Radio on DTH splits broadcasters via Alokesh Gupta of DX India

Nivedita Mookerji
Monday, May 4, 2009 3:48 IST

New Delhi: Should radio be a part of the direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting
bouquet? The question has the country's media industry sharply
divided.Though some DTH platforms offer radio (mainly state-owned All India
Radio and satellite radio WorldSpace), the government is yet to take a
decision on whether to allow such a service. One of the issues raised by
some media players is that FM radio licences are city or town specific, and
that offering FM stations on DTH could be a violation of government norms.
Replying to a consultation paper floated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India (Trai) on the matter, WorldSpace has said that carriage of radio
channels as part of DTH TV service is well-accepted in most parts of the
world, including the US, Europe and the Middle East. According to
WorldSpace, radio channels that are approved by the competent authorities to
offer national level services may be permitted to provide content to DTH
operators in India.
FM radio player Entertainment Network India Ltd (ENIL) wants radio on the
DTH platforms for greater reach. Unlike TV signals, radio requires lower
bandwidth. "So, there won't be much additional burden on carrier capacity
and on transponder bandwidth," ENIL has said.On the other hand, Radio
Mid-Day, another private FM radio player, has said that DTH service
providers "cannot provide our Mumbai radio stations to their customers
outside Mumbai." Also, any service by DTH "to provide our channels should be
after taking our prior consent and after paying requisite fee," it said.Dish
TV, the first DTH operator, has said that DTH operators should not be
allowed to provide radio channels as it may be a violation of the licensing
conditions and uplinking/ downlinking guidelines. If DTH operators are
allowed to offer radio stations, many government norms need to be reviewed
and changed, Dish TV has said.The Zee Turner Alliance, too, has opposed the
idea. "DTH platform owners should not be permitted to carry radio channels
as the licensing for the radio services is separate and distinct," it has
said. It has argued permitting radio channels on DTH would result in
infringing of territorial limits specified by the existing radio
licences.Other DTH service providers, including TataSky, Reliance Big TV,
and Sun Direct, have however, stand in favour.TataSky has stated that it is
a common practice in many other countries to offer radio on DTH and even on
cable. There is no conflict of business interest with an existing radio
system as DTH is a paid service, it has said.
Reliance has compared this scenario with the telecom sector. "Like in the
case of telecom service providers, which can provide mobile TV in addition
to traditional voice and data, DTH operators can carry TV signals containing
audio and video, and also audio signals of a radio channel," Reliance has
argued.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1252658

----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi
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BBC changes frequency for evening Bengali & English service

Wed, 28 Jan 2009
In order to avoid interferece the following changes made by the BBC recently

1330-1500 hrs Bengali on 7550(now replaces 7580) - SUN only
1600-1800 hrs WS in Engl on 7355 (now replaces 7270) - daily

(AlokDasgupta via http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangladx/message/1537 )

----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi, India

Shortwave radio still packs an audible thrill

Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:29pm EST
By Robert MacMillan
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Somewhere on a lonely mountaintop on a starry night, or maybe in an apartment on a bustling city block, someone is channeling the whole world onto a mobile device. It's not a phone; it's a shortwave radio.
A staple form of broadcasting in many parts of the world since the 1920s and 1930s -- shortwave in North America has been mostly a hobby for decades.
Now that the Internet is a fixture in many homes in the United States and Canada, there are few practical reasons to buy a shortwave radio. Thousands of stations that once were available only on the shortwave band are online.
Shortwave also is distinctly old fashioned, cast against the shadow of the annual Consumer Electronics Show, which was held in Las Vegas earlier this month. The mother of gargantuan gadget fests featured shortwave radio makers, but the action these days revolves around digital audio devices.
The contrast is stark: iPods and satellite radios are slim and pocket-sized, while shortwaves are throwbacks, typically as square as a textbook and just as serious looking.
So why bother with shortwave?
It's easy and cheap -- and fun. You can hear and learn things that you would never find even if you work your search engine like a mule. From Swaziland to Paris to Havana, shortwave broadcasters can surprise an adventurous listener more than any MP3 playlist.
"You tune carefully, twist the radio from side to side, and there's still a bit of a 'Hey, I made this happen!' sort of thing," said Harold Cones, retired chairman of the biology and chemistry department at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.
It's also magic. Shortwave radio enthusiasts acknowledge the thrill -- the romance, in a way -- of going out at night and snaring news, music, odd bleeps, religious zealots and other broadcasts from the wild sea of frequencies in the sky.
In aural terms, the Internet wins. Shortwave by nature sounds dirty: Its signals whoosh from clouds of static and are subject to the whims of sunspots and atmospheric disturbances.
But when you hear voices over the noise and squeal, and realize you are hearing Mongolia, live, there is a warmth and a human connection that are hard to find on the Web.
Shortwave also can deliver news faster than you might find it online, and in places where your other devices don't work, said Ian McFarland, a former host and writer at Radio Canada International.
"It's more portable than a computer, especially if you ... don't have a laptop and you don't happen to have a hot spot on your favorite beach," he said. Batteries also keep them going a long time when the power goes out.
On a serious note, shortwave stations often resist many government attempts to jam them.
"Shortwave is unfettered by intermediaries so it's pretty much always there," said Lawrence Magne, publisher of the Passport to World Band Radio (http://www.passband.com). 

GETTING STARTED
You can find shortwave radios at a variety of Web retail and auction shops like Amazon, Universal Radio, The Shortwave Store, Grove Enterprises or even National Public Radio.
Bob Grove, at Grove Enterprises in Brasstown, North Carolina, also offers a handy beginner's guide (http://tinyurl.com/8rq3bt)

You could drop thousands of dollars on a radio, but units such as the Eton E100 (http://tinyurl.com/8x5q9o) generally range from $50 to $250. A perfectly serviceable radio sells for as little as $30, but more expensive models are better at pulling in fainter signals.
Listening is best an hour before and after sunrise and sunset -- and away from urban areas -- because of atmospheric conditions and because many broadcasters in distant lands are gearing up their broadcasts.
Try searching for distant shortwave signals, identify the station, write to them and get a "QSL Card," the broadcaster's acknowledgment that you made contact.
For die hards, listening to shortwave can make hours go by in a dream. For others, its an acquired taste -- Bob Grove said his wife is "partially tolerant."
"I've had radio equipment in my car in the past, and I have learned not to turn it all on when we were going on a date somewhere."
(To find a partial English-language list of what's on shortwave, try RadioShack (http://tinyurl.com/6texnw) or C.Crane (http://tinyurl.com/yjfcrq)).

