Category Archives: Broadcasters

Radio Free Sarawak is back on shortwave

KUCHING: Radio Free Sarawak is back after an almost four months hiatus. It is re-launching this week with an expanded team and greater ambitions.

It kicks off with a two hour daily timeslot from 6 – 8 pm on the shortwave 17560 kHz bandwidth.
According to its media release, the RFS “will continue to focus on the concerns and interests of the ordinary people of Sarawak, mainly rural folk, who currently have no access to an independent news source. ”

“We will also address urban and Malaysia-wide issues in recognition of its popular following among internet users and listeners from other states,” said the statement.

RFS has been credited for the Chief Minister Taib Mahmud-led Barisan Nasional coalition’s losses in the mixed and rural constituencies in Sarawak in the April state polls where BN won 55 seats while the opposition made inroads with 15 seats, whilst one seat, Pelagus, went to independent George Lagong.

This was an unprecedented victory for the opposition.

Read the full article at Free Malaysia Today.

If you want to catch Radio Sarawak as DX, try 17,560 kHz between 1000-1200 UTC. Their broadcast is also available online via www.radiofreesarawak.org .

Read previous posts about RFS by clicking here.

The Mighty KBC will begin broadcasts on shortwave 30 October 2011

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(Source: Media Network)

Dutch-based KBC Radio has published the following information: “The Mighty KBC will start broadcasting on shortwave on 30-10-2011 Saturday and Sunday between 11.00 – 16.00 UTC. There is a good chance that we will use our new frequency during weekdays as well in the future. Within a few weeks we will announce our new frequency.”

We will post the KBC schedule when it becomes available. KBC is currently testing on 513 MHz for all of you MW DXers.

QSL info:

[email protected]

or write to

The Mighty KBC
Argonstraat 6
6718 WT Ede
The Netherlands

BBC World Service launches new famine aid broadcasts

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(Source: journalism.co.uk)

The BBC World Service has launched special radio broadcasts on its Somalia service aimed at helping those affected by the famine in the Horn of Africa.

According to a release, the daily 15 minute programmes, called Gurmad (Rescue), feature news bulletins offering practical information and expert advice “to help people to make informed decisions that may help them survive the famine”.

The editor of BBC Somali, Yusuf Garaad Omar, said while the broadcaster has been covering the humanitarian crisis its reporters have been “overwhelmed” with questions on relief aid.

“So we decided to devote a special programme to address these issues, and as a majority of those affected are Somali-speakers, it was also obvious that BBC Somali is the right channel to reach these people.

“We hope that timely, up-to-date information, provided by experts, about issues these people are facing every day, will help them survive this crisis. We will do our best to maintain the supply of such knowledge to all those who are in need of it.”

Click here to read the full article at Journalism.co.uk.

It pleases me to no end to know that someone at the BBC World Service acknowledges that shortwave radio is still the most effective way to reach those who live in the most rural and impoverished parts of our globe.

NPR: Voice Of America’s Role In Internet Age

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(Source: NPR)

Host Scott Simon speaks with David Ensor, who took over directorship of Voice of America last month. A longtime journalist for NPR, CNN and ABC News, his most recent post was in Afghanistan, where he was director for communications and public diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

Click here to listen to full story on NPR’s website.

A West Dorset view on the Rampisham Radio Transmitting Station closure

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Photographer: Nigel Mykura. (Creative Commons)

(Source: Real West Dorset)

RAMPISHAM’S radio transmission station may close before Christmas with the loss of more than 20 jobs, even though it’s currently broadcasting into Libya.

The proposed shutdown of the Dorset site follows the BBC’s decision earlier this year to cut back on World Service shortwave broadcasting and stop it altogether by 2014, even though nearly half of the World Service’s audience (184 million in 2010-11) listens via shortwave.

The BBC says it’s phasing out shortwave because the Foreign Office cut the World Service grant by 16% (£46 million).

The author, Jonathan Hudston points out:

Britain has three major sites broadcasting internationally on shortwave. The others are Woofferton in Shropshire and Skelton in Cumbria. Rampisham broadcasts more hours than they do, is more reliable, and has a wider reach across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. (It’s a little-known fact that the National Grid runs right through the Rampisham site, supplying 60,00 volts. I think it has only ever lost power twice in 70 years. Once was during the Great Storm of 1987, which shows it takes something pretty extreme).

He goes on to ask:

Is it really in the UK’s national interests to dismantle Rampisham and sell its equipment for scrap?

The modern preference is said to be for internet-based services, but Jo Glanville, in a good piece about the World Service in the current edition of the London Review of Books, makes the point that shortwave radio can reach many millions of people in ways that internet-based services cannot.

He has a very good point. As we’ve mentioned numerous times before, shortwave radio crosses borders better than any other medium. It’s hard to block and untraceable.

(Read the Full Article Here)

Pirate Radio and Hurricane Irene

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Last night, I tuned to the pirate radio watering hole of 6,925 kHz shortwave. I caught a bit of the Southern Relay Network as they played several hurricane and storm themed songs.

I recorded a bit of the end of the show for you. Note that there was a lot of noise on the frequency–many of the static crashes were attributed to Hurricane Irene herself.

Click here to download/play the mp3 file, use the archive.org flash player below (if visible) or simply visit the archive.org audio page. Enjoy!

Radio used, by the way, was the Alinco DX-R8T. We will be posting a review of this receiver, so check back soon!

North Carolina Public Television features VOA Greenville

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This is an excellent video about the VOA Greenville transmitter site produced by North Carolina Public Television. What I love most is the time they took to explain the importance of shortwave radio across our globe, how it is an existing technology that governments and regimes cannot easily block or track. We certainly repeat this theme often, here on the SWLing Post.

Please enjoy and share.