United States

Civic Media has flipped Liberal Talk 1400 WRJN/99.9 W260CV Racine and 98.1 W251BU Kenosha WI back to Full Service Oldies.

WRJN had shifted to Liberal Talk in June 2023 following its acquisition by Civic Media. With the change, the station is now positioning as “Local News and Timeless Hits”. The local morning show hosted by Don Rosen remains in place. Rosen returned to WRJN last fall after previously serving as PD/morning host from 1991 to 2014. Longtime Milwaukee personality Cindy Huber joins as midday host, with former WRJN host Curt Vollman returning to host afternoons. Terry Havel and Rick Johnson will also join the station over the next few weeks.

WRJN will also continue to feature “Music of the Stars with Lou Rugani” on Sunday evenings and air Milwaukee Brewers baseball, Green Bay Packers football, along with University of Wisconsin and local high school sports. Civic Media notes that its Liberal Talk programming continues to be heard in the Milwaukee market on 540 WAUK Jackson/101.1 W266DR Waukesha.
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/268751/wrjn-returns-to-full-service-oldies/

Lance Venta, RadioInsight (2024-05-14)

Unid

Right now on 14 May at 2033UTC I’m hearing an unknown language on 1575khz – could be radio Farda. languageis not Arabic  so not totally sure what I’m hearing. There are 2 YL anouncers

Kelly Marie Angel Johnson (2024-05-14)

Space Weather

THE BIGGEST SOLAR FLARE OF THE CURRENT SOLAR CYCLE: Earth-orbiting satellites have just detected the most intense solar flare of the current solar cycle (so far)–an X8.7-category blast from giant sunspot AR3664. Extreme ultraviolet radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth’s atmosphere and caused a deep shortwave blackout over the Americas. Full story @ Spaceweather.com.

Ydun Ritz (2024-05-15)

Azerbaijan

Both masts are gone. Dunno if MW/LW, I assume LW, they are higher.
40.61474012873663, 46.3336710345031

The SW antennas are also gone.
40.6099348184636, 46.33017343394399

That site operated with
500 kW  216
50 kW   549

The smaller mast (maybe MW) still exists.
40.62275364017099, 46.3340680014305

Parts of the feeder line are already missing:
40.61515548683755, 46.33105319848878

Marco (2024-05-14)

DXing from the Baltic Sea

Despite a very busy schedule aboard ship, I’ve still managed to spend a few minutes DXing from our balcony, using my simple Qodosen SR-286 portable, fed via an old spool antenna from Grundig. 
Last weekend was actually very good later in the evening while burthed at Warnemunde, Germany. 

Here’s what was heard on and MW 10 May 2024 from 19:20 UTC
756SRR Romania at good level
855:  RNE with soccer play by play at good level.  Many // noted including 909, 1107, 1152, 1179, and possibly 945.
927:  WMR as described above (5930  World Music Radio, Denmark with Spanish vocals at good/very good level.  // to 927 at excellent level with WMR ID at 19:20 UTC (and only 0.3 kW).
999:  Moldova  Radio Rossii at very good level in Russian
1170:  presumed Radio Capodistria, Slovenia with EZL music at good/very good level
1278UR1 Kurisove at very good level
1323:  Presumed SRR with English oldies at good level, and // I think, to 1332 and 1404 and 1530
1440:  very good level with English pop music.  Probably Radio 208, Denmark with only 600 watts.
1548  Moldova   TWR programming at very good level.

13 May (tonight)  Leaving Helsinki, enroute to Stockholm:
1053  Radio Maria, St Petersburg at very good level at 16:03 with monotonous rambling by a single YL
684  Radio Radonezh, St Petersburg with similar programming to above, but not in //.  Also very strong.
1035  Radio Eli, Estonia  Russian religious programming.  Very good level.  
Otherwise, a blank on the MW dial at this time (7:00 PM local)

73, from the high seas…. Walt Salmaniw to WOR iog (2024-05-13)

Slovenia

As of 18:00 today, Radio koper on 549khz is back on the air.
I just hope that the transmitter does not break to much because we sadly all know what the alternative option is….

Mitja Kocjančič (2024-05-13)

United States

The FCC has cancelled the licenses of KASA Radio Hogar’s Regional Mexican “La Indiscreta1540 KASA and 106.7 K294CW Phoenix AZ.

The commission became aware of KASA’s issues in December 2023 when Entravision completed the move of 106.9 KDVA (now KFUE) Buckeye to 106.7 and filed interference complaints against K294CW. Entravision followed up stating that the AM had been silent without authority or operating from unauthorized locations for over a year, while the translator was originating programming. Following an FCC letter of inquiry to the station in February, KASA filed three STA applications and responded to the LOI acknowledging some violations but arguing they could be resolved by the FCC granting their STA requests and a waiver.

