DPRK propaganda station drops AM broadcasts

Echo of Unification (통일의메아리방송), a North Korean radio station that broadcasts propaganda towards South Korea, dropped all mediumwave (AM band) broadcasting on December 21.

The move seemingly confirms the futility of the broadcasts, which consumed large amounts of electricity but were blocked by powerful South Korean government jamming transmitters, but the station isn't giving up. In their place, it has brought on air additional shortwave and FM transmitters.

Echo of Unification launched in December 2012 with three blocks of programming each day: from 7am to 9am; from 1pm to 3pm; and from 9pm to 11pm (Pyongyang time).

The programs were broadcast on shortwave 3,970kHz and 6,250kHz, mediumwave 684kHz and 1,080kHz and FM 97.8MHz.

Source/Full story at :

http://www.northkoreatech.org/2016/12/24/dprk-propaganda-station-drops-broadcasts/

KTWR Guam's DRM test broadcast towards South Asia

DRM test broadcast from KTWR Guam towards South Asia :

Date :     9 – 13 January 2017
Time :    1445 – 1515 UTC
Freq :     9910 kHz
Power :  90 kW
Mode :   B 64 QAM
Azimuth : 290 deg
Target : South Asia (Ciraf 41)

Reception reports to : KTWRDRM@twr.org

Ampegon upgrades shortwave transmission systems in Kuwait, to be DRM compatible

AMPEGON RENEWS SHORTWAVE TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS IN KUWAIT

Shortwave modernization project

Turgi, Switzerland, December 20, 2016. Ampegon has received a contract by Al Rashed company to upgrade five analog shortwave transmitters for the Kuwait Ministry of Information in Al Kabd station.

Ampegon will refurbish the five transmitters delivered in 1992 and 1995. Additionally, three transmitters delivered in 1995 will be upgraded to full digital DRM integration and converted to the new transmitter control system UCS (Unified Control System) including replacement of new motor drives within the tuning circuits. The latest DC motor technology allows faster and more accurate positioning of the transmitter tuning with digital control for fully automated frequency changes. Commissioning and on-site work by Ampegon and Al Rashed engineers will start in January 2017.

Al Rashed company provides turnkey projects in the broadcast field as well as professional services and integration solutions.

The Ministry of Information in Kuwait has one of the largest facilities in the Middle East and the project highlights that AM / DRM radio broadcasting keeps its important role in this area of the world.

(Source : Ampegon.com)

Radio Mi Amigo International Christmas special

Hello listeners of Radio Mi Amigo International !

This Christmas we'll present you with 2-extra high power special event broadcasts that will cover a large part of globe.

What better occasion than X-mas to celebrate the fact that in 2016 we became the fastest growing AM/Shortwave station in Europe and possibly the world.

• Our special 2 hour broadcast on December 25th will come from the Armenian 100 kW transmitter - aimed at the larger European region - including Eastern Europe and large parts of Russia and the Middle East. 
• 
  
• In the night of December 26th )* a very powerful 125 kW signal from Nauen in Germany will be aimed directly at North America, but with a large overlap in other regions as well.

The large European continent and North America together hold 15% of the world's population, over 1 billion people. Of course we know Shortwave is a niche but we're convinced that this time more people than ever will tune in to our special broadcast.

Our special Event show will be presented live from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, with contributions from all involved with Radio Mi Amigo, directly from studio's in Holland, The UK, Germany, Spain and Equador. We'll introduce ourselves to hopefully many new listeners, celebrate with the current ones, look back at our 2016 highlights and play some very special music. You'll get updates of our plans for next year and we'll talk DX and Shortwave.

Please note the times and frequencies below and calculate UTC times to your timezone.

(For instance: EST -New York- is earlier, so there it will still be on December 25: 7 - 9 pm)

Date: 25-12-2016 

Time:  19:00 hrs - 21:00 hrs UTC (20:00 - 22:00 hrs Central European Time)

Frequency: 6145 kHz (49 meter band) - via Armenia (100 kW)

To: the greater European region

Date: 26-12-2016 

Time:  00:00 hrs - 02:00 hrs UTC (01:00 hrs - 03:00 hrs Central European Time)

Frequency: 6080 kHz (49 meter band) via Nauen, Germany (125 kW)

To: North America and Greenland

* Note that in the U.S. the broadcast date is still December 25! 7 - 9 pm [EST], 6- 8 pm [CST] and 4 - 6 pm [PST]

Of course all shows can be heard at the same time on our onlinestreams

All Infos also on our Facebook-page

We look forward to your reception reports. As always, we'll reward you with our colourful printed QSL card and Mi Amigo car stickers.

On behalf of everyone at Radio Mi Amigo International, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

                        

European Music Radio 40th Birthday Transmissions this Weekend !

Gyan Vani FM channels to resume operation from January

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi December 15, 2016

The operation of Gyan Vani FM channels, which were stopped in 2014 due to discontinuation of payments by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), will be resumed from January.

Signing of an MoU between IGNOU and All India Radio (AIR) last week paved the way for resuming the operation of the educational radio channels.

IGNOU Vice Chancellor Prof Ravindra Kumar, who was present on the occasion of the MoU signing on December 9, said in the near future, there will be 56 Gyan Vani channels.

Before being shut down on October 1, 2014, 37 Gyan Vani stations across the country were broadcasting educational radio programmes which were instructional and enriched in nature for different target groups.

The MoU will facilitate sharing of Prasar Bharati's broadcasting infrastructure for the transmission of Gyan Vani radio stations which possess 10 KW FM transmitters, Prof Kiron Bansal, in-charge of Public Information Unit at IGNOU, said.

Gyan Vani began operations in 2001 as a collaborative media initiative of Human Resource Development and Information and Broadcasting ministries. IGNOU was the nodal organisation running the channels.

Due to discontinuation of payments by IGNOU from April 1, 2013, resulting in accumulation of dues to the tune of Rs 21.64 crore, operation of Gyan Vani channels were stopped by AIR.

Source : http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/gyan-vani-fm-channels-to-resume-operation-from-january-116121500867_1.html

32 Community Radio Stations sanctioned in North Eastern States so far: Govt

Government has sanctioned for setting up 32 Community Radio Stations in North Eastern States so far. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore yesterday informed that out of the sanctioned stations, three community radio stations are now operational.

Full story at : http://airworldservice.org/english/archives/38007

New Law Would Reorganize VOA

Control over U.S. government international broadcasting will be consolidated under a powerful chief executive, under legislation expected to soon be signed by President Barack Obama.

The changes were included as part of an annual defense funding bill, the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which was passed last week by both houses of Congress.

