Tag Archives: Voice of Nigeria

Radio Waves: Israeli and Palestinian Radio Reach, Vatican Radio While in Captivity, and the Voice of Nigeria

Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors David Iurescia and Richard Cuff for the following tips:


Reaching hostages and prisoners, through Israeli and Palestinian radio (NPR)

TEL AVIV, Israel, and RAMALLAH, West Bank — Thousands of Israeli and Palestinian families know nothing about the fate of their relatives — Israelis held captive in Gaza and Palestinians jailed in Israel — during the Israel-Hamas war.

No phone calls. No letters. Just a few short Hamas hostage videos and limited lawyers’ visits to Israeli prisons. Even as diplomats try to reach a cease-fire deal for their release, it is an ongoing source of anguish for the families.

So Israeli and Palestinian radio stations are broadcasting their voices, hoping their loved ones hear them.

Some have.

“People tell you, ‘If she listens to you right now, what would you say? What would you want her to hear?’ And I always feel like, OK, no way she can hear me,” says Gil Dickman, whose cousin’s wife was a captive in Gaza. “But it turns out that, thanks to the fact that radio is such an analog platform, it was possible.” [Continue reading at NPR…]

Fr. Lohre: ‘Vatican Radio made me feel part of Church during captivity’ (Vatican Radio)

By Devin Watkins & John Baptist Tumusiime

“My captivity was a time which God gave to me to renew my strength, to renew my faith in order to be of any use to people afterwards.”

Fr. Hans-Joachim Lohre, MAfr, was on his way to celebrate Mass on the feast of Christ the King in 2022, in Bamako, when armed men pulled up behind his car, told him he was under arrest, and dragged him into their vehicle.

“This was a question of some seconds only,” he recounted. The men then drove him for a few hours into the bush, where he was handed to jihadists.

“When I was handed over to the jihadists,” he said. “The man on my right said, ‘Do not be afraid; we are the good ones. We are from Al-Qaeda. We are not like the Islamic State who killed people like this. You have nothing to fear from us.’”

Thus began the German-born missionary’s year-long ordeal at the hands of Islamic militants in the deserts of Mali. [Continue reading at Vatican Radio…]

Book Review: International Broadcasting and its Contested Role in Australian Statecraft  (Australian Institute of International Affairs)

As a middle power in an increasingly volatile and contested region, Geoff Heriot argues that Australian Governments need to be more strategic about their approach to international broadcasting. This is if they are to effectively tackle contemporary diplomatic and security challenges.

Geoff Heriot is a veteran of Australian journalism, and his recent book covers Australia’s late 20th century international broadcasting efforts and the role of Radio Australia in Australia’s statecraft. His is a timely and important intervention, for in bringing light to this aspect of the nation’s media history, Heriot also speaks deftly to the pressing security concerns facing Australia today. At a time when the importance of the Indo-Pacific region to Australia’s security is becoming increasingly apparent, Heriot urges Australian governments to recognise the opportunities inherent in the discursive power of its international broadcasting service.

Throughout his well-argued and persuasive work, based on what he describes as a “late career” doctoral project, Heriot makes the case that international broadcasting offers Australia the opportunity to use its soft power more strategically in the region. He argues that international broadcasting possesses “discursive power” and this power provides Australia the chance to both model the nation’s democratic values and, perhaps more importantly, to ensure that “its strategic narrative forms part of the regional discourse.” However, he maintains that successive Australian governments have little understood the strategic purpose of, and opportunities offered by, its international broadcasting service. This has not only led to a cycle of investment and disinvestment in Radio Australia, but a lack of the long-term planning and focus that is required to ensure Australia possesses the kind of technically capable, trusted, and culturally sensitive broadcasting service required in times of crisis or need. As Heriot has claimed elsewhere, “The cardinal rule when seeking to project the values and interests of our imagined community, the democratic nation-state, is to play the long game and do so with constancy.” [Continue reading…]

A hundred days of resilience, transformation and hope at VON, By Jibrin Baba Ndace (Premium Times)

Beyond the tangible structures and facilities, the true heartbeat of VON lay within its people. 

In the hushed corridors of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), a narrative of change and renewed hope unfolded under the warm embrace of the October sun when I was appointed Director-General/CEO of the media agency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) on 20 October, 2023, marking the beginning of a transformative journey within the Nigerian international broadcasting corporation.

The handover ceremony from my predecessor, Mr Osita Okechukwu, was more than a ceremonial passing of the baton. Stepping into leadership on 23 October, 2023, the canvas of change began to take shape during my attendance of AFRICAST 2023 in Lagos. It was during this visit that I paid a visit to the Broadcasting House in Ikoyi and the Ikorodu Transmitting Station, which serve as poignant reminders of untapped potential, urging a commitment to revitalisation.

Returning to the heart of VON, the Corporate Headquarters in Abuja, told its own story — a tale woven with threads of promise and challenge. The deplorable state of infrastructure in Lagos reverberated through the echoing hallways of Abuja, creating a stark reality that demands immediate attention and a resolute commitment to transformation. [Continue reading…]


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Voice of Nigeria would like your reception reports

Photo source: 5N7Q

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Harald Kuhl (DL1AX), who shares the following note posted on the 5N7Q DXpedition page:

UPDATE from Bodo, DF8DX.

5N7Q is QRT for now. Rene DL2JRM and Bodo DF8DX enjoyed this activity very much. We logged more than 20,000 QSOs in 9 days of operation. We were active from 10m to 160m in CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8.

While many friends appreciated getting some new band points, operating in FT8 and on the 60m band were first time ever activity.

Our QTH was in the broadcasting station of Voice Of Nigeria in Abuja. We were very grateful for this opportunity to use the broadcasting antennas that have 20dB gain into Europe, NA and SA. Asia was workable with our vertical dipoles or via long path. Unfortunately the giant rotatable antenna cannot be rotated at the moment but we hope that it is doable at the next activity. For low-bands we had some dipoles hanging from the 80m tall link tower. Our signal was good but we clearly had some RX trouble as the noise was very high. Complete log is uploaded to Clublog and Lotw as well. Please use OQRS to receive your paper QSL card via bureau or direct. There are still a lot of mails asking about QSOs that cant be found in the log. Please QRX, I will check all of them carefully but it takes some time. Our QSLs may be requested for free via bureau and Lotw is already uploaded, no waiting, no donation required for this service.

This activity would not have been possible without the effort and help by the staff from Voice Of Nigeria. All credit go to them. Please help us to help them. You may support future activities from here by keeping this wonderful transmitting station on air. Their current broadcasting schedule is: 0600-1100UTC on 7255kHz in AM (beaming to West Africa and SA) 1500-2100UTC on 11770kHz in AM (beaming to West Africa and NA) 1500-2100UTC on 15120kHz in DRM (beaming to EU). Please tune in and listen to Voice Of Nigeria.

Please send your listener reports to:

Head Of Engineering Engr. Jerimoth Canice Voice Of Nigeria Headquarter Oda Cres, Wuse 2 Abuja Nigeria [email protected]. Your listener reports are highly appreciated and help to keep transmitting from here.

Many thanks for sharing this, Harald! Readers, if you’ve logged VoN recently, please send them a reception report!

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Shortwave Radio Recordings: Voice of Nigeria

VON-BH front yardFor your listening pleasure: the Voice of Nigeria–recorded on January 28, 2015, starting at 10:00 UTC on 9,690 kHz.

The past few days, the signal out of Ikorodu has been much stronger than normal, so I’ve spent several afternoons listening to the wonderful sounds and music from the Voice of Nigeria.

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

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