Vividh Bharati's Chennai station to go on FM mode

NEW DELHI: In its attempt to increase the reach of its channels all over the country, All India Radio (AIR) is placing the Vividh Bharati channel in Chennai on the FM mode from Friday, 20 February onwards.

The channel, which was inaugurated on 3 October 1957, has until now been broadcast on medium wave on a 20 KW transmitter.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Rathore, is expected to inaugurate the new channel on the 100.5 MHz tomorrow.

Full story at ...

http://www.radioandmusic.com/biz/radio/air/vividh-bharatis-chennai-station-go-fm-mode-150219

BROADCAST AUSTRALIA CHOOSE NAUTEL FOR HIGH POWERED FM TRANSMISSION

Nautel is pleased to announce the first deployment of high powered FM transmitters to Broadcast Australia under a new five year supply agreement.

The award winning NVLT series was chosen following a successful bid by Nautel and their Australian representative, Innes Corporation for Broadcast Australia's high powered FM transmission requirements. Nautel are world leaders in the development of innovative and intelligent broadcast transmitters and the NVLT series is ranked as best in its industry class for overall power efficiency.

Broadcast Australia's General Manager of Engineering, Stephen Farrugia said "We are pleased to formalise our continuing engagement with Nautel and Innes Corporation.  Broadcast Australia has been using Nautel solid state transmitters for over 25 years and look forward to excellent performance from these air cooled FM transmitters."

Innes Corporation's General Manager, Karen Olliver commented "We have a long standing relationship with Broadcast Australia and have worked closely with their RF Engineers and Field Services Technicians on past project and maintenance requirements. I am very pleased this relationship now extends to the supply of Nautel FM transmitters and this initial deployment will see the first 20kW NVLT's in Australia."

Nautel's Asia/Pacific Regional Manager, John Abdnour added "Broadcast Australia and Nautel continue a 2 decade long relationship with this agreement.  We look forward to the future of our relationship with the supply of the Nautel family of transmitters".

www.nautel.com

Press Release

Source: Innes Corporation

One wave of a time

With the passage of time, radio which once suffered at the hands of television, is witnessing a resurgence.

Radio was always considered as common man's medium. It was the medium which catered to the needs of communication and entertainment for nearly five decades. It was the medium which ruled the media space along with print medium. Utilized, explored, exploited and used by most of the political leaders of post-Independence era, this medium filled the void of communication created due to illiteracy. This medium could reach the farthest and remotest part of the country and even could find space in the life of an illiterate common man.

Read "The Hindu" story at ....

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/the-rise-of-radio/article6913013.ece

Staying Passionate About Radio

by Rosie Smith

STOCKHOLM — We as an industry all share a passion for radio and its future. However, passion alone cannot sustain any industry. It is important that we work on keeping listeners, attracting younger audiences and ensuring radio is available on all devices and platforms. This is no small task in an increasingly competitive media-filled world.

See more at:  http://www.radioworld.com/article/staying-passionate-about-radio/274536

Nigeria: AM Digital Transmitters for Kaduna State Radio

By Saxone Akhaine

In a bid to ensure quality of information transmission, Kaduna State Governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero has commissioned two 50 Kilowatts AM Digital Transmitters for the Kaduna State Media Corporation  (KSMC) to improve the services of the state owned media outfit.

Commissioning the equipment on Wednesday, last week, Yero said the installation of the digital transmitters would ensure that signals from the broadcast station transcend the entire Northern Nigeria. 

He also explained that "in line with our policy to fully ensure that all parts of Kaduna State have access to information through Radio, we have approved the establishments of two additional Sub-stations in Lere and Birnin Gwari Local Government Areas."

Besides, Yero has also directed the Ministry of Works to carry out complete rehabilitation of the Headquarters of the KSMC, the Katabu Transmitting Station as well as the Zaria and Kafanchan Sub-stations.

Source : http://allafrica.com/stories/201502161639.html

South Africa: Second DRM Program Now Available

As of Feb. 1, a second South African DRM program has been made available from the Radio Pulpit DRM test facility at Kameeldrift, north of Pretoria in South Africa, according to reports from the DRM Southern Africa Platform. It is transmitting BBC content digitally in the former AM band at 1440 kHz.

Read the full story at :

http://www.radioworld.com/article/south-africa-second-drm-program-now-available/274522

Deteriorating media environment: South Sudan threatens Radio Miraya

In what has been described as a growing and widening media crackdown, South Sudan's Information minister and government Spokesperson on Monday issued a warning that he would shut down the United Nations' Radio Miraya in Juba for broadcasting views of South Sudan's rebels.

More at.. ....

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/02/17/deteriorating_environmentsouth_sudan_threatens_radio_miraya/1123892

Inauguration of NER Archive of AIR & DD

Northeast Zonal archive of AIR and DD, the first media archive in the region, has got its shape with the opening of its own office as well as launching of its website www.nezaprasarbharati.in

 

Shri C Lalrosanga, ADG(P) NER has formally inaugurated the initiative of AIR and DD. Shri M S Ansari, ADG(E) NEZ  has launched the official website.

