Andy Sennitt Has Left The Building!

Well, not quite yet...ten business days from now will be the final day of the Media Network Weblog serving Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

Andy is without a doubt, the most skilled and well known radio journalism professional to have ever walked the planet. No one could even attempt to fill his shoes and do it the way Andy did things. Shortwave America knew as early as last year that Andy had made solid, confirmed plans to retire but chose to let Andy make the announcement himself before commenting on Andy and his career. 

This was a simple act of respect towards Andy, who had earned his respect amongst all of us by way of his hard work, dedication, integrity, and his outgoing personality. You can read the full story announcing Andy's retirement here. 

As much as Andy will be missed, the fact is that radio and the world of tracking radio media are in a state of change. The sad part of this is that the business Andy loved so much was the same business that forced Andy's hand in choosing his early retirement as evidenced by his own statement " Due to the new mandate of RNW effective on 1 January 2013, it will no longer be possible for the organisation to provide coverage of international media news." 

Keith Perron of PCJ Media made a statement at the 2012 SWL Fest on the new frame of mind of radio management in that they are younger, they are inexperienced, and have never worked in a studio, never produced a show, and have never been in the shoes of those who have performed field work. What this statement says in its spirit and meaning is that these younger managers of the corporate world have absolutely no clue what radio is, how powerful radio is, and how they are affecting radio for the worse. 

Radio is the original "social network", be it amateur radio and other two-way HF / AM / FM radio services, or the shortwave broadcast service. This author was interviewed by Ted Randall back in February on his "QSO Show" airing on WTWW.

Ted made a very true statement in that conversation..."You know who's making these decisions, don't you?" "Governments! and we all know what happens when governments make the decisions". Ted also pointed out that the Tecsun Corporation makes 30,000 shortwave receivers a day, and the audience is out here. 

People WANT to know what is happening on an international basis with shortwave broadcast services, and really, shortwave is one of the last places that you can find international news items that the main stream media does not or will not cover. If you listen to shortwave and then compare what you hear to what is found in the MSM, very little of that shortwave news you heard is ever covered and when it does get covered, the spin that is applied to it is absolute rubbish! 

Andy Sennitt has always been a genuine person, and this business has no idea as to the gem they have thrown away. Andy started on the Media Network Radio Show in 1981 and quickly became a leader in his field, gaining the respect of his peers and anyone else he worked with. Andy says this in his retirement press release: "In April I shall be writing a series of articles reflecting on the changes in international broadcasting since I started appearing on the Media Network radio show in 1981, and looking ahead to the coming decade. The articles will be published on the RNW English website."

Andy asks only one thing of his audience at this time: "If you have any memories of RNW or other international broadcasters that you would like to share, I will be pleased to hear from you at MediaNetwork@rnw.nl and I’ll try to include them in the articles." Andy also says it will take him some time, but he will get back to those who have written in to him.

At least RNW has agreed to allow the Media Network Weblog to remain on their own site as a searchable archive going all the way back to 2003. Andy states that his last day at RNW is April 26th, 2012. 

Thank you, Andy, for all the decades of hard work, for how you have paved the way for all of those who have come up in your shadow with the proper attitude, focus, and love of radio. You will always be among the greats in the radio world, and I consider myself privileged to have been one of the people who were influenced by you. 

All of us wish you big returns for all of the great things you have done. May you have the best of life, always!

Celebrating World Radio Day

Today, 13 February 2012, is World Radio Day. Andy Sennitt wrote a great piece on this at Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

Here's a quote from Andy as part of the article reads:

"Radio is still a vital form of communication because a radio station can be set up much faster, and at much lower cost, than a terrestrial or satellite TV station. Radio is especially useful for reaching remote communities and vulnerable people such as the illiterate, the disabled and the poor. It also provides a platform for such groups to take part in the wider public debate.

Radio also plays a vital role in emergency communication and disaster relief, which was illustrated following the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in December 2004. RNW was able to help several partner stations in Indonesia by sending out “radio stations in a box” – self-contained mobile FM stations providing a temporary studio and transmitter ready to be used by broadcasters whose own facilities had been destroyed."

World Radio Day is a time of education and social engagement, and that is what radio is about to begin with. In this age, there are many new grassroots radio programs around with as many specialty topics as a person can imagine.  Thanks to RNW and Andy Sennitt for helping to keep radio alive!

For those of us who are also licensed amateur radio ops, we should be doing our part today to help remind those people around us that the internet is just a tool, and not to be wholly relied upon as the end-all, be-all of mass communication. Visit the WORLD RADIO DAY WEBSITE to learn more.

