--------------xxxxxxxxxx CRW 221 xxxxxxxxxx-------------- CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH 221 Dec 31, 2006 CRW is the biweekly online magazine for ClandestineRadio.com (CRC), the Web's only portal on clandestine broadcasting and subversive media. CRW : http://www.schoechi.de/crw.html http://www.ClandestineRadio.com/crw/ CRC : http://www.ClandestineRadio.com GCW : http://www.globalcrisiswatch.com Martin Schoech, Editor in Chief, Eisenach, East Germany Nick Grace, CRW Washington & CRC, Washington, DC, USA Richard Lafayette, CRW Midwest, Stillwater, MN, USA ------------xxxxxxxxxx Breaking News xxxxxxxxxx---------------- 2006 Clandestine Activity Survey ............................................................... 2006 Clandestine Activity Survey During 2006 the activity of political clandestine stations broadcasting on shortwave has increased by 5.4 % to 1260 WBHs (Weekly Broadcasting Hours). This is the result of the latest Clandestine Activity Survey which has been compiled annually since 1986. Activity of clandestine stations broadcasting to target areas on the Asian continent has increased by 3 % to 870 WBHs and activity to target areas on the African continent has increased by the same percentage amount to 197 WHBs. On the American continent the increase was 19 % to now 193 WBHs. The three most active target areas worldwide are now China with 200 WBHs (+122 when compared with the previous year), Afghanistan with 196 WBHs (+6) and Cuba with 193 WBHs (+31). Activity to Iraq which had been the most active target area each year since 1994 has dropped considerably. The number of different target areas active worldwide has decreased by one to 24. While Syria and Pakistan are considered to be no longer active, Libya has been listed for the first time since 1990. (M.Kropf-D Dec 31, 2006 for CRW) ------------xxxxxxxxxx Schedules xxxxxxxxxx-------------------- Schedules - ASIA Radio Free Asia Via US belonging txion facilities at Iranawila-CLN, KHBN Palau, Kuwait-KWT, Lampertheim-GER, Saipan-MRA, Tinian-SoMRA, as well as via foreign relays at Al Dhabayya-UAE, Dushanbe-TJK, Irkutsk-RUS, Taiwan-TWN, Ulaanbaatar-MNG, Vladivostok-RUS, Wertachtal-GER. USA RFA schedule in B-06, valid from Oct 29th 2006 til March 24th, 2007. RFA uses US belonging and IBB txs at HBN/P=KHBN Palau Isl, IRA/I=Iranawila Sri Lanka, KWT/K=Kuwait, LAM/L Lampertheim-GER, SAI/S=Saipan, TIN/T=Tinian NoMariana Isls. And foreign relays at DUS/D=Dushanbe-TJK, IRK=Irkutsk-RUS, TWN/N=Taiwan, UAE=Al Dhabayya-UAE, ULA/U=UlaanBataar-MNG, VLD/V=Vladivostok-RUS, WER=Wertachtal Germany. Time change in Korean morning service, now 2030-2230 UT. 0000-0100 LAO 11830I 15545T 0030-0130 BURMESE 13710S 13815I 15700T 0100-0200 UYGHUR 7480D 9645UAE 9690UAE 15270T 17570T 0100-0300 TIBETAN 7470K 9670WER 11695UAE 15220T 17730U 0300-0600 MANDARIN 11980IRK 13625T 13760T 15150T 15665T 17615S 17880S 21540T 0600-0700 MANDARIN 11980IRK 13625T 13760T 15150T 15665T 17615S 17880S 0600-0700 TIBETAN 17515D 17715K 21570T 21715UAE break 1100-1200 LAO 9355S 15565I 1100-1200 TIBETAN 7470U 11540D 11590K 15375UAE 1200-1400 TIBETAN 7470U 11540D 11590K 13625T 15375UAE 1230-1330 CAMBODIAN 13725I 15395T 1230-1330 BURMESE 11795T 12105I 15700T 1400-1500 CANTONESE 6050T 7280T 1400-1500 VIETNAMESE 5855U 7515T 9455S 11605T 12135I 13865I 15470T 1500-1600 TIBETAN 7470U 7550D 11500K 15145UAE 1500-1600 MANDARIN 7445T 7515T 7535T 9905P 11945T 13670T 1500-1700 KOREAN 5835T 7210IRK 9385S 1600-1700 UYGHUR 7515D 9625UAE 11720T 13725I 1600-1700 MANDARIN 5810T 7445T 7535T 9455S 9905P 11945T 13670T 1700-1800 MANDARIN 5810T 7445T 7535T 9355S 9455S 9905P 11945T 13670T 1800-1900 MANDARIN 5810T 6095T 7355N 7445T 7535T 9355S 9455S 11790T 11945T 13670T 1900-2000 MANDARIN 1098N 5810T 5990T 6095T 7355N 7445T 9355S 9455S 9875P 11790T 11945T 2000-2100 MANDARIN 1098N 5810T 5990T 6095T 7355N 9355S 9455S 9875P 9885T 11900S 11950T 2030-2230 KOREAN 5835T 7460U 9385T 11785T[S from 2100] new time 2100-2200 MANDARIN 1098N 5810T 6095T 7355N 9355S 9455S 9875P 9885T 11950T 13745T 2200-2300 CANTONESE 9570T 11740S 11775T 2230-2330 CAMBODIAN 9355T 11850T 2300-2359 MANDARIN 7540D 11775T 13745S 13800T 15430T 15550T 2300-2359 TIBETAN 6010UAE 7470U 7550K 9875LAM 2330-0029 VIETNAMESE 5855I 9930T 11580U 11605N 11965T 13720S 15565V (wrth, hfcc, http://www2.starcat.ne.jp/~ndxc/ and other sources, Dec 26) (W.Büschel-D Dec 26, 2006 for CRW) ............................................................... Schedules - CAMEROON Radio Free Southern Cameroons The schedule of relays under RUSSIA [and non] below still shows R. Free Southern Cameroons, but moved back to Saturday instead of Sunday. We missed it again this week, but please confirm it next Saturday: 11840 1800-1900 500 FSC Sat (via Krasnodar) (G.Hauser-USA Dec 23, 2006 in DXLD 6-189) ............................................................... Schedules - WESTERN SAHARA National Radio of the Arab-Saharan Democratic Republic Frequency change of RN de la Republica Arabe Saharaui Democratica: 0700-0900 Arabic NF 6215, ex 7425 1700-2300 Arabic NF 6215, ex 7425 2300-2400 Spanish NF 6215, ex 7425 (R BULGARIA DX MIX News 447 Dec 19, 2006 via W.Büschel-D for CRW) ------------xxxxxxxxxx Logs xxxxxxxxxx------------------------- Logs - CHINA Voice of Han 9745, Voice of Han, Kuanyin, 1255-1300, Dec 17, Chinese pop music, ID at 1300 in Mandarin, 33433. (F.Baste-F Dec 17, 2006 in DX-Window 314) Voice of Tibet The station on 7543 / 7547 is the Voice of Tibet. Broadcast started at 1400 UT in Tibetan, switch to Mandarin at 1420 UT. Its rather a late hour in Tibet I must say. I visited Tibet last year and remembered seeing an old Russian made SW radio in Dalai Lama's summer palace, the Norbu Lingka. (R.Lam-SNG Dec 19, 2006 in BC-DX 787) 17550 V.of Tibet Dec 26 *1528-1540 45444 Tibetian, 1528 sign on with opening music, 1530 Opening announce, Talk. (Ko.Hashimoto-J Dec 26, 2006 in JAP 453) ............................................................... Logs - CUBA Radio República 1620 US VIRGIN ISLANDS Radio República (via WDHP), Frederiksted, St. Croix; 2314-2350 21 December, 2006. Tune-in to telco Spanish male interview, male host, lots of references to Cuba, program ID a little after 2330. Fair on peaks, mixing at times with WNRP, Gulf Breeze, and another weaker domestic with national ads. (T.L.Krueger-FL-USA Dec 21, 2006 in DXplorer-ML) R. República, 9955 via WRMI, 0655 Dec 25, no jamming, talking about Jesus, and political prisoners in Cuba. I seldom listen much to RR, but when I do, not just on Xmas, they sound like a religious station. Is turning counter-revolutionary Cuba into a theocracy their real agenda? (G.Hauser-OK-USA Dec 25, 2006 in DXLD-ML) 7160 Radio Republica (via Jülich) via WRMI. Full data MSC Cruise QSL Card (with site and name of the program) This for a CD Report, with reply in 7 months, 49 days after posting a e-mail follow-up enquiry. v/s: Jeff White. (E.Kusalik-AB-CAN Dec 28, 2006 for CRW) ............................................................... Logs - ERITREA Voice of Delina 7335, Voice of Delina, via Armavir, *1700-1730*, Mo Dec 25, after long warm-up tones, Tigrinya to Eritrea, ID, web address, California address, ann, ID, songs from Horn of Africa followed by poem reading, ann, 45444. (A.Petersen-DNK Dec 25, 2006 in DX-Window 314) Voice of Democratic Alliance 9560, Voice of Democratic Alliance, via Gedja Jewe, Ethiopia towards Eritrea, *1500-1510, Dec 25, Arabic talk, same time Dec 26 in Tigrinya, QRM VOIRI, 24222 heard // more QRM'ed 7165. (A.Petersen-DNK Dec 25, 2006 in DX-Window 314) Voice of Peace and Democracy of Eritrea 5500 V.of Peace & Democracy Dec 26 *1416-1428 25431-25432 Tigrigna, 1416 sign on with IS, Repetition of IS and ID, Drums, 1418 Opening announce, Talk and Eritrea pops music. (Ko.Hashimoto-J Dec 26, 2006 in JAP 453) ............................................................... Logs - ETHIOPIA Tensae Ethiopia Voice of Unity 11900, Tensae Ethiopia, via Armavir, Russia, *1500-1510, Dec 25, after long warm-up tones music from the Horn of Africa, Amharic ID and talk, 44434. (A.Petersen-DNK Dec 25, 2006 in DX-Window 314) Voice of Oromia Independence 15650 Voice of Oromia Independence (via Jülich) via WRMI Broker. Full data MSC Cruise QSL Card (with site and name of the station). This for a e-mail report sent on their web site. Reply in 79 days. v/s: Jeff White. (E.Kusalik-AB-CAN Dec 28, 2006 for CRW) 9820, Voice of Oromo Liberation, via Wertachtal, Germany, 1720-1730*, Sa Dec 30, Oromo talk, instrumental music, ann. No programme in Amharic at 1730! 35232. (A.Petersen-DNK Dec 30, 2006 in DX-Window 315) Voice of the Democratic Path to Ethiopian Unity ALEMANIA 9620 V.o.Dem.Path Eth.Unity, 19:28-19:35, escuchada el 22 de Diciembre en idioma Amharico a locutor con comentarios, referencias a la Política y el Monopolio, sintonía, SINPO 44444. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 22, 2006 for CRW) ............................................................... Logs - IRAN Radio Farda THAILANDIA 9570 Radio Farda, 19:50-19:55, escuchada el 27 de Diciembre en idioma farsi con emisión de música pop española, cuñas de ID, música disco, SINPO 45544. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 27, 2006 for CRW) Radio International 6225 R.International Dec 20 *1730-1743 45444 Farsi, 1730 sign on with opening music, ID, Talk. (Ko.Hashimoto-J Dec 26, 2006 in JAP 453) Radio Payam-e Doost MOLDAVIA 7480 Radio Payam-e Doost, 18:10-18:15, escuchada el 19 de Diciembre en idioma farsi con emisión de música folklórica local, locutora con comentarios, locutor con cuña de identificación, SINPO 35333. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 19, 2006 for CRW) Radio Zamaneh 6245 R. Zamaneh, 1955-2101* Dec 16, huge signal with variety prgm, dramatic talks by man in Farsi, comedy sketches with audience laughter, local music, some pop vocals, even snatches of "La Marseillaise" at one point. Many ments of Zamaneh. Off abruptly at 2101* in mid-song. Almost S9 at close. (J.Herkimer-NY-USA Dec 16, 2006 in DXplorer-ML) 6245, Radio Zamaneh, 2049-2059* Dec 17, man and woman talking in Farsi followed by instrumental music. At 2059 a man announcer gave ID and website address just before the carrier was terminated. Fair to good. (R.D'Angelo/FCDX-PA-USA Dedc 17, 2006 in DXplorer-ML) UCRANIA 6245 Radio Zamaneh, 18:58-19:05, escuchada el 19 de Diciembre en idioma farsi a locutor con comentarios e identificación con segmento de música de flauta de fondo, SINPO 34343. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 19, 2006 for CRW) UKRAINE, 6245, 1713- Dec 20, Radio Zamaneh. Fair reception with presumed Farsi talk and little else. (W.Salmaniw-BC-CAN Dec 20, 2006 in DXLD-ML) UCRANIA 6245 Radio Zamaneh, 18:45-18:50, escuchada el 21 de Diciembre en idioma farsi a locutor con comentarios, referencias a Irán, segmento musical, sintonía, comentarios con referencias a Radio Vaticano, SINPO 34343. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 21, 2006 for CRW) 6245 Radio Zamaneh. Dec.27.06 *1700 - Per a tip from Walt Salmaniw, tried for this station at their 1700 sign-on. Heard the carrier open up at 1657 with a whooping modulated carrier, then into a opening orchestra with singers, noted with the distinctive flute and clarinet horn musical instruments. Into opening announcements by male speaker, intermixed with comments by a female speaker. Most of the program was a variation of talks by the announcers. Initially the signal quality was quite good, but as would happen by 1710 the signal literally disappeared at times. Real strange propagation conditions..one minute a clear signal then absolutely nothing. I was able stay with some of the programming till 1725 hr.. Checked today and not a peep on from them. Thanks again to Walt Salmaniw, British Columbia, for pointing this out. (E.Kusalik-AB-CAN Dec 27, 2006 for CRW) Voice of Communist Party of Iran 3880.5 V.O.Communist Party of Iran Dec 21 1728-1735 22442 Farsi, IS, Opening music, Talk, QRM of Jamming. (Ko.Hashimoto-J Dec 21, 2006 in JAP 453) Voice of Iranian Revolution 3878.3V V.of Iranian Revolution Dec 21 *1526-1535 25342-22342 Kurdish, 1526 sign on with IS, Repetition of IS and ID, 1531 Opening music, Opening announce, Talk, Jamming from 1534. (Ko.Hashimoto-J Dec 21, 2006 in JAP 453) ............................................................... Logs - KOREA (NORTH) Echo of Hope 3985 kHz, Dec 30 2006, 1844 UTC, Echo of Hope, one of the Korea-vs-Korea stations, singing, SINPO 22321. In parallel to 6348 where SINPO was 24311. (E.Bierwirth-D Dec 30, 2006 in DXLD-ML) Shiokaze / Sea Breeze 9950, Shiokaze (Sea Breeze), presumably still via Taiwan, *1300-1330*, Dec 27 (Wed.), piano IS, programming in English, long list of abductee names and dates (read along with piano music), 1326 start of sign-off announcement, ID, schedule (frequencies and Japanese times given), piano IS till off. Poor, with usual QRM/splatter from 9955, but this was the first time in a while that I could actually hear them and determine the language used. Clearly this is weaker than their former frequency of 9730. (R.Howard-CA-USA Dec 27, 2006 in DXplorer-ML) Voice of the People (t) 3912, Voice of the People (t), Goyang, South Korea, 1856-1906, Dec 29, Korean talks, 22431 // 6600 also as poor. (C.Gonçalves-POR Dec 29, 2006 in DX-Window 315) ............................................................... Logs - KURDISTAN Voice of Iranian Kurdistan 3961, Voice of Iranian Kurdistan, Al-Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, 1438-1450, Dec 30, Kurdish talk, 21221 heard // 4875, both jammed. (A.Petersen-DNK Dec 30, 2006 in DX-Window 315) Voice of Mesopotamia 11530 Dengue Mesopotamia, 10:37-10:45, escuchada el 29 de Diciembre en idioma kurdo a locutor con invitado en conversación con música instrumental de fondo, conversación telefónica con los oyentes, SINPO 35543. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 29, 2006 for CRW) ............................................................... Logs - LAOS Hmong Lao Radio 11785 Hmong Lao Radio via WHRI. Full data 'Globe' card with name of the program , in 34 days time, for e-mail report on their web site. (E.Kusalik-AB-CAN Dec 28, 2006 for CRW) ............................................................... Logs - LIBYA Sawt Alamel / Libya's Voice of Hope MOLDAVIA 17645 Sawt al-Amal, 12:37-12:50, escuchada el 18 de Diciembre en idioma árabe a locutor con comentarios, SINPO 45444. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 18, 2006 for CRW) 17630 Sawt al-Amal, 12:35-12:50, escuchada el 19 de Diciembre en idioma árabe a locutor en conversación con invitado, sintonía y locutora con cuña de identificación, SINPO 44554. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 19, 2006 for CRW) 17640 Sawt al-Amal, 13:01-13:10, escuchada el 19 de Diciembre en idioma árabe con sintonía, identificación, canto del Corán, locutora anunciando correo electrónico y locutor con comentarios, SINPO 45554. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 19, 2006 for CRW) MOLDAVIA 17670 Sawt al-Amal, 12:45-13:00, escuchada el 20 de Diciembre en idioma árabe a locutor con comentarios y referencias a Libia, se aprecia fuerte colisión con Radio Budapest en húngaro, locutor con comentarios y villancicos, sintonía y cuña de identificación, SINPO 43443. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 20, 2006 for CRW) 17665 Sawt al-Amal, 13:00-13:10, escuchada el 20 de Diciembre en idioma árabe con sintonía, cuña de identificación, canto del Corán, SINPO 45554 (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 20, 2006 for CRW) 17655 Sawt al-amal, 13:20-13:30, escuchada el 20 de Diciembre en árabe a locutor en conversación con invitado, 45444. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 20, 2006 for CRW) Saludos cordiales Tarek, la emisora Sawt al-Amal lleva unos días anunciando un correo electrónico, podría ser tan amable de intentar descifrarlo, le adjunto una dirección para que pueda escuchar la grabación, lo anuncian después del canto del Corán. Audio: http://valenciadx.multiply.com/music/item/289 (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 20, 2006 in DXLD-ML) Interesting. My old ears are no good anymore and listened only thru tiny pc-loudspeakers...it sounds like info@libyaregion.net or info@libyaregime.net Can't find any of these nets with google. Maybe someone with better ears get this correct. (J.Savolainen-E Dec 20, 2006 in DXLD-ML) Esta emisora se puede escuchar en internet en: http://www.libya-nclo.org/ Anuncian el siguiente correo electrónico: libyaradio@libyaradio.com (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 20, 2006 in DXLD-ML) I guess your audio file announcement says info@libyaradio.net which has been the address for Advanced TV & Satellite Ltd., a company involved in Al Amal broadcasts. www.libyaradio.net seems to be "under construction". (J.Savolainen-E Dec 20, 2006 in DXLD-ML) MOLDAVIA 17635 Sawt al-Amal, 13:22-13:24, escuchada el 22 de Diciembre en árabe a locutor con invitado en conversación, cambian a 17640, SINPO 45454. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 22, 2006 for CRW) 17640 Sawt al-Amal, 13.24-13:30, escuchada el 22 de Diciembre en idioma árabe a locutor con invitado en conversación, SINPO 44454. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 22, 2006 for CRW) MOLDAVIA 17655 Sawt al-Amal, 13:02-13:15, escuchada el 24 de Diciembre en idioma árabe con emisión de música folklórica local, anuncian correo info@libyaradio.net SINPO 44554. Audio: http://valenciadx.multiply.com/music/item/305 (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 24, 2006 for CRW) ............................................................... Logs - MYANMAR Democratic Voice of Burma 17495 Dem.V.of Burma via Madagascar Dec 26 *1429-1443 45433 Burmese, 1429 sign on with opening music, ID, Opening announce, Talk, //9415kHz. (Ko.Hashimoto-J Dec 26, 2006 in JAP 453) Presumed the station heard 1523 on 9415 December 29th, speech partly in English and local language, translation of speech in local language faded up, abruptly cut off mid sentence 1530, excellent reception, SINPO 44444. (M.Barraclough-G Dec 29, 2006 Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD 7-001) ............................................................... Logs - NIGERIA Voice of Biafra International V. of Biafra International, via South Africa, 7380, 2105-2159* Dec 23, tune-in to religious music and opening ID announcements. Prayer and English news about corruption in Nigeria. English religious program and prayer concerning liberty and freedom in Biafra. Some vernacular talk. Good. Saturday only (B.Alexander-PA-USA Dec 23, 2006 in DXLD-ML) 7380 kHz, Dec 30 2006, 2110 UTC, Voice of Biafra International, in English, Jesus help Biafra, usual canned ID. SINPO 44333. (E.Bierwirth-D Dec 30, 2006 in DXLD-ML) ............................................................... Logs - SOMALIA Radio Waaberi 17550, R Waaberi, via Jülich, *1330-1400*, Dec 29, musical opening, ID and ann in Somali, website, 44433. (Baste) (F.Baste-F Dec 30, 2006 in DX-Window 315) Voice of the Somali People 7175, Voice of the Somali People, via Asmara, Eritrea, *1730-1800*, Sa Dec 30, Somali ann after fanfare, excited talk about Somalia, HOA music and songs, more talk and closed with flute music, 34333 sideband QRM. (A.Petersen-DNK Dec 30, 2006 in DX-Window 315) ............................................................... Logs - WESTERN AFRICA West Africa Democracy Radio 17860 West Africa Democracy R., 10:35-10:45, escuchada el 25 de Diciembre en idioma francés a locutora con invitado en conversación, referencias al Paludismo y el Colera. Segmento musical, SINPO 34443. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 25, 2006 for CRW) ............................................................... Logs - WESTERN SAHARA National Radio of the Arab-Saharan Democratic Republic 6215, Radio Nacional de la Republica Arabe Saharaui Democratica, 2307-2336 Dec 17, Spanish language program noted on this new frequency while looking for the Argentinean station. Rustic vocals with nice IDs at 2325 followed by long political talk. Poor to fair. (R.D'Angelo/FCDX-PA-USA Dedc 17, 2006 in DXplorer-ML) I picked RSDA on 6215 kHz sign-on at 1700 UT Dec 18, with the National Anthem of the Sahrawi Democratic Republic, followed by OM and YL giving the frequencies of 1550, 7425 and 700 kHz in meter band and kHz, still announcing the ex freq of 7425 kHz. Followed by Holly Quran recitation, followed by local songs, around 1730 UTC OM with intro of a program called the "journey of the night". Playing Egyptian and Lebanese music asking listeners to participate in the program, followed by another local hit. (T.Zeidan-EGY Dec 18, 2006 in BC-DX 787) 6215, ALGERIA/W.SAHARA, presumed RSAD, 2026-2039, Dec 18, Arabic. Continuous talks thru BoH b/w 2 OM. Fair. (S.R.Barbour-SHDX/NH-USA Dec 18, 2006 in CDX-ML) ARGELIA 6215 Radio Nacional Saharaui, 17:58-18:10, escuchada el 19 de Diciembre en idioma árabe a locutor con comentarios, presentación por locutora con comentarios y segmento de música pop local, SINPO 34232. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 19, 2006 for CRW) 6208 Radio Nacional Saharaui, 22:22-22:25, escuchada el 20 de Diciembre en idioma árabe a locutrora con noticias, constantes referencias al Sahara, SINPO 54444. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 20, 2006 for CRW) R.Nacional SADR via Tindouf/Rabouni. No ID heard yet, but presume this is the one heard on 6208.0 12/20 2210 UTC w/talks in Arabic. (A.Vranes, Jr.-WV-USA Dec 20, 2006 in DXLD-ML) National Radio of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic heard again this evening on 6208 kHz for the second day running (had been on 6215 kHz since an earlier move from 7425 kHz). Parallel to MW 1550. (T.Rogers-G Dec 21, 2006 BDXC-UK via DXLD 6-189) 21/12 2325, NF 6208 kHz, RN DE LA RASD - Tindouf (Algeria), Spagnolo, intervista OMs/YL. Segnale sufficiente - buono. Chissà per quale motivo si è spostata un'altra volta: che abbia avuto qualche problema con R. Baluarte o delle emittenti marittime? E chissà come la penseranno quelli di Cupid R. o R. Borderhunter! !! Comunque, se si sposta ancora un po' fa la fine di R. Fana che nel bel mezzo dei 49 metri non la sente più nessuno. Orari UTC. (L.Botto Fiora-I in bclnews.it via DXLD 6-189) ARGELIA 6208 Radio Nacional Saharaui, 19:50-20:00, escuchada el 22 de Diciembre en idioma árabe con emisión de música pop local, locutor y locutora con comentarios, SINPO 45343. