Clandestine Radio Watch 179
--------------xxxxxxxxxx CRW 179 xxxxxxxxxx--------------
CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH 179
March 31, 2005
CRW is the biweekly online magazine for ClandestineRadio.com, the Web's
only portal on clandestine broadcasting and subversive media.
http://www.ClandestineRadio.com
The full online issue can be read at:
http://www.ClandestineRadio.com/crw/crw.php?id=239
------------xxxxxxxxxx Breaking News xxxxxxxxxx----------------
Middle East: Survey Finds al-Hurra TV Viewed by "Millions" in Syria
Zimbabwe: Independent Radio a Lifeline for Zimbabwe's Opposition
Cuba: U.S. Spending $23 Million This Year to Support Anti-Castro Movement
Inside Cuba
Somalia: Radio Horyaal Targets Somaliland
............................................
Independent Radio a Lifeline for Zimbabwe's Opposition
March 26, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050326/Z
IMBABWE26/TPInternational/TopStories
By Stephanie Nolen
The Globe and Mail
Violet Gonda has minor celebrity status in some parts of Zimbabwe, as an
articulate, eloquent and honey-voiced presenter on a hugely popular radio
show. But she won't be signing autographs any time soon: Because of her
work for SW Radio Africa, Ms. Gonda has been banned from returning to
Zimbabwe (she broadcasts from London).
Now her parents back home in Butare can't even hear her voice. For the
past few weeks, the Zimbabwean government has been jamming the station's
signal, determined to stifle access to independent radio in the run-up to
the parliamentary election on Thursday.
The past few years have not been good ones for independent media in
Zimbabwe: The government shut down four newspapers and a radio station,
then outlawed private broadcasting, leaving only the state-owned
broadcaster and newspaper, plus a handful of pro-government publications.
In this environment, radio broadcasts from outside the country have taken
on a new importance: Zimbabweans seeking more than the rabidly
pro-government coverage have turned to SW Radio Africa, broadcast on
short and medium wave, and to the popular Studio 7 program of Voice of
America.
With no broadband in Zimbabwe, with Internet access available only on a
pay-for-use basis in urban areas, and with most of the country still
reliant on transistors for their news, the old-fashioned radio is still a
key tool for opponents of President Robert Mugabe.
Recognizing that, a number of international organizations trying to
support democracy in Zimbabwe have been distributing radios around the
country in the lead-up to the election -- although none wanted to discuss
their projects, since the government could interpret supplying access to
media as a subversive act in today's Zimbabwe.
Studio 7, launched in 2003, is the Zimbabwe program of Voice of America,
which is funded by the United States. The program is broadcast in Shona,
Ndebele and English, and is beamed into Zimbabwe from a transmitter in
Botswana on the AM signal and by shortwave.
SW Radio Africa has its roots in a station Gerry Jackson tried to start
in Harare in 2000, as once-stable Zimbabwe began its descent into chaos
with Mr. Mugabe's highly politicized land-reform program, which
devastated the economy.
A former DJ on the state-run Zimbabwe Broadcast Corporation, Ms. Jackson
was fired after she put callers on air who were critical of the
government. So she took the government to court over their monopoly on
broadcasting, and in 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that private radio was
legal.
Ms. Jackson hastily imported a transmitter from South Africa and set up
shop: a station called Capital FM in Harare. "Six days after we started,
the government shut us down at gunpoint," she recalled in an interview
from London this week.
Ms. Jackson decided the only way to get independent radio into Zimbabwe
was to do it from outside the country; she left for London and took
advantage of improving technology to broadcast back on shortwave radio.
She got funding from international pro-democracy groups, hired six other
Zimbabwean journalists and they went to air in December, 2001.
The government lost no time labelling them enemies; they were declared
"banned" and the Justice Minister said in Parliament that if they return
they will be jailed.
"I can't even describe the feeling, when someone decides from nowhere
that you can't go home," Ms. Gonda, 30, said. She had just graduated with
a master's degree in journalism when Ms. Jackson, 50, offered her the
job. "I jumped at it, but I never imagined it would mean that I can't go
home."
SW Radio's five hours of daily programming is recorded in London, beamed
by a satellite to a transmitter and broadcast into Zimbabwe. Ms. Jackson
declines to say where that transmitter is, but notes that it could be
almost anywhere in the world.
But short wave, as SW Radio Africa recently learned, can be easily
jammed: A few weeks ago, they found their broadcasts suddenly rendered
into crackle inside Zimbabwe.
"Clearly, the government sees us as a threat," Ms. Jackson said.
The Zimbabwe Media Monitoring Project, citing information from the
Washington-based federal International Broadcasting Bureau, says the
jamming signal is originating from an air base in central Zimbabwe. The
government denies jamming the station.
Within the past few days, a neighbouring country -- again Ms. Jackson
won't say which -- agreed to let SW Radio Africa put up a transmitter, so
they have added medium-wave programming in the morning, which is not
being jammed. Since the jamming started, Ms. Jackson said, they have a
new understanding of how important the broadcast was to people in
Zimbabwe, who flip madly between frequencies to try to stay with the
show.
"People are desperate for information in a country collapsing, where
rumours make it worse," she said. "It's a lifeline."
(theglobeandmail.com Mar 26, 2005 via M.Terry-G in DXLD-ML)
............................................
Survey Finds al-Hurra TV Viewed by "Millions" in Syria
March 10, 2005
Text of press release by Virginia-based Middle East Television Network on
10 March
Springfield, Virginia, 10 March: A new ACNielsen survey conducted in
Syria shows that millions of viewers are tuning into Al-Hurra Television.
Conducted in December and January, just 10 months after the satellite
television network with launched, Al-Hurra (Arabic for "The Free One")
has a weekly viewership of 39 per cent among all Syrian adults (15 and
over) residing in satellite television households. The survey also
indicated that Al-Hurra was a source of credible news, with 60 per cent
of Al-Hurra viewers stating that the news on Al-Hurra is reliable.
Al-Hurra was not the only US international broadcasting effort to make
strides in Syria. The ACNielsen survey concluded that 13 per cent of all
adults in Syria listened to Radio Sawa on a weekly basis. This is in
spite of the fact that Radio Sawa does not broadcast directly to Syria
and can only be heard on transmissions directed to Egypt and Jordan. As
with Al-Hurra, Radio Sawa also proved to be a source of credible news for
Syrians with 75 per cent of the listeners finding the news to be
reliable.
"Right now, more than ever, it is critical that US international
broadcasting provide objective and accurate news to the citizens of Syria
and this new research shows that Al-Hurra and Radio Sawa are doing just
that," stated Norman J. Pattiz, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of
Governors Middle East Committee. "For the first time in US international
broadcasting history we are able to reach a mass audience in Syria."
"Where are those critics who said we could not mass an audience in the
Arab world? But what's most important is these young people are hearing
about concepts like freedom and democracy," said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson,
chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Launched on 14 February 2004, Al-Hurra quickly made a name for itself by
broadcasting balanced news and information. Al-Hurra's diverse schedule
includes news, talk shows, debates, documentaries and entertaining
information programmes on a wide variety of subjects from sports to
fashion to technology, which attracts millions of viewers. The 24-hour
channel transmits across the region in Arabic and can be seen via Arabsat
and Nilesat which reach approximately 120 million satellite viewers in 22
countries.
Six months after the launch of Al-Hurra, ACNielsen conducted surveys in
eight countries in the region. Weekly viewing rates among adults residing
in satellite TV households ranged from 12 to 33 per cent depending on the
country. Al-Hurra has also proven itself to be a credible source of news
and information. In all the countries surveyed, between 53 and 81 per
cent of Al-Hurra's regular viewers stated that Al-Hurra's news is
reliable.
Radio Sawa is one of the most popular stations in the Middle East,
broadcasting over 325 newscasts per week - newscasts whose goal is to
present accurate and balanced information about events in the Middle East
and the world. The station's news, along with its unique mix of the
biggest hits in Western and Arabic contemporary music, is listened to
millions of Arabic speakers every week all across the region from Sudan
to Morocco.
In July and August of 2004, between 25 and 63 per cent of adults in five
key countries were tuning in to Radio Sawa on a weekly basis, according
to surveys conducted by ACNielsen. News credibility for Radio Sawa ranged
from 55 to 86 per cent of Radio Sawa listeners saying the news was
reliable. Al-Hurra and Radio Sawa are operated by a non-profit
corporation called "The Middle East Television Network, Inc." (MTN).
MTN is financed by the American people through the US Congress. MTN
receives this funding through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG),
an independent federal agency. The BBG serves as oversight and as a
firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the
broadcasters.
The ACNielsen surveys for Al-Hurra and Radio Sawa were face-to-face
interviews conducted in Arabic [in] December 2004 and early January 2005.
Political conditions inside Syria make conducting surveys throughout the
country difficult. The sample size was 1,516 adults, 15 years and older.
This survey covered urban and semi-urban areas of Syria. There is a 2.5
percent margin of error. Source: Middle East Television Network, Inc. Web
site: http://www.alhurra.com
Source: Middle East Television Network press release, Springfield
(Virginia), in English 10 Mar 05 (via BBCM via DXLD 5-050)
............................................
Radio Horyaal Targets Somaliland
March 25, 2005
Radio Horyaal, the recently started new target station for Somalia has
its own website: http://www.horyaal.net . The station's email address is
given as radio@horyaal.net
(B.Trutenau-LTU Mar 23, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
Radio Horyaal
Tried R Horyaal for the first time last night on 12140 kHz between
1730-1800 per Anker's tips but heard nothing. Their web-site states 12130
kHz but if it has moved there (no trace)we have no chance to hear them
because of AWR. Their web-site Mrs 24 reports this development:
"SL Minister Of Information Orders Arrest of Horyaal Radio Reporter,
Calls Horyaal A Clandestine Radio
Horyaal Radio reporter Mr. Ahmed Saleban Dhuhul has been arrested this
afternoon on the orders of the Ministry of Information. Mr Dhuhul was
employed part time as a reporter by the Government's own Radio Hargeisa
The reporter's arrest followed a letter from the Ministry of Information
in which the Deputy Minister informed relevant authorities of Mr.
Dhuhul's dismissal from his job together with female reporter who was
also employed part time by Radio Hargeisa.
In the same letter the minister called Radio Horyaal of being an illegal
clandestine radio.
Radio Horyaal Management dismissed the Minister's statement. In response
to the minister's statement, the management released the following:
1. Horyaal Radio is not a Clandestine Radio. It uses an officially
registered frequency and a company that is fully licensed to operate
under the International Telecommunications Union. It operates in Europe
and has a right to broadcast from there and conforms to international
standards of broadcasting.
2. It does not operate on Somaliland soil, therefore, does not need a
license from Somaliland authorities.
3. Journalists in their own soil have the right to work for overseas,
licensed broadcasters who are using registered frequencies. They were not
working for a clandestine organization, but a legal organization
broadcasting under international regulations."
(F.Krone-DNK Mar 25, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
............................................
U.S. Spending $23 Million This Year to Support Anti-Castro Movement
Inside Cuba
March 30, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/nation/11265972.htm?tem
plate=contentModules/printstory.jsp
By Gary Marx
The Chicago Tribune
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - (KRT) - Far from the White House and Havana, in
strip malls and nondescript buildings along South Florida's sunlit
streets, a multimillion-dollar infusion from the U.S. government has
rejuvenated Cuban-American non-profit groups providing assistance to
Cuba's tiny opposition movement.
The groups' ultimate goal, supported by the Bush administration, is to
bring political change to Cuba and end the presidency of Fidel Castro,
who has remained in power despite numerous assassination attempts and a
four-decade U.S. trade embargo.
Some of what the groups send to the island doesn't reach the dissidents
they hope to help, and some of the groups' leaders acknowledge that the
extra $14 million the administration is sending their way this year - on
top of the nearly $9 million that was appropriated - is unlikely to bring
down the Cuban government.
But that hasn't dimmed their enthusiasm for aiding what they describe as
courageous opposition figures in Cuba, whom they view as Castro's
Achilles' heel.
"We've sent medicines. We've sent clothing. We've sent cameras. We've
sent office supplies," said Frank Hernandez Trujillo, 63, executive
director of Grupo de Apoyo a la Democracia, a Coral Gables, Fla.-based
group that since 2000 has received $4.7 million from the U.S.
government's Cuba program.
Hernandez said he began shipping supplies to Castro opponents in Cuba 10
years ago, working out of his living room with six friends. He financed
the operation himself. But when U.S. funds became available in the
mid-1990s, Hernandez began writing grant proposals and by 2003 had an
annual budget of $1.3 million.
Hernandez said Cubans who speak out against the government lose their
jobs or are imprisoned, citing the 75 opposition figures incarcerated
during the Cuban government's crackdown in 2003.
"We are literally keeping many dissidents and their families alive by
providing them with materials," he said. "The psychological impact is
also important. They feel like they are not abandoned."
In addition to providing dissidents everything from dried ramen soup to
fax machines, Hernandez is producing books and CDs for underground
distribution in Cuba.
His latest project is "GAD-TV," a television interview program meant to
counter the almost-uniformly negative Cuban government propaganda about
the United States. The program is smuggled into Cuba on DVDs, though few
Cubans have DVD players.
"We see the Cuban government as a piece of furniture that has been eaten
away by termites," he said. "If you put any kind of pressure on it, it
will crumble. We are the termites."
Five miles west of Hernandez's office on Miami's Calle Ocho is the
single-room headquarters of Accion Democratica Cubana, another U.S.-
financed group that provides mostly humanitarian assistance to Cuban
dissidents.
Juan Carlos Acosta, the organization's 46-year-old president, said he
turned to the U.S. government for financing because he couldn't raise
money in South Florida, where some Cuban-Americans do not believe
supporting dissidents is the most effective way to bring change to Cuba.
"We don't have the support of our own community," Acosta said. "We have
powerful radio stations, and most of them have a hard-line vision based
on the ideas of the 1950s and 1960s, namely that Cuba can only be free
through arms."
Acosta said he shared that view for years. A Mariel boat refugee in 1980,
he said he trained in the Florida Everglades with Alpha 66, an exile
commando group that prepared for an assault on the island.
But Acosta said that by the mid-1980s he began hearing about a small
group of opposition leaders inside Cuba and decided supporting them was
the way to end "the tyranny."
In the first three months of 2004, Accion Democratica Cubana reported
sending 1,464 pounds of relief packages to Cuba, along with four
shortwave radios, two tripods, six cameras, three portable hard drives
and other items, according to U.S. government documents.
In 2003, the group spent $113,116 on humanitarian aid and supplies out of
nearly $350,000 in total expenses, according to its tax report. But
Acosta spent about $220,000 on shipping, telephone, rent and contract
services.
Acosta said the only way to effectively communicate with dissidents in
Cuba is by phone, which can cost in excess of several dollars a minute.
He also pays professional smugglers between $12 and $15 a pound to carry
supplies into Cuba.
Other U.S.-funded groups face similar difficulties getting their product
to the island.
Rosa Berre, a former reporter for the Cuban Communist Party daily Granma,
fled Cuba with her journalist husband in 1980 and later helped start the
Coral Gables-based Web site CubaNet, which publishes articles by Cuban
freelance writers critical of Castro.
CubaNet has received about $1.7 million in U.S. funds since 1996. But its
Web site is blocked in Cuba, so CubaNet articles are not available even
for Cubans with access to the Internet.
To get around the problem, Berre sends copies of CubaNet stories by e-
mail to the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, the country's diplomatic
seat absent full relations, where they are printed and distributed along
with other pro-democracy material to thousands of visitors.
In Cuba, many dissidents say the U.S. assistance is crucial yet complain
that much of the help never reaches them.
"The U.S. government needs a way to have accountability for the money
that is given to the exile groups," said Manuel Vazquez Portal, a
dissident journalist in Cuba.
Adolfo Franco, an assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for
International Development, said his agency closely monitors the program,
which has spent about $36 million since its first grant in 1996. He
described the effort - which also includes grants to universities and
other organizations - as having an enormous impact in Cuba.
"If this were insignificant and not a threat to the regime, the regime
would not waste a great deal of time denouncing these individuals, the
United States government and the entire movement," Franco said.
But a USAID-commissioned audit in 2000 by PricewaterhouseCoopers cast
doubt on the agency's ability to measure the effectiveness of the so-
called pro-democracy efforts because of the closed nature of Cuban
society.
Even when the assistance arrives on the island it is difficult to ensure
that it is going to the intended recipients.
Resting on Joel Brito's desk in Miami is a color photograph taken in Cuba
of two smiling middle-aged women.
The woman in the foreground is Aleida Godinez Soler, a dissident labor
leader and Brito's primary contact in Cuba. Behind Godinez stood Alicia
Zamora Labrada, a dissident writer specializing in labor issues.