KASA sold the majority of its tower land in 2019 and filed an STA to operate at reduced power, which was reapplied for until the authorization expired in December 2022. In its last request to the FCC following the LOI, KASA claims it continued to operate under the STA facilities except from February 19 to April 17 of this year when it had an equipment failure but that the translator did continue to broadcast as it was “consistent with the Commission’s efforts to revitalize AM stations by allowing them to obtain cross-service FM translators.”

After the cancellation, KASA Radio Hogar reapplied for an STA for K294CW claiming the FCC erred in stating that the translator’s special operating conditions tied it exclusively to KASA and is now seeking to rebroadcast 1280 KXEG Phoenix, but not acknowledging the interference caused to KFUE.
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/268494/fcc-report-5-12-kasa-no-longer-home-in-phoenix/

Lance Venta, RadioInsight (2024-05-12)

Spain – Ceuta

Google-translated from French:

1934-2024, 90 years of Radio Ceuta in the Spanish exclave on the coast of Morocco. This May 9 is the anniversary of the first broadcast of the oldest radio station in Ceuta. The EAJ-46 station was owned by the company “Mas, Bernaola y Compañía” and then sold with Radio Melilla to “Torres Quevedo” in 1954.
Torres Quevedo wanted to develop radio in North Africa with Radio Ceuta, Radio Melilla and Radio Dersa in Tangier. Thanks to its 3 stations, it covered the entire Moroccan coast and part of the Algerian coast. The independence of Morocco in 1956 put an end to this vast project in 1963: Radio Dersa stopped its broadcasts and “Torres Quevedo” sold its two other stations.
In difficulty in the 1960s, it was part of the network of the Spanish Broadcasting Company, SER. It was the contribution of programs from Cadena SER which made it possible to relaunch the radio.
At the beginning, Radio Ceuta broadcast on 1409 KHz medium wave with 200 W. Its transmitter was located at the top of Mount Hacho. The studio was in a building, now defunct, on Calle Salud Tejero. They then moved to 32 Poblado Marinero.
If it was the first radio station to broadcast from Ceuta, today it shares the airwaves with RNE, four private stations: Onda Cero, Radio Solidaria, Onda Color, Radiolé and two religious stations: Adventiste and Maria. All broadcast on FM, except Radiolé, which took over the place of Radio Ceuta on medium waves 1584 kHz, it must be said that both belong to the same owner.

Radio Magazine FB group (2024-05-09)

Spain

Google-translated from French:

100 years of radio, first! “. This May 12, we celebrate the centenary of the first broadcast of regular radio programs in Spain. It is a highly contested anniversary, because on that date, Radio Iberica was broadcasting without a license.
Radio Iberica SA was founded by two companies. As early as 1922, one of these two companies was already marketing “wireless telegraph receivers for receiving concerts and radiotelegraph and radiotelephone auditions” broadcast from abroad.
Isolated tests were carried out in 1923 and early 1924. It was tempting for Radio Iberica to be the first radio station on the airwaves. To the point of putting the transmitter into service as soon as it was announced that a law would authorize it. A quick start without waiting for the publication of the royal decree and without even submitting the license request!
Illegal broadcasts given that it was only on June 14, 1924 that the royal decree was published. A regulator who fixed the power, prices, broadcast periods and content.
The first broadcasts were produced in the Radio Iberica studios located at Paseo del Rey n° 18, de Más Madrid and broadcast on 392 meters. The broadcasts were scheduled between seven in the afternoon and midnight.
It was therefore only from June that future private radio stations were able to apply for a broadcast license. The first stations registered were EAJ-1 Radio Barcelona, EAJ-2 Radio España, EAJ-4 Radio Castilla, etc. Radio Iberica, our illustrious precursor, obtained the callsign EAJ-6. Then in 1925 there was EAJ-7 Radio Union. Surprisingly, the Radiocommunications Technical and Inspection Council demanded the alternation of nighttime schedules between Radio Unión and Radio Iberica! In 1927, the two stations joined forces with others to begin the creation of a first network.
See you on November 14, to CELEBRATE 100 years of radio in Spain, with SER and legal radio EAJ-1 Radio Barcelona.
To avoid offending anyone and to make everyone agree, we will say that Radio Iberica was the first in Spain and Radio Barcelona was the first in Catalonia! This should save me from neighborhood wars, given that I live near Waterloo in Belgium, the land of exile of Carles Puigdemont!

Michel Fremy, Radio Magazine FB group (2024-05-12)

Ireland

A very noisy MW band here this evening except for Radio North 846KHz who are again putting out an unmodulated carrier. I can just about hear Radio Star Country on 981KHz although not well enough for a positive ID. NW coast Isle of Man.

Les Kaighin to mwcircle FB group (2024-05-12)