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THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed
and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License
published by Michael Stutz at http://dsl.org/copyleft/dsl.txt
Today's Topics:
1. Sony Supports HD Radio, Releases Two Products (sakthi vel)
2. QSL from Bangladesh Betar (Mukesh Kumar)
3. Radio Veritas Asia honours listener-turned-volunteer
(Zacharias Liangas )
4. Talk station cracks BBC Africa Radio Awards (Zacharias Liangas )
5. What Next For Minivan Radio? (Zacharias Liangas )
6. IRIB plans commerce radio channel (Zacharias Liangas )
7. Radio Sawa: America's new adventure in radio broadcasting
(Zacharias Liangas )
8. Uganda: Catholic Radio Named Among the Best in Africa
(Zacharias Liangas )
9. another British VTMC spurious signal (Wolfgang Bueschel)
10. Ultimas escuchas (JOSE MIGUEL ROMERO ROMERO)
11. HCDX logs between 2007-05-30 0000 UTC and 2007-05-31 0000 UTC
(Risto Kotalampi)
12. usa (mic)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 06:22:25 +0100 (BST)
From: sakthi vel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] Sony Supports HD Radio, Releases Two Products
To: hard core group <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Sony has acknowledged that it believes in HD Radio
with its announcement that it will develop and
distribute a range of HD Radio-enabled consumer
products over the next several years.
Sony has released an AM/FM/HD table radio (model
XDR-S3HD) and a mobile HD Radio tuner (model XT-100HD)
car adapter, the company announced today.
There are currently more than 1300 radio stations
broadcasting with HD Radio technology.
////////////////////
Source:
http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/2007/05/29/sony-supports-hd-radio-releases-two-products/
///////////////////////
For Contact: Jaisakthivel,59,Annai Sathya Nagar,
Arumbakkam,Chennai-600106,India
Visit: www.dxersguide.blogspot.com
Join: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/sarvadesavanoli
Mobile: +91 98413 66086
///////////////////////
Looking for people who are YOUR TYPE? Find them at in.groups.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 10:29:38 +0100 (BST)
From: Mukesh Kumar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] QSL from Bangladesh Betar
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
QSL from Bangladesh Betar
Dear Friends,
Today on 30th of May, I received a nice detailed QSL
verification card depicting paddy field applying
traditional irrigation technique verified by Mahesh
Chandra Roy from Bangladesh Betar for my detailed
email reception report on 7th of January 2007 from
1330-1400 UTC on the frequency of 4750 kHz of their
Bengali language broadcast. The envelope also
contained a letters of Senior Engineer stating as
follows: -
Dear Listener,
Thanks and warm greetings from Research and Receiving
Center on behalf of Bangladesh Betar.
I have really appreciated your effort for tuning our
SW frequency. For your kind notice I would like to
inform you that we have two SW transmissions of
frequency 4750 kHz (Home Service, Bengali) that
operates for the duration of 0830-1710 UTC and 7185
kHz, for external service that operates for the
duration of 1230-2000 UTC. May I request you to
receive both frequencies for the time being and report
us for those frequencies?
With regards,
(Mahesh Chandra Roy)
Senior Engineer
Research and Receiving Center
Their web and email addresses are as follows: -
Web: www.betar.org.bd
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Regards & 73?s
Mukesh Kumar
The Cosmos Club
Muzaffarpur
INDIA.
Looking for people who are YOUR TYPE? Find them at in.groups.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 19:47:28 +0300
From: "Zacharias Liangas " <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] Radio Veritas Asia honours listener-turned-volunteer
To: <>, Tasos Kagelis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"[email protected]" <[email protected]>,
[EMAIL PROTECTED], martin Schoech <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
May 29,2007
Radio Veritas Asia honours listener-turned-volunteer
http://www.theindiancatholic.com/newsread.asp?nid=7735
BANGKOK (UCAN) -- Nelly Nicholas, the recipient of an award from
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), is coaching her daughter to follow in her
footsteps.
Nicholas, 35, was awarded a certificate and a free trip to the Philippines
in recognition of 27 years as a listener to RVA's Myanmar language
service and as a volunteer working to help other listeners. Her
daughter, Gloria Diana, just two-and-a-half years old, is listed by the
Asian bishops' shortwave radio station as the "youngest listener of the
Myanmar Service."
Nicholas received her award on May 25 at the RVA office in Quezon
City, northeast of Manila, during a celebration of the Catholic Church's
44th World Communications Day.
Because of her sacrifices and dedication to the Myanmar Service,
Father Gabriel Htun Myint, former Myanmar Service coordinator, and
Father Dominic Jo Du, present coordinator, paid for her air ticket to visit
the Philippines.
Father Htun Myint, speaking to UCA News in Bangkok, said he greatly
appreciates Nicholas' "perseverance and attachment to RVA," a radio
station "she loves, cherishes and is dedicated to." He said they had
arranged for her to visit during May and June to see how the radio
station works.
According to the priest, Nicholas is helping make some programs
alongside Marlar Thein Hto, one of the producers of the Myanmar
Service, who herself celebrated 25 years of service in 2006.
"Being a radio lover, Nelly finds no difficulty speaking on the programs,"
Father Htun Myint said. "She is a natural."