As executive director of an exile labor group, Brito said he sent the two
women about $9,000 in U.S. taxpayer money during a two-year period, along
with medicines and other assistance.
Then, in 2003, the two women revealed themselves as Cuban government
spies. "I talked to Godinez every day," said Brito, 41. "I couldn't
believe it."
(Chicago Tribune Mar 30, 2005 via M.Cooper-CAN in DXLD 5-057)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Schedules xxxxxxxxxx--------------------
Asia
Radio Free Asia
RFA A05 Broadcast Frequencies
effective from 2005-3-27
Burmese
0030-0130 UTC 11540, 13680, 13820, 17835
1230-1330 UTC 9455, 11540, 12030, 13795
Cantonese
1400-1500 UTC 9780, 11715, 13790
2200-2300 UTC 9355, 9955, 11785, 13675
Khmer
1230-1330 UTC 13645, 15525, 15670
2230-2330 UTC 9490, 9930, 13735
Korean
1500-1600 UTC 7210, 9385, 13625
1600-1700 UTC 7210, 9385, 13625
2100-2200 UTC 7460, 9385, 9770, 12075
2200-2300 UTC 7460, 9385, 9770, 12075
Lao
0000-0100 UTC 12015, 13830, 15545
1100-1200 UTC 9355, 9545, 15560
Mandarin
0300-0400 UTC 13670, 13760, 15130, 15685, 17495, 17525, 17615,
17880, 21690
0400-0500 UTC 13670, 13760, 15130, 15685, 17495, 17525, 17615,
17880, 21690
0500-0600 UTC 13670, 13760, 15130, 15685, 17495, 17525, 17615,
17880, 21690
0600-0700 UTC 13670, 13760, 15130, 15685, 17495, 17525, 17615, 17880
1500-1600 UTC 7540, 9455, 9905, 11765, 12025, 13675, 13725, 15495
1600-1700 UTC 7540, 9455, 9905, 11795, 12025, 13675, 13715, 15530
1700-1800 UTC 7280, 7540, 9355, 9455, 9540, 9905, 11795, 13625, 13715
1800-1900 UTC 7280, 7530, 7540, 9355, 9455, 9525, 9540, 9865, 11700,
13625, 15510
1900-2000 UTC 7260, 7530, 7540, 9355, 9455, 9760, 9865, 9905, 11700,
11785, 13625, 15510
2000-2100 UTC 7260, 7530, 7540, 9355, 9455, 9850, 9905, 11700,
11740, 11785, 13625
2100-2200 UTC 7105, 7540, 9850, 9910, 9920, 11740, 11935, 13625
2300-0000 UTC 7540, 9910, 11760, 13670, 13775, 15430, 15585
Tibetan
0100-0200 UTC 9365, 11695, 11975, 15225, 15695, 17730
0200-0300 UTC 9365, 11695, 11975, 15225, 15695, 17730
0600-0700 UTC 17485, 17510, 17720, 21500, 21690
1100-1200 UTC 7470, 11590, 13625, 13830, 15510
1200-1300 UTC 7470, 11590, 13625, 13830, 15510, 17855
1300-1400 UTC 7470, 11590, 13625, 13830, 15510, 17855
1500-1600 UTC 7470, 11510, 11705, 11795, 13825
2300-0000 UTC 7470, 7550, 9395, 9805, 9875
Uyghur
0100-0200 UTC 9350, 11520, 11895, 11945, 17640, 17695
1600-1700 UTC 7465, 9350, 9370, 9555, 11750, 11780
Vietnamese
1400-1500 UTC 7380, 9455, 9635, 11535, 11605, 11680, 13685, 13775
2330-0030 UTC 9975, 11580, 11605, 11670, 12110, 13735, 15535, 15560
(RFA website via E.Zhou-CHN Mar 30, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
............................................
Cuba
Radio Martí
March 27 at 1610 noted Cuban jamming against nothing on 17670 and 15330,
where R. Martí used to be. Guess the dentrocubans haven`t checked
http://www.martinoticias.com/frequencies.htm for RM`s updated schedule:
00-03 15330-DL 11775-GB 7365-GB 6030-GB
03-04 11775-GB 7405-GA 7365-GB 6030-GA
04-07 11775-GB 9805-GB 7405-GA 6030-GA
07-09 9805-DL 7405-GA 6030-GA 5980-DL
09-12 9805-DL 9565-GA 6030-DL 5980-DL
12-13 13820-GA 9805-DL 9565-GA 7405-DL
13-14 13820-GA 13630-GA 11845-GA 7405-DL
14-17 13820-GA 13630-GA 11930-GA 11845-GA
17-20 13820-GA 13630-GA 11930-GA 9565-GA
20-21 13820-DL 13630-GA 11930-GA 9565-GA
21-22 21500-DL 13820-DL 11930-GA 9565-GA
22-23 15330-DL 13820-DL 11930-GA 6030-GA
23-24 15330-DL 13820-DL 7365-GB 6030-GA
DL = Delano CA; GA = Greenville-A NC; GB = Greenville-B NC
Also 1180 Marathon 24h, but no mention of other relays on 1020, 1570,
1620 or 102.5! RM silent period still applies on all frequencies UT
Mondays 0300-0900.
Grid also shows TV Martí on HISPASAT 24h; and Cudjoe Key channels 18, 50,
64, daily 2200-0230.
(G.Hauser-USA Mar 27, 2005 in DXLD 5-056)
............................................
Maldives
Minivan Radio
Minivan Radio web shows new freq effective from Sunday 27th March:
Please send feedback to:Email: minivanradio@gmail.com
Phone: 0044 1722332874
Sms: 0044 7981148479
Mail to: 15, Fowler's Road, Salisbury, SP1 2QP, England
Band: SW 12015 Khz Meter Band
Time: Local Time: 9:00PM to 10:00PM (i.e. 1600-1700 UTC, FK)
(F.Krone-DNK Mar 28, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
............................................
Somalia
Radio Horyaal
12140 kHz 8:00 - 9:30 PM === Idaacadda waxa laga maqli doonaa majadda
dusha ku qoran inta ka horaysa Salaasada 29 March. Maalinta Salaasada ah
ee 29 March iyo wixii ka dambeeya waxa laga maqli doonaa oo ay u
wareegaysaa 12130 KHz
(from http://www.horyaal.net Mar 21, 2005 via G.Hauser-USA in DXLD 5-050)
My Somali is a bit rusty, but I guess they are saying they change from
12130 to 12140 as of 29 March, which is a Tuesday. Note this says it`s a
sesquihour rather than a semihour; 2000 local would be 1700 UT?
(G.Hauser-USA Mar 21, 2005 in DXLD 5-050)
Most likely Armavir or Samara, Russia: 250 kW at 188 degrees.
(W.Büschel-D in BC-DX Mar 22, 2005 via DXLD 5-050)
............................................
Vietnam
Radio Free Vietnam (c.1999)
After several months of absense, the California-based "Radio Free
Vietnam" (not to be confused with the TDP-brokered "Radio Free Vietnam"
with contact address in New Orleans) appears to be back on Angel 3 of
World Harvest Radio (WHRA, Hawaii). Listed Tue/Thu 1600-1700 on 9930.
(B.Trutenau-LTU Mar 12, 2005 in CDX-ML)
............................................
Zimbabwe
SW Radio Africa
SW RADIO AFRICA INTRODUCES ADDITIONAL 90MB FREQUENCY
According to the website of SW Radio Africa, the independent station
broadcasting to Zimbabwe which is currently being jammed, an additional
90 metre band frequency of 3300 kHz will be used intermittently over the
weekend between 1600 and 1900 UTC. The station now gives its schedule as
follows:
In the 90 metre band: Intermittent* 3230 kHz, Intermittent* over weekend
3300 kHz
In the 60 metre band: Intermittent* 4880 kHz
In the 49 metre band: 1800-2100 [1600-1900 UTC] 6145 kHz
In the 25 metre band: 1800-1900 [1600-1700 UTC] 11845 kHz, 1900-2000
[1700-1800 UTC] 11705 kHz, 2000-2100 [1800-1900 UTC] 11995 kHz.
* Try these frequencies during the broadcast times. We do not have
precise times, 1800-2100, Zim time [1600-1900 UTC].
The station says its new mediumwave broadcasts in the morning are not
being jammed. The morning schedule is: 0500-0700 [0300-0500 UTC] on 1197
and 3230 kHz. The station also says that "The mediumwave signal is being
improved all the time and country coverage is increasing."
Radio SW Afica has added a recording of jamming on 6145 kHz saying that
"Many Zimbabwe news outlets are unsure if we are really being jammed. You
decide." Listen to the jamming
mms://swradioafrica.streamuk.com/swradioafrica_archive/swra_being_jammed.
wma
(A.Sennit-HOL Mar 19,2005 in Media Network blog via DXLD 5-048)
I see on its website as of UT March 23 that SW Radio Africa is now saying
to try 3230, 3300 and 6145 at indefinite times, but presumably during the
1600-1900 broadcast, as they jump around to combat jamming, along with
6145 specified as 1600-1900, and the triad (from UK), 1600 on 11845, 1700
on 11995, 1800 on 11705; morning 0300-0500 on 3230 and MW 1197. [Later:]
Make that 11845, 11705 and 11995 in that order.
(G.Hauser-USA Mar 22, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
SW Radio Africa adds to schedule as of Easter Sunday and writes:
The govt of Zimbabwe is mounting a campaign to prevent SW Radio Africa
being heard in the country in the run up to elections. They are jamming
our signal on two - three frequencies at the same time.
We are trying various tactics to get round the censorship. Listeners are
asked to track us on different places on the dial. If one doesn't work
try another. This is very frustrating but it is the only way we can beat
the jammers.
So now (I have altered times from Zimbabwe time to UTC, FK):
Intermittent* 3230kHz SW
Intermittent* 3300kHz SW
Intermittent* 4880kHz SW
1600-1900 6145kHz SW
1600-1700 11845kHz SW
1700-1800 11705kHz SW
1800-1900 11995kHz SW
From Easter Sunday onwards
1600-1800 15145kHz SW
1600-1900 3300kHz SW
* Try these frequencies during the broadcast times. We do not have
precise times, 1600-1900 (UTC)If you can pass this schedule on to family
and friends back home, that would be great.
Our new medium wave broadcasts in the morning are not being jammed.
0300– 0500 1197kHz MW
0300– 0500 3230kHz SW
The Medium Wave signal is being improved all the time and country
coverage is increasing.
(http://www.swradioafrica.com/ via F.Krone-DNK Mar 26, 2005 in
DXplorer-ML)
SW Radio Africa new sked
SW Radio Africa`s website http://www.swradioafrica.com/today shows a
different schedule with several frequencies gone, but a new one too;
times here changed to UT; also refers to wrong meter bands, so not sure
if something is missing:
1600-1800 15145 kHz
1800-2000 11770 kHz
1600-1900 3300 kHz
0300–0500 1197 kHz MW
Correxion; anyway, 11770 blocked here by DGS Anguilla 11775. Glenn
(G.Hauser-OK-USA Mar 29, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
SW Radio Africa: Sked now shown on website www.swradioafrica.com is
[converted to UTC] 1600-1800 on 15145, 1800-1900 on 11770, 1600-1900 on
3300.
(J.Berg-USA Mar 28, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
SW Radio Africa--Current sked from http://www.swradioafrica.com/
(converted to UTC): 1600-1800 on 15145, 1600-1900 on 12145, 1800-1900 on
11770, 1600-1900 on 3300.
(J.Berg-USA Mar 31, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Logs xxxxxxxxxx-------------------------
Asia
Radio Free Asia
11785 kHz 16/3. R.Free Asia, 21:05-21:07, koreano, comentarios, tambien
por 9385 Khz. SINPO 44333.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 16, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
9770, SITE-?, (P)R.Free Asia, 2111-2132, Mar.28, Vernacular/English, 2 OM
re/ Korea and Vietnam, music bridge at 2115, YL w/ talk over music;
interview w/ OM. EG soundbites at 2125 re "human rights, NGOs" etc. "RFA"
at end of report. Fair, best listening in USB. [Was always Tinian-MRA.
W.Büschel-D in DXplorer-ML]
(S.R.Barbour-NH-USA Mar 29, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
............................................
China (PRC)
Sound-of-Hope Radio Network
9680 // 11765, Sound of Hope (Presumed), Mar 19, *1555-1615, on with nice
Chinese music and singing, Chinese programming, very strong jamming
(Chinese drums and gongs), ToH time clicks (5+1), mostly talking. Poor
(R.Howard-CA-USA Mar 19, 2005 in DXLD 5-048)
[Later:] Jerry Berg wondered if 9680 was correct for the "Sound of Hope"
(China). I could clearly hear the jamming being // and it seemed the
underlying Chinese was also //, but with that very heavy jamming, I am
not positive. It seems that 11765 may be the only correct frequency. The
jamming certainly makes it very interesting to ID some of these stations,
as they are very effective
(R.Howard-CA-USA Mar 19, 2005 in DXLD 5-048)
9680//11765, Sound of Hope(P). The jamming was certainly // and it seemed
possible the underlying CH was also, but can not be positive. Maybe 11765
is the only correct frequency. The jamming really was overwhelming. Very
effective! Sounded like a Chinese New Years parade, hi!
(R.Howard-CA-USA Mar 19, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
............................................
Cuba
Radio Martí
13820 kHz 17/3. R.Marti, 18:16-18:21, es, comentarios por una mujer. No
Jamming. SINPO 33343.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 17, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
............................................
Eritrea
Voice of Peace and Democracy Eritrea
5500, 1456-, Voice of Peace/Voice of Democratic Eritrea Mar 18 As listed
in ILG. A pleasant surprise. Weak but in the clear with horn of Africa
music. Not sure if it's atmospherics, or some noise on frequency. Remove
that, and reception would be pleasant. Something indecipherable at
14:59:30 by YL, then a male. Too weak to be make anything out though.
(W.Salmaniw-BC-USA Mar 18, 2005 in HCDX-ML)
............................................
Ethiopia
Radio Xoriyo
9820 kHz 18/3. R.Hurillo, 16:31-16:58, so, ID "Radio Hurillo",
presentacion canto coranico y noticias referiendose a Somalia, musica
folklorica. SINPO 55444.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 18, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
Voice of Oromo Liberation
9820 kHz 18/3. V.O. Oromo Liberation, 17:01-17:16, oo, ID, presentacion
con segmento musical, noticias sobre Oromo.SINPO 55454.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 18, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
V.O.Oromo Liberation 12120 kHz Mar 28 (Mon) *1700-1717+ in Oromo and with
many mentions thereof - fair.
(F.Krone-DNK Mar 28, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
12120 kHz 31/3. V.o.Oromo,17:02-17:30,vernacular,ID,presentacion con
segmento canto coranico,comentarios con alusiones a Oromo y musica local.
SINPO 44444.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Mar 31, 2005 in Radioescutas-ML)
............................................
Iran
Radio Farda
7550 kHz 19/3. R.Farda,19:22-19:30,persa,musica folklorica y pop. SINPO
55444.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 18, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
Radio International
7490 R.International Mar 16 *1730-1734 45444 Farsi, 1730 sign on with
opening music, ID, Opening announce, Talk.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Mar 18, 2005 in JAP 361)
Voice of the Communist Party of Iran
6425.5, Voice of the Communist Party of Iran, 1645-1700, Mar 12, Farsi
talk by woman about Iranian Kurdistan, 1653 ID: "In seda-ye ... Irana",
song, 33433 heard // 3875.2 (22332) and 4370.0 (22332) - all being jammed
from Iran.
(A.Petersen-DNK Mar 12, 2005 in DX-Window via BCDX 707)
6421.16 V.O.Communist Paty of Iran(P) Mar 21 *1626-1645 35232-35333
Farsi, 1626 sign on with IS, ID by man, Opening music and aannounce,
Talk, ID as "In Seda-ye Hezb-e Kominist-e Iran".
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Mar 18, 2005 in JAP 361)
6421.16 V.O.Communist Paty of Iran Mar 27 *1625-1637 35232-33232 Farsi,
1625 sign on with IS, ID, Opening music, Talk, //4375.94kHz,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Mar 27, 2005 in JAP 362)
Voice of the Iranian Nation (c.2004)
11630 [x11625, x11660, x15650] R. Seda-ye Mellat-e Iran [probably via
Issoudun, France] n o t observed today Sunday March 27 at 1430 UT. New
time or new freq in A-05 season ? I guess heard R Cairo Azeri and CNR8
Kazakh co-channel instead.
