giovedì 22 maggio 2014

Glenn Hauser logs May 21, 2014

** BOLIVIA. 5580.3, May 21 at 0121, JBA carrier, presumed R. San José (de Chiquitos). This offset frequency was also independently measured and reported by Saverio de Cian & Valter Comuzzi in Italy, April 26 at 2235 via playdx (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** BRAZIL. 11750 & 11810, May 21 at 0530, distorted spurblobs from RNA are now just barely audible, but enough to match // 11780. This on the FRG-7 main receiver; earlier on the PL-880 upon the porch with reel-out antenna, at 0101 I could not hear the spurs tho the fundamental was very strong (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CHINA [and non]. 17700, Wednesday May 21 at 0114, very poor signal with flutter, seems Chinese, probably CNR1, but not usually audible here. Aoki shows 01-02 UT for 17700 from RFA in Tibetan via Tinian, but only on Sundays, so maybe that schedule has changed. There is also a JBA signal on 17495, which Aoki shows as CRI Amoy via Beijing site.

21690, May 21 at 0545, poor signal in Chinese, presumably CNR1 jammer vs RFA Chinese via Tinian, but could really be its target, as we are now within a month of Solstice with midnight-sun propagation in the middle of the ``night``. 21725 R. Australia also JBA // 15300. 21690 is also in Aoki at 0600-0700 for jamming and RFA Tibetan via UAE.

18990, May 21 at 1334, CNR1 jammer with good signal, no CCI but this is the Wednesday (and Saturday) 13-14 UT frequency for RFA Tibetan via KUWAIT, inaudible. Before 1300 I could also tell there was something on 19000, the Wed & Sat frequency for that hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** CUBA. 5990, May 21 at 0109, CRI English relay via Habana is playing on wrong frequency, still at 0120 and 0130 rechex! This frequency normally closes just before 0100 after Spanish, but it`s not been unusual to hear a few minutes of English before cutoff. // 9580 and synchronized.

Not coincidentally, RHC`s own English frequency 6000 is missing all this time, so apparently same transmitter they forgot to switch over. RHC English is going on 6165 at 0109 check, probably earlier.

6000, no further chex until 0553 when this frequency is now on but with dead air; was it so all evening? English nominal on overkill 5040, 6060, 6100, 6165 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** KOREA SOUTH [and non]. 9580, May 21 at 1237, Australia Net television news soundtrack via Radio Australia with a report that there is a possible strike at KBS, as the staff are upset that the president/CEO of KBS has been carrying out political aims of the ROK president. A ``production boycott`` has already started, causing news programs to be scaled down; the 9 pm show to 20 minutes instead of 60. Poll shows 98% of staff favor the CEO resigning. Somehow I have the feeling this is all about *television*, tho the word is not mentioned in connexion with ``KBS``, nor is ``radio``, a mere appendage to What Really Matters (let alone international shortwave radio!).

This causes me to pay special attention to the KBS World Radio English broadcast coming up at 1300 on 15575 direct: 1301 newscast sounds normal, nothing about this until the final item at 1311: news boycott; chief editor of KBS should resign? more than 240 others resigning? unions to vote on general strike, 97.9% favor. But KBS management says such striking is illegal.

I wasted time searching R. Australia/Australia Net websites for stories about this; also wasted at KBS World Radio itself. Instead, Google searching on KBS Strike gets plenty, especially from Korea Herald, latest one being:
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140521001392

KBS UNIONS START VOTE ON FULL-SCALE STRIKE
The Korea Herald > National > Social affairs
Published : 2014-05-21 20:35 Updated : 2014-05-21 20:36

Two labor unions of the nation's largest broadcaster KBS on Wednesday began a vote to decide whether to carry out a full-scale strike, calling for their company president to step down.

KBS journalists have been boycotting their news production since Monday, demanding the broadcaster's president Gil Hwan-young resign for allegedly interfering in news reporting in favor of the government.

The unions, boasting some 2,500 and 1,200 members respectively, said they will hold the vote until Tuesday next week and Friday, respectively.

Gil once again refused to step down, signaling that the crisis could be prolonged. "I'll never resign, yielding to a politically motivated instigation," he said in a statement aired live on the company's inside broadcasting system. He then vowed to sternly deal with any "illegal strike" by the unionists.

Gil came under fire after Kim Sigon, former bureau chief of KBS news, disclosed last week that Gil yielded to the presidential office's pressure to produce news reports favorable to the Park Geun-hye administration, especially in the coverage of last month's ferry disaster.

The chief editor said that Cheong Wa Dae officials have repeatedly pressed him for news favorable to the administration while Gil also has directly ordered him to remove or add particular news items.

Kim said that Cheong Wa Dae also pressed him to refrain from airing news critical of the Coast Guard, the government maritime police agency at the center of public criticism for its botched rescue attempt following the April 16 ferry sinking. The accident, one of South Korea's worst maritime disasters, left more than 300 people, mostly teenage students, dead or missing.

In the hastily arranged news conference on Monday, the KBS president rejected the allegations, saying that he has no plans to step down. The refusal prompted the KBS journalists to indefinitely extend their boycott, originally scheduled only for Monday. (Yonhap)``

15575, did not listen next to `Seoul Calling` which might have dealt with this internal matter; but later in the hour, 1338 ``drama lines`` = language lesson; 1343 music show (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** PERU. 5980, May 21 at 0102, R. Chaski carrier until chopoff at 0111:49*, which is 11.5 seconds later than a binite ago; my watch has a brand new battery, so I am all set to resume precise timings, always having employed a correxion factor from WWV within a few minutes of the observation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 12105 // 9930, May 21 at 0107, both WTWWs with TOM but the other guy, not BS at the moment. Random chex on these and other frequencies indicate that BS is still not monopolizing all the airtime, but at least twice an hour his promo for the big Pentecost event is rererereplayed, usually around :15 and :45 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** THAILAND [and non]. 15590, May 21 at 0115, no signal from R. Thailand`s North American service, supposedly on here from 0000 to 0230. Checking because of martial law declaration and reports that broadcast facilities in Bangkok were surrounded; there could be some disruption. However, this broadcast is seldom audible anyway.

9390, May 21 at 1240, R. Thailand English is audible here, poor-fair, the 1230-1300 SE Asian service better for us than the NAm in evenings! Missed most of newscast but everything sounds normal including commercial for Bangkok Airways at 1243. Annoying het/carrier on lo side, possibly of local origin. More informative was a TV report about Thailand at 1254 via R. Australia, 9580 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1721 monitoring: confirmed at 1315 Wednesday May 21 on WRMI, 9955. 1722 should be ready for first airing UT Thursday 0330 on WRMI, 9955; then Thu 1230 9955.

BACK ON 7490 WBCQ: Allan Weiner says WOR will be aired Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2100 UT, where some time has become available (current schedule shows both with `Amos & Andy` recreations; so finally done them all?). These timings mean that Wed at 2100 will be a repeat of the previous week`s WOR, while Thu at 2100 should be a brand-new show (coincidentally at the same time it`s on WTWW 9475). Check whether this start May 21 at 2100.

Further airings:
UT Friday 0327v on WWRB 5050 (we hope; missing lately)
Saturday  0630 & 1430 on Hamburger Lokalradio 7265-CUSB
Saturday  2330 on WTWW 9930 (we hope; missing lately)
UT Sunday 0030 on WRMI 9495 (may be previous episode)
UT Sunday 0401 on WTWW 5830
UT Monday 0300 on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

This report despatched at 1843 UT May 21