Category Archives: Broadcasters

BBC World Service budget cut by 20%

The BBC Bush house

This is a sad week for fans and listeners of the BBC World Service.

According to news reports, the British Foreign Office has cut BBC’s World Service budget by 20%, resulting in sweeping reductions in their shortwave service. As many as 650 jobs will be lost by 2014 and cancellation of shortwave service in five languages and several countries. It appears they are cutting SW service to China, Cuba and the Balkans, instead relying on mobile phone & internet access (note that according to Keith Perron, the BBCWS Chinese site has been blocked for 10 years and in Cuba less than 1% of the population have access to the internet).

My real fear is that listeners who rely on the BBC WS via shortwave–those who live in rural, impoverished countries, for example–will have no voice to express the loss of a lifeline of information to them. It’s quite easy for us to forget that the internet and mobile technologies have not yet penetrated these “markets” and that shortwave radio is the most effective and affordable means to receive high-quality news and information.

As The Guardian put it, the BBC WS will be “eclipsed” by Voice of America. I certainly hope that the VOA can give its markets better service stability.

Radio Slovakia International to continue shortwave broadcasts to Caribbean and Latin America

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(Source: Southgate Amateur Radio Club)

A last-minute agreement between Radio Slovakia International and Radio Miami International (WRMI) will permit the international radio station of Slovakia to continue its shortwave transmissions in English and Spanish to the Caribbean and Latin America.

Radio Slovakia International had announced that its shortwave broadcasts would end on 31 December 2010. However, WRMI will be broadcasting RSI’s programme in English at 0130-0200 UTC Tuesday-Saturday and RSI’s Spanish programme at 0330-0400 UTC seven days per week. Both of these transmissions will be on 9955 kHz with 50 kW of power from Miami using a beam of 160 degrees directed to the Caribbean and Latin America.

“We are glad to be able to help Radio Slovakia International continue its shortwave transmissions to this part of the world,” said WRMI General Manager Jeff White. He added that listener reports will be appreciated and will be verified with a special WRMI QSL card commemorating the Radio Slovakia International relay.

Reports may be sent to Radio Miami International, P.O. Box 526852, Miami, Florida 33152 USA, or by e-mail to [email protected].

BBC World Service using wind power

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(Thanks to Kim Elliot for this item.)

A key BBC World Service transmission site on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic has embraced on-site wind power with the assistance of sustainability consultancy AEA, which was commissioned to investigate renewable power options to replace ageing technology at the site.

The new hybrid wind/diesel power station is expected to save approximately £500,000 (US$803,000) a year on the diesel fuel that previously had to be shipped to the island, and reduce the frequency of tanker-supplied diesel fuel deliveries to 18 monthly intervals.

The location and nature of Ascension Island made the project particularly challenging – the island is volcanic and has no deepwater port.

However, since the turbines have been in operation they have generated in the region of 205 MWh of electricity a month – offsetting approximately 58,000 litres of diesel.

(Source: Power-Gen Worldwide Press Release)

New shortwave radio station: Radio Free Sarawak

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The independent radio station, Radio Free Sarawak has started broadcasting via shortwave on 7590 and 15680 kHz. RFS broadcasts are targeted to communities in Sarawak, East Malaysia at 6:30-7:30 and 18:00-19:00 local time (or 22:30-23:00 and 10:00-11:00 UTC respectively).

Per the RFS webite:

Radio Free Sarawak is the independent radio station that brings you the news you want to hear, not what others want you to hear. No one controls us, except you, the listeners of Sarawak . So tune in and enjoy the news, interviews, reports and comment that you will never get to hear on any of the other government-controlled radio stations in Sarawak. There will be plenty of our best music too, all presented to you in Iban by Papa Orang Utan, our own man from the jungle of Sarawak!

Radio Free Sarawak has been broadcasting daily since November 14th–you can listen to past episodes online.

Thanks to Myke (via FB) for the tip!

Links:

New Digital Radio Mondiale channel for South Asia

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(Source: BBC World Service International Publicity)

BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle (DW) are launching a new Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) digital radio channel for South Asia.