But today noted that Clandestine stn in Persian language again, but at
1330-13.59:50 UT instead. Underneath CNR8 program in Chinese til 1400 UT
was in progress, CNR8 from 1400 UT in Kazakh.
Two accompanied Iranian jammer noted so far, a Bubble type one on
11629.00 kHz even, and a rather oscillating tone on 11630.28 kHz from
13.29:40 UT, latter which left at 14.00:27 UT.
(W.Büschel-D Mar 28, 2005 for CRW)
............................................
Kashmir (de facto)
Radio Sedaye Kashmir
6100 R. Sedaye Kashmir via Delhi 1433-1443. Sub-cont mx, M&W ancrs in
pres. Urdu. Readable once again (in USB), since the Korean has drifted
down to 6099.78.
(J.Wilkins-CO-USA Mar 20, 2005 in CDX-ML)
............................................
Korea, North
Echo of Hope
0400-0600* 6348 kHz Mar 20 Echo of Hope (tentative) very weak on
DXTuners.com Japan receiver with heavy noise and static. Scheduled
0300-0600 per Asian Broadcasting Institute site. Pop music and female
announcer from 0400 to 0458. Western classical music at 0458. Male and
woman voices heard over the classical music at 0500 but signal barely
audible under the noise. Pansori and other traditional music from
approximately 0520 until 0550 with occasional announcements by male DJ.
0550 to 0557 long talk by male announcer. Different male announcer at
0557, followed by "Eastern Love Song (Arirang)" by Paul Mauriat. Off
immediately at 0600. (Grace-Japan DXTuners.com Mar 20 for CRW)
Voice of the People
1759-1815+ 3912, 6600 kHz Mar 20 Voice of the People (tentative) on
DXTuners.com Japan receiver. Scheduled 1100-1500 and repeated at
1500-1900 per Asian Broadcasting Institute site. Western classical music
into announcement by woman in Korean at 1800. Classical music bridge at
1812 then program with male announcer began. ID unknown. (Grace-Japan
DXTuners.com Mar 20 for CRW)
............................................
Kurdistan (de facto)
Radio Roj (Sun)
6315.3, R Roj, 0500-0515, Mar 19, Kurmanji Kurdish ann and two clear
ID's,sounding like: "Aidee Radio Rozh", 0502 non stop Kurdish songs.
Heard best in LSB due to CWQRM, 23332, but fading out quickly 0515. Heard
again 0455- 0615, Mar 20, with much later fade out! Mostly non-stop
Kurdish songs. The fade out pattern was very similar to that of the Voice
of Iraqi Kurdistan, Salah al-Din, Northern Iraq which was heard at the
same time. Together with direction finding that indicates that the same
tx location may be used.
(A.Petersen-DNK Mar 17, 2005 in DX-Window via BCDX 707)
Voice of Iranian Kurdistan
3970.0, Voice of Iranian Kurdistan, *0250-0310, Mar 17, opened with ten
mins of chanting and martial songs, 0300 ID in Kurdish: "Aira dangi
Kurdistan Irana", martial song and another ID by man, fanfare, ann by
woman, fanfare and ID again, Call to Prayer, 35343 until 0252 when
jamming started, then 31341, heard // 4860 which was not jammed (!):
35444.
(A.Petersen-DNK Mar 17, 2005 in DX-Window via BCDX 707)
4860 khz, LV del Kurdistan Irani, 0325-0335, 22 Marzo 2005, px en kurdo,
cxs entre cantos patrioticos. SINPO: 44333. (Jose Miguel Romero, E)
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 22, 2005 in ConDig 308)
3970.85, V. of Iranian Kurdistan, 0325 tune-in to 0340 fade-out, Kurdish
talks and anmts, a song and some orchestral music, fair on 26 March.
(V.Korinek-AFS Mar 26, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
4860, Voice of Iranian Kurdistan (tentative), 0317-0340 Mar 29, excited
talk by a man until a vocal selection at 0327. More talk and music
fanfare at 0328. Lost during next talk segment. Very Poor.
(R.D'Angelo-PA-USA Mar 29, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan
BBC Monitoring observes Voice of [Iraqi] Kurdistan radio with a live
audio stream available from the web site of the Kurdistan Democratic
Party at http://www.kdp.pp.se in // with their SW signal on 6335 kHz.
However, there seems to be confusion about the formal name of the
station: The pre-recorded identification annt at the start of txion
identify it as "Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan" (Aira Dengi Kurdistana
Iraqiya), however subsequent annts, apparently live, identify it as
"Voice of Kurdistan" (Aira Dengi Kurdistana).
Further, the live stream link on the web page is labelled as "Radio
Kurdistan", whilst on the Windows Media Player the name is given as "KTV
Radio". The station broadcasts in support of the Kurdistan Democratic
Party from facilities in northern Iraq on 1116 kHz mediumwave, 91.5 and
93.3 MHz FM, and 6335 kHz SW.
(BBCM via dxld, Feb 9, 2005 via BCDX 706)
6335 Voice of Iraqui Kurdistan (p), 0352-0401, March 26, Kurdish, (ex
6340 Khz), very nice local songs, announcement and ID by male and more
music, 34442.
(A.Slaen-ARG Mar 26, 2005 in CDX-ML)
Voice of Komala
3930.0, R Voice of Komala, *0326-0335, Mar 17, opening with ouverture to
an Opera (which one ?), ID by woman and man in Kurdish:" Eira dengi
Komala, Eira dengi Komala, dengi azadi e socializmu", talk, 35343 until
jamming started 0331, then 32342, heard // 4610.0 35343, but when jammed:
32342. It should be noted that the Iranian jammer was testing for a few
seconds at 0325, but switched off during the opening procedure! Maybe the
operators enjoy the nice ouverture ?
(A.Petersen-DNK Mar 17, 2005 in DX-Window via BCDX 707)
4610 V.of Komala Mar 17 1657-1704 33432 Kurdish, Opening music and ID,
Opening announce, Talk.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Mar 18, 2005 in JAP 361)
Voice of Mesopotamia
11530 kHz 17/3. Denge Mesopotamia, 16:13-16:40, Ku, Mx, comentarios
politicos y musica.No Jamming.SINPO 34343.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 17, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
11530 kHz 18/3. Denge Mesopotamia, 15:20-15:51, Ku, ID "Denge
Mesopotamia", musica folklorica y boletin de noticias.SINPO 44343.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 18, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
11530 V.of Mesopotamia Mar 27 1553-1600* 45433-45444 Kurdish, ID at 1554,
Theme music, Closing announce, Music, 1600 sign off,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Mar 27, 2005 in JAP 362)
11530 kHz 28/3. Dengue Mesopotamica,clandestina,13:03-13:13, kur,
ID,cantos folkloricos. SINPO 44333.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Mar 28, 2005 in Radioecutas-ML)
11530 kHz 31/3. Dengue Mesopotamia,15:56-16:00,vernacular, ID final de
emision e himno al finalizar la programacion. SINPO 34333.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Mar 31, 2005 in Radioecutas-ML)
............................................
Laos
Hmong Lao Radio
15105 Hmong Lao R. via Cypress Creek 1440-1458*. Exotic and enjoyable
vocal mx, then talk by M with mentions of "America," "Colin Powell,"
etc.; closed with usual flute theme; WHRI ID at 1459.
(J.Wilkins-CO-USA Mar 20, 2005 in CDX-ML)
............................................
Maldives
Minivan Radio
Minivan R on new 12015 kHz Mar 28 tried at 1500, but alas, only Voice of
Korea from Pyongyang which was strong in English. Sigh.
(F.Krone-DNK Mar 28, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Finn, DTK T-systems Juelich shows service one hour later: 12015 1600-1700
zone 41 100 kW 105degr 2703-301005 JUL RMI on their [schedule].xls sheet.
(W.Büschel-D Mar 28, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
............................................
Somalia
Radio Horyaal
12140, (Presumed) R. Horyaal, *1730-1743, Mar. 21, Vernacular,
whisper-quiet OM and YL at sign-on, Kor`an-like chanting followed by
talks over and between Horn of Africa musical bits. Poor with occasional
peaks over ute QRM.
(S.R.Barbour-Jr-NH-USA in DXLD-ML via DXLD 5-051)
Radio Horyaal heard on 12140 March 22nd, tones already at 1720 tune in.
It opened at 1730 with a tune familiar to UK Channel 4 viewers, it is
used on the quiz Countdown as background whilst two constestants try to
get as many words as possible from a selection of letters. Details of
schedule and website followed, short Qu'ran chant and then talks in
presumed Somali and music. Ended 1758 without apparent announcement.
Voice of Russia came on at 1800, I did not notice a transmitter break.
(M.Barraclough-G Mar 22, 2005 for CRW)
The new R Horyaal, brokered by TDP, was not yet on the air on March 20,
but strongly heard Tuesday March 22, 1740-1757* on 12140 in Somali.
Report from a local event with brass band, mentioned in English: "Radio
Free, Radio Free", 1743 studio announcer mentioned Radio Horyaal twice,
phone-in interview and a Horn of Africa song. 1748-1759 within these two
minutes R Horyall was mentioned four times and Somaliland six times!!
1750 another telephone interview about Somalia and 1756 phone-in of a man
talking about Somaliland. At 1757 suddenly just an open carrier, but at
1800 the Voice of Russia used the same transmitter (by error) for the
start of the Polish broadcast with ID: "Mowi Moskwa" heard // 7215.
However the 12140 transmitter was switched off at 1801! 44554 with slight
splashes from 12130 where AWR, Meyerton was broadcasting talks in Masai
(45544).
(A.Petersen-DNK Mar 22, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
12130 R.Horyaal Mar 27 *1732-1744 55444 Somali, 1732 sign on with IS, ID,
Koran, Opening announce, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Mar 27, 2005 in JAP 362)
12130 March 27th... managed to tune it to a signal at 1733 with Quran
recitations (short) then some talks, in what sounded like East African
(Arabic??) Then went into a long speech commentary by a male announcer,
which was occasionally interspersed with musical selections ( but where
much low-keyed in audio). At 1743 another announcer came on with some
comments, but no ID that I could hear. Back to the Speech Broadcast, with
music at 1752 which did sound like Horn of Africa. Noted to 1755 with
station announcer to 1757 with a short choral anthem of some sort. Then a
Up-beat Musical Melody was played ( sort of a Hit parade Tune) to 18:00
hrs. then went off the air, with the carrier pulled 30 seconds later.
Signal was poor to just marginal, with a UTE Traffic from 12132 causing
some problems. Any one can confirm just who this could be..I'm leaning
towards the Clandestine Radio Horyaal..but any ideas?
(E.Kusalik-AB-CAN Mar 27, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
12130, R.Horyaal, definitely them here now, ex 12140. A bit delayed s/on
at 1732 on 27 March. Excellent signal here, obviously Johannesburg is "in
the line of fire".
(V.Korinek-AFS Mar 27, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Ed Kusalik's Radio Horyaal entry in DXPL fits exactly with what I heard
Mar 28 on 12130 kHz, no longer vacated by AWR. At 1730 abruptly on in
midst of station announcement: P.O.Box 51045, S***borough, Ontario
(M1M.O22 or similarly phonetically close). Also a dot.com e-mail address,
impossible to hear, although their web-site www.horyaal.net states
radio@horyaal.net. Language suppose is Somali, with horn of Africa music
heard. MANY and easily identifyable IDs. Close noted at 1800. Good at
first, although some athm. noise, deteriorated towards close. Can u get
anything out of that addr, Ed?
(F.Krone-DNK Mar 28, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Radio Horyaal: I had what I presume was them today at 1730 Mar 28, but it
was weak, basically useless rcpn.
(J.Berg-USA Mar 28, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
12130 kHz 28/3. Radio Horyaal, clandestina, 17:43-18:00, somali, ID,
comentarios, entrevista y segmento de musica local. SINPO 34322.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Mar 28, 2005 in Radioescutas-ML)
12130 kHz 31/3. R.Horyaal, 17:30-18:00,vernacular, ID, presentacion con
canto coranico,comentarios con alusiones a Somalia, noticias y
entrevista. SINPO 55444.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Mar 31, 2005 in Radioescutas-ML)
............................................
Sudan
Voice of Sudan
7999.35 V.of Sudan Mar 18 1527-1535 24432 Arabic, IS, ID, Talk.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Mar 18, 2005 in JAP 361)
7999.35 V.of Sudan Mar 27 *1529-1533 24432-24431, 1529 sign on with IS,
Music.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Mar 27, 2005 in JAP 362)
............................................
Syria
Radio Free Syria
9495 kHz 20/3. R.Free Syria, 19:19-19:32, arabe, comentarios politicos,
no jamming.SINPO 33222.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 20, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
The Arabic Radio
7470 Arab R. Mar 27 1517-1529* 22332-32332 Arabic, Arabic music, ID at
1528,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Mar 27, 2005 in JAP 362)
............................................
Western Sahara (de facto)
National Radio of the Arab-Saharan Democratic Republic
700 Polisario Front (Algerian (RTA) site?) putting splendid signals when
monitored evenings 11+12 Mar at on the SW coast; typically better than
7460 due to the usual QRM de RFAsia 7460, but even the latter outlet
provides slightly better reception on the south. By the way, 1550 Tindouf
(I wish this could be ascertained once & for all) is still off.
(C.Goncalves-POR Mar 17, 2005 in BC-DX 706)
7460 kHz 17/3. R.N.Saharaui, 19:40-20:05, ar, solo musica arabe. SINPO
55444.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 17, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
7460 kHz 18/3. R.N.Saharaui, 23:03-23:18, ID "Radio nacional Saharaui voz
del pueblo", "Estan sintonizando la radio nacional Saharaui en la
madrugada de los ritmos latinos", musica latina.SINPO 45433.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Mar 18, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)
............................................
Zimbabwe
SW Radio Africa
SW Radio Africa on 11995: Like Jari, I also heard SW Radio Africa last
night (15 March) for the 1800-1900 period on 11995.
The signal was good, but as Jari says, there was a 1 kHz tone on the
channel. (It was NOT a 1 kHz het.)
The SW Radio Africa audio was cut at exactly 30 seconds before 1900, a
longstanding BBC procedure that these days is a "giveaway" that the
transmitter or the feed is in the hands of VT Merlin.
Ref. the possible Chinese and/or Iranian connections. One shouldn't
assume that the jamming would have to sound like existing Chinese or
Iranian jamming. These countries might just have supplied the
transmitters, leaving the Zimbabweans to decide what audio to put on
them.
A year or so ago there was a lot of publicity in the Zimbabwean press
about Iranian support for the ZBC. An Iranian delegation visited Zimbabwe
and met Zimbabwean ministers and senior officials. The word "jamming" did
cross my mind even then.
(C.Greenawy-G Mar 16, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
From their website: "We are trying something new. We will be on a
different fqy for each of the three hours this evening. We know this is
complicated, please bear with us. This jamming is a serious problem."
Gives sked as (I am converting to UTC): 1600-1700 on 11845, 1700-1800 on
11705, and 1800-1900 on 11995. I'm not sure just what "this evening"
means, whether Mar 16, or maybe Mar 15. I tried them on 11845 at 1600 Mar
15 (Tue) and couldn't hear anything.
(J.Berg-USA Mar 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Re SW Radio Africa, they were on 11845 today (Mar 16), poor signal to
1700, then switched to 11705 where they were a little better at first,
still choppy and fadey, improving more circa 1750 when it became pretty
decent. They gave the new 11845-11705-11995 fqy rundown at 1709, and
again at 1740. It was mostly mx and call-ins. They gave fqy changeover
anmt at 1759, then RFI took over 11705 and SWRA moved to 11995 where they
were about the same as 11705, choppy, but in the clear and easily hrd
with "Countdown to Elections." They are still there as I send this arnd
1810.
(J.Berg-USA Mar 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
11705 SW Radio Africa Mar 17 1750-1759 ID, phonenr but off before
finished reading the frequency schedule in English, then went to 11995
kHz? (no ID heard on this freq) countdown to Zimbabwe elections, fair on
clear channel, but had to leave. Mix English and local lang. Signal on
11705 not too bad but other station on the frequency as well. No jamming
observed.
(F.Krone-DNK Mar 17, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
SW Radio Africa, 11845, Mar 18, *1600, ID, gives frequencies and time
schedule, talks about jamming, into `Newsreel` program. There is jamming
here now but could still make out a fair amount of the program. Sent
Gerry Jackson (Station Manager) an audio clip of this jamming. She
responded in 12 minutes with: "You're an absolute star. Thanks so much
for that. We have just found out that they're experimenting with jamming
tones and have found a more effective one!" Very nice to be able to
interact with the station
(R.Howard-CA-USA Mar 18, 2005 in DXLD 5-048)
11705, SWRA via Rampisham(?), 1744-1759, Mar. 18, Vernacular/English,
Talks between 2 OM in language, 2 YLs at 1751 with English interview re
"female perspective" of Zimbabwe. Blown out at 1759 by co-channel RFI
sign-on. Fair with unID station at tune-in, eventually slipping under
dominant SWRA.