Full story at :

http://www.voanews.com/a/new-law-would-reorganize-voa-other-us-government/3635977.html

Extension of regional SW transmission of NE Services from AIR Shillong on 4970 kHz

With effect from 15th Dec'16 evening transmission of North East Service on 50 kW regional SW Transmitter of All India Radio, Shillong will be extended on 4970 kHz till 2310 IST (1740 UTC).

Revised schedule :

0025-0400 UTC on 4970 kHz

1056-1740 UTC on 4970 kHz

All India Radio Chennai Update

AIR Chennai update:

My monitoring observation regarding AIR Chennai after cyclone Vardha hit the city yesterday :

10 kW SW Transmitter:

7380 kHz off air from around 0830 of 12 Dec 2016 & missing today 13 Dec 16 morning broadcast.

4920 kHz on air evening of 12th Dec 2016 and morning of today 13 Dec 16

100 kW SW transmitter:

7270 kHz Off Air from scheduled broadcast from 1000 on 12 Dec 16.

Summary:

AIR Chennai frequencies on SW of 7380 (10 kW) & 7270 (100 kW) off air from afternoon of 12th Dec 16 (as their 2 towers have fallen down)

4920 (10 kW) Morning & Evening/Night frequency of 10 kW tx is on air as usual.

AIR Chennai FM frequencies on as usual.

AIR Chennai MW channels 720, 1017 kHz heard but with weaker signals than usual.

AIR Chennai 783 kHz DRM not heard

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

Update 14th Dec, 2016 :

AIR Chennai back on 7380 kHz today after being off air for a couple of days due to cyclone.

NDR Chirstmas special transmission via Media Broadcast on 24th Dec'16

Norddeutsche Rundfunndr Chirstmas special 2016 transmission via Media Broadcast :

Date : 24th Dec 2016 (Saturday)

1900-2100 UTC on 6125 kHz 125 kW (Via Nauen, Germany) to North Atlantic
1900-2100 UTC on 9740 kHz 125 kW (Via Nauen, Germany)to Indian Ocean West
1900-2100 UTC on 11650 kHz 250 kW (Via Issoudun, France) to South Atlantic
1900-2100 UTC on 9800 kHz 250 kW (Via Issoudun, France) to Atlantic/Indian Ocean (South Africa)
1900-2100 UTC on 9790 kHz 100 kW (Via Moosbrunn, Austria) to Indian Ocean - East
1900-2100 UTC on 6145 kHz 100 kW (Via Yerevan-Gavar,Armenia) to Europe

2100-2300 UTC on 5930 kHz 125 kW (Via Nauen, Germany) to North Atlantic
2100-2300 UTC on 9765 kHz 125 kW (Via Nauen, Germany) to Indian Ocean West
2100-2300 UTC on 9830 kHz 250 kW (Via Issoudun, France) to South Atlantic
2100-2300 UTC on 9590 kHz 250 kW (Via Issoudun, France) to Atlantic/Indian Ocean (South Africa)
2100-2300 UTC on 9650 kHz 100 kW (Via Moosbrunn, Austria) to Indian Ocean - East
2100-2300 UTC on 6145 kHz 100 kW (Via Yerevan-Gavar,Armenia) to Europe

Please send your answer and reception reports to : QSL-Shortwave@media-broadcast.com

More info at :

http://www.ndr.de/info/sendungen/So-empfangen-Sie-die-Gruss-an-Bord-Sendungen,grussanbord326.html

On Christmas Eve, Norddeutsche Rundfunndr broadcasts messages to sailors all over the world in the radio broadcast "Gruss an Bord" or "Greeting aboard" - greetings to the ship's crew in their home country. The greetings to the sailors were recorded at two "greeting on board" events in the Adventszeit: on 4 December in the  Cultural memory in Wilhelmine gear in neutral and on December 11 in the Hamburg Seemannsmission "Duckdalben". Relatives and friends had the opportunity to wish their loved ones at sea a happy holiday and a good new year. The show "Greeting aboard" was heard for Christmas 1953 for the first time on the radio. It is thus one of the oldest existing radio broadcasts in the world.

More about program "Gruss an Bord"
http://www.ndr.de/info/sendungen/Gruss-an-Bord,grussanbord306.html

(Alokesh Gupta)

Band 2 Tropo Logs at 0300 UTC, 12th Dec 2016

Band 2 Tropo Logs at 0300 UTC, 12th Dec 2016

87.7 Unid from Nepal
88.0 Unid from Nepal
89.4 Suno Pakistan
90.2 Radio Surkhet Nepal
90.4 Radio IIMT, Meerut
90.8 Suno Sharda, Greater Noida
91.2 Radio Lok Manch, Greater Noida
91.4 Radio BheriGanga, Nepal
91.9 Radio Mantra, Bareilley
93.7 Fever FM, Agra
94.0 Krisnasar FM, Nepal
94.5 Unid from Nepal
94.6 Bageshwari FM, Nepal
94.9 Fever FM, Aligarh
96.4 Unid from Nepal
98.6 Bheri FM,Nepal
99.4 Shuklaphanta FM, Nepal
100.0 Radio Nepal
100.2 AIR Patiala
100.4 AIR Bareilley
100.6 Phoolbari FM, Nepal
100.7 AIR Lucknow
100.8 AIR Fazilka, Urdu Prog
101.1 AIR Bhatinda
101.3 AIR Aligarh
101.4 AIR Kurukshetra
101.6 AIR Lucknow, VBS
101.8 Kantipur FM, Nepal
101.9 AIR Faizabad (presumed) weak
102.1 AIR Mussourie (FM Rainbow)
102.3 AIR Lakhimpur Kheri all 5
102.7 AIR Jalandhar
102.8 AIR RaiBarely
103.0 AIR Jhansi
103.1 AIR Alwar
103.4 Unid from Nepal
103.5 AIR Rohtak VBS
103.7 AIR Kanpur VBS

(SONY XDR-S10HDiP + Stacked GP)

No shortage of radio sets in market, says Prasar Bharati

NEW DELHI: The Government has been told by Prasar Bharati that there have been no reports of shortage of radio sets in the market.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told Parliament that emphasis was being laid on 'FM-ization' - expansion of FM Transmission - to ensure superior stereophonic sound having, to ensure that old Medium Wave programmes are also available on FM mode to become available for wider reception even over hand held mobile sets for public convenience.

He said All India Radio had 419 Radio Stations and 608 Transmitters across the country. AIR does not have the data of number of users. AIR covers 92% of the area and 99.2% of the population of the country.

Full story at :

http://www.radioandmusic.com/biz/radio/air/161203-no-shortage-radio-sets-market-says-prasar-bharati

ABC Exits Shortwave Radio Transmission

Tuesday, December 6, 2016 — The ABC will end its shortwave transmission service in the Northern Territory and to international audiences from 31 January 2017.

The move is in line with the national broadcaster's commitment to dispense with outdated technology and to expand its digital content offerings including DAB+ digital radio, online and mobile services, together with FM services for international audiences.