The channel will carry a four-hour daily broadcast that includes the best international programmes in English and Hindi from BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle. It will also bring to the audience all the advantages of DRM digital radio including near-FM quality audio, text messages, Journaline and an Electronic Programme Guide (EPG).

This joint initiative between BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle has been launched using two transmitters in the region and will cover much of South Asia. The signal covers the majority of the Indian sub-continent and may reach as far as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and other neighbouring countries.

The new transmission starts on 31 October 2010 and will be broadcast from 1400–1800 GMT each day. Listeners will find the new programme stream on 13590 and 5845 kHz (SW) and additionally on 1548 kHz (MW) between 1700–1800 GMT.

Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Chairman, says: “Digital radio is as much about technology as it is about content. Through DRM we hope to increase the digital radio offer to South Asia giving people access to audio and multimedia content, which should in turn convince manufacturers that digital radio brings something new worth investing in.”

Radio St. Helena Day 2010

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[UPDATE: Radio Saint Helena Day 2010 has been canceled. Please read this updated post with info.]

Want to chase some fun DX? Radio St. Helena Day 2010 is almost here–this time being held in October. Details below:

(Source: Jaisakthivel via Hard-Core DX)

Radio St. Helena Day 2010 : Date,Times and Targets
————————————————————-
RSD 2010 will be on 11092.5 kHz USB, Saturday, 9th October 2010

Target Region Times (UTC ) Beam Heading

EUROPE 1900 – 2030 UTC 10 degrees
INDIA 2030 – 2130 UTC 70 degrees
JAPAN 2130 – 2300 UTC 50 degrees
North America 2300 – 0030 UTC 310 degrees

Gary Walters, Station Manager of Radio St. Helena, has just confirmed the above information,and, as usual, Derek Richards will operate the RSD shortwave transmitting facility. There will be a special email-address exclusively for the evening of RSD 2010. As soon as Gary sets up this special email account, will be published.

The RSD 2010 QSL cards are being sponsored by the Danish ShortWave Club International. Reception reports for RSD 2010 should be sent with sufficient return postage to RSH using thespecial Airmail address via Ascension and the United Kingdom — exactly the same procedureas for the RSD 2009 reception reports. ALL mail to RSH should use this procedure. ALL 266 QSLs for RSD 2009 have been mailed and should now be arriving around the world.The sunspot minimum between sunspot cycles 23 and 24 is the longest in history — much to the dismay of shortwave listeners everywhere. This minimum has lasted since 2007 and is still ongoing. There are not very many sunspots to “help” propagation, and there is no real sign of significant change.

The UTC-times for broadcasting to the various target area have been very carefully selected to to have the very best chance of good reception in each area. Also, we need to have the RSD broadcasts one after the other.After RSD 2009, it was decided to change the times somewhat and to move RSD from November to October (as was the case back in the late 1990’s — Thanks, John). RSH hopes that everyone around the world has excellent reception conditions during RSD 2010 and is looking forward to your emails and also, if possible, to your telephone calls.

Gary Walters , Station Manager of Radio St. Helena via Robert Kipp

Bob Thomann and Bob Zanotti interview Jeff White

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(Source: Switzerland in Sound via RNW Media Network)

Bob Thomann and Bob Zanotti, better known as The Two Bobs formerly of Swiss Radio International, have been friends with Jeff White for decades. Jeff started out as a shortwave listener, and then got into HF broadcasting himself, originally with a project called Radio Earth, and then later as the owner and operator of WRMI (Radio Miami International) based in Miami, Florida. He has also served as president of the US-based National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB).

In August 2010 Jeff White was in Switzerland for a meeting of the High Frequency Coordinating Committee (HFCC), which he organized, and he took the opportunity to pay a visit to Bob Zanotti in the Emmental. Bob Thomann joined them for a one-hour chat about the HFCC and the future of HF broadcasting.

You can find the interview in The Two Bobs menu on www.switzerlandinsound.com. This special programme will also air on PCJ Radio and some of the partner stations.

Thanks to RNW Media Network and PCJ Media for bringing this to my attention.

PCJ Media, by the way, has a long line-up of amazing radio-related shows to hear. It’s become quite the collection of new programs and nostalgia as well. Check out their website for more info.