Category Archives: International Broadcasting

Changes to Radio Exterior de España shortwave frequencies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who notes that Radio Exterior de España’s has announced winter frequency changes on their website.

David passed along an English (Google) translation of the REE notice:

 

Due to the winter time change, from October 29, Radio Exterior of Spain changes its emission frequencies in Short Wave.

From Monday to Friday, between 19 and 23 hours, universal time coordinated, Radio Exterior of Spain will offer its emissions in 11,685 kilohertz for West Africa and the South Atlantic. At 15,390 kilohertz for South America and the Pacific Ocean. At 9,690 kilohertz for North America and Greenland. And at 15,500 kilohertz for the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Great Sun.

On weekends, for West Africa and the South Atlantic, between 15 and 19 hours, universal time coordinated, at 17,755 kilohertz; and between 19 and 23 hours at 11,685 kilohertz.

On Saturdays and Sundays, between 15 and 23 hours, at 15,390 kilohertz for South America and the Pacific Oceans; at 9,690 kilohertz for North America and Greenland; and 15,500 kilohertz for the Indian Ocean, Middle East and Great Sun.

These are the frequency changes of the Spanish Foreign Radio Broadcast Wave emissions that will come into effect on October 30 due to the time shift to the winter.

Radio Exterior of Spain can be followed through satellite radio in all parts of the planet 24 hours a day uninterruptedly:

SES Astra 1M: frequency 11,626.5 MHz. Vertical polarization.
Hispasat 30W-5: frequency 12,015 Mhz. Vertical polarization.
Asiasat 5: frequency 3,960 Mhz. Horizontal polarization.
Eutelsat 5 West A: frequency 3,727 Mhz. Circular polarization.
Intelsat Galaxy 23: Frequency 4,191.35 Mhz. Vertical polarization.
Radio Exterior of Spain is heard on the Internet, in streaming or in the podcast of all its programming.

There are also mobile applications (link for Apple app or Android) for mobile applications, such as phones and tablets. And from any municipality and province of Spain you can enjoy, through television, Radio Exterior of Spain by DTT.

Click here to read the original notice in Spanish.

Thanks for the tip, David!

RRI “Listener’s Day” programme seeks your input

(Source: Elena Enache and Cristina Mateescu via email)

Dear listener,

On 5th November, Radio Romania International will be broadcasting its annual “Listener’s Day” programme in which we ask you, the listeners, what you think of the hot topics of the day. And this year’s topic is: “Fake news and trust in the media”.

What’s your experience of fake news in your country? What, in your opinion, is the greatest danger posed by fake news in today’s society? Do you associate fake news more with social media, or is it also to be found in traditional media? Has the rise of fake news affected your trust in traditional news sources? And if so, what can be done about it?

Send us your views and experiences by replying to this email. Better still, send us your reply as an audio file and we will try to include it in the programme. This is your day, so it’s your voice that should be heard!

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Elena Enache and Cristina Mateescu, the hosts of the “Listener’s Day” programme

If you would like to send them your message or audio file, please use the following email address: [email protected]

Radio Romania International: 2017-2018 Winter Broadcast Frequencies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the RRI 2017-2018 Winter Broadcast Frequencies (effective 29/10/2017 to 24/3/2018):

You can also listen to RRI’s English language programming live over the internet using the same SW broadcast schedule given above. All you need to do is go to the “RRI Live!” section in the top-right of our website, choose channel “2” for English and then select your desired audio format (WMA, MP3 or ACC).

Listen to English language programming on demand via the RRI website
RRI broadcasts in English are also available for listening on demand via our website. The “On Demand” feature is located immediately below the “RRI Live!” section in the top-right of the RRI homepage. To listen again to a programme all you need to do is select the date of broadcast from the drop-down list and then click the desired programme. Our programmes become available for listening on demand two hours after the original broadcast.

RRI and social media

RRI can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Google+, Flickr, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, SoundCloud and Instagram.

RRI via mobile phone in the US and on TuneIn

Did you know that if you’re in the US you can also listen to RRI broadcasts on your mobile phone? Our English language programmes are available both live and on demand via the following AudioNow “call-to-listen” phone number: 716.274.2526. Calling this number incurs no extra charge above the equivalent of a standard US mobile phone call.
Our programs are also available on TuneIn (Radio Romania International 1)

Click here to view on RRI’s website.

