Category Archives: International Broadcasting

NHK WORLD expands and rebrands as NHK WORLD-JAPAN

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following announcement from NHK WORLD:

Expansion under a new brand
– NHK WORLD-JAPAN Launches in April –

NHK WORLD, the international broadcasting service of NHK, makes a fresh start as NHK WORLD-JAPAN in April. The new name is intended to establish wider global recognition for the service’s Japanese roots in advance of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. NHK WORLD-JAPAN will provide a Japanese perspective in trustworthy news coverage and programming in this part of the world. Closer coordination with NHK’s domestic services will supply even more content to satisfy the interests of the global audience.

Check out NHK’s announcement and expanded programs on their website.

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Kuwait updates shortwave transmitters

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(Source: Kuwait News Agency via Mike Hansgen)

KUWAIT, March 8 (KUNA) — Minister of Information Mohammad Al-Jabri on Thursday opened a project updating shortwave transmitters from analogue to digital radio mondiale (DRM) broadcasting systems, at Kabd radio station.

This is a new achievement for the ministry to be added to a series of vital projects that aim to keep pace with the rapid technical progress around the globe, Al-Jabri told KUNA and the Kuwait TV.

Kabd station, through the new DRM system, will allow “Kuwait’s voice” to reach the entire Middle East region, Europe and Asia, he noted.

Kuwaitis have planned and supervised the project, the minister said, noting that updating the infrastructure of radio stations aims to cope with latest digital broadcasting development, the minister said.

Al-Jabri praised officials, and all the personnel at the ministry’s Engineering Affairs Sector, for their hard sincere efforts.

Click here to read the full article at the KUNA website.

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WBCQ builds 500 kW transmitting station

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Here at the Winter SWL Fest, there has been much chatter about the new Ampegon rotatable antenna and transmitter system at WBCQ.

WBCQ made the following press releasee yesterday:

(Source: WBCQ)

For Immediate Release: March 2, 2018

WBCQ The Planet Announces New Showcase Radio Facility

Plymouth Meeting, PA:

WBCQ The Planet announced today that it is building one of the most powerful and versatile radio stations in the world. WBCQ’s new shortwave radio station, now under construction in Monticello, Maine, features a new 500-kilowatt transmitter from Continental Electronics and a state-of-the-art antenna system from Ampegon Antenna of Switzerland.

The new station, funded by private investors, will be able to direct a powerful shortwave signal to any country on Earth. Our new facility is planned to be a showcase for the radio world and is dedicated to our free speech mission.

The new station is planned to commence operations in fall 2018.

Obviously, the investor has deep pockets and I understand is affiliated with a religious organization. The new antenna and transmitter building is being built on land adjacent to the existing transmitter site. WBCQ actually broke ground last summer and the massive antenna’s foundation is already in place. The antenna is on site now, but has not been assembled. Most of the construction is on hold during the winter, but WBCQ plans to have this 500 kW station on the air by Fall 2018.

Follow developments by bookmarking the tag: WBCQ

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Kamchatka broadcasting on shortwave

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ralf Bender, who writes:

Here a link to a German radio station website, which yesterday released that a Russian broadcaster is back on air. In times when many broadcasters/stations are closed [this is] good news.

Here there original German website:
https://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/medienmagazin/radio_news/beitraege/2018/kamtschatka.html

And here with automatic Google translation:

Kamchatka on shortwave

According to the broadcasting companies of the republics Adygea and Sakha, in the Russian Federation, a third broadcaster is again active on shortwave: the GTRK Kamchatka from Petropavlovsk. Sent for each two hours from 8.00 and 13.00 clock local time on the frequency 5940 kHz.[…]

The transmission to 5940 kHz compensates the omission of the long wave 180 kHz. Like all others, it had been shut down at the beginning of 2014 by long-wave and shortwave recordings that had previously been recorded on the account of the All-Russian State Broadcasting Corporation (WGTRK). Thus, the radio coverage ended outside the areas reached by the FM stations.[…]

The article also includes the following reception video from a DXer in Asia:

Click here to view on YouTube.