(Reporting by Robert MacMillan; editing by Richard Chang)

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE50D6JF20090114

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Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi, India via http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangladx/message/1528

Radio still rules :: Bhutan & Media

14 January, 2009 - What was used five years ago for information is in use today for entertainment. This was one of the most significant changes in media trends, according to the draft media impact study (MIS) 2008, conducted by the centre for media and democracy.

The most visible influences of media are in the language, dress, behaviour, thinking and culture. The study found that Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) radio had the widest influence (33.8 percent), followed by BBS TV (29.5 percent) and Indian TV (22.3 percent). The study had 1191 respondents.
Though most felt that media promoted Dzongkha after the election debates, the study also states that, "a significant development is the emergence of Dzonglish (a mixture of English and Dzongkha), particularly among the youth."
The visual media's influence on dress, appearance, concept of beauty and behaviour (imitation of TV actors) are other impacts of the media. "The concept of beauty, with traditional notion of beauty being related to health and strength, is being replaced by the hour glass figure," says the study.
Newspapers influenced decision makers, while Bhutanese broadcast media had the greatest influence on mass thinking. In terms of culture, Hindi music was replaced by rigsar and youth are taken in by the fast talking radio jockeys.
One significant social change was that, today, Bhutanese have adjusted their lives around TV viewing for, in 2003, 64.5 percent said that TV viewing affected the time they have for work, while today it's only 16.3 percent.
While media now are critical players in the political process of an emerging democracy, overall, it found that there is a lack of content for children.
In terms of news preference, BBS radio tops as the main source for news. 49.4 percent respondents choose BBS radio, followed by BBS TV (37.6 percent) and Kuensel with 27.5 percent.
Kuzoo FM is the main source of entertainment for 35.8 percent, followed by international TV, 21.7 percent and BBS TV 7.7 percent.
Among other findings, the study states that, with foreign radio jockey (RJ) culture, the private radio's popularity has grown among youth and the rate of international radio listeners has dropped from 33.7 percent in 2003 to nine percent in 2008.
After the launch of satellite TV in 2006, BBS overtook international channels, with its viewership increasing from 30 percent to 54 percent. The past five years also saw a drastic increase in the use of mobile phones, with more than 250,000 users, compared to 28,000 fixed line users.
Yet, while the digital media became more popular, with eight percent of the respondents having access to Internet, 41.2 percent going to cinema, 44.8 percent watching TV for entertainment and 45.8 percent for news, the study found that newspapers were the least popular.
Among the respondents, 34.6 percent read Kuensel, 21.7 percent Bhutan Times and 20.9 percent Bhutan Observer. Though Dzongkha was the most popular language for TV and radio, for newspapers, it was English.
In terms of news coverage on developmental topics, good governance and culture were seen to be better covered than socio-economic and environmental issues. On content, however, people generally thought that youth were portrayed negatively, along with gender stereotypes, and the media was becoming more tabloidish, political and the nation's critic. They also saw a need to balance rural-urban stories and wanted more coverage on laws (marriage, citizenship, policies, NOC).
BBS TV and radio enjoy more credibility than private radios and international TV. 29.5 percent believed in BBS TV as compared to 7.5 percent in international TV. In case of press, Bhutanese newspapers were more believable than the international papers.
14.1 percent said Kuensel was a more credible source of news, while 6.5 percent said Bhutan Observer and 6.2 percent said Bhutan Times.
But the competition in the media has made people question accuracy, thus affecting the media's credibility, says the study. "Many note new sensationalism and degradation in content."
Five districts representing the east (Trashigang), west (Thimphu), south (Sarpang, Chukha) and central (Bumthang) regions were covered during the survey. The survey sample includes 600 rural and 600 urban households.

By Sonam Pelden
spelden@...

http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=11813

----------------------
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi via http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangladx/message/1527 

Radio Sweden Special broadcast

Radio Sweden Special 70th Birthday Broadcast

Live from Studio Five

Ever since 1938 Radio Sweden has served as an important link between Swedenand the rest of the world. On Wednesday, September 3 we'll be celebratingour 70th birthday with special broadcasts, a panel discusion, and livemusic.Our first English broadcast of the day, at 12:30 hrs UTC, will be a liveprogram from Studio 5 at Broadcasting House in Stockholm. We'll be taking alook back at some of the major stories we've covered over the years, andtalking with many guests, including some wellknown Radio Sweden voices fromthe past.That will be followed by a special panel debate in Swedish with a number ofcultural and media personalities.The 14:00 hrs UTC Swedish broaadcast will also be live from Studio 5.The entire special program, from 12:30 to 16:30 hours UTC, will be carriedlive in a special web broadcast.So don't fail to join us to celebrate our 70th, Live from Studio Five.

One new SW transmitter on the air in Romania, the second one malfunctioning

The website of Radio Romania International carries the following
announcement:
On August 4th, at midnight (Romania's time) or August 3rd at 21 hours GMT,
the new 300 kW, short wave transmitters located in the locality of Galbeni
started operating. The transmitters are the property of the National Radio
Communications Company, RADIOCOM. We are waiting for your written feedback
related to the quality of reception.
The old transmitters in Tiganesti will be decommissioned, to be replaced, in
about 2 months' time, with new 300 kW transmitters. Therefore, in the coming
months, RRI's broadcasts can be received on the same frequencies on which
you have listened to our programmes so far and which we announced in mid May
2008.
RADIOCOM has given a warning though, that, given the complexity of the
radiant system and of the new automatic switch system, the functioning of
the new short wave transmitters in Galbeni might be interrupted. We will
notify you about these possible interruptions as soon as we get news of it
from our colleagues at RADIOCOM.
In fact, only one of the two new transmitters is functioning normally.
Shortly after publishing this item, a follow-up message was posted on the
RRI website. the following frequencies have been or are being affected:
The programs beamed to India at 3 hours UTC on 11 895 Khz, to Australia at 5.30 hours UTC on 17 770 Khz, to Western Europe at 17.00 UTC on 11 735 Khz, to North America (the East Coast) at 20.30 UTC on 11 940 Khz and at 22.00 UTC on 9709 Khz.