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 22, 2006 for CRW) R. Nacional de Sahara, 6208, 2315-0002* Dec 21-22 and 22-23. Spanish talk, local music, ID. Sign-off with lite music, no NA. Slightly off nominal 6215. Punch up error or deliberate move from 6215 to get away from either ute traffic or Mystery Radio on 6220. Fair to good. (B.Alexander-PA-USA Dec 22, 2006 in DXLD-ML) R. Nac de Sahara, 6210, 2145-2400* Dec 23. Was on 6208 Dec 22, now on 6210 with Arabic talk, local music, 2300-2400 Spanish. 2359 closing announcements and off. No NA. Good (B.Alexander-PA-USA Dec 23, 2006 in DXLD-ML) 6208 R. RASD at 2227 UT. Noted on this freq Dec. 20 with Arabic programming till 2300, when continued with accented Spanish talk and segued Middle Eastern vocals; poor-fair this day but good Dec. 21 and 22. Had moved to 6210 kHz when tuned at 2140 UT on Dec. 23. (B.Hill-MA-USA Dec 23, 2006 in DXplorer-ML) 6210 The radio of the Polisario was this evening on 6210, that means 5 kHz lower than before. Heard nice West-Sahara-MX interrupted by female announcer from 2145 UT on. At 2200 UT clear ID by man in arabic saying more or less: "This is the Arabic Democratic Republic of West Sahara". SIO 333 (Dec 24). (Z.Crncic-D Dec 24, 2006 in BCDX 788) 6210.0, R Nacional República Arabe Saharaui, Rabouni, Algeria, 2200-2345, Dec 23 and 26, new frequency ex 6208, long Arabic talks and lots of local songs and music, 2300 into Spanish with clear ID's "Radio Nacional de Sahara" and more songs. At 2330 news review in Spanish. Good signal on clear channel, 44444. Heard again this morning, Dec 24, with usual format of Arabic talks, songs and music to close at 0900*, 35443. (M.Ford and A.Petersen-DNK Dec 26, 2006 in DX-Window 314) 7460 Radio Nacional de la Republica Arabe Saharani Democrática, Rabouni, Algeria, (Polisario), 2305-2315 December 27th, back here with local pop music, 2311 identification in Spanish and political talk interspersed with short musical bridges. 34433. (M.Barraclough-G Dec 27, 2006 in CDX-ML) ARGELIA 7460 Radio Nacional Saharaui, 18:40-19:05, escuchada el 28 de Diciembre en idioma árabe con emisión de música folklórica local, locutor con ID, locutor con boletín de noticias, SINPO 44444. (J.Miguel Romero-E Dec 28, 2006 for CRW) 7460 Radio Nacional Saharaui, 2300-2315, December 28, Arabic, local instrumental music. At 2310 UTC talk by male in arabic, 34433 Back to old QRG (ex 7425, ex 6215; ex 6208v) (A.Slaen-ARG Dec 28, 2006 in HCDX-ML) 7460 is the best frecuency by far for Radio Saharaui, hear back in Spanish this Friday 29 all along the 2300-2400 period and WWCR 7465 is not neccesarily a problem until they sign-on at 0000. I had weak signal, except for one day, while they were on 6210. Of course, propagation is not helping that much. (R.Saavedra-CTR Dec 29, 2006 in DXLD-ML) ............................................................... Logs - ZIMBABWE SW R Africa 4880, SW R Africa, Meyerton, 1811, Dec 27, English talks, music, 43442, seemingly jammed by non-stop distorted (?) tune, but that did not last till the very end of the broadcast, and certainly not on a daily basis. (C.Gonçalves-POR Dec 29, 2006 in DX-Window 315) Voice of the People 11695, Voice of the People via Madagascar, 1748-1758* Dec 18, man with English language political talk about situation in Zimbabwe. An ID and closedown announcement at 1755 followed by tribal music until carrier was cut. Good. (R.D'Angelo/FCDX-PA-USA Dedc 17, 2006 in DXplorer-ML) R. Voice of the People, 11695 via Madagascar, *1700-1753* Dec 23, sign-on with multi-lingual IDs, programming in English and vernacular. Many IDs with mentions of frequency, address and e-mail address. Brief breaks of local music. 1749 closing multi-lingual IDs, followed by local music. Fair signal strength but English difficult to understand due to accents. (B.Alexander-PA-USA Dec 23, 2006 in DXLD-ML) ------------xxxxxxxxxx QSL Verifications xxxxxxxxxx------------ Qsl's - IRAN Radio Farda Radio Farda Relay Dhabbaya 1575 kHz verified with a det. card (without tx-site) in 42 days. QTH: VoA, 330 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20237, USA. (P.Robic-AUT Dec 29, 2006 for CRW) ............................................................... Qsl's - MIDDLE EAST R Sawa Radio Sawa Relay Arta 1431 kHz verified with a det. card (without tx-site) in 42 days. QTH: VoA, 330 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20237, USA. (P.Robic-AUT Dec 29, 2006 for CRW) ............................................................... Qsl's - RUSSIA Radio Chechnya Svobodnaya Radio Chechnya Svobodnaya 171 QSL Verification Card in 131 days for RR+SASE. (S.Kolesov-RUS via D.Monferini-I Dec 23, 2006 in Corad-ML) ............................................................... Qsl's - WESTERN SAHARA Radio Nacional de la RASD Just got my letter to Radio Nacional de la RASD back as undeliverable. It took 9 months for the postal authorities to find out that the following address is unknown in Alger: Radio Nacional der Republica Arabe Saharoui Democratica, c/o Mission de la Rep. Arabe Saharoui Democratique, B.P. 10, El Mouradia, 1600 Alger, Algeria. 'El Mouradia' was crossed through. Who knows the address? (M.Manke-D Dec 28, 2006 in DXLD-ML) ------------xxxxxxxxxx Miscellaneous xxxxxxxxxx----------------- Misc - CUBA U.S. broadcast efforts in Cuba worth the cost? By Andrew Zajac Chicago Tribune (MCT) Posted on Sat, Dec. 16, 2006 MIAMI - As Cuban President Fidel Castro battles serious illness and the nation he has ruled for more than four decades braces for change, the taxpayer-financed media outlets that the U.S. government counted on to communicate American values to Cuba find themselves invisible or ignored on the island. After 20 years and more than $530 million, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting operates a radio station that by the U.S. government's own estimates has suffered a precipitous drop in listenership and a television station that may never have been seen by anyone in Cuba for more than a few minutes at a time. Cubans who manage to tune in to Radio or TV Marti hear or see programming that is sprinkled with vulgarity, presents one-sided programming as news and omits stories critical of the Bush administration and Miami's Cuban exile community, all in apparent violation of federal broadcast standards, according to recent U.S. government quality-control reviews of OCB offerings. Meanwhile, a nine-member advisory board set up to guide government broadcasting to Cuba has not met during the six years of the Bush presidency and the White House recently supplied a list of current board members that included a man who has been dead for 11 years. Despite these shortcomings, the Bush administration has dramatically increased funding for Radio and TV Marti as part of a broader, controversial effort to finance Cuba's internal dissident groups and provide other assistance to undermine the country's socialist system and promote multiparty democracy. With Castro believed to be critically ill after missing his 80th birthday celebration this month, TV and Radio Marti as well as overall U.S. policy toward Cuba are likely to come under increasing scrutiny by a Democratic-controlled Congress and moderate Republicans opposed to the longtime U.S. economic embargo against the island. Already Democrats have announced plans to hold hearings early next year on the cost-effectiveness of a program that funnels aid to dissidents primarily through groups in South Florida. With all media in Cuba still under tight government control as Castro's brother, Raul, rules the island, backers of the Martis say Cubans need alternative sources of information in order to push for political change. In recent years, under both the Clinton and Bush administrations, OCB's annual budget has swelled by 50 percent to $37 million currently. "We really are missing an opportunity now. This is a critical juncture in Cuba and we don't have a credible voice," said Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a member of a bipartisan congressional study group that advocates ending the four-decade-old embargo against Cuba. "The fact is, the content is so bad it wouldn't be useful to realize our goals of promoting democracy." Radio and TV Marti managers counter that they have substantially improved the quality of programming in recent years. Some paradoxically point to the lack of an audience as proof of success. The programming is effective because the Cuban government is jamming broadcasts, said Kenneth Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, along with Voice of America and the government's other non-military international broadcasters. "They have been rationing electricity in Cuba and it's still so important to block Marti broadcasts that they will devote this incredible amount of energy. That to me demonstrates that the Martis must represent a grave, grave threat to Fidel Castro," Tomlinson said in a recent interview. But Flake and other critics say OCB's lack of audience is the fruit of neglect by federal officials, who, despite abundant documentation of years of bungling by OCB, are loathe to step in for fear of antagonizing Florida's 830,000 Cuban-Americans, about 450,000 of them voters. The importance of the Cuban vote was illustrated in the 2000 election, when George W. Bush won the presidency by eking out a 537- vote margin in Florida, where he won the Cuban vote by a ratio of about 4-to-1. The Martis have benefited from a staunch defense against congressional would-be budget-cutters by Florida's influential congressional delegation, in particular Cuban-American Republican Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, both of whose fathers appeared regularly on Radio Marti. Unlike every other government-funded international broadcaster such as Voice of America or Radio Free Europe, OCB doesn't have an administrative office in Washington. Over the vigorous objections of congressional skeptics who warned that watchdogs would lose control of the stations and they would become sources of patronage for the exile community, Radio and TV Marti were allowed to move from Washington to Miami in 1996. In those 10 years, OCB has had four directors. The current director, Pedro Roig, a Miami attorney, has overseen some unusual employment arrangements, including hiring his wife's nephew as his chief of staff and contracting with a former legal client to write a comedy show mocking Castro. This year, Congress gave OCB a new, annual infusion of $10 million to pay for an airplane to broadcast TV Marti's signal into Cuba - even though airborne transmission was specifically rejected as wasteful and impractical by the stations' advisory board shortly before it lapsed into inactivity, according to a former board member. The Martis also are largely immune from having to produce measurable results like growing audiences or meeting quality standards. Congress established Radio and TV Marti "to promote the cause of freedom in Cuba," a goal that should be achieved "as a derivative of the broadcast of programs (including news and information) which are objective, accurate, balanced, and which present a variety of views," according to the OCB Editorial Guidelines. Asked how the stations' effectiveness is measured, a spokesman for the Martis said, "The evidence will come when freedom and democracy come to Cuba." Cuba long has been a tempting target to U.S. government broadcasters, who believe the island audience is thirsting for alternatives to state-run media and extremely limited Internet access. These proponents of the stations have been frustrated in part by vigorous jamming efforts by the Cuban government, which insists the Marti broadcasts violate international law and are part of an ongoing plot to overthrow the Castro regime. TV Marti's signal has been readily blocked over the years. But Radio Marti's shortwave signal penetrates into Cuba and can sometimes be heard in Havana and elsewhere on the island, though sound quality at times is distorted by static, high-pitched squeals and thumping noises. Despite getting the Radio Marti broadcasts into Cuba, albeit imperfectly, the U.S. government's own figures show that the station's listenership has plunged in recent years. In 1998, Radio Marti reported an estimated weekly audience of just under 9 percent of Cuba's adult population, or about 775,000 of the island's estimated 8.6 million people aged 15 or older. In 2005, Tomlinson told Congress that just 1.2 percent of the Cuban market, or barely more than 100,000 people, listened weekly to the U.S.