It is coffee flavoured and I cannot wait to sample it.

Very many thanks Kevin! A full review after my special day!

That reminded me about the cartoons I saw on television in the sixties. All in black and white.

I loved Yogi Bear and Boo Boo

This is their theme tune

Here is an episode of Yogi Bear to watch

I used to enjoy the whacky races and the dog that laughed – his name was Mutley!

Huckleberry Hound was also a firm favourite of mine

Of course my earliest memory was Popeye! In later life I learnt how delicious spinach was! This video is in black and white – exactly how we saw it on television in the sixties

More cartoon favourites and tv favourites in due course no doubt

Disappointed, the string hopped down from the stool and went to the next bar. He hopped on the barstool and said, again, “Bartender, gimme a beer.” The bartender said, “I’m sorry sir, we don’t serve strings here.”

The string continued down the row of bars in this fashion. At every bar, he hopped on the barstool and said, “Bartender, gimme a beer.” The bartender at every bar in turn said, “I’m sorry sir, we don’t serve strings here.”

Finally he got to the last bar in the area. He was tired, he was sweaty, all he wanted was a beer. He trudged inside, climbed on the barstool, and said, “Bartender, gimme a beer.” This bartender, too, said, “I’m sorry, sir, we don’t serve strings here.”

Tired and angry, the string walked outside to think. He was a hard-working string. He deserved a beer. Finally, he came up with an idea. He had a passerby tie him up into a bow and frazzle his ends. Then he went back into the bar, and climbed up on the barstool. “Bartender, gimme a beer!” he said loudly.

The bartender looked him over critically, and finally yelled, “Hey, aren’t you that string that was in here a few minutes ago?”

The string replied coolly, “Nope, I’m a frayed knot.”

Q: What do you call a ghost’s mother and father ?

A: Transparents !

A royal castle was under siege from an infidel army. The only hope was to send one of the knights to get help, but the problem was that all of the horses had been killed in the battle.

“We must get help,” said the king.

“I know,” replied the leader of his army, “but we have no horses. If a knight goes on foot, he will be slain at once.”

“Is there not another animal he can ride?” demanded the king. “What about that mighty wolfhound? It could surely bear the weight of a man.”

“No, no,” pleaded the army leader. “The wolfhound is too dangerous. Look at its snarling teeth. I wouldn’t send a knight out on a dog like this.”

http://funnyjokes4me.blogspot.com

Some unusual pictures

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Laugh your head off at pYzam.com, where there’s lots of funny stuff?

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During your lifetime you will eat 60,000 pounds of food, the weight of six elephants.

Coca Cola is used to clean up blood spills on highways.

A pin in a ten pin alley has to tilt only 7.5 degress to make it fall over.

The first jeans were made in 1850.

In 1946 the first bikini was made.

In 1967 Barclays Bank installed the first ATM machine in their Enfield branch, London.

The first electric battery was made in 1800 by Aleessandro Volta (Italy) from whose name the electrical unit “volt” is derived.

In medieval bestiaries, the European Bison was known as the”bannacon” or the “vilde kow” which defended itself by spraying a spray of excrement over a distance of 80 yards!

Who invented champagne?  Not the French, it is an English invention. The English developed a taste for fizzy wine and in 1662 the method of making it was written down in the UK.  The French perfected a dry Champagne in 1876!

Elm trees can live for 300 years.

Royal Mail staff steal about 200,000 letters and parcels every year and deliver 22 million letters to dead people.

Chelmsford leapt ahead in 1893 when the Eclipse , the world’s first electric toaster was invented there.  Five years later Marconi opened the first “wireless” factory.

Facts gleaned from the following books:

“The Book of Useless Information”  by Keith Waterhouse and Richard Littlejohn
“Facts and Trivia” edited by Isaac Asimov
“The Book of Firsts” By Ian Harrison
“Mr Hartston’s Most Excellent Encyclopedia of Useless Information.
QI E annual
QI Book of General Ignorance
QI Book of Animal Ignorance

If you have any interesting facts to share – please email the blog at wirewaffle@hotmail.com and put “Interesting Facts” in the subject box, so I can find the email in my spam box.  Thank you

Selected from the Radio Today Site:

BBC Radio 3 to play non-stop Schubert

BBC Radio 3 is to play nothing but Schubert for eight days – from 23 – 31 March 2012.

The station will offer over 200 continuous hours of Schubert’s music to celebrate the 215th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

The Spirit of Schubert Season will cover all of his ‘performable’ pieces, many of the scraps, and finished versions of incomplete works. Each day the station will explore a different aspect of Franz Schubert’s life.

There will be 24 live performances broadcast and the network will also recreate the spirit of Schubert’s time through lunchtime gatherings in intimate venues around the UK known in Schubert’s day as Schubertiades and featuring artists Imogen Cooper, Melvyn Tan, Michael Collins and many of BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists.

Controller of Radio 3, Roger Wright, says: “I am delighted that BBC Radio 3 is uniquely able to dedicate our whole schedule to the celebration of a single composer through distinctive and engaging programming spanning live performance, documentary and expert comment. We hope that our exploration of every performable Schubert work across 200 hours of programming will bring new and old audiences together alike, to explore and celebrate the spirit of this truly remarkable composer.”

CLICK HERE FOR RAJAR QUARTER 4 GRAPHS
Garrison FM adds two more FM locations

The British Army’s radio service has added two more transmitters to its network.

Garrison FM is now broadcasting to the 3rd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland and in the nearby Cameron barracks area of Inverness.

Families at home in Inverness will now be able hear their loved ones in weekly link ups to 3 SCOTS base in Afghanistan, broadcast on 87.7 FM in both locations. The Officer Commanding Rear Party, Major Colin McInroy said: “I think its fantastic that Garrison FM has launched here. Inverness might be slightly out of it geographically but Garrison FM helps us feel part of the wider Army family and brings the community closer. I walk in to the Community Centre and the wives are listening to and enjoying the radio station.”

Former England and Rangers captain, Terry Butcher, who is manager of local SPL side Inverness Caledonian Thistle, did the honours for the Fort George switch-on. He has a son in the Army and talked on the air about the high regard British soldiers are held in. “I think the whole of Britain has come to terms with what they do. I think everyone realises just what they put themselves through and it’s just fantastic. It’s really heart-warming the reaction they, the soldiers are getting, from the British public.”

