Tag Archives: VOA

VOA protests jamming of English service to China

(Source: VOA)

The Voice of America is protesting new jamming of its English broadcasts in China.

VOA Director David Ensor condemned the new interference and said the U.S. government broadcaster is working with experts to determine the precise origin of the jamming. He said “the free flow of information is a universal right and VOA will continue to provide accurate and balanced information on platforms that can reach audiences in areas subject to censorship.”

The U.S.-funded VOA is not the only victim of jamming. The British Broadcasting Corporation said this week its shortwave English radio broadcasts also are being jammed in China.

The BBC said that while it is not possible to know who is doing the jamming, “the extensive and co-ordinated efforts are indicative of a well-resourced country such as China.”

VOA broadcast engineers say Radio Australia also is being jammed.

At VOA headquarters in Washington, engineers say that while the agency’s Chinese-language broadcasts are routinely jammed in China, its English broadcasts usually are not. They noticed the jamming of the English programs about a month ago and say it appears to use a new technology.

Many countries have used various methods to jam VOA broadcasts for decades, especially during the Cold War when VOA broadcast heavily into the former Soviet Union and other countries under Communist control. Now, its Persian satellite television broadcasts into Iran are frequently jammed, as are VOA Horn of Africa broadcasts to Ethiopia.

Note our previous article on the topic of harmful interference from China.

Daniel shares recent QSLs

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Daniel (W3DI) writes:

I have been enjoying some shortwave broadcasts recently and received some nice QSL cards. Wanted to share the cards and some station information.

Deutsche Welle – copied broadcast on 15,275 KHz – Jan 20 , 2013 at 1930 UTC

China Radio International – copied broadcast on 9,580 & 6,020 KHz – Dec 29 & 31 , 2012 at 0130 UTC

VOA – Africa service –
They sent not only a QSL but a beautiful 2013 calendar.

Daniel addeded:

Shortwave listening was my first step to becoming an amateur [radio operator]. First receiver was a Lafayette HE – 10 with a Q mulitplier I built. Now using a WinRadio 313 – things have really changed.

Shortwave listening was also my first step to becoming a ham radio operator. The Lafayette HE-10 is a beautiful little 9 tube radio. I love the split dials on the front–much like the venerable Hallicrafters S-38.

The Lafayette HE – 10 (Photo: RigPix.com)

The Hallicrafters S-38 (Photo: The S-38 Guy)

VOA’s Radiogram adds digital content to AM broadcasts

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VOA Radiogram is a new Voice of America program experimenting with digital text and images via AM shortwave broadcasting. One might say this is the crossover point between classic shortwave and current technology. It’s fun and fascinating stuff, and also has real utility.

If you’ve been an SWLing Post reader for very long, you’ll be familiar with the digital messages, otherwise known as radiograms, included in broadcasts from The Mighty KBC and, earlier, from WBCQ. We’ve also offered a small primer on decoding.

In the near future, Dr. Kim Elliott’s digital radiograms will be broadcast through VOA via the Edward R. Murrow Transmission Station in Greenville, NC.

The new VOA Radiogram website contains time and frequencies and all of the information you’ll need to decode VOA radiograms.

Incidentally, Kim Elliott and I will be presenting on the topic of VOA Radiograms and digital modes at the 2013 NASWA Winter SWL Fest. If you’re interested, it’s not too late to register! Meanwhile, stay tuned for more information about radiograms.

Smith-Mundt Act eliminated, VOA free to broadcast domestically

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voa logo

(Source: VOA News)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Voice of America will soon be able to make its programs available to the U.S. public following passage of new legislation signed by President Obama Wednesday.

The legislation, which is part of the National Defense Authorization Act, eliminates the longstanding ban on domestic distribution of VOA programs that was part of the original U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (known as Smith-Mundt).

In the coming months, Voice of America and other U.S. international broadcasters will draft regulations governing how they will fulfill domestic requests for release of original programs and materials.

The legislation will not change the focus of the agency’s broadcasts, which are aimed exclusively at international audiences. The new rules will only affect programs broadcast after July 1^st, 2013.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has hailed the new law, which updates one of the founding statutes of public diplomacy in the United States, a change that the Board has long supported and had incorporated into its strategic plan. (See BBG Press Release)

Presiding BBG Governor Michael Lynton said the new law will allow the BBG to accept requests to provide its programs to organizations which, until now, it could not share them with, including U.S.-based broadcasters, publications, universities, non-governmental organizations, and others that have requested these materials over the years. Lynton said the new law will allow “greater transparency as more people in this country come to know what U.S. International broadcasting is about.”

“The new law is a major breakthrough for U.S. international media,” said Susan McCue, a member of the BBG Board’s Communications and Outreach Committee. “All Americans will now have access to the vital and informative reporting of our accomplished journalists around the world who are working under difficult circumstances in closed societies and developing countries.”

For more information about this release contact Kyle King at the VOA Public Relations office in Washington at (202) 203-4959, or writekking@voanews.com. For more information about VOA visit the Public Relations website at www.insidevoa.com, or the main news site atwww.voanews.com.

We’ve mentioned the Smith-Mundt Act before. Kim Elliott also has more articles and comments on this recent legislation.

