DX LISTENING DIGEST 1-061, May 4, 2001 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com {Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. For restrixions and searchable 2001, 2000 contents archive see} http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/Dxldmid.html [NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn] WORLD OF RADIO on WWCR: One airing is to be replaced by a Ken Berryhill Show, starting May 19: Sunday 1900 on 12160. WORLD OF RADIO and CONTINENT OF MEDIA and MUNDO RADIAL SHORTWAVE-ONLY SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE MAY 4, 2001 It always pays to check all RFPI frequencies beyond their scheduled hours. For latest updates see our Anomaly alert page: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/Anomaly.html Days and times here are strictly UT Wed 2330 WOR WBCQ1 7415 Thu 2030 WOR WWCR 15685 Fri 0930 WOR WWCR 7435 Fri 1900 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Fri 1930 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Fri 2115 MR WWCR 15685 Sat 0100 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 7445 Sat 0130 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 7445 Sat 0200 WOR WWCR 3215 Sat 0700 COM RFPI 7445 Sat 0730 WOR RFPI 7445 Sat 1130 WOR WWCR 15685 Sat 1300 COM RFPI 21815-USB Sat 1330 WOR RFPI 21815-USB Sat 1730 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Sat 1800 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Sat 2330 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Sun 0000 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Sun 0206 WOR WBCQ2 9335-CUSB [time varies] Sun 0230 WOR WWCR 5070 Sun 0530 COM RFPI 15049 7445 Sun 0600 WOR RFPI 15049 7445 Sun 0628 WOR WWCR 3210 Sun 1130 COM RFPI [suspended] Sun 1200 WOR RFPI 21815-USB Sun 1900 WOR WWCR 12160 [deleted after May 12] Mon 0000 WOR WWCR 3215 [9475 from June] Mon 0500 WOR WWCR 3210 Tue 1100 WOR WWCR 15685 Tue 1900 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Tue 2000 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Wed 0100 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 7445 Wed 0200 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 7445 Wed 0700 WOR RFPI 7445 Wed 0800 COM RFPI [suspended] Wed 1300 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15049 Wed 1400 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15049 For the latest update of this schedule version see: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wormassw.html ** AUSTRALIA. CHRISTIAN VOICE BROADCAST TO INDIA Dear Alokesh, Thank you for your reception report. I can confirm that the details in your report are correct. As you are aware, Christian Voice (Australia) is in a ramp-up phase, and on-air time will be increasing in the coming weeks. A listening schedule will be released to the public in due course, but I can let you know that the tentative frequency schedule for India is as follows: 1000-1200 UT 17825 kHz 1200-1700 UT 13795 kHz 1700-1900 UT 11890 kHz Kind regards, (Andrew Flynn, Head of Engineering, Christian Vision, May 2 via Alokesh Gupta, India, ODXA via DXLD) Dear Alokesh, Sorry for [not] replying sooner. Thank you for your reception report. (It was indeed from this transmitter site.) We are in the process of organising QSL cards; however, things have been extremely busy and it is taking time to get these done. It will still be some time before programming is done in Australia for the our region. As you would have realised the programming being broadcast at the moment has been put together for Africa. We are building a studio and preparing for programming relevant to India, Asia, etc. I don't have any details as yet as it is still too early in the planning. Thank you for your interest. Again, sorry for the delay in replying to your email. With thanks (Lorna Manning, Site Administrator, Cox Peninsula Transmitter Site, Christian Voice (Australia) Ltd, via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, May 2, ODXA via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. Notes from RFPI Mailbag first airing May 4 at 2000: 7445 was off for a couple of nights to clean out 2-3 pounds of dust. The air-cooled transmitter is less than 10m from a dirt road, and the cooling system sucks in a lot of very fine dust of talcum powder consistency. The road has a lot of traffic; once rainy season starts in a couple weeks, mud will ensue, seasonally alleviating the problem with dust in the transmitter. RFPI also