Afghanistan

Radio Azadi back on medium airwaves, RFE and USAGM reports say.

Also known as Radio Free Afghanistan, Radio Azadi, just celebrated its 21st birthday, is Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Dari and Pashto-language service.

This section of the USAGM conducts its programs from the RFE premises in Prague, following the Taliban takeover RFE/RL had closed its Kabul office in August 2021.

It was in 2002 that Afghanistan and the United States signed an agreement for the use of a 400 kW 1296 kHz average wave transmitter. The United States committed to restoring Pul-e Charkhi’s Afghanistan Radio TV facility near Kabul, shut down following a bombing by the U.S.

The agreement was amended in 2006. Afghanistan is giving the U.S. the right to build, install and operate a medium-wave radio transmission facility in the vicinity of Tani-Khost and other FM broadcasters.

The 200 kW on 621 kHz medium wave installation in Khost began operational distribution in March 2010 in the Pashtun-language areas of eastern Afghanistan, along the Pakistan border. The purpose of this second broadcaster was mainly to serve Pakistan.

As the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, negotiations with the Taliban allowed broadcasters to be able to continue broadcasting.

On 1st December 2022, the Taliban-led government of Afghanistan removed all Radio Azadi, FM and AM broadcasts. Abdul Haq Hammad, a head of the Taliban-led government’s Information Ministry, had justified the arrest for “disrespect of journalistic principles and unilateral broadcasting” by the US-funded independent media.

An agreement has been reached with the Taliban, it plans to make Pul-e Charkhi broadcaster available for Radio Azadi. On the other hand, it removes the permission to broadcast on the FM network and excludes VOA broadcasts.

Starting January 18, 2023, the station will once again use the Pol-e Charki medium wave transmitter at 1296 kHz from 6 pm to 6 pm local time.

In addition to this nightly broadcast, the USAGM has upped the volume of its short-wave broadcasts and ensures increased presence on social media and app.

The USAGM was foreseen: The initial agreement allowed the U.S. to install a short-wave emitting center in Kabul. She preferred to use her own infrastructure at Lampertheim Germany, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, reputed for its electricity tariff!.

Radio Magazine FB group (2023-01-31)

United Kingdom

Bauer’s radio stations in Scotland currently part of the Greatest Hits Radio network will be rebranded on April 3rd 2023.
Clyde 2, Forth 2, MFR 2, Northsound 2, Tay 2, West Sound in Ayrshire, and West Sound in Dumfries & Galloway will all change name to Greatest Hits Radio to match stations in England and Wales.

Here’s how the stations will look:
Clyde 2 becomes – Greatest Hits Radio (Glasgow & the West).
Forth 2 becomes – Greatest Hits Radio (Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife & Falkirk)
MFR 2 becomes – Greatest Hits Radio (The North Of Scotland)
Northsound 2 becomes – Greatest Hits Radio (North East Scotland)
Tay 2 becomes – Greatest Hits Radio (Tayside & Fife)
West Sound AM becomes – Greatest Hits Radio (Ayrshire)
West Sound FM becomes – Greatest Hits Radio (Dumfries & Galloway)
In England, there are over 50 local radio services broadcasting the networked programmes of Greatest Hits Radio, with eight regional opt-outs on weekday afternoons.

MWN (Medium Wave Circle) February 2023 (2023-01-30)

Russia

Krasnodarskiy kray.
February 1 from 10.00 Moscow time (07.00 UTC), Kuban Radio Center goes on the air at a frequency of 1089 kHz for a run that will take place TWO days until 10.00 Moscow time (07.00 UTC), February 3. Radio station Sputnik.
[More here https://mediumwave.info/2023/01/23/russia-74/ / Ed]

Khabarovskiy kray.
[Clarification to the previous issue of the bulletin]
Radio Vostok Rossii.
Clarification of going on the air at a frequency of 765 kHz 21.00-12.00 (and not from 20.00). 765 kHz – 12 stations in
total. Exclusion from the transmitter list in Sovetskaya Gavan.
765 kHz:
kW/Transmitter location. Khabarovsk region.
5 / Birch; 5 / Bikin; 5 / Bogorodskoye; 5 / Vyazemsky; 5 / De-Kastri; 20 / Komsomolsk-on-Amur; 5 / Krasnoe; 5 / Troitskoe;
20 / Khabarovsk; 5 / Zimmermanovka; 5 / Chegdomyn / 5 / Berry.
I specified the information in the technical department of the station.
(Thanks for clarification – Alexander Berezkin, St. Petersburg, Russia)

RUS-DX via WOR iog (2023-01-30)

Italy

Here is the expected list of Italian broadcasters authorized and really active on Italian territory.

While some network operators perform tests on unrequested frequencies and authorized by MIMIT (ex MISE), the designated 1512 kHz resource of Radio Lago Trasimeno (Pg) has been activated in central Italy, an ambitious editorial project that will be revealed shortly and currently uses the platform of DOT Radio, turn on 1602 kHz

Radio Piterpan (Vi) has improved several db signal on 1584 kHz, favored also by the abandonment of the same resource by RDE (Trieste), now on 1503 KHz

We also report the first tests of the radiating system assigned to VIVA LA RADIO! ® NETWORK – La Radio “ViVa” che l’Italia Ascolta at 1206 KHz (Veneto)

Radio Light at 1485 kHz inactive result from the station of Ascoli Piceno, rumors speak of new activations and technical changes to the implants.

www.omitaliane.it 𝐀𝐌𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫

Christian Brülhart Konsequent in Facebook

Cyprus

BBC’s Arabic Service bid farewell.
At normal sign-on time (1700 UTC) the transmitter on 720 kHz signed on with a service loop msg saying that “This is the BBC…” and information where to find details about BBC’s services. Heard via SDR in Cyprus. 639 kHz very weak.


BBC Persian, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Hindi, Bengali, Chinese, Indonesian, Tamil and Urdu radio stations are also to be closed down as part of the World Service shake-up. [The two MW frequencies covering the above services are 1251 kHz Dushanbe TJK and 1413 kHz A’Seela OMA]
https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2023/01/27/bbc-arabic-radio-goes-off-air-after-85-years/

Ydun Ritz (2023-01-28)

Cyprus

Today BBC’s Arabic Service bid farewell to the world after 85 years of broadcasting.
The service included the two MW frequencies 639 and 720 kHz in Zakaki, Ladies Mile (acc. to recent schedule on air 0300-0700 UTC and 1700-2100 UTC).

Kari Kallio, nordx iog (2023-01-27)

United States

WNJC 1360 AM DX Tests.
As of last night WNJC is back on the air. I am hoping to keep it on the air till about February 7. From midnight till 3am EST we will continue to run a omnidirectional 2kw DX test. This will be the last time to catch WNJC in Washington Twp, NJ, if not forever. Hope everyone gets a chance to listen-in for this lights out DX test.

Duke Hamann, WNJC 1360 AM DX Tests FB group (2023-01-27)

World Radio Day

‘Radio and Peace’ to be theme of World Radio Day 2023

UNESCO has announced that ‘Radio and Peace’ will be the theme of World Radio Day, which takes place on 13 February 2023.
It says the day will highlight independent radio as a pillar for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
Professional radio moderates conflict and/or tensions, preventing their escalation or bringing about reconciliation and reconstruction talks, the UN organisation says.
“In contexts of distant or immediate tension, relevant programmes and independent news reporting provide the foundation for sustainable democracy and good governance by gathering evidence about what is happening, informing citizens about it in impartial and fact-based terms, explaining what is at stake and brokering dialogue among different groups in society.
“That is the reason why support to independent radio has to be viewed as an integral part of peace and stability. On World Radio Day 2023, UNESCO highlights independent radio as a pillar for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.”
https://www.abu.org.my/2023/01/26/radio-and-peace-to-be-theme-of-world-radio-day-2023/?doing_wp_cron=1674846209.5822451114654541015625

Several examples of good practice at
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/world-radio/resources-radio-peace
including
Radio as peacebuilder: A case study of Radio Okapi in the Democratic Republic of Congo
This article seeks to draw elements from both social development and conflict resolution theories, bringing them together to examine how radio could be used in post-conflict and conflict resolution situations. An examination of Radio Okapi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC; former Zaire) will serve as a case study of the role radio can play as a post-conflict or peace-building tool.

at https://www.hirondelle.org/images/pdf/Etudes/RadioOkapiasapeacebuilder.pdf

As experienced DXers will know the station used to be on short wave too.

Dr Hansjoerg Biener to WOR iog (2023-01-27)