Yan Yinan - China Drive Host Passes Away

Beijing Cream Author, Anthony Tao, has broken the sad news of the untimely death of China Radio International's China Drive Host, Yan Yinan

Yan Yinan died from injuries sustained from suicide after she jumped from her apartment building. A credible piece of information from Beijing Cream says "Some of her colleagues were seen crying inside the CRI office on Friday. A source said CRI management has emailed staffers asking them to keep news of Yan’s death off social media out of respect for her family, and that there is an internal “ongoing discussion” about how to proceed." Beijing Cream broke the story on April 2, 2013 at 5:27 pm

Yan is being described as someone very special to everyone who knew her and worked with her. All information further says that even when she was on her own time, she was someone who was well respected, well-liked, and words such as "mentor" come into play as part of her life's narrative. Obviously, losing Yan Yinan means that the world has lost someone who brought immeasurable value with her during her life.

 China Radio International has released this statement:

"China Radio International is sad to announce the tragic passing of Yan Yinan after a struggle with illness. She will be missed as a colleague and friend. Out of respect for her privacy and the wishes of her family, we hope everyone can join us in giving them the ability to grieve in private."

CRI's description of Yan Yinan as someone who died from a "struggle with illness" is confirmed to be completely dishonest. Although some people who commit suicide do have a background of mental illness, this is not the case with Yan, and definitely not the case with everyone who ends their lives so drastically.

Her co-host, Mark Griffith has declined to make a public statement regarding Yan Yinan. 

This clip from China Drive, recorded on November 4th, 2008, features Yan Yinan with her co-host closing out an episode of the show.



A recent China Drive show recorded on April 25th, 2013, can be heard here

The China Drive webpage is here

Yan's C.R.I. Profile is here 

There appears to be some controversy over allegations that China Radio International intentionally covered up Yan's death, but never attempted to cover up the death of Xu Huaiqian.

Keith Perron, the owner of PCJ Media and PCJ Radio International once worked with Yan Yinan during his time at C.R.I. See the PCJ statement here.

We now learn that Yan Yinan's death took place on March 29th, not April 2nd, as was earlier released. Keith Perron says he vaguely remembers Yan Yinan as someone who worked in the newsroom and features department.

Other Suicides of China Radio International Staffers:

PCJ Media confirms other suicides at C.R.I. such as the death a few years ago of a man of Middle Eastern descent who jumped from the rooftop of CRI's building in Babaoshan western Beijing. This staffer was assigned to one of CRI's Middle Eastern language sections. Jon Kennedy in the English Section of C.R.I. is another death, his body was cremated without an autopsy. Keith Perron questions the official story given which reported Jon to have died from heart attack.

At this time, C.R.I. continues to shroud Yan Yinan's death in secrecy. Shortwave America and PCJ Media / PCJ Radio International wish to send condolences to the family, co-workers, and friends of Yan Yinan.  

Chicago Police Department Communications Discipline

Chicago has become the murder capitol of the world. Located inside the borders of the only state that explicitly says citizens have absolutely no legal rights to self - defense of any sort, be it with your hands or with a gun, the ranks of the Chicago Police Department have been thinning even in the face of new hires.

Thinning ranks at the Chicago Police Department also means higher stress levels for their sworn members. Most interactions between police and the public are professional, and most of the conduct over the air between CPD Officers and Chicago's OEMC dispatchers is almost always jovial, free-flowing, professional, and kept to necessary details.

An audio clip recorded on 8-21-2012 has surfaced that shows us just how stress, confusion, and chaos can affect the working relationships between officers and dispatchers. The audio from Chicago Police Department Radio Zone 12 starts out as the 15th district is working a case involving a robbery offender or offenders with a weapon, and becomes tense from there.

 

Transcript:

Officer: Ok, I'm on the way

Radio Dispatcher: 1519 officer, we'll hold ya down, any information on these robbery offenders? Anyone have any info?

Field Unit: 1506 Eddy, Uh, they said that they took a shot at them, so uh, there IS a weapon involved here.

Field unit: (unidentified transmission) good thing ya got that job out for us before you (officer speaking too fast to be clearly intelligible) squad!

Dispatcher: umm, calm YOURSELF DOWN

Field unit: 150?? Sarge, did ya copy that?

Dispatcher: Yep, I copied everything you gave me and I gave it out, that's a 10-4!