Thein Hto said in an e-mail message: "I can't believe that once upon a
time this little girl, who was my listener, is now sitting beside me
recording some of my programs, such as Mail Box, Pen Pal, Health and
Woman's Program."
She told UCA News that Nicholas started listening to the Myanmar
Service in Yangon archdiocese when she was only 8. Her parents, who
are Telugu by birth, but residing in Myanmar, introduced her to
Myanmar radio programs to help her with the language. The Telugu are
largely based in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Thein Hto explained: "She not only listened to our programs, she also
wrote letters to me and I was very happy and surprised to read letters
from an 8-year-old girl. She was so attached to Myanmar Service
programs that when she was a teenager, she volunteered to work in
our Yangon office, where she has been in charge of listener relations."
The producer said Nicholas sorts through letters and forwards useful
articles for the service to use in programs. "She sacrifices her time and
effort for us, so our listeners do not have to pay expensive postage fees
in writing directly to Manila and we are able to receive more letters,"
Thein Hto added.
Nicholas was a volunteer with the Myanmar Service for more than 10
years before she attended an RVA Radio Production Seminar in
Yangon in 1995. Only in 1998 did she begin receiving a token 5,000
kyat per month, the producer said. Kyat trade at a street rate of about
1,000 to US$1.
According to Thein Hto, Nicholas has planted the seed of the next
generation of listeners by introducing her daughter to the Myanmar
Service.
RVA, run by the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, celebrated
its 38th anniversary in April. It broadcasts in 17 languages and reaches
much of Asia including parts of Central and West Asia. Myanmar
Service broadcasts are produced in four languages -- the national
Myanmar language, Kachin, Kayin and Zomi-Chin, a tribal language
spoken in China, India and Myanmar.
http://zlgr.multiply.com (raidio monitoring site plus audio clips )
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/302315/ (Litohoro) 321199/Tinos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachgr pictures upload
.
on my main : www.geocities.com/zliangas
-tty-px.html : test of various TTY programs
-ethics.htm : greek ethics , days and institutions
-frape.htm: the greek way of cofee !!!
Zacharias Liangas , Thessaloniki Greece
greekdx @ otenet dot gr ---
Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75 , Lowe HF150 , Degen 1102,1103,108,
Tecsun PL200/550, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000
Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m australian loop
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 19:47:29 +0300
From: "Zacharias Liangas " <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] Talk station cracks BBC Africa Radio Awards
To: <>, Tasos Kagelis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"[email protected]" <[email protected]>,
[EMAIL PROTECTED], martin Schoech <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Talk station cracks BBC Africa Radio Awards
http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/122/15002.html
Talk Radio 702 won Station of the Year in the first-ever BBC Africa
Radio Awards in Nairobi, Kenya, this past weekend. Speaking from
Nairobi, 702's station manager Pheladi Gwangwa, said: ?We are
thrilled... This is a great achievement for the station and the talented
people who work for it. It's a team effort.?
?We will continue to serve the community with dedication and passion.
Our listeners always come first. Our listeners have told us all along that
we are the best radio station on the continent and this award is
confirmation of that. We wish to thank our listeners for their loyal
support over the past 27 years,? added Gwangwa.
Primedia Broadcasting's group head of news and talk programming,
Yusuf Abramjee, said: ?Everyone at the station is ecstatic. There is a
celebratory mood. This recognition means a lot to 702's management,
staff and our listeners.?
The other winners in a night of star-studded celebration, hosted by the
BBC's popular presenter Komla Dumor and which included live
performances from Nigerian rapper 2Face Idibia, South African vocalist
Thandiswa Mazwai and Kenyan newcomer Valerie Kimani, were:
New Radio Station of the Year:
Radio Pacis - Uganda
News Journalist of the Year:
Esther Mbondo, KBC, Kenya
Sports Journalist of the Year:
James Wokabi, Capital FM, Kenya
Local On-Air Campaign of the Year:
Matilda Asante, Joy FM, Ghana
Interactive/ Talk Show of the Year:
The Citi Breakfast Show hosted by Bernard Avle, Citi FM, Ghana
Young Broadcaster of the Year:
Qaanitaah Dramat, Radio 786, South Africa
The judges praised 702 as ?a confident and professional station which
uses its immense resources to change people's lives through
broadcasting and community activities.? They said that they were
?especially impressed with the range of on-air initiatives including
hosting a live debate with political parties before elections, hosting and
organising the press conference to quiz Vice President Jacob Zuma the
day after his acquittal on rape charges, hosting a celebrity party for the
Oscar-winning film, Tsotsi, and unveiling the FIFA World Cup at a
special ceremony.?
Commented Abramjee, ?These were but only some of the many
successful events 702 had hosted. We bring our listeners news, talk
and information ?as it happens, when it happens'. We will continue with
this proud heritage.?
Since the station first started broadcasting on 28 June 1980, 702 has
received a number a number of awards. ?In this case, we were
competing against the best on the continent. I wish to also congratulate
all the other category winners,? Gwangwa added.
The BBC launched its Africa-wide search for the very best radio talent
in autumn 2006 in order to recognise and celebrate the exceptional
broadcasting talents of those working in the continent's vibrant radio
scene.
Expert judges from throughout Africa, including Ferial Haffajee, editor-
in-chief of South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper, listened to
hundreds of hours of radio to finalise the prize winners and reward
excellence ? including representatives of the audience who won their
coveted places on the judging panels through a competition.
