Category Archives: Broadcasters

A new way to navigate the BBC Archives

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Zenith-Dial-2

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, William Lee, who shares a link to this article on the BBC Blog:

Currently there are over 15,000 permanently available programmes, largely radio programmes, on the BBC website dating back decades, but they can be very difficult to find. From today, we’re launching a new piece of technology called ADA (Automated Data Architecture) that unearths and helps people navigate the BBC’s rich archive of permanently available programmes.

As you can see below, it adds a list of related topic tags under the description of the programme. So if you’ve just listened to an episode on Ada Lovelace and were interested in other notable women of the Victorian era, you can now click that tag and find all the permanently available programmes on that topic. There are programmes on Beatrix Potter, Florence Nightingale and Sylvia Pankhurst to name a few. There will also be up to three recommended programmes on the right hand side, with a link to the topic that connects them.

This seemingly small change to a programme page can lead you down interesting little alleyways to fascinating places you never expected to visit. For example, starting off at Ada Lovelace can take you all the way to a programme on Julius Caesar via ‘the Byron family’ followed by ‘Fellows of the Royal Society’ then ‘Captain James Cook’ and finally the ‘Deaths by stabbing’ topic tags. Give it a try here and see where you end up.

Some programmes like Desert Island Discs, which have a lot of programmes available, have navigation which is tailored very carefully to the brand. This makes it easy to find programmes but also means the system cannot be re-used across other BBC brands or programmes.[…]

Click here to continue reading this article on the BBC Blog.

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RAE – Argentina To The World: RAE’s new name and new commitment to shortwave broadcasting

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RAE Antenna farm (Source: RAE)

RAE Antenna farm (Source: RAE)

Many thanks to Luis Maria Barassi (RAE Director) and Adrian Korol (RAE Executive Advisor) for sharing the following press release:

RAE- RADIODIFUSION ARGENTINA AL EXTERIOR becomes RAE- ARGENTINA TO THE WORLD

A new stage begins in the history of RAE, that will transform from RAE-RADIODIFUSION ARGENTINA AL EXTERIOR to RAE- ARGENTINA TO THE WORLD, updating the identity of our international signal.

argentina-rae

Among the news to share, there’s the decision to maintain presence on the shortwave frequencies of 15345 and 11710 KHZ, which are broadcast from the transmission plant located in General Pacheco. Currently, we’re facing some technical problems with regard to modulation, but we’ll face the challenge of fixing this and increase our presence on the shortwaves.

We’ll keep on transmitting in eight languages, now with a homogenous programming, that will be coherent with regard to contents, with the specific contribution of each language considering particular characteristics. RAE’s new stage will feature programs Mondays through Mondays.

Each language will have a daily 55-minute broadcast on the shortwaves, with one daily re-run.

In addition, the daily show will be available on the new website of RAE, where the program will be on streaming 24 hours a day.

Specific applications for RAE will be developed for mobile devices and on a second stage, podcasts and RAE content broadcast by local stations in other countries. The most recent shows will also be available to download on demand.

Another innovation are the six channels of Argentine music available on RAE’s website, organized by genre: Tango, Folk, Rock, Pop, Jazz and Classical, that will play music 24 hours, with playlist in constant expansion and a radio sound, that’s to say, with a presentation of songs, that will provide additional data about the tunes.

This way, listeners will be able to enjoy at any time of the day the best works by artists such as Charly Garcia, Yupanqui, Piazzolla, Sandro, Malosetti, La Camerata Bariloche, announced in various languages, with a radio format. This is part of the new design of what we call DIGITAL RAE.

The daily programs of RAE cover various topics developed jointly by the new production team of RAE as well as the language teams. After the news bulletin, with the inclusion of music and bite-sized features about various topics.

In addition, we’ll now have a new interval ID signal.

The schedule for our station in all languages now will be:

MONDAY: Our Football/Argentine Tango

TUESDAY: Argentines Without Borders / La Folklórica

WEDNESDAY: The Conversation/Argentine Roads

THURSDAYS: Welcome/Science and Technology

FRIDAYS: Multi-Sports Center/Histories in Common

On Saturdays, a SUMMARY OF THE WEEK will be broadcast, followed by ACTUALIDAD DX.COM.AR, the new segment dedicated to DXing, radio, media and information technology.

This program will be produced and presented in Spanish by ARNALDO SLAEN and RAE’S director, LUIS MARIA BARASSI, featuring news about radio and technologies applied to communication, plus audio files, interviews, etcetera. The program will have an average duration of 25-30 minutes.

This format will be broadcast also on various languages and will not only be available on RAE’s website, but also in the spaces dedicated to DX-related content on the web.

Finally, Sundays will be the day of program THE BRIDGE, a weekly space focused on the contact with listeners, music and interviews. The show will also pay homage to classics of international broadcasting such as the STATION OF JOY and similar programs that left their mark in the history of international radio.

rae-argentina

The support of all DXing colleagues, radio ham enthusiasts and fans of the Short Waves is paramount, in order to spread their messages, emphasize the importance of the shortwaves as well as the need to increase the presence on various bands, complementing digital content.

A new stage begins for RAE, ARGENTINA TO THE WORLD, with many ideas and challenges ahead, a phase in which the participation of all sectors linked to our field will be key for our growth and for the steps that will follow.

