Chinese Government, China Radio International Noticeably Quiet On Topic of BBC and VOA Interference

Keeping a watch on Chinese government sites and especially their state broadcasters such as China Radio International (CRI) has been interesting to say the least. Yesterday's piece about the facts and profile of BBC and VOA interference performed by the Chinese Government was just the start of a series of pieces here that will talk about, tease apart, and analyze the Chinese Government war against foreign broadcasts.

On the CRI website yesterday, it was noticed that the chinese Government would easily release information about three pending executions of convicted murderers by lethal injection, but in the heat of a widespread international conversation on international press freedom, CRI, CCTV, and the Chinese Government have been noticeably quiet. Although there have been some suspicions that Iran or Libya could be involved in malicious interference, experienced residents of those countries who regularly monitor shortwave frequencies have said now as in the past that neither Iran, nor Libya, would ever be able to act with the sort of strong efficiency we see in this round and pattern of interference.

An overnight session of monitoring the CRI English Service from February 27th, 2013 to February 28th, 2013 had negative results in respect to mentions or reference to BBC or VOA broadcasts, nor were there any mentions on any programs of China being active in any sort of media campaign. This does not seem to point to innocence on China's part, however. There is actually consistency and corroboration to the rumor that secret orders were handed down to reign in foreign broadcasters as mentioned in yesterday's piece, and this corroboration comes directly from China's silence.

Over the many ages of Chinese Government having the sort of structure and rule they have, the telling statements of guilt has always been their silence, and as we all know, silence speaks a thousand words! Chinese Government has engaged in one consistent practice of behavior that forms the modus operandi we all have become so accustomed to. Within the pattern of behavior is where the real story is told and analysis can be done.

A Wikipedia entry on the topic says the following:

Targets
Since broadcasting began in 1996, Chinese authorities have consistently jammed Radio Free Asia broadcasts.^[4] In 2002, the Broadcasting Board of Governors reported that "that virtually all of VOA's and RFA's shortwave radio transmissions directed to China [...] are jammed," including their Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Uyghur language services.^[5]
In 2008, the Oslo-based Voice of Tibet reported that jamming of its radio communications intensified during the 2008 Tibetan unrest, as authorities increased the number of disrupted signals it employed to block outside transmissions.^[1]
Other targets for jamming include the BBC World Service, and Sound of Hope radio network.^[6]

Response

In 2011, some international radio broadcasters, including the BBC and VOA, announced plans to scale down or close their Mandarin shortwave service for China due to spending cuts and frustrations caused by jamming efforts^[7][8] BBC and VOA instead chose to invest more heavily in internet radio; both received financial support from the U.S. Department of State to fund and research internet censorship-circumvention software, such as Freegate and Ultrasurf, to enable their Chinese audience to access their programs online.^[9][10]
Broadcasters have also sought to educate their audiences on the use of anti-jamming technology.^[11]

One correction to this article has to be made: China has been broadcasting since before 1996, so, perhaps there needs to be some clarity that it was Firedrake interference that started being broadcast in 1996??

As of the last 24 hours, one of the most respected, expert, radio monitors in the world said something that tells us in great detail exactly what is going on! Here is that quote:

"The Beam is on slightly South of Oman and the BBC is in the clear with weak jamming underneath and as I start to turn the beam towards the East BBC drops and the Jamming comes on top and I settle on about 20 degrees East of North. The Jamming is clearing coming from China NOT Iran. The S metre drop just 5db from 15db over 9 and stays that way." 

Here is a recording of THAT instance in the last 24 hours taken on the following date, time, and frequency: BBC World Service Frequency 17.790.2 Khz - February 28th 2013 - 9.46.56 AM (Time Zone Witheld)

China Starts Communications Media War - Targets BBC and VOA Broadcasts

Just when everyone got used to hearing Firedrake, China's most well known music used to maliciously interfere with foreign broadcasters, the world has been hearing THIS! The recording was made on 17790khz at 0706UTC. Date: February 27, 2013. This recording is one sample of many that are now floating around radio communications circles.

The sound you hear in the recording resembles one of several digital communication modes  that can be heard across the high frequency bands from 160meters (1800Khz) to about 10meters (28500Khz) and usually in SSB (Single Side-Band) mode. What you are hearing is someone knowingly, willfully, and maliciously interfering with international broadcast services.

At first, it seemed as though the BBC was the only victim of this nasty behavior, but the VOA (Voice of America) has also been a target of a well organized and well-resourced country. The guess at this time, given the timing of these instances of interference is that the malicious radio interference is originating from China.

"The BBC said that while it is not possible to know who is doing the jamming, "the extensive and co-ordinated efforts are indicative of a well-resourced country such as China." says an article at VOA's website. The BBC is incorrect that there is no way to know who is performing the illegal and malicious broadcast interference. Triangulation and other RF Direction Finding techniques are available. There has been no news about if the BBC and / or the VOA are seeking such remedies.

Consistent with the recordings out here of the now famous malicious interference which has affected just about every part of the world on the shortwave bands, VOA says this:

"At VOA headquarters in Washington, engineers say that while the agency's Chinese-language broadcasts are routinely jammed in China, its English broadcasts usually are not. They noticed the jamming of the English programs about a month ago and say it appears to use a new technology."

The technology being used is not new, but is a combination of digital modes based on something similar to RTTY and possibly SSTV. Shortwave America is making efforts to identify this mode and how it was written in an attempt to decode it to see if there is anything such as a message or other identifiers being sent in the data stream. Even if there are only zeros and ones being carried, it tells us something about who wrote this digital mode, what their mindset was, what their technical abilities are, and might even tell us about the sort of equipment being used. Just like when police use ballistics to test bullets, we in the communications circles can do a sort of analysis of these signals to identify specific characteristics of it.
 