BBC radio coverage of the Awards, which were held on Saturday, 26
May 2007 at the Safari Park Hotel, included live coverage on the BBC
Swahili and BBC English language services, and highlights from the
awards were broadcast on a wide range of programmes, including
African Perspective, Africa Have Your Say, Focus on Africa, Weekend
Network Africa, World Have Your Say, the international news and
information channel BBC World and music channel MTV base (Africa).
Full coverage was also available at
http://bbcworldservice.com/africaradioawards.
[29 May 2007 09:09]
http://zlgr.multiply.com (raidio monitoring site plus audio clips )
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/302315/ (Litohoro) 321199/Tinos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachgr pictures upload
.
on my main : www.geocities.com/zliangas
-tty-px.html : test of various TTY programs
-ethics.htm : greek ethics , days and institutions
-frape.htm: the greek way of cofee !!!
Zacharias Liangas , Thessaloniki Greece
greekdx @ otenet dot gr ---
Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75 , Lowe HF150 , Degen 1102,1103,108,
Tecsun PL200/550, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000
Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m australian loop
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 19:47:26 +0300
From: "Zacharias Liangas " <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] What Next For Minivan Radio?
To: Tasos Kagelis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "[email protected]"
<[email protected]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED], martin
Schoech <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
What Next For Minivan Radio?
By Ajay Makan
May 27, 2007
Last week pioneering opposition radio station Minivan Radio failed to
secure a frequency to broadcast in the Maldives, leading local media,
including ourselves, to question its viability.
Reflecting on the failed frequency bid, the radio?s editor Shaheeda
Fathimath tells MN there are no plans to close the station.
She robustly defends the station?s independence, distancing it from
both Minivan Daily and Minivan News, and controversially calls for the
other organisations to change their names.
And she admits Minivan Radio would sign the Information Ministry?s
Agreement to secure broadcasting in the Maldives.
Future?s Bright
?Minivan Radio?s future is very, very bright. We will not stop,? Shaheeda
says emphatically.
?There are many options to continue,? she argues, pointing out the one
hour daily broadcasts are still available to download from the internet.
Until now Minivan Radio has been the only alternative to government
broadcaster Voice of Maldives. But after last week?s distribution of FM
frequencies, a number of competitors will be broadcasting on FM
twenty-four hours a day.
?Even if they have an alternative people will go for Minivan Radio,"
Shaheeda says. "The people have accepted Minivan Radio. It is the
people?s radio. They trust it.?
Shaheeda lists Short Wave broadcasts and selling content to other
stations as possible revenue raising options. But it is clear she still sees
FM broadcasting as the way forward. ?TAM have said they have more
reserved frequencies. We can always ask them again.?
Credibility
To begin broadcasting, companies must sign an agreement with the
Information Ministry, which will regulate radio. Shaheeda argues the
agreement is incompatible with independence.
?I don?t believe in the Agreement. I don?t believe in the Content
Committee [the body established by the Agreement to regulate
content]. I don?t believe in the Minister selecting eight members for the
Content Committee. If that?s the case its not fair.?
?We cannot have an independent media unless we have it on [the
government?s] terms, and this is not democracy," she says. ?If someone
abides by this Agreement, they cannot be independent."
No Choice
Last week Shaheeda criticised the distribution of frequencies by blind
auction.
?I have already proved I can run a radio. I have been doing this for three
years,? she said. ?But these frequencies are for the rich. They don?t
care as long as they can get money out of this. It is a commercial
venture.?
But beyond the rhetoric, Shaheeda accepts the commercialisation of
radio and agrees, ?in some ways it is a positive development.?
?I?m not criticising commercial broadcasters. I don?t have anything
against them. I am for them and I am with them. If I had money to
compete with them, I would.?
The problem for Shaheeda is not that frequencies were sold
commercially, but that broadcasters will have to sign the Information
Ministry Agreement.
But she says broadcasters have no choice, and Minivan Radio too
would sign the agreement if they had won a frequency.
?I would sign an agreement. I have no choice. It means I will be more
like the state media. I will have to make compromises.?
?This is the hard part," she laments. "There are a lot of people who call
me and tell me not to sign an agreement, but it is the only way. And if I
sign it, that means I have to abide by it.?
Independence
Minivan Radio has often been accused of being anti-government, a
charge which Shaheeda emphatically denies.
?We give the people the news. We try to get the whole angle on it. This
includes the government. We try. Everytime we try. But they don?t
cooperate and they don?t give us information.?
Although Shaheeda will not reveal the names of Minivan Radio?s
funders as ?they would get hurt,? she says funders have never
interfered with editorial.
?If someone wants to help Minivan Radio, I say there can be no
conditions. I tell them even if you call me once and ask me to change
something, I will quit.?
Which Minivan
Shaheeda wants to distance Minivan Radio from Minvan Daily and
Minivan News. ?All the time people think that Minivan Radio and
Minivan Daily are together. But we don?t have the same editorial policy,
we don?t have the same management, we are independent.?
But with all three organisations operating from the same premises and
sharing the same name, Shaheeda admits it is hard to establish any
distance.
?I have tried many times to change the premises. I have asked many
people to give me an apartment but they are quoting so much more
than I pay that I can?t.?