11995, SWRA via Rampsiham(?), *1800-1814, Mar. 18, English Vernacular,
Continuation of English interview noted on 11705. OM and YL with full ID,
SW frequency and MW-1197, 24 hr. phone-line: 023-275030 and talk @
swradioafrica.com PSA re "importance of your vote" and March 31 election.
Candidate prg. at 1810 with OM in English and language with "My name is
Jeffrey (last name?), I am the candidate for the MDC". Fair, best
listening in LSB. Wonder what happens to these broadcasts after Mar. 31?
(S.R.Barbour Jr.-NH-USA Mar 18, 2005 in DXLD-ML via DXLD 5-051)
SW Radio Africa. Very nice reception on all three 25 metre band
frequencies today, 16 March. 11845 (1600-1700 UT), 11705 (1700-1800 UT)
and 11995 (1800-1900 UT). Mentioned a few times the jamming on 3230 and
6145 and urged listeners to try the 11 MHz frequencies. Thanks to Media
Network Weblog (15 March) for the tip re the two new frequencies. Have
picked up 3230 between 0400 and 0500 UT a few times this week. Fair
reception; good enough to understand the spoken word at times but lots of
static. No sign of any jamming here.
(B.O'Shea-ON-CAN Mar 19, 2005 in DXLD 5-049)
11995, March 19, 1845, SWRadio Africa, (probably via Ascension [not any
more as already reported here]) - at the end of the transmission the
whole scheme was read hoping the listeners in Zimbabwe could hear the
programmes despite the attempts from the regime to disturb them
completely. 4-5 CB
(C.Brunström-S in SW Bulletin Mar 19, 2005 translated by T.Nilsson for
DXLD 5-049)
SW Radio Africa log: 11705 khz, 17:00 UTC to 18:00 UTC , March 19, 2005,
Radio SW Africa. Signal was above my noise threshold, abot 90% readable.
(At 16:30, tried 11845, but it was below the noise and barely audible.)
Ids, frequency rundown, talk about upcoming elections.
(J.M.Fisher-MA-USA Mar 19, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
IBB confirms reports of jamming of SWRA. 6145 & 3230 (1600-1900 UT)
jammed by a massive tone block jammer; two types in use.
3230 (0300-0500 UT) jammed effectively. The station will move to 3300
soon. MW 1197 (Lesotho) in the clear (0300-0500 UT)
SWRA can be heard in the clear on their new SW frequencies:
3300 (1600-1900 UT), 11845 (1600-1700 UT), 11705 (1700-1800 UT), 11995
(1800-1900 UT)
(D.Pringle-Wood-ZWE Mar 20, 2005 in DXLD 5-049)
At the opening today (Mar 20) of the evening broadcast of SW Radio Africa
at *1602:30 on 11845 kHz, Keith Parkinson announced that to avoid jamming
from Zimbabwe on three frequencies, they were now using seven SW
frequencies, besides 1197 kHz MW.
The broadcasts are at 0300-0500 and 1600-1900 UTC and these SW
frequencies are used at different times: 3230, 3300 (new), 4880 and 6145
kHz. Furthermore in the 25 metreband:
11845 kHz at 1600-1700 UTC.
11705 kHz at 1700-1800 UTC.
11995 kHz at 1800-1900 UTC.
The recent reports from DX-ers all over the world were highly
appreciated! On 11845 SW Radio Africa is booming in here in Denmark in
English with 54554 with S 9+30 dB, but some splashes from 11840 kHz.
(A.Petersen-DNK Mar 20, 2005 in DXLD 5-049)
My humble advice to SW Radio Africa --- I listened to SW Radio Africa
again last night (19 March) at 1800-1900 on 11995. The jamming signal was
a 200 Hz rough tone. I would imagine that in Harare the SW Radio Africa
signals on 11 MHz might well get through the jamming as the skip distance
for the jamming is not right. This was always the strategy of RFE/RL: use
as high a frequency as possible to maximize the skip distance (hence
using transmitter sites in Spain and Portugal to hit the USSR). The
Soviets couldn't use sky wave jammers in the European part of Russia as
the jamming signals at such high frequencies would just skip right over
the target, so they were forced to invest in a complicated and costly
network of local ground-wave jammers.
The Zimbabwean government won't be able to afford to do that. So, SW
Radio Africa, pick your frequencies as high as you can! The fact that I
could hear the jammer here in the UK means that the path is open and so
people in Zimbabwe will be able to hear Rampisham (or whatever you are
using in the UK). More grease to your elbow (as they say in Ghana).
(C.Greenway-G Mar 20, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
11705, 1735-, SW Radio Africa, Mar 20. Very nice reception via apparent
Rampisham, UK, with English report on what needs to be done for fair
elections. Very punchy audio. Excellent modulation. I wish all
broadcasters would do the same. Despite an S7 signal, it sounds far
stronger. They read a letter from America (this might also be the name of
this segment of the program). Transmitter cut at 1759:30, and immediately
started on 11995, with even stronger signals. About an S9. While on
11995, the announcer mentioned that the frequency was about to change
from 11705 to 11995, and to retune! Nice IDs followed. At 1804, an
interview in a local language began and is still ongoing at 1810
(W.Salmaniw-BC-CAN Mar 20, 2005 in DXLD 5-049)
SW Radio Africa, 11845, *1602-1659* March 20, opening English
announcements with ID, mentioned that they were changing around their
programming due to jamming. Gave these frequencies: 6145, 4880, 3230,
3300, 11705, 11845 and 11995. English religious program; "Behind the
Headlines" news program. Abrupt sign-off, continuing on 11705; good.
11705, *1700-1759* March 20, sign-on with English program in progress
from 11845, talk about Zimbabwe elections, Afro-pops, IDs. Fair-good but
some weak co-channel QRM.
11995, *1800-1859* March 20, English programming; "Restart" program about
improving conditions in Zimbabwe, local music program with Afro-pop, IDs,
some vernacular talk. Good.
(B.Alexander-PA-USA Mar 20, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
11845, SW Radio Africa via Rampisham, 1637-1716 Mar 24, Newsreel program
hosted by a man and woman with English talks and some local language.
Nice ID at 1651 by the woman announcer: "You are listening to Newsreel on
SW Radio Africa." Gave schedule for 11845/11705/11995 to avoid jamming.
Also mentioned that they are not jammed on medium wave. Switched
frequencies to 11705 at 1700 with nice local song being played. At 1714
began program "Welcome to Callback" giving 023 275 030 phone number in
Zimbabwe and talk@swradioafrica.com e-mail address for listeners to
contact station. Overall fair reception with some fading and intermittent
jamming detected in background. Interesting listening.
(R.D´Angelo-PA-USA Mar 24, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
SW Radio Africa continues to be jammed, although during the 0400-0500
transmission, the jammer is barely audible here on 3230 and not at all on
1197 (Lesotho transmitter). On 25 March between 1600-1700, the programme
was actually on 3300 and the jammer was going crazy on 3230. I often
wondered, even when still listening to RFE/RL and others from behind the
Iron Curtain, whether the jammers are always operated by total morons or
whether some kind souls let the signals go through on purpose every now
and then.
(V.Korinek-AFS Mar 25, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
SW Radio Africa via Rampisham, 11995 at 1812 3/26 with interview with two
experts on political/democratic future of Zimbabwe; good. Also heard at
1640 3/24 on 11845 at fair level.
(J.Hanlon-NJ-USA Mar 26, 2005 in DXLD 5-055)
SW Radio Africa, very nice strong and clear signal on new 15145, from
1600 UT Sunday March 27; leisurely programme summary including Behind the
Headlines and Letter from America. Wonder if this is Ascension instead of
UK. If still on 11845, now blocked by dentroCuban jammming and Radio
Marti
(G.Hauser-OK-USA Mar 27, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
SW Radio Africa: 15145, beautiful signal right now, 1600 Mar 27.
(J.Berg-MA-USA Mar 27, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
SWRA, 15145, Mar 27, 1612, in EG, sounds like Richard Allfrey's prgm,
1616 rel singing, fair-poor, no jamming.
(R.Howard-CA-USA Mar 27, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Re: SW Radio Africa: Very strong here in upstate NY at 1735.
(J.Figliozzi-NY-USA Mar 27, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Re: SW Radio Africa: Very strong here since about 1650 UTC.
(R.Comeau-MA-USA Mar 27, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
SW Radio Africa: 27/03, SWRA heard on 15145 with jamming at station open
1600-1800 UT; this is their new listed frequency, as well as with severe
jamming on 3300 from 1600 to 1900 UT in Harare.
(D.Pringle-Wood-ZWE Mar 27, 2005 in DXLD 5-056)
SW Radio Africa, 15145, March 28 at 1627 with item about mock elections
in front of the Zimbabwe High Commission in Pretoria being moved up from
Thursday to Tuesday; fair signal, no jamming audible here. Not sure what
"SW" stands for, but surely not South West.
(G.Hauser-OK-USA Mar 28, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
11995 SWR Africa 1807 with afro pops. Talk on candidate on Rwanda ,
followed by talk in unIDed lang. 'Countdown to election', talk , address
@swrafrica.com. Strong signal.
(Z.Liangas-GRC Mar 29, 2005 in CDX-ML)
15145 at 1700, SW Radio, man and woman (called Violet) in English with
Radio for Zimbabwe, "we are being jammed," gave alternate frequencies as
11700 and 3300, election coverage, much talk of corruption, telephone
interview with General Secretary of South African Churches, "food
scarce", "youth wasting away", IDed as "Newsreel on SW Radio" (letters
"SW" pronounced as letters; I'm not writing an abbreviation for "Short
Wave"), and "SW Radio Africa", and "Zimbabwe's Independent Voice", strong
clear signal, after asking to tune to 11700, off abruptly at 1759,
checked 11700 but inaudible.
(E.Bryan-WA-USA Mar 29, 2005 in DXLD 5-056)
Eric, 1800-1900 frequency was supposed to be 11770; is that what you
checked? Maybe not if they actually said "11700". 11770 no good here due
to Anguilla 11775 (Glenn to Eric)
(G.Hauser-USA Mar 29, 2005 in DXLD 5-056)
15145, SWRA, 1731-1759:30*, Mar 29, in English, “Newsreel” program about
the run up to the elections on Thursday, good.
(R.Howard-CA-USA Mar 29, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Glenn, I checked 11700, so now don't know if they were audible on 11770.
It might have been a dyslexic attack that scrambled 11770 to 11700, tho'
thought he said 11700. He said it as "Double one, seven, double zero,"
(or "Double one, double seven, zero"), and I was scrambling to write them
down, and his way of giving the numbers may have thrown me off
(E.Bryan-WA-USA Mar 30 (?), 2005 in DXLD 5-057)
SW Africa jammed on 15145: The jammers seem to have found the new 15145
(1600-1800) as I heard the characteristic rough tone for at least part of
that period yesterday (29 March). I couldn't confirm SW Radio Africa on
11770 at 1800-1900.
On the question of transmitter location for these (Ascension or a UK
site), the fact that they moved higher in frequency for the A05 period
suggests a UK site, as the Ascension-Zimbabwe path is all in the southern
hemisphere, and therefore would be more likely to require a lower
frequency between March and October.
The onset of winter conditions in Zimbabwe should work against the
jammers as 11 and 15 MHz will become even less suitable for the very
short hops that the jammers need.
(C.Greenway-G Mar 30, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
SW Radio Africa, 15145 in vernacular and EE at 1745 on 3/30. EE talks
about getting out the vote being "the best way to change this regime."
Fairly good with some fades. Waited for the switch to 11770 and maybe
noted a carrier come on and possible programming at 1801 but too poor to
make anything out.
(G.Dexter-WI-USA Mar 30, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
SW Radio Africa good here on both 12145 and 15145 1645 March 31st with
coverage of the elections, "Get Up, Stand Up, Stand Up for Yours Rights"
song noted at 1700, 15145 has jamming though not affecting reception
here, no jamming heard on 12145.
(M.Barraclough-G Mar 31, 2005 for CRW)
-
There is an interesting program about SW Radio Africa on right now (1100+
UTC Mar 30) on "The Connection" prgm http://www.theconnection.org/ over
NPR local station WBUR-FM. Started with the SWRA theme mx!
(J.Berg-MA-USA Mar 30, 2005 in Dxplorer-ML)
8-minute audio piece about SWRA from WBUR`s Here & Now with Michael
Goldfarb March 28: http://here-now.org/shows/2005/03/20050328_9.asp
(via S.Harvey-CAN Mar 29, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
------------xxxxxxxxxx QSL Verifications xxxxxxxxxx------------
Asia
Radio Free Asia
Dear Friends, as planned some months ago RFA will very likely issue a
special QSL for the EDXC Conference in Prague as they did in Kulpsville
earlier this month. Please take notice AJ Janitscheck will talk about the
role of RFA and their QSL policy during the Conference on Friday 28
April.
(L.Cobisi-I Mar 17, 2005 in Edxc-ML)
From A.J. Janitschek of Radio Free Asia: RFA`s Technical Operations
Division is proud to announce the release of the company`s fifth QSL
card. Scheduled for distribution between March 1 to March 31, 2005 this
QSL Card commemorates the 18th Annual Winter SWL Festival held in
Kulpsville, Pennsylvania USA and RFA`s participation in the Winter SWL
Festival. The convention is the largest gathering of listeners to the
radio spectrum --- long wave, medium wave, shortwave (broadcast,
utilities, pirates), VHF/UHF, FM, scanners, television and satellites ---
in the United States. About 200 persons from around the world attend each
year. Broadcaster representatives, clubs, and vendors are always in
attendance. Next year`s festival is schedule for March 5-6, 2006; the
20th Annual Winter SWL Festival will be March 9-10, 2006. For more
information about the annual Winter SWL Festival, visit
http://www.swlfest.com/ (Use of the SWL Fest logo provided as a courtesy
of Tom Sundstrom.)
Reception reports are valuable to radio stations like RFA. They help us
evaluate the signal strength and quality of our transmissions. Radio
stations, like RFA, usually confirm accurate reception reports by mailing
a "QSL Card". To make the best of changing propagation conditions, RFA
rotates frequencies during different seasons to maintain the best
possible coverage. As a shortwave broadcaster Reception Reports are an
important factor to us in the determining the best frequencies to use to
reach our target audience.
RFA welcomes all reception report submissions at
http://www.techweb.rfa.org/ (follow the QSL REPORTS link) not only from
DXers but from its general listening audience as well. For anyone without
Internet access, reception reports should be mailed to:
Reception Reports
Radio Free Asia
2025 M. Street NW, Suite 300
Washington DC 20036
United States of America.
Upon request, RFA will also send a copy of the current broadcast schedule
and a sticker.
(A.Janitschek-R Free Asia in NASWA Flashsheet Mar 20 2005 via DXLD 5-050)
............................................
Ethiopia
Voice of Oromo Liberation
Mein Empfangsbericht an Voice of Oromo Liberation Postfach 510620, D-
12366 Berlin kam retour, gibt es eine neue Adresse??
(D.Kraus-D Mar 16, 2005 for CRW)
............................................
Vietnam
Que Huong Radio
Que Huong Radio 15680 kHz (Russia) verified with a det. card in 17 days.
1 US-$ for RP. QTH: 2670 S. White Road, Suite 165, San Jose, CA 95148,
USA. e-mail: qhradio@aol.com
(P.Robic-AUT Mar 18, 2005 for CRW)
............................................
Zimbabwe
SW Radio Africa
Ms. Jackson forwarded an e-mail to me that she sent "To: Staff," (guess I
have been hired, hi) indicating: "Receiving us loud and clear .....in New
Zealand," with an attached reception report from Ian Cattermole from
Blenheim, New Zealand. She was obviously pleased to receive his report
for 11845, for a March 16th reception, 1600-1630.
(R.Howard-CA-USA Mar 17, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Hi Glenn, Here's the response to an e-mail report I sent to SW R. Africa.
The response came in less than a day. The letter mentions 6145, but I
heard it on 11705, 11845 and 11995. The response came from an e-mail link
on the station web page:
"Dear James, Thank you for your report on our signal from New York. It is
good to know that we are being heard around the world, although our
target audience in Zimbabwe are finding it very difficult to receive our
signal at the moment. It appears we are being jammed on three frequencies
at once. I can confirm that you did indeed hear our station. Richard - SW
Radio Africa, 6145 kHz on the 49m band http://www.swradioafrica.com"
(via J.Renfrew-NY-USA Mar 25, 2005 in DXLD 5-053)
11845/11705, SW Radio Africa via Rampisham verified and e-mail report
with an e-mail reply in 1 day from v/s Gerry Jackson, Station Manager
(Gerry@swradioafrica.com) mentioning: "Very pleased that you could hear
us and thank you for your report. Will pass this on to our technical
manager and he will send a verification report."