At Inverness, the city’s Provost, Councillor Jimmy Gray, joined Army families at the welcome event at the Wimberley Way Community Centre to officially launch Garrison FM’s twelth UK location.

Inverness is now the second city to receive Garrison FM broadcasts, after Edinburgh. The new locations were launched by live broadcasts hosted by Edinburgh Garrison FM’s Mark McKenzie and Managing Director Mark Page, who added; “We have been able to extend radio for soldiers, their families and MoD workers, within the current resources, so everyone benefits.”

CLICK HERE FOR RAJAR QUARTER 4 GRAPHS
Naughtie to profile 60 public figures

BBC Radio 4 presenter James Naughtie is to profile 60 public figures who have made the greatest impact in the UK during The Queen’s 60 year reign.

The profiles will be scheduled on the network during the summer.

Radio 4 listeners will be invited to suggest people who have defined the past six decades and illuminated the character of the age. These will be passed to a panel of historians who will add their own suggestions before debating and deciding on the final list of The New Elizabethans.

James Naughtie says: “This is going to be an exciting journey into our recent past. Trying to find the 60 people who’ve left the most indelible marks on the second Elizabethan age is going to be a challenge, but fun. We hope listeners will deluge us with suggestions and we’ll try to reflect all the diversity of our last six decades – men and women in politics, entertainment, the arts, sport, business, science, academe, and anywhere else who’ve helped to make us who we are.

“Writing 60 profiles of these people is going to be an adventure. Some names will be obvious, and I hope some will be obscure. But they will all tell a story – about ingenuity or courage, brilliance or sheer luck. They’ll help to explain us to ourselves. The result will be a radio portrait of our age. I can’t wait to get started.”

Gwyneth Williams, Controller, BBC Radio 4, says: “The search is on at Radio 4 for the brightest and best among us; for those who have made a lasting impact on the way we live now. I am delighted to broadcast, in the Diamond Jubilee year, The New Elizabethans, which will examine the last 60 years through exceptional individuals chosen by our listeners and a panel of eminent historians.”

John Myers joins Spectrum FM in Spain

Radio Academy CEO John Myers has joined a radio station in Spain as a consultant and presenter.

He’ll oversee the expansion of Spectrum FM and also host a weekly Sunday morning show at the English speaking station, in addition to his Radio Academy role.

The station broadcasts around Spain, Majorca, The Canary Islands and Gibraltar – but is now operating under new legislation which was introduced recently in Spain, tightening up the rules on how radio stations operate.

John told RadioToday.co.uk: “I live in Spain a lot of the time so I am delighted to be able to help them build on their current success. It will also be fun to be able to play a small part in focusing the output to be the best it can be and getting back on air once a week. Music and Sunshine, what more can anyone want?”

Tim Smith, programme controller at Spectrum said: “John Myers will help us ensure we deliver the best radio station on the dial and focus our operation on delivering results for clients and an output that people want to hear. We are live 24 hours a day and his agreement to present a weekly show for us each Sunday morning is an added bonus.”

Owner Gary Lewis added: “Spectrum FM is committed to delivering the best English service radio station in Spain. This investment allows us to further improve our position as Spain’s number one English speaking radio station.”

Comedian Serafinowicz joins 6 Music

BBC Radio 6 Music has hired comedian, writer and actor Peter Serafinowicz for a series of six shows.

The three hour weekly show will air every Saturday from 10am-1pm, starting this weekend.

Following Richard Bacon’s series of programmes, Peter will present musical choices, opinions and weekend guests. He’ll be answering some challenging listener questions in his Q&A sessions and will be looking to listeners for some musical suggestions.

Peter said: “I’m excited and thrilled to be presenting a show on BBC 6 Music. I’m a huge fan of the network and I’m looking forward to playing some great music (on my violin) and putting the ‘fun’ back in radio, so it becomes ‘rafundio.”

CLICK HERE FOR RAJAR QUARTER 4 GRAPHS
Record number of entries for 2012 Sonys

The Radio Academy has received a record number of entries for this year’s Sony Radio Academy Awards.

Over 120 radio judges will soon start listening to entries across 34 categories ahead of the annual event, on May 14th.

This year the nominations will be announced via a webcast around six weeks before the event, instead of a social evening – full details of which will be announced shortly.

John Myers, CEO of The Radio Academy and Chairman of the Sony Organising Committee said: “These are the most sought after awards in the radio industry and to have a record number of entries, underlines their importance to the industry. The Radio Academy will be hosting a very special event this year to mark the 30th year of The Sony Radio Academy Awards.”

“For each category, the Committee appoints a panel of judges varying in size according to the number of entries received – with each judge chosen because of a particular expertise that directly relates to whichever kind of radio they’re being asked to assess. Judges are drawn chiefly from the radio industry and balanced across all broadcast sectors.”

Full details of the 2012 Judging Panels will be available on the Sony Radio Academy Awards website once the judging is underway.

Winners will be revealed at the 2012 Sony Radio Academy Awards Ceremony on Monday 14th May at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London. Coverage of which will as always be available via Radio Today Live.

Bush leaves Heart for Absolute Radio

Heart Bristol breakfast presenter Andy Bush is joining Absolute Radio.

Andy will join the national station to host the afternoon show, replacing Nick Jackson who left last year.

Since Nick left, Leona Graham has been covering the 1-5pm slot but will hand over to Andy on April 2nd.

Tony Moorey, Content Director Absolute Radio says “Andy’s a star. His creativity has made that breakfast show one of the country’s most successful and as a lover of live music, football and comedy, we think Absolute Radio is his natural home”.

Andy said: “It’s going to be a real honour to go to work with so many people I’ve admired for so long. It’s a radio station with a tradition of excellence, the guts to take risks, and a leadership that knows how to get the best from its talent. Also, being able to stick on The Stone Roses will be the sweetest moment of my career to date.”

From Radio Netherlands Media Network Blog

Media Network Rotating Header Image
RNW Madagascar off the air following tropical cyclone
February 14th, 2012 – 18:55 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Today a category 4 tropical cyclone (Giovanna) crossed the island of Madagascar. The road from the capital city to our relay station is a mud stream right now and lower parts of the Island are flooded. Schools and businesses are closed.

