Tag Archives: David Iurescia (LW4DAF)

Shiokaze Shortwave Radio Service Faces Crisis

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following news from The Japan News:

Shortwave Radio for Japanese Abductees Faces Crisis

Tokyo, Dec. 31 (Jiji Press)—The Shiokaze shortwave radio service for Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea faces a crisis because it will be unable to counter jamming by Pyongyang during facility renewal work in fiscal 2024.

The situation “contradicts the government’s policy of giving top priority to the abduction issue,” said the group playing the leading role in the radio broadcasts.

Shiokaze, which means sea breeze, began broadcasting in 2005, operated mainly by the Investigation Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea. It conveys messages from family members of abductees and news from Japan and abroad.

The radio is constantly hit by jamming signals from North Korea. Since 2019, Shiokaze has been conducting double broadcasting using two frequencies as a countermeasure.

Shiokaze’s transmission base is within KDDI Corp.’s Yamata transmitting station in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan.

The number of transmitters at the station will be reduced by two from the current seven partly due to the aging facility. There will be a period when double broadcasting is not possible during the work.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK, which uses the KDDI station as a base for its overseas radio services, said that work related to the transmitters will last up to 10 months from the second half of fiscal 2024.

“For a while during the work, Shiokaze is expected to broadcast on one frequency,” said an official of NHK, formally called Japan Broadcasting Corp.

“We recognize that the work is necessary in order to continue the two frequency system although (Shiokaze) will be a single frequency service temporarily,” then Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a meeting of a parliamentary special panel on the abduction issue Dec. 4, 2023.

Meanwhile, a Cabinet Secretariat official expressed concern, saying that “the risk of obstruction will increase more than ever,” albeit temporarily. [Continue reading…]

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KBS Shortwave Frequency and Time Change Notice

Shortwave Frequency & Time Change Notice

Due to a technical issue, KBS WORLD Radio’s English Service will make an inevitable adjustment in the shortwave frequency and time as follows as of January 1, 2024. We ask for your kind understanding. Please send your listener feedback to English Service via email, snail mail, website and social media as always. Thank you.

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RNZ Shortwave: “Futureproofing Pacific broadcasting – transmitter replacement underway”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following press release from Radio New Zealand:

Futureproofing Pacific broadcasting – transmitter replacement underway

Released at 2:34 pm on 12 December 2023

RNZ has powered down for the last time its 34-year-old shortwave Thompson transmitter, known as “Transmitter 1”, one of two shortwave transmitters that deliver analogue and digital radio broadcasts to the Pacific.

It is part of the preparation for the installation of a new Swiss-made Ampegon shortwave transmitter at its Rangitaiki site.

This project is a milestone for RNZ. For the past 75 years, it has been using shortwave radio to broadcast to the vast Pacific region. Replacing the old transmitter marks a significant step in futureproofing of the service.

Transmitter 1, the 100-kilowatt Thompson unit, was installed just outside of Taup? in 1989, just in time for the Commonweath Games held in Auckland in 1990. Only capable of transmitting in analogue, servicing Transmitter 1 has become an increasingly challenging task with many of the parts for the transmitter now obsolete.

Its replacement, an Ampegon shortwave transmitter capable of both digital and analogue transmission is currently being shipped to New Zealand after being built in Ampegon’s Switzerland factory. However, before the new transmitter can be installed, Transmitter 1 needs to be decommissioned with any useful parts kept as spares.

RNZ’s Transmission Engineer Specialist Steve White said the challenge for the switchover is having an existing transmission building that limits space.

“It will take around four weeks to completely dismantle Transmitter 1 which was built into the building so it’s not just a case of unplugging it and wheeling it out. We need to isolate the transmitter from the main switchboard as well as drain the fluids that help cool the transmitter before breaking it into parts.”

The new Ampegon transmitter will arrive in January and take an estimated six weeks to install, six weeks to commission and a further period of training. At this stage it is expected the transmitter will be operational from 1 May 2024.

When Transmitter 1 is replaced, there will be two transmitters capable of both analogue and digital transmissions, ensuring a complete backup should one of the transmitters stop working.

In the meantime, RNZ Pacific Manager Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor said they were making sure all of RNZ’s Pacific partners were aware of the alternative ways to access RNZ content.

“While digital transmissions will continue, the decommissioning of Transmitter 1 will mean the analogue service will be reduced during the transition period. However, RNZ can still be heard via satellite, and we will be working with our partners in the Pacific on the alternative options of downloading or livestreaming through our website. RNZ Pacific also has an important role during Cyclone season, delivering critical information to the region and this will be prioritised during this period of single transmitter operation.”

