Jawhar Sircar to take charge as Prasar Bharati CEO

Jawhar Sircar, until now secretary in the culture ministry, is to be the new chief executive officer of Prasar Bharati.

Sircar's name was cleared after a three-member selection panel headed by Vice-President Hamid Ansari with Press Council of India chairman Justice Markanday Katju and Information and Broadcasting secretary Uday Kumar Varma as members recommended his name for the position. The appointment of the CEO is done by the President on the recommendation of the selection panel.

Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that Sircar was tipped to be the CEO.

Sircar is due to retire from his present job next month, and will take over from acting CEO Rajiv Takru, the Additional Secretary in I&B ministry and its representative on the Prasar Bharati board.

Takru had been asked to hold additional charge of CEO in January last year after the suspension of then CEO B S Lalli, following a series of corruption charges established by the Central Vigilance Commission.

However, the search for a successor could begin only after Lalli retired in December. It is learnt that a panel of 11 members was sent to the three-member committee.

Sircar belongs to the 1975 batch of Indian Administrative Service from West Bengal. After the retirement of I&B secretary Raghu Menon in September last year, Sircar had been asked to hold additional charge of this ministry in addition to the culture ministry, until the appointment of Uday Kumar Varma.

Sircar holds two post-graduate degrees in Ancient Indian History and Culture and in Sociology with Social Anthropology. He has served as additional (later special secretary) secretary and development commissioner for micro, small and medium enterprises in the centre, prior to which he held the posts of higher education secretary and principal secretary of commerce and industries in West Bengal.

Sircar has been actively associated with several cultural and academic bodies like the Asiatic Society, the Victoria Memorial, the Centre for Archaeological Studies, the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art and the Indian Anthropological Society. He took the lead in establishing the annual Kolkata Film Festival as an international event. He has published several articles and research papers on history, culture and society. In the last decade, he has focussed his research on specific aspects of popular culture, folk religion and on the development of socio-religious identities.

"NAction was taken against Lalli after the Shunglu committee report indicted him for irregularities in the broadcast contract of the Commonwealth Games. A Central Bureau of Investigation probe is underway in this connection. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court has been asked to probe the four charges of corruption established by the CVC. 

The five allegations established by Central Vigilance Commission relate to contracts for management of advertisement revenue arising from the telecast of cricket matches on Doordarshan during 2007; the non-telecast by Doordarshan of T-20 cricket World Cup matches held in South Africa in September 2007; engagement of legal entities to represent Prasar Bharati; purchase of radio broadcasting rights for 13 cricket series held during 2007-09; and hiring of transport and accommodation for the conduct of the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune in 2008. (Indiantelevision.com 17/2)

BBC World Service to celebrate 80th birthday

BBC has announced that its global audience will get behind the scenes access as part of a special day of live programming on 29 February, to mark the BBC World Service's 80th birthday.

Highlights from the day will include a special global audience with Sir David Attenborough and The Strand - the WS global arts programme - will be edited by guest artist and music producer William Orbit.

Audiences will be able to join a special debate about what they want from the World Service, both on air, online and across social media forums.

The day will give audiences around the world a unique insight into production of their favourite programmes and multilingual videos will be produced of all the broadcasts throughout the day online at bbc.co.uk/worldservice.

  

For the first time audiences will be invited to watch and participate in over 12 hours of programmes in English and across more than 12 different languages. The day will be hosted by BBC Persian's Pooneh Ghoddoosi and BBC World Service presenter Ros Atkins.

BBC World Service's daily morning editorial meeting, which normally takes place behind the doors of Bush House, will be opened up and broadcast live for the first time. In this meeting - a daily part of life in the building - the newsroom's editors discuss and agree the big stories and developments and decide on which stories will shape the day's news agenda.

The open courtyard of Bush House will host many of the programmes that day. Flagship programmes such as Newshour and World Have Your Say will invite audiences to join a conversation about international broadcasting and the future priorities of the BBC World Service.

Listeners around the world - and the audience at Bush House - will have the chance to shape the news agenda and debate by making suggestions from the floor, or through Twitter, Facebook and Skype.

BBC Global News director Peter Horrocks said, "The 80th birthday and departure from Bush House means these are historic and changing times for the BBC World Service. We want our audiences to be at the heart of both the commemoration of the past and conversation about the future."

BBC World Service commissioning editor Steve Titherington said, "We are turning Bush House inside out showing who we are and what we do to our audiences and asking what the world wants next from the BBC World Service."

On 29 February, BBC World Service is also launching a new series of programmes on the human body. Linked to the Olympics, The Human Race will invite the public to take part in a 'healthcheck special' featuring leading international scientists and sportspeople.

Not only celebrating 80 years of broadcasting, this special day of programming marks the start of the BBC World Service's move from Bush House, its iconic London home for over 70 years, to a new state of the

art broadcasting centre in Oxford Circus.

