PCJ International has noted a special two hour transmission on March 14th, 2015 from 2300 to 0100 UTC on 7,570 kHz.
Though no details have been released yet, Keith Perron has noted that they plan to give away listener prizes.
Only moments after posting news that Andrew Lack may be leaving the BBG CEO position to rejoin NBC, the website BBG Watch has confirmed Lack’s departure.
Jeff Shell, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, congratulates Andy Lack after swearing him in as the first ever CEO of U.S. international media. (Image Source: BBG Press Release)
Many thanks to Dan Robinson, who shared links to several news stories that propose Andrew Lack may be leaving the CEO position of the Broadcasting Board of Governors to return to NBC.
Here’s a clip from the Washington Post:
Former NBC news president and former Bloomberg Media chairman Andy Lack, who was brought in to fix the perennially troubled U.S. international media operations, is leaving after just six weeks on the job.
[…] Lack is in negotiations with NBC News to return to a top job there, according to report Tuesday in Variety, the entertainment news publication, dashing the hopes of State Department and BBG officials who wanted the high-powered media executive to energize U.S. overseas media operations.
The negotiations were spurred, Variety noted, by the crisis set off at NBC News by the Brian Williams debacle and suspension.
So rather than right the ship at BBG — he had talked about growing the operation, not cutting it — Lack is apparently going off to right the other ship.”
Indeed, this story was featured in the following news sources:
If Andy does make the move, we’ll post an update.
On Tuesday afternoon, I made a pilgrimage the to the National Capital Radio and Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland, USA. The museum is located in a modest and beautiful historic house on the corner of Mt. Oak and Mitchellville Roads in Bowie.
Museum Curator and volunteer, Brian Belanger, kindly gave me a private tour of the museum collections (the museum is closed on Tuesdays).
Many thanks to Brian for taking time out of his day for the tour, and for allowing me to take some photos for the SWLing Post!
The museum has a number of display rooms with radios broadly grouped by style and decade. The first room offers examples of some of the earliest radios produced–including the venerable crystal radio (below).
[Click photos to enlarge.]
Like Brian, numerous volunteers work to keep the collections in working order. This isn’t a place where vintage radios come to die; they actually come to life here.
Even examples of some of their earliest radios are on the air and can be tuned to local and international stations. 
This RCA “portable” (below), housed two batteries on either side of the center faceplate. Note the ad on the wall above–a couple enjoy the RCA as they recline on a beach.
Speakers of the day were pretty amazing, too–check out this hand-painted 1927 Air Chrome Double Cone Speaker, below.
The museum also has an extensive collection of studio and off-air recordings that can be played over an AM carrier throughout the building.
By the late 1920s and early 1930s, radio manufactures built gorgeous console radios, features in the living rooms and parlors of many lucky homes.
This E.H. Scott All-Wave 23 console (above and below) sported not only twenty-threee vacuum tubes, but a large, robust internal speaker. Radio collectors consider the All-Wave 23 to be one of the finest performing radios of the vacuum-tube era. 
The museum also features the Zenith 12-S-232 tabletop radio with working shuttle dial–a futuristic band-switching mechanical wonder with a stunning dial.
A number of tabletop and portable radios that span the decades have found their homes in this museum. No doubt many SWLing Post readers cut their teeth on these classics!
I love the design of the Garod Model 5A2–wow! And I’m sure many kids of the fifties wished they had an official Hopalong Cassidy AM radio (below).
The museum, of course, also houses a large number of classic televisions.
Radio stations and benefactors have also donated many items used in the industry, both in broadcast and retail.
Brian was also kind enough to take me to the building, next door, where they repair radios and store others for eventual rotation into the collection.
Museum volunteers also teach radio repair and restoration classes.
The number of classic ham radios, home brew receivers and transmitters was simply amazing. Indeed, I felt like a kid in a candy shop!
By the end of the tour, I had decided to become a member of the National Capital Radio and Television Museum. Even though I live a few states away, I like knowing that my membership funds not only help preserve vintage radios and televisions, but also provide me members-only access to many of their scanned archives. Click to view a full list of benefits for a modest $25 membership.
Again, many thanks to Brian Belanger for the amazing tour of this wonderful museum! Brian, I’ll be back next year…
The online retailer, Blinq.com, has posted a number of used Sony ICF-SW7600GR radios for $89.39 US, shipped. This is an excellent price for the ‘7600GR–even used.
As I’ve mentioned a number of times, the ICF-SW7600GR is one of my favorite shortwave portables. Click here to read a review that compares the Sony with three other benchmark portables.
Blinq states that the ‘7600GR is fully functional, but may show minor wear (scratches, etc), may come repackaged, but comes with a 90-day warranty.
Though I received a faulty radio from Blinq once, their return process was so effortless and efficient, I personally don’t mind taking my chances. I believe you can buy from Blinq with confidence.
Thanks to so many of you who tweeted, commented and sent messages with live reception reports of the Shortwave Shindig! Despite a little technical difficulty with our Internet connection, which dropped the audio stream to WRMI for a few minutes, the show was quite a success.
And many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Chris Freitas, in Memphis, Tennessee, who writes:
This is audio from Shortwave Shindig at 9 pm Central time at the SWL Winterfest at Plymouth Meeting, PA on 2/27/15. It was transmitted via WRMI on 7570 khz & received in Memphis on Tecsun PL-660. As you can hear, it came in very well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjREldkoY_8
Reception reports from the east coast of the US, all the way to west coast were most positive. It’s amazing how well WRMI covers the continent.
Speaking of WRMI, we would like to extend a big thanks to Jeff White for extending the Shindig air time–what a great fellow you are, Jeff!
David Goren’s Shortwave Shindig will once again broadcast live–in a few moments–from the Winter SWL Fest in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.
Tune in at 22:00-23:00 EST tonight (that’s 03:00-04:00 UTC, February 28) on 7,570 kHz.