Category Archives: Current Events

VOA White House Correspondent Dan Robinson Retires

DanRobinson-WhiteHouse

Noted Voice of America reporter, Dan Robinson, retired on Friday, February 28, 2014 after 35 years of service to the international broadcaster and listeners around the world. Many of us are fortunate to know Dan: not only is he highly respected as a correspondent, but he is also an avid shortwave listener and DXer.

Dan Robinson with Aung San Suu Kyi.

Amongst other news source, Dan’s early retirement was noted by BBG Watch and The Federalist. BBG Watch stated:

“[Dan Robinson], as other VOA reporters before him, apparently decided they could no longer tolerate mismanagement and poor work environment.”

Former members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), Ambassador Victor Ashe and Ms. Blanquita Cullum, noted his retirement as “a loss” to the agency.

I encourage you to read the full report on BBG Watch.

I’ve just learned that Dan Robinson will be the keynote speaker at the Winter SWL Fest this week.

Best wishes moving forward, Dan! I know you’ll continue to have meaningful impact through your future ventures.

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NASWA Details its 27th Annual Winter SWL Fest Program

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David Goren hosts the annual Shortwave Shindig

David Goren of shortwaveology.net hosts the annual Shortwave Shindig–just one of the unique programs you’ll find at the Winter SWL Festival

For those of you readers who often feel you’re alone in your enthusiasm for radio, I highly encourage you to attend the NASWA-sponsored Winter SWL Festival in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania this year. This will be my sixth year attending, and I have eagerly awaited the arrival of the ‘Fest. It is jam-packed with radio-related information and forums (indeed, yours truly will present again this year) and attended by many radio kindred spirits.

If you register early, By February 1, you’ll not only save a little money, but you’ll be entered to win a portable shortwave radio in a special raffle. Exclusive hotel rates are also available to fest attendees.

Want to know what the SWLfest is like? read the outline of the 2014 Winter SWL Festival below and check out this overview from last year:

(Source: NASWA press release)

NASWA, the North American Shortwave Association, has announced preliminary program details for its 27th Annual Winter SWL Festival to be held at the Doubletree Suites Hotel in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania on March 14 and 15, 2014.

The Winter SWL Fest is the largest and longest-running annual meeting of shortwave radio enthusiasts and hobbyists in the Western Hemisphere. Beyond the opportunity to renew old friendships and make new contacts, the conference serves as a forum for discussion of radio-related matters of interest and import to the attendees, which have numbered in excess of 200 in some recent years.

This year’s program of forums features two presentations by Australian Mark Fahey, who has travelled North Korea extensively in recent years. Over four successive trips to each province of the country, he has smuggled in and out monitoring and recording equipment enabling the capture and analysis of hundreds of hours of domestic radio and television broadcasting.

Scheduled for successive afternoons on Friday and Saturday, Behind the Curtain: North Korean Broadcasting and Propaganda, will extensively discuss and feature audio and video examples of North Korean internal and external broadcasting, international and clandestine broadcasters that manage to penetrate through the regime’s jamming, as well as descriptions and photographs of the media infrastructure used by the North Korean regime as the prime instrument of control over the population.

In addition to the ever-popular annual forums on scanning and unlicensed broadcasting (otherwise known as pirate radio), the 2014 Fest program also will feature the following sessions and presenters (subject to revision):

Radio Broadcasting: The Earliest Years – Dr. Harold Cones
Navigating a Future for the Radio Hobby – Sheldon Harvey, President of the Canadian International DX Club
Internet Radio 2.0 – Rob DeSantos
A Practical Guide to Loop Antennas – Jef Eichner
Developing a Shortwave Radio Archive – Thomas Witherspoon, President of Ears to Our World
Whatever Happened to Digital Radio? – Mark Phillips
Ionosounders and Other Real Time Propagation Aids – Tracy Wood
Ham Radio Tools for SWLs – Skip Arey

There’s also David Goren’s Friday night Shortwave Shindig radio studio party, as well as brief talks by Paul Ladd on World Christian Broadcasting’s shortwave transmitter projects, Allen Loudell of WDEL radio on trends in U.S. commercial radio, especially news/talk radio; and Sheldon Harvey’s annual tribute to those who departed us for a “higher station” over the last year. Not to mention: the Saturday night banquet and Grande Raffle!

Why not join us at the 27th Annual Winter SWL Fest? Details on location, registration, meals and lodging are available from the official web site: swlfest.com.

