Radio Taiwan announces mascot sticker design competition

Stickers of an RTI mascot that accentuate RTI's role as an international broadcaster. The set of eight stickers should depict various expressions and emotions such as: happiness, anger, sadness, excitement, greetings, gratitude, encouragement, and amusement.

 

Use your creativity to design an RTI mascot that accentuates RTI's role as an international broadcaster. You can get inspiration from the stickers available in LINE's sticker market or in other messenger apps. Competition entries must consist of a set of eight stickers, and photos are not allowed.

Maximum of three sets of stickers per contestant. Contestants who enter more than one set of stickers should fill in multiple registration forms and upload their works as separate entries; those who submit their works by post can send them in one batch.

 

Submission Deadline : March 16, 2015

Details at :  http://events.rti.org.tw/big5/2014Activity/2014rtibb/en/index.aspx

KNLS Gets a Sister Station in 2015

For those of you who may have missed the December announcement, here it is again. KNLS will soon have a sister station. The document was issued by the government of Madagascar. Written in French, it gives World Christian Broadcasting permission to put new station, Madagascar World Voice (MWV), on the air.  The new station's towers are already built. The new transmitters are on the way, and hope to have MWV on the air by the middle of 2015.  

 

Madagascar is an island nation in the southern Indian Ocean, located about 300 kilometers across the Mozambique Channel from the east coast of southern Africa.

Millions who were previously unable to hear Alaska station KNLS, or who heard it faintly, will now have a chance to pick up a clear signal. For example, we get mail from KNLS listeners from India, which is half a world away from Alaska. Madagascar World Voice will send a clearer signal to India, so we expect the volume of mail from the planet's second-most populated country to increase. Some listeners in India have digital receivers, and MWV will have the ability to transmit a digital signal.

 

Madagascar World Voice will double the area of the world that can hear music to love, news to know, and a message to live.

  

World Christian Broadcasting's freshly minted 100 KW transmitters were loaded on a cargo ship in the Port of Houston on January 12, 2015.  A few days later the ship sailed, bound for the Indian Ocean.  Arrival date is expected to be somewhere around March 25.  The ships will cross many, many miles of open Atlantic Ocean before they sail under the tip of Africa to head north to their destination.  The two transmitters were built at a cost of $1,000,000 each, so we are praying for smooth sailing and a safe arrival!

 

Once the transmitters are unloaded at our station, much work is left to be done.  They must be installed in the transmitter building that has been awaiting their arrival.  They must be connected to the diesel generators that will power them.  Technicians from Continental Electronics in Dallas must go to fine-tune their installation.  Once all that has been done, we can begin the testing process—which in itself will take more than a month.  Once everything is in order, we can begin broadcasting in late 2015 or early 2016.  

 

Initially we will broadcast in six languages: Arabic (covering the entire Mid-East), Spanish (for South and Central America, plus the Spanish-speaking countries of Africa), English with an African sound (for the continent of Africa), Chinese (for western China), Russian (for the populous regions of western Russia, including St. Petersburg and Moscow), and International English (for India and nearby countries where English is a second language).    

 

Between the new station in the Indian Ocean and our other station in Alaska, our programming will cover almost the entire world (except for North America)

(Source : World Christian Broadcasting)

The story of Deccan Radio

"Radio is one medium that triggers all senses in a person," feels Aslam Farshori, one of the leading television and radio personalities in the country. He was one of the panellists at the Deccan Radio and Urdu Culture on the final day of the Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF) 2015.


Full story at :


http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/The-story-of-Deccan-Radio/2015/01/27/article2638181.ece

Virgin Radio could return to airwaves in digital reboot

Joint bid for new national digital radio multiplex from UTV Media and Bauer includes relaunching Virgin Radio brand, a TalkSport 2 and seven other new stations

Virgin Radio could return to the airwaves as part of one of two rival bids to run the next wave of national digital radio stations.

The return of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin brand is part of a bid put forward by Sound Digital, a consortium of TalkSport owner UTV Media, Magic parent Bauerand transmission business Arqiva, to run the second national commercial digital radio multiplex.

More info at :

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jan/29/virgin-radio-could-return-to-airwaves-in-digital-reboot

BBC’s Arabic Service marks 77th birthday

To mark its 77th anniversary, BBC Arabic is launching a new radio schedule, and new programmes to be broadcast from Cairo and London. The new programmes will showcase the BBC's commitment to distinctive and original journalism that matters to its diverse Arabic speaking audiences across the world. They will offer listeners a modern BBC platform with a dynamic pace, less formal presentation style and strong audience participation via mobile phones and online at bbcarabic.com. BBC Arabic is also re-launching its YouTube channel.

