Category Archives: Radio History

1976 recording of RNW added to the Shotwave Radio Audio Archive

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IMG_0135Greg Shoom, a new contributor to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, has just submitted a 1976-1977 off air recording which includes:

  • The Happy Station Show hosted by Tom Meijer (Christmas 1976 edition),
  • an unidentified program called “Why Join a DX Club“
  • and several longwave radio beacons.

Click here to listen to this recording on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

Remember, you can subscribe and download the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive collection (free!) as a podcast via iTunes or the SWAA RSS feed.

Many thanks to Greg Shoom for sharing this excellent recording!

Sackville Tribune-Post reports on dismantling of RCI site

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Radio Canada International's Sackville, New Brunswick shortwave transmitter site. (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to Ken Reitz for sharing this:

(Source: Sackville Tribune-Post)

A piece of local history is slowly disappearing as crews dismantle the former Radio Canada International transmission towers on the marsh near Sackville, N.B.

The towers, erected prior to the Second World War, were declared obsolete in October 2012 after the CBC ended its shortwave service because of changing technology and the use of the Internet and satellite radio.

When no use was found for the facility the decision was made to have the towers dismantled.

“It’s really sad to see it coming down, there are so many great memories working there,” said former manager David Horyl, who spent more than 35 years working at the facility on the marsh. “It’s really going to change the look of thing over there. It’s quite a landmark.”

[Continue reading…]

Jonathan reminds us that history keeps repeating itself

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1-RadioListening2Current events in the Ukraine and Crimea remind Jonathan Marks that history–especially as broadcast over the airwaves–repeats itself:

“History keeps repeating itself, both on the ground and on the radio. The theatre going on in Crimea and Ukraine at the moment remind me of other situations. But there is a difference. The programmes below [click here] were all made when the Russian’s had an external broadcasting service called Radio Moscow, later renamed as Voice of Russia. Just as Voice of America shouted at the Russia, so Voice of Russia shouted back.”

Continue reading Jonathan’s full article, complete with audio and video clips, on his blog Critical Distance.

More 1968 recordings on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive

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IMG_0135I’ve now added a total of five recordings by David Firth, circa 1968, to the SW Radio Audio Archive. Click below for direct links:

Note that you can subscribe to the SW Radio Audio Archive as a podcast via iTunes or by using the following RSS feed: http://shortwavearchive.com/archive?format=rss

Eight new recordings in the Media Network Vintage Vault

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RNW headquarters in Hilversum, Netherlands (photo coutesty: RNW)

RNW’s former headquarters in Hilversum, Netherlands (photo: RNW)

Jonthan Marks has just informed me that he’s added new studio recordings  to the Media Network Vintage Vault.

They include:

Jonathan comments, “I think you might like the Radio New Zealand stuff. Sounds like it was recorded yesterday.”

The New Zealand Bellbird (Anthornis melanura) provides the interval signal for RNZI (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The New Zealand Bellbird (Anthornis melanura) provides the interval signal for RNZI (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Indeed it does!

To top it off, I’m still amazed RNZI is still on the air and pumping out an amazing signal into North America. Click here for a recording made only one week ago.

Having never heard a New Zealand Bellbird live, I was most impressed to hear how RNZI (in the 1950s!) modified the Bellbird’s call for the distinctive RNZI interval signal. Don’t want to give it away, though, listen for yourself.

Shortwave Radio Recordings: Voice of America, circa 1968

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Willis Conover, The Voice of America (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to David Firth, who is kindly sharing shortwave radio recordings he made on reel-to-reel recording equipment in the late 1960s.

Firth is uncovering and digitizing these off air recordings as time allows and, thanks to his generosity, we will be posting these recordings on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive.

The following is a recording of the Voice of America, which Firth recorded in 1968.

This seven minute recording will surely bring back memories with clips from VOA Jazz Hour (Willis Conover), the VOA Breakfast Show, and VOA Special English.

[Confession: the first time I heard this recording, the Willis Conover clip gave me chill bumps.]

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Check out more recordings on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, also check out David Firth’s channel on YouTube.

Want to know more about Willis Conover? Check out David Goren’s podcast for Jazz At Lincoln Center.