First reports mention a lot of damage. We lost the roofs from two small buildings including the high voltage area. So this forced us to close down the operation this morning completely because of the massive rain showers. Four antennas and two satellite dishes are damaged and need to be repaired. Fortunately the transmitter building was not damaged and luckily none of our team was injured. Also our office in Antananarivo in Ivandry had some damage and we lost our wireless link from the office to the station. Communication with the station is difficult.

Tomorrow at daylight we can exactly assess the damage and start repairing. We expect to be on air with the most important services at 1300 UTC. We’ve been in contact with all clients. IBB, DWL and Vatican will try to cover from their own sites.

(Source: Rocus de Joode, RNW Programme Distribution)

Andy Sennitt adds: Tomorrow we hope to publish some photos. This evening I am working on our main website till 2200 UTC so I have no time to prepare them.

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Bulgaria drops online piracy treaty after protest
February 14th, 2012 – 13:19 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Bulgaria will not ratify an international anti-piracy agreement after a mass protest over fears it will curb freedom to download movies and music for free and encourage Internet surveillance, Economy Minister Traicho Traikov said on today. More than 4,000 people marched in the capital Sofia last Saturday calling on parliament not to ratify the act. Similar rallies drew thousands of protesters across eastern Europe, as well as in Germany, France and Ireland.

“I will table a proposal to the Council of Ministers to stop the procedure of Bulgaria’s signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA),” Mr Traikov told reporters. The decision means Bulgaria will not take any action concerning ACTA before European Union member states come up with a unified position.

ACTA aims to cut trademark theft and tackle other online piracy but the accord has raised concerns, especially in eastern Europe, over online censorship and increased surveillance. Some protesters have compared it to the surveillance used by former Communist regimes. Many Bulgarians also fear the free download of movies and music, a common practice in the bloc’s poorest state, might lead to imprisonment if the treaty is ratified. “Bulgarian society is not ready to accept mechanisms which raise suspicions of violation of the freedom of expression and freedom in Internet,” Mr Traikov said.

Negotiations over ACTA have been taking place for several years. Some European countries have signed ACTA but it has not yet been ratified in many countries.

(Source: Reuters)

Related story:

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

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EU radio spectrum policy programme at ‘risk’
February 14th, 2012 – 12:18 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Members have warned that the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme’s (RSPP) balanced approach in spectrum management might be put at risk at this year’s World Radio Conference (WRC-12) which is currently taking place in Geneva. The RSPP, that will be approved this week by the European Parliament, is Europe’s five-year policy programme to strategically plan and harmonise the use of spectrum in order to ensure the functioning of the internal market.

Although not in the original WRC-12 agenda, but after pressure from the African and Arab regional administrations, delegations at the World Radio Conference are currently looking to allocate the 700MHz band (694-790 MHz) to mobile services.  Such a decision would cause considerable problems in Europe, where the 700MHz band is heavily used for terrestrial broadcasting with, in many cases, long-term licensing arrangements in place.

It would cause considerable disruption, additional expense and loss of services for millions of viewers across Europe. Broadcasters also consider this band as being crucial to the future development of innovative new terrestrial services.

The RSPP instead refers to existing spectrum legislation, the EU Telecom Package, and urges future spectrum policies to be in line with its core message: spectrum is a scarce public good which must be managed with ‘special attention’, striking a balance between economic, cultural and social values in the public interest.

The EBU also supports the idea of a European Spectrum Inventory as proposed by the RSPP. The inventory should identify spectrum bands where efficient use of spectrum could be improved, re-allocated and/or shared. The inventory would also look at possible future spectrum needs of all services. Any mobile allocation in the 700 MHz band may preclude the outcome of the spectrum inventory.

(Source: EBU)

Related story/video:

Interference Problems Loom (Critical Distance Weblog)

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South Koreans want increase of TV licence fee
February 14th, 2012 – 11:51 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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More than six out of ten South Koreans believe the National Assembly should swiftly pass a pending bill on raising the television licence fee. Public broadcaster KBS commissioned Media Research to conduct a survey on one thousand Korean adults nationwide in January. Sixty-four percent said they agree the Assembly must act responsibly and quickly decide on the licence fee hike.

Regarding the one thousand won increase, 67 percent said the amount is adequate or too small, while 32 percent considered it high. Over 65 percent said the TV licence fee in Korea collected by KBS is low compared to other nations.

The survey results have a 95 percent reliability rate with a margin of error of plus minus three-point-one percentage points.

(Source: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)

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India: Two high power DRM transmitters almost ready
February 14th, 2012 – 11:45 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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The 18th Annual Broadcast Engineering Society of India (BES) international conference and exhibition has concluded in New Delhi. All India Radio’s (AIR) current digitalization programme was discussed by speakers during the conference and by visitors at the exhibition.

According to AIR’s Additional Director General Yogendra Pal, two 1000 KW mediumwave transmitters at Rajkot and Kolkata are likely to be operational by March 2012, and the rest of the 72 DRM transmitters would be commissioned between June 2012 to March 2013.

The ongoing roll-out by AIR spurred the interest of receiver manufacturers who were present at the event with their products. DRM’s Alexander Zink and Ludo Maes made presentations about DRM technology and receivers respectively, which enhanced a very interactive session on Success of Digital Radio broadcasting. DRM member companies Nautel, RFmondial, Digidia, Fraunhofer, Harris and Thomson attended the BES conference this year.

(Source: DRM Consortium)

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International TV Network launches on FreeviewHD in UK
February 14th, 2012 – 11:02 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Vision 247 yesterday announced the launch of the Vision TV Network, delivering live streamed international broadcasts via compliant FreeViewHD connected devices. The service enables broadcasters and video content owners to broadcast their channels over the internet, to all FreeviewHD enabled devices in the UK.

Vision247’s own channel, Vision TV Network, aggregates premium channels from national broadcasters around the world into simple to access and view TV packages. Audiences can now watch a wide variety of international programming across distinct channels through FreeviewHD including news, entertainment and music, sports, business and culture in native languages.