(R.D´Angelo-PA-USA Mar 27, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
SW Radio Africa: I e-mailed a quick mp3 clip of this one's 1600 UTC s/on,
Sunday, Mar. 27th, 15145 to Gerry Jackson, Station Mgr. Despite our
excellent reception he responds, "Glad you're getting to hear us but
sadly that's not true of our listeners in Zim. Heavy jamming of this
signal made it a wipe out for the first hour (helped by a bit of
propagation). Second hour was OK. We also don't currently have access to
frequencies to lure the jammer away. Hopefully tomorrow we'll learn that
we have access to more frequencies again."
(J.Herkimer-NY-USA Mar 27, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Other News xxxxxxxxxx-------------------
China (PRC)
Chinese Crack Down On Student Web Sites
March 24, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61334-2005Mar23.html
Protests Staged After Authorities Order Colleges To Tighten Controls on
Popular Discussion Forums
By Philip P. Pan
Washington Post
Thursday, March 24, 2005; Page A13
BEIJING, March 23 -- Universities across China are tightening controls on
student-run Internet discussion forums as part of a Communist Party
campaign to strengthen what it calls "ideological education" on campuses.
The crackdown has caused widespread resentment among students and
prompted at least two demonstrations in recent days.
The Web sites, which run on school computer networks, host some of
China's largest and liveliest online bulletin boards. They serve as
virtual meeting places where millions of educated Chinese across the
country gather for discussions about everything from pop culture to
politics.
But in recent weeks, universities have started blocking off-campus users
from participating, including alumni and students and faculty from other
universities, according to students and college officials. They have also
begun requiring students to register with their real names when going
online, eliminating the anonymity that allowed participants to speak
without fear of punishment by the authorities.
The new restrictions come during a general tightening of controls on the
Chinese media by the party's propaganda authorities, who have struggled
to control debate on the Internet and have viewed university Web sites
with particular concern because they allow students from across the
country to easily communicate with one another.
Censorship on university sites has been slower and less heavy-handed than
on commercial sites, and liberal scholars have used them to distribute
sharp critiques of the Communist Party and to call for political reform.
College officials and students involved in managing the sites said the
Education Ministry ordered schools to impose the latest restrictions in
January as part of a national campaign to ensure that students did not
challenge the party's rule.
An official at Beijing University said it had not applied the "real-name
policy yet. . . . We're still waiting for further instructions." He
acknowledged that students were upset, but said the school had not given
them an explanation.
A propaganda official at Jiaotong University in Shanghai confirmed that
the school "was adopting measures to clean the Web" by the end of March.
A spokesman for the Education Ministry declined to comment.
The effort appears to have provoked a backlash among students. On
Tuesday, one student disrupted a discussion at Beijing University to
speak out against the new restrictions, kneeling and bowing several times
when the moderator refused to call on him. The panelists, members of a
national government advisory congress, intervened and heard the student
out, according to one witness and accounts by others posted on the
Internet.
The incident followed a rare demonstration Friday at neighboring Tsinghua
University, where about 100 students gathered around a stone monument
engraved with the motto, "Actions are greater than words," and covered it
with paper cranes and other origami figures to urge the school to rescind
the new policies, witnesses said.
Another demonstration took place on Tuesday at Nanjing University west of
Shanghai, where more than 200 students participated in an evening vigil
around a campus fountain, students said.
The Internet bulletin boards at Tsinghua and Nanjing universities were
the largest student-run discussion sites in the country. Authorities
began blocking outsiders from reading or leaving messages on the Tsinghua
site last week and have shut down the Nanjing site. Students confirmed
that similar restrictions were put in place at universities in Shanghai,
Tianjin, Xian, Hangzhou, Jilin, Wuhan and Guangzhou.
Tsinghua University officials responded to the demonstration by holding
an emergency meeting and promising to appeal to the Education Ministry to
loosen the restrictions. But students said they did not expect the party
to back down, in part because most students were too frightened of being
expelled to participate in protests.
"There's no hope at all. The bulletin board era is over," said one
student who resigned as a Web site manager and spoke on condition of
anonymity. "Student leaders opposed the policy, but college officials
said they were following orders from above and asked, 'Would you be
happier if the site was shut down completely?' "
Many students used the Internet to express their anger at the Chinese
leadership. "By locking up young students, separating them and monitoring
them, they will lose the people's hearts," wrote one student at Tsinghua.
"I just can't figure it out," wrote another student at Beijing
University. "Why do policymakers use the most indiscreet and stupid
methods, which does nothing to help them and instead sets the young elite
against them?"
The new policies have prompted anger off campus as well. Editors at three
state-owned newspapers have risked punishment by printing critical
reports about the crackdown, with one tabloid publishing an editorial
headlined, "Universities Should Not Build Walls Around the Internet."
"As the users of the bulletin board, we have rights. And as graduates of
Tsinghua, we feel we should do something," said Tang Yang, 28, a computer
engineer. "Our goal is to arouse more people, especially Tsinghua
graduates off campus, and let them know what we've lost."
Tang said he managed to access the Tsinghua bulletin board and post a
note urging people to contact him if they were interested in helping.
More than a dozen people sent e-mails, Tang said, but then his note was
deleted.
(Washington Post Mar 24 via Grace-USA)
............................................
Diverse
BBC Analysis: European Regulators to Combat Hate Broadcasts
March 17, 2005
Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring Media Services on 17 March
National broadcasting regulators meeting in Brussels on 17 March agreed
to launch a pan-European drive to combat incitement to hatred in
broadcasts.
At the meeting, convened by EU Information Society and Media Commissioner
Viviane Reding, the regulators decided to step up information exchange
and cooperation "to ensure that EU rules which guarantee freedom of the
media on the one hand and prohibit broadcasts which contain an incitement
to hatred on the other hand, are enforced swiftly, effectively and
consistently," said an EU press release.
"The case of [Lebanese pro-Hezbollah satellite TV channel] Al-Manar and,
more recently, [Iranian state-run] Sahar 1 channels, prohibited by the
French authorities for inciting racial hatred, illustrates the need to
act in concert to combat racial and religious hatred both in Europe and
in other parts of the world," the press release added. The broadcasting
regulators called on the European Commission to take this issue into
account when proposing a modernization of the EU's Television without
Frontiers Directive later this year.
Welcoming the agreement, Commissioner Reding underlined the principles
governing the common EU approach, saying: "The right to freedom of speech
and freedom to information, enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental
Rights, and now also entrenched in the EU Constitution, is a cornerstone
of a democratic and pluralist society, especially in the audiovisual
field. However, the respect of human dignity is a European value of equal
importance. We therefore cannot tolerate racist audiovisual content in
Europe."
Pooling information
To ensure that EU rules are applied effectively, regulators from the 25
EU member states, the candidate countries and the countries of the
European Economic Area agreed to exchange information, via national
contact points on which channels are authorized in their respective
jurisdictions.
This could lead, in the medium term, to linking up their channel
authorization databases or even setting up a central database, as well as
a restricted internet forum in which to discuss problematic cases.
Incitement to hatred on grounds of race, sex, religion or nationality is
prohibited by EU law, notably Article 22a of the Television without
Frontiers Directive of 1989.
In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, it is up to EU member
states to ensure that this rule is respected. Member states and the
competent regulatory authorities are responsible for channels under their
jurisdiction, which includes TV channels from third countries if they use
either a frequency, satellite capacity or an uplink which is under the
control of that member state.
Most of the third-country programmes use satellite capacities provided
either by Eutelsat or Astra, located in France and Luxembourg
respectively. This means that those two countries have jurisdiction over
a large number of third-country programmes received in Europe.
Close cooperation among national regulatory authorities and the
Commission is essential to ensure that the directive is implemented
correctly to combat hate broadcasts, the EU press release concluded. "The
Commission has always attached great importance to the work of national
broadcasting authorities and I am sure that we can find effective ways of
further deepening our cooperation", added Commissioner Reding.
Advances in technology, meanwhile, mean that modernizing the Television
without Frontiers Directive has become a high priority. The fact that
similar audiovisual content inciting hatred is freely available via the
internet means that rules which currently apply only to broadcasters
cannot really be effective.
Source: BBC Monitoring research 17 Mar 05 (via DXLD 5-049)
............................................
Diverse
Pitch Imperfect
March 31, 2005
Sanford Unger on the VOA's Status
An excerpt from an excellent and informative article titled "Pitch
Imperfect" in Foreign Affairs quarterly by former VOA Director Sanford
Unger (also earlier, of NPR's All Things Considered) on the increasingly
dire status of the VOA [JF]:
"The Voice of America -- the United States' best tool of public diplomacy
-- is being subjected to systematic cutbacks, even as the country's
international image is suffering. Washington must reverse the trend or
face even greater hostility abroad...."
"...Unfortunately, the VOA is unlikely to get much support from anyone
else in Washington. For all the admiration it enjoys overseas, the
network has virtually no constituency inside the United States. The
prohibition on its broadcasting at home has guaranteed that few, if any,
members of Congress have ever heard a VOA program --- even though they
are now available at http://www.voanews.com Most are unaware that VOA
headquarters, complete with giant rooftop satellite dishes, sit a few
blocks away from the principal office building of the House of
Representatives. Votes on appropriations for the network are rarely
noticed, let alone tracked, and they never affect a member of Congress'
prospects for reelection. A few influential members of both houses have,
in fact, made a particular effort to cut funding for the VOA, which they
insist is an expensive relic of the Cold War.
"Oblivious to irony, some prefer to bolster Radio Liberty (RL), Radio
Free Europe (RFE), and Radio Free Asia (RFA), stations created to report
domestic news in countries where, because of communism, no independent
national broadcasters could. The distinction between these networks and
the VOA may seem subtle to the casual observer, but it is real: whereas
the VOA was intended as an international news source, RL and RFE were
established by the CIA during the Cold War to counter communist
propaganda in the Soviet Union and its satellite states, respectively,
and RFA, the brainchild of Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.), was launched in
1996 to do the same in Asia. (None of these networks receives funding
from the intelligence budget today, and none is officially part of the
U.S. government, allowing them greater flexibility than the VOA has in
hiring and firing staff.) Capitol Hill has even greater affection for the
anti-Fidel Castro stations Radio Martí and TV Martí, even though Radio
Martí is believed to have fewer listeners in Cuba than the Spanish
service of the VOA and TV Martí has almost no audience, except at the
American Interests Section in Havana and on a few Latin American cable
channels. The Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which coordinates programming
for the two stations, is the rare recipient of "no-year money," federal
funds it can hold over
indefinitely, and it usually gets more such funding than it can spend.
(The Bush administration's budget for fiscal year 2006 includes a request
for $10 million to acquire and operate an airborne transmitter that could
supposedly evade Cuban jamming of TV Martí's signal.)
"Some might argue that as a government-funded network, the VOA should be
expected always to portray U.S. policies as righteous and successful;
they might even claim that, in the right hands, such propaganda could
help defuse anti-Americanism abroad. But experience demonstrates that the
VOA is most appreciated and effective when it functions as a model
U.S.-style news organization that presents a balanced view of domestic
and international events, setting an example for how independent
journalism can strengthen democracy. After all, these are the values that
the network's charter sought to enshrine, and they are no less important
today than before. Many still believe that the VOA delivered its finest
performances in the midst of severe crises such as the Watergate scandal
and the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, when it
gave full and balanced accounts of the news.
"The network still has a critical role to play in introducing American
values to the rest of the world. It is no coincidence that in recent
years some of the VOA's largest audiences have been in Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Tanzania -- countries where the local media
simply cannot be trusted to offer an accurate representation of what is
happening domestically or around the world. It also is telling that, like
the Soviets a few decades ago, the governments of Iran and North Korea
now spend considerable effort trying to jam VOA broadcasts. Ironically,
by taking English off some of the clearest shortwave frequencies, the BBG
has rendered a certain amount of jamming unnecessary.
"Some members of Congress have suggested that the VOA's job might best be
left to the free market and cable services such as Fox and CNN, which
have extensive networks of correspondents. But it is impossible to
imagine these commercial operations mounting the effort and shouldering
the expense necessary to provide, for both the radio and the Internet,
in-depth international news in Burmese, Hausa, Macedonian, Swahili, or
others of the 44 languages in which the VOA currently broadcasts. With an
annual budget of approximately $150 million, almost 100 million listeners
worldwide every week, and increasing penetration in difficult regions
thanks to both fm signals and shortwave frequencies, the VOA is still an
astonishing bargain for the U.S. taxpayer. When the U.S. government hopes
to open up channels of information in countries facing political or
social crises, such as Indonesia or Zimbabwe, it first turns to the VOA
to add broadcast hours. If those programs succeed in breaking through
domestic barriers to the free flow of information, it is because they
carry the VOA label and greater credibility than political speeches or
flat declarations of U.S. policy..."
(via J.Figliozzi-NY-USA Mar 31, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
............................................
Diverse
Propaganda War Gets a New General
March 15, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.ipsnews.net/new_nota.asp?idnews=27874
By William Fisher
Inter Press News Agency
NEW YORK, Mar 15 (IPS) - The nomination of one of President George W.
Bush's closest advisors to lead U.S. public diplomacy efforts has been
met with both hope and scepticism by some leaders in the U.S. foreign
policy community.
"You need someone who knows something serious about the Middle East
publics and is willing to engage them on their terms," Juan Cole, a
history professor at the University of Michigan and an authority on the
Middle East, told IPS.
"Ms. Hughes could be effective, but she needs to get good advice from
non-toady Arabs and others. There is also the question of how much you
can dress up the U.S. support for Israeli occupation and annexation of
Muslim lands or the U.S. heavy-handedness in Iraq. PR without policy
changes is most often not very effective."
A close personal friend of the president who is credited with helping
craft and deliver the messages that won him a second term, Hughes has
been tapped for the post of undersecretary of state for public diplomacy
and public affairs. She will also lead the president's campaign to
promote democracy in the Middle East.
Adam Clayton Powell III, a senior fellow at the University of Southern
California Centre on Public Diplomacy, believes that, "Regardless of the
merits of U.S. policies or the lack thereof, there is almost universal
agreement that the U.S. has been woefully lacking in effectively stating
its case."
"There are only a half dozen or so U.S. spokesmen who have a sufficient
grasp of the Arabic language to appear on radio or television in that
part of the world," he said in an interview. "That means the U.S. is not
even part of the dialogue there. Anything Karen Hughes does to improve
that can only advance U.S. national interests."
Hughes left the White House in 2002 to move her family back to Texas. She
is a former television reporter with little experience in foreign
affairs.
Hughes will need to be confirmed by the U.S Senate. Her new boss,
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said during her own confirmation
hearings that she regarded public diplomacy as a top priority.
At a subsequent hearing, Rice requested 120 million dollars for the
Middle East Partnership Initiative, 40 million dollars for the National
Endowment for Democracy to support the Broader Middle East and North
Africa Initiative, 180 million for Muslim outreach through educational
and cultural exchanges, and funding increases for a wide range of other
public diplomacy and broadcasting initiatives geared toward Muslim
publics, particularly young people.
Still, the effectiveness of U.S. public diplomacy efforts, especially in
the Middle East, has been seriously questioned by a number of
commissions, foundations and individual experts.
Late last year, a bipartisan commission appointed by Pres. Bush concluded
that the U.S. campaign to communicate its ideas and ideals, particularly
to Muslim audiences, was "uncoordinated and underfunded, and risk(ed)
sending contradictory messages about U.S. intentions."
The United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy criticised the
administration and Congress for not adequately funding the communications
aspects of the war on terrorism. It said that one successful initiative
-- exchange programmes between U.S. and foreign students -- has been
burdened by ''redundant" security measures and ''excessive" visa fees.
Another group, headed by Edward P. Djerejian, a former ambassador to
Syria and now director of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public
Policy at Rice University in Houston, reported, "Hostility toward America
has reached shocking levels. What is required is not merely tactical
adaptation but strategic and radical transformation."
The Brookings Institution, a highly respected Washington-based
think-tank, also found U.S. communications efforts "not only
under-resourced, but also lacking an effective strategic direction,
particularly towards the Islamic world."
The Commission established to investigate the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks also found the U.S. unaware of the need to conduct a "war of
ideas" alongside the "war on terror".