-run radio station, based on a survey conducted by telephone from abroad of randomly chosen Cuban households with phones. Tomlinson also reported that only one out of 1,000 Cubans reported seeing TV Marti within the previous week and eight out of 1,000 reported seeing it in the previous year. An August 2006 report by the Congressional Research Service stated that TV Marti "has not had an audience because of Cuban jamming efforts." Tomlinson said numbers may be low because those surveyed may fear reprisals if they admit to an interest in the U.S. broadcasting. But in interviews on the island in 2005, the Chicago Tribune found another reason for Cubans' professed disinterest in the Martis: Many preferred sports and entertainment over programs rehashing the stand- off between their country and the U.S. To the extent Cubans do want information, they're likely to be wary of Radio Marti, said Philip Peters, vice president of the libertarian Lexington Institute, of Arlington, Va., and a longtime critic of U.S. Cuban policy. "The problem is that the Cuban audience can smell spin a mile away," and it doesn't trust Radio Marti to deliver news straightforwardly, Peters said, citing a lengthy string of journalistic blunders. In 1999, for example, the State Department inspector general, citing a review by a panel of independent journalists, faulted Radio Marti for "a lack of balance, fairness and objectivity ... intermingling news and opinion, and using poor judgment in stories." In May 2002, Radio Marti waited a full day before broadcasting a historic speech on the need for Cuba to move toward democracy delivered at the University of Havana by former President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat still loathed by many Cuban-Americans in Miami for allowing a limited diplomatic opening to Cuba during his administration. Two years earlier, the station waited four hours before reporting that Cuban castaway Elian Gonzalez had been seized by federal agents from his great uncle's house in Miami, ending a stand-off that transfixed much of this country and Cuba. The delay meant that even Havana's government-run Radio Rebelde beat Radio Marti on the story. Radio Marti's director at the time, Roberto Rodriguez-Tejera, said his station was waiting for an official statement from then-Attorney General Janet Reno to clarify "a very confusing time." "You should ask why it took her so long to make a statement," Rodriguez-Tejera said. Rodriguez-Tejera said he objected to the way federal agents barged in and seized the 6-year-old boy, but doesn't believe it affected his decision to hold the story. "I wanted to think that it didn't because I think of myself as a professional journalist," Rodriguez-Tejera said. Peters and other critics say the delay in coverage was inexcusable on a story that CNN and other outlets broadcast across the world. "When you blow a major news story, you lose your audience," Peters said. Recent internal reviews of both Marti stations identified violations of basic rules of journalism and government broadcast guidelines, as well as reluctance to air news "that could be perceived as adverse to the current presidential administration, the U.S. government or the exile community." In May, for example, Radio and TV Marti ignored the announcement that Alberto Mora, a prominent Cuban-American Republican, would receive the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Mora, who resigned as general counsel of the Navy this year, received the award for a quiet campaign inside the Bush administration against policies that might allow mistreatment of detainees in the war on terror held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba. Mora's award was "particularly important and relevant to Cubans" and "should have been covered by the Martis," the review said. Even entertainment programming is slanted, according to the review, which singled out a Radio Marti talk and music show purporting to explore a Miami-area controversy over a children's book, "Vamos a Cuba," which many Cuban-Americans and exiles denounced as painting an overly rosy picture of life in Cuba. The host began the show with a call for banning the book: "Laden with lies about how Cubans live today, it should be withdrawn from the 33 Miami-Dade libraries that have it" because the school board voted to remove it, the host said. "This book must be gone from the library." The episode illustrates the Martis' tone-deafness to their mission and underscores how much they are creatures of local political passions rather than instruments of American foreign policy, said John Nichols, a communications professor at Pennsylvania State University and a longtime researcher of U.S. broadcasting to Cuba. "It is astonishingly ironic that a Radio Marti analyst advocated banning `Vamos a Cuba' in broadcasts to Cuba, where books are banned, and used protecting democracy as the justification. Incredible," Nichols said. The U.S. government reviewer of the stations' broadcasts content, Ivette Martinez, declined to discuss her findings with the Chicago Tribune. OCB chief of staff Alberto Mascaro said the criticisms are overblown. "I can take any news organization and pick it apart," Mascaro said. "I believe these are minor compared to what we've done well." Mascaro also said he was baffled that Martinez focused on the stations' concern with how they are perceived among exiles in Florida. "Our audience is in Cuba," Mascaro said. "We're not beholden to the exile community by any stretch." The internal review also criticized "frequent vulgarity" and "poking fun at the Afro-Cuban religion" in "La Oficina del Jefe" ("The Office of the Boss"), a thinly veiled spoof mocking Castro and his inner circle airing on Radio and TV Marti. "Avoid vulgarity and obscene gestures at all times. Avoid frequent references to customs and practices of a particular ethnic group," the review stated. The show is written by Alberto Gonzalez, a contractor hired by Mascaro's boss, OCB Director Roig. Gonzalez has been paid at least $75,000 by taxpayers for his work since 2004, according to federal records. Mascaro took issue with Martinez's criticism of the show and said that Gonzalez was a well-respected entertainment writer in South Florida. "He is one of the best there is out there," Mascaro said. The business relationship between Gonzalez and Roig has extended beyond Radio and TV Marti. Gonzalez's pursuits have included publication of La Politica Comica, a newspaper that satirizes South Florida politicians. According to Florida Department of State records, incorporation papers for the newspaper were filed by Roig in 2001. Roig's business relationship with Gonzalez had nothing to do with the decision to hire him, said Mascaro, himself the nephew of Roig's wife. Roig declined to speak to a reporter and Gonzalez could not be reached for comment. Roig, 66, has run the Office of Cuba Broadcasting since April 2003. A historian as well as an attorney, the Cuban-born Roig served in the 2506 Brigade, the exile force in the failed CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961. Mascaro, 37, a private businessman before Roig hired him as his top assistant, said his relation to Roig's wife had nothing to do with getting the job and that it was disclosed before his hiring. "He knew me professionally," Mascaro said. "I'm sure he wanted someone he was comfortable with. We handle a lot of confidential issues here." Roig, who is paid $138,000 annually, and Mascaro, who earns $111,000, are among 18 OCB employees who earn six-figure salaries out of about 150 employees, according to the office's payroll records. Besides the regular payroll, OCB also spends about $2 million per year on contractors, many of whom work other jobs in Miami-area media outlets. Payments range from nominal sums to tens of thousands of dollars annually. But in addition to buying talent, passing out contracts also mutes community discussion of frequent criticism of Cuba broadcasting by outsiders, such as government watchdogs or members of Congress, said Joe Garcia, a former executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation, a leading anti-Castro exile lobbying group. "If you're a Cuban-American journalist, there are no other markets to be in. It's a very limited market and they're a big employer in it. That's why people don't criticize it," said Garcia, now senior vice president of the New Democratic Network, an organization of centrist Democrats. Garcia said he strongly supports government broadcasting to Cuba, but believes that Radio and TV Marti have been mismanaged under Republican and Democratic administrations. Some observers trace an increase in journalistic lapses to Congress' 1996 decision to allow the Office of Cuba Broadcasting to move to Miami from Washington, out of immediate reach of bureaucratic overseers. The move came at the behest of the late Jorge Mas Canosa, the legendary founder of the Cuban American National Foundation and the prime mover behind the establishment of Radio and TV Marti. The OCB now operates out of the Jorge Mas Canosa Building in northwest Miami. Congress authorized government-funded Cuban broadcasting in 1983, with Radio Marti going on the air in 1985 and TV Marti in 1990. In justifying the move to Miami, Mas said that the stations needed to be closer to their target audiences. But even ardent opponents of the Castro regime, such as Daniel Fisk, now a top White House adviser, questioned the wisdom of the relocation. "Moving the facilities to Miami sacrificed its effectiveness, making it simply another Miami radio station," Fisk wrote in The Washington Quarterly in 2001. "Radio Marti should be relocated and every effort should be made to end its image as a mouthpiece of the Miami Cuban- American community." Fisk's views "were his own at the time, while working outside government. ... He now serves in this administration" and "his views reflect the president's," said a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, where Fisk is senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs. In addition to its well-documented difficulties with fairness, the OCB also has run afoul of government watchdogs for the way it has handled its budget. In 2003, the State Department inspector general criticized the office for shoddy contracting practices, including a lack of quality control over programming as well as "violations of government procurement requirements and actions that