The move will see all of the BBC's news services - UK and international - based together for the first time. The aim is to create 'the world's newsroom' - enhancing the BBC's global newsgathering and creating a forum for the best journalism in the world. (Indiantelevision.com 17/2)

Dxers Guide Jan - March 2012

Dxers Guide Jan - March 2012 send to all the subscribers by post on 16 Feb 2012. 

This issue contains 

 DX DIARY / HAM NEWS / INDIAN NEWS / WORLD NEWS / REVIEW OF WRTH 2012 / VICTOR GOONETILLEKE INTERVIEW / CONFIRM QSL's / DX QUIZ 2012 / RADIO & INTERNET / QSL CORNER / HF LOGS / COMMUNITY RADIO / HISTORY OF BNR DX / WAVESCAN CONTEST and lot more...

AIR DRM Future Plans

 All India Radio DRM Future Plans :

1) Replacement of two 1000 kW MW transmitters by new DRM compatible
transmitters (expected by 31st March 2012)
2) Replacement of 34 old MW transmitters by new DRM transmitters.
3) Replacement of 6, 10 kW mobile transmitters by mobile DRM transmitters
(Already installed at various places, TX # 2 was used for recent MW DRM
test during BES Expo 2012)

4) Conversion of 36 compatible MW transmitters into DRM transmitters.
5) Replacement of five SW transmitters by DRM transmitters.
6) Implementation of pilot project of DRM+ txers at major cities.
7) New DRM+ transmittesr at 24 places ( DRM compatible FM txers)
8) Setting up 100 watt FM DRM+ compatible transmitters at 100 locations.
9) Replacement of existing MW/FM transmitters by high power DRM+ FM
transmitters.

---
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi

Phase III e-auction to start in June: Uday Varma

NEW DELHI: E-auction for the third phase of FM radio channels will commence in June, Information and Broadcasting secretary Uday Kumar Varma said.

The Union Cabinet had approved auctions for the third phase almost a year back on 7 July 2011, but no date had been fixed.

Private FM radio broadcasters are eagerly waiting for the date announcement as they have to ready capital before that. The bidding could turn aggressive, particularly in the metros where more frequencies will open up.

The government expects to earn Rs 17.33 billion from auctioning the radio licences.

FM Phase-III policy extends FM radio services to about 227 new cities, in addition to the present 86 cities, with a total of 839 new FM radio stations.

The government has hiked the cap on foreign holding from 20 per cent to 26 per cent. The private radio operators are also allowed to carry news, but only from bulletins of All India Radio (AIR). FM radio broadcasters are struggling with the slow pace of revenue growth and many of them are in losses. The revenue market for FM radio is estimated at Rs 12 billion. (Indiantelevision.com 15/02)

BBC to apologise for airing paid-for Malaysia news

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

February 11, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 — The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has pledged to apologise for airing paid-for programmes that were favourable to some countries including Malaysia.

UK daily The Independent reported today the BBC will apologise to an estimated 74 million people around the world for a news-fixing scandal in which it aired as documentaries programmes that had been paid for in a deal with a London-based publicity firm.

According to The Independent, the global apology by BBC is expected to read: "A small number of programmes broadcast on BBC World News between February 2009 and July 2011 broke BBC rules aimed at protecting our editorial integrity.

"These rules ensure that programmes are free, and are seen to be free, from commercial or other outside pressures."

Making a direct reference to the FBC documentaries, it will say: "In the case of eight other programmes, all of which featured Malaysia, we found that the production company which made the programmes appeared to have a financial relationship with the Malaysian government.

"This meant there was a potential conflict of interest, though the BBC was not aware of it when the programmes were broadcast."

The apology will be broadcast worldwide on the BBC's World News channel to an estimated 295 million homes, 1.7 million hotel rooms, 81 cruise ships, 46 airlines and on 35 mobile phone platforms at four different times, staged in order to reach audiences in different time zones, the paper reported.

The BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee carried out an investigation into BBC World News in November and uncovered 15 breaches of editorial guidelines.

Eight of the breaches were in respect of FBC programmes made about Malaysia- due to an apparent "financial relationship" between the government and FBC Media, the TV production company.

The BBC was reported to have paid nominal fees of as little as £1 (RM5) for programmes made by FBC Media (UK), whose PR client list included Malaysia and other foreign governments.

The Independent pointed out that FBC Media made eight pieces for the BBC about Malaysia while failing to declare it was paid £17million by the Malaysian government for "global strategic communications" which included positive coverage of Malaysia's controversial palm oil industry.

The BBC also used FBC to make a documentary about the spring uprising in Egypt without knowing the firm was paid to do PR work for the regime of former dictator Hosni Mubarak.

TV company FBC Media has been found to be at the centre of the Malaysia news-fixing scandal facing BBC and CNBC, and is facing collapse.