Located on Channel 110, Vision TV Network launches with a network of local language channel packages including Polska Plus, TeleFrance, Hellenic and TeleTurk for the Polish, French, Greek and Turkish speaking communities living in the UK. With many more channels set to follow, Vision247 is able to extend the reach for any international broadcaster wishing to reach expatriate communities in the UK.

Through this service, broadcasters can use the FreeviewHD electronic programme guide to promote their channels and use Vision247’s studio production and internet broadcast playout services to deliver compelling new channels for up to 5.5 million households in the UK currently with access to FreeviewHD.

John Mills, CEO of Vision IPTV, said: “For the first time we can provide live broadcasts over the internet and onto FreeviewHD televisions and set top boxes in British living rooms. This is an opportunity to add value to the FreeviewHD proposition, not only extending the choice of what to watch, but also the way viewers watch TV.”

Digital interactivity enables viewers to vote live with a click of a button. By tracking programme or channel selection, Vision247 can deliver contextual advertising or associated retail offers to viewers with the option to make use of a transactional gateway to buy as they watch. This digital interactivity also provides existing FreeviewHD channels the chance to create an interactive channel to add value and viewer services to existing broadcasts.

“This service extends the scope of FreeviewHD, offering users more channels to choose from and broadcasters the opportunity to take advantage of FreeviewHD as a more engaged and economically viable route to a wider audience,” said Mr Mills.

Vision247’s platform supports the latest compliant FreeviewHD enabled television sets and set top boxes on the market, ensuring broadcasters can deliver compelling new TV services to wider audiences in the UK. Legacy devices, non-compliant or FreeviewHD devices not connected to the internet will receive a call to action message displayed on screen advising users on what is required to view the new internet delivered channels.

Visit Vision 247 for more information.

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Merger of RFI and France 24 has been completed
February 14th, 2012 – 10:47 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Extraordinary general meetings of Radio France International (RFI), its Arabic subsidiary Monte Carlo Doualiya and l’Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France (AEF) have endorsed the merger of the radio station with the international news channel France 24, the AEF announced on Monday. In a statement, the AEF said that this “allows the creation of an official French broadcasting group of international dimensions”, after more than two years of conflict and a procedural battle conducted by the RFI unions against the merger.

The General Assembly of the AEF, the holding company, in fact consists of one person – its CEO Alain de Pouzilhac, who represents the sole shareholder, the State. “With this merger a new page opens, the constitution of a major international audiovisual group that is powerful and competitive”, reads the statement of the AEF co-signed by RFI, France 24 and Monte Carlo Doualiya.

The principle of creating the AEF was decided by President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, but the process was punctuated by repeated strikes at RFI, as some of the employees were opposed to a merger with France 24 and the relocation of the radio station.

A redundancy plan as part of the merger was opened in early January, and some 102 applications for voluntary reundancy had been received by early February. The plan calls for a total of 126 job cuts at RFI, France 24 and Monte Carlo Doualiya.

In a letter to Prime Minister Francois Fillon, RFI trade unions had denounced the “second round of redundancies” launched by the management, with “126 further positions eliminated in addition to the 206 that were already in the 2009 Plan.”

(Source: AFP French via Google Translate)

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India won’t censor social media: minister
February 14th, 2012 – 10:15 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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India does not intend to censor online social networks such as Facebook, a minister said today, but he demanded that they obey the same rules governing the press and other media. “I want to say once and for all, without any obfuscation, no government in India will ever censor social media,” Telecoms Minister Kapil Sibal said at an IT summit in Mumbai. “I never wanted to censor social media and no government wants to do so. But like the print and electronic media, they have to obey the laws of the country,” Mr Sibal told the gathering.

Mr Sibal held a number of meetings with leading Internet companies late last year in which he asked about the possibility of pre-screening content posted online by users. He reportedly showed executives examples of obscene images found on the Internet that risked offending Muslims or defaming politicians, including the boss of the ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi.Since then, 19 Internet firms including Google, Yahoo! and Facebook have been targeted in criminal and civil cases lodged in lower New Delhi courts, holding them responsible for content posted by users of their platforms.

The Indian government has given its sanction for the firms to be tried for serious crimes such as fomenting religious hatred and spreading social discord, offences that could land company directors in prison. Google and Facebook said earlier this month that they had removed the allegedly offensive content used as evidence in the court cases. The groups have appealed to the Delhi High Court asking for the cases against them to be quashed on the basis that they cannot be held responsible for the actions of their clients.

The comments of a judge hearing the case raised further fears that freedom of expression online could be restricted. “You must have a stringent check. Otherwise, like in China, we may pass orders banning all such websites,” the judge said during a hearing in January.

(Source: AFP)

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BBG publishes 2013 budget request
February 13th, 2012 – 19:05 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
1 comment

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) today released its FY 2013 budget request, which contains a set of strategic measures to advance its core mission and meet the challenges of the changing global media environment within current spending constraints.

“In these times of fiscal austerity, the BBG faces tough choices,” Board members said in a message to agency employees.  “And we are not alone:  Every branch and each element of the federal government has had to take a hard look at itself to achieve efficiencies without sacrificing its essential work on behalf of our country.”

Noting the extraordinary coverage in the past year of the Arab Spring, conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ferment in Iran and Russia, the struggle over Tibet and other developments in China, the humanitarian disaster in East Africa, and human rights in Cuba and around the world, the Board affirmed, “US international broadcasting will continue to serve people the world over who lack access to accurate, credible news and who need lifeline information.  Our record audience of 187 million people in 2011 attests to the importance and success of your work. “

For FY 2013 the BBG has requested more than $720 million for US international broadcasting, a decrease of 4.2 percent from FY 2012.  This request supports US foreign policy priorities and is grounded in the five-year strategy adopted by the Board in October 2011. The proposals in it include retooling to reach strategically important audiences from Cuba to China and build out the agency’s digital infrastructure.

The request contains $9 million in increases that would:

create weekly television programs and related new media efforts for Egypt
add satellite TV broadcasts to Central Asia
elevate and expand social media
emphasize innovation across media platforms, and
revamp content and delivery to be more competitive.

It also contains $11.6 million in censorship-fighting Internet circumvention funding to continue the deployment of emerging technologies and partnerships with cutting-edge experts, developers and in-country networks.