The majority of ABC audiences in the Northern Territory currently access ABC services via AM and FM and all ABC radio and digital radio services are available on the VAST satellite service.

ABC International's shortwave services currently broadcast to PNG and the Pacific. Savings realised through decommissioning this service will be reinvested in a more robust FM transmitter network and an expanded content offering for the region that will include English and in-language audio content.

Michael Mason, ABC's Director of Radio said, "While shortwave technology has served audiences well for many decades, it is now nearly a century old and serves a very limited audience. The ABC is seeking efficiencies and will instead service this audience through modern technology".

The ABC, working alongside SBS, is planning to extend its digital radio services in Darwin and Hobart, and to make permanent its current digital radio trial in Canberra. Extending DAB+ into the nation's eight capital cities will ensure ABC digital radio services can reach an additional 700,000 people, increasing the overall reach of ABC digital radio to 60% of the Australian population.

ABC Radio is also investigating transmission improvements to address reception gaps in the existing five DAB+ markets. It aims to ensure a resilient DAB+ service in every capital city, with enhanced bitrates and infill where necessary.

"Extending our DAB+ offer will allow audiences in every capital city in Australia equal access to our digital radio offering, as well as representing an ongoing broadcast cost saving owing to lower transmission costs," added Michael Mason.

ABC International's Chief Executive Officer Lynley Marshall said the reinvestment from closing international shortwave services would maximise the ABC's broadcast capabilities in the region.

"In considering how best to serve our Pacific regional audiences into the future we will move away from the legacy of shortwave radio distribution," Ms Marshall said. "An ever-growing number of people in the region now have access to mobile phones with FM receivers and the ABC will redirect funds towards an extended content offering and a robust FM distribution network to better serve audiences into the future."

Once international shortwave ceases transmission, international listeners can continue to access ABC International services via:

the web stream at: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/listen

in-country FM transmitters: see Radio Australia's 'Ways to Listen' at: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/waystolisten/fiji

the Australia Plus expats app (available in both iOS and Android)

partner websites and apps such as www.tunein.com  and www.vtuner.com.

Audiences can access further information via the reception advice line 1300 139 994, online at abc.net.au/shortwave, or via ABC Local Radio (Darwin and Alice Springs).

(Press Release, Source : https://radio.press.abc.net.au/abc-exits-shortwave-radio-transmission)

Radio Taiwan International changes frequency for South Asia wef 1st Dec

With effect from 1st Dec'2016 Radio Taiwan International is using 6185 kHz ( ex 9405) for it's english transmisson to South Asia at 1600-1700 UTC

Radio Free Asia commemorates 'Year of the Rooster' with a new QSL card

Radio Free Asia commemorates 2017 as the Year of the Rooster with a QSL card highlighting the work called "Rooster" by Korean painter Jang Seung-eop, better known as Owan. People born in Rooster year are said to be deep thinkers, capable, and talented. According to tradition, they like to be busy, devoted beyond their capabilities and are deeply disappointed if they fail. They are also considered a bit eccentric and having difficult relationships with others. Roosters are considered to be loners and, though they give the outward impression of being adventurous, they are timid. This is RFA's 63rd QSL and is used to confirm all valid reception reports January – April 2016.

RFA's 2017 Year of the Rooster QSL

Created by Congress in 1994 and incorporated in 1996, RFA broadcasts in Burmese, Cantonese, Khmer, Korean to North Korea, Lao, Mandarin (including the Wu dialect), Vietnamese, Tibetan (Uke, Amdo, and Kham), and Uyghur. RFA strives for accuracy, balance, and fairness in its editorial content. As a 'surrogate' broadcaster, RFA provides news and commentary specific to each of its target countries, acting as the free press these countries lack. RFA broadcasts only in local languages and dialects, and most of its broadcasts comprise news of specific local interest. More information about Radio Free Asia, including our current broadcast frequency schedule, is available at www.rfa.org.

RFA encourages listeners to submit reception reports. Reception reports are valuable to RFA as they help us evaluate the signal strength and quality of our transmissions. RFA confirms all accurate reception reports by mailing a QSL card to the listener. RFA welcomes all reception report submissions at http://techweb.rfa.org (follow the QSL REPORTS link) not only from DXers, but also from its general listening audience Reception reports are also accepted by email at qsl@rfa.org and by mail to:

Reception Reports

Radio Free Asia

2025 M. Street NW, Suite 300

Washington DC 20036

United States of America.

(A.J.Janitschek,RFA)

Sporadic E causing strange phenomena for radio stations

At this time of year, atmospheric effects can give stations interference problems by reflecting radio signals well beyond thier official coverage areas.

In Australia this week, stations have reported interference from signals thousands of kilometres away.

The cause is known as Sporadic E, an atmospheric effect that causes signals in the 30-300MHz range to reflect off the E layer of the Earth's atmosphere, around a hundred kilometers above Earth's surface, instead of flying through into space.

More at :

http://www.asiaradiotoday.com/news/sporadic-e-causing-strange-phenomena-radio-stations

China revises rules for radio operations

China has released revised regulations covering the management of radio frequencies, stations, transmission equipment and radio operations related to foreign affairs.

The initial rules came into force in September 1993 to ensure proper development and use of radio frequencies.

Read the full story at :

http://www.asiaradiotoday.com/news/china-revises-rules-radio-operations

Radio Taiwan's DRM test txn to India

Radio Taiwan International will be testing in DRM mode towards India (Azi=285 Deg) in english language for 4 days as per following schedule :

Dec 3, 2016 (Saturday) - 1700-1715 UTC on 6185 kHz

Dec 4, 2016 (Sunday)  -  1700-1715 UTC on 6185 kHz

Dec 5, 2016 (Monday) -  1700-1715 UTC on 6185 kHz

Dec 6, 2016 (Tuesday) - 1700-1715 UTC on 6185 kHz

Reception reports appreciated at : paula@rti.org.tw

Austria Will Test DRM+

Local University of Applied Sciences in St. Poelten is planning a DRM+ field trial in VHF band II. The German DRM Platform will support this trial, as well as the activities of the non-commercial broadcasters in Austria.

Full story at :

http://www.radiomagonline.com/around-the-world/0020/austria-will-test-drm/38396

RTI Listener Club meet in Delhi and Chennai

Radio Taiwan International will attend luncheons organized by RTI Listeners' Club in Delhi and Chennai.

If you are interested in attending, please register with RTI first. Only those with valid RTI passes will be admitted.