And she says the other two organisations should not have taken on the
Minivan name. ?I am the one who started Minivan. First came Minivan
Radio three years ago, then Minivan News and then Minivan Daily. I
don?t know how and I don?t know why Minivan Daily got my logo. I have
a problem with that.?
?I wish Minivan Daily would change their name. I wish Minivan News
would change their name. I am not asking them to, but I wish it would
happen.?
http://zlgr.multiply.com (raidio monitoring site plus audio clips )
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/302315/ (Litohoro) 321199/Tinos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachgr pictures upload
.
on my main : www.geocities.com/zliangas
-tty-px.html : test of various TTY programs
-ethics.htm : greek ethics , days and institutions
-frape.htm: the greek way of cofee !!!
Zacharias Liangas , Thessaloniki Greece
greekdx @ otenet dot gr ---
Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75 , Lowe HF150 , Degen 1102,1103,108,
Tecsun PL200/550, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000
Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m australian loop
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 19:47:27 +0300
From: "Zacharias Liangas " <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] IRIB plans commerce radio channel
To: martin Schoech <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED],
"[email protected]" <[email protected]>,
Tasos
Kagelis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
IRIB plans commerce radio channel
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=11482§ionid=351020102
Wed, 30 May 2007 10:14:17
The radio channel will try to boost production and exports.
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) has decided to launch a
radio channel to help foster domestic production and support exporters.
According to ILNA, the Ministry of Commerce will cooperate with IRIB
to launch the Commerce Channel, which aims to boost exports and
help Iranian exporters better identify global markets for their goods and
services.
The new Commerce Channel will disseminate commercial information
and economic analysis while raising public awareness of commercial
topics such as the bourse and transaction rules.
EB/MR/BGH
http://zlgr.multiply.com (raidio monitoring site plus audio clips )
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/302315/ (Litohoro) 321199/Tinos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachgr pictures upload
.
on my main : www.geocities.com/zliangas
-tty-px.html : test of various TTY programs
-ethics.htm : greek ethics , days and institutions
-frape.htm: the greek way of cofee !!!
Zacharias Liangas , Thessaloniki Greece
greekdx @ otenet dot gr ---
Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75 , Lowe HF150 , Degen 1102,1103,108,
Tecsun PL200/550, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000
Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m australian loop
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 19:47:28 +0300
From: "Zacharias Liangas " <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] Radio Sawa: America's new adventure in radio
broadcasting
To: <>, Tasos Kagelis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"[email protected]" <[email protected]>,
[EMAIL PROTECTED], martin Schoech <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Radio Sawa: America's new adventure in radio broadcasting
http://arabmediasociety.sqgd.co.uk/topics/index.php?t_article=119
By Sam Hilmy
According to its founders, Radio Sawa was designed to report the news
'straight up' so listeners could 'decide for themselves'.
According to its founders, Radio Sawa was designed to report the news
'straight up' so listeners could 'decide for themselves'.
May, 2007. In April 2002, the U.S. Government launched an audacious
new Arabic language radio station aimed at the countries of the Middle
East and North Africa. The round-the-clock broadcasts, oddly dubbed
Radio Sawa, replaced at a single stroke the respected brand name of
the Voice of America's Arabic Service, which had for over a half
century, in war and peace, provided the region with comprehensive full
service programming.
A predominantly pop music service designed to appeal to youth, Sawa
was established at the behest of American commercial media mogul
Norman Pattiz who, until his resignation at the end of 2006, was a
member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an
independent U.S. federal agency. The BBG oversees all non-military
U.S. Government-funded broadcast outlets. To run the new station, the
BBG under Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson (a former chairman of the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, editor of Reader's Digest and
director of the VOA who also recently abandoned his government
position under a cloud of criticism for mismanagement) founded and
funded the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), a non-profit
corporation. MBN also operates Sawa's younger twin Arabic TV
satellite channel Alhurra.
Mr. Tomlinson has publicly described his friend and colleague Mr.
Pattiz as "the father of Radio Sawa." After the station was launched,
Mr. Pattiz described it in a public forum in ecstatic terms: "It sounded
so different and it was so appealing-because it really sounds like a
Western contemporary music station, a pop station."
Sawa's Mission
Like any successful big-time business executive, Mr. Pattiz
commissioned a survey and "a lot of advance research" before
embarking on the costly, large-scale project of a 24/7 Arabic language
radio station. The Middle East survey results, according to him,
showed three things: (a) "over 60 percent of the population ... is under
the age of 30," (b) "the indigenous media, especially radio ... everything
was pretty dull and pretty drab, and it sounded like government radio,"
and (c) "people were interested in something that didn't sound like
government radio." Mr. Pattiz decided that this was what businessmen
call "the hole in the marketplace." In order to fill this "hole" with his
product, Radio Sawa, he needed ample sources of cash and the most
modern broadcast facilities to reach the audience with a clear signal.
The new station cost the American taxpayer $34 million in its first year.
He secured clear FM transmission to most Arab countries and a
powerful medium wave to the rest. The VOA's Arabic Service cost the
U.S. Government less than $5 million annually and transmitted its
programs on a limited medium wave and a few short waves at the time
it was replaced by Sawa.
Mr. Pattiz described his new station's mission as "... reporting the news
straight up and letting the listeners ...decide for themselves." He said
that in addition to Sawa's journalistic mission, it aspires to be "an
example of a free press in the American tradition." He added: "We
generally play an Arabic pop song followed by a Western pop song.