created the appearance of favoritism." Extensive contracting began under the Clinton administration after Mas' death in 1997 as a way for Democrats to reward friends, according to Christopher Coursen, a member of the Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting from 1991 until 2004. "They didn't trust the people in OCB because, for the most part, they were Jorge's supporters," Coursen said. But large-scale contracting has continued under Republican control and has made it harder to enforce government broadcast standards, said Coursen, a Republican and a staunch supporter of the need for government-funded, Cuba-focused programming. "The outsiders are coming in and giving their personal views," Coursen said. "There is no internal oversight within the agency. There's no oversight by the BBG (Broadcasting Board of Governors) or by the administration." Some of that oversight is supposed to come from the nine-member President's Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting, but it hasn't met since 1998, according to Coursen. According to a list provided by the White House, the board currently has seven members, including Charles Tyroler. Tyroler, an intelligence official in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, died in 1995. Also on the White House list is Salvador Lew, who preceded Roig as head of OCB. Lew said he's not on the advisory board and is under the impression that it has been disbanded. Robert McKinney, who was appointed by Bush to the board in late 2003, said he's never been contacted about when it might meet. "In my opinion, they don't want this board to operate," said McKinney, a former chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. McKinney said he was recruited to the board by Sen. Richard Lugar, R- Ind., a longtime friend. White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore said she could not explain how Tyroler and Lew came to be included on a list of current members. But Lawrimore said the inaccurate list did not indicate a lack of interest in how Radio and TV Marti are being run. "I just know that the president supports (broadcasting to Cuba)," Lawrimore said. OCB's direct bosses, the seven members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, are struggling with scandals in other parts of the government's media realm, including a recent State Department inspector general report that BBG chairman Tomlinson had misused his office by, among other things, putting a friend on the government payroll and using public resources "in support of his horse racing operation." The Justice Department declined to pursue a criminal investigation, but a civil inquiry is underway into Tomlinson's hiring of his friend. Tomlinson disputed the allegations, saying they are "trivial and politically inspired." In mid-November, he was nominated by President Bush for another term at the helm of BBG. The State Department inspector general also is looking into allegations of cronyism and contract-steering at Al Hurra, the U.S. government's Arab-language satellite channel, according to a November 2005 story in the Financial Times. A State Department spokesman declined to comment. Under a system of supervision in which individual government broadcast outlets are parceled out for oversight by committees of individual BBG members, Al Hurra falls under a committee headed by Joaquin Blaya, a Spanish-language media executive from Miami, whose committee portfolio also includes supervision of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Blaya declined to comment. More than one-third of the tax money spent on Cuban broadcasting - $213 million - has gone to TV Marti, despite scant evidence that after 16 years it has any audience at all, because the Cuban government blocks its signal. TV Marti also transmits via satellite and illegal receiving dishes are not uncommon, particularly in Havana. But authorities periodically crack down on possession of them, leaving antenna broadcasting as the best way to reach a Cuban mass audience. For years, TV Marti transmitted only between 3:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. daily to avoid interfering with domestic Cuban programming on a frequency assigned to Cuba by international telecommunications agreement. For much of that time, TV Marti beamed its signal from a balloon-borne transmitter riding at 10,000 feet above the Florida Keys. While Tomlinson insists that the Cuban government jams TV Marti "because they fear it," Nichols, of Penn State, said the U.S. is in violation of international conventions because it broadcasts on frequencies reserved for Cuba. "Let the lawyers argue about that," Tomlinson said. In an attempt to circumvent jamming, a State Department committee in May 2004 urged funding for a plane to broadcast TV Marti's signal. The report didn't offer any evidence that aircraft broadcasting would be any more effective than broadcasting from a fixed, land-based transmitter. Eight years before, OCB's advisory board evaluated using a plane as a broadcast platform, but concluded that it wouldn't work, said former board member Coursen. "It was something we specifically rejected based on outside engineering and inside engineering. ... The use of an airplane to broadcast TV Marti to Cuba was not cost-effective and would not be functional," said Coursen. Airborne transmission offers only marginally better chances of getting a signal through, according to Jennifer Bernhard, an associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana. "It's better than putting it on a platform, but it's still going to be affected by the jammer. It's not going to necessarily provide anything more reliably," said Bernhard, who specializes in antenna technology. But beginning in August 2004, an Air Force C-130 outfitted with electronic warfare gear and based in Harrisburg, Pa., made a once-per-week 2,000-mile round trip to transmit four hours of TV signal from U.S. airspace into Cuba. Mascaro said the military flights do not come out of OCB's budget and he does not know how much they cost. In 2006, Congress boosted OCB's funding so that the agency could pay for more airborne broadcasting, and in August, a leased private plane, dubbed Air Marti, began transmitting TV and Radio Marti's signals six days per week during prime time. The weekly Air Force flight also continues, Mascaro said. "We have a few hundred reports, maybe 200 to 300 reports" of Cubans calling the U.S. to say that the signal is getting through, Mascaro said. "It's anecdotal. I wouldn't say it's scientific." (Chicago Tribune Dec 16, 2006 via K.Redding-USA in CDX-ML) TV MARTÍ CAN NOW BE SEEN IN SOUTH FLORIDA BY CHRISTINA HOAG, Miami Herald Posted on Mon, Dec. 18, 2006 Azteca America's WPMF-TV 38 will be broadcasting TV Marti's news programs in South Florida starting today. The deal appears to be the first in which U.S. audiences will be able to view TV Martí, an anti-Castro channel funded by the U.S. government and beamed to Cuba in an effort to undermine the island's socialist regime. TV Martí is prohibited by law from being aired in the United States, but an exemption has been granted for this case, said WPMF General Manager Enrique Landin. TV Martí is available over the Internet. A spokesman for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which regulates the channel, confirmed that WPMF is legally allowed to carry the programs. Channel 38, which is owned by TVC Broadcasting, will air two 30-minute newscasts on weekdays -- at 6 and 11:30 p.m. -- as well as one-minute news briefs from noon to midnight, Landin said. Azteca may also pick up some other TV Martí shows to air on Saturdays, he said. Landin declined to disclosed the amount that TVC is paying for the shows. [! Is that the loophole, instead of Martí paying WPMG? gh] Landin said he not only hopes that the Martí news will boost the station's South Florida ratings, but that Cubans on the island will be able to see the programs via satellite. "We're hoping that Cuba will pick up the signal on DirecTV and Dish network," said Landin, who is Cuban. "The newscast is well done. It's not too political and it's very informative." (MiamiHerald.com Dec 18, 2006 via M.Cooper-CAN in DXLD 6-187) WPMF channel 38 is only 14 Kilowatts near a causeway to Miami Beach south of Hialeah, with a null to the North. Pattern here: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=CA653400.html Right next to it on the dial is channel 39, WSFL with 5000 Kilowatts at the Hallandale antenna farm at the Dade/Broward County line. Pattern here: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DS599420.html Unless you have a very good outdoor UHF TV antenna, and a very selective TV set, no Martí for you. It looks more political then practical (B.Whaley-GA-USA Dec 19, 2006 in DXLD 6-187) Radio, TV Martí to be aired locally Miami Herald 19 December, 2006 By Christina Hoag http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16270804.htm U.S. audiences will be able to get news from TV and Radio Martí via two South Florida stations, despite a law that generally prohibits distribution in the United States. Taxpayer-funded TV and Radio Martí are spending $377,500 to air select programs on South Florida broadcast stations over the next six months, using loopholes in a law that prohibits the propaganda channels from distribution within the United States. The deals appear to be the first of their kind between the Martís and private commercial stations with mostly U.S. audiences. The stations -- Univisión's Radio Mambí 710 AM and WPMF-TV 38, the Azteca América affiliate owned by TVC Broadcasting -- technically can reach Cuba. The agreements come at a time when Fidel Castro, Cuba's longtime leader, is thought to be dying. The Cuban government jams Martí transmissions directly to the island, but experts said the signal from a South Florida AM radio station can get there, very clearly at night. And WPMF-TV, an over-the-air station, can be seen by Cubans with satellite dishes. "It's another method to get our signal in," Pedro Roig, director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which runs the Martís, said on Radio Mambí Monday. Roig estimated that 30,000 Cubans can receive satellite TV. "It's a decision taken at the White House." Critics, however, noted that a Cuban audience for either station is only an infinitesimal fraction of their South Florida audience, and both stations are clearly aimed at South Floridians. "It certainly sounds like it's inconsistent with the spirit of the federal law," said John Nichols, associate dean of Pennsylvania State University's College of Communication. He is a longtime monitor -- and critic -- of the Martís. Joe García, executive vice president of the New Democratic Network, said he was outraged. Radio Mambí, known for its virulent anti-Castro commentary, is blocked in Cuba, he said. "This is a fraud," García said. "This is using taxpayer dollars for a political payoff to benefit the most Republican and politically charged radio station in Miami. They know well that the station isn't heard in Cuba, because Cuba transmits Radio Rebelde over the exact same frequency." Ninoska Perez, a commentator for Radio Mambí, declined to talk to The Miami Herald. Mambí general manager Claudia Puig did not immediately respond to a request for comment. TV and Radio Martí, and other U.S. government-funded media such as