The application process for an RTI pass is as such:

1. The registration deadline is November 26, 2016.

2. Please state your name, address, cellphone #, and RTI ID in your email.

3. We will send you an email confirmation after November 28, 2016 .

4. Scheduled lunch dates are as follows:

    December 3 (Saturday), 2016 at 11:00 AM in Chennai, India

    December 4 (Sunday), 2016 at 11 AM in Delhi, India

5. For each email, please state in the SUBJECT line (ONE of the following):

CHENNAI LUNCHEON (if you wish to attend the lunch in Chennai, India)

DELHI LUNCHEON (if you wish to attend the lunch in Delhi, India)

6. Venues will be given in the email confirmation which you will receive after Nov. 28.

7. RTI will accept applications by email only. Our email address is: paula@rti.org.tw

8. Since there is limited space for each luncheon, we can only allow those with email confirmation to enter. Please print out and bring the confirmation along with you on the day of the luncheon. Once the number of participants has reached capacity, registration will be closed without further notice.

More info at :

http://english.rti.org.tw/whatsNew/?recordId=20809

28th anniversary of BCDX Net, India

The weekly BCDX Net operating on the 40 Meter Amateur Radio Band in South India is celebrating its 28th anniversary on November  27, 2016.

This Net was started on Sunday, November 27, 1988 by a small group of Amateurs viz.Shanmughasundaram VU 2FOT, Victor Goonetilleke 4S7VK, Jose Jacob VU2JOS and some SWLs.

The whole concept of this Net started when these Hams used to meet regularly on the band and exchanged DX news at various times. This later transformed into a regular Net which benefited many people. This Net is conducted on Sunday mornings for the advantage of those who are keenly interested in Broadcast Band Dxing.The unique thing about this Net is that is helped Hams to become SWL Dxers and SWLs to become Hams!

The BCDX Net has been very regular all these long 28 years, thanks to the dedicated Net Controllers. It is conducted on Sunday mornings at 0830 IST (0300 UTC ) on 7085 kHz LSB on the 40 meter Amateur Band which covers South India & Sri Lanka etc.

The 28th anniversary of BCDX Net will be celebrated on air on Sunday Nov 27, 2016 at 8.30 am IST on 7085 kHz LSB.

Special thanks to the regular net controller Sanil Deep VU3SIO who is assisted d from time to time by Neel, VU3BGK etc.

The postal address of BCDX Net is : Box 211, Kozhikode 673001, Kerala, India.

Congratulations to BCDX Net on its 28th anniversary!

Jose Jacob, VU2JOS

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

National Institute of Amateur Radio

Raj Bhavan Road

Hyderabad 500082, India

Tel:+91 40 2331 0287, +91 40 6516 7388

Fax: +91 40 2331 0287

www.niar.org

Club Station : VU2NRO 14160 kHz  145.500 MHz

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Radio Mi Amigo International's special txn on 27th Nov on 6145 lHz (100 kW)

Special Broadcast Sunday, November 27th, 2016 :  6145 kHz - 1900-2100 UTC (2000 - 2200 CET)

Sunday evening November 27th from 20:00 - 22:00 hrs CET Radio Mi Amigo will do another special event show, this time to promote new daily transmissions on 6085 kHz.The show will air on 6145 kHz with 100 Kilowatts from the Armeria transmitter, just like in October.

The 2 hour show will be hosted by Cpt. Kord from Alicante and will have have 4 segments presented live by 4 of our DJ's: Johnny Lewis, Peter van Dam, Ron O'Quin and Keith Lewis from the studio's in The UK, Holland and Equador.

Radio Mi Amigo expects this broadcast to be received not only in Europe but also in other parts of the world and again looks forward to your reception reports. As always, Radio Mi Amigo will reward you with new printed QSL card and Mi Amigo car stickers.

All info's, online stream at : http://radiomiamigointernational.com

Team RRI is the DRM Enterprise Award 2016 Winner

The Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium is delighted to announce that the recipients of the 2016 DRM Enterprise Award Asia Pacific Region 2016, jointly sponsored with SAS, the leader in analytics, is awarded to the team of Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) engineers at Denpasar, Indonesia for their support and hard work in running a DRM AM trial in 2016. The winners are:  Mr Salwan, Manager of Technology and New Media Director; Mr Ketut Suandi, Assistant Manager Transmitter, and Mr Cok Dalem Javadi, Staff of Technology and New Media unit.

The award aims to stimulate interest in the DRM standard in various parts of the world that would benefit from the full introduction of digital radio. The RRI engineers on the beautiful island of Bali were selected to receive the award in recognition of their work in preparing a medium wave transmitter to broadcast in DRM during the Asia Broadcasting Union's General Assembly in October.

On behalf of RRI Mr R.Ginging, CTO, also proudly congratulated his staff for having engaged and worked so well together with Consortium representatives thus quickly learning about new digital opportunities for radio broadcasting.

Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Consortium Chair, congratulated the local RRI engineers as "their work shows how quickly DRM can become part of day-to-day activity. This proved that the Indonesian public broadcaster has the talent and capacity to test the latest digital technologies in their effort to future proof public broadcasting."

Details of the 2017 DRM Enterprise Award - Africa will be announced at the beginning of 2017.

For more information on the award, to get updates on the next award, please write to:  projectoffice@drm.org.

(Press Release)

A Record for Voice of America's Global Audience Growth

WASHINGTON D.C., November 16, 2016 -- Voice of America's global weekly audience hit a record in 2016, surpassing every projection and growing by nearly 50 million - the largest jump ever in a single year. Now 236.6 million people around the world consume VOA's programs, compared to 187.7 million in 2015, according to new figures released November 15 by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the federal entity that oversees all U.S. civilian international media, including the Voice of America.

The audience increase was recorded across all VOA platforms - TV, radio and mobile. Latest research collected by Gallup and other research firms shows that every week 154 million people are watching VOA television programs, 108 million people are listening to VOA on the radio and 34.5 million are reached through digital platforms. A quarter of this audience consumes VOA programs on all three platforms.

"I am really proud of the exponential audience growth since last year. This is a clear indication of VOA's impact around the world every single day," said Voice of America Director, Amanda Bennett. "Providing objective, insightful news and information is invaluable to our audiences worldwide and we are here doing just that."

The largest audience increases were recorded in Indonesia (16.4 million), Mexico (6.2 million), Argentina (4.3 million), Colombia (4.2 million) and Peru (4.2 million). Major audience gains were also recorded in Tanzania (3.8 million), Burundi (2.9 million), South Africa (2.6 million) and Nigeria (2.6 million). In most cases, these increases were the result of VOA's successful partnerships with important local broadcast outlets, which are some of the largest and most respected stations in many markets that carry Voice of America's programs.

Thanks to the large increase in audiences throughout Latin America, VOA now reaches more people in Spanish than in any other language - 59.4 million. Indonesian comes second with 47.5 million and English third with 39.2 million.