And then we'll have news, five to ten minutes in length, twice an hour,
with headlines at the top and bottom of the hour."
Program Components[1]
Sawa's constant on-air slogan boasts about "the loveliest tunes and the
latest news." It never identifies itself as an American station or where it
broadcasts from. Its round-the-clock airtime is divided into roughly 20
percent news and 80 percent pop music. Everything the listener hears
other than the music is called The World Now. This rubric
encompasses the presentation of hard news, light news, bromide and
topical features and interviews, sports and so forth. The only exception
is a daily 30-minute news program called Iraq and the World, half of
which is rerun an hour later. No news-related material ever interrupts,
or is incorporated within, the music portion-no matter how urgent the
breaking news. Sawa does not carry discrete, identifiable "programs"
with distinct titles, individual star talent and performers, music themes
and thematic focus. No news "bulletins" are heard alerting listeners to
momentous world events.
Unlike its plethora of field reporters and stringers, the station's studio
readers, anchor persons and host announcers are never identified by
name. This anonymity applies to the readers of widely scattered
promos outside the news portions, plugging for Sawa, its website and
(since February 2004) its sister TV channel Alhurra.
News Content
Contrary to Mr. Pattiz's claim, Sawa never carries heads at the top and
bottom of the hour. It provides news only twice every hour, usually five
minutes every quarter after the hour and a minute or two of headlines
every quarter before the hour. The five-minute segments are variously
called "newscast" or "full newscast" or "detailed newscast." The
headlines are always presented as "summary." The full-length news
may occasionally run up to 10, 15 or even 30 minutes, as in the
exceptional case of the daily "Iraq and the World." Therefore, I would
estimate that the station provides between 7 and 17 minutes of world
news per hour. A fair and generous average would then be 10 minutes
per hour, which brings the total news time in a 24-hour cycle to 240
minutes. This is less than half the 600-minute daily claim made by
Sawa officials in media interviews.
All "full newscasts" begin with three to four headlines, which sometimes
pose a
A Radio Sawa presenter is put through his paces.
confusing problem for listeners: the first headline may not necessarily
be a reference to the first item in the body of the newscast, or an
opening head is interrogatively formulated in a misleading and
tabloidish style that does not accurately or fully reflect the substance of
the news item itself. Another news-related inconsistency has to do with
repeating the main headlines or the lead head at the conclusion of
newscasts, and how to close a news program. Sawa's newsreaders
seem to follow their own whims in this regard. In fact, some readers do
not even close before the studio engineer plays the usual taped lead-
out, "We relay the event to you in sound so you can form a complete
picture." The headline news always ends with a prerecorded
exhortation: "Stay in touch with the world-(through) The World Now."
At times even these lead-outs are skipped before moving on to the pop
songs.
A more serious problem that plagues Sawa's news handling goes to the
core of evaluating priorities and exercising professional judgment
regarding the relative significance of world events. Most and
sometimes all news stories in one newscast are jettisoned in favor of
another set of items in the next news presentation an hour later. This is
done with shocking disregard for news value or breaking news. Rarely
does a listener hear major stories repeated from hour to hour after
proper updating or rewriting to freshen up the next program. Such a
cavalier approach to news material distorts the overall picture of world
happenings for the vast majority of listeners who normally zero in on
specific time slots instead of staying glued to a station all day. Sawa's
practice also reflects ignorance of what should constitute a day's major
news leads. There are always major news developments that require
coverage in more than just one newscast.
Although on rare occasions a listener would hear a flawless,
impeccable, rich and seamless newscast with a perfect lineup, ample
voice actualities and anchor confidence, the more prevalent practice
gives listeners a messy picture of thematic and topical chaos. Related
items on one event can be separated by several unrelated items. Big
news developments on tragic events can be used as closers and,
conversely, a light routine item or a local insignificant item may be given
a prominent place in a newscast. Almost any news development can
be used by Sawa as a lead. On a day full of important news, Sawa
leads one newscast with a Jordanian government announcement that
Amman has not decided whether to resume commercial flights to
Baghdad. The lead story of another newscast quotes the London Daily
The Independent as saying that the Bush administration had advance
knowledge of the 9/11 attack, but no official American response is
provided to give the story balance and context. An hour later the
station drops the item altogether.
Covering Iraq
Let's now turn our attention to a major news story of global significance
that has preoccupied the world media for more than four years-the
invasion and occupation of Iraq-and track Sawa's treatment of it.
When American and British forces launched their air and ground
offensives in the spring of 2003, practically the whole world was calling
this pre-emptive military action an "invasion" of a sovereign nation. Yet
the word "invasion" disappeared from Sawa's lexicon. When Baghdad
fell and the US-led coalition settled down to run the country, the entire
world (including the United Nations, the media and even the Bush
administration) admitted it was an "occupation". Yet Sawa's broadcasts
avoided the word "occupation" like the plague and rarely referred to
Iraqi civilian victims of air raids and other military operations. When
anarchy, lawlessness and looting engulfed Iraq after the regime
change, the American station continued to beam its customary pop
songs and perfunctory news that lacked in-depth coverage and
responsible discussion. The looting and devastation prompted Dr.
