Quick note on ZYJ-455 Super Rádio Tupi 1280 KHz, Rio de Janeiro
Just to share Super Rádio Tupi, Rio de Janeiro (callsign ZYJ-455, 1280 KHz, 100KW) ceased altogether its transmissions over medium wave effective 23-june-2021.
Before it, Super Rádio Tupi was operating its MW transmitter in daytime hours only. Between 31-may-2019 and 23-jun-2021, the 1280 KHz station was active between 06h and 20h BRST (0900-2300UTC).
Super Rádio Tupi main frequency is 96.5MHz. Audio and studio video are available through digital platforms and paid-TV services. Tupi also has a fair amount of syndicated stations that relay their programming live during football matches.
About a week before its last day on the ether, DXer Carlos Latuff recorded a video of Radio Tupi 1280 KHz airing a news bulletin : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0b8p60jv4g
References:
https://radioamantes.wordpress.com/2019/05/31/super-radio-tupi-passa-a-desligar-seu-transmissor-de-am-nas-madrugadas/
Remarks:
As you may know, Brazil Telecom Authority rolled out the legal and engineering process to allow migration of MW/AM stations to VHF/FM. To handle the sudden and massive need of spectrum, the FM broadcast has been expanded by about 12MHz (from 87.5-107,9 to 76.1-107.9). Reason for the migration include low audience rating and advertisers on MW, increased noise and coverage complains from listeners and the fact most cellphones in Brazil market include only FM band in their embedded receivers*.
* I came to know recently the 2008 Ericson R300-series cellphone did include an AM receiver however it required to plug a very specific and somewhat large headphone adapter to enable it (perhaps ir was ferrite antenna?)
** Not aware of cellphone trends in North America and Europe; but in Brazil the majority of cellphones include FM radio, some even include digital terrestrial TV receiver (SD and HD). Only phones not carrying FM radio seems to be the Iphones and very high end/exec -like Android devices.
*** Before the decision to migrate the FM, Brazil had a few pilots of DRM (Radio Nacional 980KHz) and IBOC/HD Radio (R Globo, CBN, Gaucha, both on MW and FM) but it never got traction. Colleagues I’ve been talking are aware of DAB, but we are still to see any interest for it down here.
Huelbe Garcia, Brasil, to MWCircle iog via WOR iog (2021-08-13)