wants to hear from listeners whether 15049 or 7445 is better for them. The 30 kW transmitter could be used on 15049 instead of 7445. We have already sent our reply: it`s the same old spring-summer situation here: 7 MHz is noisy and weak due to T-storm static, shortest nights (and currently not aimed toward us), so we would go with 15049 as primary at night. At midday, 21815-USB is often better with 15049 presumably being somewhat absorbed despite much higher power. Since 15 MHz propagation is holding up later into the night, at least for the next week, RFPI is experimenting with keeping it on until 0600 instead of 0400. Also, it opens around 1300 on weekdays, 1600 on weekends (James Latham and Joe Bernard, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Fidel Castro gives award to Radio Havana Cuba | Text of report in English by Radio Havana Cuba web site on 2 May Havana, 2 May: Cuban President Fidel Castro has awarded Radio Havana Cuba a certificate of recognition. In a ceremony held at the Radio station and attended by all nine language departments, the distinction was presented by Rolando Alfonso Borges from the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. Alfonso Borges read the inscription signed by Fidel Castro, granted for exemplary service to the nation over the past four decades in broadcasting the truth in defence of the Revolution and its unwavering principles. The Cuban leader said that he was comfortable in the assurance that Radio Havana Cuba will continue to be in the forefront of the island's battle of ideas. Radio Havana Cuba broadcasts in Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Quechua, Esperanto, Guarani and Creole. Source: Radio Havana Cuba web site in English 2 May 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) Aha! I always suspected RHC was Fidel`s mouthpiece! Happy 40th anniversary (gh, DXLD) ** FINLAND. Subject: * EDXP NEWSPLUS * Scandinavian Weekend Radio soon on the air! Hello everyone - some news to share with you! It might be so that it is quite difficult to pick SWR, but now it is time to try once again! PURE POWER OF 50 WATTS! (Hi!) 73' Alpo Heinonen, Rovaniemi, Finland http://personal.inet.fi/koti/alpo.heinonen/ NRD 525 "A weak voice from the Finnish Arctic Circle" Now it is time once again to tune your receiver in to SWR frequencies 11690 and 11720 kHz. We are here already hectically waiting time to turn our transmitter on and let you hear some "Sounds from the Country of Northern Lights ". So don't miss any of our shows beginning at 21 hours UT this Friday evening 4th May. I can personally guarantee there are LOT of good music (and nothing but good music) played in every hour of our 24 hour broadcast. Some sights to programmes available this time: 06:00-07:00 UT there is a brand new programme "Greatest of the Movietunes" by Dj. Miki. 08:00-09:00 UT Dj Miki "Suomirokkia parhaimmillaan". A programme including pure Finnish Rock.. Tentative frequency schedule (Changes are possible): 21-22 UT 11690 kHz (Friday 4th May) 22-05 UT 11720 kHz (4-5th May) 05-11 UT 11690 kHz 11-15 UT 11720 kHz 15-19 UT 11690 kHz 19-21 UT 11720 kHz Please check our last minute changes (and get more info) from our pages: http://www.swradio.net SWR's "Waiting for the Hot Summer"-Competition So you are now invited to take part in our competition. And it is really easy to take part: Only thing you had to do is to listen and report Scandinavian Weekend Radio's 5th May and/or 2nd June 2001 programmes. Send your reports to SWR, P. O. Box 35, FIN-40321 Jyväskylä, FINLAND. Your letter would be stamped no later than Monday June 18th. All correct reports will take part to the competition. Among these reports our Dame Fortune will draw names of three lucky ones who will win one of following SWR-prizes: 1.. A brand new 2001-design SWR T-Shirt (mention size you like to have!), SWR Stickers and CD-single 2.. SWR Poster, SWR Stickers and CD-single 3.. SWR Poster and SWR Stickers We wish you good luck in our competition! And don't forget to enclose return postage (2 USD or 2 IRCs (correctly stamped!) if you like to receive our colorful QSL-card! With best regards, (Alpo Heinonen, Scandinavian Weekend Radio) http://www.swradio.net (via EDXP May 4 via DXLD) ** HONG KONG. Post-handover media said free, "robust" | Text of report by Radio TV Hong Kong audio web site on 4 May The chief secretary for administration, Donald Tsang, says despite what doomsayers predicted before 