The Commission said that, beyond defeating al-Qaeda, the U.S. "must
defeat a radical strain of Islamist ideology that celebrates death and
destruction." The chairman of the Commission, former New Jersey Governor
Thomas Kean, testified to Congress that U.S. public diplomacy required a
complete overhaul.
Kean noted that popular opinion of the United States has fallen sharply
in the Muslim world, even in nations with governments that maintain close
relations with Washington.
But the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee, Ohio Representative Dennis
Kucinich, said that no amount of U.S. public diplomacy can succeed if
U.S. actions around the world are unpopular.
"Our public diplomacy fails because it is derived from a failed foreign
policy," he said. "Recent polls show that Arab respondents do understand
and do respect American values. But they do not see American policy
reflecting those values."
"They saw the horrible pictures of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. They read
about the treatment of detained prisoners at Guantanamo Bay (Cuba). So
why are we surprised that there are harsh feeling towards the United
States?"
U.S. public diplomacy currently has a number of components. Broadcasting
activities include Radio Marti and TV Marti to Cuba, radio broadcasts to
the Middle East via Radio Sawa, television broadcasts to the Middle East
through its Arabic satellite channel, Al Hurra, and broadcasts to Iran in
Persian.
Student and cultural exchanges are also important parts of the effort,
though the numbers of foreign students attending U.S. universities has
declined sharply because of security concerns that have resulted in visa
delays and denials.
Prospective students from the Middle East and South Asia have said they
are also concerned about discrimination against Arabs and other Muslims.
Al Hurra, the State the Department's Arabic-language TV voice in the
Middle East, has attracted a relatively small audience compared to the
more popular satellite channels, Al Jazeera and Al Arabia. Radio Sawa is
widely listened to by young people in the Middle East, reportedly because
of its pop music content.
Joshua S. Fouts, executive director of the University of Southern
California (USC) Centre on Public Diplomacy, believes that "U.S. foreign
policy will be contentious no matter how sympathetic one may be with the
administration in office."
"The problems as I see it are twofold," he told IPS. First, "the U.S.
government, with the dissolution of the U.S. Information Agency in 1999,
dismantled a highly complex infrastructure for explaining and translating
U.S. policies, culture, and people, if you will, to the world."
"Problem two: U.S. public diplomacy has been woefully underfunded for
years now," he said. "Nature abhors a vacuum. As a result, we have a
highly decentralised approach to public diplomacy."
He added that the private sector, from corporations to NGOs, has also
assumed a wider role in portraying their home country to a global
audience.
"The real challenge facing the undersecretary for public diplomacy will
be convening all these disparate groups," Fouts concluded. "I'm delighted
that the president has selected Karen Hughes for one reason alone: It
means the Bush administration takes public diplomacy seriously and has
chosen a strong and competent person to address it."
(Inter Press News Agency Mar 15 via RadioIntel.com)
............................................
Diverse
U.S. Money to Promote Democracy Realigned to Mideast
March 18, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45341-2005Mar17.html
By Peter Baker
The Washington Post
Page A01
WASHINGTON -- In the weeks after a popular uprising toppled a corrupt
government in Ukraine, President Bush hailed the so-called Orange
Revolution as proof that democracy was on the march and promised $60
million to help secure it in Kiev. But Republican congressional allies
balked and slashed it this week to $33.7 million.
The shrinking financial commitment to Ukrainian democracy highlights a
broader gap between rhetoric and resources among budget writers in the
Bush administration and on Capitol Hill as the president vows to devote
his second term to "ending tyranny in our world," according to budget
documents, congressional critics and democracy advocates.
The administration has pumped substantial new funds into promoting
democracy in Muslim countries, but virtually nowhere else in the world.
The administration has cut budgets for groups struggling to build civil
society and democratic institutions in Russia, Eastern Europe and Asia,
even as Moscow has pulled back from democracy and governments in China,
Myanmar, Uzbekistan and elsewhere remain among the most repressive in the
world.
Funding for the National Endowment for Democracy has remained flat for
the last two years except for the Middle East, while separate
democracy-building programs have been slashed by 38 percent in Eastern
Europe and 46 percent in the former Soviet Union during Bush's
presidency. The venerable beacons of U.S.-style democracy, Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, are receiving no sizable
increases.
Lorne Craner, who until recently was assistant secretary of state for
democracy, human rights and labor, said the shifting priorities were a
logical byproduct of the post-Sept. 11 world in which fostering democracy
in Muslim communities came to be seen as a means to combat terrorism.
"People in other regions for two or three years after 9/11 said, 'You're
not giving us as much attention as we deserve,' and I think that was a
fair critique, and the reason was we were creating a whole new policy for
the Middle East," Craner said. "A lot of people's time was taken up by
the Middle East that, but for 9/11, would have gone to other areas. Is
that a bad thing? I don't think so. Certainly, I would say we needed to
pay more attention to the Middle East."
The focus on Iraq, he added, will be critical to setting a role model for
other regions as well. "If Iraq doesn't work," he said, "a lot of people
are going to say, 'Is that what you mean by democracy?' "
But others took issue with the selective aid. "The president is not
putting his money where his mouth is," said Tom Malinowski, Washington
director of Human Rights Watch. While giving Bush credit for investing in
democracy in the Middle East, he added, "There are just big
country-by-country, region-by-region differences when it comes to the
administration's commitment to democracy promotion."
"There are a number of countries that aren't getting much democracy aid,"
said Thomas Carothers, director of the democracy and rule of law project
at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Carothers pointed to
mass arrests of protesters seeking restoration of democracy in Nepal this
week. "There are places like that where we're losing because they're on
the edge of the world, and people aren't paying attention."
Among groups that will lose out is the Asia Foundation, which works to
reform legal codes, foster civil society and promote women's rights in
places such as Indonesia, where it is credited with helping the
transition from decades of dictatorship. The Bush budget for the 2006
fiscal year cuts the foundation's grant from $13 million to $10 million.
"Any cut at that level would be very difficult for our program," said
foundation vice president Nancy Yuan.
Also facing cuts is the Eurasia Foundation, which has been told that the
final installment of a $25 million grant to set up a
U.S.-European-Russian democracy program in Russia may be delayed despite
President Vladimir Putin's moves to clamp down on political opposition.
"We can't give up," said Charles William Maynes, president of the Eurasia
Foundation. "It would be disastrous if we do."
The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic
Institute for International Affairs (NDI), the main U.S. agencies that
teach political activists how to conduct fair elections, devote about 50
percent of their budgets to Iraq and the Middle East, according Craner,
who is now IRI president.
Measuring exactly how much Washington spends on democracy promotion is
difficult because the money is scattered among programs and much of it is
embedded in grants by the U.S. Agency for International Development. But
recent trends have been clear. USAID spending on democracy and governance
programs alone shot up from $671 million in 2002 to $1.2 billion in 2004,
but almost all of that increase was devoted to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Without those two countries, the USAID democracy spending in 2004 was
$685 million, virtually unchanged from two years earlier.
Bush broadened his focus beyond the Middle East in his second inaugural
address when he issued a manifesto to promote democracy throughout the
globe, declaring it U.S. policy "to seek and support the growth of
democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture."
The budget he submitted to Congress just two weeks later, however,
included no massive new investment in such institutions beyond the Muslim
world.
The National Endowment for Democracy, which funds IRI, NDI and others,
received $80 million, twice its budget of two years ago, but the entire
$40 million increase was devoted to Bush's Middle East democracy
initiative, leaving everything else flat. Voice of America received an
extra $10 million, but it was devoted to expanding programs in Persian,
Dari, Urdu and Pashtu aimed at non-Arabic Muslim listeners. The only
other broadcasts granted major funding increases were those aimed at
Cuba, which went from $27 million to $37.9 million.
At the same time, funding for the Support for East European Democracy Act
was sliced by another $14 million to $382 million. The largest part of
this program is aimed at Serbia, still transitioning from the iron-fisted
rule of Slobodan Milosevic. And funding for the Freedom Support Act
focusing on Russia and 11 other former Soviet republics was slashed by
$78 million to $482 million, down from $894 million in 2002.
"The U.S. government is not well organized right now to realize the
administration's rhetoric on democracy," said Jennifer Windsor, executive
director of Freedom House, an organization that promotes democracy
abroad.
The cuts to the Freedom Support Act have drawn criticism from Senate
Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard G. Lugar, R-Ind.; his panel
this month adopted a statement urging the administration "to consider the
harm its proposed cuts in funding assistance could have on U.S. interests
in stability, democracy and market reform" in the region.
The funding reductions come at a time when such programs have enjoyed
successes in Georgia and Ukraine where U.S.-trained activists helped push
out unpopular governments. To help consolidate the gains, Bush attached
$60 million for Ukraine to his supplemental appropriation bill funding
the war in Iraq, with money earmarked to promote judicial independence,
youth participation in politics, legal protections for press freedom and
preparations for parliamentary elections.
But even as Bush plans to host new Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko,
the House cut the funding request nearly in half.
Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., chairman of the Appropriations foreign
operations subcommittee, said he focused on programs that will help
Yushchenko in the short term and promised to revisit Ukraine in upcoming
2006 fiscal year budget deliberations.
"There's finite resources," Kolbe said. "There's never enough to do what
you want to do, but I think we're making a good effort."
(The Washington Post Mar 18 via Grace-USA)
............................................
Diverse
USA/China: VOA Launches TV Program to Tibet
March 18, 2005
Text of press release by Voice of America on 18 March
Washington, DC, 18 March: At 9 a.m. [1400 gmt] on Wednesday, 23 March,
the Voice of America (VOA) will debut "Talk to VOA", the first regular TV
program offered to Tibetans apart from those produced by broadcasters
within the People's Republic of China. The new, live Tibetan-language
television program will be broadcast every Wednesday. Media interested in
observing the inaugural broadcast should contact the Office of Public
Affairs at 202-401-7000 or email publicaffairs @ voa.gov.
Date: Wednesday, 23 March 2005 Time: 9 a.m.-10 a.m. Place: Voice of
America, Wilbur J. Cohen Building, 330 Independence Ave., SW C Street
entrance (near the Federal Center Southwest & L'Enfant Plaza Metro Stops)
"Talk to VOA" features a newscast, world news reports, and a call-in
segment where viewers can discuss major topics of the day. The one-hour
Tibetan-language programme will be broadcast on television via satellite,
shortwave radio, and the internet in real time. The Asiasat 2 network
will carry the television portion of the program.
Source: Voice of America press release, Washington, in English 18 Mar 05
(via BBCM via DXLD 5-050)
............................................
Diverse
Voice of America to Launch TV Program in Tibetan
March 21, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.savetibet.org/news/tibetnews/newsitem.php?id=392
The Washington, D.C. based Voice of America has announced that it is
launching the first-ever TV program in Tibetan (outside of Tibet) from
March 23, 2005. Called Talk to VOA, this will be a weekly live TV program
broadcast every Wednesday from 9:00 am to 10:00 am (Eastern Standard
Time) i.e. from 10:00 pm to 11:00 pm in Tibet and from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm
in India. Viewers and listeners in Tibet and China can call toll free on
10810 (wait for a voice message and then dial) 866 837 5159. Those in the
Indian subcontinent can call collect at (202) 619 3774 to participate in
the program.
According to the announcement, "Talk to VOA features a newscast, world
news reports, and a call-in segment where viewers can discuss major
topics of the day. The one-hour Tibetan-language program will be
broadcast on television via satellite, shortwave radio, and the Internet
in real time." This program will be broadcast on Channel 370 on Asiasat 2
network.
(International Campaign for Tibet via kimandrewelliott.com Mar 21, 2005
via DXLD 5-050)
............................................
El Salvador
¿El último capítulo en la historia de Radio Venceremos?
March 30, 2005
Recientemente encontré, en el rincón de la librería de mi universidad, un
interesante libro publicado en 1999, por la fundación Heinrich Böll [una
fundación literaria de Alemania -CRW] y escrito por el periodista
austriaco Ralf Leonhard llamado "Ondas rebeldes, ondas conformes", donde
resume la historia de la Radio Venceremos y de Radio Farabundo Martí,
aunque principalmente sobre la primera, desde la perspectiva de sus
luchas por sobrevivir en un medio tan saturado como lo es la radio
salvadoreña, después de haber sido legalizadas por los acuerdos de paz de
1992. El libro cuya edición fue de únicamente 500 ejemplares es bastante
objetivo, a pesar de haber sido escrito desde la perspectiva de las
decepcionadas fuentes de financiamiento externo que las radios tenían,
pues esta misma fundación, ligada al partido verde alemán, fue una de
ellas.
La "legendaria" Radio Venceremos, que durante los años de guerra civil en
El Salvador se convirtió en todo un mito y cuya influencia, no solo
ideológica sino también psicológica, fue reconocida incluso por sus
enemigos, parece haber llegado totalmente a su fin. Los cambios de nombre
apenas dejan entrever los cambios en el formato e ideología de la
estación, de Radio Venceremos paso a ser RV estéreo, RV Mix, en un
intento fallido de ser la única emisora bilingüe inglés-español en el
país, luego 100.5 a secas qué es hasta donde el libro reporta.
Finalmente, ahora se denomina "Viva 100 cinco", con una programación
prácticamente de solo música "adulto contemporáneo".
Por cierto que un programa del extinto Media Network de Radio Netherlands
se mencionó que inclusive se pensó alguna vez en utilizar el nombre de
Corazón Estéreo, pero por alguna razón no se hizo. Y no fue posible
simplemente porque el nombre ya estaba en uso por otra emisora de FM.
Independientemente de la ideología del espectador, la historia de Radio
Venceremos es muy apasionante y llena de intrigas, que a pesar de los
libros escritos hasta el momento todavía hace falta documentar y escribir
la historia completa del período de postguerra, si bien el libro que
refiero es un buen documento, talvez sea más apropiado escribir una
novela.
Saludos desde San Salvador, El Salvador.
(H.Molina-SLV Mar 30, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)
............................................
Israel
Al-Manar Flays EU Broadcast Ban
March 19, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5F653233-D87C-4BCC-9B15-85EE39901E
55.htm
AlJazeera.net
Hizb Allah run al-Manar television has condemned a decision taken at a
meeting of European Union national regulators to ban its broadcasts in
Europe.
It said the move, approved in Brussels Thursday, "represents a flagrant
aggression against the freedom of the press and contradicts the simplest
principles of the human rights charter and the principles that Europe
claims to promote".
"The decision taken by EU censorship officials to ban al-Manar TV channel
from broadcasting via European satellites is not based on a legal
warrant, and violates the simplest legal principles," the management of
the channel said in a statement on Friday.
Regulators from the 25-member European Union agreed on Thursday to
coordinate efforts against broadcasts deemed to incite racial hatred in
Europe.
Al-Manar's statement charged that the move was part of "a massive Israeli
campaign" and was aimed at "besieging the channel worldwide."
(AlJazeera.net Mar 19 via Grace-USA)
............................................
Israel
Al-Manar TV to Go Off Dutch Platform
March 17, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/504FEF70-AB80-4B8A-86E9-A689EC67A8
4E.htm
AlJazeera.net
Hizb Allah's Al-Manar television channel will no longer be available on
European satellites from Monday, media regulators said.
The announcement came at a meeting of European Union broadcasting
regulators in Brussels on Thursday, where national watchdogs from the
25-nation bloc agreed to step up action against TV broadcasts which
incite hatred or promote racism and xenophobia.
Last year, a French court banned Al-Manar from a satellite owned by
France's Eutelsat because its broadcasts were deemed anti-Semitic and a
potential threat to public order.
Dutch regulators discovered that a satellite owned by New Skies
Satellites was carrying Al-Manar and has ordered the company to stop
doing so, because the channel did not have the required Dutch licence.
Outside jurisdiction
"We saw that Al-Manar was being transmitted by New Sky Satellite (NSS).
We assessed that Al-Manar does not have a Dutch licence ... and NSS will
now take Al-Manar from its satellite," Jan van Cuilenburg, head of the
Dutch Media Authority, told Reuters.
"As of Monday Al-Manar will no longer be available on any European
satellites."
However, it will remain on Middle Eastern satellites outside the
jurisdiction of European regulators, Van Cuilenburg said.
Al-Manar, which is run by Lebanon's Hizb Allah resistance group, is one
of several Arabic-language stations popular among Europe's millions of
Muslims.
A 23 November programme quoted a purported expert on Zionist affairs
warning of "Zionist attempts" to transmit diseases like Aids to Arab
countries.
Lebanon's parliament has criticised the French ban on Al-Manar, saying
the ruling showed the reach of "Zionist pressure" on France.
(AlJazeera.net Mar 17 via Grace-USA)
............................................
