JAPAN PREMIUM -Kanto DXers Circle weekly loggings- No.656 -Nov.19 2010-

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Compiled by IWATA Gaku.

JAPAN PREMIUM welcome your contributions.

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You can read "JAPAN PREMIUM Archive" at
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~VZ6G-IWT/jp.html

JP No,001(Apr,30 1998) - No,557(Dec,26 2008) was ziped.

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All time in UTC

===== ASIA =====

BURMA/MYANMAR
5985.0, Myanma Radio, 1430, Nov 18. In vernacular,
with indigenous music. On Nov 15 also noted them
on 5985.0 at 1321, but by 1329 they had switched
transmitter sites and were on their normal 5985.83.

Have seen a number of reports recently indicating
that the Myanmar off frequency transmitter is located
at Naypyidaw (also spelled Nay Pyi Taw or Nay Pyi
Daw, take you pick). Believe that is wrong. Think it
is generally agreed that the off frequency one is the
old transmitter located at the former capital, Yangon,
and that the exact frequency transmitter that I heard
today is the newer one located at the new capital,
Naypyidaw.
[Howard]
thank you. (IWATA)

CHINA
7405, China Radio International, 2125, broadcast in English music -only instruments, then the course of English and Chinese translations instantly by a woman, Jason says the College of New York, Sinpo;: 35333,
[Frias]
11885, China Radio International, 0142, broadcasting in English, Chinese group says
technology two announcers, Sinpo: 45444,
[Frias]

KOREA DPR.
3960, Korea, North, KCBS Pyongyang, Kanggye. November, 18 0807-0812 male in eloquent Korean talks. 25322,
[LOB]

KOREA R
6015, KBS Hanminjok Bangsong 1 (presumed) via Hwasong,
1312-1406, Nov 18. Very rare to find this in the clear (no
jamming) for about an hour! In Korean; mostly two men &
a woman in conversation; on air phone calls; pop and
traditional Korean songs; ToH two sets of pips heard
(Korea and China); almost fair; underneath very light
QRM from PBS Xinjiang (// 4330); rechecked at 1414
to find them totally covered by N. Korean jamming
[Howard]

=== MIDDLE EAST ===

TURKEY
9410, Radio Turkey, TRT, in Spanish, 0207, news and commentary on racism in Europe
also news about the European Union and Iraq, Sinpo: 45444,
[Frias]

===== AFRICA =====

EQUATORIAL GUINEA
5005, Equatorial Guinea, R. Nacional, Bata. November, 18 0553-0603 orchestral instrumental music, romantic and African music. 25322,
[LOB]
6250, Equatorial Guinea, R. Nacional, Malabo. November, 18 0603-0613 male outside in Spanish talks "educación para todos, alimento para todos", back studio by female, outside once again "aumentar las cooperaciones internacionales; de la 5° conferencia de embajadores para Radio Malabo". 34333,
[LOB]

MALI
5995, R. Mali, Bamako. November, 15 0704-0712 male in French talks, outside talks. Weak but clear, 23432
[LOB]

MAURITANIA
7245, R.Mauritanie, Nouakchott. November, 15 0713-0723 Arabic style music, male in local language talks. 35433,
[LOB]

===== EUROPE =====

ALBANIA 
China Radio Intl Relay-CRI  6020  0326 GMT  Chinese  333  Nov 14  Two
YLs with comments.   
[MacKenzie]

VATICAN
9610, Radio Vatican, 0214, Listened hipanoamericano program with an extensive interview with Bishop Goic, president of the Episcopal Conference of Chile who speaks of the Mass bicentenario Sinpo: 45444,
[Frias]

=== NORTH AMERICA ===

CANADA
9785, Radio Canada International, 2326, commenting on Canada in the Americas, the biography of a filmmaker named Saval, plus an extensive editorial on soldiers
canadienss in Afhanisthan, Sinpo: 45444,
[Frias]

=== CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA ===

COSTA RICA
15125, Radio Exterior de España, 1320, News by man Cesar Diaz information about Jornalist Arrested and  jail in Morocco,  Sinpo: 35333
[Frias]

CUBA
15120, Radio Habana Cuba,  music tropical and programe, El idioma de Cervantes"  1335 music a history of Compai II, Super signal, sinpo 45444
[Frias]

HONDURAS
3340 Honduras HRMI Radio Misiones Internacionales, Comayagüela noted 0430- 0450 Thanks logs by Manuel Méndez and XM-Cedar Key. 15 November
[Wilkner]

===== PACIFIC =====

GUAM
5765 USB, AFN, 1505, Nov 17. Good to hear them again after
they were off for a short time. Start of the "Z Rock" show after
the sports news; fair. Also well heard Nov 18 with C&W songs
at 1310. AFN Diego Garcia continues to broadcast the usual
AFN news and talk format.
[Howard]