Robert Darnton, professor of European history at Princeton University,
to tell The Washington Post: "As many have remarked, the Mongol
invasion of A.D. 1258 resulted in less damage to Iraqi civilization than
the American invasion of 2003." Sawa's news coverage, however, had
no time for such views of events.
A few months into the occupation, America's first head of the postwar
mission in Iraq, retired general Jay Garner was unceremoniously
replaced with Ambassador Paul Bremer. The new top administrator
quickly started running the vanquished country by decree: he
disbanded the Iraqi army, banned the Baath party and fired all its
members from government jobs, closed down most of the country's
industries, and appointed his favorite Iraqis to the new Governing
Council. These momentous developments and their dire
consequences for both occupier and occupied received scant,
superficial treatment from Sawa. The station was busy focusing on
President Bush's rosy predictions and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's
unreal statements that "stuff happens" and America "will not impose a
government on Iraq." In the meantime, former U.N. Secretary General
Kofi Annan's special envoy to Baghdad Lakhdar Brahimi publicly
described Bremer as the new "dictator of Iraq... Nothing happens
without his agreement." But Sawa was telling its listeners about the
great help Brahimi was giving "the Coalition" to prepare Iraq for a
democratic future. And the station's field reporters initially maintained
complete silence about the torture and shocking abuses inside Abu
Ghraib prison of which Iraqis were already aware (through word of
mouth and complaints by international human rights organizations) long
before the American TV program 60 Minutes broke the news.
Eventually, as the situation in Iraq deteriorated, Radio Sawa expanded
its coverage with the inauguration of a 30-minute daily program called
Iraq and the World at 10:15 PM Baghdad time, and a 15-minute version
an hour later. This news and opinion roundup does neither Iraq nor the
United States a favor, and should perhaps be called Iraq and Iraq,
because the rest of the world is non-existent in it-except for a fleeting
and parochial reference. It also suffers from the same shortcomings of
all Sawa news programs. Quality control is very poor. The program
airs dozens of voiced news pieces and long interviews from field
reporters around the country without evaluating, auditing, double-
checking and editing them in advance. The results: poor or
contradictory sourcing, outdated information, unprofessional language
and duplicated material. The show also suffers from lack of
preplanning and a chaotic format, allowing airtime to become a platform
for emotional, unrestrained views. Any major news story that is not
Iraq-related is either completely ignored or marginalized. A good
example is hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans and the
Gulf coast of the U.S. in 2005. Even the Israel-Lebanese Hizbullah war
in the summer of 2006 received only inadequate and indirect mention
with no reportage about the intense fighting or world reaction.
Sound and Music
Sawa uses an impressive number of voices on the air, both male and
female, as studio talent and field reporters. The professional quality of
their delivery and their mastery of broadcast language, however, are
very uneven, ranging from the highly effective and convincing to the
very poor, from the smooth and natural to the awkward and halting,
from the authoritative and pleasant to the pompous and pretentious.
The impact of these voices on and receptivity by the listeners,
therefore, vary widely and depend to a large extent on matching each to
the reading assignment he or she is given. Aside from field reporters,
performers are kept anonymous and the gifted stars among them are
not optimally utilized as a tool to build up faithful fans of specific
program features.
Music is used thematically by Sawa to identify the news. The theme for
newscasts is satisfactory and utilitarian but somewhat pedestrian and,
after a few weeks of listening, becomes tiresome to the ear. The
theme for the summaries is annoying, distracting and overdramatic. It
is held for the length of the summary and the level is brought up
deafeningly between individual headlines. Some music stingers[2] are
also used in a post-modern video game digital-age fashion to
accompany echo chamber promos or sloganeering catch phrases. The
latter include such things as, "You listen to us, we listen to you," or,
"From the ocean to the gulf, we are Sawa (i.e., together)." At times the
station mentions its website or a telephone number or a few sound
bites from listeners in praise of Sawa or expressing opinions on some
innocuous or provocative subject.
There is minimal use of the sophisticated craft of radio production to
enhance program impact. Rarely does a listener feel truly moved by a
smooth forward flow of broadcast material. Nor does one always feel
comfortable with the timing and placement of recorded inserts and
promos. The station seems to have difficulty matching style to
substance, harmonizing sound with words, utilizing a production device
to enhance the effect of a program on a target audience living in non-
Anglo-Saxon cultural environment.
Pop Songs
This is a programming area that consumes about 80 percent of Sawa's
airtime. It should logically deserve a commensurate level of attention,
talent and resources. Yet after listening to endless hours of alternating
Arabic and so-called "Western" pop songs, and trying to deduce some
coherent, professional whole, we discover what a neglected, drifting
wasteland all this airtime is. Some egregious weaknesses are: The
music portions have no detectable character, personality or identity.
The hourly segmentations cannot even be properly described as
"programs" because they lack beginning and end that define the nature
and flavor of the contents. Nobody is in charge, and there is no star
quality talent who might act as a guide to the listeners through the
various component parts. Almost none of the artists and songs are
identified. No informative narrative is ever provided to enlighten us
about the types of songs played, the dates of issuance, the extent of
their popularity and other distinguishing facts. Talk interruptions come
without artful, smooth transition flow or thematic unity. In the transition
from one song to the next, there is more often than not a definite jarring
clash in rhythm, melody, tone, lyrical connotation, voice quality and
vocal range. Clocking groups of songs in any music period seems to
receive little attention from producers and programmers. As a result,
when time comes for The World Now and the last song has to be faded
for the news introduction cartridge, the ending is frequently mishandled
by cutting off in the middle of unfinished lyrics.