This specific digital mode is definitely military in nature because of the wobbly weebly sound that is heard in the recordings. If you scan across the HF bands in any mode, you can hear a digital mode that has nothing but THAT "wobbly weebly" make up to it. It's simply a shifting of tones which is a variance of phase shift keying with data attached to it. Now, listening further, you can hear what almost sounds like a characteristic of what we have known for decades as the "Russian Buzzer"; only it's in a fast high pitch that comes in bursts of sound in a 1-2-3 beat pattern.

All of these details of the mode being used would tend to indicate someone who has knowledge of radio technical arts specific to digital, data, ciphers, code writing and decoding, transmitter and antenna capabilities in high-power environments, antenna radiation patterns, signal propagation, and communications warfare. The offender is going to be a male between 30 and 50 years old, has a background in high level government communications with military experience, holds a certification or license for radio work, likely has an electronics degree or holds advanced mathematics understanding whether documented by an educational institution or not.

The offender is operating voluntarily as opposed to being under duress due to the sort of time and concentration needed to create and then pre-record the digital product. Those affected should know that this is going to be someone of either an Asian or Middle-Eastern culture who holds communist or other extreme beliefs. It appears to be a fact that whoever is performing this interference is someone specifically assigned to run the sound on a repeating loop until the program being interfered with is over, or someone who is actively sitting by a receiver and operating the signal direct from a single site.

Since China has recently had a change in administration, it would make sense if this is someone wanting to show the higher leadership that they have foreign broadcasting under control, someone who wants to project a favorable image to higher leadership. This would be consistent with comments made on certain internet sites who carried the story of the targeted BBC/VOA interference to programs directed to the East and Southeast regions. The comments are pro-Chinese Government, communist in nature / tone, and openly sympathizes with such. This observation of comments and comment posting behavior at these websites was made by retired RNW member, Andy Sennitt.

According to Keith Perron at PCJ Radio: 

"They are very easy to spot. 1st: They always spew out pro-communist propaganda, 2nd: If you check their history you will see they only signed up after the news story was published, 3rd The way they write. You can check out various comments areas from different news sites both television, print and youtube with stories related to China and you will notice the same key words that pop up. Someone at CNN International they get thousands of posting a month like this."

Shortwave America has learned from PCJ that the Chinese Government employs upwards of 300,000 special agents who do nothing but internet police work aimed at censoring web based communications and creating propaganda. This includes posting their propaganda on internet sites, and comments sections of internet sites with phony accounts.

More information from PCJ says that Sina Weibo has had postings that reveal english broadcasts that were free from interference along with the frequencies and times.

Additionally, an anonymous source inside China says word has gotten around that there is indeed an uncomfirmed order to "prevent certain unfriendly broadcasters no matter the language from being heard in China". Victor Goonetileke has THIS RECORDING from February 26th, 2013 on 15155Khz in AM mode at 0059:55UTC.

Now it can be asserted factually that China is indeed the culprit behind this malicious interference by weight of evidence alone, and that they are using not one, but two different digital modes to interfere with international media broadcasts. Performing RF direction finding and triangulation would only confirm this as a formality.

Other links of interest in this on-going saga: 

U.K. Guardian: BBC Condemns China's 'deliberate' jamming of world service broadcasts

BBC Statement regarding interference to BBC World Service Broadcasts

BBC China Crew Detained By Chinese Military After Filming Cyber-Warfare Headquarters

Shortwave America will have more on the renewed Chinese war against foreign communications as it develops.

New Show Coming: Shortwave America Special Focus - Kids, Incorporated

The 1980s brought the world a cultural revolution in an era of difficult international relations, Reaganomics and the Laffer Curve, Mohawks and Jean Jackets, Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton-John, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, and Belinda Carlisle. We all wanted our MTV, and Twisted Sister spoke for all of us when they said "We Not Gonna Take It".

Europe had us all dreaming of living in another planet, and Kids Incorporated was one of the few shows parents would let their kids watch.

Full cast and crew credits are here. Above, you see the original first season cast of Kids, Inc. Just WHY did Shortwave America choose to do a special show on THIS show? Because the legacy of the show, the memories, and the fact that this was the only truly respectable children's show of a key decade of time that never had any public controversy attached to it. In the end, it also boiled down to the fact that many countless hundreds of thousands of fans have such great personal memories of this 80s and early 90s production, that it holds real merit.

Kids, Inc. was a high quality production for its time and tackled some of that era's most important issues in the pre-teen and teenage demographic. Overall, the 80s has a nostalgia all its own attached to it for all of us that lived in that decade and have our own valued memories, so this specific Shortwave America show will be one to treasure for several generations of people across every walk of life!

The songs performed on Kids, Inc. were all number 1 radio hits in the 80s, or otherwise enjoyed heavy rotation play at major stations everywhere. Until this show is ready to be unveiled, enjoy THIS video as a preview of what you'll enjoy!

     

New Show Coming: WLUP AM-1000 Celebrity Documentary

Rick Kaempfer (pictured above), has signed on to be part of a historic Shortwave America documentary involving a celebrity voice from what is considered the golden era of what was once the historic WLUP - AM1000! Rick is what can only be called a "Producer's Producer" and also owns his own publishing company, Eckhartz Press. Prior to forming Eckhartz Press, not only was Rick a skilled and well respected radio Producer, he also owned and operated Chicago Radio Spotlight, along with a list of other blogs that earned praise.

The celebrity voice from the old WLUP - AM1000 will remain a surprise for now, but here are a few hints:

He was known to walk into the studio with a backpack and a water bottle

He was always able to be emotionally provoking and even controversial while rarely ever crossing the line.