On August 4th, the new 300 kW, short wave transmitters located in the locality of Galbeni had been scheduled to start operating.
The old transmitters in Tiganesti will be decommissioned, to be replaced, in about 2 months’ time, with new 300 kW transmitters.
As soon as the malfunction is remedied RRI’s broadcasts can be received on the same frequencies on which you have listened to our programs so far and which we announced in mid May 2008.
We wish you good reception conditions.
Radio Romania International - http://www.rri.ro/index.shtml?lang=1

RTI listeners club (Kolkata) meet snaps

Dear friends,

Some of the RTI listeners club (Kolkata) meet snaps can be seen at the following URL:

http://picasaweb.google.com/swopan/RadioTaiwanIntListenersMeetKolkata2008
Regards,

--
Swopan Chakroborty
Kolkata, India

International Radio Serbia - EU offers closer ties to Serbia

Following events from Serbia via shortwave radio

EU offers closer ties to Serbia

The European Union has said it wants to accelerate Serbia's progress towards membership following the re-election of pro-Western President Boris Tadic.Mr Tadic claimed victory after taking slightly more than half the votes cast in a tight run-off contest with nationalist Tomislav Nikolic.It comes as Serbia's Kosovo province prepares to declare independence.In a message to Mr Tadic, Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission - the EU's executive arm - said the result was "a victory for democracy in Serbia and for the European values we share".

Continued news story from BBC News at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7225727.stm

International Radio Serbia is active on shortwave radio on the following
English schedule:
All times UTC
Target Areas; na (North America) eu (Europe)0100-0130 Mon-Sat. 7115
na0200-0230 7115
na1400-1430 7240
eu1930-2000 6100
eu 7240
eu2200-2230 6100
eu 7240eu
(Source: Monitoring Times-SW Guide)

Chad state radio station put out of action by looters/rebels

IR07
International Relations & Political Science

Chad Latest: Radio Off Air
Posted by Editor on February 2, 2008

It is about 1945 UTC (7:45 p.m.) Saturday - and the Radio Nationale Tchadienne frequency is blank. This new and reasonably high-powered transmitter was coming in well here at my location since its recent inauguration. I can only assume its absence is due to the fighting around Njamena. The Media Network blog reports others as saying they are also missing Chadian media outlets.

Chad state radio station put out of action by looters
Chad state radio went off the air on Saturday as rebels advanced into the capital, opposition leader Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh said. He made the claims in a telephone call from the central African nation’s embattled capital, N’Djamena. Saleh said rebels had entered the city and shooting that had erupted in the morning appeared to have died down. He said there were no soldiers in his neighbourhood and the state broadcaster had gone off the air in the morning.
(Source: Press Association)

Update 1645 UTC Sunday 3 February: More fighting is reported in N’Djamena. AFP reported this morning that government helicopters had attacked a column of rebels in the south of the city heading towards the main radio station. No broadcasts were monitored yesterday evening on 4905 kHz, which had been putting strong signals into Europe in recent days (see attached comment from Dr Derek Lynch).

On Sunday afternoon, the AFP news agency reported that the radio station had been “destroyed today by fires and looting.” Witnesses said the radio station had been pillaged by a mob that smashed broadcasting equipment and made off with computers. That suggests it was put out of action rather than totally destroyed.

Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland Says:

February 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 pm

CHAD 4905 SILENT
Radio Nationale Tchadienne’s new SW transmitter went silent today. I was unablke to hear its French newscast at 1930. The frequency was totally blank - it’s not a case of poor reception. But this transmitter was putting in an excellent signal here, both mornings and evenings, since its recent inauguration. DL

YouTube videos of fighting in Chad

In the absence of TV reports from Chad, I came across some videos posted on YouTube by members of Stop Genocide Now, who were at a hotel in N’Djamena, Chad, as the rebel forces entered the city. The group have now been evacuated. These are very high quality videos.
Fighting in N’Djamena Part 1
Fighting in N’Djamena Part 2
Fighting in N’Djamena: Part 3

Chad rebels fight their way into capitalN'DJAMENA (Reuters) -

Rebels in Chad seeking to overthrow President Idriss Deby battled their way into the capital N'Djamena on Saturday and said they were securing it, but a minister said government forces still controlled the city.Residents and diplomats said rebel fighters had entered the capital, but the situation remained confused. Machine gun and heavy weapons fire, sometimes sporadic, sometimes more intense, could be heard as France prepared to evacuate French and other foreign nationals.Consult the following web address for the additional story:http://www.reuters.com/

The following logs of Chad, reflect what has been monitored in recent weeks. Frequencies remain current at this posting.
Gayle VH - via mt-shortwave Blog

All times UTC

Yes, Chad received here in Sri Lanka too, but only in the evening slot, initially mixing badly with CNR. Thanks for the tip. I have ben rather slow with my DXing due to too much work. But one by one the antennas are getting refurbished and will come back with a lot of interest, not that I have ever been off the band. How can I when I earn a living being in front of a radio.

One comment, someone said probably Chad is down here due to interference on 6 KHz. Well the reason is, I am sure, that evening and morning 6 MHz is not serving a wider area due to propagation in an area between the ground wave and the first sky wave coverage area. With the sun spots so low for local shortwave coverage the angle of return has to be wider as the frequency goes up. Right now here in the tropics in Sri Lanka which is almost similar latitude to Chad, till about 8 a.m. in the morning and after 7 p.m. it is hard to have any coverage in an area about 200kms from the txsite on 6, 7 MHz. So as hams we have to come down to the next band 75metres. With a lot of people depending on SW in Chad the 4904.5 is a logical move. (Victor Goonetilleke-CLN 4S7VK, DXplorer)

4905 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne (Ndjamenne). 2256-2301*. 26 Jan 08. French. Hip hop music in English and Afropop in French. Station promos at 2300. National Anthem to sign-off at 2301S9/very good signal. (J Wood, TN)

4905 (reactivated frequency) Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne, Grevia, 1729-1914, Arabic, announcements, talks, local tunes, Vernacular, tribal tunes; French 1859, news, program "Espace Jeune"; 54444; I was unable to monitor its sign-on time, but estimate it as being 1600, and 4905 is ex-6165 evenings only for the latter is used during the day.

