{"id":13450,"date":"2015-06-03T17:36:40","date_gmt":"2015-06-03T21:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=13450"},"modified":"2015-06-04T08:34:58","modified_gmt":"2015-06-04T12:34:58","slug":"nigerias-freedom-radio-to-broadcast-via-shortwave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/nigerias-freedom-radio-to-broadcast-via-shortwave\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria\u2019s Freedom Radio to broadcast via shortwave"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Nigeria-Map2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Source: Albawaba<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Residents of Nigeria’s north-east have lived in isolation for two years. Terrorists frequently target phone lines in order to cut off communication. Traders avoid the region. Journalists live under threat.<\/p>\n

But a new radio programme is now bringing important information to three states – Borno, Adamawa and Yobe – which have been under a state of emergency since May 2013 and turned by the army into a battleground against Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram.<\/p>\n

[…]Most radio stations in north-eastern Nigeria are government-owned and broadcast in Hausa or English. For the tens of thousands of Kanuri-speaking people, there is no independent source of information, only state-sanctioned news and Boko Haram propaganda.<\/p>\n

“Boko Haram controls people by inducing fear. Without alternatives, people are very much under the influence of Boko Haram’s propaganda,” says Wada. “Through Dandal Kura, we try to work against the propaganda by giving listeners objective information.”<\/p>\n

Dandal Kura, which means “the big hall” in Kanuri, was initially set up in January as a three-month pilot project funded by United States development agency USAID. Since April, the programme is managed and run by Freedom Radio, a private broadcaster based in Kano.<\/p>\n

[…]What is special about Dandal Kura is not only the language. The programme is transmitted by shortwave, on 9940 kHz, instead of the commonly used FM frequency band.<\/p>\n

Shortwave is especially important in rural areas across Africa where FM waves hardly reach, but shortwave radios are easily available for an affordable price. In northern Nigeria they can be bought at any marketplace for about 600 Naira (3 dollars).<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is another key advantage: The shortwave transmission system is located hundreds of kilometres away – on the Atlantic island of Ascension – which means it cannot be destroyed by Boko Haram.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An FM transmitter, in contrast, would have to be installed on the ground in northern Nigeria.<\/p>\n

“If we had set up FM transmitters, there would have been a high chance that Boko Haram would take them out,” says Smith, who has experience in setting up radio stations in African conflict zones, including Somalia and Central African Republic.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Click here to read the full article at Albawaba.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: Albawaba) Residents of Nigeria’s north-east have lived in isolation for two years. Terrorists frequently target phone lines in order to cut off communication. Traders avoid the region. Journalists live under threat. But a new radio programme is now bringing important information to three states – Borno, Adamawa and Yobe – which have been under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,651,43,1167],"tags":[3874,3559,3875,84],"class_list":["post-13450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-schedules-and-frequencies","category-shortwave-radio","category-whats-on-shortwave","tag-dandal-kura","tag-nigeria","tag-nigeria-shortwave","tag-why-shortwave-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-3uW","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13464,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/nigerias-freedom-radio-shortwave-frequencies\/","url_meta":{"origin":13450,"position":0},"title":"Nigeria’s Freedom Radio shortwave frequencies","author":"Thomas","date":"June 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Regarding a previous article posted about Nigeria's Freedom Radio broadcasting on shortwave, SWLing Post contributor, Richard Langley writes: According to swskeds, current schedule is: 05:00-06:00 UTC Sunday to Saturday 7415 kHz from Ascension 18:00-19:00 UTC Sunday to Saturday 12050 kHz from Ascension Many thanks, Richard! Note that we're not\u00a0sure if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nigeria-Map2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Nigeria-Map2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Nigeria-Map2.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Nigeria-Map2.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63776,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/voice-of-nigeria-shortwave-restoration-project-underway\/","url_meta":{"origin":13450,"position":1},"title":"Voice of Nigeria Shortwave Restoration Project Underway","author":"Thomas","date":"August 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors David Iurescia and Richard Cuff for sharing the following article from the Voice of Nigeria which reports that the Nigerian government has officially begun restoring shortwave transmission for the Voice of Nigeria (VON). The project focuses on bringing the 250 kW TX2 transmitter at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Kenwood-R-1000-Encoder-Dial-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Kenwood-R-1000-Encoder-Dial-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Kenwood-R-1000-Encoder-Dial-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Kenwood-R-1000-Encoder-Dial-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Kenwood-R-1000-Encoder-Dial-2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63251,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/voice-of-nigeria-plans-antenna-reactivation-for-broader-african-broadcasts\/","url_meta":{"origin":13450,"position":2},"title":"Voice of Nigeria Plans Antenna Reactivation for Broader African Broadcasts","author":"Thomas","date":"June 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to a tip from SWLing Post contributor Paul Walker, who spotted the news via WRTH and Mauno Ritola, we\u2019ve learned that Voice of Nigeria (VON) is planning to reactivate its shortwave antenna system to better serve audiences across Africa. According to a recent article from VON, the broadcaster aims\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"International Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/international-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/XHDATA-d-808-keypad-closeup-radio-dial-e1515698257533.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/XHDATA-d-808-keypad-closeup-radio-dial-e1515698257533.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/XHDATA-d-808-keypad-closeup-radio-dial-e1515698257533.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/XHDATA-d-808-keypad-closeup-radio-dial-e1515698257533.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3003,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/03\/voice-of-nigeria-now-broadcasts-drm-from-their-new-facility\/","url_meta":{"origin":13450,"position":3},"title":"Voice of Nigeria broadcasts DRM from their new facility","author":"Thomas","date":"March 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: VON via Kim Elliott) VON\u2019s ultra modern transmission station launched\u00a0 Lawan Hamidu, Abuja President Goodluck Jonathan has commissioned Voice of Nigeria\u2019s (VON) ultramodern super transmitting station and its revolving antenna, located at Lugbe, Airport Road, Abuja. President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by the Vice President, Namadi Sambo at the event,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/von_logo-300x294.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14732,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/shortwave-radio-recordings-radio-biafra\/","url_meta":{"origin":13450,"position":4},"title":"Shortwave Radio Recordings: Radio Biafra","author":"Thomas","date":"September 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, I received a tip from SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson:\u00a0Radio Biafra, a new clandestine station, was audible on 15,560 kHz via the Universite Twente Web SDR. Despite miserable propagation conditions, I tuned my receiver\u00a0to 15,560 kHz and was surprised to hear a weak signal from Radio Biafra, here\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clandestine"","block_context":{"text":"Clandestine","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/clandestine\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RadioBiafra","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/RadioBiafra-300x293.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13971,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/shortwave-radio-recordings-nigerian-armed-forces-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":13450,"position":5},"title":"Shortwave Radio Recordings: Nigerian Armed Forces Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"July 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"At 06:00 UTC\u00a0this morning, I recorded\u00a0one hour of the Nigerian Armed Forces Radio test on 13,775 kHz. This broadcast was transmitted from a 250 kW transmitter in Issoudun, France. Hypothetically, this may have been the last test transmission of the NAFR as WRMI's announcement stated\u00a0the test period would last only\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nigeria","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Nigeria.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Nigeria.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Nigeria.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Nigeria.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13450\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}