Field unit: (Unidentified transmission) You gave it out when you felt like it, didn't ya?

Dispatcher: Shut - up!

Field Unit: (Unidentified transmission) don't tell me to shut up, do your job right!

Field Unit: 2533Robert

Dispatcher: Call me on the phone and I'll tell you what ya did incorrectly! 2533Robert

Field Unit: Yes ma'am, can you call this car back, tell em' to meet us outside cause this house looks pretty secure in the back if he wants to walk through

Dispatcher: sure would, 10-4!

Dispatcher: That unit, I have your radio number. If you come over the air, you'll be written up.

Field Unit: (Unidentified transmission) what's that?

Dispatcher: That's radio 9960, 9960 for the comments.

Field Unit: (unidentified transmission) write me up!

Dispatcher: You will be, keep talking!

Dispatcher: alright, gimme your name!

Field Unit cuts in with unidentified transmission: cut it out!

Field unit cuts in emotionally with unidentified transmission: I'm not gonna ask to be recognized whenever I'm looking for a man with a gun, squad! You can just answer the question, alright!

Dispatcher: 9960 for that radio number, if you say anything else you WILL be written up! YOU HEARD ME ask the unit he has the air for information so...stop it with your comments!

Field Unit cuts in aggressively and emotionally: your job before you did that!

Dispatcher: I never gave out a job!

Unidentified female field unit: hey, let's keep the radio open / clear now!

Dispatcher: Sergeant, you're the boss! Tell your units to stop with the comments!

We now know this armed robbery incident and radio exchange took place overnight between 10PM and 7:30AM because of the 25th district "robert" designator. 

This whole exchange took place over a time period of one minute and fourty five seconds. That is enough time for a unit to have had a life threatening emergency in an armed situation like this. The people of the city of Chicago DO NOT need sworn police officers who can't get along with each other, and neither do they need police officers and communications dispatchers in that same situation of not being able to work well with each other. Hot heads, emotional reactions, and law enforcement DO NOT mix!

Keeping this communications related, this is a good example of how NOT to communicate with others. Judicious use of radio air time in any emergency profession is key. They WAY our nation's emergency responders communicate with each other matters just as much as knowing WHEN and WHEN NOT to say anything on the air. Discretion is the better part of valor.

As this transcript shows, several violations of CPD policy took place as did several violations of FCC laws in regards to proper identification of radio transmissions. FCC laws and regulations apply to everyone who uses communications gear, and even to those who live in Florida and operate well pumps in bad repair.  

Hopefully, something was done about this radio exchange. Besides placing other officers in danger, it placed the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications in a bad light. The City of Chicago has enough problems, enough of a bad image, and incidents like this just make things worse. Would this dispatcher have ignored other demands for police service coming across her screen to continue the argument with the field unit with radio#9960? Would the police officer have ignored criminal activity to continue the argument with the dispatcher? Did this incident continue with further exchanges between radio 9960 and the dispatcher? We'll never know. 

CISPA Blackout

Shortwave America will be participating in the CISPA Blackout of April 22nd, 2013. When you come to the main page, you will be greeted by THIS:

Shortwave America will be back on-line April 23rd, 2013

Guest Post - Bob Zanotti On The Relationship Between DX Chasers and Shortwave Broadcasters

In recent months I have received several private questions and comments about postings on various shortwave-related forums, which were highly critical of so-called “DXers” – the term commonly used by broadcasters to refer to those who make a hobby out of tuning the bands for signals to identity, just in order to obtain a QSL card, as opposed to those who actually listen to programs and comment on program content. Although my name and that of Bob Thomann were mentioned in some of the postings in question, we were not directly involved in them.

But there is an issue here, and it is based on this fact: Broadcasters need to be able to demonstrate that their programs are not only reaching their target areas in a technical sense, but very importantly, also that the expenditures for program production, transmission infrastructure and the cost of sponsorship are warranted, in the sense that the MESSAGE is getting through to the audience. DXers do not help matters here, but Shortwave LISTENERS or “SWLs” do.

It is no secret that the management of Swiss Radio International (and other SW broadcasters) was upset over DXers , and asked Bob Thomann and me to address the issue in the Swiss Shortwave Merry-Go-Round, which we did. In fact, I think we were the first SW broadcasters to do so, but not the last.