 

To celebrate the anniversary, BBC Arabic will host a concert of classical Arabic music on Saturday 31 January at Broadcasting House in London, the building that saw the launch of BBC broadcasts in Arabic in 1938.

 

BBC Arabic has established a deep-rooted relationship with its Arabic speaking audiences by providing objective, impartial and trusted news, world-class documentaries and investigative programmes. The numerous awards for BBC Arabic output include two prestigious prizes at the Association of International Broadcasting awards in 2014: the Investigative Radio Documentary award for Forbidden Love, about interfaith marriages in Egypt, and the TV International Investigative Documentary for Saudi's Secret Uprising.

 

Recent audience research (2014) shows BBC Arabic's overall audience reach has risen by more than 11 per cent to 36.2 million adults weekly - up from 32.5 million in 2012 to 2013. Since the 'Arab Spring' in 2010, BBC Arabic's weekly audience has risen from 21.6 to 36.2 million - an increase of 68 per cent.

 

On 27 January, BBC Arabic radio launched new-style news programmes and four new strands:

 

Sport News: A daily half-hour radio round-up of regional and world sports.

Women Today: A daily half-hour news and current affairs radio programme that focuses on women in the news in the Middle East and across the world. The programme offers a mix of reports, interviews and interactive debate.

Midnight Talk: A daily 50-minute programme for younger listeners. The programme provides a platform to freely investigate and debate social and political issues most relevant to young people in the Middle East. The programme has a chatty, informal tone and offers live interviews, music and a stage for talented young people.

Radio Archive: A weekly 27-minute strand, the Programme, draws on more than 70 years of BBC

Arabic Radio archive with rare and exclusive material. The programme also will offer current interviews with relevant people on some of the issues which have been raised in the past and still resonate today.

 

Tarik Kafala, the Head of BBC Arabic says: "This is a very exciting time for BBC Arabic. We are reaching our biggest audiences in our 77 years and developing in ways that will make us more relevant and essential than ever, on all platforms. Today, we're celebrating radio, the medium on which our reputation is built. The investment in new programmes and a new schedule shows our deep commitment to radio and our listeners, the heart and foundation of BBC Arabic."

(BBC Press Release)

Deutsche Welle relay station in Kigali to close down by 28 March, 2015

Deutsche Welle relay station in Kigali / Rwanda will be closed at end of B14 season and dismantled afterwards.

 

All shortwave services will be continued in A15 by rentals at same times and to same service areas.

 

DW English www.dw.de

DW Amharic www.dw.de/amharic

DW French  www.dw.de/francais

DW Hausa  www.dw.de/hausa

DW Swahili www.dw.de/kiswahili

DW Dari    www.dw.de/dari

DW Pashto  www.dw.de/Pashto

 

Kind regards,

 

Thomas Feustel

Technical Distribution

 

(Ivo Ivanov,Sofia, Bulgaria)

Radio Australia to cease Asia shortwave service this weekend

Asia is to lose another major shortwave broadcaster this Sunday as Radio Australia ceases 75 years in the region, but the service to the Pacific will continue.

On Sunday, 1st Feb 2015, Radio Australia's shortwave signal to Asia will be turned off, another result the ABC says of recent government funding cuts.

Shortwave broadcasting into the Pacific will continue, but signal strenth outside Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji may be degraded.

Related links :

http://tinyurl.com/q42ufds

http://tinyurl.com/nbjsjlt

Cricket gets global radio run in new programme Stumped

On Saturday 17 January the BBC World Service launched Stumped, a new programme dedicated to exploring the global world of cricket. The programme brings together three of the hubs of world cricket - the UK, India and Australia - in a programme made by the BBC in co-operation with All India Radio and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The Stumped team will be made up of presenters from all three broadcasters who will drive lively, informative, irreverent and humorous debate. Alison Mitchell - the BBC's first female cricket commentator - will host, assisted by the voice of cricket on ABC, Jim Maxwell, and the lead cricket commentator for All India Radio in English, Prakash Wakankar.

The first series will coincide with the start of the 2015 World Cup and aims to entertain and inform cricket and non-cricket fans alike. Each week, the programme will examine key talking points as well as look at some of the lighter stories in sport from around the world while on location in World Cup host countries Australia and New Zealand.