Korea, North
How Electronics Are Penetrating North Korea's Isolation
March 15, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/15/international/asia/15north.html
Chinese cellphones and South Korean soap operas are contributing to the
collapse of social, political and economic controls in North Korea
By James Brooke
New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea - Halfway through a video from North Korea, the camera
pans to a propaganda portrait of Kim Jong-il, North Korea's leader,
magnificent in his general's dress uniform with gold epaulets. Scribbled
in black ink across his smooth face is a demand for "freedom and
democracy."
If genuine, the graffiti speaks of political opponents willing to risk
execution to get their message out. If staged, the video means that a
North Korean hustler was willing to deface a picture of the "Dear Leader"
to earn a quick profit by selling it to a South Korean human rights
group.
Either way, the 35-minute video is the latest evidence that new ways of
thinking are stealing into North Korea, perhaps corroding the steely
controls on ideology and information that have kept the Kim family in
power for almost 60 years.
The construction of cellular relay stations last fall along the Chinese
side of the border has allowed some North Koreans in border towns to use
prepaid Chinese cellphones to call relatives and reporters in South
Korea, defectors from North Korea say. And after DVD players swept
northern China two years ago, entrepreneurs collected castoff
videocassette recorders and peddled them in North Korea. Now, tapes of
South Korean soap operas are so popular that state television in
Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, is campaigning against South Korean
hairstyles, clothing and slang, visitors and defectors have said.
"In the 1960s, in the Soviet Union, it was cool to wear blue jeans and
listen to rock and roll," said Andrei Lankov, a Russian exchange student
in the North at Kim Il-sung University in 1985, who now teaches about
North Korea at Kookmin University here in the South.
"Today, it is cool for North Koreans to look and behave South Korean, as
they do in the television serials. That does not bode well for the
long-term survival of the regime," he said.
Interest in the political hold of the Kim family has spiked since the
North's claim that it has nuclear weapons and will continue to boycott
disarmament talks. Analysts of the North usually focus on the governing
elite, and some cracks have appeared there in the past year: the demotion
of Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law, the defection of a few high-ranking
military officers, the huge explosion that destroyed a rail station a few
hours after Kim's train had passed through, and what appears to be the
start of a succession battle among his three sons.
Analysts are debating the importance of Kim's visits to military bases,
which accounted for almost two-thirds of his 92 publicly divulged
appearances last year, compared with one-third in 2003. With North Korea
closed to US journalists, it is hard to decipher whether Kim is shoring
up his power base in the army out of fear of a foreign attack or of an
internal coup.
Past predictions that Kim's power was ebbing have not been borne out.
"We have very meager intelligence resources, and we're sort of flying
blind," Howard Baker said on Feb. 16 in Tokyo in his final news briefing
as US ambassador to Japan. "My country has no alternative but to assume
that Kim Jong-il will continue in power. There won't be any significant
change in the governance of that country."
Reviewing North Korea's political elite, "we see no big change," said
Noriyuki Suzuki, director of Radio Press, a Japanese government
monitoring service that focuses on the North Korean media.
"But the bigger worry for him should be not in the core part of his power
structure, but any move of distrust or dissatisfaction with the regime
among the general public," Suzuki said, referring to Kim. He cited a
recent joint editorial published in North Korea's three most important
newspapers "strongly warning against the flow of information from outside
the country, warning against the inflow of capitalist elements through
travel outside."
In the recording studio of a radio station here, Seong Min-kim, a former
North Korean army captain who is now the director for the South Korean
radio station Free NK, explained how Chinese cellphones in North Korea
have enabled him to nurture sources there.
"He just dials 0082 to get the Korean-speaking Chinese operator, then
makes a collect call to here," Kim said of one source. The prepaid
cellphones are usually paid for by journalists in South Korea, he said,
and the North Koreans go along largely out of curiosity or to try to make
business deals. He added: "They are getting more and more tech savvy. Now
they are asking for cellphones with cameras attached."
At a human rights conference here on Feb. 15, defectors estimated in
interviews that about one-third of the defectors in South Korea regularly
talk to family members back in North Korea, calling owners of prepaid
Chinese cellphones at a prearranged time.
To counter this, North Korea has reportedly started border patrols using
Japanese equipment that can track cellphone calls. Reporters tell stories
of their contacts who only make calls from their private garden plots in
the hills, burying the cell phone in the ground after each call.
While Chinese cellphones only work a few miles inside North Korea, the
videocassette phenomenon has reportedly spread throughout the nation,
reaching into every area where there is electricity.
"They are within the reach of the average family," said Lankov, who
regularly interviews recent defectors. "They watch, almost exclusively,
smuggled and copied South Korean movies and drama. Only a few weeks after
airing here, they will go throughout North Korea."
More than showing middle-class family lifestyles, which can be staged in
a studio, the soap operas also provide images of a modern Seoul -- the
forest of high-rise buildings, the huge traffic jams, the late-model
cars.
With such images showing a stark contrast with primitive conditions in
North Korea, Kim ordered the formation of a special prosecutor's office
last November to arrest people who deal in South Korean goods, largely
videotapes, or who use South Korean expressions or slang, analysts in
South Korea say.
To crack down on home viewing of imported videotapes, the North Korean
police developed the strategy of encircling a neighborhood in the
evening, cutting off electricity, then inspecting players to find
videotapes stuck inside, according to Young Howard, international
coordinator of the Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights, a
Seoul-based group. Recent defectors have also told Howard that police
cars with loudspeakers have patrolled neighborhoods, warning residents to
maintain their "socialist lifestyle" and to shun South Korean speech and
clothing and hair styles, he said.
Aggressive moves by the US have added to the information leaking into
North Korea. Last fall, Congress unanimously approved the North Korea
Human Rights Act, which provides for increased Korean-language radio
broadcasting to North Korea and for helping North Korean refugees in
China.
The law has been a favorite target of harsh denunciations from North
Korea. In January, the official radio network blamed the US for societal
decay, accusing Washington of increasing the broadcasting hours of Radio
Free Asia toward North Korea and "massively infiltrating" into North
Korea "portable transistor radios and impure publications and video
materials."
Inside North Korea, social, political and economic controls have been
eroded by two other changes over the past decade: private markets and a
breakdown in travel restrictions, Lankov said.
"You have private money lenders, you have inns, you have brothels, you
have canteens," he said, adding that most North Koreans survive through a
combination of foreign aid and a fledgling private economy.
Draconian controls on internal travel and on travel to China have been
breaking down, he said, and hundreds of thousands of North Koreans have
traveled to and from Korean-speaking areas of China, exposing them to a
thriving market economy and more South Korean television broadcasts.
(NYT Mar 15 via Grace-USA)
............................................
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan TV Occupied by Protesters, President Said to Flee to Russia
March 24, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050324/ap_on_re_eu/kyrgyzst
an_protests
By Steve Gutterman, Associated Press
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - Protesters stormed the presidential compound in
Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, seizing control of the seat of state power after
clashing with riot police during a large opposition rally. President
Askar Akayev reportedly flew to Russia.
One key opposition figure, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, was at the scene, and state
TV appeared to be in opposition hands — underscoring the impression that
the hitherto fragmented opposition was consolidating control. Another
leading opposition figure was said to have been freed from prison.
Thick plumes of black smoke rose from two burning cars, apparently
belonging to government officials, near the government headquarters
several hours after the takeover. It was unclear how the cars were set
ablaze.
The tumultuous scene was the culmination of the first major rally in the
capital since opposition supporters seized control of key cities and
towns in the south this week to press demands that Akayev step down amid
widespread allegations of fraud during parliamentary elections in the
former Soviet republic.
An ex-lawmaker said Kyrgyzstan's former parliament will hold an emergency
session later Thursday.
Akayev's whereabouts were uncertain amid conflicting reports, but the
Russian news agency Interfax said he was flown to Russia by helicopter,
while his family was taken to neighboring Kazakhstan.
(AP Mar 24 via Grace-USA)
............................................
Middle East
Agency Issues Deceptive Press Release
March 14, 2005
Dateline: Washington, 03/14/05. The Broadcasting Board of Governors put
their own brand of spin on research they apparently commissioned
regarding audience figures in Syria. The press release makes fantastic
claims about the BBG's failed projects -- Alhurra and Radio Sawa. If the
claims are examined critically one can see the problems with the way the
statistics are presented.
For instance the press release claims that Alhurra has a weekly
viewership of 39 percent among all Syrian adults (15 and over) *residing
in satellite television households*. This looks impressive at first. But
in reality what it says is that of every 10 Syrians living in a household
with satellite television capability, only 4 have watched Alhurra at
least once a week. The press release further states that of the 39
percent that did watch Alhurra, 60 percent found it reliable. Breaking
that down, of the 4 out of 10 who bothered watching at least once a week,
only slightly more than half found Alhurra reliable. Those are not real
good numbers.
The press release went on to try to puff up Radio Sawa's numbers. It
claimed that 13 percent of all adults in Syria listened to Radio Sawa on
a weekly basis. This may include someone who happened to sample Radio
Sawa once in a week. According to the press release, of those 13 percent,
75 percent found the news on Radio Sawa reliable. That means more than a
quarter of those who bothered to listen at least once a week found the
station to be not reliable. And remember in both cases (Alhurra and Radio
Sawa) these are individuals who sought out the stations. That sample by
nature should be more inclined to find them reliable.
Of course in the past the BBG had a funny way of arriving at their claims
when it came to the reliability question. In a previous survey
respondents were asked if they found Radio Sawa "reliable" or "somewhat
reliable". The BBG added those two figures together to claim that a
majority of listeners found that Radio Sawa news was "reliable". But a
grade of "somewhat reliable" is a failing grade for any news
organization.
(AFGE Local 1812 via DXLD 5-050)
CRW Editor's Note: The above union press release fails to acknowledge the
context of BBG's challenge in attracting an audience in Syria, where
ownership of a satellite dish is punishable with imprisonment. The press
release also fails to disclose the nature of AFGE Local 1812's
relationship with the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). AFGE Local
1812 represents Voice of America employees and has long criticized BBG
for "managing to convince" Congress to establish Radio Sawa and Al-Hurra
as broadcast entities independent of VOA control. (Nick Grace-USA March
14)
............................................
Middle East
Syria Bans Correspondent from US-Funded Broadcasters
March 16, 2005
Text of report in English by Qatari Aljazeera.net web site on 16 March
Syria has banned the correspondent for US-funded Arabic-language
television Al-Hurra and Radio Sawa for lacking accreditation. Ammar
Musara reportedly had an accreditation, but it was withdrawn "because of
his coverage of an opposition sit-in in Damascus," a Syrian human rights
lawyer said.
"In Syria, we open the doors to the media, particular foreigners, to
allow them to transmit a real image of what is happening in the country,"
a Syrian Information Ministry official said on Tuesday [15 March].
"We have no hostility toward the Al-Hurra chain or Radio Sawa, but their
correspondent does not have the proper accreditation," he said. Human
rights lawyer Anwar Bunni said Musara's coverage of the opposition
demonstration on 10 March in front of the capital's Palace of Justice to
call for the scrapping of Syria's emergency law and of special courts
irked the authorities.
Al-Hurra was launched last year to improve the image of the United States
in the Middle East and to counter the influence of the two Arabic
satellite channels, Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya. Radio Sawa began
broadcasting in 2002. Both are funded by the US Congress.
Source: Aljazeera.net web site, Doha, in English 2359 gmt 16 Mar 05 (via
BBCM via DXLD 5-050)
............................................
Nepal
Nepali Journalists Use Cyberspace to Fight for Democracy
March 28, 2005
A group of journalists started the Radio Free Nepal Web site a week after
the king ousted the former cabinet and took power In Nepal, a group of
journalists is using the Internet to sidestep tight censorship imposed
after King Gyanendra took power and proclaimed an emergency last month.
Several outspoken Web pages have sprung up in the tiny Himalayan country
where civil liberties including freedom of expression have been
suspended.
Access the Web site of Radio Free Nepal and you can read an interview
with an arrested opposition leader, or news about pro-democracy protests
held in the country.
This is the kind of news no longer carried by Nepal's usually vibrant
mainstream media.
On February 1, King Gyanendra seized power, and imposed strict
censorship, banning criticism of his action, which he said was aimed at
ending a communist rebellion in the country.
A group of journalists started the Radio Free Nepal Web site a week after
the king ousted the former cabinet and took power. Around the same time,
the Web log "United We Blog" began carrying political stories. It has run
articles about an anti-monarchy student demonstration, on an editor being
questioned by authorities, and on communist rebels extorting money from
villagers.
These Web logs, or blogs as they are called, are rapidly becoming a
popular source of news and information in Nepal.
A Nepalese journalist, Yuvraj Ghimre, says it was logical for journalists
to tap new technology to get the news across.
"But this is only natural when there is some kind of restriction, people
want free flow of their views and they do find ways to express them," he
added. "It is just natural and [a] legitimate way of exercising the right
to expression."
Radio Free Nepal appeals to the world not to forget the tiny country. The
journalist running it says the desire for democracy and free expression
prompted him to start the site. But he stays anonymous, fearing action by
authorities.
He has good reason to be afraid. In recent weeks, the administration has
done much to intimidate the media. Editors have been summoned to police
stations, and several journalists have been arrested. Military officials
have been posted at media offices to review material before it is
published. Radio stations have been ordered to carry only entertainment
material.
Vincent Brossel with the media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders
in Paris says frustrated Nepalese journalists appear to have taken a cue
from other countries where the media face severe restrictions.
"We saw in all the country like Iran or China that Web loggers have been
very involved in this fight for more freedom of expression…. In Nepal
it is a new thing, but it will be a real opportunity for leading Nepali
journalists to prove they are committed to press freedom and they want to
express what they are seeing in their country," explained Mr. Brossel.
Mr. Brossel says, however, the impact of these Web sites within the
country might be limited because very few people have access to computers
or know English.
But he says they make a valuable contribution, and are being widely
quoted both inside and outside the country as a source of uncensored
information. Their articles have been picked up by scores of other
similar sites around the world. The hits at "United We Blog" rose to more
than 80,000 in March from 13,000 in January.
In recent weeks, authorities have promised to allow the news media more
freedom. But rights groups say that has not happened so far. After a
visit to Nepal in early March, the secretary general of the International
Commission of Jurists, Nicholas Howen, said the media faces wide
harassment. He described how authorities dealt with the editor of a
popular weekly publication, Surya Thapa of Budhabar, for printing an
article on five political parties uniting to fight the king.
"Because of this article … he is now under investigation for a criminal
offense, [an] intelligence agent is stationed permanently outside his
office, at least one edition has not been able to be printed, wide spaces
appear in other editions where there has been censorship of key parts of
what he wants to publish," he said.
Cyberspace has also come under scrutiny, and Nepal's government has
blocked several Web sites, including those of the communist rebels.
But so far the Web logs have escaped the attention of authorities.
Journalists running the blogs hope their luck will continue because the
government is relatively new to the Internet, and does not have the kind
of high-technology surveillance seen in other countries that restrict the
media.
(Your VOANews.com Headlines Mar 28, 2005 via H.Biener-D for CRW)
............................................
Somalia
Puntland - Authorities Threaten Ban on BBC FM Relay
March 19, 2005
Text of report by Somali Puntland-based Radio Midnimo on 19 March
Students, elders and other citizens have participated in a demonstration
organized by Bari regional administration and Information Ministry [of
the regional administration of Puntland] The demonstrators were addressed
at the local government's hall by Information Assistant Minister Bakiin,
Deputy Police Commander Abdi-aziz Sa'id Ga'amey, Bari Region chairman
Yusuf Muhammad Waceys, Boosaaso Mayor Rooble Umar Gudur and other
officials.
They criticized the Speaker of the federal transitional parliament of
Somalia, Sharif Hasan, and said he is someone who cannot take
responsibilities and that he was responsible for the problem that erupted
at the parliamentary session in Nairobi following the decision he made,
which they say was not just.
The leaders also told the demonstrators that BBC is not neutral and that
the BBC thrives on confrontation and hostilities among the Somalis clans.
The assistant information minister said they might impose a ban on the FM
station relaying BBC Somali service. He also added they will give
approval to other international media bodies like Al Jazeera TV,
Al-Arabiya and the rest, which he described as neutral.
Recent parliamentary session of Puntland also criticized the BBC Somali
Service. Source: Radio Midnimo, Boosaaso, in Somali 1030 gmt 19 Mar 05
(via BBCM via DXLD 5-049)
............................................
Uganda
Radio Rhino International to Resume Broadcasts
March 31, 2005
I received this e-mail :
Radio Rhino International - Africa
Referencer: 1
Dear Finn Krone,
Thanks for your inquiry mail. I am sorry to inform you that due to
accumolated unpaid bills, RRIA temporarily suspended its trasnmissions
until April 4th.2005. We regret any inconviniences caused to you and all
our listeners.