However, while I can confirm that the SRI management did not like "QSL-hunting DXers” who didn't listen to program content and sometimes referred to them as “DX nuts”, Bob Thomann and I were always diplomatic in discussing this issue over the air, and we never called anyone names. Our position on-air can be summarized this way, and it was stated many, many times:

"We [broadcasters] are not here simply to supply a signal to identify, just for the purpose of getting a QSL card. If that were the reason for our efforts, we might as well transmit a 1,000 Hz tone along with an ID loop. There is no conflict between being a technically-interested DXer and being a program *listener*. Just use your technical skills to improve reception to the extent possible, but then, *listen* to the program. You'll get a QSL card, but all we're asking for is some comments about our programs, whether good or bad. This is what justifies the enormous cost of our broadcasts, but QSL card-hunting does not."

This was and still is our position on DXers, and I know it is shared by other SW broadcasting veterans. From that perspective, DXers were and are very frustrating for the broadcaster and program-maker, and I feel sure that this group was, indeed, at least partly responsible for the demise of big-time shortwave broadcasting after the end of the Cold War.

Having said all of the above, I want to make it very clear that this issue can be discussed in a businesslike and objective way, and I discourage the use of language that could be construed as abusive or excessively provocative on the part of either side of the argument.

I know how easy it is in this field to get embroiled in controversy and in-fighting. For this reason, I want to emphasize that the purpose of this posting is to restate the position of Bob Thomann and me on this issue for the record. While I realize that the discussion will continue, this posting is not intended to add to or encourage the debate. There are more appropriate forums than SIS for this purpose. Any related comments are, of course, welcome.

Digital Radiograms Gaining Popularity With Shortwave Broadcasters

Taking the lead of the amateur radio community, shortwave stations, WRMI in Miami, Florida; KBC; and VOA with their "VOA Radiogram", and PCJ Radio, are discovering the powerful and robust communications that can be accomplished with modes like Olivia, MFSK64, RTTY, and PSK.

Had we looked back down the road even a decade ago, there is no way anyone would have guessed that shortwave stations would even give amateur radio digital modes a first glance, much less start using digital modes.

Jan Oosterveen of KBC says: "Olivia is a robust digital text mode. It can overcome all types of noise. But can Olivia 8-1000, reduced by 24 dB, be decoded under the amazing voice of country singer Suzy Bogguss? We will find out 24 March 2013 at about 0130 UTC, with the mode centered on 2500 Hz. This will be during The Mighty KBC broadcast to North America, 0000-0200 UTC on 7375 kHz. And at just before 0200 UTC, MT63-1000 (long interleave) in Flmsg format will be centered on 1500 Hz, and an MFSK32 image centered on 2500 Hz." Jan says "Listen between 00.00-02.UTC on 7.375 kHz beamed to North America."

The following joint press release from VOA and WRMI has this useful information:

While it will be strictly one mode at a time this weekend on VOA Radiogram, WRMI, Radio Miami International, will fill its channel (9955 kHz) with multiple instances of digital text.
On Saturday, 23 March 2013, 0400 UTC to 0400 UTC Sunday (midnight to midnight EDT), WRMI IDs will be in BPSK63F, centered on 900, 1300, 1700, 2100, 2500, and 2900 Hertz. (The RSID will guide you to 2500 Hz.)

On Sunday 0400 to Monday 0400 UTC, PSKR250 will be centered on 900, 1700, 2500 (RSID will be 2500 Hz), and PSKR125 on 1300, 2100, and 2900 Hz

The WRMI IDs are generally at the top of the hour and sometimes also at 30 minutes past the hour. Don ‘t let low signal level and noise on the channel discourage you from trying to decode these.
Taiwan-based PCJ Radio International will transmit a message in MFSK32 via WRMI at 0227 UTC on 31 March 2013. 

(End press release) 

Now, since DRM turned out to be dead in the water; this should become interesting since the equipment and software to decode digital modes is easily available, or CAN be accessed by most people even if they have to ask a friend or family member to do it, the wider audience will definitely take interest for the reason that those regions of the globe who have been victimized by China's malicious interference would still be able to decode quite easily since the job of separating interference from digital communications is actually easier than separating it from the spoken voice.