4905 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne. Armchair level signals from 0509 tune to 0645 end recording peaked at S5 from 0530 to 0630 with quick improvement from 0509 and slower degradation after 0630. Interesting programing. Local indigenous vocals at 0634-0636. Several telephone call-ins heard around 0600 and after 0636. SINPO 4/5-5-4-4-4. Best I have heard Chad here on any frequency. (Bruce Churchill-USA, DXplorer)

6165 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne , Grevia, 1328-..., French, news. SINPO 25332, QRM de HRV later on only.
6165 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne , Grevia, 1113-1400,. Vernacular to talks, ... , French at 1340 when signal rated SINPO 25342,..., tribal songs at 1450; 13441, QRM de HRV whose signal is usually felt well after 1400. (Carlos Goncalves-POR, WWDXC BC-DX)

6165 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne . Replaced by 4904.97 kHz at 0430-0730 and 1600-2230 UT. 6165 or 7120 on Sat/Sun 0730-1000, daily 1000-1600 UTC.
6165, Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne 2210-2230*, Mixing with Croatia. Both in at fair levels with Croatia in English at 2215-2218*. Croatia abruptly off at 2218 leaving Chad in the clear with French talk, Afro-pop music and sign off with national anthem. (Brian Alexander, PA)

6165, Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne, 2050-2200, Good Afro-pop with lively DJ, short ID (as stated) in French, 2115 "(Musique) Internationale" started with "Macarena", then mixed Afro, rap and raggae. Wiped out station underneath (Croatia?) completely almost. From 2145 QRM had completely vanished. 2200 News (Krone) (DX Window # 318 via Anker Petersen)

6165 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne , 1114-Vernacular, tribal songs. SINPO 23431, QRM de HRV but also de RWN in Spanish via Bonaire. Propagation wiped out all 3 stns lateR.(Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX ) (Source: WWDXC Top News (BC DX # 796)

Correspondence may be directed to:Radiodiffusion Nationale TchadienneBoite Postal 892N'DjamenaChad(Source: World QSL Book/Teak Publishing)

RFI taken off the air in Ivory Coast (Cote-d'Ivoire)

Abidjan, 1 February 2008: The Ivorian media regulatory body has suspended the broadcasting of Radio France Internationale programmes “across the whole of the country”, “until further notice”, because of the lack of a radio correspondent in the country.“RFI programmes broadcast on FM and by satellite have been suspended as of midnight on 31 January,” says a statement issued by the Ivorian National Audiovisual Communications Council (CNCA), sent to AFP.

The statement, signed by the CNCA chairman, Jerome Diegou Bailly, notes that on RFI’s part there is “a clear determination not to meet either its written pledges or to keep its word”.“RFI put a request to the CNCA and gained approval for a correspondent to be put in place in Abidjan by 31 December, a pledge confirmed to Abidjan on 23 November by Ms Dominique Burg, the network director,” continues the statement, emphasizing that the radio had been given a “further extension until 31 January”.On 18 April 2007, the CNCA had already threatened to suspend RFI programmes until mid-May if the radio failed to keep a correspondent in the country. On 12 May 2006, the CNCA gave permission for RFI programmes to resume broadcasting in Cote d’Ivoire after a gap of almost 10 months, notably for “unprofessional treatment of news”, due partly to the “lack of a correspondent” in the country.

This authorization was given “after several meetings between the two parties, who decided to settle the dispute amicably”.The radio had closed its regional office in Abidjan following the death of its correspondent, Jean Helene, shot in the head and killed by a police officer in Abidjan on 20 October 2003.RFI FM broadcasts in Cote d’Ivoire have been suspended several times since the attempted coup d’etat of September 2002 by rebels of the New Forces against President Laurent Gbagbo.(Source: AFP news agency, Paris, in French 1629 gmt 1 Feb 08 via BBC Monitoring/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

All India Radio Special Broadcast 25-29 January 2008

All India Radio Special Broadcast 25-29 January 2008
Sat, 19 Jan 2008

Alokesh Gupta,New Delhi All India Radio will broadcast following special programmes in connection with the Republic Day Celebrations.
25 Jan 2008 (Fri) - 1330 UTC onwards : President's Address to the Nation. 9835, 9575, 5015, 6030, 6085
26 Jan 2008 (Sat) - 0350 UTC onwards : Running commentary on the Republic Day Parade and Cultural Pageant from Rajpath Hindi Commentary : 9595, 11620, 15020 English Commentary :6085, 9950, 11585,15050
29 Jan 2008 (Tues) - 1630-1700 UTC Radio Report on 'Beating Retreat' ceremony. 7140, 9835, 9575, 6085
Note : 9950 via Aligarh, 15050 via B'lore, all other freq's via Delhi.
Consequent to the above special broadcasts there will be changes/cancellation in the schedule of National bulletins in Regional languages, Hindi/English News & Current Affairas programmes.
All stations of AIR will relay at least one of these programs.

Reception reports to: spectrum-manager@air.org.in
Or can be submitted online at : http://www.allindiaradio.gov.in/recepfdk.html

World Radio TV Handbook - WRTH 2008

Publisher: Nicholas Hardyman

No of pages: 672

Publisher: WRTH Publications Limited, PO Box 290, Oxford, OX2 7FT, United Kingdom

Order Fax: +44 (0)1865 514405.

Web (secure online ordering): http://www.wrth.com/

E-mail: sales@wrth.com

Cover price: £23.00 including airmail postage worldwide.

