{"id":52084,"date":"2022-03-09T16:46:16","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T20:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=52084"},"modified":"2022-03-09T16:46:16","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T20:46:16","slug":"radio-waves-termination-event-russian-propaganda-in-dc-renewed-relevance-circumventing-censorship-and-old-school-radio-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/03\/radio-waves-termination-event-russian-propaganda-in-dc-renewed-relevance-circumventing-censorship-and-old-school-radio-sense\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio Waves: Termination Event, Russian Propaganda in DC, Renewed Relevance, Circumventing Censorship, and Old-School Radio Sense"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio<\/h2>\n

Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post<\/em>\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s<\/em> Radio Waves<\/em>, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0<\/strong>Enjoy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The Termination Event has Arrived (Space Weather Archive)<\/a><\/h2>\n

Feb. 26, 2022:<\/strong>\u00a0Something big just happened on the sun. Solar physicists Scott McIntosh (NCAR) and Bob Leamon (U. Maryland-Baltimore County) call it \u201cThe Termination Event.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOld Solar Cycle 24 has finally died\u2013it was terminated!\u201d says McIntosh. \u201cNow the new solar cycle, Solar Cycle 25, can really take off.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cTermination Event\u201d is a new idea in solar physics, outlined by McIntosh and Leamon in\u00a0a December 2020 paper<\/a>\u00a0in the journal\u00a0Solar Physics<\/em>. Not everyone accepts it\u2013yet. If Solar Cycle 25 unfolds as McIntosh and Leamon predict, the Termination Event will have to be taken seriously.<\/p>\n

The basic idea is this: Solar Cycle 25 (SC25) started in Dec. 2019. However, old Solar Cycle 24 (SC24) refused to go away. It hung on for two more years, producing occasional old-cycle sunspots and clogging the sun\u2019s upper layers with its decaying magnetic field.\u00a0 During this time, the two cycles coexisted, SC25 struggling to break free while old SC24 held it back.<\/p>\n

\u201cSolar Cycle 24 was cramping Solar Cycle 25\u2019s style,\u201d says Leamon. [Continue reading…]<\/a><\/p>\n

The tiny radio station broadcasting Russian propaganda in D.C. (Washington Post)<\/a><\/h2>\n

For a few seconds every hour, WZHF-AM interrupts its round-the-clock schedule of talk to air a curious disclaimer: \u201cThis radio programming is distributed by RM Broadcasting on behalf of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, Moscow, Russia. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cryptic notification masks a larger story. WZHF, a former Spanish-language station 11 miles east of the White House in Maryland\u2019s Capitol Heights, is the flagship of Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s effort to harness America\u2019s radio airwaves to sell the Kremlin\u2019s point of view. Despite periodic legal and political challenges, and the imposition of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the station has stayed on the air, broadcasting its Kremlin-approved message.<\/p>\n

The station at 1390 AM is one of only five outlets in the United States that air English-language broadcasts of \u201cRadio Sputnik,\u201d produced in Moscow and Washington under the Russian government\u2019s supervision.<\/p>\n

Sputnik is the radio and digital arm of Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today), the same Kremlin-controlled media agency that directs RT and RT America, the better-known TV and digital media operations founded by Putin\u2019s regime in 2005.<\/p>\n

But while American distributors and European governments have banned RT since Russia\u2019s attack on Ukraine, leading to the collapse of RT\u2019s American operations on Thursday, WZHF is still offering Sputnik\u2019s content to Beltway listeners. [Continue reading…<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Cold War Media Relics Gain Renewed Relevance in Ukraine (Bloomberg)<\/a><\/h2>\n

After Russia\u2019s invasion, state-funded international broadcasters are filling gaps in coverage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has been widely called the \u201cFirst TikTok War\u201d because of the flood of videos from the front lines, or at least purporting to be. But the fire hose of war content\u2014often of unclear provenance\u2014on social media has made it harder than ever to know what\u2019s credible.<\/p>\n

[…]The vast quantities of misinformation have brought renewed relevance to a family of state-owned news organizations that date to the dawn of the Cold War. The BBC World Service had a Russian-language station from 1946 to 2011, but it continues to employ scores of journalists who report for its Russian- and Ukrainian-language websites and has relaunched its shortwave service to the region. The U.S.-backed Radio Svoboda (a sister station of Radio Free Europe), which introduced Russian and Ukrainian broadcasts in the 1950s, has built a sizable presence on local social media.<\/p>\n

While other global players such as Radio France Internationale and the Voice of America also aim programming at the region in local languages, the BBC and Svoboda have been quicker to adapt to the times. The two broadcasters\u2019 Ukrainian services post regular updates to Telegram, an encrypted messaging app where Semenov says he gets most of his news.<\/p>\n

[…]The stations can take these steps because they don\u2019t answer to shareholders in the same ways that most news organizations do. While they all receive government funding, leaving them open to criticism of being propaganda mouthpieces, even at the height of the Cold War the likes of Czech dissident-turned-president Vaclav Havel sang their praises as beacons of truth in a sea of lies. Lately, it\u2019s become fashionable for lawmakers in Washington and London to question the purpose of international broadcasting, and their budgets have suffered accordingly. As Russia introduces laws that could give journalists 15-year jail terms for any story deemed \u201cfake\u201d\u2014spurring the BBC, Radio Svoboda, and many other outlets ( including Bloomberg News) to pause their reporting from inside the country while continuing coverage from abroad\u2014it\u2019s becoming clear just how important the public broadcasters can be, even all these decades after their founding. [Read the full article at Bloomberg.]<\/a><\/p>\n