He had his own sense of style, and always brought his own brand of talk to the air

Though known for his unique show over the decades, he is also very versatile

WLUP AM-1000 was a sister station to WLUP 97.9FM, Chicago's premiere rock station. The story is best told in brief by the very voice of WLUP in the video below. Please note that the effort that made this video relevant at the time has since been discontinued, and the website affiliated with it is now gone.

There are hours of material to go through for this documentary, people to interview, and lots of work to be done. In the end, this will be the most dynamic show ever written and produced here at Shortwave America, and it's sure to make major media headlines! Keep visiting for progress updates, because you WANT to hear this show! 

BIG News From PCJ Radio

 January 26th, 2013 will mark a milestone for the PCJ Media Network Plus program. As of the given date, PCJ will have aired 100 episodes of this focused specialty international media show. PCJ Radio also wants all of you to know that: This March there will be 3 celebrations for PCJ!! The first one will be the 4th anniversary of Happy Station Show returning to the air. The second celebration will be Keith Perron's 4th anniversary as host. (Eddy Startz over 40 years, Tom Meijer over 20 years, Keith Perron 4 years. That's longer than Pete Myers and Jonathan Groubert) It's also the 4th anniversary of the founding of PCJ Radio/Media. For this celebration, there will be a special edition of Happy Station in March. One lucky person will have a chance to win a package of Happy Station Show promotional items. These are all new and include a 45rpm record of Tom Meijer. Stay tuned for details!!

The next piece of news out of PCJ Radio will bring everyone back to the good old days of shortwave listening. PCJ says: "In the next few weeks PCJ Radio will be releasing a package ring tones of 100 different interval signals from 100 stations. Some of them were recorded directly off shortwave, satellite and include ones that are studio copies. They are all recorded between 1930 and 2012. There will be a charge of 10$ for the full package. Payment will be done through PAYPAL. Once we receive payment we will send you an ID and PASSWORD to access the PCJ FTP to download the ZIP file."

See the official PCJ link here

 

Remember Sandy Hook Elementary

All names and photographs are courtesy of ABC 7 Television. Those not shown here are listed in the victim list above the photos. Shortwave America wishes to pass on deep condolences to everyone in Newtown, Connecticut. You will not be forgotten. Your lives mattered. Those who survived this horrible tragedy will forever be scarred, but know you have the support of caring and loving people around the world. Shortwave America will be participating in the moment of silence today, December 21st, 2012. 

We, the loving and compassionate members of society around the world will do our part to ensure that everything that can be done IS done to forever stop the loss of our innocent. 

Shortwave America Status - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

For all of those who frequent Shortwave America, you have noticed a lack of things happening here. That absence of activity has to do with a combination of health issues, business decision making, technical issues, and really, just a lack of anything truly newsworthy that would normally be presented here.The health, business, and technical issues are being worked towards a resolve.

There was supposed to be a Thanksgiving show for all of you, but, health concerns interfered once again. With any luck, a Christmas show will be posted here for all of you if things go right. Behind the scenes, Shortwave America is slowly but surely working on the new categories of shows mentioned earlier on. One new show that is also being written for future use here is a reflection going back twenty years on the music and influence of Mark Heard, who passed away in 1992 after performing what would be his final show in southern Illinois.

This show will take us back to Mark's death, and will explore how Mark's memory lives on to this day, how his work continues to influence his peers and fans, and what Mark's life still means to everyone who knew him.

In the meantime, the holidays are coming quickly. Shortwave America wishes everyone a happy, safe, memorable, Christmas and New Years!

Please enjoy the Christmas greeting video posted below, compliments of PCJ Radio and Shortwave America.

 

Massive World-Wide Internet Disruption

Venturebeat is reporting that Facebook has encountered what looks like a massive failure of their DNS. This has resulted in Facebook being unavailable for millions or more people world-wide, and along with this, GMail, and X-Box have also been affected by some unknown massive failure that some are speculating could also be DNS related, but no one yet knows for sure.

At this time, some rumors are going around blaming Anonymous, and Anonymous has not yet taken credit for any of this. Anonymous has stated on Twitter that they have not had anything to do with this massive outage of the named internet sites.

Twitter user, "Roastydog" had this to say: "Facebook is down? Haha losers, your silly social networking site died hahaha -says everyone on a social networking site"

As of 1747 hours CDT, Anonymous has reported that Facebook seems to be slowly recovering from this disaster involving their DNS.

Marnie Chesterton To Join Shortwave America

As the backlog of programs and work becomes more and more, there came the need for Shortwave America to start looking for experienced, talented, able, and responsible people to become part of what this has all become and will continue to become as time passes.

With that having been said, we are pleased to announce that Marnie Chesterton, formerly of Radio Netherlands Worldwide and the well known, much loved program, Earthbeat, will be joining Shortwave America in the coming weeks.

Marnie is a friendly voice known the world around, who will make a wonderful addition here at Shortwave America. Marnie's experience. combined with her creative and technical talent, added to her vision, her love for radio, and passion for reaching people in the most meaningful ways will make her someone very valuable to the readers and listeners here.

Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Marnie Chesterton! 

Andy Sennitt Returns To The Airwaves

Early this morning at around 10:00UTC, Andy made the announcement that he will be working on a volunteer basis at Radio Seagull. Andy said this in his announcement:

"All the presenters are, like me, experienced broadcasters who volunteer their time and who do it for the love of radio and music, not because they have big egos. My presenter's page on the website will go online next Wednesday. For me, the icing on the cake is that Radio Seagull has its own offshore radio ship, which is sometimes used for broadcasting, so I have finally been offered the chance to work for a real offshore radio station."

You can hear Andy's show starting Tuesday, October 2nd. The show will run Tuesdays at 1100-1300 CET, which is 1000-1200 UK time.

Welcome back to the airwaves, Andy!  