ISBN: 978-0-9555481-0-9



Published in the USA by Watson-Guptill Publications, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9595, USA

Distributed in Germany by Gert Wohlfarth GmbH. E-mail: info at wohlfarth.de

The World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH), subtitled the Directory of Global Broadcasting, published its 2008 edition in December 2007. There is a very small decrease (16) in the total number of pages, probably reflecting cuts in the output of many international broadcasters in the past year. This is mentioned in the editorial, where Publisher Nicholas Hardyman says that "any country wishing to broadcast its world view reliably can only do so by retaining an effective and up-to-date HF broadcasting capability."

But the WRTH is not stuck in a timewarp. Full use is made of a website to deliver updates to the printed book, and the editorial mentions that it is hoped to launch a new section called "FMXtra" in 2008, that will provide information on "the large number of low-power FM stations for which there is no room in the printed book." This will be a welcome addition, though the scale of such an effort will be daunting, given the thousands of stations involved.

Two radio stations are the subject of special feature articles. One is Falklands Radio and the other, which we were delighted to see, is Radio Voice of the People, which broadcasts to Zimbabwe via the Radio Netherlands Worldwide Madagascar relay station. Both these station profiles are illustrated with colour photos.

Receiver reviews

Very few new shortwave receivers of any quality are being produced at the moment, and this is reflected by the fact that four pages of the review section are devoted to a restrospective look at a classic receiver, the Racal RA1792. But DRM-capable receivers such as the Morphy Richards 27024 and the Himalaya DRM 2009 are also featured. Digital Update takes a look at digital radio and TV developments during 2007. The conclusion drawn by the WRTH is that "the advance of digital techniques continues apace, especially in television, but it will be some time before the picture becomes clearer."

The receiver reviews in WRTH are selective rather than comprehensive. For a detailed survey of analogue receivers currently available in the shops, the casual shortwave listener needs to turn to other sources, such as Passport to World Band Radio.

The reference sections

The listings of radio and TV stations around the world have always been the raison d'être of WRTH and, with the exception of international broadcasts, these continue to increase as the years go by. The WRTH, while widely used by international broadcasting professionals, was originally created with the listener primarily in mind. Consequently the US listings, for example, contain only the higher powered AM stations likely to be heard well beyond their official coverage area, and FM stations serving major metropolitan areas. But the FM listings have limited usefulness, as they do not give any details of format, or even how to contact the station. This will hopefully be rectified when the new FMXtra section is launched on the website.

Essentially, the structure of the book remains as it has always been: stations are listed by country and frequency. There are separate country listings for domestic and international broadcasting services. There is also a separate section listing clandestine and other target broadcasts. The frequency lists are divided into five separate mediumwave tables covering different geographical regions, and a single shortwave list in frequency order. There are also handy lists of international broadcasts in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish in time order. All times in the WRTH are in UTC.

User-generated content

The radio listings in the WRTH are generally of a very high standard, and the list of contributors reads like a who's who of international radio listening. In a sense, the WRTH relies to a considerable extent on user-generated content, as these contributors are also among the book's most active users. This contrasts with the approach taken by Passport to World Band Radio which relies more on a combination of official schedules and intensive monitoring by a small team of experienced editors.

The shortwave frequency information is as up-to-date as it could possibly be, bearing in mind the very short time between the start of the winter schedules and the print deadline of the book. The copy deadline for the schedules of the international broadcasters was 10 November 2007.

TV listings remain the weakest link

As far as content is concerned, the radio listings are excellent, but the TV section of WRTH remains its weakest link due to the limited space available. A note at the top of the TV section says that "it's hoped to make more comprehensive information available in the future, including on the WRTH website". This seems like a good idea, but the same comment appeared in last year's edition, and not much has changed. The criteria for what to include in the TV section seem random at best. The introduction says "Space is limited in this section and transmitter details are include where space permits; local stations are included if the number does not exceed the space limitation."

As it stands, the TV section occupies 40 pages, but its usefulness to either TV DXers or professionals is questionable. It appears that the WRTH is produced by dedicated radio enthusiasts with little or no interest in TV, and the section is retained purely to justify the book's title. Clearly, someone with a real interest in TV is needed to clean up this section, at the very least to establish logical criteria for what to include. Forty pages of information on world TV could still be very useful if put together by someone who understands what's important and what isn't.

A labour of love

Despite our misgivings about the TV section, the UK publisher of WRTH continues to make substantial improvements to the overall content and quality of the book year by year. The 2008 edition, the 62nd, is once again the best and most comprehensive ever. There is no price increase compared to last year, and especially when you consider how much information you get, it's a real bargain. Therefore, we highly recommend it.

If you're interested in seeing what earlier editions of the WRTH looked like, still available are two CDs called WRTH 1946-58 and WRTH 1959-70 containing complete scans of all those editions in PDF files. The CDs were independently produced by the German listeners' organisation ADDX.

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This review was done independently of the editors and publisher. We have no financial connection with either and provides the information above in good faith.

Pacific Island Public Radio - RNZI Mailbox documentary January 21

The latest Radio Heritage Foundation documentary on Radio New ZealandInternational [RNZI] looks at the impending sale of government ownedSBC Samoa and considers its impact on local public radio in Samoa.

Previous privatization examples include Radio Cook Islands and WVUVAmerican Samoa. How have these stations fared since? What are the FMradio options that listeners in Apia, Pago Pago and Avarua currentlyenjoy.
Other broadcasters from outside the region, such as Radio ChinaInternational and Radio Australia, are now opening commercial free FMrelay stations across the region. Are the days of locally funded andoperated public radio stations in the islands numbered?
Currently, the 540 AM signal of SBC1 provides cyclone warnings for awide arc of islands including the two Samoas, Niue and Tokelau. Withthe station being sold, will this vital emergency service continue orbe closed down to save costs?
Listen to Mailbox on RNZI on Monday January 21 as David Ricquish ofthe Radio Heritage Foundation explores some of the issues. Visithttp://www.rnzi.com/ for shortwave frequencies and times, and to download anaudio on demand version of the program that will be available onlinefor four weeks from January 21.
For more information about broadcasting in the two Samoas, CookIslands and Tokelau, visit http://www.radioheritage.net/. An online versionof the program script along with exclusive images of Samoan radiowill also be available from later in January at http://www.radioheritage.net/.
Updated versions of the full Pacific Asian Log Radio Guides forMediumwave and Shortwave stations across the region are alsoavailable, and a new series of Pacific Radio Guides including all FMstations in the region will be available shortly athttp://www.radioheritage.net/.