Renowned cricketing raconteur Henry Blofeld will also appear each week with his 'tales from the test'. With almost 40 years of cricket travels behind him, Henry has stories to tell from right around the cricket world.

Hard-hitting questions on Stumped will include,

Why did penguins once stop play?

Why do so many cricket terms find their way into everyday language?

And which international team score highest in the fashion stakes?

Steve Titherington, Senior Commissioning Editor for BBC World Service, says: "Cricket is a game with huge international appeal, but is understood fully only by some. It's a game where the heroes can be as popular as pop stars and the facts and figures studied as much as mathematical equations. Most of all it's a game which has attracted some of the best conversation and the best writing around the world. Stumped will concentrate this heritage into a programme that will delight the hardcore fans in any continent while appealing to the rest of us."

Listeners can tune in to Stumped weekly. The first edition airs Saturday 17 January from 0030 GMT around the world on the BBC World Service; in India at 1130 IST on All India Radio; and on Sunday 18 January in Australia at 1130 EST on ABC News Radio and ABC's Grandstand DAB Sport network. It will be available as a listen again at bbcworldservice.com and with extra content as a BBC podcast.

(BBC Press Release)

AIR Kolkata starts Vividh Bharati service on FM 101.8 MHz

The Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati ‪‎Jawahar Sarkar‬ today inaugurated the 10 kW FM transmitter for Vividh Bharati Service at Doordarshan Kendra premises. It is now available on FM 101.8 MHz.It will broadcast programmes of 15 hours 20 minutes on six days and 16 hours 20 minutes on sunday. In an interaction with the media at ‎Akashvani Bhawan‬, the CEO said, Kolkata is the first metro city to start ‪Vividh Bharati‬ service on FM. The service will be available in all four metro cities shortly.

 

(Via AIR News FB Page)

 

Test transmissions were heard since 15th Dec 2014.

 

Related :

 

Vividh Bharati moves to FM platform

 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Vividh-Bharati-moves-to-FM-platform/articleshow/45654448.cms

 

CEO Prasar Bharati inaugurates additional FM channel for AIR Kolkata

http://airddfamily.blogspot.in/2014/12/ceo-prasar-bharati-at-inaugural.html

KVOH acquires CVC's txer site at Lusaka, Zambia

(Los Angeles, California) December 18, 2014 – Strategic Communications Group ("SCG", http://www.voiceofhope.com/) announced today the purchase of its newest shortwave transmission facility in Lusaka, Zambia. Broadcast signals from this facility will soon be available to more than one billion potential listeners across the continent of Africa.

Strategic Communications Group, a broadcaster headquartered near Los Angeles, purchased the state-of-the-art transmission facility this month from Christian Vision (https://cvglobal.co/). The super-station will operate as Voice of Hope – Africa broadcasting the Gospel of Jesus Christ in English and several African languages - as well as providing news, health, and other information programming to audiences throughout the continent.

Reflecting on the acquisition, SCG President John Tayloe said "Shortwave signals continue to cross political, social, racial, economic, and cultural barriers. It is notable that China's explosive growth in shortwave broadcasting has increased their audience worldwide and has filled the void left by retreating Western countries from the powerful medium. I believe shortwave is the perfect medium for carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Unlike other forms of mass media such as satellite, terrestrial television/AM/FM radio, and printed materials - shortwave radio signals can still be sent without program content being restricted in any way. The Voice of Hope – Africa is a remarkable platform to reach millions. Voice of Hope is also excited about the latest technical advances that provide new opportunities such as CD quality over-the-air digital broadcasting (Digital Radio Mondiale - DRM), 24/7 internet streaming simulcasts, and dynamic interactive websites - and is actively investigating integrating all of these advances within each broadcast ministry."

The Voice of Hope – Africa campus has 12 buildings on 150 acres. It houses two 100 kW Continental shortwave transmitters and two high-gain TCI long range antennas that beam strong signals over all of west, central, and southern Africa. As part of its commitment to the community, SCG will also operate a Health Clinic from its broadcast campus and explore the viability of an annual Leadership program for Christian Pastors and Lay leaders. Because of its unique location, plans to expand the Voice of Hope's footprint into India and China from this location are also being evaluated.