The FY 2013 budget request includes programme, transmission and staffing reductions at the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and the International Broadcasting Bureau, in part through efforts to restructure operations and end duplication. While four broadcast languages are proposed for elimination, the budget request preserves broad-based service in diverse vernacular languages to meet the needs of BBG audiences worldwide. The request also cuts more than $21 million in administrative and technical support costs throughout the agency and grantee organizations.

Board members acknowledged that some of the proposed changes will create anxiety, if enacted, and present very difficult circumstances for the men and women involved, but they affirmed, “We will do everything possible to limit the impact on our employees through a combination of agency buyouts, early-out authority and reducing positions via attrition.”

The BBG FY 2013 budget request is available for download (PDF 5.9Mb)

(Source: Broadcasting Board of Governors)

Andy Sennitt adds: Taking a quick look at this very detailed document, I note the following points concerning MW/SW:

Taking all transmission and language service reductions into  account, the budget request proposes to discontinue the use of shortwave and mediumwave except for Cuba, China, North Korea, Burma, Iran, Tibet, Uyghur, FATA (Afghan-Pakistan border region), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Belarusian, Russian to the Caucasus, Russian, Turkmen, Khmer, and Africa.

The Poro, Philippines tansmitting station would close and discontinue 10 positions. This one megawatt station [on 1170 kHz] currently provides only five hours per day of mediumwave transmission to audiences in Southeast Asia, and the potential requirements for this station will be reduced in FY 2013. The Agency plans to maintain and develop FM radio, television, satellite, Internet, mobile services, and other platforms that are more effective for serving target audiences currently served by Poro.

Major cuts in the VOA Newsroom

My attention has also been drawn to a plan to ‘Consolidate and Reorganize Central News and English Divisions’ which, if implemented, would save $5.660 million:

“As part of this budget request, VOA’s Central News will accelerate its transition from a large scale producer of English-language content, much of it based on wire services, to a much leaner newsroom, producing original content, and a short menu of top stories. Central News would also act as a clearinghouse for original content produced by VOA language service journalists.

“VOA Central News will be at the heart of a global newsroom for all US international broadcasting entities. Under this budget, VOA will continue successful efforts to produce content for web and other  digital  platforms (including audio and  video) for targeted English-speaking audiences. Radio functions and corresponding staff would be consolidated. Learning English would absorb Special English functions, and  take on a broader strategy of producing effective American English teaching products for a global audience. Seventy-one positions will no longer be required under this proposal.”

My source in Washington comments that the plan “contains some of the most devastating cuts to VOA ’s Central News operation in decades, impacting English language reporters, along with multimedia staff.”

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Information Ministry reshuffles South Sudan TV, radio execs
February 13th, 2012 – 16:33 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has reorganized the South Sudan Television and Radio (SSTV/Radio) following the Public Service policy that civil servants be reformed for better performances.

The internal transfers and circular from the Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Atem Yaak Atem said that the reorganization followed widespread meetings and consultations involving the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Barnaba Marial Benjamin, senior officials of the Ministry, Managers and staff of the SSTV/Radio.

The reshuffle affected the Directors of both SSTV and Radio but according to the official document from the ministry the reformation of the two institutions would be done fully to improve the services and programming. A directorate of English Language Service of SSTV shall be created as a separate department from the Arabic Language Service. Meanwhile a Directorate of drama shall be created to cater for the social fabric on social and moral values.

SSTV is expected to work 24 hours. The ministry would advertise the vacant position when it completes reorganization.

(Source: The Citizen, Juba)

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Nostalgia: Wolfman Jack on government radio in Iran!
February 13th, 2012 – 14:56 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
2 comments

Ehard Goddijn has drawn to my attention to this video in the AFRTS Archive featuring airchecks of the closedown announcement of AFRTS Iran and its replacement, the English-language station NIRT International Radio, operated by the Iranian Government in 1976. The latter features, amongst others, the legendary Wolfman Jack. The station operated on mediumwave 1555 kHz.

February 13th, 2012 – 12:18 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.

Qatar Foundation (QF) Radio will launch a new all-English broadcast on 91.7 FM, with the current frequency 93.7 FM switching to 100% Arabic. Currently the station carries a mix of Arabic and English programming on the same frequency. QF Radio also plans to shift to new HQ behind the Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art. This building will house new studios equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.

(Source: The Peninsula)

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RNW Madagascar off the air following tropical cyclone
February 14th, 2012 – 18:55 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Today a category 4 tropical cyclone (Giovanna) crossed the island of Madagascar. The road from the capital city to our relay station is a mud stream right now and lower parts of the Island are flooded. Schools and businesses are closed.

First reports mention a lot of damage. We lost the roofs from two small buildings including the high voltage area. So this forced us to close down the operation this morning completely because of the massive rain showers. Four antennas and two satellite dishes are damaged and need to be repaired. Fortunately the transmitter building was not damaged and luckily none of our team was injured. Also our office in Antananarivo in Ivandry had some damage and we lost our wireless link from the office to the station. Communication with the station is difficult.

Tomorrow at daylight we can exactly assess the damage and start repairing. We expect to be on air with the most important services at 1300 UTC. We’ve been in contact with all clients. IBB, DWL and Vatican will try to cover from their own sites.

(Source: Rocus de Joode, RNW Programme Distribution)

Andy Sennitt adds: Tomorrow we hope to publish some photos. This evening I am working on our main website till 2200 UTC so I have no time to prepare them.

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Bulgaria drops online piracy treaty after protest
February 14th, 2012 – 13:19 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Bulgaria will not ratify an international anti-piracy agreement after a mass protest over fears it will curb freedom to download movies and music for free and encourage Internet surveillance, Economy Minister Traicho Traikov said on today. More than 4,000 people marched in the capital Sofia last Saturday calling on parliament not to ratify the act. Similar rallies drew thousands of protesters across eastern Europe, as well as in Germany, France and Ireland.

“I will table a proposal to the Council of Ministers to stop the procedure of Bulgaria’s signing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA),” Mr Traikov told reporters. The decision means Bulgaria will not take any action concerning ACTA before European Union member states come up with a unified position.