It’s important to underline that after many years of being practically ignored by various administrations, the new stage of Radio Nacional, under director Ana Gerschenson, and Deputy Director Pablo Ciarliero, includes a project for RAE, with the participation of the excellent and historic professionals of RAE, plus the arrival of experts in digital content and with the incorporation of Adrián Korol, who, beyond his renown for his work in Radio and TV, is a passionate DXer and Radio Ham fan.

Over the next few days, we’ll release the definitive schedule, with timetables, frequencies and targeted zones for all languages.

The launch of this new phase will be next October 5 at 7PM, at the Auditorium of Radio Nacional Buenos Aires. We let you know, as well, that next week a definitive timetable will be released. It’s clear that all ideas, proposals and specially the dissemination to this news will be greatly appreciated.

73 & DX

RAE ARGENTINA TO THE WORLD

Luis Maria Barassi – Director

Adrian Korol – Executive Advisor

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Director General of All India Radio: “it is agreed by all that shortwave will stay”

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All India Radio (AIR) Headquarters in Dehli, India. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

All India Radio (AIR) Headquarters in Dehli, India. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Mike, who shares a link to the following interview with Fayyaz Sheheryar, Director General of All India Radio. I’ve pasted a couple of Sheheryar’s responses below–click here to read the full interview.

But there had been some talk in the government at one time to disband short wave broadcasts?

Yes, but we had opposed this and it is agreed by all that short wave will stay.

[…]

What are the future plans for popularizing programming and strengthening internal functioning?

AIR has embarked on a major plan to start a Content Delivery Network (CDN) which will be ready within the next two to three months. It will help keep track of number of listeners, and also prevent ‘stream theft’.

There will be greater live streaming of channels on the internet complementing Short wave on air.org.in, and Mobile Apps will be launched for more channels. It will also be possible to give audio on demand and the internet will store programmes of up to seven days for this purpose. The App will be monetized, and there will be an alert which gives information about listeners, and messages and advice about programmes on the Apps.

India’s terrestrial transmission today was even larger than China.

Thanks again, Mike, for the tip!

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Medium wave DX logs: WMEX, CFRB, CJBC, WNYC, WARV, WRCA, WWRU received in Oxford, UK

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elad
north-america-map
Hi there, here is a selection of North American medium wave stations logged in Oxford UK, over the past couple of weeks using the Elad FDM DUO and Wellbrook ALA1530 active loop antenna (indoors).  A quick list of stations logged follows below – with URL links which will take you directly to the respective reception video on the Oxford Shortwave Log YouTube channel. Embedded reception videos follow further below.  A subsequent posting will follow detailing some South American stations logged recently on medium wave, using the same Elad/Wellbrook set-up. Thanks for watching/ listening and I wish you all great DX.

 

Medium wave DX: WMEX Boston Talk Radio 1510 KHz, wonderful signal

 

Medium wave DX: CFRB Newstalk 1010 Toronto 1010 kHz, with clear ID

 

Medium wave DX: CJBC Toronto 860 kHz, French language network of CBC

 

1000th video! Medium wave DX: WNYC 820 kHz, New York Public Radio (presumed)

 

Medium wave DX: WARV 1590 kHz, Warwick, Rhode Island, USA

 

Medium wave DX: WRCA 1330 kHz, Waltham Massachusetts, clear ID

 

Medium wave DX: WWRU Jersey City 1660 kHz, New Jersey, clear ID

Clint Gouveia is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Clint actively publishes videos of his shortwave radio excursions on his YouTube channel: Oxford Shortwave Log. Clint is based in Oxfordshire, England.

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ABC Northern Territory Shortwave Services: returning September 13

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SX-99-Dial-Nar

ABC RadioMany thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Harald Kuhl (DL1ABJ), who clears up a little confusion:

it was reported that ABC Northern Territory Shortwave Services left shortwave for good.

I asked them and they replied they will be back on coming Tuesday:

Dear Mr Kuhl,

Thank you for your note. The service you are referring to will be re-established next Tuesday morning at 9am local time.

Kind Regards,

ABC Reception Advice
Communications Networks

Thank you Harald. I, too, have seen a lot of notices on social media that the ABC Northern Territory Shortwave Services had shut down permanently. I had not posted anything here because I couldn’t find any mention or confirmation from ABC. Looks like they’re probably doing routine maintenance.

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Myanmar Radio, Yangon, heard in Oxford UK on 49 and 41 metres

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Myanmar

Hi there, I thought some of the readers of SWLing post might be interested in my reception of Mayanmar Radio, Yangon, during a late-night DX’pedition in Oxfordshire, UK. I managed to catch them on 5985 and 7200 kHz; the latter was a personal first and perhaps further confirmation that my 200 metre longwire is contributing in a positive way to my mobile listening post. Subscribers and regular visitors to Oxford Shortwave Log on YouTube will know that I am forever trying to push the performance of my vintage portables to the limit of what’s possible, in the hope that I might hear something very exotic. it’s happened once or twice and thus worth all the effort in the small hours. Thanks for watching/ listening.

Direct link to Oxford Shortwave Log for Mayanmar Radio reception video 5985 kHz

Direct link to Oxford Shortwave Log for Mayanmar Radio reception video 7200 kHz

Clint Gouveia is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Clint actively publishes videos of his shortwave radio excursions on his YouTube channel: Oxford Shortwave Log. Clint is based in Oxfordshire, England.

 

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