The London-based firm and its parent company FBC Group went into administration last year — a legal term that allows a company facing bankruptcy to carry on business — following reports it accepted £17million from Putrajaya to burnish the Najib administration's image on global broadcast networks.

FBC was set up in 1998 by award-winning US journalist Alan Friedman and other prominent media individuals who built a network of blue-chip clients that included the governments of Greece, Italy and Zambia, with contracts to promote tourism in Malaysia, Indonesia and Hungary.

FBC has been exposed to have also doubled up as a publicity firm for the Najib government and was paid millions of pounds to conduct a "Global Strategic Communications Campaign".

But Putrajaya has ended its RM96 million contract with FBC, which started in 2009, after it was revealed Malaysian government leaders regularly appeared in paid-for-TV programmes.

The Malaysian Insider has reported of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak contracting a series of public relations strategists, including APCO Worldwide, to polish his personal image and his government's locally and worldwide.

APCO's time in Malaysia was marked by controversy after the opposition alleged the public relations firm was linked to Israel.

The most recent hire are members of the team behind former British PM Tony Blair's "New Labour" campaign, who were reported to have started work to reinvent Najib as a moderate reformist.

(Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bbc-to-apologise-for-airing-paid-for-malaysia-news)

Jaisakthivel, ADXC, India

World radio day: an opportunity to celebrate an unsung hero

World radio day: an opportunity to celebrate an unsung hero

 

The Guardian
By Amy O'Donnell
13 February, 2012

In a world of increasing opportunities to participate in public debate online via social media, the blogosphere and comments on news sites, the first World Radio Day on 13 February, organised by Unesco, reminds us to celebrate the radio as an unsung hero that is steadily empowering people to access information and – crucially – to respond to what they hear.

Radio is the predominant source of information in areas of the world that are sometimes too remote to get a newspaper delivered, let alone access the internet. This is why Unesco has noted that radio is a "low-cost medium, specifically suited to reach remote communities and vulnerable people".

Attention given to technology for information communications has recently been captivated by web-based applications, especially "new" or "social media". But about 65% of the world's 7 billion people do not use the internet. In addition to those who are offline due to lack of access, there are also those who are unaware, unable or simply do not want to use social media.

People listen to the radio in their cars, on the move and at work. Radios don't require large amounts of electricity, and wind-up radios don't need an electrical source at all. Moreover, radio reaches large groups of people, being easily shared among families or listener groups. It is a medium often used as a focal point for community discussion on subjects including politics, elections and service provision. Radio efficiently reaches large audiences in real time. But can radio – a one-way broadcast platform – ever replicate the participatory impact of Twitter, Facebook or Google+?

Different technologies are changing the ways in which radio is used as a platform for engagement. At the end of last year, the ITU 2011 report revealed that there are almost 6 billion active mobile phone subscriptions. The ubiquity of mobile technology presents an exciting opportunity even for those in "last mile communities" to interact with radio shows using a tool they already have.

Take "The Organic Farmer" in Kenya, for example. The radio show gathers questions from its listener community of agriculturalists. On one occasion, reports surged in via text message about a disease affecting chickens in the area. In response, the radio show invited an expert to analyse the crowd-sourced evidence, diagnosed the cause as "Newcastle disease" and helped to organise vaccinations.
Similar to social media, the most important aspect of successful radio programming is participation. Seeking feedback from listeners helps to generate and guide content, which in turn increases local relevance and stimulates dialogue. Radio stations are increasingly reliant on audiences to be their eyes and ears, as they seek new tips to mobilise journalists who report from the field. More importantly, this enables more people to have a voice in the discussions that affect them. Mobile interaction "closes the loop", enabling audiences to listen to a discussion, contribute insight, and then hear their views encourage additional participation.
This may include challenging decision makers or service providers, which can be particularly powerful when feedback is democratically obtained. Pamoja FM has used listener input to challenge water cartels in Kibera, Kenya; Breeze FM in Zambia has held discussion on its "Issue of the Day" programme about upcoming elections; and Malawi's Mudzi Wathu FM has taken health questions from listeners to ministers, and relayed the answers on air.
 
Calls are a powerful way of getting opinions across – but there's only so much airtime. For those who can't get through, SMS is a digital and asynchronous way for listeners to express themselves, and this increases engagement. For example, DJs can ask listeners to respond to SMS polls, enabling them to get many points of view without requiring significant airtime. When using software such as FrontlineSMS, this can be automated and visualised, making these real-time interactions easy to understand and rebroadcast. Over time, radio stations can use this kind of digital data to analyse audience behaviour and the popularity of different shows.
 
In a "Twitter like" way, radio, combined with the ubiquity of mobile, can be a platform for community discussions that change people's lives. Radio stations are being called upon to embrace new technology, but it is fundamentally important to make use of tools that are available locally, engaging people on the platforms they already use. As radio stations and tool providers all over the world are discovering, it is possible to do smart things with dumb phones.
 