Thanks for the tip, Ralf! Perhaps some of our Russian readers can shed some light on this development? Please comment!

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Radio Taiwan International petition

WRTH updates to B17 schedule

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(Source: Sean Gilbert via WRTH Facebook)

As in past seasons, WRTH is pleased to announce that an update file for the B17 broadcast schedules is now available for free download from http://www.wrth.com

This update contains changes, additions and frequency cancellations; new stations that have become active since WRTH was published; and the revised full schedules of certain stations.

We hope you find this file useful as an addition to WRTH (it is formatted in the same manner as the printed WRTH), or it can be used on its own, of course.

Please forward this information to your various mailing lists and reflectors and to anyone else who may be interested.

73 and happy listening

from the WRTH Editorial staff

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BBC launches new shortwave services for Ethiopia and Eritrea

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(Source: BBC Media Centre via Mike Hansgen)

The BBC is launching new daily radio services which will be aired Monday to Friday in Amharic, Afaan Oromo and Tigrinya. The new language services have been available online since September 2017 when they launched websites and Facebook pages in all three languages.

The new radio services will provide impartial news, current affairs, features and analysis for Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as regional and international news. There will be a strong focus on culture, health and original journalism from the region. These services are part of the largest investment in the BBC World Service since the 1940s and are funded by the UK government.

The programme will be broadcast on shortwave, satellite – and streamed directly onto each service’s Facebook page.

In addition content produced by BBC Learning English, part of the BBC World Service which teaches English to global audiences will feature prominently across the schedules for all three languages, with daily content as follows:
·
Essential English – Beginners (airs on Monday, repeated on Wednesday)
A functional five-minute audio course presented by an English speaker and a local presenter, which aims to help beginners to learn English. Learners will be introduced to essential chunks of functional language, which will allow them to start having simple conversations in English immediately.

English Expressions – Intermediate (airs Tuesday, repeated on Thursday)
This five-minute audio course focusses on common expressions used in everyday English. An English speaking presenter and a local language presenter discuss the meaning and use a different expression each week.

English Together Advanced (airs Friday only)
This is a bilingual five-minute audio with three presenters (2 English and one local language) discussing a current (safe i.e. non news) topic and examining the language used in the story allowing the user the practise their listening skills and equip them with the grammar and vocabulary needed to discuss the story.

The programmes are broadcast Monday-Friday at the following times:

17:30 – 17.45: Amharic news

17.45 – 17:50: Amharic Learning English

17:50 – 18:05: Afaan Oromo News

18.05 – 18.10: Afaan Oromo Learning English

18:10 – 18:25: Tigrinya News

18:25 – 18:30: Tigrinya Learning English

Programmes will also be streamed via the respective BBC websites and Facebook pages (see links below).

Details of how to listen:

Amharic

Afaan Oromo

Tigrinya

Notes to Editors
The Initial shortwave broadcast to go out at 17:30 GMT/ 20:30 EAT on three transmitters providing coverage across Ethiopia and Eritrea:

7.595MHz

11.720MHz

12.065MHz

Repeat to follow at 18:30 GMT /21:30 EAT

9.855MHz

15.490MHz

Satellite Radio content will go out on the following channels:

Arabsat (BADR4) – 11.966GHz, Horizontal

Nilesat 201 -11.843GHz, Horizontal

Hotbird 13D – 12.597GHz, Vertical

Evening satellite broadcast to go out at 17:30 GMT and will be repeated until 21:30 GMT.

The BBC World Service reaches a global audience of 269 million weekly, on radio, TV, and digital.

BBC World Service received further funding of £291m until 2019/20 from the UK Government to launch twelve new language services: Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo, Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Serbian, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba. This additional funding is not part of the licence fee.

MF