Radio Seagull is here

The Radio Seagull Livestream is here 
 

Twitter Trolls Could See Themselves Unmasked

The Daily Telegraph and Australian Government have partnered with celebrities to write a petition that they hope will force Twitter to unmask anonymous trolls who use their accounts to bully others. According to the Herald Sun in Australia, "#StoptheTrolls ... Michael Clarke, Charlotte Dawson and Ben Barba have all signed up to tackle cyber bullying." 

That isn't the end of the list!

Here are some quotes from the Herald Sun:

"Attorney-General Nicola Roxon is also behind the campaign: "Cyber bullying is reprehensible and has no place in our society."

"celebrities from the world of sport and entertainment also taking a stand, including NRL superstar Ben Barba, AFL convert Israel Folau and Australian cricket captain  Michael Clarke, who boasts more than 285,000 Twitter followers."

Read the entire article here. 

Police are very concerned that they cannot chase down anonymous Twitter users who are being abusive because Twitter will go to great lengths to protect the identity of its users.

Shortwave America is on board with this effort, but there are concerns on this side of the fence. What exactly will be considered cyber-bullying? As we know it now, cyber-bullying is only seen and defined as the really clear cases of extreme abuse. Those of us who have been in the entertainment industry as writers, broadcasters, or in other entertainment capacities want anonymous abusers named and shamed, but we have to be careful what we call "abuse".

As evidenced by this last quote from the Herald Sun article:

"Broadcaster Ray Hadley has been the victim of trolls but while he was speaking out against abusers on his 2GB show yesterday, Parliamentary Secretary Mike Kelly took to Twitter to attack him.

"An airwaves troll trolling the digital trollers. We've come full circle," the Labor MP wrote.
Hadley fired back: "If Mr Kelly has got time to tweet as often as he appears to, the PM needs to give him more to do."

If a difference of opinions and / or ideas like we see in the above situation will be considered abuse and subject to prosecution in the name of stopping cyber-bullies, the money and resources, the manpower, and the use of the courts will be so excessive that the idea of cyber-bullying will not be taken seriously by anyone, and effective solutions will lose their teeth.

Cyber-bullying is serious, sometimes it's dead serious. People around the world have taken their lives or in the least, have been hospitalized for medical or psychiatric treatment due to the massive trauma that can be inflicted. If we are to combat cyber-bullying by using legislation and law enforcement, let's do it by defining abuse as something very specific with real capability to do real harm and make sure the person / people we're nailing for it actually performed their actions with real criminal intent.

If we allow anything and everything to be called abuse from a civil or criminal perspective, say good-bye to free speech and internet anonymity! Everyone who comes across this, please urge your legislators, law enforcement, and major influences to use common sense before going overboard and causing this whole cause to lose credibility!

11th Anniversary of 9/11/01 - No One Is Forgotten

Shortwave America always pays tribute to the victims and families of 9-11-01 each year. They were pilots, airline crew members, World Trade Center Workers, Police Officers, Firemen, Paramedics, civilian volunteers, good samaritans, and the list goes on. As time has passed since that morning, it has been learned that many thousands of people are now sick from breathing in the dust and debris from the collapsed buildings. You are not forgotten either! 

None of you are forgotten! Each year, we post Daryl Worley's "Have You Forgotten?" This year is no different. "Have You Forgotten?" is the single most powerful expression of remembrance anywhere, ever written by any artist on the planet.



New York City ARECS (Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Service) was activated the morning of 9-11-01. This quote from the NYC ARECS page tells the short summary of how our fellow amateur radio ops came to give of themselves when NYC had absolutely no communications at all: "Plans called for hams to be on duty 24 hours a day. Not only were cell sites, police and fire communications, and most television antennas lost when the World Trade Center collapsed, the New York City Office of Emergency Management bunker was lost when 7 World Trade Center collapsed later in the day (it had already been evacuated). Besides emergency traffic, amateurs shadowed some New York City officials and medical officials, handled medical traffic, and assisted the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army."

See the NYC ARECS Page here. The page includes important files that prove their service and help to remember the contribution they gave on that day to help in the search and rescue efforts. KA1DDB has a web page dedicated to our fellow amateur operators who served on that morning to help keep communications running.

New Shows Coming!

Shortwave America is proud to announce that several NEW shows are coming and are in the writing / production process as this announcement is being released. These new shows will be in several categories, and will bring you interviews with some of the world's top headliners.

The new show categories coming up in series, but not necessarily in order will be: Christian Contemporary Music Radio Hits, 80s Pop & Contemporary Radio Hits, Amateur Radio Legends & Icons, and finally...Shortwave Radio with a focus on the popular programs of the past and legendary icons of the shortwave business.

Some of the names Shortwave America is working to bring you in these new shows are: Twila Paris, Bruce Carroll, Steven Curtis Chapman, Richard Marx, Olivia Newton-John, Deborah "Debbie" Gibson, Hap Holly, Ted Randall, and lots more! 

A VERY special show outside these categories is in production as well! The next upcoming show will salute the ladies of radio. The very FIRST Shortwave America Halloween and Thanksgiving shows will be fun offerings for all ages and people from all walks of life. 

Just prior to the Salute To The Women of Radio, Shortwave America will ask "What Would YOU DO?" as we look at the inspiration, logistics, and impact of this popular ABC Television series with John Quinones. Will John join us on this show? You'll have to wait to find out! This special edition of Shortwave America will eventually turn to the communications topic to present various communications related scenarios and ask "What Would YOU Do?" 

Remembering WJOL's Tony Ray

Joliet, Illinois
Report Assisted by Scott Slocumb of WJOL

Anthony "Tony" Ray, known as the Voice of Joliet, passed away on Friday, August 24th, 2012. A graduate of Joliet Junior College and the Devry Institute of Technology, Tony worked in radio since he was 15 years old with his early focus on sports reporting and hosted a gospel show on WJRC.