(DXLD Via Amy O'Donnell is radio project manager at FrontlineSMS).
 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters

All India Raido's Digitization prorgramme disscussed at BES conference in New Delhi

 All India Raido's Digitization prorgramme disscussed at BES conference in

New Delhi

13-Feb-12

The 18th Annual Broadcast Engineering Society of India (BES) international
conference and exhibition concluded in New Delhi today (11-13th Feb 2012).
All India Radio's (AIR) current digitalization programme was discussed, by
speakers during the conference and by visitors at the exhibition. According
to AIR's Additional Director General Mr Yogendra Pal, two 1000 KW MW
transmitters at Rajkot and Kolkata are likely to be operational by March
2012, and the rest of the 72 DRM transmitters would be commissioned between
June 2012 to March 2013.  The ongoing roll-out by AIR spurred  the interest
of receiver manufacturers who were present at the event with their
products. DRM's Alexander Zink and Ludo Maes made presentations about DRM
technology and receivers respectively, which enhanced a very interactive
session on Success of Digital Radio broadcasting today. DRM member
companies Nautel, RFmondial, Digidia, Fraunhofer, Harris and Thomson
attended the BES conference this year.

http://drm.org/news_item/All_India_Raido%2527s_Digitization_prorgramme_disscussed_at_BES__conference_in_New_Delhi

(Source : Via Alokesh Gupta DRM Consortium)

71-year-old cheers the radio on

Prof. V. Balasubramanian, an ardent listener of foreign radio stations tunes his valve radio. — DC

When John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Texas, Prof. V. Balasubramanian knew about it in a few minutes sitting in Chennai thanks to his Murphy valve radio to which he has been glued for the last six decades.

Prof. Balasubramanian has been an avid radio listener who has a collection of over 5,000 cassettes with recordings for over three decades.

DC spoke to Prof. Balasubramanian on the occasion of World Radio Day (February 13). It was his hobby that helped the 71-year-old Mr Balasubramanian get his first pen-friend abroad. "I befriended Mr Ronald James from New Zealand through Radio Australia's mailbag programme," said Balu Sir as he is fondly called in the radio listeners' circle.

Attributing his desire to develop an English vocabulary as his main reason behind tuning into stations like British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA), Prof. Balasubramanian said that during 1950s, it was not possible to get an English magazine in Chennai so with no other option left, he had tuned into foreign radios.

"We use to listen to the West Indies-Australia match commentary on BBC during 1960s at our college hostel and note down the scores for debating about it in our free time," Prof. Balasubramanian, a 1959 batch Mechanical Engineering student of the prestigious College of Engineering, Guindy.

Reminiscing incidents like the murder of Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy and man's first landing on the moon as the most memorable events he has heard on the radio, he said that there were many such incidents, which he could associate with radio.

"When my mother fell sick I could not listen to my favourite shows on air so I started recording programmes on my tape recorder. This habit continues even today," added Prof. Balasubramanian, who was the head of the department in a private polytechnic college in the city.

"With the advent of satellite radios and difficulty in maintenance of short wave transmitters combined with lack of funding for radio stations the hobby is slowing dying," he complained.

(Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/71-year-old-cheers-radio-337#comment-100133)

 

SDR WORKSHOP @ IIH, BANGALORE

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF HAMS, VU2IIH,

Bangalore

IIH will be conducting practical workshop on SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO (SDR).

It is 7 Mhz  receiver (Amateur Radio Band).  Any  member interested to assemble

can enroll for this unique workshop.  Workshop will be conducted by Mr Ramprabhu , VU2DEV

Trustee & Technical Adviser-IIH.

  

Date and Timings:   SATURDAY, 18th February 2012 between 1500 hrs – 1900 hrs.

                              SUNDAY, 19^th November 2012 between 1000 hrs – 1730 hrs.

Venue:   Ham Radio Station, 2nd Floor, Sree Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium, Kasturba road, Bangalore-1

Details:  www.indianhams.com  or email: ham7388@gmail.com

(Sathyapal, VU2FI)

 

DX Quiz - 2012

In 2012 the Ardic DX Club celebrates its 14th anniversary. For 14 years it has been the primary source of information for dxing enthusiasts all over the Tamil Nadu, India . In order to celebrate this event, a quiz is being organised. The quiz is open to anyone, regardless of location or club membership. The quiz does not solely deal with Tamil Dxing, but covers very different radio aspects. Answering 25 questions and you can show your radio knowledge. No quiz without prizes of course. And to make the contest interesting to everybody, a few prizes will be given anomaly to entrants. So if the questions look hard, participate anyway.

Schedule: Quiz starts from 6 February 2012, Last date for the entry 31 March 2012.