ACTA aims to cut trademark theft and tackle other online piracy but the accord has raised concerns, especially in eastern Europe, over online censorship and increased surveillance. Some protesters have compared it to the surveillance used by former Communist regimes. Many Bulgarians also fear the free download of movies and music, a common practice in the bloc’s poorest state, might lead to imprisonment if the treaty is ratified. “Bulgarian society is not ready to accept mechanisms which raise suspicions of violation of the freedom of expression and freedom in Internet,” Mr Traikov said.

Negotiations over ACTA have been taking place for several years. Some European countries have signed ACTA but it has not yet been ratified in many countries.

(Source: Reuters)

Related story:

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

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EU radio spectrum policy programme at ‘risk’
February 14th, 2012 – 12:18 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Members have warned that the Radio Spectrum Policy Programme’s (RSPP) balanced approach in spectrum management might be put at risk at this year’s World Radio Conference (WRC-12) which is currently taking place in Geneva. The RSPP, that will be approved this week by the European Parliament, is Europe’s five-year policy programme to strategically plan and harmonise the use of spectrum in order to ensure the functioning of the internal market.

Although not in the original WRC-12 agenda, but after pressure from the African and Arab regional administrations, delegations at the World Radio Conference are currently looking to allocate the 700MHz band (694-790 MHz) to mobile services.  Such a decision would cause considerable problems in Europe, where the 700MHz band is heavily used for terrestrial broadcasting with, in many cases, long-term licensing arrangements in place.

It would cause considerable disruption, additional expense and loss of services for millions of viewers across Europe. Broadcasters also consider this band as being crucial to the future development of innovative new terrestrial services.

The RSPP instead refers to existing spectrum legislation, the EU Telecom Package, and urges future spectrum policies to be in line with its core message: spectrum is a scarce public good which must be managed with ‘special attention’, striking a balance between economic, cultural and social values in the public interest.

The EBU also supports the idea of a European Spectrum Inventory as proposed by the RSPP. The inventory should identify spectrum bands where efficient use of spectrum could be improved, re-allocated and/or shared. The inventory would also look at possible future spectrum needs of all services. Any mobile allocation in the 700 MHz band may preclude the outcome of the spectrum inventory.

(Source: EBU)

Related story/video:

Interference Problems Loom (Critical Distance Weblog)

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South Koreans want increase of TV licence fee
February 14th, 2012 – 11:51 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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More than six out of ten South Koreans believe the National Assembly should swiftly pass a pending bill on raising the television licence fee. Public broadcaster KBS commissioned Media Research to conduct a survey on one thousand Korean adults nationwide in January. Sixty-four percent said they agree the Assembly must act responsibly and quickly decide on the licence fee hike.

Regarding the one thousand won increase, 67 percent said the amount is adequate or too small, while 32 percent considered it high. Over 65 percent said the TV licence fee in Korea collected by KBS is low compared to other nations.

The survey results have a 95 percent reliability rate with a margin of error of plus minus three-point-one percentage points.

(Source: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)

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India: Two high power DRM transmitters almost ready
February 14th, 2012 – 11:45 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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The 18th Annual Broadcast Engineering Society of India (BES) international conference and exhibition has concluded in New Delhi. All India Radio’s (AIR) current digitalization programme was discussed by speakers during the conference and by visitors at the exhibition.

According to AIR’s Additional Director General Yogendra Pal, two 1000 KW mediumwave transmitters at Rajkot and Kolkata are likely to be operational by March 2012, and the rest of the 72 DRM transmitters would be commissioned between June 2012 to March 2013.

The ongoing roll-out by AIR spurred the interest of receiver manufacturers who were present at the event with their products. DRM’s Alexander Zink and Ludo Maes made presentations about DRM technology and receivers respectively, which enhanced a very interactive session on Success of Digital Radio broadcasting. DRM member companies Nautel, RFmondial, Digidia, Fraunhofer, Harris and Thomson attended the BES conference this year.

(Source: DRM Consortium)

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International TV Network launches on FreeviewHD in UK
February 14th, 2012 – 11:02 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Vision 247 yesterday announced the launch of the Vision TV Network, delivering live streamed international broadcasts via compliant FreeViewHD connected devices. The service enables broadcasters and video content owners to broadcast their channels over the internet, to all FreeviewHD enabled devices in the UK.

Vision247’s own channel, Vision TV Network, aggregates premium channels from national broadcasters around the world into simple to access and view TV packages. Audiences can now watch a wide variety of international programming across distinct channels through FreeviewHD including news, entertainment and music, sports, business and culture in native languages.

Located on Channel 110, Vision TV Network launches with a network of local language channel packages including Polska Plus, TeleFrance, Hellenic and TeleTurk for the Polish, French, Greek and Turkish speaking communities living in the UK. With many more channels set to follow, Vision247 is able to extend the reach for any international broadcaster wishing to reach expatriate communities in the UK.

Through this service, broadcasters can use the FreeviewHD electronic programme guide to promote their channels and use Vision247’s studio production and internet broadcast playout services to deliver compelling new channels for up to 5.5 million households in the UK currently with access to FreeviewHD.

John Mills, CEO of Vision IPTV, said: “For the first time we can provide live broadcasts over the internet and onto FreeviewHD televisions and set top boxes in British living rooms. This is an opportunity to add value to the FreeviewHD proposition, not only extending the choice of what to watch, but also the way viewers watch TV.”

Digital interactivity enables viewers to vote live with a click of a button. By tracking programme or channel selection, Vision247 can deliver contextual advertising or associated retail offers to viewers with the option to make use of a transactional gateway to buy as they watch. This digital interactivity also provides existing FreeviewHD channels the chance to create an interactive channel to add value and viewer services to existing broadcasts.

“This service extends the scope of FreeviewHD, offering users more channels to choose from and broadcasters the opportunity to take advantage of FreeviewHD as a more engaged and economically viable route to a wider audience,” said Mr Mills.

Vision247’s platform supports the latest compliant FreeviewHD enabled television sets and set top boxes on the market, ensuring broadcasters can deliver compelling new TV services to wider audiences in the UK. Legacy devices, non-compliant or FreeviewHD devices not connected to the internet will receive a call to action message displayed on screen advising users on what is required to view the new internet delivered channels.

Visit Vision 247 for more information.