Illusion and Reality
The founders of Sawa were convinced from the outset that, in order for
their new broadcasting project to accomplish a successful reach to
Arab audiences by "marrying the mission to the market," they needed to
separate the station from the Voice of America. The latter's mandate
was too strict and broad for them. The VOA was required to adhere to
its Charter, enacted into law decades earlier, whose operative
paragraphs are:
(1) VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of
news. VOA news will be accurate, objective and comprehensive.
(2) VOA will represent America, not any single segment of American
society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive
projection of American thought and institutions.
(3) VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and
effectively, and will also present responsible discussion and opinions on
those policies.
To be sure, Sawa officials continued in their promotional material to pay
lip service to their commitment "to broadcasting accurate, timely and
relevant news about the Middle East, the world and the United States,
to the highest standards of journalism, as well as the free marketplace
of ideas, respect for the intelligence and culture of its audiences, and a
style that is upbeat, modern and forward-looking." But their real
objective was to attract the Arab World's "youthful population" with pop
songs and keep them tuned to the station. In terms of current affairs
content, Sawa has never attempted to focus adequately on anything but
parochial backyard Arab news which marginalizes major American and
world developments.
Pop is a major successful commercial enterprise that targets a wide
youthful common denominator, but it alone cannot present the picture
of America which American public diplomacy is intended to present-that
of a country with rich, multifaceted culture, revolutionary ideals,
commercial vitality, history-making values of human rights and social
justice, and standards of transparent government. Nor is pop music
what young Arab needs today to form a more enlightened view of their
societies and the world, or to build a more participatory society firmly
rooted in human values. Pop does not attract potential future leaders
or opinion makers. It does not build credibility.
News of the non-Arab world almost always plays second fiddle on
Sawa's airtime. The station has literally scores of news reporters in
Arab capitals, especially in Iraq, but only one part-time reporter in the
United States who provides reportage from the State Department or at
times from The White House (but never from Congress). Sure, Arab
news is of utmost importance and a big draw, and must be accorded
prominent play. However, significant events (economic, cultural,
scientific as well as political) always take place in America and
elsewhere in the world, and they must be covered.
The true nature of Radio Sawa's broadcast content and performance
remains a mystery to the legislative and executive branches of
government in Washington, because the station continues to resist any
outside, independent review and probe of its programs. The station
also refuses to accept the critical findings already reached by such
investigative agencies as the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
and the State Department Inspector General's office.
"The father of Radio Sawa," Mr. Norman Pattiz, years ago came to the
conclusion that Arab hostility and dislike of America were caused by, in
his words, "hate speak on radio and television. Incitement to violence.
Disinformation, government censorship and journalistic self-censorship.
And it was from within that kind of environment that the Arab street was
getting its impressions, not only of U.S. policy, but of our people, of our
culture, of our society." And he was going to set things right with his
grand new broadcasting adventure.
Five years after a steady diet of Sawa pabulum, U.S. prestige and
standing in the Arab World are at record low, and its image uglier than
ever. Official U.S. poll results show that in Iraq, for example, 70
percent want the U.S. to withdraw from that country, and no less than
60 percent approve of killing Americans.
This is perhaps the best testimony to the abject failure of Mr. Pattiz's
grand design.
Sam Hilmy is a veteran Middle East broadcasting Specialist and long-
time observer of Arab-American affairs. He was for almost 35 years
associated with the Voice of America (VOA) in various language,
editorial and managerial capacities. He spent his last five years with
the organization as director of the Near East, North Africa and South
Asia Division.
http://zlgr.multiply.com (raidio monitoring site plus audio clips )
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/302315/ (Litohoro) 321199/Tinos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachgr pictures upload
.
on my main : www.geocities.com/zliangas
-tty-px.html : test of various TTY programs
-ethics.htm : greek ethics , days and institutions
-frape.htm: the greek way of cofee !!!
Zacharias Liangas , Thessaloniki Greece
greekdx @ otenet dot gr ---
Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75 , Lowe HF150 , Degen 1102,1103,108,
Tecsun PL200/550, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000
Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m australian loop
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 19:47:25 +0300
From: "Zacharias Liangas " <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] Uganda: Catholic Radio Named Among the Best in Africa
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], "[email protected]"
<[email protected]>, Tasos Kagelis <[EMAIL
PROTECTED]>, <>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Uganda: Catholic Radio Named Among the Best in Africa
http://allafrica.com/stories/200705291000.html
Nairobi
A Catholic radio station in rural Uganda has won the admiration of an
international panel of judges for contributing "significantly to knowledge
and development in the area."
Radio Pacis, based in Arua in West Nile District, was named Africa's
New Radio Station of the Year in a competition celebrating radio
excellence in the continent, organised by the British Broadcasting
Corporation.
Africa 2007
The awards were presented at a ceremony in Nairobi on Saturday.
The judges described Radio Pacis as "a fine example of what a
community radio station based outside the capital can do."
With a small staff and modest resources, the station "still addresses
challenging local issues, including providing advice on medical and
health problems and debating matters of local interest alongside local
and national news.