Quiz Questions published in the official website http://dxquiz.wordpress.com/

Send your answers to

 

T.Jaisakthivel,

Radio World / Gyanvani FM,

Assistant Professor,

Department of Communication,

MS University, Abishekapatti,

Tirunelveli – 627 012,

Tamil Nadu , India .

 

Every entry will get the special pennant in the memory of the third anniversary of Gyanvani FM 105.6 – Tiruneveli. Every entry must send one reception report of any frequency of All India Radio for the 72nd anniversary special QSL. Indian listeners must send Rs.25/- mint stamp for postage and International listeners must send 2 IRC or 2 US $. Those who are send US dollars; kindly send it only by register post. Otherwise it will be theft and the ADXC were not take the responsibility of your US $.

(Jaisakthivel, ADXC, India )

Radio Media Village inaguration

 The  new Community radio station 'Radio Media Village 90.8 Mhz - inauguration function scheduled on Feb 10 th at St Joseph College, Changanassery. Sri Vayalar Ravi to attend the function.

Station to give importance to programs concentrating on Agriculture, Women empowerment, Education, Tourism and Industrial development (Source Malayala Manorama)

Their website is : http://www.mediavillageindia.com/

(DX India Via Anoop C, Kerala)

World Radio Day Observation, February 13

Sajan Venniyoor via cr-india list :

[From Prof. Vinod Pavarala, President, Communty Radio Forum & UNESCO Chair
on Community Media]

Dear all:

13 February is a date proclaimed by UNESCO to celebrate radio broadcasting,
improve international cooperation among radio broadcasters and encourage
decision-makers to create and provide access to information through radio,
including community radios. It's an occasion to draw attention to the
unique value of radio, which remains the medium to reach the widest
audiences.
UNESCO encourages all countries to celebrate this Day by undertaking
activities with diverse partners, such as national, regional and
international broadcasting associations and organizations, non-governmental
organizations, media organizations, outlets as well as the public at large.
Please see on the link given below 15 ideas from UNESCO on how to celebrate
the day.

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/world-radio-day/

These ideas include: broadcasting a one-minute message by the
Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bukova; broadcasting a radio-centred
programme or public-service message; organizing debates/discussions with
key stakeholders; phone-in radio shows with audiences; interviews with
radio personalities; etc.

Do mark the occasion with something special and share the information with
others in the Community Radio Forum (CRF) and the wider CR community in the
country.

Thank you
--
Prof. Vinod Pavarala
President, Communty Radio Forum &
UNESCO Chair on Community Media
University of Hyderabad


Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to
www.crforum.in

Via http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dx_india/

KBS World Radio Quarterly Quiz

Congratulations to the winners!!!

 
 http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/about/about_quiz_result.htm

__._,_.___

DRM SW Mobile Transmitter Possible at India Show

BES is the Broadcast Engineering Society, which presents the BES Expo 2012

conference.

The DRM Consortium reported:

"BES 11-13 February - New Delhi - DRM Consortium will attend and be part of
large booth (Nautel/Comcon showing products from Digidia, Fraunhofer,
RFmondial).
A DRM+ Surround Sound demo will be available at the booth.

"We expect AIR to showcase DRM too and hopefully provide a DRM30 signal
from
a mobile transmitter available in New Delhi during BES.

"3 DRM speakers will attend the conference and tackle topics of interest
like, DRM for content, DRM receivers and emergency capabilities of DRM."

(Alokesh Gupta Via guacorecipe via drmna list)

__._,_.___

Govt. announces First National Community Radio Awards

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India, invites nominations

for the first *National Community Radio Awards* from outstanding Community
Radio Stations in India.

The awards would be given in the following categories:

- Thematic Award
- Community Engagement Award
- Award for Promoting Local Culture
- Award for Most Creative / Innovative Programme Content
- Sustainable Model Award

For each category, there will be a First Prize of Rs.50,000, Second Prize
of Rs.30,000 and Third Prize of Rs.20,000.

Nominations along with a CD of the programme in MP3 format may be sent to:

*Under Secretary (CRS)*
*Ministry of Information and Broadcasting*
*Room No.116, 'A' Wing*
*Shastri Bhawan*
*New Delhi - 110001*
*
*
Nominations should be received at the above address* by 10th February, 2012
*by speed post.

For more details, visit http://mib.nic.in/ShowPDFContent.aspx or contact
Mr. Inderjeet Grewal, Asst. Director on +91-11-23385021.

Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to
www.crforum.in

WRTH B11 schedules updates file

Sean Gilbert on Facebook:

 
The WRTH B11 schedules updates file has now been posted to the website, please visit www.wrth.com to download the PDF file.

http://www.wrth.com/updates_new.asp

_

VOA Looks to Future on 70th Anniversary

Voice of America turned 70 on Wednesday, and VOA Director David Ensor says 

the international broadcast agency is aggressively moving forward with new
programs that ensure it remains an "information lifeline to people in closed
societies like Iran."