VANUATU
3945, R. Vanuatu, Port Vila. November, 19 0800-0809 romantic music, male and female in uncertain language. 25222,
[LOB]
7260, R. Vanuatu, Port Vila. November, 15 0723-0733 male and female in English talks, female announcements on music; 25422. 0755-0805 English Pop music selections, male in English top of the hour announcements on music "R. Vanuatu..program", then female alternating male. 35333,
[LOB]
7260, R. Vanuatu, Port Vila. November, 19 0704-0716 male in English talks outside "government..police..program"; 25322. 0750-0800 Pacific music, male in uncertain language "R. Vanuatu", back music with English Pop and romantic genres. //3945, 25322
[LOB]

=== Site Unknown ===

=== CLANDESTINE ===

CLANDESTINE
5910, Shiokaze Sea Breeze via Yamata, Japan, *1400-1429*,
Nov 17 (Wednesday). The cat and mouse game between
Shiokaze and the N. Korean jamming continues. Was on
ex: 5985 for about 17 days. Usual Wed.in English; "JSR.
This is Shiokaze Sea Breeze, the shortwave radio program
from Tokyo, Japan. This program is broadcast by the
Japanese private organization COMJAN"; data on
abducted Japanese believe taken to N. Korea; fair.
Ex: 5985 was jammed, which only interfered with
Myanmar on 5985.84.
COMJAN < http://www.chosa-kai.jp/indexeng.htm > in
English and < http://www.chosa-kai.jp/ > in Japanese.
[Howard]
==== PIRATE ====

==== Un-ID ====

MEXICO?
Station unknown??  6040  0329 GMT  YL and OM with comments. YL with an
ID as Radio Mexicana.   
[MacKenzie]

==== LW / MW ====

===== QSL =====

===== ...and others =====

RADIO IN SOMALIA

How do you create a radio network in the world's most dangerous country, where war is raging, journalists are killed, and Islamic extremists have banned music, sports and women's voices on the airwaves?

If you're the organizers of Somalia's newest radio station, you ignore the death threats and defy the bans. You broadcast plenty of music and soccer matches – and you hire female announcers, too.
More related to this story


The new station is Bar-Kulan (the Somali phrase for "meeting place"), which this year became the first non-partisan radio broadcaster in Somalia.

Because it refuses to obey the extremists, its 50 employees must take precautions for their safety. They often use pseudonyms and voice-overs to protect their identities. And while the station has a network of correspondents across Somalia, along with an FM transmitter in Mogadishu, its main studio has been placed in neighbouring Kenya, where it can operate a little more freely.

Their listeners must be equally cautious. If they live in areas of Mogadishu controlled by the extremist militias, they often secretly listen to Bar-Kulan on earphones or cellphone radios, giving the impression that they're merely having a phone conversation.

"They could get into trouble for listening to us," says Farah Lamaane, program co-ordinator at Bar-Kulan. "They are warned by the extremists not to listen to Bar-Kulan, but they still do. They know how to survive. So they are listening quietly and discreetly."

Funded by the United Nations with a $1.7-million budget this year, the station has insisted on scrupulous independence, covering all sides of the conflict and refusing to take orders from anyone – not even the African Union military forces that guard the besieged government in Mogadishu. The military asked for three hours of daily coverage of its activities, but the station refused.

"Nobody can tell us what to broadcast," Mr. Lamaane says. "It's up to the Somalis. It's up to us."

In a country ravaged by war for the past 20 years, radio is the most popular medium. Somalia is still largely a rural society with an oral culture. Literacy is low, electricity is scarce, and infrastructure has been largely destroyed by decades of war. Radio has a long history in Somalia and it remains crucial to the national culture.

Yet radio in Somalia is under assault. The extremist Islamic militias have seized radio transmitters and shut down radio stations that they dislike. When they banned music this year, most radio stations obeyed. Some used the sounds of gunfire or car horns to replace music. Bar-Kulan was one of only two stations that refused to obey the anti-music edict.

For journalists, Somalia is one of the most hostile countries in the world. In past two years alone, 11 journalists have been killed in Somalia. Many people refused to accept jobs at Bar-Kulan when they discovered that it required frequent travel into Somalia.

There are many radio stations in Somalia, but most are loyal to local clans or officials, and some openly engage in hate speech. The government station, Radio Mogadishu, is seen as a propaganda organ that lacks credibility. Bar-Kulan, by contrast, covers the news on all sides, even the extremists. Its only rule is that it promotes peace, tolerance and reconciliation.

Launched eight months ago, Bar-Kulan now broadcasts 24 hours a day on FM, along with two hours a day on shortwave. It also offers live streaming on its website, mostly for the Somali diaspora in countries such as Canada. About a quarter of its employees are female.

Its music programming is drawn from a unique archive of about 6,000 Somali songs, ranging from K'naan (the Somali-Canadian pop singer) to more traditional songs. Much of its programming is youth-oriented, since nearly half of Somalia's population is younger than 15.