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Voice of Greece has become a relay of Radio Station of Macedonia, ERT 3

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In response to my post and recording yesterday, TheGreekRadio.com commented on the current state of the Voice of Greece:

“After the forceful eviction of the redundant ERT employees from the Radio House in Athens, the shortwave frequencies no longer transmit the normal program of Voice of Greece as there is no such service produced in Athens. This happened on the 7th of November, when you probably noticed the station ID change.

Mediumwave and shortwave frequencies have been now set to relay the radio program of “Radio Station of Macedonia” by the redundant employees of ERT3, from Thessaloniki. (This used to be the independent program relayed for a few hours before midnight on 7,450 until June’s ERT switch-off, when phone lines were cut and the “guerilla” program started). They keep doing a full program during the day, but being unemployed, it seems that they cannot carry on overnight.

The official interim public radio (one single service for entire Greece) so far does not care for [the take] over [of] the shortwave and mediumwave resources in Athens. Probably they do not have the staff to operate them, as only the necessary personnel was hired to keep the single radio service running on FM.”

Many thanks to TheGreekRadio.com for this informative explanation.

Thus it looks like VOG’s shortwave service might be easily cut–and without warning. We already know that the Greek government is considering dismantling the Avlis transmitting site.

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In the wake of disaster, BBC World Service extends shortwave service to Philippines

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Typhoon Haiyan aftermath (Source: VOA News)

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Alex, who writes:

The Philippines disaster has prompted the BBC World Service to put on a short wave service to the Philippines.

[The BBC notes:]

“We have extended the hours until next Tuesday to give a longer run in the evening, so on SW the following hours are heard.

09:00 – 11:00 GMT
11825 kHz – 25 Metre Band
12010 kHz – 25 Metre Band
17790 kHz – 16 Metre Band

There is also existing SW which is not necessarily targeting the Philippines but which they should be able to pick up as follows:

11:00 – 15:00 GMT
6195 kHz – 49 Metre Band
9740 kHz – 31 Metre Band

00:00 – 02:00 GMT
6195 kHz – 49 Metre Band
9740 kHz – 31 Metre Band
11955 kHz – 25 Metre Band

[UPDATE: Frequencies and times have been updated as of 15:30 UTC, November 13, 2013]

In Alex’s message he also noted that the info from the BBC is presently a bit vague. He will keep us updated as he receives more information.

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Halloween was a very active night for pirate radio

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Haloween-Pirate-Radio You might remember my post from last week saying that Halloween is a pirate radio holiday? Chris Smolinski from the HF Underground has crunched some numbers from North American pirate radio loggings on Halloween. The number of pirates (and his chart with times and frequencies) are most impressive.

He writes:

Here’s some more pirate activity info for you: http://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,13574.0.html

Quite impressive, 28 transmissions logged.

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Listen to the The Melbourne Cup on Radio Australia

Radio Romania International celebrates 85 years on the air

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To celebrate 85 years on the air, RRI is asking their listeners: “How do you see the future of international radio broadcasting?”

Send your response and RRI might read it on the air during their November 3rd, 2013 broadcast. Read full details below.

(Source: Radio Romania International)

On November 1, 2013 we celebrate 85 years of Romanian radio broadcasting. An anniversary that we take pride in, that we think about more or less nostalgically, and which brings questions about the future.

It is an occasion for Radio Romania International to challenge you, on this year’s Listener’s Day, to answer the question “How do you see the future of international radio broadcasting?”

Ever since its first days, radio broadcasting has been subject to countless tests, on the one hand prompted by the changes in the media landscape, such as the growth of television, the development of private radio stations, the emergence of the Internet and of social networks, and on the other hand triggered by the diversifying means of reception and transmission. In response, the radio outputs and contents have also changed. Radio broadcasting and reception modernized.

Political factors, regime changes and wars also influenced the mission and programmes of radio stations, while economic factors, such as the periods of economic growth or slumps, have affected the number of stations and their broadcasts. International stations have been subject to all these influences, just like all other radio stations.

This is why, dear listeners, we invite you to tell us how you think international radio stations will develop in the coming years, and what your expectations are in this respect. What will the global supply of programmes for foreign audiences look like, and how large will it be? What means of transmission will be used by most international broadcasters? What will be the role of radio stations for foreign listeners, in a world where access to information is ever easier?

We are looking forward to your answers to the question “What will be the future of international radio broadcasting?” and will award the most interesting 20 contributions.

As usual, it is based on your answers that we will produce the “Listener’s Day” programme on RRI, aired on the first Sunday in November, that is November 3rd this year. You can send your answers in audio format, or in writing, via email, regular mail or fax, on Facebook or using the form on our website. Our contact details are: Radio Romania International, 60-64 General Berthelot Street, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, code 010165, fax no. 00.40.21.319.05.62, email [email protected].

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