Broadcasters ("NASB", http://www.shortwave.org/) said: "At a time when some countries and organizations have been reducing or eliminating their shortwave transmissions, it is In a message to SCG, Jeff White, past President, National Association of Shortwave refreshing to see that broadcasters like Voice of Hope are  expanding their reach and giving new life to shortwave. Africa is particularly important since the people of this continent rely heavily on shortwave radio to hear news, information and spiritual programming."

501(c)(3) charity in the United States. SCG also owns and operates the Voice of Hope – Strategic Communications Group was established in November 1998 as a non-profit, Americas (KVOH) radio station from Los Angeles that was launched in 1986 by George Otis, Sr., founder of High Adventure Ministries (1973-1999), and features broadcasts in Spanish and English to Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada and the USA. SCG is in the final stages of a major upgrade to the broadcast signal of Voice of Hope – Americas, installing a high-performance Harris shortwave transmitter. SCG is also in the planning stages for a state-of-the-art global Technical Operations Center (TOC) to be located in the Los Angeles area. This TOC will allow efficient monitoring and technical support of all Voice of Hope broadcast transmitter sites in the U.S. and abroad.

For further information contact:

John Tayloe

Tel: 805-338-0075

Jdtayloe@voiceofhope.com

(Press Release)

Mighty KBC extra broadcasts on Dec 25 & 26

KBC Radio extra broadcasts on December 25 and 26

Schedule of extra Mighty KBC broadcasts on 6095 kHz :

December 25 09:00 - 16:00 UTC 

December 26 11:00 - 16:00 UTC 

Please spread the word ! 

Sponsored by www.KBCimport.com

(KBC)

SAQ TRANSMISSION ON CHRISTMAS EVE

DECEMBER 24TH, 2014

There will be a transmission with the Alexanderson 200 kW alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz from Grimeton Radio/SAQ on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24th, 2014.

The message transmission will take place at 08:00 UTC (19:00 EDST). The transmitter will be tuned up from around 07:30 UTC (18:30 EDST).

There will be activity on amateur radio frequencies with the call SK6SAQ on any of following frequencies:

-   3,755 SSB

-   7,035 CW

- 14,215 SSB

- 14,035 CW

QSL- reports on SK6SAQ are kindly received: -  via SM bureau or direct to Grimeton Radio QSL-reports on SAQ are kindly received via:

- E-mail to: info@alexander.n.se

- or via SM bureau

- or direct by mail to:

Alexander - Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner,

Radiostationen, Grimeton 72

S-432 98 GRIMETON

S    W    E    D    E    N

The radio station will be open to visitors. No entrance fee.

Also read our website: www.alexander.n.se

Yours

Lars Kalland

SM6NM

BBC Tamil content now available on The Hindu website

Text content from the BBC Tamil website, bbctamil.com, is now directly available to users of the web version of The Hindu-Tamil – the Tamil daily from The Hindu group, one of India's oldest and most reputed media organisations.

Thanks to a syndication agreement between BBC World Service and The Hindu, up to ten stories from the international index of bbctamil.com are now featured on a BBC-branded section on the World page of tamil.thehindu.com

Traffic to bbctamil.com grew by around 80 percent year on year, compared to October last year. Over 70 percent of these users are in India.

BBC Tamil Editor, Thirumalai Manivannan, says: "This collaboration is an excellent development for our global audiences, especially those in Tamil Nadu. We hope that the strength of the BBC's international news coverage will bring extra benefits to the Tamil users of The Hindu website."

BBC World Service Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific, Indu Shekhar Sinha adds: "India is one of the fastest growing internet markets in the world and the expansion of the Tamil-language digital media market is part of this. We are confident that the collaboration with The Hindu-Tamil will further enhance BBC Tamil's reputation and audience."

The Hindu Tamil Editor, Asokan K, says: "The Hindu-Tamil's website tamil.thehindu.com caters to the Tamil-speaking diaspora around the globe. This collaboration with BBC Tamil will add more flavour to our audience that demands quality news".

The website bbctamil.com offers a range of content-sharing functions and has a mobile version. BBC Tamil offers 30-minute daily shortwave radio broadcasts to India and Sri Lanka. BBC Tamil also broadcasts a five-minute global update on Shakthi FM in Sri Lanka on weekdays.

BBC Tamil is part of BBC World Service.

(BBC Press Release)

Radio Pakistan installs modern digital 500 KW transmitter at Faqeerabad

Radio Pakistan has installed a modern digital 500 KW transmitter at Faqeerabad to multiply the outreach of its medium wave broadcasts on 585 KHz. The transmitter, along with renovation of studios at National Broadcasting House, has been installed with the technical and financial assistance of Japan.