During the World Cup this year, Bar-Kulan was the only Somali radio station authorized to broadcast the matches. It was a coup that dramatically boosted its audience ratings, although its soccer announcers and analysts could not afford to travel to South Africa, where the tournament was played, broadcasting instead from the studio, where they watched the matches on television.

The station also carries a regular series of religious programs by Islamic leaders, including quotations from the Koran that emphasize the themes of tolerance and harmony.

The extremist militias are furious at the music, the sports and the female announcers on Bar-Kulan's airwaves. "All of us receive threats by e-mail and telephone," Mr. Lamaane says. "We just ignore it. Nothing has happened to us so far. It's in the hands of God."

The founding director of Bar-Kulan is a Canadian radio consultant, David Smith, based in Johannesburg, who previously helped to create radio networks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. He jokes that the extremist militias in Somalia probably consider him "the Great Infidel." But he believes strongly that information is a human right – and in Africa it is usually radio that supplies it.

"Radio is king on this continent," he says. "These are oral cultures, and the infrastructure and people are poor."

Although it provides 16 newscasts a day, Bar-Kulan does not try to be too weighty. Music and sports are central to its programming. "In any war zone, people need to laugh and be entertained," Mr. Smith says.

In the future, Bar-Kulan aims to be a national public broadcaster, with transmitters across Somalia. It will use cheap cellphone communications – text messages from its listeners – to gather feedback and ensure that it is providing what Somalis want to hear.

"We can provide a platform for ordinary Somalis to express their feelings," Mr. Lamaane says. "Our ideas are purely from Somalis."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/ignoring-death-threats-somali-broadcaster-lets-the-music-play/article1801909/
[Wilkner]

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MON, 15 NOVE 2010

KUALA LUMPUR: Radio Free Sarawak, aimed as an alternative voice for Sarawakians, went on air this morning.

In an e-mail to FMT, the Bruno Manser Foundation, said that the new alternative radio station will have two daily broadcasts on shortwave, presumably in Iban and Bahasa Malaysia.

"It aims at Sarawak's rural communities who lack access to independent media," stated the e-mail.

It is an open secret that the media in Sarawak are strictly controlled by the state government under Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and logging companies who own and control all major media outlets in the state.

The transmission details of Radio Free Sarawak are as follows:

1st transmission: 0630-0730 local time (GMT +8) on 7590 kHz (short wave)

2nd transmission: 1800-1900 local time (GMT +8) on 15680 kHz (short wave)

The e-mail had also attached a message from the producers of Radio Free Sarawak. Below is the message;

"Please send the details to all your Sarawak friends so that they know the existence of the radio-which will become an alternative news source to the Sarawakians, especially to those who stay in the interior.

"The folks in the interior have been fed with a monotonous one-sided views from the ruling parties-if at all they can receive the TV and radio transmissions. So they need another avenue-and Radio Free Sarawak intends to fill in this gap."

Source:Radio Free S'wak goes on air http://bit.ly/dBL64t

More...
"Radio Free Sarawak is the independent radio station that brings you the news you want to hear, not what others want you to hear. No one controls us, except you, the listeners of Sarawak . So tune in and enjoy the news, interviews, reports and comment that you will never get to hear on any of the other government-controlled radio stations in Sarawak. There will be plenty of our best music too, all presented to you in Iban by Papa Orang Utan, our own man from the jungle of Sarawak!
Please listen in and send us back your comments and views, so we can be in touch with you and bring you the radio programme that you like. If you have an issue, a problem or a story that you would like the rest of Sarawak to hear about, message us on this site or ring us on our Radio Free Sarawak local number [DUE SHORTLY] and leave us details of your story or your comment on our answer bank.

We may play out your comments or we may even ring you back so remember, leave your number if you want!

And for further independent news and reports on Sarawak go to www.sarawakreport.org.
[Gaviria]

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==================================================================

Many thanks!
This week's Contributors are:

Michael Bethge, Germany.
LOB - Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Brazil.
Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany.
Hecter Frias, Chile.
Yimber Gaviria, Colombia.
Alokesh Gupta, India.
Ron Howard, USA.
IWATA Gaku, Japan.
Anatoly Klepov, Russia.
Zacharias Liangas, Greece.
Stewart MacKenzie, USA.
Robert Wilkner, USA.
Volker Willschrey, Germany.

Also thanks to

BC-DX / GERMANY.
CONEXION Digital / ARGENTINE.
CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH / GERMANY.
CUMBRE DX / U.S.A.
DX INDIA / INDIA.
Globe Radio DX Club / INDIA.
HCDX / FINLAND.
IDXA / INDIA.
JSWC / JAPAN.
NASWA / U.S.A.
radioascolto.org / ITALY.
RUS-DX / RUSSIA.
WAVESCAN / AWR
WWDXC / GERMANY.

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Next deadline : Nov.24 1500 UTC
Please send your loggings and tips to: gaku@apple.email.ne.jp
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///// Ohkini! from Kanto DXers Circle /////

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