 

Skywave Radio Schedules now on the Google Play store

Skywave Schedules App will allow you to search a comprehensive, regularly updated, database of shortwave radio broadcasts.

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Cap, who has just notified me that his shortwave radio schedules app for Android–Skywave Radio Schedules–is now available via the Google Play store.

You might recall that Cap first shared this app in Beta form and invited us to share feedback and comments. Cap has spent weeks incorporating our suggestions and making changes in the background–Skywave Radio Schedules feels refined and responsive. Best yet?  It’s free and has no ads. Amazing.

Cap does note that you should uninstall any previous versions of this app before installing it from the Google Play store.

Thank you, Cap! Great job making this app a reality.

Click here to view Skywave Radio Schedules on the Google Play store.

North Korea “aggressively” jams new BBC broadcasts

(Source: The Telegraph)

The BBC’s new Korean-language service is being “aggressively targeted” by North Korean jamming of its broadcasts.

The service was launched on Monday and delivers a mixture of global news, sport and radio features to the whole of the Korean Peninsula for a three-hour window that starts at midnight local time.

Broadcasts are going out on two shortwave frequencies, from Taiwan and Tashkent, while the hour-long segment from 1am is relayed on medium wave from Mongolia, according to a report on the 38 North web site, operated by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

“As listening to foreign radio is illegal, the government makes a great effort to prevent people from doing so”, the report states. “At the most basic level, it modifies radios so they cannot be tuned to anything but state-run channels, although that can be later reverse engineered.

[…]The BBC broadcasts are going out after midnight, which will make it easier for listeners with access to short wave to tune in secretly.

Read the full article at The Telegraph…

New Korean language service from the BBC

(Source: BBC Media Centre)

BBC News launches Korean language service

The new Korean language service announced in November 2016 by the BBC World Service began broadcasting today. Audiences in the Korean peninsula and Korean speakers around the world can now hear radio broadcasts and access the latest news online at BBC.com/Korean.
BBC News Korean is one of 12 new language service launches now underway as part of the biggest expansion of the BBC World Service since the 1940s, funded through a £291 million grant in aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Director of the BBC World Service Francesca Unsworth says: “BBC News Korean will build on the long-standing reputation for fairness and impartiality the BBC World Service has earned all over the world.”

BBC News Korean features a daily 30-minute radio news programme broadcast at 15.30 GMT on Shortwave (SW) and 16.30 GMT Medium wave (MW). The service will also feature a digital offer with written stories, videos and radio programmes which can be downloaded and shared. The new service features a wide range of news, sport, business, culture, in-depth reports and English language learning.

BBC News Korean journalists will be based in Seoul, London and Washington and will draw on the full extent of the BBC’s global network of correspondents.

Notes to Editors
Service to launch on Monday 25 September at 15.30 GMT (Tuesday 26 September in Korea):

  • Shortwave service to broadcast for three hours, 15.30 – 18.30 GMT (0030 – 0330 GMT local time Seoul; 00.00 – 03.00 local time, PYT)
  • Medium wave service transmission for 1 hour 16.30 – 17.30 GMT (0130-0230 local time Seoul; 01.00 – 02.00 local time, PYT)
  • All transmissions to be 7 days a week
  • Medium wave (MW) Frequency: 1431KHz
  • Shortwave (SW) Frequencies: 5810 kHz & 9940 kHz (from launch to 28 October 2017) then; 5810 kHz & 5830 kHz (from 29 October 2017 to 24 March 2018)
  • The BBC News Korean website will be available at BBC.com/Korean

The BBC World Service is currently launching in 12 new languages – Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo, Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Serbian, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba.

Photos of WRMI antenna field damage

Since we’ve been following WRMI in the wake of Hurricane Irma, I’ve posted a few photos below that WRMI shared on their Facebook page. These photos give us an idea about the magnitude of damage to their antenna farm.

Amazingly, Jeff White confirmed a few days ago that WRMI is back up to full power on all of their frequencies.

All of the caption below were noted by WRMI:

One of the towers holding our 44-degree antenna to Europe was folded in the middle by the hurricane.

A mess of crossed transmission lines in the field.

Transmission lines on the ground that should be above ground on poles.

Transmission line poles were knocked down.

A second tower holding the 44-degree antenna was snapped in the middle.

We had some requests a few days ago from listeners who wanted to see a diagram of our transmitter-antenna connections. This may blow your mind, but here goes…

For all WRMI updates, please bookmark the WRMI Facebook page.