1997, Hong Kong's media has remained free and robust over the past four years since reunification. Speaking at a newspaper society's award ceremony, he said the media continued to report and comment freely and critically on things happening in Hong Kong, the mainland, Taiwan and overseas. [Tsang] In fact, I would suggest that the press is now even tougher on the government than it was before the handover. Their critical observations, the sharp comments are not often music to our ears, but I welcome them, welcome them as an important driving force, giving us in the public service the impetus to improve and to strive for higher standards. Source: RTHK Radio 3 audio web site, Hong Kong, in English 0900 gmt 4 May 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) That`s great, but what would an *objective* observer say? (gh) ** HONG KONG/CHINA/USA. Asia TV views cyberwar between Chinese, US hackers | Text of report "World Cyberwar" by Hong Kong Asia Television on 3 May The Sino-US military plane air-collision incident has sparked off a cyberwar between Chinese and US hackers which reached a climax on 1 May. An organization of network fans, which called itself "The Alliance of Chinese Red Hackers," attacked US web sites, and the US White House websites have been "bombarded" with e-mail. Web sites of the Department of Labour, the Department of Health, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Congress, the military, and mass media have been successively attacked. Some web sites have been pasted with pictures of the Chinese pilot Wang Wei who was killed on duty in the South China Sea, while others began to hear China's national anthem: "March of the Volunteers." The White House's history homepage was once pasted with China's national flag. Meanwhile, several scores of Chinese government's websites have also been invaded. Because technically Chinese hackers were slightly better than US hackers, US network experts have been enraged and implied that Chinese hackers have been supported by the government. As a matter of fact, the cyberwar reflects the escalating hostile feelings between nongovernment sectors of both sides. The air- collision incident made the Chinese people feel extremely indignant against the George Bush administration's hegemony. Meanwhile, instigated by the US government and mass media, American people have had urges to oppose and boycott China. Some television hosts even openly clamoured to gather and send all Americans of Chinese ancestry to concentration camps. [Come on! Prove it. -gh] If the hostility between the two powers, China and the United States, is to develop without any checks, world peace and stability will surely be threatened. More interestingly, hackers from various countries have successively joined in Chinese and US camps. Consequently, the cyberwar's frontlines continue to expand. At present, most pro-US hackers are from Malaysia, Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina, and India, while most pro-China hackers are from the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, and Japan. The war continues to escalate, and it will most probably lead to an unprecedented world cyberwar. If the United States continues to tyrannize the world, what will probably happen in the future will be merely a simulated cyberwar, but also a real world war. Source: Asia Television, Hong Kong, in Chinese 03 May 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR [non]. DRM test schedule starting May 7 for *reception* here: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/madagascar.html Current series of tests via Portugal ended May 4. DRM homepage at RN: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/drm.html (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Mike RADIO, the Netherlands on 9292 NEXT Transmission Saturday morning 0730-0930 5th May that`s LOCAL DUTCH TIME!!! on the new frequency 9292 (MIKE www.mike48@hotmail.com [sic] (swpirates@yahoogroups.com May 1 via Costas, Cyprus, May 4, DXLD) so 0530-0730 UT (gh) ** SLOVAKIA. Glenn, I listened to R. Slovakia Int. again on May 4, 2001 at 0100 UT. At the beginning of the bc they announced the following. Western Europe at 1630 and 1830 UT on 5920, 6055 and 7345 kHz. Americas at 0100 UT on 5930, 6190 and 9440. 5930, severe QRM from WWCR on 5935. 6190, Good signal. 