The Radio Heritage Foundation "Sharing the Stories of Pacific Radio"
Radio New Zealand International website: http://www.rnzi.com/

Radio Heritage Foundation website: http://www.radioheritage.net/

Asia Compact's January quiz online

January Quiz

Please click on the link below to enter Asia Compact's January quiz online or send us your answers to the following question to win a short-wave radio and other Deutsche Welle prizes!

Which Asian country is holding its first general election this year?

A. Bhutan?
B. Nepal?
C. Bangladesh?

To be entered in the prize draw, please send your answers and your postal addresses to us at myasia at dw-world.de or to Deutsche Welle Radio, Asia English Department, Kurt-Schumacher Straße 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany.

The answer to December's question of which Asian country is taking over the G8 presidency from Germany in January was of course Japan. Thanks to all of those who entered the quiz and congratulations to all of those who got it right!

The winners will be announced shortly!

--
Swopan Chakroborty
Kolkata, India

Cops clean up the air over Sagar, 6 illegal radio stations busted

Suchetana Haldar
Posted online: Saturday , January 12, 2008 at 02:08:16
Updated: Saturday , January 12, 2008 at 02:23:15

Kolkata, January 11 The West Bengal Police today cracked down on six unauthorised private radio stations operating on Prasar Bharati frequencies. All have been operative in the various pockets under the Sagar police station in South 24 Parganas under names like Nagraj betar kendra, Ma Bishalakkhi and Ma Kali asthayi betar kendra. Acting on secret information from amateur radio operators, officers from the Sagar police station raided these centres.
Praveen Kumar, SP (South 24 Parganas) said: “We raided and dismantled six radio stations. Four persons were arrested. These stations have been running for long.”

A huge number of music CDs, DVDs, microphones and six radio transmitters and high frequency antennae were seized from these offices. The operators — Anukul Shaw, Shanatan Jana, Srikanta Pramanik and Gaur Chandra Maity — were in their early twenties. Jana runs a radio repair shop in his neighbourhood.
A year ago, amateur HAM radio operators had warned the monitoring station at Gopalpur, in South 24 Parganas, about unauthorised radio stations.
The monitoring station is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Communications, Government of India. The monitoring station had filed a police complaint last year, but it had been difficult to locate the base stations then. This year, the police succeeded in tracking them down.
In general, the makeshift stations operate by procuring indigenous transmitters. “Transmitter circuits can be readily made at homes. The radio operators then procure these transmitters and the entire station could come up for an investment of Rs 5000 only. Then they are free to air music, organise request shows and make revenues from advertisements,” said an amateur radio operator. The operators make brisk business round the year airing local ads.

These operators operate in the medium wave in the range of frequencies 565 KiloHz to 1600 kiloHz used for broadcasting services like All India Radio.

The unauthorised broadcasters often suppress the Prasar Bharati broadcasts as the transmitters are quite powerful locally, say within a radius of five to seven kilometres.

Dxers Unlimited's weekend edition 5-6 January 2008

Radio Havana Cuba
Dxers Unlimited
Dxers Unlimited’s weekend edition 5-6 January 2008
By Arnie CoroRadio
amateur CO2KK

Hi amigos radioaficionados around the world and in space… welcome to the weekend edition of Dxers Unlimited coming to you from Havana . I am Arnie Coro, radio amateur CO2KK , and it is my pleasure to begin another year during which Dxers Unlimited will be on the air, as always at the service of radio hobby enthusiasts , people like you and I who enjoy this wonderful way of spending our spare time.Now here is our first item of today’s program, it’s certainly very important news, that I am sure is going to make everyone really happy…

It’s news we were all waiting for ansiously… finally, it has happened, 93 million miles away from Earth, the long awaited first reverse magnetic polarity high latitude sunspot group has appeared, signaling the start of solar cycle 24 !!!Yes amigos, the Sun made headlines asSOLAR CYCLE 24 BEGINS: Solar physicists have been waiting for the appearance of a reversed-polarity sunspot to signal the start of the next solar cycle. The wait is over. January the third a magnetically reversed sunspot emerged at solar latitude 30 N,, and that amigos is what we were all waiting for …this is an almost one hundred percent assurance that the new cycle has now started, but let me add that the solar maximum for this new cycle is still several years away…The magnetic configuration of bipolar sunspots with leading positive/negative polarity in the northern/southern hemisphere, is associated with solar cycle 23. According to what is known as the butterfly rule, the new high latitude sunspot region belongs to cycle 24. It was named active region 10981 or just 981 for all practical purposes.New solar cycles always begin with a high-latitude, reversed polarity sunspot, according to solar scientists."Reversed magnetic polarity " means a sunspot with opposite magnetic polarity compared to sunspots from the previous solar cycle. "High-latitude" refers to the sun's grid of latitude and longitude. Old cycle spots congregate near the sun's equator. New cycle spots appear higher, around 25 or 30 degrees latitude.The region that appeared on Dec. 11th fitted both these criteria. It was high latitude (24 degrees N) and magnetically reversed. Just one problem: There wass no sunspot. That region was just a bright knot of magnetic fields. If, however, these fields coalesced into a dark sunspot, scientists were ready to announce that Solar Cycle 24 had officially begun, something they could not do, as no sunspot appeared there, but things changed radically early during 2008, when a real true active sunspot region was spotted by optical observations around the world. The new sunspot active region 981, at approximately 30 degrees latitude is a perfect match for all the criteria about the start up of a new solar cycle, so amigos, solar cycle 24 is now here with us. Now let me add that during the next several months sunspots from both cycles will be seen, those at high solar latitudes will be from cycle 24 and the ones near the solar equator will be the last ones from now coming to an end cycle 23…As more sunspots from cycle 24 appear, we may see an upward swing in the daily solar flux, and that should improve shortwave propagation all along 2008.Si amigos, yes my friends, oui mes amis… Cycle 24 is here and we are certainly happy that it finnally started !!! I’ll be back in just a few seconds after a short break for station ID. I am Arnie Coro in Havana……………….