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Merger of RFI and France 24 has been completed
February 14th, 2012 – 10:47 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Extraordinary general meetings of Radio France International (RFI), its Arabic subsidiary Monte Carlo Doualiya and l’Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France (AEF) have endorsed the merger of the radio station with the international news channel France 24, the AEF announced on Monday. In a statement, the AEF said that this “allows the creation of an official French broadcasting group of international dimensions”, after more than two years of conflict and a procedural battle conducted by the RFI unions against the merger.

The General Assembly of the AEF, the holding company, in fact consists of one person – its CEO Alain de Pouzilhac, who represents the sole shareholder, the State. “With this merger a new page opens, the constitution of a major international audiovisual group that is powerful and competitive”, reads the statement of the AEF co-signed by RFI, France 24 and Monte Carlo Doualiya.

The principle of creating the AEF was decided by President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, but the process was punctuated by repeated strikes at RFI, as some of the employees were opposed to a merger with France 24 and the relocation of the radio station.

A redundancy plan as part of the merger was opened in early January, and some 102 applications for voluntary reundancy had been received by early February. The plan calls for a total of 126 job cuts at RFI, France 24 and Monte Carlo Doualiya.

In a letter to Prime Minister Francois Fillon, RFI trade unions had denounced the “second round of redundancies” launched by the management, with “126 further positions eliminated in addition to the 206 that were already in the 2009 Plan.”

(Source: AFP French via Google Translate)

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India won’t censor social media: minister
February 14th, 2012 – 10:15 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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India does not intend to censor online social networks such as Facebook, a minister said today, but he demanded that they obey the same rules governing the press and other media. “I want to say once and for all, without any obfuscation, no government in India will ever censor social media,” Telecoms Minister Kapil Sibal said at an IT summit in Mumbai. “I never wanted to censor social media and no government wants to do so. But like the print and electronic media, they have to obey the laws of the country,” Mr Sibal told the gathering.

Mr Sibal held a number of meetings with leading Internet companies late last year in which he asked about the possibility of pre-screening content posted online by users. He reportedly showed executives examples of obscene images found on the Internet that risked offending Muslims or defaming politicians, including the boss of the ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi.Since then, 19 Internet firms including Google, Yahoo! and Facebook have been targeted in criminal and civil cases lodged in lower New Delhi courts, holding them responsible for content posted by users of their platforms.

The Indian government has given its sanction for the firms to be tried for serious crimes such as fomenting religious hatred and spreading social discord, offences that could land company directors in prison. Google and Facebook said earlier this month that they had removed the allegedly offensive content used as evidence in the court cases. The groups have appealed to the Delhi High Court asking for the cases against them to be quashed on the basis that they cannot be held responsible for the actions of their clients.

The comments of a judge hearing the case raised further fears that freedom of expression online could be restricted. “You must have a stringent check. Otherwise, like in China, we may pass orders banning all such websites,” the judge said during a hearing in January.

(Source: AFP)

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BBG publishes 2013 budget request
February 13th, 2012 – 19:05 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) today released its FY 2013 budget request, which contains a set of strategic measures to advance its core mission and meet the challenges of the changing global media environment within current spending constraints.

“In these times of fiscal austerity, the BBG faces tough choices,” Board members said in a message to agency employees.  “And we are not alone:  Every branch and each element of the federal government has had to take a hard look at itself to achieve efficiencies without sacrificing its essential work on behalf of our country.”

Noting the extraordinary coverage in the past year of the Arab Spring, conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ferment in Iran and Russia, the struggle over Tibet and other developments in China, the humanitarian disaster in East Africa, and human rights in Cuba and around the world, the Board affirmed, “US international broadcasting will continue to serve people the world over who lack access to accurate, credible news and who need lifeline information.  Our record audience of 187 million people in 2011 attests to the importance and success of your work. “

For FY 2013 the BBG has requested more than $720 million for US international broadcasting, a decrease of 4.2 percent from FY 2012.  This request supports US foreign policy priorities and is grounded in the five-year strategy adopted by the Board in October 2011. The proposals in it include retooling to reach strategically important audiences from Cuba to China and build out the agency’s digital infrastructure.

The request contains $9 million in increases that would:

create weekly television programs and related new media efforts for Egypt
add satellite TV broadcasts to Central Asia
elevate and expand social media
emphasize innovation across media platforms, and
revamp content and delivery to be more competitive.

It also contains $11.6 million in censorship-fighting Internet circumvention funding to continue the deployment of emerging technologies and partnerships with cutting-edge experts, developers and in-country networks.

The FY 2013 budget request includes programme, transmission and staffing reductions at the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and the International Broadcasting Bureau, in part through efforts to restructure operations and end duplication. While four broadcast languages are proposed for elimination, the budget request preserves broad-based service in diverse vernacular languages to meet the needs of BBG audiences worldwide. The request also cuts more than $21 million in administrative and technical support costs throughout the agency and grantee organizations.

Board members acknowledged that some of the proposed changes will create anxiety, if enacted, and present very difficult circumstances for the men and women involved, but they affirmed, “We will do everything possible to limit the impact on our employees through a combination of agency buyouts, early-out authority and reducing positions via attrition.”

The BBG FY 2013 budget request is available for download (PDF 5.9Mb)

(Source: Broadcasting Board of Governors)

Andy Sennitt adds: Taking a quick look at this very detailed document, I note the following points concerning MW/SW:

Taking all transmission and language service reductions into  account, the budget request proposes to discontinue the use of shortwave and mediumwave except for Cuba, China, North Korea, Burma, Iran, Tibet, Uyghur, FATA (Afghan-Pakistan border region), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Belarusian, Russian to the Caucasus, Russian, Turkmen, Khmer, and Africa.

The Poro, Philippines tansmitting station would close and discontinue 10 positions. This one megawatt station [on 1170 kHz] currently provides only five hours per day of mediumwave transmission to audiences in Southeast Asia, and the potential requirements for this station will be reduced in FY 2013. The Agency plans to maintain and develop FM radio, television, satellite, Internet, mobile services, and other platforms that are more effective for serving target audiences currently served by Poro.

Major cuts in the VOA Newsroom

My attention has also been drawn to a plan to ‘Consolidate and Reorganize Central News and English Divisions’ which, if implemented, would save $5.660 million:

“As part of this budget request, VOA’s Central News will accelerate its transition from a large scale producer of English-language content, much of it based on wire services, to a much leaner newsroom, producing original content, and a short menu of top stories. Central News would also act as a clearinghouse for original content produced by VOA language service journalists.

