Tag Archives: Encompass

BBC Kranji shortwave relay station to close July 16, 2023

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors who have reached out about a report on AWR Wavescan regarding the closure of the BBC Kranji relay station in Singapore.

I contacted AWR Wavescan host, Jeff White at WRMI, and asked for any details he might have since I could not locate any press release from the BBC or Encompass.

Jeff shared the following notice from AWR Wavescan:

Another shortwave station is about to go off the air for good also. Encompass TV reports that the BBC relay station that Encompass operates in Kranji Singapore will cease operation as of July 16th, after many decades of service. This will result in a reduction of BBC English transmissions to South Asia. Some transmissions from Kranji will be moved to other shortwave transmitter sites.

Many thanks for the info, Jeff.

We’ll post more details about the closure as they become available.

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“Managing SW Broadcasts From Ascension Island”

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Location of Ascension Island in the South Atlantic.

Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors who share the following story from Radio World magazine (this summary via Southgate ARC):

Managing short wave broadcasts from Ascension Island

Radio World reports on the remote Atlantic Relay Station that transmits critical radio broadcasts to millions in Africa and beyond

A six-mile stretch of volcanic rock in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean is home to the BBC’s Atlantic Relay Station.

Now managed and operated by Encompass Digital Media on behalf of the BBC World Service, the stations’ six powerful shortwave transmitters on Ascension Island beam program in a dozen or more languages to some 30 million listeners in north, west and central Africa.

The shortwave transmitters include two 250 kW Marconi BD272 transmitters originally installed in 1966 (and still in daily use) and four 250 kW RIZ K01 transmitters, which are also capable of transmitting in Digital Radio mode.

Read the Radio World story at
https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/managing-sw-broadcasts-from-ascension-island

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Encompass DRM tests from Woofferton March 26 and 27

Encompass Digital Media has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Babcock’s Media Services

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Many thanks to an SWLing Post contributor who shares this item which was originally posted by Kai Ludwig on the Shortwave Sites email group. Kai writes:

There is a new name to get familiar with:

Encompass to Acquire Babcock’s Media Services

ENCOMPASS TO ACQUIRE BABCOCK’S MEDIA SERVICES

Note the statement from Encompass about their reasons for purchasing Babcock’s Media Services. It does not mention the word “radio” at all. Seems to me that radio distribution will in future be just a legacy service, kept in the same way Babcock already keeps the traditional stuff of World Radio Network after they likewise took over this company three years ago. Just consistent with the observation quoted at https://twitter.com/ChrisGreenwayUK/status/1022963699374596099

“Shortwave is on its last legs” a BBC colleague told us yesterday. OK, but the Chinese government still feels it necessary to jam many SW channels with their “Firedrake” music, as they were doing this evening on 9355 kHz, to stop their own people from hearing voices from abroad pic.twitter.com/bM9oenliOx

— Chris Greenway (@ChrisGreenwayUK) July 27, 2018

The sports stuff mentioned in the statement is this:
http://babcock.media/latest/001017/

And a picture is worth thousand worths, so just compare the photos from 2004
http://travelseries.de/trav2004/trav04_4.htm

Click to access 04-23-18-20.pdf

with the current ones of what has in the meantime developed into a TV/video NOC:
http://babcock.media/virtual-tour/

I would be surprised if Encompass keeps the former WRN HQ, because they already have a facility in London:
https://www.encompass.tv/encompass-london/