9440, moderate QRM from 9445 VOT? Australia/Pacific at 0700 UT on 9440, 15460 and 17550 kHz. According to the Summer 2001 (from March 25 to October 28), sked at their website only the 0100 frequencies differ as the site had 5930, 7230 and 9440. p.s. I'm studying amateur radio to, believe-it-or-not, make me a better SWL. I've never had much interest "rag chewing", talking endlessly about my rig or the weather. I want to learn about antennas, propagation and radio (in some cases relearn). I may never actually transmit. Although cw does interest me, perhaps QRP contacts... 73, (-.. . Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AMERICA. PIRATES -Times UT *RADIO COCHIGUAZ will be active hoisting the pirate flag, on 11440 khz USB, according to this schedule: -Sat 5 May 2001 (to the Australian DX Camp) -> 08.00-09.00 Radio Dr. Tim -> 09.00-10.00 Radio East Side -> 10.00-10.30 Radio Cochiguaz -Sun 6 May 2001 -> 01.00-01.30 Radio Cochiguaz -> 01.30-02.30 Radio Dr. Tim -For reports write to: (Pls add return postage) -Radio Dr TIM, P.O. Box 520112, D-44207 Dortmund, GERMANY. Email: doctortim@t-online.de -Radio East Side, Postfach 1136, 06201 Merseburg, GERMANY. Email: Radioeastside@aol.com -Radio Cochiguaz, Box 159, Santiago 14, CHILE. http://members.xoom.com/rcochiguaz/ FFFR, ;-) (Cachito, Radio Cochiguaz op., hard-core-dx May 4 via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. Tuning around, I`ve found R. Sri Lanka [sic], English 9770 at 0030 UT April 30. It comes on at 0000; have not checked before 0000. S = 2-3 with some sizzle. Old ballads, light pop of late 50s/60s. Burl Ives, Chad & Jeremy, that ilk. Pleasant listening. Fadeout by 0115 (Bob Thomas, CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. Either NAS in English isn`t propagating to here or they changed something. Don`t hear on 13695 or 15395 at 0030; I checked 2330 also (Bob Thomas, CT, April 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. Toward the end of the last millennium, the Royal Thai Government ordered R. Thailand to add 15-minute daily broadcasts in the remaining official languages of ASEAN and the UN, Spanish, Russian, Tagalog, Hindi and Cantonese. These are still planned, and could start within the next year. Also being investigated is the possibility of a relay station for the Americas (Amporn, R. Thailand director, interviewed by Jeff White months ago, on RN Radio Enlace May 4, notes by gh for DXLD) ** U K. BBC, 9740 at 2000 has bad co-channel interference now, believed to be AWR/Austria; also Romania clashes with BBC at 0200 on 17790 (Chris Hambly, Victoria, May 3-5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 picks for the weekend (1 and 5 checked, but nothing significant for our tastes): FRIDAY MAY 4 2 2030-2100 UT: 9:30pm Listen to the Band Frank Renton presents a session from the Sellers International Band, conducted by Allan Exley. 3 2115-2230 UT: 10:15pm Andy Kershaw Andy Kershaw presents world music, folk, blues, country and gospel. Featuring music from studio guest Ray Chandler, whose five-string banjo playing combines influences from England, Ireland and mainland Europe. [too late this week, but a reminder of his new time henceforth -gh] SATURDAY MAY 5 3 1100-1200 UT: 12:00pm Private Passions Michael Berkeley is joined by the singer and songwriter Neil Tennant, one half of chart-topping partnership the Pet Shop Boys. His musical choices include a Shostakovich Symphony, songs by Noel Coward and Eva Cassidy, Poulenc's Oboe Sonata, a piece by Messaien for Ondes Martenot, and Strauss's Metamorphosen. 2 1200-1230 UT: 1:00pm The Monkhouse Archive - Bob Goes Global Bob Monkhouse dips into the comedy archives as he embarks on a world tour of humour. In this final programme, he takes a look at what makes Australian comics tick, with contributions from Steady Eddie, Paul Calleia, Barry Humphries and Clarke and Daw. Last in series 3 1200-1300 UT: 1:00pm News; World Routes Lucy Duran is joined by Jameela Siddiqi to introduce a concert by the Pakistani Sufi singer Abida Parveen, recorded at the ICC in Birmingham. 3 1700-1730 UT: 6:00pm Jazz File: Jump Jive and Wail Brian Morton investigates those aspects of jazz which are rooted in the dancefloor, exploring the waxing and waning fortunes of jump jive, the style which coalesced at the end of the 1930s. 1: `Jitterbug Jive'. Morton focuses on the different musical strands which were brought together by the saxophonist and singer Louis Jordan - including Bessie Smith's vaudeville blues, Cab Calloway's Harlem hip, Fat's Waller's good-time music, Slim Gaillard's nonsense and Chick Webb's uncompromising swing. 