Addressing VOA journalists at the agency's Washington headquarters, Ensor
pointed to a television news show for Burma that began airing in January, a
popular video blog that has been viewed more than 7 million times in China,
expanded TV broadcasts to Iran, and new health programs on radio in Africa.
He also described plans for a Russian language TV program that will harness
popular social media programs to make citizen journalists and the audience a
key part of the show.
Ensor said the one-time cold war broadcaster is "as relevant today as it was
February 1st, 1942," the date of the first shortwave radio broadcast to
Germany."

Created by the U.S. government in the opening days of World War Two, the
Voice of America has evolved into a global multi-media organization,
broadcasting balanced and comprehensive news in 43 languages to an estimated
weekly audience of 141 million.

The first shortwave radio transmission, spoken in German just weeks after
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, began with the words "Here speaks a
voice from America." The broadcast went on to promise, "The news may be
good. The news may be bad. We shall tell you the truth." Ensor, the 28th
Voice of America director, says the agency continues to be guided by those
words.
VOA radio remains highly popular in many markets, including Somalia, parts
of Pakistan and Haiti. Ensor says the agency is moving forward with new
television and Internet programs that target countries like Iran, where the
government restricts the free flow of information.

VOA programs are delivered on satellite, cable TV, mobile, shortwave, FM,
medium wave, the Internet, and on a network of about 1,200 affiliate
stations around the world. In addition to more than 1,100 employees in
Washington, VOA works with contract journalists in trouble spots around the
world. Last month the Taliban claimed responsibility for the murder of a
reporter working for VOA in Pakistan.
For more information about this release please contact Kyle King at the VOA
Public Relations office in Washington at kking@voanews.com. Visit our main
website at www.voanews.com for information about all of our programs.

The Voice of America is a multimedia international broadcasting service
funded by the U.S. Government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
VOA broadcasts approximately 1,500 hours of news, information, educational,
and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of
about 141 million people. Programs are produced in 43 languages and are
intended exclusively for audiences outside of the United States. For more
information, call VOA Public Relations at (202) 203-4959. Follow us on
Twitter @VOABuzz and Facebook at InsideVOA.

(Press Release)

----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi, India

BES EXPO 2012

BES Expo 2012, 18th International Conference & Exhibition on Terrestrial

and Satellite Broadcasting (EXPO 2012) will be held on 11th-13th February
2012 at Hall Nos. 12 & 12A, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India. Pragati
Maidan is India's biggest exhibition centre and is located in the heart of
Delhi.

BES EXPO 2012 is approved by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting,
Government of India, endorsed by IABM U.K. and supported by Prasar Bharati,
Ministry of Communications & IT, ABU Malaysia, Society of Broadcast
Engineers, U.S.A. and several other national and international
organisations.

More details at :
http://www.besindia.com/forthcomingevents.asp

---
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi

Deutsche Welle launches dw.de website

Deutsche Welle's completely redesigned website will go online on February

6, 2012. Deutsche Welle Director General Erik Bettermann announced the new
online services at a press conference held in Berlin on January 31, 2012.
The new website will retain the multilingual, multimedia content that DW has
been known for, but will have a look and feel based on Germany's
international broadcaster's new corporate identity. The website also has a
new Internet address: www.dw.de

"The new website encompasses everything that DW has to offer - articles,
audio, video and interactive content," said Bettermann. "dw.de is a source
of reliable information from Germany and high-quality journalistic content
in 30 languages. A refreshing color concept and modern design give the site
a friendly face."

Quality journalism with a straight-forward design

 

Users will be able to get their bearings quickly at dw.de due to its
intuitive navigation and design. Content is developed and organized exactly
to the users' expectations - from the homepage to the last article. The
modern layout makes it possible to put focus on key issues and topics. It
also creates more room for background information and features. Visually,
dw.de resembles a high-quality magazine with clearly defined structure and
topical focus. "As the reliable expert from Germany, it is DW's task to
organize and breakdown important events and developments from Germany and
our target regions, while explaining the outcomes and providing in-depth
analysis," explained Bettermann. "Multilingual, multimedia, in-depth
reporting - the new DW website underscores our focus on high-quality
journalism," said the Director General.

 

Links will always lead the user to corresponding content, special topics and
DW multimedia projects. Bettermann said the large-scale layout provides more
room for images and videos and makes it easier for the user to sift through
the day's news.

Ready for the next Internet revolution

 

The website also offers improved integration of social media - making it
easier for the user to enter into dialogue with DW. The layout was based on
usage models from several target regions. From a technical point of view,
dw.de will give DW the flexibility it needs in the future. The modular
concept and transparent interface will ensure that the website is ready for
the next Internet revolution.