At the time of his passing, Tony was the current President of the Forest Park Community Center. Tony was only 53 when his golden, comforting voice went silent for the final time. Tony spent twenty years at WJOL and rose to become Program Director and Operations Manager. Tony became known as the Voice of Joliet during the decade of 1988 to 1998 when he hosted the Morning Show.

Joliet Junior College says this about Tony:

"Tony spent three years at the Chicagoland Gospel Radio Network as operations manager for the company's three Gospel stations and hosted the afternoon gospel show on "Power-106". He has been the host of many programs and has performed at many events throughout the Joliet and Chicagoland area. Tony was once employed by the Will County State's Attorney's office as Victim's Advocate working primarily with victims of domestic violence".

During his life, Tony was an accomplished vocalist, song writer, and producer. This part of his life led him to become the Minister of Music at All Nations Church of God in Christ, and Shiloh Baptist Church. Following his love of music and being true to his character, Tony became an Adjunct Faculty Member at Lewis University, Music Director at the Black Student Union Gospel Choir, and Director of the Joliet Central High School New Era Choir.

Visitation for Tony Ray will be 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 4 at Minor-Morris Funeral Home on Richards Street in Joliet. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Sept, 5 at All Nations Church, 503 S. Water St., Joliet.

According to Scott Slocumb, Tony had just finished a performance at his church when he suddenly lost consciousness and died at the hospital a short time later. No official cause of death is available at this time, although natural causes are the only suspect.

Those in the Joliet city limits and larger Will County area remember Tony Ray as a dynamic, passionate, hard working, talented, fun, compassionate man. When Tony was on the air or at church, whether he was advocating for victims and survivors of violence, or he was just living his life...he gave it his heart and soul without any holding back.

Proof of this comes not just in the testimonials of his life from the community, but also from a WJOL recording aired on August 27th, 2012 in which Tony sang "God Bless The USA". This recording of Tony performing had this reporter in awe, as I witnessed him give the original artist of this song a run for his money. 

Greg from the American Legion Band tearfully remembered Tony Ray live on WJOL as someone who was very special.
 
Special thanks to Scott Slocumb at WJOL for providing information to assist in this salute to a wonderful person.

Remember Aurora, Colorado - Support For The Victims, Witnesses, and Their Families

Shortwave America wishes to send care and support to the victims, witnesses, and their families in Aurora, Colorado. No one deserved what happened there. No one should be dead or injured right now. No one should ever have to mourn the way the community of Aurora is mourning right now. May all of you know that people around the world are remembering you, and sending a spirit of peace and healing your way.

Two International Shortwave Broadcasting Legends Gone, Sackville RelayTo Close

Radio Canada International (RCI), and Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW), two well known international shortwave broadcasters, have ceased to be. With these two stations now gone from the airwaves, Shortwave America has learned that the Sackville relay transmitter is also going to be lost.

See the RCI Action Committee website for complete reporting on the RCI situation. 

A Tory Senator called the cuts "reprehensible":

                  Quote from the Ottawa Citizen article

“This is probably the most destructive way the board of the CBC could find to manage the financial economies they have to face,” said Segal. “It is going to take the Canadian message out of the international marketplace.”

Segal, a member of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs committee and chair of its special Committee on Anti-Terrorism, says the busting down of RCI to an Internet radio station will block RCI from millions of people living under repressive regimes.

“In those parts of the world where the Internet is blocked, such as the People’s Republic of China, Iran and North Korea, there is no way for RCI’s messages of freedom and opportunity to get there,” he told the Senate. “I blame the board of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and its senior management, who cut far away from home rather than cutting here, because it was more convenient for them to do so.”

Read the entire article here

Even the BBG watch took an interest in this disaster! They posted a piece written by PCJ Radio International's Keith Perron. With Keith's permission, Shortwave America is re-publishing his piece directly from the PCJ Radio International site to give full context.

  Editorial on RCI and International Broadcasting

Over the last few months a few people have criticized me for my view on Radio Canada International. I never at any point said I was against RCI. In fact I always felt and still do feel it is vital that Canada maintain an international shortwave service. I stress again vitally important.

One thing I have been preaching for the past 10 plus years is that if international broadcasters like RCI are to survive. Radical, bold and groundbreaking changes need to take place. There was a time international broadcasting stations like RCI or Radio Netherlands had programming and on air personalities that stood out. 

In the 1990s we saw this change to get away from that and just have presenters that sound like everyone else on every other station.  Or as I like to say the McDonald’s syndrome where every hamburger looks and tastes the same. It made most radio sound like assembly line programming.  Sure there is an element of kitsch to have Radio Netherlands talk about barrel organs, windmills, dykes or Radio Canada International talking about things that are stereotypically Canadian. But is it not this that would make you stand out from the rest?

Something that I have learned with starting up PCJ in 2009. You need to be different, unique  and maybe a little offbeat. If you offer programming that is different and fun to listen to the audience will come.  Back in 2009 many many people thought the idea of bringing back Happy Station Show as an independent production was crazy, stupid, dumb and mad. I knew for a long time and had a gut feeling the show would be successful. If the program was not I would have stopped doing it in the first 6 months. But what happened? The show went from once every 2 weeks, to weekly, to 3 different versions a week, including specials like the one we are doing June 29^th.

The same goes with Media Network Plus, which started off as a monthly 55 minute program and the we added a weekly 30 minute program. Jazz For The Asking, Nash Holos, Focus Asia Pacific, Switzerland In Sound, Classic Media Network, The Stuph File, The Kelly Alexander Show and the special programs we do.

At the moment there are over 32 local stations in 21 countries that relay our programming.  I knew that if we had a program schedule with content that maybe some would consider a little off hinged it would take off. Was it a lot of work? That is an understatement. But I am such a strong believer in international programming that if it meant sleeping a few hours a day and not taking a day off so be it.

