Tag Archives: Richard Cuff

As Canada’s Weather Radio Shuts Down, U.S. Lawmakers Push to Modernize NOAA VHF Network

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Richard Cuff, who writes:

Yesterday may have been the final day for WeatherRadio in Canada, as the shutdown is scheduled for today.

Meanwhile, in the USA, there’s a bill in Congress to fund modernization
of our VHF weather network…

House Committee Passes NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Proposal (Radio World)

The U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology passed the NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act at a committee meeting on Wednesday.

As we reported, the legislation directs NOAA to “modernize and expand” the VHF weather radio network that serves the U.S., with $100 million for FY 2026 authorized.

It was introduced by committee Chairman Brian Babin (R-Texas) and has bipartisan support. Cosponsors include Reps. Mike Flood (R-Neb.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.). [Continue reading…]

Thank you for sharing this, Rich! It’s nice to see a bi-partisan committee pushing this forward!

End of an Era: CBS News Radio Shuttering After 100 Years

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Edward R. Murrow

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Richard Cuff, who shares the following article from The Guardian regarding a significant restructuring at CBS News. In a move described by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss as a “necessary decision” driven by a radical shift in the media landscape, the network has announced a major round of layoffs affecting roughly 6% of its staff. Most notably for the radio community, the nearly 100-year-old CBS News Radio service is set to shutter on May 22, 2026. This marks the end of an era for a service that famously hosted Edward R. Murrow’s wartime reports and produced the CBS World News Roundup, the longest-running newscast in the country.

Read the full article at The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/20/bari-weiss-cbs-news-layoffs

Federal court mandates reinstatement of over 1,000 VOA employees

New Farsi Numbers Station Reported on 7910 kHz

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Richard Cuff, who shares an article from Seth Hettena’s Substack about the appearance of a new shortwave numbers station believed to be broadcasting in Farsi. Numbers stations–mysterious broadcasts that read sequences of numbers–have long been associated with intelligence agencies communicating with field operatives using unbreakable one-time pad encryption. According to the report, this new signal first appeared around the time of recent military strikes involving Iran and has been heard on 7910 kHz. One of our readers reported hearing it around 2:15 UTC recently.

If you capture a recording of this numbers station, please reach out as I would like to add it to the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. Thank you!

BBC World Service’s Emergency Radio Programme for Iran

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Richard Cuff, who writes:

Also spotted this at the BBC Press information website — it’s been in
effect, apparently, since early in February:

BBC launches emergency lifeline radio programme for Iran (BBC Media Centre)

4 February 2026

The programme will air daily for 30 minutes across medium and shortwave frequencies

The BBC World Service has launched a temporary emergency lifeline radio programme for Iran in response to the ongoing turmoil in the country, and the unprecedented crackdown on protests.

To complement the existing BBC News Persian video and digital services, the radio programme will be available on mediumwave and shortwave across Iran to increase the population’s access to news and information. To broaden its offer and availability of programming, the BBC World Service has also made some of its TV content available on mediumwave radio.

Since 8 January, the Iranian people have been subject to an internet blackout. Prior to this, BBC News Persian’s digital services saw their biggest reach in a year with their platforms reaching more than 33 million people.

The short-term programme will cover the latest news and developments in Iran and will place events inside the country within their wider regional and international context. It will feature voices from inside Iran alongside clear, informed analysis of the most recent political, social, and economic developments shaping the situation in the country.

The programme will air daily for 30 minutes across medium and shortwave frequencies from 4.30pm GMT / 8pm Iran Standard Time. The temporary programme has been granted resource from existing funds until the end of March 2026.

Fiona Crack, Interim Global Director, BBC News, says: “A key role of the BBC World Service is to step up in times of crisis to provide news and information for our audiences in greatest need. BBC News Persian reaches one in four adults in Iran, which is an astonishing feat considering their reporting is banned in the country.

“The team have been essential in telling the urgent story of the Iranian people to audiences around the world, and our new radio programme will give the Iranian people more ways to access independent and impartial news.”

Tarik Kafala, Interim Regional Director, Middle East and North Africa, says: “BBC News Persian have worked tirelessly to deliver journalism throughout this period of unrest as the demand for trusted news has soared in Iran. The teams have supplied extended TV hours in Iran and an increased offer on digital platforms for the Iranian people. They have reported for UK audiences across bulletins, live pages and on forensic journalism with BBC Verify.”

The BBC World Service has a history of launching emergency services in times of crisis. In April 2025, BBC News Burmese started providing audio and video content on a satellite channel in the aftermath of Myanmar earthquake.

In December 2024, following the fall of the Assad regime, the BBC World Service set up an enhanced audio channel on FM and mediumwave for the people of Syria. This follows the emergency radio service for Gaza in November 2023 and for Sudan in May 2023 amid conflict.

In February 2022, the BBC News Ukraine service extended TV bulletins following the invasion of the country.

Where to find the programme:

The live programme will be available at 4.30pm GMT (8pm Iran Time) on 702kHz medium wave and 9465kHz short wave
The programme will be repeated at 6pm GMT (9.30pm Iran time) on 702kHz mediumwave and 5935kHz shortwave
A visualised version of the programme will be broadcast on BBC Persian TV at 6pm GMT (9.30pm Iran time)

RFA to resume broadcasts to North Korea

“Old-school static wins the spy wars”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Richard Cuff, who shares this Komando.com piece on how old-school shortwave number stations remain active in espionage. Intelligence services — notably Russia — still send coded beeps and voice-read numbers using one-time pads because radio is simple, anonymous, and hard to trace.

Sure, we’re all shortwave enthusiasts and many of us grew up with number stations abound, but it’s always great to see popular websites pick up on this. Read the full article on Komando.com.