VOA also increased its social media outreach around the world, especially in Southeast Asia with huge gains in video viewing and engagement on Facebook and YouTube. For example, VOA Khmer's Facebook page is the second most popular in Cambodia, with 4.6 million fans, second only to the page of the Cambodian Prime Minister.

In addition to weekly audience size, VOA measures its impact using quantitative and qualitative data on a wide range of factors including program quality and credibility. Overall 86% of the weekly audience finds VOA's programming "trustworthy". The same percentage also reports that VOA's broadcasts have increased their understanding of current events.

BBG's performance measures, the 2016 Performance and Accountability Report, along with the BBG's 2016 audience overview and explanation of research methodology are available here :

https://www.bbg.gov/strategy-and-performance/performance-accountability/

VOA reaches a global weekly audience of more than 236 million people in over 45 languages. VOA programs are delivered on satellite, cable, shortwave, FM, medium wave, streaming audio and video and more than 2,350 media outlets worldwide. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

(Press Release)

BBC World Service announces biggest expansion 'since the 1940s'

The BBC World Service will launch 11 new language services as part of its biggest expansion "since the 1940s", the corporation has announced.

The expansion is a result of the funding boost announced by the UK government last year.

The new languages will be Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo, Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba.

The first new services are expected to launch in 2017.

Full story at :

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37990220

GatesAir Awarded Second Phase of Bangladesh HD Radio Rollout

Cincinnati, OH, November 14, 2016

GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, has won phase two of Bangladesh's national HD Radio rollout. The turnkey system comprises two self-contained FM radio stations with high-efficiency GatesAir Flexiva FAX air-cooled 10kW FM transmitters, antenna systems and all auxiliary and support equipment.

Bangladesh Betar, the only national government broadcaster serving Bangladesh, awarded the contract as the first phase of the GatesAir-supported rollout moves forward. The initial phase, which covers the capital city of Dhaka, also includes two GatesAir Flexiva FAX 10kW transmitters and is targeted for completion by the end of 2016. The second phase will cover the heavily populated cities of Mymensingh and Gopalganj, with an expected on-air date of June 2017. Both projects are especially notable as the first HD Radio deployments in South Asia.

The GatesAir Exgine4 HD Radio platform, which simplifies signal flow and connectivity across the architecture, will play a central role in each system. The complete system includes GatesAir's FlexStar HDI-200 Importer and HDE-200 Exporter at the studio; and the FlexStar HDx exciter at the RF plant. The complete system supports all HD Radio program audio and program-associated data (logos, station ID information, artist/song data) over a single, bandwidth-efficient stream, with plenty of headroom to incorporate additional services in the future.

GatesAir's ability to also provide turnkey services helped to cement the phase-two contract win, according to Mr. A.K.A.M. Fazlul Hoque, Project Director at Bangladesh Betar Engineering. Along with site planning, design, integration and commissioning services, GatesAir has and will continue to provide extensive training services around system operation and transmitter maintenance both in Bangladesh and at its Quincy, Illinois manufacturing center. GatesAir recently welcomed both the Secretary, Ministry of Information Mr. Martuza Ahmed; and Mr. A.K.M. Nesar Uddin Bhuiyan, Director General, Bangladesh Betar, Dhaka, to Quincy as part of the most recent visit from the Bangladesh Betar Engineering team.

"GatesAir's professional services, reliable systems architecture and high-efficiency transmitters provide value across the project duration, and will enable us to operate a cost-efficient, low-maintenance hybrid FM and HD Radio service for a large portion of our population for many years," said Mr. Hoque. "GatesAir's bandwidth-rich HD Radio platform will also allow us to add more audio channels and data services in the future without requiring any significant additional investment in resources. Above all, their detailed planning and quick turnaround are consistent with our scheduled rollout plan. We also appreciated them welcoming Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Bhuiyan to tour the GatesAir manufacturing center to confirm product quality assurance and further strengthen the relationship between GatesAir, Bangladesh Betar and the Bangladesh Government as well."

The "low-maintenance" benefit will pay dividends for both Betar and the Bangladesh Government moving forward. In addition to the Flexiva FAX transmitter's compact footprint—a valuable asset given the limited real estate available in each RF plant—the latest-generation GatesAir Flexiva design minimizes internal parts, with common power amplifier modules and power supplies. This streamlining of parts and size also reduce weight, making single-engineer maintenance a reality for the Betar team—preserving valuable engineering resources for other needs.

(Press Release)

Unique Radio off air due to a relocation from a new site

Unique Radio broadcasts on shortwave (3210 kHz) from Halls Creek NSW have been suspended from November 13, 2016 due to a QTH relocation.

The new QTH / transmission point might be from a site either north or south west of the current transmission site. This will depend from where the owner ends up, location wise !

Will advise when Unique Radio is back up and running.

(Tim Gaynor, Owner/manager, Unique Radio, Halls Creek,NSW, Australia via DXLD)

Xinjiang PBS frequency change

Xinjiang broadcast frequency change

The annual frequency change was implemented from 1100 on 10th Nov'16. Each language of "Xinjiang People's Campus" began using the frequency of 4 MHz band. It is exactly the same frequency as last year. It is one week behind usual.

The Xinjiang Humitomo broadcaster carries 12 lines only with radio broadcasting, and among them 5 lines are issued even in short wave broadcasting.

Xinjiang PBS Winter frequencies: effective from 1100 UTC on November 10, 2016

Uighur 

2300 - 1800 (Tue.0800 - 1100 off the air)

3990 2300-0300, 1135-1800

4980 2300-0300, 1135-1800

6120 2300-0300, 1200-1800

7205 2310-0300, 1225-1800

7275 0300 - 1200

9560 0245 - 1200

11885 0250 - 1200

13670 0300 - 1225

Chinese 

2300-1800 (Tue.0800-1100 off the air)

3950 2300-0230, 1205-1800

5060 2300-0300, 1135-1800

5960 2300 - 1800

7260 0230 - 1205

7310 2310-0300, 1200-1800

9600 0300 - 1200

11770 0250 - 1200

Mongolian 

2300 - 0330, 0530 - 1030, 1230 - 1800 (Tue.0800 - 1100 off the air)

4500 2300-0330, 1210-1800

6190 2300-0330, 1210-1800

7230 0510-1030

9510 0510-1030

Kazakh 

2300 - 1800 (Tue.0800 - 1100 off the air)