We are now in the process of building our own 20kw relay to reach listeners in South East Asia and the Pacific. We are doing this because there is a huge potential for an audience. What will our programming be? What will our style be? Very simple. Go back to the basics of international broadcasting and offer something that people will enjoy listening to, have a good time and be a little kitsch. There is nothing wrong with kitsch.

Changes that took place in the 1990s have had nothing but a negative impact. Recently Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was asked about what she thought of the BBC World Service. She said she was a strong supporter BBC, but felt the changes left the station with less variety and music programs. And said the only thing she heard was news and commentaries.

To conclude. Yes and I say it again Canada needs an international broadcasting service and I would do anything I can to support RCI being restored. At the same time we live in a democracy and I have the right to also speak my mind and give my own personal view. This is not RCI bashing. This is only having an open debate on the situation.

Keith Perron June 26, 2012 (Director of PCJ Radio International) Please forward your views by contacting me directly by email keith.perron@pcjmedia.com

                              
    Final English Service Sign-Off At Radio Canada International



RCI Action posted a brief timeline of RCI's demise:

2009 - Ukrainian Section abolished after 57 years of  service.
 
2008 - Action Committee spokesperson suspended! Radio Canada International tries to "muzzle" communications union Details
 
2007 - Programs, policies and jobs abolished as RCI's mandate changed. Questions at Parliamentary Committee Details
 
2005 - Canada's Radio Voice Abandons Most of Ukraine  Details
 
2005 - 60th Anniversary of RCI  Secret celebration?   
 
2003 - Parliamentary Committee Says RCI Should Be Strengthened   Details


For more about the relationship between RCI and the CBC, see this link

The internal and public falling apart of RCI was covered by several other media sources as demonstrated here. 

RCI Action Committee's coverage of the final day at RCI 

                 Sackville Relay Transmitter To Close 

On June 27th, 2012, Keith Perron at PCJ spoke with an individual only identified as a male working the Sackville, New Brunswick site. Keith says the news was depressing. Here are his exact words: 

"All the clients to the station KBS, VOV and others are being contacted to look for a new relay. I called to see if there was a chance to get some time once a week for PCJ. He said if it was up to him he would. But that the CBC has all intentions to tear down the station and not keep it going. He said the CBC wants to shut it down as soon as possible, but they can keep operating until October 31st if some of the stations that use it need time to find new relays. But he said the CBC is putting lots of pressure on them to get rid of anyone using the station." - Keith Perron, PCJ Radio International

          Saying Good-Bye To Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Radio Netherlands Worldwide, once Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, signed off on June 28th, 2012 at 9:36PM United States central time. On their side of the world, it was June 29th. 

The final program started off with Eric Beauchemin announcing the final day of RNW broadcasts followed by a final good-by message combined with a brief compilation of old sound bytes. Dheera Sujan started the program with a general overview of RNW's history and achievements. 

The program quickly moved into the big band entertainment era, and the era of Happy Station. In this portion of the final good-bye, RNW aired a brief statement from Keith Perron at PCJ. Jonathan Marks spoke next on the topic of getting the attention of people in other countries, relating to other people on a human level, editorial freedom at RNW, and reminded the audience that RNW received 125,000 letters and phone calls a year BEFORE the era of electronic communications. "June 29th 2012 will go down in history books as a milestone in media history." said Jon. Jon went on to say that he had enormous fun working on the studio side of the mic with the best in the business and also what he said was "the best and most responsive audience you could ever wish for."


Dheera moved on to talking about an old program called "Asia Scan" with Pete Myers and Mike Bolan. Asia Scan became immensely popular per Dheera's description. Dheera remembered Pete as "the undisputed king of radio"  and as "irrepressible, incorrigible, and unparallelled" Dheera said Pete made "some of the finest RNW documentaries."  PCJ's Keith Perron was listening to the farewell show and had his own comments. At this stage of this report, it is only fair and right to let Keith speak due to his level of experience and expertise in the field. 


"Today I listened to Radio Netherlands farewell program and, Have to say I was very disappointed. Some of the facts were wrong. First, Eddy Startz stopped doing Happy Station in 1969 not 1970 like that said. Pete Myers did not do the show for several years, he only did the show for 2 years. The next problem was they skipped through the years of 1947 to the early 90s. It didn't give a good clear picture of what Radio Netherlands was known for. It for the most part, only focused on documentaries and nothing else. It started off good , but as far as I'm concerned went down hill in the first 6 minutes. Who the hell put it together? Only 1 word I can use to describe what I heard today: poor, sad and just plain bad. Maybe if any of the people who worked on it had any sense of entertainment and how to entertain the audience it would not have been so bad. The other thing I knew about before it was even done, was that Tom (Meijer) (Shortwave America emphasis on Tom's last name) had not been invited to make comments on the program. No one doing it even made any attempt to contact him. He did for over 20 years, host the most popular program on the station. He now only lives a short distance away. Not one attempt was made. Talk about insulting."

Tom Meijer is on the Support Staff at PCJ Radio International and was the host of Happy Station from 1970 to 1992.


Keith Perron had a live Happy Station Show tribute to RNW that aired in the exact same time slot via WRMI on 9955Khz to North America and the Caribbean. This was a two hour offering of the complete history at RNW. Listener comments were overwhelmingly more in favor of this special edition of Happy Station. You can access parts one and two of this show by going to the PCJ Homepage. 


From the Pete Meyers tribute, Dheera moved forward to present Ginger DeSilva and her program, called, "A Good Life".  Next up was a story about a female broadcast personality named Van Der Meer who spoke about a professor who took American and Dutch students to the battlefields of World War One. 