Voice of America, are prohibited by law from airing in the United States because their content is designed for foreign audiences. The Martí programs -- which include documentaries, comedies, interviews and talk shows -- are aimed at balancing the information Cubans on the island receive from their government, which restricts press access, with the viewpoints of the U.S. government. However, there are exceptions to the prohibition, said Larry Hart, a spokesman for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the Martís. "We believe we have the authority to do this," Hart said. He added that the deals were made after extensive consultation with the congressional committees overseeing the Martís. According to the act governing Radio Martí, the U.S. government is allowed to lease time on the AM band to overcome significant signal-jamming by the Cuban government. The provision for the TV Martí broadcasts is far less clear. The Broadcasting Board of Governors appears to be relying upon a paragraph in the law that terms dissemination in the United States illegal unless "such dissemination is inadvertent." Hart likened inadvertent dissemination to a person in the United States picking up Radio Martí on a shortwave. However, in the case of WPMF-TV, South Floridians are not "inadvertently" tuning into the station, they are the station's main audience. Hart noted that the law was written before the advent of new technology, such as satellite and the Internet. On Radio Mambí Monday morning, Jorge Luis Hernández, director of broadcast operations for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, said the White House pushed to have the Martís broadcast using local stations in Miami. "The U.S. government has decided that DirecTV, as of today, is a new way for TV Martí to broadcast," he said. Under the six-month contracts, Mambí will earn $182,500 to carry Radio Martí from midnight to 1 a.m. nightly. WPMF-TV will earn $195,000 to air TV Martí's half-hour news programs at 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., plus one-minute news briefs from noon to midnight. WPMF may pick up Saturday programming as well, said general manager Enrique Landín. "We're hoping that Cuba will pick up the signal on DirecTV and Dish network," said Landín, who is Cuban. "The newscast is well done. It's not too political and it's very informative." Miami Herald staff writer Oscar Corral contributed to this report. (Miami Herald Dec 19, 2006 via M.Terry-G in DXLD-ML) Radio, TV Marti seal deal in S. Florida By Vanessa Bauzá and Madeline Baró Diaz South Florida Sun-Sentinel December 20 2006 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-amarti20dec20,0,5356904.story?coll=sfla-news-miami Federally funded Radio and TV Martí have struck six-month deals with two commercial South Florida stations to broadcast news reports to Cuba in the latest attempt to circumvent jamming of their anti-Castro programming. U.S. law prohibits the use of public airwaves for propaganda aimed at foreign audiences, such as Radio and TV Martí and Voice of America. However, Tish King a spokeswoman for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the Cuba broadcasting programs, said the law that created Radio Martí allows U.S. stations to carry the programming if signals to Cuba are jammed. After consulting with a congressional oversight committee, the board decided similar rules could be applied to TV Martí, King said. The agreements represent the first time private stations are allowed to carry programming from Radio and TV Martí. The broadcasts began Monday. The agreements, worth $377,500 combined, are an attempt to boost Radio and TV Martí's Cuban audience at a critical time. In Havana, it is unclear whether Fidel Castro will ever return to the presidency, while in Washington anti-embargo legislators are increasingly criticizing the administration's hard line against the island nation. A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation visited Havana last week and plans to hold hearings on legislation to ease travel restrictions to Cuba. They will also examine federally funded programs that have mismanaged millions of dollars for Cuban dissidents, according to a government oversight board, and they question the effectiveness of spending millions on broadcasts that are rarely seen or heard. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who led the 10-member delegation, called the decision to air Radio and TV Martí on local commercial stations a politically motivated maneuver meant to appease South Florida's Cuban American community. "It's always been a show in search of an audience and I think now they are simply removing the charade that this is intended for Cuba," Flake said of Radio Martí. U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, said he supported "all available technologies and broadcasting methods for TV and Radio Martí to break through the information blockade imposed on the Cuban people." According to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Radio Mambi, one of the top Spanish language stations in South Florida, will receive $182,500 to broadcast Radio Martí between midnight and 1a.m. on weekdays. In a similar contract worth $195,000, half hour newscasts of TV Martí will be aired twice daily on WPMF-TV, Channel 38, a Miami-based affiliate of the Spanish-language Azteca Americas network picked up by DirecTV. Authorities on life in Cuba estimate Cuba has 10,000 black market DirecTV dishes, which are regularly confiscated by the Cuban government. Hans de Salas del Valle, a research associate at the University of Miami's Institute for Cuba and Cuban American Studies, said Cubans' access to DirecTV is too limited to make an impact. "It seems again that the Cuban government has been able to anticipate the tough measures that the administration has taken over the years," de Salas del Valle said. "They seem to be a step ahead in terms of knowing where their vulnerabilities are and taking steps to prepare. I don't think this will have a major impact." Enrique Landin, general manager of WPMF-TV, said he did not think the programming would affect South Florida viewers. "This is something that we are doing for the benefit of Cubans," said Landin, who was born in Cuba. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel Dec 20, 2006 via M.Terry-G in DXLD-ML) = U.S. law prohibits the use of public airwaves for propaganda aimed at = foreign audiences, such as Radio and TV Martí and Voice of America. Doesn't the law apply to VoA only? Chicago's WKTA 1330 has been carrying R.Liberty in Russian during its evening/night hours for years now. Looking at WKTA's advertized coverage somehow I doubt that its signal would reach any part of Russia: http://www.pclradio.com/images/logo_WKTA_advertising_coverage.gif Actually, it is WKTA's day pattern when the station "blasts" at 5 kW. Their night power is only 17 Watts! (S.Sosedkin-CAN Dec 20, 2006 in DXLD-ML) CONGRESSMAN SAYS HE'LL HOLD HEARINGS ON RADIO AND TV MARTI --- By Vanessa Bauza, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, (MCT) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., who is likely to become chairman of the House International Relations Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, plans to hold congressional hearings to investigate charges of mismanagement at federally funded Radio and TV Martí. Delahunt, who last week led a 10-member congressional delegation on a trip to Havana aimed a furthering relations with the communist government, said recent news reports prompted his call for an investigation into the Miami-based stations. He said the hearings would begin in February. "We've had recent media reports indicating there has been mismanagement, corruption, and a declining audience," said Delahunt, a longtime critic of the Cuban embargo. "The bottom line is it's a mess or it would appear to be a mess. I'm not reaching any conclusions. I go in with an open mind ... if we didn't have hearings we would be doing a disservice to the American taxpayer and would be remiss in our obligation to conduct oversight." The anti-Castro stations, tasked with providing an alternative to Cuba's state run media, have a combined $37 million annual budget but their signals are routinely jammed by the Cuban government prompting critics to question the effectiveness of the programs. Delahunt announced the hearings a day after two commercial South Florida stations began airing Radio and TV Martí's programming in an attempt to circumvent the jamming. Recent U.S. government reviews of Radio and TV Martí's programming found that it included vulgarity and omitted news stories that were critical of the Bush administration and the Cuban American community in South Florida. The hearings come in the wake of an indictment last month of a senior executive of TV Martí charged with taking kickbacks from companies doing business with the station. The Office of the Inspector General, the State Department's watchdog agency, early next year will conduct its own investigation into management practices at the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which oversees Radio and TV Martí, said spokesman Joe O'Connell. "We look forward to working with Congressman Delahunt and his committee," said O'Connell. "We are going to cooperate. Presumably there will be requests for testimony and so on and we're happy to take part." (South Florida Sun-Sentinel via Z.Liangas-GRC Dec 21, 2006 in DXLD-ML) RADIO, TV MARTI' FACE A CONGRESSIONAL PROBE --- A CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION OF TV AND RADIO MARTI' IS SLATED FOR EARLY 2007, A MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRAT SAID. BY CHRISTINA HOAG & OSCAR CORRAL http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/cuba/16278442.htm IN CUBA: Congressmen William Delahunt, D-Mass, was part of a delegation of U.S. lawmakers, who visited Cuba's Foreign Ministry in Havana, Saturday. JAVIER GALEANO/AP [caption] IN CUBA: Congressmen William Delahunt, D-Mass, was part of a delegation of U.S. lawmakers, who visited Cuba's Foreign Ministry in Havana, Saturday. [caption] Congress early next year will investigate allegations of mismanagement and political cronyism at taxpayer-funded Radio and TV Marti', a ranking Democrat said Tuesday. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass. -- slated to chair the oversight and investigations subcommittee for the House International Relations Committee -- said he will move to hold hearings on the Marti's in late January or early February. His comments came a day after Radio Mambi', WAQI-AM (710), and Azteca Ame'rica, WPMF-TV 38, each began carrying an hour of Marti' programming daily for payment. "This will be a priority," said Delahunt, who was in Cuba this week as part of a congressional delegation. "There's mismanagement . . . that really demands a thorough review." Government-funded media such as the Marti's cannot broadcast on U.S. airwaves because their mission is to present the U.S. viewpoint to foreign audiences. However, there are loopholes in the law: Time on an AM transmitter can be leased to circumvent signal-jamming, and TV Marti' can be "inadvertently" picked up by U.S. viewers as long as it reaches Cuba. The Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which oversees the Marti' operation, portrays the contracts as just another way to reach Cubans on the island. Radio Mambi"s signal can reach Cuba under certain circumstances, and WPMF-TV is carried on DirecTV, which some Cubans can receive via a pirated signal. Delahunt said the U.S. government is essentially hiring the stations to reach mostly local audiences, funded with taxpayer money. The six-month contracts call for Mambi' to be paid $182,500 and WPMF $195,000. WPMF general manager Enrique Landi'n said Channel 38 also will sell commercials during the Marti' newscasts -- which enraged Delahunt. "Now we're subsidizing private commercial stations," said Delahunt, who called the Marti's politically motivated boondoggles. The Marti's will receive $37 million this year. "This is outrageous." The criticisms didn't surprise U.S. Rep. Lincoln Di'az-Balart, who earmarks funds for the Marti' operation. "I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Delahunt . . . to stop trying to help the Cuban dictatorship," Di'az-Balart said through his chief of staff, Ana Carbonell. Larry Hart, a spokesman for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the government arm that oversees the Marti's, said the charges of political patronage were "ridiculous." Both Radio Mambi' and WPMF-TV were selected after a media market survey, Hart said. Although many government contracts are awarded through competitive bidding, the law allows some vendor contracts to be issued as "sole source" -- without bidding -- under circumstances such as urgency or a unique service. In this case, Hart said, time was of the essence after Cuban leader Fidel Castro transferred power to his brother Rau'l in July. "We have been redoubling efforts to get through," Hart said. Two other South Florida stations were approached, WSBS-TV 22 and WJAN-TV 41, but neither was willing to lease the blocks of time Marti' was seeking. Representatives at WSBS-TV had no comment, and calls to WJAN were not returned. HIGHLY RATED Radio Mambi' is one of the highest-rated radio stations in South Florida and is known for its strong anti-Castro stance. Popular Mambi' commentator Ninoska Pe'rez-Castellon is also a board member and spokeswoman for the hard-line Cuban Liberty Council. Mambi' is the only Spanish-language AM station that carries a 50,000-watt signal through the night and is able to reach Cuba, Hart said.Most AM stations reduce their signal at night when there are fewer listeners. [but not for that reason!! gh] Hart acknowledged that the Cuban government's Radio Rebelde transmits on the same frequency as Mambi' -- 710 AM. But he said the jamming does not block Mambi' in all locations or at all times, and that the signal gets through, particularly on the northern coast. Representatives at Univisio'n, Mambi"s corporate owner, had no comment. WPMF-TV is a small, low-power TV affiliate of the Azteca Ame'rica network, owned by Mexico's TV Azteca. The station is carried on local cable systems, as well as DirecTV and over the air. It was selected because it is carried on DirecTV Latin America, which is pirated in Cuba, Hart said. Landi'n and Jorge De Ca'rdenas, a marketing consultant to the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, are former business partners. State corporate records show De Ca'rdenas and Landi'n were partners in Creative Developers, a real estate investment company that dissolved in 1980. They also had a 30-year business relationship, De Ca'rdenas said, when Landi'n sold radio time to De Ca'rdenas, then an advertising executive, to place ads for his clients. De Ca'rdenas said a 2003 consultant report for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting recommended using radio stations around the Caribbean to transmit Radio and TV Marti'. That never happened, but the idea remained. Calls to Pedro Roig, director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, weren't returned Tuesday. VIOLATION OF LAW Former Director Herminio San Román, who ran the operation from 1997 to 2001, said the Marti's transmitted via a Miami station, WCMQ, in the late 1980s for several months. But an attorney for the U.S. Information Agency found such transmissions violated the law, he said. He could not provide a copy of the opinion. This is not the first time the U.S. government has contracted U.S.-based radio stations to air its propaganda, said John Nichols, associate dean of Pennsylvania State University's College of Communications. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the government leased time on private radio stations in South Florida and as far away as New Orleans to beam Voice of America into Cuba. And in September 1987, Radio Mambi' and WQBA-AM La Cubani'sima rebroadcast a Marti' interview with Cuban defector Florentino Azpillaga Lombard after U.S. officials did not make him available to U.S. media. Nichols noted that using the Miami stations to broadcast overseas violates international law because they are licensed to serve only U.S. audiences. Cuba has long complained to international telecommunications authorities about the Marti's. "This gives more fuel to the Cuban government's position," he said. The hearings are almost certain to be politically charged. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, a longtime critic of the Marti's, said Tuesday that the transmissions over the Miami stations appeared to be legally fuzzy (via Zacharias Liangas, DXLD) (Miami Herald via Z.Liangas-GRC Dec 21, 2006 in DXLD 6-188) Same story, truncated: http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/nation/16277292.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp (via B.Whaley-? in DXLD 6-188) SORRY, MARTI, NOBODY'S LISTENING Published December 23, 2006 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0612230251dec23,1,6626974.story?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed The most popular sitcom on the world's least-watched TV station is "La Oficina del Jefe" ("The Boss' Office"), brought to you by U.S. taxpayers. The show is a satire about life in a fictional government office run by a bearded leader who dresses just like Fidel Castro. It may be a real thigh-slapper in the Miami studio where it's filmed, but the show isn't widely seen by its intended audience in Cuba. That's because the real Fidel has been jamming the signal ever since TV Martí launched in 1990. Last year, only one out of 1,000 Cubans reported seeing TV Martí within the previous week, and eight out of 1,000 had watched in the previous year, according to a U.S. government survey. Only 1.2 percent of the Cuban market tuned in at least weekly to its counterpart, Radio Martí. Those aren't exactly boffo Sweeps Week ratings, but that hasn't stopped the U.S. government from sinking more than $530 million into the Martís over the last 21 years. Congress established the stations, named after the Cuban revolutionary poet Jose Marti, "to promote the cause of freedom in Cuba" by providing alternative voices to Cuba's state-controlled media. U.S. guidelines say the programming must be objective, accurate and balanced. Yet a review this year by the federal International Broadcasting Bureau found an anti-Castro bias and a reluctance to air news that reflects badly on the administration that sponsors the shows or the Cuban exiles who produce them. The broadcasts have done little to hurt Castro or to help the U.S. cause, probably because Cubans don't find it worth the effort to tune in. With the television signal scrambled, TV Martí can be viewed only by those with Internet access or a satellite dish -- both rare on the island. Radio Martí is best heard on shortwave radio. For their $530 million, U.S. taxpayers have little to show but a nest of patronage jobs in Miami, another bone tossed to the anti-Castro crowd that means so much on Election Day in Florida. A better way to expose Cubans to the delights of a free society would be to lift the restrictions that keep Americans from traveling to Cuba and spending money there. Instead, the Bush administration is throwing even more money at Radio and TV Martí as part of a broader effort to empower the dissidents that it hopes will push for political change in the coming months. With Castro rumored near death, the reasoning goes, it's time to turn up the volume. There's only one problem: Nobody's listening. (Chicago Tribune Editorial via A.Bigley-USA Dec 23, 2006 in DXLD 6-189) ............................................................... Misc - EASTERN EUROPE RFE may be fined for monitoring pedestrians - paper Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK The Office for the Protection of Personal Data may impose a fine of up to 10m crowns [475,000 US dollars] on [US government-controlled] Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) for alleged monitoring of pedestrians outside its building in Prague, daily Pravo writes today [19 December]. The paper writes that employees of a private security service who guard the radio seat photograph and video record with digital apparatuses selected passers-by in places that are normally public accessible. Pravo writes that data protectors have started to thoroughly deal with the matter. If the office found out that the law on personal data protection is breached, RFE/RL could be fined five million crowns. If a bigger number of people were affected by the monitoring, the fine could reach up to 10m crowns, the paper writes. Pravo wrote recently that the security service agents make a database of possible suspects which they send to the United States, probably for the needs of the US secret services. The Czech police have been unofficially asked to check some of the photographed persons, Pravo wrote. The security experts and lawyers Pravo has addressed say this is a problem and a possible breach of Czech laws and EU legislation. The building has been officially guarded since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington in 2001 and it is separated from its vicinity by concrete barriers. The radio is to move to another building which has started to be built outside the city centre. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 0709 gmt 19 Dec 06 (BBCM Dec 19, 2006) ............................................................... Misc - IRAN Radio Farda starts thematic news programmes Excerpt from report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty website on 20 December Radio Farda has introduced several new thematic programmes during the last several weeks that provide listeners in Iran new depth and breadth in programme content about human rights and democracy issues in their own country as well as in Iran's relationship with the United States. This past Monday 18 December marked the debut of "Human Rights Magazine," a twelve-minute programme that airs Monday through Thursday at 10.00 p.m. Tehran time (1830gmt). The programme, produced in Washington, focuses on covering breaking news and tracking developments concerning the human rights situation in Iran and around the world. Reporting on the fates of political prisoners and student activists, "Human Rights Magazine" also provides Radio Farda listeners information on the major international human rights reports about the situation in Iran as well as exclusive interviews with the families of political prisoners, human rights experts and activists and victims of human rights abuses who have escaped Iran. A second new programme, "Democracy Magazine", will debut on 24 December at 10.00 p.m. Tehran time. This 25-minute weekly programme will be devoted to democracy -- what it is, what it represents in Western societies and what it means to young people abroad. Radio Farda Washington staff will interview experts, officials, and prominent opinion leaders who have promoted democracy around the world. Radio Farda's Washington-based broadcasters also produce, in addition to two 30-minute daily news magazines, a weekly ten-minute "US-Iran Magazine" and a weekly 10-minute "Washington Magazine". The "US-Iran Magazine", launched in September 2006, is a weekly review of U.S. government actions and statements concerning Iran that features sound actualities from State Department press conferences, White House briefings, hearings before the U.S. Congress, and the many conferences in Washington that address U.S.