4850 2300-0300, 1155-1800

6015 2300-0345, 1150-1800

7340 0300 - 1155

9470 0345-1150

Kyrgyz 

0330-0530, 1030-1230

7295 0310-0530, 1030-1230

9705 0310-0530, 1030-1230

Google Translated

Source :  http://hiroshi.mediacat-blog.jp/e119506.html

MWV B16

Freq Start Stop Language Target Area Local Time Ant Azi

-------------------------------------------------------

9600  0100 0200 English   India       0630-0730 3 40
7390  0200 0300 Spanish   S.America   2100-2300 1 250
7390  0300 0400 Spanish   N.S.America 2100-2300 1 265
15670 0300 0400 English   India       0830-0930 3 40
11825 0400 0500 A.English Africa      0400-0700 1 295
17530 0400 0500 Chinese   S.China     1100-1200 3 55
9570  1800 1900 Russian   E.Russia    1900-2000 3 355
17640 1800 1900 A.English Africa      1700-2000 2 310
9495  1900 2000 Russian   E.Russia    2100-2200 3 355
11945 1900 2000 Arabic    Iraq        2000-2200 2 355
13710 2000 2100 Arabic    Iraq        2100-2300 3 355
17640 2000 2100 A.English Africa      1900-2200 2 295
11610 2100 2200 Chinese   Europe      2100-2200 2 325
9535  2200 2300 Chinese   S.China     0500-0600 3 55
11790 2200 2300 Arabic    N.Africa    2200-2400 2 325

Reception report to : mwvradio@gmail.com

(Alokesh Gupta)

Radio Nepal orders twelve new 2 kW FM transmitters

State-owned broadcaster Radio Nepal ordered 12 Flexiva FAX air-cooled transmitters, covering power levels up to 2 kW to maximize coverage across the complex terrain of Nepal.

The transmitters, expected to go on the air in November 2016, will be installed at the Radio Nepal, Singh Durbar, Kathmandu transmission site.

GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, announced the susbtantial FM Radio win in Nepal on 1st Nov, 2016.

GatesAir won the contract due to its ability to supply the most competitively-priced and complete offer, along with local support. The Radio Nepal contract also includes turnkey equipment, installation and commissioning services.

GatesAir partner Tzone Digital will assist the regional GatesAir team with all service and support-related initiatives.

(GatesAir Press Release)

TWR ASIA B16

LOC  FREQ UTC     CIRAF PWR AZI SLEW ANT   DAYS  LANGUAGE

GRI 7280  0045 0115 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5  23456  HINDI

GRI 7280  0115 0130 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5   3     HINDI

GRI 7280  0115 0130 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5    4    DZONKHA

GRI 7280  0115 0130 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5  2      NEPALI

GRI 7280  0115 0130 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5     56 TIBETAN

TAC 7505  1430 1445 41 100 131 10 2/4/0.5  23456  HINDI

TAC 7505  1445 1515 41 100 131 10 2/4/0.5  23456  PUNJABI

GRI 15755 1345 1400 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5 1 34567 HINDI

GRI 15755 1345 1400 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5  2      AWADI

GRI 15755 1400 1430 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5  23456  BHOJPURI

GRI 15755 1400 1430 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5 1       PUNJABI

GRI 15755 1400 1430 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5       7 HINDI

GRI 7505  1515 1545 41 300 98  0  2/4/0.5  23456  PUNJABI

ERV 9345  1245 1300 41 300 100 0  8/8/1   1       SANTHALI

ERV 9345  1245 1300 41 300 100 0  8/8/1         7 KUI

ERV 9345  1245 1315 41 300 100 0  8/8/1    23456  MAITHILI

ERV 9345  1300 1315 41 300 100 0  8/8/1   1       MAITHILI

ERV 9345  1300 1315 41 300 100 0  8/8/1         7 HO

ERV 9345  1315 1330 41 300 100 0  8/8/1   123     MARWARI

ERV 9345  1315 1330 41 300 100 0  8/8/1      4    MEWARI

ERV 9345  1315 1330 41 300 100 0  8/8/1       56  MAGAHI

ERV 9345  1315 1330 41 300 100 0  8/8/1         7 BENGALI

ERV 9345  1330 1345 41 300 100 0  8/8/1   1       BRAJ BHASHA

ERV 9345  1330 1345 41 300 100 0  8/8/1    2      KHARIA

ERV 9345  1330 1345 41 300 100 0  8/8/1     3     KASHMIRI

ERV 9345  1330 1345 41 300 100 0  8/8/1      4    SADRI

ERV 9345  1330 1345 41 300 100 0  8/8/1       5   BONDO

ERV 9345  1330 1345 41 300 100 0  8/8/1        6  HARYANVI

ERV 9345  1330 1345 41 300 100 0  8/8/1         7 BUNDELI

ERV 9920  1345 1400 41 300 100 0  8/8/1   1     567 KURUKH

ERV 9920  1345 1400 41 300 100 0  8/8/1    23     MUNDARI

ERV 9920  1345 1400 41 300 100 0  8/8/1      4    VASAVI

ERV 9920  1400 1415 41 300 100 0  8/8/1   1       CHODRI

ERV 9920  1400 1415 41 300 100 0  8/8/1    23     BHILI

ERV 9920  1400 1415 41 300 100 0  8/8/1      45   VASAVI

ERV 9920  1400 1415 41 300 100 0  8/8/1        67 MOUCHI

ERV 9920  1415 1430 41 300 100 0  8/8/1   1       GAMIT

ERV 9920  1415 1445 41 300 100 0  8/8/1         7 GAMIT

ERV 9920  1430 1445 41 300 100 0  8/8/1   1       DHODIA

ERV 9920  1415 1445 41 300 100 0  8/8/1    23456  SINDHI

Submit reports at : http://www.twr.in/technical_info.htm

OR at http://www.twr.asia/online-qsl-form

Alyx & Yeyi B16

PROGRAM            TIME (UTC) FREQ(kHz) DAYS LANGUAGE TARGET AREA

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Denge Kurdistan            0400-2200 9400  mtwtfss Kurdish    Middle East

Eye Radio                  0400-0500 7250  mtwtfss Arabic     Africa

Suab Xaa Moo Zoo           1130-1200 11570 mtwtfss Hmong      Asia

Que Me                     1200-1230 9930  ----f-- Vietnamese Asia

Living Water Minsitry B*   1530-1630 9650  --w---- Korean     Asia

Eye Radio                  1600-1700 17730 mtwtfss Arabic     Africa

Radio Xoriyo               1600-1630 17870 m---f-- Somali     Africa

Oromo Voice                1600-1630 17850 m-w--s- Oromo      Africa

Radio Voice of I.Oromia**  1600-1630 17850 ------s Oromo      Africa

Sagalee Qeerroo Bilisummaa 1630-170017840  -t-tf-- Oromo      Africa

Voice of Amara Radio       1700-1800 15360 m-w--s- Amharic    Africa

Suab Xaa Moo Zoo           2230-2300 7530  mtwtfss Hmong      Asia

*  Living Water Ministry Brodcasting

** Radio Voice of Independent Oromia

Reception reports to :

info@alyx-yeyi.com

Alyx and Yeyi, 

LLC - 5201 Blue Lagoon Drive, 8th Floor

Miami, FL 33126 - U.S.A.