Chris Chambers, who joined RNW in the 90s, came into the program next. Chris talked about his first experiences at RNW, and how he made his decision to stay. He concentrated mostly on Dutch documentaries, and elaborated on his work focused on Mozart. Documentaries he made on on the 2nd World War were what Chris said had the most impact on him during his time at RNW. During Chris' career at RNW, he said "the person who made the biggest impact on me was Trudy. Trudy was in her 90s and lived alone. She had this very soft, penetrating voice, and I'll never forget what she said to me."

In the next portion of the final farewell programme of RNW's history, Dheera now says this: "One of the best things about working here at Radio Netherlands has always been the international atmosphere. It's wonderful going to lunch in a canteen where you can hear half a dozen languages being spoken. And, even within the English Department itself, we had a kaleidoscope of cultures. People with background ranging from Sierra Leone to Ireland. Héléne Michaud , a French Canadian in the RNW English Department is introduced at this point.

Michaud says that for her, it all started with making live current affairs programs on shortwave to Africa in French and then in English. The last days of apartheid, the genocide in Rwanda, the war in Liberia, and that is when she producer her very first radio documentary in Uganda. This programme was one in which she provided the audience with a look at the lives of Asians who had been expelled by a certain government power from the only place they knew as home.

Michaud says more about her career: "The quest for identity ran as a constant thread through my programmes. I've been here for many years at Radio Netherlands but, it doesn't feel long because I've been given a chance to explore almost every corner of the world. For a person who's naturally curious, this has been fantastic!  I'm saying good-bye to those years and great and inspiring colleagues, but not to Radio Netherlands. I'm one of the few who's staying on with the new African Service, where I coordinate thematic programmes in French and English in partnership with hundreds of radio stations in Africa." Going on, she says that the day will eventually come where they will no longer be necessary.

In this final tribute to their years on the air, Dheera now brings on the host of "Weekend Europe", Louise Williams followed by "Network Europe" and its host, Richard Walker with a rather memorable set of on-air bloopers involving pronunciation of difficult international names of places and people.

"Curious Orange" was on the farewell list now. This was a show that highlighted the "quirkier sides of Dutch culture", hosted by "Dutch insider" Michel Walraven and Ashley Olson who was described as a Canadian outsider. This segment focused on their trip to Afghanistan, a story of a prostitute from Utrecht, and a piece called "Sex With Robots" with David Levy.

Dheera gets us into the "Critical Eye On Dutch Culture" with commentators, Rob Greene, and his co-commentator. This was a show where Dheera says "nothing was too sacred to mock". In this segment, it is said that the "New Radio Netherlands has quite a challenge ahead of it, with those remaining aboard expected to be living examples of a value that the Netherlands itself has too often been half-hearted about to say the least." Listen to the programme to hear the best part of what was said prior to this comment!!

Marnie Chesterton says good-bye now. She was the presenter of the popular "Earthbeat" programme. Marnie calls this programme her "baby". Here, Marnie gives us a clip of one programme in which they talk about the end of the world. Shortwave America simply cannot do Marnie and her show proper justice with a good brief commentary, so listen to the final farewell show to hear Marnie's presentation and final sign-off.

Andy Sennitt Talks About RNW's Demise

Shortwave America spoke with Andy Sennitt of Radio Netherlands Worldwide and obtained Andy's consent to quote him on some important things he had to say about the closing of RNW and the state of international radio today. To give this part of this piece proper context, here is a little background on Andy's comments:

Andy has worked in radio for decades. See the Shortwave America piece, "Andy Sennitt Has Left The Building" and also, "Radio Netherlands Says Goodbye". Over the course of decades, Andy has made observations, he's heard things, he's become VERY tuned to what is really important and knows what is simply just unimportant clutter in the background. He pointedly, wisely, separates the two and speaks his mind unabashedly, as was the tradition at RNW for its members.

We'll start here with Andy's comments regarding the activity at Glenn Hauser's DXLD, the final RNW program, and his own experiences as a DX'er.

"I just had a look at the latest issue of DX Listening Digest. There's a lot of drivel about the closure of Radio Netherlands English on shortwave, mostly written by occasional listeners to RNW who have absolutely no idea what's really going on there. Most people seem to imagine that broadcasting on shortwave was the only thing we did.

Regarding the final programme, the Dutch department had about three months to prepare theirs, with a much bigger budget. Because there was no longer an English department, the task of preparing the final programme was given to WebWorld, with just three weeks' notice.

Rob Kievit had to research, write and produce the programme single-handedly, with Dheera Sujan (who has worked at RNW for 23 years) presenting. It was not meant to be a documentary about RNW's past, but a way for current staff to say goodbye. The recent extracts were chosen by the staff themselves. Of course listeners have their own opinions about what they would have included, but 65 years in 52 minutes is not easy to accomplish :-)

There is an individual who enjoys stirring up controversy, who says in DXLD he wants 'proof' that the final 4 minutes at 2053-2057 UTC were live. He prefers to speculate that it was pre-recorded. That's symbolic of the stuff we've had to put up with over the years - rather than ask someone for the facts, many DXers prefer to speculate because that way they get more attention from fellow hobbyists.

I used to enjoy DXing, and got to know some wonderful people, many of whom are still close friends. But the hobby has changed - the real DXers have been drowned out by people who would rather talk about internal matters at broadcasters that are really none of their business. Facts and speculation are all jumbled up, and I no longer have the patience to sift through voluminous commentaries by individuals in the hope of discovering some interesting factual information. I guess that means I've become a grumpy old man. So be it."

At one time in his career, Andy was part of the collective at the World Radio and Television Handbook (WRTH). He had this to say about some of his experiences as a quick sum in relation to WRTH and DX'er complaints after Victor Goonetilleke had asked Andy how he kept up with thousands of stations for WRTH.