VOA’s “Music Man,” Leo Sarkisian, retires at 91

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From right to left: Leo Sarkisian, Heather Maxwell, and Mary Sarkisian. (Photo: VOA)

Many shortwave radio listeners know the name Leo Sarkisian, founder of the Voice of America show Music Time in Africa. For decades, Leo and his wife, Mary, traveled to every corner of Africa, lugging with them a large reel-to-reel recorder that Leo used to capture for broadcast the diverse music found across the continent. A monumental cultural record is the result. Earlier this year, at 91 years old, Sarkisian retired from VOA; he leaves his show and his wonderful library of recordings in the capable hands of radio host Heather Maxwell.

Today, Richard Harris offered an excellent radio piece he produced on Leo Sarkisian for PRI’s The World–you can listen to it below or on PRI’s site:

In addition, both the VOA and The Washington Post featured Leo and Mary earlier this year; both of these articles are delightful.The Washington Post article even describes Sarkisian’s work as “diplomacy.” I particularly love the following description:

Long before there was ping-pong diplomacy or perestroika, a short, balding Armenian American was lugging an enormous reel-to-reel from village to village, sweet-talking people into singing and playing for him.

[…]In Africa, he socialized with presidents, military dictators, accomplished musicians and tribal villagers. He outwardly steered away from politics, but under the surface he wove a subtle diplomatic tapestry based around grooving on tunes.

That’s one thing I love about shortwave radio–in all forms, in all countries, it offers a medium of accessible, lasting diplomacy–however “subtle” it may seem–for at least as long as the shortwaves continue to grace our airwaves. Of course, music is inextricably integrated into this diplomatic medium. Thank you, Leo and Mary, for a reminder of that, in the form of a truly extraordinary life’s work.

VOA adds shortwave frequencies for US election coverage

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(Photo source: VOA)

(Source: VOA via Kim Andrew Elliott)

Special election programming on the Voice of America

0200-0600 UTC, November 7:

Africa
0200-0300 UTC 909, 1530, 4930, 6080, 9885, 15580
0300-0600 UTC Existing broadcasts

Middle East
0200-0400 UTC 9480, 12005, 15255
0400-0600 UTC 9480, 15255

Asia

a. South and Central Asia
0200-0400 UTC 13810, 15155, 15255, 15590
0400-0600 UTC 13570, 13810, 15155, 15255, 15590, 15640, 17525

b. East Asia
0200-0300 UTC 13810, 15230, 17525, 17615
0300-0400 UTC 13810, 15230, 17615
0400-0600 UTC 13810, 15230, 15405, 15640, 17615

c. Southeast Asia
0200-0300 UTC   11705, 15155, 17525
0300-0400 UTC   15155, 17525, 17615
0400-0600 UTC   15155, 15640, 17525, 17615

BBG: Hurricane Sandy Fails To Stop VOA Broadcasts

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Though this press release rightfully focuses on the staff at VOA headquarters in DC, we should take our hats off to the good folks that kept the Edward R. Murrow Transmission site running in North Carolina as well.

(Source: BBG)

Pounding rain and 80 mile an hour winds from Hurricane Sandy shut down U.S. government offices and the Washington, D.C. public transportation Monday and Tuesday, but it didn’t stop VOA journalists, technicians and support personnel from delivering news around the world in 43 languages.

“We had people sleep on couches around the building, and one used a cot, but the cots are not very comfortable,” English Branch Chief Terry Wing says. “Some folks came in early on Monday, some stayed late, a couple are still here, I think some are going on 30 hours or more.”

VOA Director David Ensor says every show aired on schedule. “It was extraordinary, hundreds of programs went out, we never missed a beat.” Ensor says many language services provided constant updates to network affiliate stations around the world.

Executive Editor Steve Redisch says, “The Spanish Branch did more than 50 live shots to affiliates in Latin America and had a reporter on the New Jersey beach. The Russian Service was on with their affiliate, and the Indonesian Service filed for 20 radio and TV affiliates.” Redisch says those are just some examples of what went on during the storm.

Newsroom Deputy Managing Editor David Jones, who spent the night at a nearby hotel, says it was all hands on deck. “People were great. We had TV and radio packages on the weather, and our political reporter did a story on how the hurricane affected the campaign, but most of our coverage was international — the fighting in Syria, Secretary of State [Hillary] Clinton’s trip to the Balkans, the Ukrainian Election, and there was something on South African politics,” Jones says.

Executive Editor Redisch says there was a lot of resourcefulness. The French-to-Africa Service found a French speaking meteorologist at the National Weather Service, and the Mandarin Service TV show was anchored by an alternate who borrowed clothes so she could host the program.

While VOA journalists were hunkered down in Washington, videographer Daniela Schrier managed to capture something that nobody else had, footage of flood waters rushing through streets of Lower Manhattan Monday night. Schrier, who was trapped in her apartment in New York’s East Village, managed to upload the video to Washington just before she lost power.

VOA broadcasts more than 1,700 hours of radio and television programming around the world each week from its headquarters in Washington. The programs are delivered on satellite, cable, shortwave, AM, FM, the Internet and on a worldwide network of affiliate stations.