You are listening to Radio Havana Cuba, the name of the show is Dxers Unlimited and here is item two of today’s program…Our antenna topics section will be devoted today to a special type of short wave antenna systems that are especially designed to provide short range ionospheric communications, using the so-called Near Vertical Incidence Skywave or NVIS propagation mode. NVIS antennas are very important for emergency communications systems, that use it when other systems suffer damages that reduce their traffic handling capacity or simply take them off the air. NVIS communications stations can be deployed anywhere and even one single individual is capable of setting up such a station in less than an hour, using low height wire antennas. Today, here at Dxers Unlimited’s antenna topics section we will be describing to you some of the most efficient NVIS antennas that have been used here in Cuba during tropical storms and hurricanes related emergencies, achieving a very high degree of reliability. The amateur bands used for NVIS systems here are 40 meters during the local daytime hours and 80 meters at night. The typical NVIS antenna is a half wave dipole installed at a very low height above the ground, so that the signal sent out by the antenna goes almost straight up at angles between 45 and 90 degrees. The signals come back to Earth with high intensity at distances from practically zero to around 700 kilometers around the transmitting station when the degree of ionization is at an adequate level. One interesting fact about NVIS communications is that they work quite well at rather low power levels, making possible for field stations to communicate using power outputs in the 10 to 100 Watt range. Base stations usually run higher power levels, but need to use the same type of low height antennas in order to assure that they are using the Near Vertical Incidence Skywave propagation mode. Another type of antenna recommended for these EMCOMMS or emergency communications stations is a full wave loop that is also installed at very low heights above the ground. One of the big mistakes that is often seen during communications emergencies is that field stations try to establish the NVIS mode links using vertical whip antennas, something that will prove to be a fruitless effort. Vertical antennas radiate at very low take off or departure angles, so very little radio frequency energy goes straight up as required for the NVIS mode to work. A few days ago a group of radio amateurs started to work on a new compact antenna system , that is smaller in size than a half wave dipole, while at the same time still been very efficient on the NVIS mode. The wire antenna , in its 40 meters band version requires just 11 meters of horizontal space between the masts or support structures, and is off center fed with coaxial cable and a coaxial cable choke to suppress the common mode radiation from the outside of the coax shield. The new antenna was designed using up to date sophisticated antenna modelling software and I am going to start testing the prototype next week. As soon as the preliminary test results are available, as always, I will be very happy to share them with Dxers Unlimited’s listeners and readers around the world.……

And now here LA NUMERO UNO, the number one most popular section of Dxers Unlimited, here at the first 2008 edition of the program, YOU have questions and Arnie tries to answer them…

Today’s question was sent by listener Mark in Ontario, Canada, and he wants to know more about low cost amateur radio equipment, because he tells me that he is on a shoestring budget, but nevertheless wants to start his own ham radio station. Well amigo Mark, not too long ago I made an attempt to create a low budget HF or short wave ham radio station, and after a few days , I was pretty happy with the results… Instead of trying to homebrew a sophisticated transceiver, my option uses a portable solid state short wave receiver that has a built in BFO or beat frequency oscillator. In my case the radio used for the project is a Sony ICF-7600-G portable, that is powered from four 1.5 volts penlight cells. The low cost ham station project includes a bandpass input filter and attenuator , with the transmit- receive switching incorporated into it, the 10 to 25 Watts power output solid state transmitter, and the AC power supply . No attempt was made to make anything miniature, in order to simplify the homebrewing. The Sony ICF7600-G is used with communications type earphones, and let me add that this is a CW , that is radiotelegraphy mode station, but a further development may turn it into a double side band voice station in the near future. The switching between receive and transmit is done while providing full protection to the front end of the portable receiver, and you can monitor the output of the transmitter by listening to the signal on the earphones. The whole station can be used for fully portable operation with a gell cell accumulator , that provides twelve volts DC to the transmitter, and 6 volts for the radio trough a simple one integrated circuit voltage regulator circuit. By using the SONY ICF-7600-G portable with its BFO, or any similar receiver, the low cost CW amateur station’s construction is simplified in a very significant way , because homebrewing a high quality digital readout receiver is quite a challenge, even for experienced radio amateurs. Assembling the bandpass input filter and RF attenuator and the transmit receive switching, the CW transmitter and the AC power supply while not a simple task is much more within the possibilities of homebrewers that are familiar with electronics and that can always obtain help from more experienced radio amateurs of your radio club. So amigo Mark, I have already e-mailed to you the block diagrams of this unique low cost amateur radio station project, as well as the circuit diagrams and some notes about the CW transmitter, the bandpass input filter and the transmit-receive switching system. This station is now on the air at CO2KK, operating on two bands, 40 and 20 meters with good results, despite the prevailing HF propagation conditions due to the extremely low solar activity. It like amigo Mark you are interested in learning more about this low cost approach ham radio station, just drop me an e-mail to arnie at rhc.cu, and I will send you the dot zip file with all the information required to duplicate this project.……

And now amigos, as always at the end of the show, here is Arnie Coro’s Dxers Unlimited HF propagation update and forecast … Solar flux is at a rather low 80 units, and the K index, the three hourly geomagnetic disturbance indicator was at a rather high figure of 5 early morning Saturday my local time here in Havana, at 12 hours UTC. This is due to the effects of a high speed solar wind that will disrupt HF propagation at high latitudes during the next two days. The winter Sporadic E season is now coming to an end, and we will have to wait until late April for the spring summer E skip season to start. The effective sunspot number is 20, and the daily sunspot number is now 20…

See you all at the midweek edition of the program amigos…
Send your signal reports,
QSL requests and radio hobby related questions to arnie at rhc.cu
or VIA AIR MAIL to
Arnie Coro
Radio Havana Cuba, Havana, Cuba