-Iran relations. "U.S.-Iran Magazine" also features original, exclusive interviews with U.S. officials, policymakers and academics. [Passage omitted] The "Washington Magazine", which debuted on 11 December, offers Radio Farda listeners a fast-paced look at a wide range of topics linked to Washington, DC. While covering political topics as well, the programme also addresses events in Washington's vibrant arts, entertainment and cultural scene. In less than four years, Radio Farda has become the most popular international broadaster in Iran with a 13.5 per cent weekly listenership rate as measured by Intermedia Survey Institute during its most recent survey in May 2006. Audience research indicates that listeners welcome Farda's format of news and information plus entertainment programming. Radio Farda, a joint project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Voice of America (VOA), is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service. Produced in Washington, D.C. and Prague, Czech Republic and transmitted to listeners via AM, shortwave and satellite, Radio Farda features fresh news and information at least twice an hour, with longer news programming in the morning and the evening. Radio Farda also broadcasts popular Persian and Western music. Radio Farda programming is available via the Internet, at the service's website www.radiofarda.com and at www.rferl.org; English-language news about events in Iran can be found on the RFE/RL website. Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty website, Washington, D.C., in English 0000 gmt 20 Dec 06 (BBCM Dec 20, 2006) New programs on Radio Farda. But why? "Radio Farda has introduced several new thematic programs during the last several weeks that provide listeners in Iran new depth and breadth in program content about human rights and democracy issues in their own country as well as in Iran's relationship with the United States." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty press release, 20 December 2006: http://www.rferl.org/releases/2006/12/452-201206.asp (via kimandrewelliott.com Dec 20, 2006 via DXLD 6-188) Were these new programs the result of focus groups of Iranian listeners? Or of "focus groups" of Washington decision makers or conservative critics of the station? For criticism of Radio Farda, see previous posts on 14 December and 14 November. Posted: 21 Dec 2006 (via kimandrewelliott.com Dec 21, 2006 via DXLD 6-188) ............................................................... Misc - KOREA (NORTH) South Korean student broadcasts to entertain North Koreans Text of report in English by South Korean newspaper Choson Ilbo website on 18 December Radio broadcasts produced by college students here will be aired in North Korea. Open Radio for North Korea announced that it will start broadcasting stories of South Korean college students from Monday [18 December] to celebrate the radio station's first anniversary. They include love stories, ballads, useful economic information and short historic dramas. They were planned and produced by students from Dongguk University, Sungshin Women's University, Soongsil University, Chung-Ang University, Chongshin University, and Hanyang University, who did their best to reflect the characteristics of their institution. The first broadcast on Monday is titled "Getting Really Rich" and offers useful tips on the economy for college students. Lee In-geon, a student with Dongguk University Broadcasting System says, "I can't believe that a show that was broadcast on campus last semester can be heard by North Koreans. He adds he is worried that programmes targeting college students here could seem incomprehensible to people in the North. "If North Koreans can get access to South Korea's culture step by step and we do the same, the two Koreas will be able to become closer together, he adds. "I'm pleased that we opened the door for that. Hanyang University Broadcasting System has a music show titled `The Music World of Artists'. It selects a singer from Korea or abroad each time and talks about their music and plays their songs. "It's unbelievable," enthuses Chun Young-don (20), who majors in political science in the university. "I feel a sense of responsibility now [that] shows we produce will be broadcast in the North, representing the culture of college students here. Sungshin Women's University is to broadcast one-act history plays, and Soongsil University will air a programme providing useful information for living titled Catching Up With Robinson Crusoe. Open Radio for North Korea, opened on 6 December last year, is the first private broadcasting station for the North. It offers a range of radio programmes on South Korea's education, culture and daily lives in every corner of North Korea. Tune into 7390 kHz between 11 p.m. and midnight [0800 to 0900 gmt]. Source: Choson Ilbo website, Seoul, in English 18 Dec 06 (BBCM Dec 18, 2006) ............................................................... Misc - SOMALIA Transitional government closes Baidoa-based radio by force Text of press release by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) on 15 December Reporters Without Borders has firmly condemned the forcible closure of privately-owned Radio Warsan in the western city of Baidoa. Police working for the federal transition government, which has its headquarters in Baidoa, have been occupying the radio station since the afternoon of 14 December 2006. "You cannot claim to represent the democratic camp and at the same time behave like one of the continent's most despotic regimes," the press freedom organisation said. "Radio Warsan, which portrays itself as a radio station for the ordinary people, has been targeted by the federal transition government too often. How can the government expect to be supported by the people if it muzzles them like this? It is time President Abdulahi Yusuf understood that repression and sabre-rattling are counterproductive and dangerous." The deputy director of police burst into Radio Warsan's studios at about 5 p.m. (local time) on 14 December and ordered its closure. When station manager Abdifatah Mohammed Ibrahim asked to see a warrant, the police officer returned with a dozen armed policemen and closed the studios by force. "Five policemen are inside the radio station right now and are closely watching all the staff's movements," Ibrahim was quoted as saying by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), which is Reporters Without Borders' local partner organisation. An independent commercial station formerly known as Democratic Media Concern (DMC), Radio Warsan received threats after broadcasting programmes and news reports that displeased the government, including reports that the government wanted to evict residents living next to the presidential palace for security reasons, the NUSOJ said. The station had planned a talk show to raise donations for the displaced. Radio Warsan was previously closed down by force on 8 September, when seven of its journalists were briefly detained. It was allowed to resume broadcasting eight days later. Two other journalists were arrested on 24 October and held for several days Source: Reporters Sans Frontieres press release, Paris, in English 15 Dec 06 (BBCM Dec 15, 2006) ............................................................... Misc - ZIMBABWE News headlines via SMS http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/viewinfo.cfm?id=2913 BY GERRY JACKSON SW Radio Africa has just added a new service to the range of information options that it offers - news headlines, via SMS, into Zimbabwe on a daily basis. The station began offering the free service on 8 December and already nearly 4,000 people are receiving daily news. On average we are receiving 50 new requests a day from people who would also like to subscribe. At the moment we've had to limit the service to mobile-phone users in Zimbabwe, although we realise that many of the four million exiles in the diaspora would also like to be updated about news from home. If costs allow we'll certainly expand the service as soon as we can. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and feedback indicates that Zimbabweans are thrilled to have daily news delivered direct to their phones. The radio station has been broadcasting into Zimbabwe on shortwave for the past five years, from the UK. Zimbabweans in the diaspora can listen to the programming via our website. Stopped from broadcasting in Harare, we had no choice but to set up offshore. But last year the government began doing everything it could to stop people back home listening to the station. With Chinese help and equipment, they began jamming broadcasts in advance of Operation Murambatsvina. There are many areas in the country that are outside the 'footprint' of the jammers who can still hear us clearly and those with computers can still listen to us online. But as the government continues to make it so difficult for Zimbabweans to receive independent news and information, we thought it was about time we tried other options - with the firm belief that our country's crisis cannot be resolved without informed and open debate and discussion, and a free media. We're also looking at podcasting, having recently experimented with this increasingly popular format. It allows listeners to download a soundfile of a radio programme to their computer or MP3 player - then they can listen at a time most suitable to them. The lack of internet broadband in Zimbabwe will make podcasting more suitable for the diaspora, than for Zimbabweans at home. If anyone would like to receive the free SMS news headline service please email talk@swradioafrica.com and we'll happily add you to our list. But don't forget that for now we can only offer this service to mobile users in Zimbabwe - so if you live in the diaspora but have friends or family back home, send us their numbers. Å+ SW Radio Africa broadcasts into the Southern African region and Zimbabwe 7-9pm every evening SW 4880kHz and online 24 hours a day at www.swradioafrica.com. Gerry Jackson is the Station Manager. (thezimbabwean.co.uk via R.Wiklner-USA Dec 25, 2006 in DXplorer-ML ------------xxxxxxxxxx Sources xxxxxxxxxx---------------------- Contributors: Anker Petersen, Gaku Iwata, José Miguel Romero, Mathias Kropf, Patric Robic, Wolfgang Büschel, Zacharias Liangas Also thanks to BBCM, BCDX, DXLD, DXW and JAP. In order to unsubscribe please login to www.clandestineradio.com or to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crwatch/ and change your user settings.