3 1930-1950 UT: 8:30pm Twenty Minutes: In Search of Tikhon Khrennikov Gerard McBurney visits Moscow to investigate the complex and controversial figure Tikhon Khrennikov, who from 1948 ran the Union of Soviet Composers for over 40 years, during which time his whims could dictate the lives and careers of composers throughout the Soviet Union. 3 2145-2400 UT: 10:45pm Hear and Now Sarah Walker marks the 30th anniversary of the Contemporary Music Network, investigating the changing character of its concert series and presenting highlights from two recent tours. The first features avant-rock, noise and folk music from the Japanese underground, curated by composer and improviser Otomo Yoshihide under the banner `Japanorama'. The second set of highlights features the haunting music of Jocelyn Pook, whose work blends sampled found sounds, medieval and Eastern instruments, strings, and voices from different cultural traditions. SUNDAY MAY 6 [See previous report: brief 40-second Dawn Chorus items are also to appear today every hour on the half hour] 4 0535-0600 UT: 6:35am Dawn Chorus Day: Tyneside Dawn From robins singing as the nightclubs close to warblers on the railway tracks serenading early risers, leading sound recordist Chris Watson creates an aural portrait of dawn in his home town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 4 1230-1300 UT: 1:30pm Dawn Chorus Day: Why Do Animals Sing? Chris Baines travels to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, home to the world's largest collection of animal sounds, to find out why animals sing. 3 1300-1400 UT: 2:00pm BBC Legends: 50th Anniversary of the Royal Festival Hall Stephen Johnson presents the second of five programmes celebrating five decades of music making at London's Royal Festival Hall. This edition includes a historic visit to Britain by the Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly. 4 1345-1400 UT: 2:45pm Dawn Chorus Day: Sound Advice Professional sound recordist Chris Watson joins naturalist Roy Dennis to record one of Britain's most elusive birds, the black grouse, as the males gather and display to one another before dawn. 3 1400-1500 UT: 3:00pm Private Passions Michael Berkeley is joined by the singer and songwriter Neil Tennant, one half of chart-topping partnership the Pet Shop Boys. His musical choices include a Shostakovich Symphony, songs by Noel Coward and Eva Cassidy, Poulenc's Oboe Sonata, a piece by Messaien for Ondes Martenot, and Strauss's Metamorphosen. [first] Broadcast yesterday 2 1500-1530 UT: 4:00pm The Mario Lanza Story Michael Freedland presents a four-part series looking at the life and career of the great tenor. In this second programme, he outlines the early life and career of the performer, from his time as an odd-job man and boxer to his first steps toward stardom championed by conductors like Koussevitsky and Toscanini. 3 1500-1600 UT: 4:00pm Music Restored Lucie Skeaping introduces a concert of chamber music from the 17th century - including works by Biber, Walther, Uccellini and others - specially recorded for the programme by the chamber ensemble Ricordo. Repeat 4 1530-1600 UT: 4:30pm Poetry Please Frank Delaney introduces a selection of poems for Dawn Chorus Day. The readers are Andrew Hilton, Fiona Shaw, Stephen Thorne and Sally Cookson. Repeated [next] Saturday 4 1600-1640 UT: 5:00pm News; What Do They Know about Us? In the first of two programmes, Paul Vickers considers the data trail we all leave as we fill in forms, shop at supermarkets, pick up the phone and log on to the internet. He follows his own trail and talks to information gatherers and to the government-appointed guardians of our privacy. First of two programmes, [first] Broadcast Tuesday 3 1600-1645 UT: 5:00pm Discovering Music Chris de Souza explores the exotic effects and tantalising autobiographical elements of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, with excerpts by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Philip Ellis. Repeat 4 1640-1645 UT: 5:40pm Dawn Chorus Day: Up with the Bark Bill Oddie describes dawn on Hampstead Heath, where he goes daily to feed his passion for birds and to exercise his tolerance of joggers, the lone bagpiper and dogs. 3 1645-1730 UT: 5:45pm Sunday Feature: The John Tusa Interview John Tusa talks to leading creative figures about their work. In this edition, he talks to the Czech-born film director Milos Forman, who left his homeland following the 1968 Soviet invasion, having already received international acclaim for his films `Loves of a Blonde' and `Fireman's Ball'. He settled in America and his subsequent films have included the critical and popular successes `One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' and `Amadeus'. 