio station in Vientaine, FM 98.8, is now officially broadcasted through out the country. Invested and owned by Butterfly Media Company, it is the second largest radio station in Laos. Total investment was $560,000 US dollar. The new radio station was assigned to replace an old AM radio station which has been halt since 2008 due to malfunction equipments.

http://www.sabydeelao.com/2010/06/second-radio-station-in-capital.html

Radio Free Asia to Get Permanent U.S. License

The U.S. Congress has passed a bill to renew the license for North Korean dissident broadcaster Radio Free Asia on a permanent basis. RFA has brought news and information chiefly about South Korea and the U.S to North Korean people via shortwave.

Full story at :
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/07/05/2010070501064.html

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Voices in the wilderness

Sevanti Ninan

Swara, an initiative of former journalist Shubranshu Choudhury, enables the tribals of Chhattisgarh to tell their version of stories, in their language and through a medium accessible to them.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Sevanti_Ninan/article498530.ece

Friday, July 02, 2010

All India Radio tender notice for DRM digital transmitters

India's public service broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) is putting into practice its plans for digitalisation of radio and has placed a global tender notice for the procurement of several DRM digital transmitters. AIR has invited bids for the supply of 34 new MW transmitters, for the upgrade of 36 MW transmitters and purchase of 5 SW transmitters and other associated equipment. The Research Department of AIR is also going ahead with the purchase of a 500 watt DRM shortwave transmitter for conducting trials on 26 MHz SW DRM transmissions for local coverage. The details of the tender advertisement can be found on the official AIR website:

http://www.allindiaradio.org/NIT/Tenderenquiry-13/18006010.html

This procurement process is the start of the AIR's digitalisation plan of ensuring DRM Digital radio coverage for the entire country, thereby providing better and more robust radio services to the listeners.

Earlier this year, AIR had placed orders for the purchase of two 1000 KW DRM capable transmitters which are now being made ready for inspection and delivery. These MW transmitters can be operated in DRM mode, in analogue or in simulcast mode and provide coverage to very large areas in the Indian subcontinent. The transmitters have been manufactured by Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia, A.G.

And recently All India Radio has also confirmed the purchase of 6 mobile DRM transmitters of 10 KW each which are AM/DRM ready. These containerized transmitters are meant to be used in disaster management CASES as they can be easily transported to the affected areas by air/rail/road. A 60 meter medium wave mobile mast goes in another container which can be easily erected together with the transmitter and start broadcasting as and when required. These transmitters are being supplied by M/S Riz, Croatia.

(Source : DRM Consortium)

http://www.drm.org/index.php?p=news_item&uid=212

SAQ on air this Sunday

SAQ will be on air on Alexanderson Day, Sunday 4 July 2010 at 09:00 UTC and 12:00 UTC.

The frequency is 17.2 kHz CW.
Start-up and tuning of the transmitter about half an hour before the transmissions.
Reports are welcome and will be confirmed by QSL-cards.

QSL reports can be given via:

- E-mail to: <mailto:info@alexander.n.se>info@alexander.n.se
- or fax to: +46-340-674195
- or via SM bureau
- or direct by mail to:

Alexander - Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner,
Radiostationen, Grimeton 72,
S-430 16 ROLFSTORP, SWEDEN

Note: SAQ is now a member of the Swedish Amateur Association (SSA)
and "QSL via bureau" is OK.

http://www.alexander.n.se/transmissions.htm

Village students to tune in to English lessons on radio

Anuradha Mascarenhas
Posted: Tue Jun 29 2010, 00:49 hrs
Pune: In an attempt to enable students in rural areas speak English fluently, the Pune Zilla Parishad and the Centre for Learning Resources (CLR) have come together with radio instruction programmes for classrooms. Starting July 5, the All India Radio will broadcast "We learn English", a programme to help students improve their communication skills during school hours.

Read the full story here :

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Village-students-to-tune-in-to-English-lessons-on-radio/639679/

Radio Broadcasting in Guyana

http://www.silvertorch.com/g_radio_bcast.htm

Community Radio Coming Out Of the Shadows in Asia

http://www.global-perspectives.info/news/news.php?key1=2010-06-29%2000:00:17&key2=1

Gyan Vani Thiruvananthapuram strated txn on 1st July

The Thiruvananthapuram station of Gyan Vani FM radio channel, set up by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), started its local transmission from July 1. Regional Director, IGNOU, B. Sukumar said here on Wednesday that the station would offer value-added educational programmes for listeners in and around Thiruvananthapuram city. The programmes would be aired from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.Gyan Vani is a unit of Gyan Darshan, IGNOU's educational TV channel. The programmes transmitted from the studio of All India Radio, Thiruvananthapuram can be heard on 105.6 MHz. Dr. Sukumar said efforts were on to set up an independent studio for Gyan Vani.A press note issued by IGNOU said Gyan Vani programmes were aimed at enhancing and supplementing the teaching-learning process.
(Source : The Hindu)


Bangladesh Betar to acquire 12 new FM transmitters from BE

A dozen FM transmitters at 10 sites will make up a new network in Bangladesh, with gear to be provided by Broadcast Electronics. The Illinois company said it won a contract to supply the government-run radio organization with 12 BE FM 10S 10 kW solid-state transmitters with dual BE FXi digital exciters, antennas, towers and other hardware, project management and engineering support.

Read the Radio World story here : http://www.rwonline.com/article/102920

Thursday, July 01, 2010

SOH Protests Interference Against Its SW Broadcast to China

Sound-of-Hope Radio Network Inc (aka SOH), a global, non-profit radio content-provider for multi-language broadcasting across North America, Asia, Australia and Europe, recently condemned severe Short Wave interference from Chinese Communist Party military sites.