The signing ceremony to hand over renovated studios and transmitter to PBC was held at National Broadcasting House Islamabad on Thursday. Director General PBC, Samina Parvez and Department Manager of Yachiyo Engineering, Kiyofusa Tanaka signed the documents. In her remarks on the occasion, Director General PBC thanked the Japanese government for helping PBC in strengthening its signal and modernizing its broadcasting system.

She said induction of new transmitter is another milestone reached by the PBC management in its endeavour to replace its obsolete and aging transmitters to cater its audience. The listeners in several parts of the country will enjoy radio programmes in clear voice. She said it is a matter of pride for PBC to have completed the project on time. Addressing the ceremony, Kiyofusa Tanaka said the completion of this project marks is yet another milestone in Pakistan-Japan relationship. He appreciated the effort put in by the staff of PBC for timely completion of this landmark project.

The objective of 'The project for rehabilitation of medium wave radio broadcasting network' executed with grant-aid of 'Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA) was to rehabilitate dying medium wave service of Radio Pakistan Islamabad for effective coverage in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Punjab and Gilgit-Balitstan. 

Under the project, 38 year old medium wave transmitter at Faqeerabad was replaced with a new 500 KW medium wave transmitter, based on latest digital technology. Besides, five Studios and master control room at National Broadcasting House were also digitized.

JICA provided grant-aid of 1,385 million Japanese Yen while Pakistan's government's share was 85.761 million rupees. M/s Yachiyo Engineering Company of Japan executed the project while M/s NEC Corporation, Japan supplied and installed equipments. On-job training was also given to the PBC engineers to effectively run the system.Programme in seven language, including Urdu, Punjabi, Potohari, Hindko, Pushto, Shina, and Balti will be aired on 585 KHz for listeners in 500 kilometer radius as compared with 70 kilometer radius in past. However, this transmission can be heard in a radius of up to 1,200 kilometers at night. Fourteen hours programmes will be aired from the transmitter on 585 KHz from tomorrow.

Samina Parvez Khalid

Director General

Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation

(Via Facebook)

RMRC Shortwave broadcasts in December 2014 about the EDXC'14 Conference

The Rhein-Main Radio Club ( RMRC ) of Frankfurt, Germany, plans to broadcast a one-hour program in English about the EDXC 2014 Conference held in September in Nice , France. There will be three separate transmissions:

to Japan and Asia from Sitkunai, Lithuania on 13. December at 2100 UTC on 11690 kHz;

to the Americas from WRMI on 15. December at 0000 UTC on ( 7455, 5850, 5015 kHz )

at the same time; and to Europe from WRMI on 15. December at 2100 UTC on 15770 kHz.

There will be taped interviews with several well-known DXers who attended the meeting. Thank-you very much to Mr. Toshi Ohtake of the Japan ShortWave Club (JSWC) for taping and providing these interviews.

QSL-verification via the RMRC and either as electronic or as paper QSL. Reception reports to either: info@RMRC.de or RMRC, Postfach 70 08 49, 60558 Frankfurt / Main, Germany. Return postage is not required.

See also web-page www.RMRC.de for details ("QSL-Info" ).

Transmission from Sitkunai, Lithuania:

Saturday, 13. December, 2100 - 2200 UTC.

Target Area Frequency Beam UTC-Time UTC-Day

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

Japan / Asia 11690 KHz 79 2100 - 2200 UTC Saturday, 13. December

That is 0600 local time on Sunday morning (14. Dec.) in Tokyo.

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

Transmission from WRMI , Okeechobee, Florida, USA:

Monday, 15. December, 0000 - 0100 UTC.

Target Area Frequency Beam UTC-Time UTC-Day

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

The Americas:

Western North Am. 7455 KHz 285 0000 - 0100 UTC Monday

Eastern North Am. 5850 KHz 355 same 15. December

Caribbean/Latin Am. 5015 KHz 160 same

That is 7:00 pm Eastern Time in the USA on Sunday, December 14.

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

Transmission from WRMI , Okeechobee, Florida, USA:

Monday, 15. December, 2100 - 2200 UTC.

Target Frequency Beam UTC-Time UTC-Day

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

Europe 15770 KHz 44 2100 - 2200 UTC Monday, 15. December

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

(Via Toshi Ohtake )