(Alokesh Gupta)

DW B16

Language Time/UTC Frequency Txer Site  Target Area 

AMHARIC 1600-1700 15275 kHz TRINCOMALEE Ethiopia      daily

AMHARIC 1600-1700 17800 kHz NAUEN       Ethiopia      daily 

DARI    1330-1400 15430 kHz DHABAYYA    Afghanistan   daily 

DARI    1330-1400 17720 kHz TRINCOMALEE Afghanistan   daily 

ENGLISH 1600-1700 09820 kHz MEYERTON    Africa (east) daily 

ENGLISH 1600-1700 15290 kHz ISSOUDUN    Africa (east) daily 

ENGLISH 1600-1700 15315 kHz ISSOUDUN    Africa (west) daily 

ENGLISH 1600-1700 17690 kHz ISSOUDUN    Africa (west) daily 

ENGLISH 1600-1700 17710 kHz DHABAYYA    Africa (east) daily 

FRENCH  1700-1800 15275 kHz ISSOUDUN    Africa        daily 

FRENCH  1700-1800 15560 kHz ISSOUDUN    Africa        daily 

FRENCH  1700-1800 17800 kHz ASCENSION   Africa        daily 

HAUSA   0630-0700 09830 kHz SAO TOME    Africa (west) daily 

HAUSA   0630-0700 11800 kHz NAUEN       Africa (west) daily 

HAUSA   0630-0700 15530 kHz MEYERTON    Africa (west) daily 

HAUSA   0630-0700 17800 kHz DHABAYYA    Africa (west) daily 

HAUSA   1300-1400 09830 kHz SAO TOME    Africa (west) daily 

HAUSA   1300-1400 17800 kHz ISSOUDUN    Africa (west) daily 

HAUSA   1300-1400 21780 kHz ASCENSION   Africa (west) daily 

HAUSA   1800-1900 09830 kHz SAO TOME    Africa (west) daily 

HAUSA   1800-1900 11700 kHz ISSOUDUN    Africa (west) daily 

HAUSA   1800-1900 15275 kHz DHABAYYA    Africa (west) daily 

PASHTO  1400-1430 15430 kHz DHABAYYA    Afghanistan   daily 

PASHTO  1400-1428 17720 kHz TRINCOMALEE Afghanistan   daily 

SWAHILI 0300-0400 06045 kHz MEYERTON    Africa (east) daily 

SWAHILI 0300-0400 07260 kHz MEYERTON    Africa (east) daily 

SWAHILI 1000-1100 15275 kHz MADAGASCAR  Africa (east) daily 

SWAHILI 1000-1100 17710 kHz MEYERTON    Africa (east) daily 

SWAHILI 1500-1559 15275 kHz TRINCOMALEE Africa (east) daily 

SWAHILI 1500-1600 17710 kHz DHABAYYA    Africa (east) daily 

Football specials

HAUSSA (Football) 1425-1630 15390 kHz ISSOUDUN Africa (west) Saturday on 05.11.16

HAUSSA (Football) 1425-1630 17570 kHz ISSOUDUN Africa (west) Saturday on 05.11.16

HAUSSA (Football) 1425-1630 15390 kHz ISSOUDUN Africa (west) Saturday from 19.11.16-17.12.16

HAUSSA (Football) 1425-1630 17570 kHz ISSOUDUN Africa (west) Saturday from 19.11.16-17.12.16

HAUSSA (Football) 1425-1630 15390 kHz ISSOUDUN Africa (west) Saturday from 21.01.17-18.03.17

HAUSSA (Football) 1425-1630 17570 kHz ISSOUDUN Africa (west) Saturday from 21.01.17-18.03.17

(Alokesh Gupta)

Radio Thailand B16

Radio Thailand World Service B16

Effective october 30, 2016 at 0800 UTC

0100-0200 UTC 13745 kHz

0230-0330 UTC 13745 kHz

1000-1100 UTC 17630 kHz

1330-1400 UTC 9390 kHz

1800-1900 UTC 9390 kHz

2045-2115 UTC 9390 kHz

0000-0100 UTC 13745 kHz

0200-0230 UTC 13745 kHz

0500-0530 UTC Internet

0530-0600 UTC 17640 kHz

1230-1300 UTC 9390 kHz

1400-1430 UTC 9390 kHz

1900-2000 UTC 9390 kHz

2030-2045 UTC 9390 kHz

2000-2015 UTC 9390 kHz

1300-1315 UTC 9390 kHz

1315-1330 UTC 9390 kHz

1200-1215 UTC 9390 kHz

1130-1145 UTC 5875 kHz

1115-1130 UTC 5875 kHz

1145-1200 UTC 5875 kHz

1100-1115 UTC 5875 kHz

Reception reports to :

Radio Thailand,World Services(HSK9),

Public Relations Department,

Royal Thai Government

236 Vibhavadi Rangsit Road,

Din Daeng,Bangkok 10400 

Thailand

Tel 662 2771814

Fax 662 2776139

(Alokesh Gupta,New Delhi)

ABU General Assembly 2016: New President and a new Vice President Elected

ABU General Assembly 2016: A New President and a new Vice President Elected to the Administrative Council

The 53rd ABU General Assembly in Bali, Indonesia concluded with the election of Mr Ko Dae-young, President and CEO of Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) as new President and Ms Supriya Sahu, Director General of Doordarshan-India as new Vice president of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.

http://www.abu.org.my/Latest_News-@-ABU_General_Assembly_2016-;_A_New_President_and_a_new_Vice_President_Elected_to_the_Administrative_Council.aspx

AIR Siliguri DRM

Deputy Director General of All India Radio North East Zone has inaugurated the new MW DRM 200 kW transmitter on 711 kHz at 1055 UTC on 26th October, 2016. In his speech broadcast till 1115 UTC on 26th Oct' 16 today he informed that power of analogue transmission on 711 kHz is 194 kW while the DRM transmission on 720 kHz is 6 kW. 

AIR Siliguri has a website at : www.airsiliguri.in

(Alok Dasgupta, Kolkata via dx_india yahoogroup)

RNZI B16

Effective from 30 Oct 2016 - 25 Mar 2017

UTC       KHZ       TARGET  DAYS

0000-0358 17675 AM  Pacific Daily
0359-0458 15720 AM  Pacific Daily
0459-0658 11725 AM  Pacific Daily
0659-1058 9765  AM  Pacific Daily
1059-1258 11610 AM  NW Pacific,PNG Daily
1259-1650 9700  AM  Pacific Sun-Fri
1259-1758 9700  AM  Pacific Sat
1651-1745 7330  DRM Cook Islands,Tonga,Samoa Sun - Fri
1746-2050 11690 DRM Cook Islands,Samoa,Tonga Sun - Fri
1759-2058 11725 AM  Pacific Sat
2051-2358 15720 AM  Pacific Daily

---

Alokesh Gupta

New Delhi

AOKI B16 SCHEDULES

AOKI B16 winter schedules are now available at :

http://www1.s2.starcat.ne.jp/ndxc/pc/nd/nxb16.zip

Download the zip file and extract the files, B16 schedule is available in excel and text formats.