Contributed by : M. K. Devburman mkdburman@gmail.com

Source :  http://airddfamily.blogspot.in/2015/02/inauguration-of-ner-archive-of-air-dd.html?spref=fb

DRM at HFCC Global Shortwave Conference

Earlier this month, representatives from leading international broadcasters attended the 11th Global Shortwave Coordination Conference in Muscat, Oman. The conference brought together the world's primary shortwave coordination groups – the HFCC (High Frequency Coordination Committee) ABU (Asian Broadcasting Union) and ASBU (Arab States Broadcasting Union).

Read the full stort at :   http://www.drm.org/?p=3747

Multi program DRM broadcasts from AIR Bengaluru

Effective today, All India Radio Bengaluru is carrying three audio channels for it's external service DRM transmissions using new 500 kW Riz transmitter (approx 170 kW in DRM mode).

Other than regular external services, two other services FM Rainbow, Mumbai and Vividh Bharati are being broadcasted on same frequency.

Schedule for AIR Bengaluru DRM transmissions :

1000-1100 UTC on 17895 kHz English to Australia/NZ

1145-1315 UTC on 15795 kHz Chinese to China

2045-2230 UTC on 11620 kHz English to Australia/NZ

2245-0045 UTC on 13605 kHz English to NE Asia

Reception reports appreciated at :

sptairynk@rediffmail.com with copy to spectrum-manager@air.org.in

BBC Urdu has highest radio reach among international broadcasters in Pakistan

The BBC's new Urdu TV programme Sairbeen has built a weekly TV audience of 5.6 million since it launched on Pakistan's Aaj News channel, a new survey has found. BBC Urdu also has the highest reach on radio among international broadcasters in Pakistan.

Sairbeen was launched in its current format in March 2014 and is broadcast Monday to Friday. In addition to the impressive audience, Sairbeen has also reinforced the BBC's reputation for trust. Niney four percent of viewers who were surveyed saw it as trustworthy. The programme is also seen as relevant and good at providing a Pakistani perspective on big global events (80 percent).

Streamed live and available on demand online via bbcurdu.com, Sairbeen TV programme can also be watched on BBC Urdu channel on YouTube. The dramatic, tenfold increase in views on this channel over the past year is largely due to the programme's popularity, while exclusive interviews and a dedicated mobile offering have also contributed. Although YouTube is blocked in Pakistan, a large proportion of BBC Urdu viewers are still watching in that country.

On radio the survey found that more people tune in to the BBC Urdu radio in Pakistan than to any other international radio broadcaster. The survey also found that the BBC continues to be considered the most trusted, relevant and objective international broadcaster in Pakistan.

BBC Urdu's online presence has also seen a significant growth the last year, with peaks during major local and international stories. The number of users coming to bbcurdu.com via social media has grown threefold over the last year*. With over 2.9 million followers, the BBC Urdu page on Facebook has nearly tripled over the same period.

BBC Urdu Editor Aamer Ahmed Khan comments: "The survey findings and the latest digital stats summarise a very productive period for the BBC Urdu content on all platforms. Sairbeen TV programme is bringing us a very valued new audience via Aaj News channel. Our radio programming continues to be essential listening for international news-seekers across Pakistan – and our online and social-media presence is rapidly growing, connecting us with new, younger audiences. And all this is underpinned by trust in the BBC's output. These are very reassuring and inspiring findings."

BBC Urdu is part of BBC World Service.

(Press Release)

Why you should care about Software Defined Radio

It hasn't become a household term yet, but Software-Defined Radio (SDR) is a major player on the developing technology front. Whether you're building products for mass consumption, or just playing around for fun, SDR is worth knowing something about and I'll prove it to you.

More at ....

http://hackaday.com/2015/02/12/why-you-should-care-about-software-defined-radio/

Thank you for the radio

On World Radio Day, radio lovers say they miss the old times

If memes are to be believed, then it is true when it is said, 'Home is where the wifi is.' Wifi signals have become almost synonymous with one's connect to the world. But before all this came, there was only the humble radio. Be it entertainment or news, that was the world's only medium to know what was happening elsewhere.

The Hindu sums up enthusiasm of Radio lovers on World Radio Day.....

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/thank-you-for-the-radio/article6886601.ece

Digital Radio Summit 2015: Unifying the radio experience!

Yesterday's Digital Radio Summit marked the 8th anniversary of such an event. With over a 110 participants from 25 difference countries as far as Australia and the United States, the event showed that the discussions around the future of digital radio are still top on the agenda of many organizations.

Here's full report :

https://tech.ebu.ch/home/news/main/newsList/2015/02/10/digital-radio-summit-2015-unifyi.html

World Radio Day, February 13, will see inauguration of Special 4U0ITU Call Sign

ITU International Amateur Radio Club station 4U1ITU in Geneva will mark World Radio Day on Friday, February 13. This event also marks the kickoff for the International Telecommunication Union 150th anniversary.

International Amateur Radio Union President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, will inaugurate special call sign 4U0ITU at 0900 UTC. He will be accompanied by ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao, other elected officials and VIPs. The IARC will use the 4U0ITU call sign until World Radiocommunication Conference 2015, November 2-27, 2015.

World Radio Day commemorates the first broadcasts of UN Radio in 1946.

All 4U0ITU contacts will be confirmed. QSL information is available on QRZ.com.

http://www.arrl.org/news/world-radio-day-february-13-will-see-inauguration-of-special-4u0itu-call-sign