****WORLD RADIO DAY UPDATES****

THIS ARTICLE and VIDEO talk about the 594 transmitter in Victoria, Australia.

WAH WAH FM Article

The UK Guardian Article

Lifeline Energy Article



Radio Canada International Audio Episode - World Radio Day

Radio Canada International - Canadian group uses radio to help vulnerable people in remote locations



World Radio Day Special Announcement by Keith Perron on behalf of Nigel Holmes at Radio Australia:

Nigel Holmes is the frequency manager at Radio Australia. He is now working on RA's A12 schedule. Good news! No cut back in transmissions. In fact there will be an increase of hours. Two of the major changes are the following. 17750khz directed to East Asia is being re-directed to Fiji. 21725khz directed to East Asia is getting an extra hour. 

There are two frequencies being dropped for the Pacific, but these two transmitters are being re-directed to South East Asia and East Asia. Here in East Asia you can listen to Radio Australia nearly 24/7 on shortwave in near MV quality. Nigel told me it's a challenge because from Shepperton it take around 3000km before the signal even hits water.

On the DRM front we all know about DRM. Some stations like Radio New Zealand International use DRM to feed local stations in the Pacific. This is an excellent application for DRM. Much cheaper than satellite time and more efficient. Radio Australia will be doing a similar test. I have to say I have a DRM receiver that I sometimes use and I love the sound it has. For rebroadcast on MV or FM it's excellent. As for a replacement for regular HF, DRM sucks. Receivers are too expensive and cannot be found anywhere.

Songs Celebrating Radio 

Randy Stonehill - I Thirst For You
"and I listened to the radio and it hit me like a miracle when I found that I could sing and play guitar"

The Ham Band - Join Us On The Airwaves (video)

WKRP Full Theme (video)


Tiffany - Radio Romance (video, audio quality may not be so good)


Superbus - Radio Song (video)


Donna Summer - On The Radio (Video)


Reba McEntire - Turn On The Radio (video)


CW Song (video)

Radio Netherlands & Deutsche Welle Join Forces

Read The Story Here

Maybe we'll see improved Shortwave Broadcast and maybe even a renewed interest in putting new programming on the shortwave bands along with an eye towards preserving the medium. 

The Voice Of Dheera - Helping Us To Hear The World

 

Dheera Sujan brings to the table, her experience as a member of Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Dheera's program, "Hear The World" started on April 3rd, 2011. Hear The World has an archive of eight shows, all of them focusing on the enjoyment of the art of world music. 

Dheera visits various Dutch world music venues to produce this show. Her May 21st show brings us music from the Muslim Soufi tradition, songs of struggle from Africa in the Western Sahara, a debut premier by two artists from India who hit the music scene in 2010 who have a new CD available, and finally a musical taste of  Brazil.

You can learn more about Dheera by following this link, and also by viewing the Radio Netherlands Official Hear The World Site.

Listen to Dheera's May 21st show here

Radio Netherlands Worldwide - Earthbeat Presents Dumpster Diving For Lunch

Unfortunately, some places are not so much better than others; especially when people have to resort to dumpster diving. WATCH IT HERE.

Apparently this is a crime in the Netherlands, even though the food was discarded and from a logical point of view, cannot realistically be said to belong to anyone. Hopefully a time will come when no one will have to do this.

Radio Netherlands World Wide: What Happens In The Interrogation Room

                  Secrets Of The Interrogation Room
                                  LISTEN HERE

RNW Moves Hörby SW Transmitters To Madagascar

Southgate Amateur Radio News brings us this story about Radio Netherlands Worldwide moving their transmitters. The newly purchased ABB transmitters are said to be much more energy efficient and this will allow the cost of the new transmitters to be recovered in a short time. 

However, it seems that there is some bad news attached to this: (Quote from Southgate)

"Recently, RNW management announced that it intended to speed up the process of replacing shortwave with other distribution platforms, including the closure of its relay stations in Bonaire and Madagascar. The Bonaire facility is scheduled for closure at the end of October 2012, but no closure date has yet been decided for Madagascar."

Of all the stations in the world, no one would have ever guessed that Radio Netherlands would even consider losing shortwave in favor of other media platforms. Thank God PCJ Radio has decided to keep shortwave radio alive with the new world service! If stations keep taking their shortwave operations off the air, all there will be left are pirates and although pirates aren't all bad, they risk getting raided by their respective broadcast licensing authorities if they operate too regularly as to become predictable.