4 1900-1930 UT: 8:00pm News;, Dawn Chorus Day: Music to Our Ears Peter France looks to psychology, jazz and Taoism to find out why birdsong sounds so appealing to us, when it is just functional messages between birds to draw in mates and mark territory. 4 2230-2300 UT: 11:30pm Something Understood Living Wells Mark Tully considers the symbolism of wells. From village wells to wishing wells, the well has been a powerful source and symbol of life and healing in every culture and tradition. Broadcast earlier 4 2315-2348 UT: 12:15am Dawn Chorus Day: Global Sunrise The highlights of the sounds, experiences and insights of Dawn Chorus Day, with Bill Oddie (BBC website schedules, chosen by gh for DXLD) ** U K. DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). Radio 4 longwave is to be off the air, British daylight saving time [sic], Monday 30 April to Friday 4 May and Monday 7 May to Friday 11 May, from 10:00 until 19:00. It is also to be off the air on Sunday 13 May from 4:30 to 12:00. We are informed this is for maintenance work. No mention was made concerning availability on the internet but listeners in Scotland should continue to receive an undisturbed service. <<<< via Mike Barraclough. The times quoted are BST = UTC + 1. I note that it is actually off air as I type, and my reception of R4 is less strong from the two Scottish transmitters. Droitwich is usually 9+30. I`m currently getting a signal 9+8. So, if you want to try to hear Scotland on LW, now is the time! I believe there are power reductions on the various MW senders at Droitwich too. That's 693, 1053 and 1215. The Talk Sport 1053 outlet has a co-channel station that is well behind the others. Much more, it seems, than would normally be expected (source unclear if not Barraclough, BDXC-UK via IRCA AM Newsflash via DXLD) ** U K [non?]. A couple of days ago (between April 25 and 27), around 0325z, have logged on two occasions programing of a station which identified itself as "EuroRadio 2001" along with ads for Radio Caroline venues, on 7459.5, suffering from strong splash by R Denmark/via Norway starting at 0400 on 7465 kHz. Has anyone out there more info on this? (Joachim Kornek, Germany, May 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non], Hi, Glenn: Have just discovered AFRTS with CBS programing, later ID`ed as "This is AFN (Radio)" or "This is American Forces Network" on new 4995 usb atop the Russian time signal pips on 4996. Looks or rather sounds like a well established team work, hi. In the long run, however, I`m getting bored with it especially when the TS stn is sending its rapid flow of signals, May 4, 1925z. No trace of it in the past couple of days on either 10940/10942,5 or 4993. Best regards, (Joachim Kornek, Germany, May 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Thought that, based on some of your CNN-related comments, this site might be of interest: http://www.tedsturnovers.com/ It was a site of the day on a service called Tip World. (Max G. Swanson, May 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yuk, includes links to nude Andrea. I never got to see her on KRQE Albuquerque upon occasional visits to its coverage area, sob (gh) ** U S A [non]. Czech Republic: RFE/RL Marks 50th Anniversary Prague, 4 May 2001 (RFE/RL) -- Czech President Vaclav Havel, members of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's supervisory council, and hundreds of current and former employees attended a ceremony at the company's Prague headquarters celebrating the 50th anniversary of RFE/RL broadcasting operations. Havel said RFE/RL continues to play a valuable role in the countries to which it broadcasts. "(RFE/RL) is maintaining a high measure of professional journalism, independence, political commentary displaying an analytical overview, (and) adherence to facts." Messages of congratulations were sent by Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, Estonian President Lennart Meri, and U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell. Source: http://www.rferl.org (via Sergei Sosedkin, MI, May 4, DXLD) ** VATICAN/Italy. Environment