This could very well go beyond an experimental stage to become a trend if stations turn out to like this sort of efficiency. The only real drawback is that digital modes are full duty cycle that can add to wear and tear on transmitters. However, there is a chance that the digital traffic might be pre-recorded, therefore saving the transmitters from the dreadful effects of full duty cycle work.
   
Here's an interesting thought as this article closes: It would be neat to find out later on down the road that China's choice to use digital modes for malicious interference was the impetus for this trend of experimentation! The next thought to go with it is that it would be interesting if entire programs start to be conducted in digital modes.  
 

Analysis of Papal Relationship With Vatican Radio, International Media

A David Willet - BBC quote today says a lot about Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, elected as Pope Francis I.

"Francis is a Jesuit, a member of perhaps the most powerful and experienced religious order of the Catholic Church. The Jesuits are expert communicators and it is significant that one of the first people summoned to meet the new Pope this morning was Father Federico Lombardi, head of Vatican Radio (run for many years by the Jesuits) and the Vatican Press Office. "Under Pope Benedict, Father Lombardi was a mere functionary who had no direct access to the Pope. He could not pick up the phone and talk things through quickly - he just received orders from the Vatican Secretariat of State. That has now changed overnight."

"It will be interesting to see what changes are made to Vatican Radio's output under Pope Francis", said Andy Sennitt, retired from RNW.

The BBC quotes a source as saying this: "At dinner he half-jokingly toasted his fellow Cardinals with a prayerful quip: "May God forgive you for what you have done!"

Furthermore, the BBC reports the following:
Security for an unannounced trip into the city with the Pope was kept to a minimum. Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, pointed out to journalists that the Vatican's security officers - the famed ceremonial Swiss Guard and the 150-strong police force - are there to serve the pontiff, not to restrict his movements. "He will do his own thing in his own time and at his own speed," Father Lombardi said.

Further notes on Pope Francis I say that he will have audience with the press this coming Saturday, and that he seems to have a "vivid awareness" that he has a lot of work to do at this juncture of Catholic church history. This important quote sounds pretty re-assuring that Pope Francis is going to be a Pope of the people: "Public relations will be a priority at a particularly sensitive moment of papal transition."

What this might mean for Vatican Radio and other international broadcasters who report news and items of public interest regarding the pope and the church:

Given that the order the Pope belongs to is accomplished at training their progeny to be expert communicators, it can be expected that Pope Francis will be very blunt and brutally honest, he will cut right to the point and will not beat around the bush. Pope Francis, as a Jesuit member, will have much to say about Vatican Radio operations and the content of programming. Reasonable speculation can be laid on some aspects of more modern programming becoming a bit more traditional. We can definitely expect Pope Francis to be someone who could possibly want some items on Vatican Radio to be cleared by him prior to being aired.

In terms of Pope Francis' relations with international broadcasters outside of Vatican Radio, we might see him more willing to be approached on topics that are more narrowly tailored to his vision for the papacy, the church, leadership expectations within the church, reform of certain matters of policy, and what he wants the church image to become.

As this is the most important aspect of communications with Pope Francis, some of us are wondering if Pope Francis will be monitoring more than just local radio, and whether or not he will be listening to international shortwave broadcasts relevant to his interests. Jesuits, as a general rule, usually do tend to pay more attention to radio than television. Given that this Pope is more of a humble individual focused on the needs of people, we can reasonably say there is about an 50 to 65% chance that he will be tuning in as his time allows.

Young people in the Catholic church culture have openly stated that they wanted a Pope who would be for young persons, so from the communications perspective, it will be interesting to see whether or not Pope Francis pays attention to where the communications / media interests of young people are swaying these days. 

Tim Allen's Last Man Standing and Ham Nation Work Together To Publicize Amateur Radio

Hosts Bob Heil - K9EID (Heil Microphones), Gordon West - WB6NOA (Gordon West Radio School), George Thomas - W5JDX, and Don Wilbanks - AE5DW (Amateur Radio Newsline) bring out the best aspects of amateur radio communications for "Last Man Standing", on the ABC Television Network. Watch Ham Nation episode 88 to go on a behind the scenes look at the ham radio gear used on the set of Tim Allen's Last Man Standing.

This episode guest stars ABC Last Man Standing Producer, John Amodeo (NN6JA), Julian Frost (N3JF), and Cheryl Lasek (K9BIK), also of Amateur Radio Newsline.