Airwaves from across border go sour

3 Jan 2008, 0124 hrs IST,
Yudhvir Rana ,TNN

AMRITSAR: With the advent of New Year, the airwaves from across the borderare striking a not-so-peaceful note. Radio Pakistan's programme "PunjabiDarbar" has reportedly intensified its propaganda against India, perhaps toprovoke people in border belt.The content aired is anti-government and even critical of the present Sikhleadership, presumably on the directions of Sikh separatists taking shelterin Pakistan.Despite cable and dish network in most villages, radio is still a source ofentertainment for a large number of farmers and farm labourers who oftencarry it to fields. "They want to provoke people of India against theirgovernment, a weak India is Pakistan's strength " said a senior BSFofficial.Aired at 7 pm every day, the programme often begins with Gurbani recitation,followed by spewing of venom against India either by criticizing its policesfor farmers or "suppression of a particular community" and ends with adviseto "rise to the occasion".In one such programme a Pakistan radio anchor said: "the Brahmin communityof India has unleashed a spate of atrocities on minority communities andSikhs are being denied their rights," and "Sikh farmers are committingsuicide due to anti-farmer policies of government.""This seems to be part of its multi-pronged strategy of waging a cold war,"opined Sukhdeep Singh, sarpanch of Mujwind while talking to the TOI onWednesday, adding that Pakistan should have discontinued the programme whenboth countries were treading on the path of peace."Peaceniks on both sides of the border should raise their voice againstthis." Harjit Singh, a border village resident said " sanu tae hasa aundahai ki uh kehandae ki nae " (We laugh at what they say). He said the wholeprogramme appears to be masterminded by ISI or a figment of the producers'imagination.

More FM Stations in India

Big FM has launched in Jodhpur, taking the totalnumber of stations to 42 across India.Big FM is already operational in places that includeMumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata andBangalore, and several Tier II towns.It will launch 4 more stations to complete 45 stationsall over India.Some of the shows are Big Chai, Nakhrali, Dil Dostietc, Big Dhamaal and Raat Chand Aur Mai.- Indiaprwire.com 03/01

Club FM 94.3 started broadcasting from here Kerala –Kannur on December 30. The new FM station started byMathrubhumi was inaugurated by Mathrubhumi ManagingDirector M.P. Veerendrakumar, MP. Mathrubhumi ManagingEditor P. V. Chandran was among those present.- The Hindu 02/01

Sunday December 2 2007 13:44 ISTExpress News ServiceT'PURAM: With Sun TV's S FM all set to follow Malayala Manorama's RadioMango, the sky of Kerala is changing to a battle field of corporate mediahouses.S FM will go on air from Kozhikode early next week as the second private FMradio station in the state.December will also see the entry of Radio Mirchi from the Times of Indiastable, Big FM, an Adlabs-Reliance joint venture, and Club FM, Mathrubhumi'sFM station, in the Kerala sky.Thiruvananthapuram is going to witness a fierce battle to see who willbecome the pioneer as S, Big, Mirchi and Club have all geared up for theshow and are waiting to clear a technical snag."Kerala had a good tradition of radio listening, thanks to the AIR. Thiswill make our task easier," said Nisha Narayanan, project head, S FM."Though we primarily target youngsters in the age group of 15-40 years, I amsure the channel will be acceptable for all who love music," said Nisha.S FM 93.5 has the most number of stations, five, in the state. The group hasplans to make these stations the best among its 45 stations in the country.Krishna Menon, station head, Radio Mirchi said Radio Mirchi is a 'bollywoodchannel' in Mumbai and likewise in Thiruvananthapuram, it will be a channelfocussing on Malayalam film industry.The Big FM has plans to win Malayalee hearts by organising Corporate SocialRelief activities.But, will a medium market like Kerala has the potential to support four orfive FM stations in each town? "The future lies in smaller cities," saidNisha Narayanan.The experts point out the example of Colombo's success. Though a mediumtown, Colombo is successfully supporting around 20 FM stations in Simhaleseand Tamil.

Updated Shortwave Pacific Asian Log Online

Updated Shortwave Pacific Asian Log Online
The latest database and pdf editions of Bruce Portzer's shortwavePacificAsian Log are now online at www.radioheritage.net.All the latest changes, new stations, new formats and much more.Thousands of SW radio stations covering the entire Asian Pacificregion. Online search possibilities. Access remains complimentary24/7 for worldwide users.This is the most comprehensive listing freely available anywhereonline. Well over 23,000 data entries to make your listening easier.Some shortwave countries are close to becoming extinct, with only oneentry each for places like Afghanistan, Antarctica, Bhutan, andNepal. Others have only two or three entries.However, China has 865 current entries indicating that shortwavebroadcasting remains very healthy in this growing Asian powerhouse. Whilst at www.radioheritage.net, read our new articles and stories aswell. Plenty of interest for everyone wanting to know all about radioacross the region.The updated mediumwave database version is already online as well.The NewZealand @ A Glance AM database now contains 200+ stations and hasalso been updated.
The New Zealand Low Power FM Radio Guide isupdated daily.Thanks for visiting www.radioheritage.net, home of the Radio HeritageFoundation.

Radio fans rejoice, 97 new FM channels in a fortnight

Over the next fortnight, the country will have 97 new FM radio stations, a big leap for the already booming industry.The Information and Broadcasting Ministry would allow open bids from 27 companies for the FM radio stations to be launched in cities in five categories on December 29 and January 10. While cities like Delhi, B, Mumbaiangalore, Hyderabad, Allahabad and Jamshedpur will have only one channel, the FM magic will make its mark in smaller towns like Bikaner, Trichy, Udaipur, Warangal, Agartala and Gangtok.The ministry believes the FM bandwidth is already crowded in major cities and therefore, the scope of providing new FM channels to these centers would be difficult. However, in smaller towns the FM radio is expected to be a major success as more and more people are taking to listening to radio programmes.The auctioning is proving to be a win-win situation for both the government and the private radio stations. During an earlier bidding, the government had earned Rs 11 billion and has also resulted in a continuous flow of revenue. The government expects to have a huge response from the players this time also.Although there has been a delay of over six months for the auction to take place, industry sources said, that good sense has prevailed at last with the announcement of the new dates. The government had earlier announced an auction date for June, but had later postponed it to November. However, the December-January deadline is expected to stand.The ministry is also working on the third phase of FM channels, where all cities would get more FM stations. By next year FM radio players can expect the launch of the third phase, an official said.