minister threatens to resign over electrosmog" controversy | Text of report in English from Italian news agency ANSA web site Rome, 3 May: Environment Minister Willer Bordon promised to resign today unless the prime minister takes decisive action by the end of the day to impose respect of Italian electrosmog limits on Vatican Radio. Bordon said he had asked Premier Giuliano Amato for a specific government measure on the issue or the unblocking of his own ministerial ordinance which threatened to close the Vatican network down unless it complied. "I have said that there is a limit to everything and this limit has been reached," Bordon said. "If there is no change in the situation by the end of today, I will say goodbye to everyone." The minister said Amato telephoned him this morning, offering "kind words" but no commitment to act. By late afternoon Bordon said he was still waiting for something concrete. Meanwhile, the Undersecretary at the Communications Ministry, Vincenzo Vita, urged Bordon to reconsider his threat and stay in the government so as to ensure the safe approval of new decree laws implementing recent legislation on electrosmog. Environmental group Legambiente made the same plea. Green leader Grazia Francescato confirmed her party's support for Bordon but asked him to delay his resignation until after 9 May, when the electrosmog decrees are scheduled to be voted through by the cabinet. Calling on centre-left premiership candidate Francesco Rutelli to intervene, she confirmed that the Green party's two ministers would resign, along with Bordon, if the decrees were not passed. Bordon, a Democrat, has for several weeks been the figurehead of a campaign to force the Holy See into rapid measures to reduce the levels of electromagnetism produced by the radio's transmitters outside Rome. He argues that there is a real risk that electrosmog helps trigger leukemia in children and may provoke tumours in adults. Many residents of Cesano, the site of the Vatican radio transmitters, agree and have staged protests. Supported by the two Green ministers in the cabinet, Bordon has caused a visible split in the cabinet. Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini has advocated a gradual, negotiated approach and Health Minister Umberto Veronesi has dismissed the problem as insignificant. A 1998 decree sets a six-volt/metre limit for electromagnetic emissions from TV and radio transmitters. A first set of measurements by a team of Vatican and Italian experts showed that electrosmog near Cesano was above this limit in places. The Vatican has said it is ready to take any action necessary to bring emissions inside legal limits and has already reduced its transmission signals at least twice. But it has also asked for more time to bring its mediumwave transmitters into line, arguing that this will be complicated and expensive. About 50 foreign ambassadors to the Holy See attended a meeting in the Vatican today to hear its side of the controversy and the possible repercussions on Vatican Radio programmes transmitted to their countries. [Italian newspaper La Repubblica on 4 May reported: "`Prime Minister Giuliano Amato has received a letter from [Environment] Minister [Willer] Bordon, but it is not a letter of resignation... [ellipsis as published] The question is still open.' This was the comment of the undersecretary in the prime minister's office, Enrico Micheli, speaking to journalists on the margins of a CNR [National Research Centre] convention."] Sources: ANSA news agency web site, Rome, in English 1632 gmt 3 May 01 La Repubblica web site, Rome, in Italian 4 May 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) Vatican Radio to announce plan for cutting emissions 18 May | Text of report from Italian newspaper La Repubblica web site on 4 May Vatican Radio will announce on 18 May its plan for cutting electromagnetic emissions. This was announced in a note from the broadcaster's management, which reiterates its "commitment to full collaboration" to find "a solution to the alleged electromagnetic pollution as soon as possible". "Vatican Radio," the note explains, "firmly hopes that the entire affair will be concluded with the rediscovery of calm by the local population and with a more objective evaluation of the seriousness of its commitment to full collaboration." Source: La Repubblica web site, Rome, in Italian 1135 gmt 4 May 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ###