THE WORLD OF SHORTWAVE BROADCASTING Glenn Hauser not secure quality standard broadcast of the foreign service of public BBG. The sad fact of the matter is that the BBG apparently has NO plan radio as defined by law. However, this proposal was passed by a majority about how to reach the hearts of minds of people in the world. When in the final vote (Station website via Edwin Southwell, WDXC Contact) we should have been in the front lines in fighting the war on terror, the Zemkova met June 5 with the President of the Slovak Republic, Ivan BBG stopped that one cold, preferring to go with pop music as its main Gasparovic’, and put forward the idea of maintaining RSI. He said it’s weapon in the war of ideas. A special “thank you” to the editors at not meaningful to speed up things and it would be wise to get to know http://www.publicdiplomacy.org for focusing attention on the VOA the coming government’s point of view. Furthermore, the head of state debate. underlines that it’s very difficult to regain SW frequencies once they have VOA has decided to shut down its daily 90-minute SW radio service been abandoned (from RSI website in French via Ullmar Qvick, Sweden, in Hindi, citing budgetary cutbacks, and the emergence of TV and the DXLD) Internet in India as the leading media to disseminate news. Private FM If it still exist from July, English to NAm has been scheduled at radio stations have also affected its listenership, according to Jagdish 0100-0130 on 5930; ironically, only through August is it free of interfer- Sareen, editor, VOA Hindi, quoted by the Indian website DNA. The de- ence from WWCR 5935 which opens an hour later in the summer, but cision by the Broadcasting Board of Governors is pending with the US propagation is worst this time of year; also on 9440 to SAm (gh) Congress for final approval. Albanian, Bosnian, Serbian, and Russian will SOUTH AFRICA Halfway through the English hour at 0500 on 9685, Chan- also stop. Instead, “We will pursue a strategy of reaching our audience nel Africa was heard using the slogan ‘’Voice of African Renaissance.’’ through TV programming.” (Media Network) I wonder if this is informal or official (gh) How does R. Farda, which receives about $7 million in federal SUDAN [non] Darfur Salaam, the UK-based humanitarian program, expanded funding, decide on what to broadcast to Iran? The answer can be found to half an hour at 0500 on 9735 and 11820, adding some local songs in an anonymous office building off I-95 in Northern Virginia. At the and music; also at 1700-1730 on 15515, 17585 (Michael L. Ford, UK, very far desk in a quiet room, Sara Valinejad clicks a computer mouse DSWCI DX Window) Good here on 17585 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, ibid.) to determine what any Iranian with an AM or shortwave radio, or an And here (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium) Originally via Cyprus, but Internet connection, will be able to hear the following day. The guiding unclear if all frequencies are now, or Ascension? Weekdays only? (gh) philosophy: “In Iran, they don’t allow you to be happy,” says Valinejad, SURINAME [non] During the second half of May only, R. Netherlands added 30, who emigrated from Iran 10 years ago. Radio Farda, she says, is special daily broadcasts via Bonaire, which we first heard for an hour intended to do the opposite (David Finkel, Washington Post via Mike at 2100 and 1400 on 15540, relaying a low-power FM outlet, Radio Hardester, Mike Barraclough) It seems she picks all the music (gh) Boskopoe, in an area hit by severe flooding (gh, OK) Radio Boskopoe, Alwyn James, former host of VOA’s Daybreak Africa, died May 2 one of our partners, is a local 65-watt public radio station in Totness, at 77. His calm voice and delivery made him a favorite among local capital of the Coronie district, in Dutch and Sranan Tongo, temporarily and international radio audiences (Cleveland Plain Dealer) I remember heard throughout the country, also relayed at 1015-1045 on 6020. RN listening to Al on my shortwave radio, and I always admired the energy also made fund-raiding broadcasts for aid to Surinam (Andy Sennitt, and friendliness of his delivery. I think Al’s talents were never sufficiently Media Network blog) See http://www.geocities.com/boskopoe/ (José appreciated at VOA. But I’m sure they were in Africa, location of VOA’s Miguel Romero, Spain, DXLD) largest English audience, in the morning, when most Africans listen to TIBET Xizang PBS, 9490 heard at 0720-0730 with Holy Tibet in English, music the radio (Kim’s column, NASWA Journal) & interview (Iwao Nagatani, Japan Premium) Tibet Broadcasting Company The two domestic VOA sites have vastly different Yankee Doodle also has English lessons daily at 2330-2400, heard on 4820, 5935, 6050, Dandy versions for sign-on. Greenville’s starts at about 3:20 before the 7170, 7240 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window) hour and is the standard march rendition, and ends out at some point TURKEY On at least one occasion in May, Voice of Turkey heard at 2243- inside the march. Delano’s does a medley of portions of YDD, Broadway 2254:20* in English on 7300 instead of scheduled and announced 9830, style. Greenville’s YDD sign-off ends out with the very end of YDD and which was not in English (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet) the final three steps in-place of a march. I believe Delano’s is shorter; U K Ian MacRae on the uk-radio-listeners group alerted me that Charlie Gil- duration is important. I think Botswana’s sign-off is a peppy, woodwind lett has been unwell and has decided he will no longer be able to do his version of YDD’s end-out and lasts about 10 seconds (Charlie Taylor, weekly 2-hour show on BBC Radio London. There is more, including an NC, DXLD) And is YDD different at each other site? explanation from Charlie of his health problems at his website forum; These people have applied for an HF station in Pensacola FL, and he is hopeful he will be able to continue his BBC WS show [World of the FCC marked the application acceptable for filing: http://www. Music]: See Sound of the World thread: http://snipurl.com/rd4f (Mike smyrnabaptist.org/ (Benn Kobb, DC, DXLD) The first of many steps; yet Barraclough, WORLD OF RADIO) He has been diagnosed with Churg another religious broadcaster giving listeners abroad their impression Strauss Syndrome; our wishes for recovery (gh) of the US; this one links to an all-music Christian webcast in TX (gh) U S A If the cuts go through, VOA will rank sixth among the G-8 nations in WWRB heard testing new 12180 from 2100 past 2300 with Republic on-air hours of English, our own language, as Al Jazeera, Russia, China Broadcasting Network; announced as trying it instead of 11920. No other and Iran all expand their English language radio, TV and Internet services! SWBC stations are listed on 12180 (gh, OK) VOA, as of next fall, may well have abolished the radio units in 20 of WRNO and their insurance company cannot come to terms as the 54 language services it had on the air in early 2004. ‘’Incredible... previously thought. They cannot agree on a settlement amount, and are impossible,’’ said one senior American diplomat. asking for prayers and donations, as of late May (George S. Thurman, If you listen to VOA Mandarin Chinese, you’ll hear jamming just TX, DXLD) as intense as when it resumed against America’s Voice 17 years ago On 25950 the narrowband FM studio link of KOA 850, Denver, was [Tiananmen Square]. Likewise, Beijing is jamming or co-channeling Ti- audible in May and June just about any time of day or night due to heavy betan and Cantonese, and all transmissions in local languages of Radio sporadic E, such as at 1800 and even at 0922 with ‘’News Radio KOA’’ Free Asia. ID, conservative phone-in shows. WWV 20 MHz also audible then (David The only U.S. government broadcast service remaining to China in Hodgson, TN, DXLD) Perhaps they leave 25950 on all the time; helpful the clear today is none other than its English service, nine hours daily. for DXing (gh) Also heard earlier in May at 0023 for 30 minutes with But if the cuts go through, that will be axed to Asia as of September. Rockies baseball, strong and good quality (Adán Mur, Ñemby, Paraguay, Two million Chinese listeners will be cut off, unless they want to tune to Conexión Digital) Propagation mode at that distance uncertain; maybe the limited vocabulary Special English broadcasts. Our own government partly Es (gh) jamming itself, all to save the equivalent of about three percent of the [non] For a week in May, Brother Stair tested via TDF site in French U.S. international broadcasting budget next year? The Pentagon spends Guiana, power levels ranging from 50 to 500 kW, at 0000-0100 on about that much every 16 to 20 minutes. Only English reaches Chinese 13770, first reported by Liz Cameroon, MI; later 1600-1700 on 17720 in the clear, and more people are learning English in China than speak instead. He said the tests were free and was getting good reports across English in North America (Alan Heil, from a speech to the NASB) NAm, but nothing further heard (gh) There has never been a strong “radio culture” in China.