(Alokesh Gupta)

AIR VBS in B16

In B16 AIR Vividh Bharati will use 9865 kHz instead of 9870 kHz in all transmissions from Bengaluru (to avoid co-channel interference at 1300-1600 UTC).

(Alok Dasgupta, Kolkata via dx_india yahoogroup)

Project to modernize the studio complex of the SLBC commences

The project to modernize the studio complex of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation commenced on 21st Oct'16. It began at the auspicious time of 8.56 a.m. under the auspices of Chairman Attorney-at-Law Nanda Muruththettuwegama. The refurbishment activities are to be carried out at a cost of 200 million rupees.

The project is expected to be completed by 5th January next year which marks the 50th anniversary of national radio becoming a corporation.

Source and full story at :

http://www.slbc.lk/index.php/slbc-news/slbc-local-news/2259-project-to-modernize-the-studio-complex-of-the-slbc-commences

Digital Radio Mondiale Transmissions during ABU and CBU Conferences

Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) to be demonstrated simultaneously from two continents

This year's annual General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union will be hosted by the Indonesian public broadcaster, RRI, in Bali. DRM will feature not only in the meetings of the specialised committees but also concretely with a live medium wave transmission on 20-24 October from one of the RRI MW transmitter in Denpasar, Bali on 1206 KHz. The DRM broadcasts will feature special messages for the ABU participants, presentations on RRI, DRM the emergency warning functionality, music, as well as the Journaline service accompanying the audio, allowing listeners to look-up the latest news on demand, free-to-air, on their receiver screens and in multiple languages simultaneously. The DRM demo run by RRI is actively supported by GatesAir, Transradio, Fraunhofer IIs and RFmondial key members of the Consortium.

In parallel, Babcock International (member of the DRM Consortium) will transmit BBC World Service content in DRM short wave from Singapore on 11995 kHz (25 metre band) at 0500-0700 UTC or 1300-1500 local time.

After last year's DRM medium wave trial, north of Jakarta, this is another chance to enjoy the audio qualities of DRM, and, as Mr Frederik Ndolu, member of the RRI Supervisory Board said:" to show RRI's commitment in understanding what is the most efficient solution for getting the best programmes, in the best quality to all our listeners, wherever they are in our vast country."

Almost at the same time with the big gathering on the tropical island of Bali, the General Assembly of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (24-27 October) will convene in Havana, Cuba. It will mark a significant moment as the Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium has announced it will be bringing the first live digital radio signal transmission to Cuba, the Caribbean region and parts of northern Latin America, and even as far north as Florida. The broadcast facilitated by Babcock International will come from the BBC via its Atlantic Relay station.

The DRM transmission will be in the 13 meter-band on 21720 kHz and will carry BBC World Service programmes in English. Additional multimedia features of DRM will also be demonstrated on radio receiver screens. The DRM broadcast will be on air from 1600-1800 UTC, 1200-1400 local time on Oct. 24 and 25.

Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Chairman, feels that: "this is a great opportunity to introduce DRM to the Caribbean nations, to highlight some of its great benefits, like the emergency warning functionality, so much at the top of the agenda for the people in this region of the world."

(DRM Consortium Press Release)

Imagination Technologies sells loss-making Pure radio business for £2.6m

Imagination Technologies will sell off its Pure digital radio business for £2.6m as it seeks to move on from record losses announced earlier this year.

Just months after the company posted its biggest loss in its 30-year history, Imagination has agreed to sell Pure to Austrian company AVenture AT, in a bid to reduce its debt.

Fhull story at :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/09/29/imagination-technologies-sells-loss-making-pure-radio-business-f/

Via Announces Patent Pool License for MPEG xHE-AAC to Support Digital Radio and Mobile Streaming Applications

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Via Licensing Corporation announced the availability of a patent pool license for MPEG Extended High-Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding (xHE-AAC), the latest upgrade to the AAC family of audio compression technologies used around the world for broadcast, streaming, downloading, and audio/visual capture and playback applications. xHE-AAC provides exceptional audio quality using low bit rates to deliver a listening experience suitable for mobile devices, but which can scale-up to offer audiophile-quality reproduction.

xHE-AAC is also designed to support the delivery of mixed music and speech content on mobile devices and automotive products. Applications for MPEG xHE-AAC include digital radio broadcasting, streaming over mobile networks, and audio books. Because MPEG xHE-AAC delivers bit rates as low as 12 kilobits per second (kbps) for stereo and 6 kbps for mono, it can save bandwidth and transfer costs for content distribution over the internet or wireless networks. For consumers, it can provide a more enjoyable and cost-effective listening experience on mobile devices. xHE-AAC has already been adopted for the Digital Radio Mondiale ("DRM") broadcast standard and is currently in use on DRM transmissions around the world.

"MPEG xHE-AAC is an important new technology and a significant addition to the AAC licensing program," said Andrew Fischer, Sr. Director, Audio Programs, at Via Licensing Corporation. "With xHE-AAC, the range of applications that can be enhanced by the AAC family of codecs continues to expand."

Licensors contributing research, capital investment, inventions, and development toward the standardization of this important technology include Dolby Laboratories, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Fraunhofer IIS, Koninklijke Philips N.V., NTT DOCOMO, Orange S.A., Panasonic Corporation, Sony Corporation, and VoiceAge Corporation. Via's licensors have made their patented inventions available to the industry through Via's pool on fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) terms.

xHE-AAC is a superset of the technologies licensed under the broadly adopted AAC patent licensing program. Companies that are licensees under an existing AAC Patent License Agreement and that wish to receive a license for xHE-AAC will be able to do so through a simple addendum to their in-place patent license agreement. Similarly, reporting a mix of AAC and xHE-AAC products is streamlined for the convenience of licensees. More information, including the xHE-AAC fee schedule is presented athttp://via-corp.com/licensing/xHE-AAC/overview.html

About Via Licensing Corporation

Via Licensing Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dolby Laboratories, Inc., a company with more than 50 years of experience in innovation and technology licensing. Via is dedicated to the development and administration of licensing programs for mandated, de facto, and emerging standards on behalf of innovative technology companies in the audio, broadcast, wireless, and automotive markets. For more information about Via, please visit via-corp.com.

Contacts

for Via Licensing Corporation

Brian Pitts, 312-475-5921

brian.pitts@hkstrategies.com

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160928006430/en/Announces-Patent-Pool-License-MPEG-xHE-AAC-Support