The new design is also based on a new technical infrastructure. The website
will automatically readjust to match the device that is being used -
regardless of it is a desktop computer, a tablet or a smart phone. Access
for all of these devices is available today: The media player has been
converted to HTML5 - a real bonus for people watching videos on mobile
devices.

(Press Release)

---

Alokesh Gupta

New Delhi

HFCC A12

Review of the A12 HFCC Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

By Dr. Jerry Plummer, WWCR and George Ross, KTWR

http://tinyurl.com/87mjbb6

Courtesy : National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters

HFCC A12 - Opening remarks by Oldrich Cip, chairman HFCC
http://hfcc.org/A12/HFCC_REP_2012-005-Opening_Remarks_to_A12_Conference_in_KL_by_Oldrich_Cip_Chairman_HFCC.pdf

Few more HFCC A12 public files are available at :
http://hfcc.org/A12.phtml

----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi

AIR Puducherry commissions new txer

Puducherry AIR`s FM channel commissions new transmitter

Puducherry station of All India Radio (AIR) today
commissioned a state of art new 10 kW transmitter installed at a cost of Rs
2.25 crores. The transmitter of FM channel would provide superior quality
of broadcast of its programme, a release said. The transmitter would help
the channel expand its reach over a radius of 80 kms covering listeners in
Puducherry and neighbouring Tamil Nadu districts of Cuddalore, Villupuram
and Tiruvannamalai, the release said.

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/puducherry-airs-fm-channel-commissions-new-transmitter/956042.html
Alokesh Gupta Via PTI

__,_._,___

First radio broadcast of speech and music in Bulgaria

 The first reports about transmission of wireless telegraph radio signals in this country go back to 1903 when the Sofia military garrison made such broadcasts. The first official Bulgarian radio transmitter was operational in the early 1911 on board the Nadezhda cruiser off the Varna coast. A radio telegraph station opened in 1914 in Sofia too, and later three other stations with smaller capacities were launched in the capital's vicinity. 

All transmitters used the Morse code for transmission and reception and were of the so-called spark-gap type. At the time they operated it was impossible to listen to any foreign radio stations with speech and music in their vicinity resulting from the powerful jamming created by the spark-gap transmitter. In 1926 the authorities decided to buy new radio telegraph transmitters for dislocation in Sofia. A tender was held that was won by the British company Marconi Wireless. It delivered the devices and in 1929 they were already functioning. 

One of them was for telegraph and telephone communications on long waves at a frequency of 105 kHz, and the other two – on shortwave on 7460 and 14970 kHz, for radiotelegraphy. In 1929 Bulgaria had more than 2000 radio subscribers. They listened to speech and music from foreign countries as there was no Bulgarian transmitter available. Under international agreements a Bulgarian transmitter should have the frequency of 1390 kHz, but following the conference in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1929, that frequency changed to 940 kHz. 

While the authorities failed to act for the purchase of a transmitter for speech and music, some enthusiasts from the army's radio-technological service decided to carry out the job. In 1929 a group of military technicians led by Georgi Vulkov assembled a radio transmitter for broadcasts of speech and music. Georgi Vulkov was a Bulgarian born in 1902 in Tulchea in present-day Romania. He had graduated from a polytechnic in Germany in 1917 and worked as a radio technician in the army. In 1935 he assembled his own telegraph radio transmitter and came in radio contact with telegraphers from all continents. And so we come to the date of 24 November 1929 when at 9 am Bulgarian time on 210 m or 1429 kHz the words, "Radio Sofia calling" were heard on the air. 

This has been recognized as the first radio broadcast in the history of Bulgaria. In the days that followed broadcasts were carried on 350 m or 857 kHz. For the transmission of the programs a receiver antenna 50 m long and 14 m high, was used positioned on the roof of the barracks. The power for the radio transmitter came from a petrol motor with a generator. The transmitter itself was equipped with two Marconi radio bulbs with a capacity of 80 watts each. This was how radio broadcasting in Bulgaria started. It continued using the transmitter of the civil association Rodno Radio (Native Radio). In 1935 the radio became the monopoly of the state.  

Source: http://bnr.bg/sites/en/Lifestyle/DX/Pages/DXProgramNovember11,2011.aspx

Latest issues of SWN and DXW for free download

The homepage of the Danish Shortwave Club International (www.dswci.org) has

been updated as follows:

A present to our not-yet-members:

The latest issues of Shortwave News (January 2012) and DX Window (No. 445)

can be downloaded for free as sample issues at : www.dswci.org/try

or these direct links :

SWN Jan 2012

http://www.dswci.org/try/swn/201201/index.html

DXW 445

http://www.dswci.org/try/dxw/dxw445.pdf

(Rolf Wernli, Danish Shortwave Club International)

India's Radio One, partly BBC owned, will switch from Hindi to "English/International."