News outlets scramble to set up technical workarounds in response to Russian censorship (Washington Post)<\/a><\/h2>\n

In the wake of Russia\u2019s crackdown on news coverage and the imposition of a new law criminalizing reporting that accurately characterizes the Ukrainian invasion, some international news outlets have taken to technology to circumvent the news blackout, pointing readers to VPNs (virtual private networks), the encrypted Tor browser and even old-fashioned radio.<\/p>\n

As war in Ukraine escalates, sending over a million people fleeing and bringing terror to numerous cities, media outlets including the BBC, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty (RFE\/RL) have been blocked by the Kremlin, along with several Ukrainian sites, Twitter and Facebook. The Russian government has alleged that the sites were providing false news about the war.<\/p>\n

But some outlets are refusing to be silenced. In response to the ban, the BBC posted a statement on its website that said, \u201cAccess to accurate, independent information is a fundamental human right which should not be denied to the people of Russia.\u201d It attached instructions on how to circumvent the media blackout by accessing BBC content through two apps: Psiphon, a censorship circumvention tool, and Tor, an anonymous browser. Voice of America also vowed, in a statement, to \u201cpromote and support tools and resources that will allow our audiences to bypass any blocking efforts imposed on our sites in Russia.\u201d[Continue reading…<\/a>]<\/p>\n

\n

Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Please consider supporting us via\u00a0Patreon<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or our\u00a0Coffee<\/span>\u00a0Fund<\/span><\/a>! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[960,3,43],"tags":[83,1136,1056,2093,6386,4082,413,414,4288,3401,9695,4655,9702,9701],"class_list":["post-52084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international-broadcasting","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-censorship","tag-free-press","tag-internet-censorship","tag-russia","tag-russia-propaganda","tag-shortwave-radio","tag-solar-cycle-24","tag-solar-cycle-25","tag-sputnik","tag-sputnik-news-agency-and-radio","tag-termination-event","tag-why-shortwave","tag-wzfh","tag-wzhf-am"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-dy4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52367,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/04\/you-and-the-ionosphere-share-your-propagation-stories\/","url_meta":{"origin":52084,"position":0},"title":"You and the ionosphere: Share your propagation stories!","author":"Thomas","date":"April 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor,\u00a0Jock Elliott, who shares the following guest post: You and the ionosphere . . . a reader participation post By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Here\u2019s a shocker for you: we live at the bottom of the sky. Above us there are multiple layers of the atmosphere, pressing down\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/external-content.duckduckgo.com_.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":46559,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/radio-waves-potential-for-change-at-usagm-judge-rules-pack-unconstitutionally-interfered-with-voa-solar-cycle-25-could-be-strong-and-def-con-ham-radio-videos\/","url_meta":{"origin":52084,"position":1},"title":"Radio Waves: Potential for Change at USAGM, Judge Rules Pack Unconstitutionally Interfered With VOA, Solar Cycle 25 Could be Strong, and DEF CON Ham Radio Videos","author":"Thomas","date":"November 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\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\/2018\/10\/Zenith-Transoceanic-R-7000-2-angle-dial-e1540388425717.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Zenith-Transoceanic-R-7000-2-angle-dial-e1540388425717.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Zenith-Transoceanic-R-7000-2-angle-dial-e1540388425717.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Zenith-Transoceanic-R-7000-2-angle-dial-e1540388425717.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52078,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/03\/termination-event-may-indicate-solar-cycle-strength\/","url_meta":{"origin":52084,"position":2},"title":"Termination Event May Indicate Solar Cycle Strength","author":"Robert Gulley","date":"March 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Predictions for Solar Cycle 25. Blue is the \u201cofficial\u201d prediction of a weak cycle. Red is a new prediction based on the Termination Event. Feb. 26, 2022: Something big just happened on the sun. Solar physicists Scott McIntosh (NCAR) and Bob Leamon (U. Maryland-Baltimore County) call it \u201cThe Termination Event.\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/newprediction.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/newprediction.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/newprediction.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/newprediction.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41913,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/radio-waves-russian-state-radio-in-kc-frbs-new-cycle-sunspot-and-abc-friends-bushfire-update\/","url_meta":{"origin":52084,"position":3},"title":"Radio Waves: Russian State Radio in KC, FRBs, New-Cycle Sunspot, and ABC Friends Bushfire Update","author":"Thomas","date":"February 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019sRadio Waves, a collection\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\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-1024x768.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65734,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2026\/04\/radio-waves-dlarc-solar-cycle-25-explained-and-voa-delano-property-to-be-sold\/","url_meta":{"origin":52084,"position":4},"title":"Radio Waves: DLARC, Solar Cycle 25 Explained, and VOA Delano property to be sold","author":"Thomas","date":"April 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0Enjoy! Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura for the following tips: DLARC: The Radio Geek\u2019s Doomscrolling Antidote (Radio World)\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\/2024\/07\/VOA-Delano-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/VOA-Delano-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/VOA-Delano-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/VOA-Delano-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/VOA-Delano-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52332,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/04\/radio-waves-shortwave-secret-weapon-russian-propaganda-in-kansas-city-crisis-radio-and-tape-measure-antenna\/","url_meta":{"origin":52084,"position":5},"title":"Radio Waves: Shortwave Secret Weapon, Russian Propaganda in Kansas City, Crisis Radio, and Tape Measure Antenna,","author":"Thomas","date":"April 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\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\/2019\/05\/VOA-Site-B-50-of-170.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/VOA-Site-B-50-of-170.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/VOA-Site-B-50-of-170.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/VOA-Site-B-50-of-170.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52084","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=52084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52084\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}