"It has some problems with sound quality but the judges are convinced
Pacis contributes significantly to knowledge and development in the
area." Besides a trophy, the station will also receive USD5, 000 worth of
equipment from the BBC.
An ecstatic Sherry Meyer, the station manager, told CISA the win was a
moment of joy for not just the station but also for all Catholic media
initiatives in Africa.
Radio Pacis was started with the assistance of Comboni Missionaries in
2004, following "a cry from the people that they wanted a radio station,"
the programme manager, Anecho Sam, said.
He said the focus of the station is development of the human person,
and does not target Catholics only. "It is the station that the people
asked for."
Radio Pacis can be heard not only in West Nile but also in parts of
South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The grand prize, the Radio Station of the Year award, went to South
Africa's 702 Talk Radio. Two Kenyans, Esther Mbondo of Kenya
Broadcasting Corporation, and James Wokabi of Capital FM, were
named Africa's best radio news and sports journalists.
Ghana's Joy FM and Citi FM won awards for the best on-air campaign
and talk show of the year respectively. Ms Qaanitaah Dramat was
crowned Young Broadcaster of the Year.
http://zlgr.multiply.com (raidio monitoring site plus audio clips )
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/302315/ (Litohoro) 321199/Tinos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachgr pictures upload
.
on my main : www.geocities.com/zliangas
-tty-px.html : test of various TTY programs
-ethics.htm : greek ethics , days and institutions
-frape.htm: the greek way of cofee !!!
Zacharias Liangas , Thessaloniki Greece
greekdx @ otenet dot gr ---
Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75 , Lowe HF150 , Degen 1102,1103,108,
Tecsun PL200/550, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000
Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m australian loop
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 21:52:31 +0200
From: "Wolfgang Bueschel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] another British VTMC spurious signal
To: "HCDX" <[email protected]>, "DXLD"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "egroups_harmonics"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="Windows-1252";
reply-type=original
Seemingly outstanding prop condition tonight ?
9925 Deutsche Welle German service much ahead of IRIB's Hausa service
co-channel, noted powerful spurious from Woofferton site. Mixture at
1800-1959 UT of two WOF outlets on 9545 / 9735 kHz in 152 and 170 degrees.
On symmetrical 9355 kHz - 190 kHz apart - nothing of DWL program heard so
far, so maybe spurious coming from 9545 tx/antenna unit...
73 wb
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 00:14:08 +0200 (CEST)
From: JOSE MIGUEL ROMERO ROMERO <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] Ultimas escuchas
To: Frecuencia DX <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Saludos cordiales.
ALBANIA 7465 Radio Tirana, 20:15-20:20, escuchada el 30 de Mayo en ingl?s a
locutor con reportaje, segmento musical, pieza cl?sica, SINPO 45433
BRASIL 4815 Radio Difusora, Paran?, 21:57-22:00, escuchada el 30 de Mayo en
portugu?s, locutor anunciando informativo y cu?as publicitarias, SINPO
43433(Escucha realizada v?a receptor por Internet ubicado en Brasil por Amantes
do Radio)
4915 Radio Anhanguera, 21:41-21:50, escuchada el 30 de Mayo en portugu?s a
locutor con programa religioso, SINPO 45444. (Escucha realizada v?a receptor
por Internet ubicado en Brasil por Amantes do Radio)
4985 Radio Brasil Central, 21:51-21:55, escuchada el 30 de Mayo en portugu?s
a locutor con comentarios, SINPO 34433. (Escucha realizada v?a receptor por
Internet ubicado en Brasil por Amantes do Radio)
BIELORRUSIA 7440 Radio Belarus, 20:06-20:10, escuchada el 30 de Mayo en
idioma ingl?s a locutor con bolet?n de noticias, a pesar de llegar con muy
buena se?al el nivel de audio era muy bajo y apenas se escuchaba al locutor, la
transmisi?n iba acompa?ada de un molesto zumbido, SINPO 45332
RUSIA 5940 Radio Rossii, 20:20-20:23, escuchada el 30 de Mayo en ruso a
locutor con bolet?n de noticias, se aprecia fuerte interferencia de Radio
Oesterreich en alem?n, SINPO 42332
TIBET 6050 PBS Xizang, 20:29-20:35, escuchada el 30 de Mayo con emisi?n de
m?sica instrumental oriental, SINPO 33343
Jos? Miguel Romero
Burjasot (Valencia)
Espa?a
---------------------------------
LLama Gratis a cualquier PC del Mundo.
Llamadas a fijos y m?viles desde 1 c?ntimo por minuto.
http://es.voice.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Message: 11
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 23:05:02 +0000
From: Risto Kotalampi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] HCDX logs between 2007-05-30 0000 UTC and 2007-05-31
0000 UTC
To: [email protected]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Hard-Core-DX.com logs from 2007-05-30 0000 UTC to 2007-05-31 0000 UTC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Please visit http://log.hard-core-dx.com/ for the real time logs
and to submit your logs to the HCDX Online Log.
For more information please email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Message: 12
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 08:02:36 +0200
From: "mic" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [HCDX] usa
To: "dxrad" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: [email protected]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
hi,
05755 KAIJ frisco texas -100k 0558 eng om 30mai07
mic
n-w fr
End of Hard-Core-DX Digest, Vol 53, Issue 31
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