"New Year has brought a baggage full of surprises for the radio and music industry. 94.3 Radio One, a joint venture between Next Mediaworks Ltd and BBC worldwide has taken a giant leap to go international in the two metros; Delhi and Mumbai. Radio One MD Vineet Singh Hukmani in conversation with Radioandmusic.com, reveals the business strategy behind the huge change in the two metros, stresses on the fact that there is a huge market for an English radio station and claims that the station will offer better ROI to advertisers. Excerpts: Q: Radio One is going English in Delhi and Mumbai… VSH: We researched clients and listeners about what they thought were the problems in radio and we got a clear answer; all radio stations sound the same. We had begun to correct this problem across our markets but now the change we make will be highly audible in Mumbai and Delhi. We want Radio One to be different, intelligent, international and involving to 'English speaking' Indians who have a global outlook. Q: Do you think there is a market for an English FM station in the highly dominated Bollywood music culture? VSH: There is a huge misconception about English per say in radio circles. Famous speeches like 'freedom at midnight' or 'tryst with destiny' by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru were made in English on radio. Indians today 'thrive' globally because of their comfort with English as against the Chinese or many other 'non English adopting' countries. So if English or an international feel can do well in infotainment in Print, TV, Internet, Cinema, Outdoor then WHY NOT IN RADIO?. The audience is ready. The radio medium is lagging behind on this front and we aim to correct it. English / International beckons with open arms! The listener and advertiser have already embraced it in other media and they will do so in Radio too." (Radioandusic.com, 10 Jan 2012)

Mahabalipuram Ham meet - 2012

10th Eyeball meet (Maha meet ) @ Mahabalipuram  

Date    : 11th February 2012 (second  Saturday)
Time   : 09 am to 04.30pm
Venue : Hotel Mahabs , East Raja Street,  Mahabalipuram     
                        (opposite to Mahabalipuram main bus stand, behind SBI ATM)
Phone No       : 044 - 27442645 & 43 (rooms are available and make your own arrangements)
Mobile No      : +91 9444283695 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +91 9444283695      end_of_the_skype_highlighting      
 N O   D E L E G A T E   F E E
 For boarding and lodging please make your own arrangement. (OM Vittal, VU2VIT)

Top 10 Indian FM Stations i n Q2

 

Source: http://www.exchange4media.com/IRS2010Q3Radio/top_ten.html

RFI's The Sound Kitchen Quiz

This week's question is about a birthday, that of South Africa's African National Congress, the ANC, founded 100 years ago. The ANC is South Africa's governing party and has been since the first post-apartheid elections in 1994. But the ANC was not always called the ANC … the name was changed in 1923.

My question to you is, what was the original name of the ANC, founded on 8 January, 1912, in Bloemfontein, South Africa?

Send me your answer by 13 February; the answer and the winners will be announced on the 18 February programme. Be sure you send your postal address in with your answer … and be sure and tell me if you are a Mr. or a Mrs. or a Ms. or a Miss – I don't want to get it wrong!

Send your answers to: 

english.service@rfi.fr

or 

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

BP 9516

75016 Paris

France

Valentine's Day is just around the corner … send in your musical request and dedication for your sweetheart!

And remember, it's not just the quiz which wins you a prize. If your essay goes on the air, you'll find a package in the mail from the Sound Kitchen. Write in about your community heroes – the people in your community who are quietly working to make the world a better place, in whatever way they can.

I am still looking for your "This I Believe" essays, too. Tell us about the principles that guide your life … what you have found to be true from your very own personal experience. Or write in with your most memorable moment, and/or your proudest achievement.

Send your mini book reviews, your musical requests, your secret "guilty" pleasure (mine's chocolate!), your tricks for remembering things, your favourite quotations and proverbs, descriptions of the local festivals you participate in, or just your general all-around thoughts to:

thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Include a phone number, if you can. I'd like to call you and put you on-the-air … and send you a thank-you gift for participating.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

All the best, 

Susan

(Source : Radio France International)

Sri Lankan hams meet

The Sri Lankan hams meet daily for an informal rag-chew on SSB Lower Side Band on

7060 kHz anytime between 0200-0245 UTC. 

(Via Viktor Ji FB)

“Radio Monitoring – A How To Guide” Available As Free Download

3rd Edition of "Radio Monitoring – A How To Guide" Available As Free Download

Author Skip Arey is now offering his third edition of the popular "Radio Monitoring – A How To Guide" as a free download via the NASWA website. This guide was originally published by Index Publishing Group and later released by Paladin Press–it had two very successful editions that sold for many years.

The guide recently went out of print but Skip has released it on line (for FREE) via Creative Commons license.

You can download a copy thanks to the North American Shortwave Association (NASWA) who have consented to be the primary online source for distribution. The direct link is .

On Skip's Facebook page, he said, "The hobby has been good to me over the years. I am happy to give this book back to
the radio community. Enjoy."

Thanks Skip! We will enjoy your fine publication.

(Source: http://swling.com/blog)