"Well, we didn't keep up with all the stations every year. We sent out thousands of questionnaires, but we found that stations tended not to bother replying if there hadn't been any significant changes since the previous year. If they had a new transmitter, or a new boss, they usually wanted to publicise it. The response rate from Latin America, for example, varied between 20 and 50 percent a year. And it wasn't the same stations that replied every year, so over a period of 3-5 years we heard from most of them. Of course, some stations sent incorrect data, for example listing frequencies that were licensed but not in use. And if any of this got published, it was always our fault, never the station's fault, at least according to some DXers."

Further to the point on the comparison of the situations RNW and VOA respectively found themselves in during a conversation with Marie Ciliberti (Ret. VOA), Andy said this: 

  

It was not "those in management" who decided to cut our broadcasts. It was a political decision, pure and simple. RNW, management and staff alike, is the victim. The senior management at RNW have also lost their jobs - RNW is now under new management on much lower salaries. It seems RNW was appreciated everywhere except in the one place that really matters - the government! I am aware of the battles at VOA, but the situation there is quite different from the one at RNW. The Dutch government simply decided it didn't need an international broadcaster anymore.

Shortwave America says good-bye to RCI and everyone at RNW

Thank you to everyone at RCI for your work over the past many years. Everything you did was a contribution in itself to the world of radio journalism and communications. 

Everyone at Radio Netherlands: You made a great team of professionals from corners of the world far and wide. You made radio history rich with great contributions that will likely never be surpassed. Andy, Jon, Johnathan Groubert, Dheera, Marnie, Rob, Michel, Ashley, Keith, and an even longer list of people which there is no room to fit here....all of you did hard work that paid off. Don't let RNW's sign - off mean the end of your talent or careers communicating with the world. 


Your works are all valuable, your voices and personalities meaningful. 


Farewell to all of you with great fondness!

Special thanks to Andy Sennitt for some extra editing help on this piece!

PCJ Radio's Media Network Plus review of the DR111 DRM receiver

A video review from PCJ Radio's Media Network Plus of the Newstar DR111 DRM receiver.

NEWSTAR DR111 Review

Museum of Shortwave, Amateur Radio, and High Frequency SSB Communications

Shortwave America is excited to announce the world's first museum dedicated the world of shortwave, amateur radio, and HF SSB communications!!! The museum will be a permanent, long-term, on-line display dedicated to the achievements in each of the categories and mediums listed in the title.

Shortwave America seeks to develop this endeavor over time to become an actual physical museum. In doing so, the on-line version will serve as the visual representation of what the actual museum will be in the future. The on-line representation is a good place to start so that all of you fans, followers, listeners, and those just getting into the world of radio can see the rich history and culture, the visions that became reality and caught on over time in the various radio mediums in each category, traditions in each radio medium, true stories, and other important items.

There will be sub-categories to cover each era of radio, each mode, each technological breakthrough, each legal victory in radio communities, each important milestone, and much more!

Shortwave America seeks partnerships with Shortwave Listener's Clubs, Leaders of the International Shortwave Broadcast Profession, Amateur Radio Clubs and Societies, HF Monitoring Groups, Radio Equipment Manufacturers, Radio Retailers, and individual private people who have historical or other important, relevant, contributions they wish to make.

Invitations are going out to some recognized leaders in each category at press time. Please keep an eye out here for more details as things develop. This is a huge undertaking and involves lots of work that takes time to bring forth fruit. This is something that will solidify the place of the targeted areas in radio communications in a tangible way that showcases each category and sub-category to the public at large in an engaging manner.

Television Broadcast Legend Andy Griffith, June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012

Once and always known as "America's Favorite Sheriff", the star and host of "The Andy Griffith Show", the man who was also known as "Andy Taylor" from 1960 to 1968, has passed away. Andy's life came to a peaceful end this morning, July 3rd, 2012 at around 7AM.

According to WITN News, "Dare County Sheriff Doughtie said the family stated that Andy died at seven this morning, peacefully, at his home and that Andy has been laid to rest on his beloved Roanoke Island." "The actor's death was first confirmed by former UNC President Bill Friday and later by the sheriff."

WITN News also relayed the following information: " The sheriff had confirmed earlier that an ambulance was called to the home this morning. A family statement says the actor died with his wife Cindi at his side. "Andy was a person of incredibly strong Christian faith and was prepared for the day he would be called Home to his Lord," said his wife in a statement. "He is the love of my life, my constant companion, my partner, and my best friend. I cannot imagine life without Andy, but I take comfort and strength in God’s Grace and in the knowledge that Andy is at peace and with God.”
Griffith was born in Mount Airy and attended UNC Chapel Hill where he earned a degree in Music. His first job out of college was an English teacher at Goldsboro High School."

North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue,U.S. Senator Kay Hagan, and U.S. President Barack Obama commented briefly on Andy's passing. See the full WITN News Piece for more. 

ABC News announced Andy Griffith's death. Embedding has been disabled by request of ABC. 

Shortwave America now gives you video from various sources to pay tribute to Andy Griffith



The Andy Griffith Show remains one of the most popular TV sitcoms in US television history. The infectious theme music (Instrumental with whistling solo) had lyrics most people never got to hear. Andy Griffith sings this catchy tune.



Youtube user, iParatrooper, has a whole collection of  full episodes from The Andy Griffith Show.

In this interview by the Archive of American Television, Andy Griffith talks about the early days of "The Andy Griffith Show"



Here is an Andy Griffith interview on the old Matlock character done by the Archive of American Television



For those who never saw Matlock, or want to remember Andy by watching a short opening clip from the show, here it is:



Matlock Season 1, Episode 1 Pilot, Part 2 shows us Andy's skill that he was so successful for.



Shortwave America sends heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Griffith. Rest in peace, Andy, you finished well!