Greetings from Cologne - Germany,
Godfrey Ayoo, ELUM-ANIAP
Director - RRIA
Chairman: VOICE OF THE VOICELESS INTERNATIONAL - Uganda eV
C/o Allerweltshaus
Koernerstr. 77-79
50823 Koeln - Germany
Tel: 00 49 221 3561754 ,
Fax: 00 49 221 3561755
Mob: 00 49 162 8854486
nc-elumango@netcologne.de
mail@radiorhino.org
radiorhino01@intertech.de
www.radiorhino.org
(F.Krone-DNK Mar 22, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)
Radio Rhino International: A note on this website says, "With effects
from April 7th. RRI resumes its transmission and broadcasts. However, to
avoid similar disruption as experienced twice already, your donation is
highly appreciated as we enter the third phase for the total liberation
of Uganda."
(H.Johnson-FL-USA Mar 31, 2005 in CDX-ML)
............................................
Zimbabwe
A Rising China Counters US Clout in Africa
March 30, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0330/p01s01-woaf.html
Trade drives political role ahead of Zimbabwe's election.
By Abraham McLaughlin
The Christian Science Monitor
HARARE, ZIMBABWE – The Chinese economic juggernaut and its thirst for
minerals and markets has increasingly brought it to Africa, including
here to Zimbabwe. The fertile hills of this Southern African nation are
rich with gold and the world's second-largest platinum reserves. In
Sudan, Angola, and along the Gulf of Guinea, the Asian giant is guzzling
the continent's vast oil supply.
But lately the Chinese are digging on a different front, one that could
complicate the Bush administration's efforts to promote democracy here:
African politics.
Last year, China stymied US efforts to levy sanctions on Sudan, which
supplies nearly 5 percent of China's oil and where the US says genocide
has occurred in its Darfur region. And as Zimbabwe becomes more isolated
from the West, China has sent crates of T-shirts for ruling-party
supporters who will vote in Thursday's parliamentary elections.
In addition, China or its businesses have reportedly:
• provided a radio-jamming device for a military base outside the
capital, preventing independent stations from balancing state-controlled
media during the election campaign;
• begun to deliver 12 fighter jets and 100 trucks to Zimbabwe's Army amid
a Western arms embargo; and
• designed President Robert Mugabe's new 25-bedroom mansion, complete
with helipad. The cobalt-blue tiles for its swooping roof, which echoes
Beijing's Forbidden City, were a Chinese gift.
China is increasingly making its presence felt on the continent - from
building roads in Kenya and Rwanda to increasing trade with Uganda and
South Africa. But critics say its involvement in politics could help prop
up questionable regimes, like Mr. Mugabe's increasingly autocratic
25-year reign.
"Suffering under the effects of international isolation, Zimbabwe has
looked to new partners, including China, who won't attach conditions,
such as economic and political reform" to their support, says a Western
diplomat here. Of China's influence on this week's elections, he adds, "I
find it hard to believe the Chinese would push hard for free and fair
elections - it's not the standard they're known for."
Indeed, Mugabe often praises China and Asia as part of his new "Look
East" policy. He responded to tough questions from an interviewer on
Britain's Sky News last year about building his $9 million new home,
while millions of Zimbabweans live on the verge of starvation, by saying:
"You say it's lavish because it is attractive. It has Chinese roofing
material, which makes it very beautiful, but it was donated to us. The
Chinese are our good friends, you see."
China is becoming good friends to many African nations, as the US has
been. Between 2002 and 2003, China-Africa trade jumped 50 percent, to
$18.5 billion, Chinese officials say. It's expected to grow to $30
billion by 2006. US-Africa trade was $44.5 billion last year, according
to the Commerce Department. As the world's largest oil importer behind
the US, China has oil interests in Sudan, Chad, Nigeria, Angola, and
Gabon. The US is also hunting for oil in Africa, with about 10 percent of
imports coming from the continent.
Not all of China's activities in Africa are controversial. Under the
auspices of the UN, the China-Africa Business Council opened this month,
headquartered in China, to boost trade and development. It has
peacekeepers in Liberia and has contributed to construction projects in
Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zambia, though critics say it is using these
projects to garner goodwill that it can tap into during prickly issues
like Taiwan's independence or UN face-offs with the US.
Here in Zimbabwe, China also may be helping to support one of Africa's
more oppressive regimes. The radio-jamming equipment that has prevented
the independent Short Wave Radio Africa from broadcasting into the
country is Chinese, according to the US-funded International Broadcast
Bureau.
Reporters Without Borders, a group dedicated to freedom of the press,
based in Paris, had this to say about the jamming: "Thanks to support
from China, which exports its repressive expertise, Robert Mugabe's
government has yet again just proved itself to be one of the most active
predators of press freedom."
A Chinese diplomat here insists the equipment didn't come from China. And
he says the T-shirts, which reportedly arrived on Air Zimbabwe's new
direct flight from Beijing, were "purely a business transaction." But he
adds that China-Zimbabwe relations have recently "been cemented in the
field of politics and business."
In return for its support, China has received diplomatic backing on
Taiwan's independence, as it has from many African nations.
Ultimately, China's expansion into Zimbabwe and Africa is more narrow
than the 1800s colonization by European powers, when "Christianity,
civilization, and commerce" were the buzzwords. For China, it's all about
economics. "They've said: 'If you agree to privatize and sell to us your
railways, your electricity generation, etc. - we will come in with
capital," says John Robertson, an economist based in Harare.
With an economy that has shrunk as much as 40 percent in five years,
Zimbabwe's government uses these promises to put off critics. "The
government says, 'The Chinese are coming, and they'll bring in billions
of dollars in investment, and soon everything will be fully restored,' "
Mr. Robertson says.
(Christian Science Monitor Mar 30 via Grace-USA)
............................................
Zimbabwe
Media Monitor Condemns Radio Jamming
March 21, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200503211059.html
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
Zimbabwe's Media Monitoring Project (MMPZ) has described the alleged
jamming of a London-based anti-government radio station, as the "latest
deliberate assault on freedom of expression".
The reported jamming of 'Short Wave (SW) Radio Africa', run by a group of
exiled Zimbabweans, was confirmed by the BBC Monitoring Services, which
said the "interfering signals were present only for the period of the SW
Radio Africa programming" on 16 March.
Gerry Jackson, founder of the radio station, told IRIN that the
interfering signals were apparently emanating from the Thornhill area in
the central city of Gweru in Zimbabwe.
According to sources, the BBC followed up on complaints from the radio
station that its broadcasts were being jammed.
"Once the person who wants to obstruct the broadcast establishes the
frequency the radio is transmitting its signals on, he or she can
transmit interfering signals at a high power level on the same frequency,
making it incomprehensible to the listener," a radio expert explained.
To counter the interference in its broadcasts, SW Radio Africa said it
has changed its frequencies.
IRIN has been unable to obtain comment from the Zimbabwean government on
the allegation.
MMPZ's advocacy officer, Dumisani Gandhi, said the "sabotage against SW
Radio Africa's broadcasts, particularly in the run-up to the March 2005
general elections, is a cynical attempt to deny the public their right to
access information sources of their choice".
The alleged jamming of the radio station violated the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) election guidelines, he noted.
In a new reported released on Monday, the New York-based watchdog, Human
Rights Watch (HRW), also alleged the Zimbabwean government had not met
the benchmarks set by SADC principles and guidelines governing democratic
elections.
The rights body asked SADC members to call on the Zimbabwean government
to ensure that the 31 March parliamentary poll was held in an environment
free of intimidation, harassment and violence. It urged the SADC
Electoral Observer team to remain in Zimbabwe for a reasonable period
beyond the vote count, to monitor possible election-related human rights
violations.
"The results of the Zimbabwe elections cannot be based merely on
observation of the last week before the elections," said Tiseke
Kasambala, a researcher with the Africa Division of HRW. "If SADC members
fail to take into account abuses in the long run-up to the polls, SADC's
ability to foster democratic change in the region will be compromised."
The 35-page HRW report, 'Not a Level Playing Field: Zimbabwe's 2005
Parliamentary Elections', documented cases of alleged political
intimidation of opposition parties, their supporters and ordinary
citizens by the ruling ZANU-PF and its political allies.
The rights body claimed that five years of "intimidation and repression"
had left the playing field for the March election skewed in favour of the
ruling ZANU-PF. The Zimbabwean government has "greatly limited the space
for the opposition to campaign," said the report.
HRW also highlighted the government's use of controversial laws, such as
the Public Order and Security Act and the Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act, to allegedly repress the media and restrict
the activities of political parties.
IRIN was unable to reach the Zimbabwean government, ZANU-PF and the SADC
observer team for comment.
The HRW findings were based on research conducted in several regions of
Zimbabwe in December 2004 and February 2005.
The HRW survey follows an Amnesty International report, released last
week, also detailing evidence of alleged government intimidation,
including the arbitrary arrest of opposition candidates.
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations ]
(via A.Bigley-OH-USA Mar 21, 2005 in DXLD 5-050)
............................................
Zimbabwe
RSF Asks ITU to Investigate Zimbabwe Jamming
March 22, 2005
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) today said it was "outraged" by
Zimbabwe's jamming since 7 March of shortwave broadcasts by SW Radio
Africa, a privately-owned radio station based in London which employs
Zimbabwean journalists living in exile. In a letter to the Geneva-based
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the press freedom
organization asked this UN system body "to seriously examine this
situation, which constitutes a grave violation of Harare's undertakings
towards the United Nations."
The letter urged ITU secretary-general Yoshio Utsumi "to demand official
and credible explanations from Zimbabwe, which is a member state of the
ITU since 18 February 1981 and, as such, obliged to conform to the
provisions of its constitution, conventions and administrative
regulations."
Reporters Without Borders added : "Thanks to support from China, which
exports its repressive expertise, Robert Mugabe's government has yet
again just proved itself to be one of the most active predators of press
freedom. Although in the middle of an electoral campaign, Zimbabwe has
not only flouted the Southern African Development Community's democratic
principles, it is now also displaying open contempt for its undertakings
towards the ITU and the UN conventions it has signed."
The Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ), a Harare-based independent
watchdog, said the jamming of SW Radio Africa's broadcasts is being
carried out from Thornhill airbase - located outside the southwestern
town of Gweru, between Harare and Bulawayo - where the government has a
transmission station.
According to the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), a US federal
government entity, the equipment being used for the jamming comes from
China, which has close trade links with Zimbabwe, especially in the
telecommunications domain.
BBC Monitoring (a BBC offshoot that monitors news media throughout the
world) said it established on 16 March that SW Radio Africa's three daily
broadcasts were being "deliberately jammed." The 1600 GMT broadcast on
11.845 kHz was drowned by a 1 kHz signal. The 1700 and 1800 GMT
broadcasts were jammed by interference of a "rotary" kind.
ITU regulation 1.166 defines interference as : "The effect of unwanted
energy due to one or a combination of emissions, radiations, or
inductions upon reception in a radiocommunication system, manifested by
any performance degradation, misinterpretation, or loss of information
which could be extracted in the absence of such unwanted energy."
Article 1003 of the annex of the ITU constitution defines "harmful
interference" as one that "obstructs or repeatedly interrupts a
radiocommunication service."
(A.Sennit-HOL Mar 22, 2005 in Media Network blog via DXLD 5-051)
............................................
Zimbabwe
Zim Jams Private Radio Station
March 20, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_1679222,00.html
20 March 2005 --- Cape Town - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's
government is jamming broadcasts to Zimbabwe from a London-based
pro-democracy radio station, an independent media monitoring agency said
on Sunday.
The Zimbabwe Media Monitoring Project (MMPZ) said the government was
using sophisticated Chinese equipment to block out broadcasts from Short
Wave Radio Africa, run by a group of exiled Zimbabwean press freedom
activists.
The watchdog quoted a report by the Washington-based federal
International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), which said the jamming appeared
to emanate from Thornhill, a military airbase and state communications
centre in the central city of Gweru.
Three jammers were being used to scramble the SWRA's three shortwave
frequencies, according to the IBB.
The British Broadcasting Corporations Monitoring Services also confirmed
the jamming operation. "The interfering signals were present only for the
period of the SWRA programming," said a spokesperson.
The station has resumed broadcasting on different frequencies.
SWRA began operating in 2001, after the supreme court abolished a state
monopoly on radio services. However, it was shut down after only a few
days and subsequently shifted to London. The government later passed laws
to ban private radio and television stations.
For three hours daily, the station broadcasts news and editorials mostly
on the country's political situation in a bid to provide an alternative
to the government-controlled public press and broadcasting networks.
The three public radio stations and one television station publish
blatant ruling party propaganda and racist hate speech, according to
media freedom activists.
The government's jamming operations against SWRA were "a deliberate
assault on the freedom of expression" and denying the public the right to
information especially in the run-up to scheduled parliamentary elections
on March 31, according to the MMPZ.
In total 92% of the state election coverage is positive reporting on the
ruling party's campaign, while the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change received only 6% of all coverage, th MMPZ said in a report last
week.
The latest disruption followed earlier moves against independent media.
The campaign has seen a Dutch-based radio station in Harare destroyed by
a bomb and four independent newspapers banned, including the independent
Daily News which also suffered bomb attacks.
Scores of journalists, editors and media proprietors have also been
arrested under press-gag laws introduced in 2002, which prescribe a
sentence of up to two years for "working illegally as a journalist."
Visiting foreign correspondents have been almost totally banned, and
nearly all of the country's locally-based journalists reporting for
foreign media have been deported or driven out of the country.
The Zimbabwean government is among the world's 10 worst offenders against
press freedom, according to the New York-based International Committee to
Protect Journalists.
(news24.com Mar 21, 2005 via A.Bigley-OH-USA & M.Terry-G in DXLD-ML)
............................................
Zimbabwe
Zim 'Jamming' SW Radio
March 19, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_1678845,00.html
Agence France Press
Harare - A Zimbabwean media watchdog on Saturday claimed President Robert
Mugabe's government is interfering with transmissions from a
British-based radio station which employs a group of exiled Zimbabwean
journalists.
"Although the government has denied jamming SW Radio Africa's broadcasts,
a report by the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) revealed that the
jamming appears to emanate from Zimbabwe using Chinese equipment," the
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe said in a statement.
Quoting the IBB report, the MMPZ said "one kilohertz tone is used to jam
the broadcasts and is continued till the transmitters become too hot,
then the noise is used to avoid overdriving the jamming transmitters."
SW Radio Africa, known for its opposition to Mugabe's rule, operated in a
Harare hotel until it was shut down in 2002.
Former information minister Jonathan Moyo warned the station's Zimbabwean
staffers who relocated to London they would be arrested when they return
home.
MMPZ condemned the suspected jamming of SW Radio Africa's broadcasts as
"the latest deliberate assault on freedom of expression".
"This act of sabotage against SW Radio Africa's broadcasts, particularly
in the run-up to the March 31 general elections, is a cynical attempt to
deny the public their right to access information sources of their
choice," said the media watchdog.
SW Radio Africa has since announced new frequencies to which its
Zimbabwean listeners can tune in.
There are no private broadcast stations operating in Zimbabwe despite the
amendment five years ago of a broadcast law which gave a monopoly to the
government-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings.
Many Zimbabweans have turned to foreign-based radio stations for an
alternative to broadcasts by government-controlled radio and television
stations.
Three years ago the Zimbabwean government passed tough media laws which
have been evoked to shut down five independent newspapers. - AFP
(news24.com via D.Pringle-Wood-ZWE & A.Bigley-OH-USA Mar 20, 2005 in DXLD
5-049)
............................................
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: SW Radio Broadcasts Jammed
March 28, 2005
Article originally posted at: Further details:
http://www.pambazuka.org/index.php?id=27343
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe has established that transmissions of
SW Radio Africa are being deliberately jammed. Although government has
denied jamming SW Radio Africa's broadcasts, a report by the
International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) revealed that the jamming appears
to emanate from Zimbabwe using Chinese equipment at Thornhill in Gweru.
According to the IBB report, three jammers are being used to jam the
three short wave frequencies used by SW Radio Africa. "One kHz tone is
used to jam the broadcasts; and is continued till the transmitters become
too hot; then 'noise' is used to avoid over driving the jamming
transmitters. ...", says the report.
(pambazuka.org via G.Lessard-USA Mar 28, 2005 in creative-radio-ML)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Team CRW xxxxxxxxxx---------------------
Martin Schoech, Editor in Chief
Achraf Chaabane, CRW North Africa
Nick Grace, CRW Washington
Takuya Hirayama, CRW Japan
Robert Petraitis, CRW Baltics
Contributors: Hansjoerg Biener, Mike Barraclough, Patrick Robic, Weyl,
Ralf Weyl, Wolfgang Bueschel
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