RNZ Chief Executive and Editor in Chief Paul Thompson said the importance of the service for the region cannot be underestimated in terms of the content provided.

“Our voice reaches and is welcomed in all parts of the Pacific. During the Tonga eruption, when the undersea cable was cut, RNZ Pacific short wave was a lifeline source of information,” he said.

RNZ’s Charter includes the provision of an international service to the South Pacific in both English and Pacific languages. As part of Budget 2022, the Government announced $4.4m dollars capital funding for a new transmitter for RNZ Pacific.

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CBC/Radio-Canada to cut workforce in budget shortfall

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following item from Radio Canada International:

CBC/Radio-Canada to cut 10 per cent of workforce, end some programming as it faces $125M budget shortfall (RCI)

Public broadcaster says most cuts will take effect over the coming year

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Radio-Canada announced Monday that it plans to cut about 10 per cent of its workforce and axe some programming to cope with a potential $125 million budget shortfall.

In a news release, the public broadcaster said it plans on cutting 600 union and non-union positions across the entire organization. The corporation said about 200 vacant positions will be eliminated on top of that.

CBC and Radio-Canada, the French-language arm, will each be cutting in the range of 250 jobs, while the rest of the cuts will come from the technology and infrastructure department and other corporate divisions, said the corporation.

CBC spokesperson Leon Mar said some of the cuts will begin immediately but most will take effect over the coming year.

CBC/Radio-Canada — which received around $1.3 billion in public funding in the 2022-2023 fiscal year — also announced Monday it will reduce its English and French programming budgets for the next fiscal year and cut about $40 million from independent production commissions and program acquisitions.

Mar said that will mean fewer new television series and fewer episodes for existing shows.

The corporation said earlier this year it had begun cutting $25 million through measures such as limiting travel, sponsorships and marketing, and delaying technology initiatives.

The public broadcaster blamed its budget issues on rising production costs, declining television advertising revenue and fierce competition from the digital giants.

CBC/Radio-Canada said it’s also grappling with forecast reductions to its parliamentary funding beginning in the next fiscal year. A fund to help the public broadcaster offset revenue losses during the pandemic is also ending, it said. The fund supplied the CBC with $21 million a year for two years.

We understand how concerning this is to the people affected and to the Canadians who depend on our programs and services. We will have more details in the months ahead, but we are doing everything we can to minimize the impact of these measures, said CBC/Radio-Canada president Catherine Tait in a prepared statement. [Continue reading…]

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Radio Exterior de España suspends shortwave service Dec 4-5 due to power cuts

Temporary suspension of shortwave emission

We inform you that the next few days December 4-5 Radio Exterior de España will be forced to suspend its shortwave broadcasts.

The reason: a cut in the electricity supply, beyond our control, which will affect the shortwave emitting center that Radio Exterior has in the town of Noblejas. The break is due to work that the Unión Fenosa company has to do in the electrical substation from that Toledo municipality and that will affect our facilities.

Consequently, shortwave emission will be suspended next Monday, December 4 and will last until Wednesday, December 6, which will be when the signal resumes.

We apologize for this incident, completely unrelated to the will of Radio Exterior de España.

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RRI’s Annual “Personality of the Year”

Personality of the Year 2023 on RRI

Time for RRI’s annual survey of its listeners and Internet and social media users to find out the 2023 Personality of the Year.

RRI is again holding its annual survey of its listeners and Internet and social media users to find out the 2023 Personality of the Year.

And this has been no easy year, with Russia’s war in Ukraine continuing, energy prices rocketing, many parts of the world suffering food shortages, and not least, with global warming causing what was probably the hottest year on record. On top of all this came the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the Gaza Strip.

In this difficult year, which international public figure, in your opinion, has had the strongest positive impact on the world? And why? RRI will designate its Personality of the Year based on your nominations, which you can submit, together with a short justification, by posting directly on our website in a comment to this article, at www.rri.ro, by email at [email protected], on our Facebook page, on Instagram, WhatsApp, at 0040.744.312.650 (text or audio) or by fax at 0040.21.319.05.62.

We will announce the RRI Personality of the Year on-air and online on Monday, 1st January 2024.

We are looking forward to receiving your nominations, so please, get in touch!

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Radio Slovakia International’s 2023 QSL Cards

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following article originally published on the Radio Slovakia International website:

QSL 2023

Our 2023 edition of QSL cards are all united within the main motto “30 years of Slovakia – 30 years of RSI”. The photos depict important buildings in the Slovak capital, Bratislava.