“VOA Central News will be at the heart of a global newsroom for all US international broadcasting entities. Under this budget, VOA will continue successful efforts to produce content for web and other  digital  platforms (including audio and  video) for targeted English-speaking audiences. Radio functions and corresponding staff would be consolidated. Learning English would absorb Special English functions, and  take on a broader strategy of producing effective American English teaching products for a global audience. Seventy-one positions will no longer be required under this proposal.”

My source in Washington comments that the plan “contains some of the most devastating cuts to VOA ’s Central News operation in decades, impacting English language reporters, along with multimedia staff.”

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Information Ministry reshuffles South Sudan TV, radio execs
February 13th, 2012 – 16:33 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has reorganized the South Sudan Television and Radio (SSTV/Radio) following the Public Service policy that civil servants be reformed for better performances.

The internal transfers and circular from the Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Atem Yaak Atem said that the reorganization followed widespread meetings and consultations involving the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Barnaba Marial Benjamin, senior officials of the Ministry, Managers and staff of the SSTV/Radio.

The reshuffle affected the Directors of both SSTV and Radio but according to the official document from the ministry the reformation of the two institutions would be done fully to improve the services and programming. A directorate of English Language Service of SSTV shall be created as a separate department from the Arabic Language Service. Meanwhile a Directorate of drama shall be created to cater for the social fabric on social and moral values.

SSTV is expected to work 24 hours. The ministry would advertise the vacant position when it completes reorganization.

(Source: The Citizen, Juba)

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Nostalgia: Wolfman Jack on government radio in Iran!
February 13th, 2012 – 14:56 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Ehard Goddijn has drawn to my attention to this video in the AFRTS Archive featuring airchecks of the closedown announcement of AFRTS Iran and its replacement, the English-language station NIRT International Radio, operated by the Iranian Government in 1976. The latter features, amongst others, the legendary Wolfman Jack. The station operated on mediumwave 1555 kHz.

(Source: Ehard Goddijn)

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China limits overseas TV series imports
February 13th, 2012 – 13:44 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Foreign TV series imported into China must last for less than 50 episodes and may not be shown between 7 and 10 pm, China’s TV watchdog said today. The broadcasting time for an imported TV series on a given channel may not surpass one-third of the total amount of time that channel dedicates to broadcasting TV series, according to a circular released by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT).

In order to enhance the quality of imported TV shows and expand sources for high-definition (HD) TV programmes, the HD versions of overseas TV series will receive priority consideration during imports, the circular said. TV channels may not air unauthorized overseas series in disguised forms, such as through introductions on domestic programmes, reads the circular.

Programnes that are specifically designed to introduce foreign TV series may not show more than 3 minutes of a given series, the circular said. SARFT will make efforts to avoid situations in which domestic channels lean too heavily on programming from one particular country or region, the circular said. It also urged all provincial TV administrators to intensify supervision over all TV channels under their jurisdiction and to increase penalties for content providers who violate regulations.

(Source: Xinhua via CRI)

QF Radio to launch new English frequency
February 13th, 2012 – 12:18 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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Qatar Foundation (QF) Radio will launch a new all-English broadcast on 91.7 FM, with the current frequency 93.7 FM switching to 100% Arabic. Currently the station carries a mix of Arabic and English programming on the same frequency. QF Radio also plans to shift to new HQ behind the Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art. This building will house new studios equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.

(Source: The Peninsula)

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Loosen up copyright law, says Dutch government
February 13th, 2012 – 11:01 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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The YouTube generation has gained an ally in the worldwide “copyright wars.” The Dutch government wants to change copyright law so new media users can continue to do “creative remixes” of protected content. The Hague will no longer wait for the European Commission to find a compromise.

Read the article on the RNW website

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720 Perth meets 720 Chicago for World Radio Day
February 13th, 2012 – 10:44 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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To mark World Radio Day, 720 ABC Breakfast crossed to 720 Chicago to talk all things radio. The news of the day for World Radio Day was similar around the world as many talk radio stations covered the death of singer Whitney Houston. “It really has dominated the television news, strange because there’s certainly a lot going on in Greece and various parts of the world but the biggest story here in the states right now is Whitney Houston’s death,” Chicago’s Late Night host Bill Leff told 720 ABC’s Eoin Cameron.

Despite being thousands of kilometres away, 720 WGN Chicago’s Bill Leff says the challenges their radio station faces is global. “The trick here is to get the audience to evolve with the station and for the station to evolve with the audience,” Mr Leff said. “There are constantly new technologies and younger people – I have two daughters who are 15 and to them, they get everything on a Smartphone or on the internet. So we’re constantly having to reinvent ourselves a bit to appeal to younger and younger listeners.”

Zimbabwe: Govt intensifies efforts to expand transmission
February 13th, 2012 – 10:16 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.
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The Zimbabwe Government has intensified efforts to expand radio and television transmission to reach most parts of the country, a Cabinet Minister has said. In his speech to mark today’s World Radio Day, Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu said Radio Zimbabwe and Power FM coverage of the country was now 80 percent, while television transmission had increased from 45 to 75 percent. He said three television transmitters were already installed in Beitbridge, Plumtree and Victoria Falls.

Minister Shamu said construction of towers was underway at St Alberts in Mount Darwin and in Mudzi. He said work on 10 more sites is expected to start this year if treasury released the US$5.1 million allocated to his ministry. “As the nation joins the rest of the world in marking the World Radio Day, it is important to acknowledge the role being played by the country’s signal carrier, Transmedia, in rehabilitating and expanding the national radio transmission network, albeit with very limited resources,” said Minister Shamu.

“Radio Zimbabwe and Power FM coverage of the country is now 80 percent after work was completed on all the 24 Frequency Modulation sites while National FM and SFM [sic] coverage has reached 60 percent. Through Transmedia, Government has been implementing a television digitalisation programme and working to expand television transmission and reception.”

Minister Shamu said radio played a critical role in unifying people from diverse backgrounds. He urged radio broadcasting to strive on building a social fabric hinged on the country’s revolutionary past. Minister Shamu said the broadcasting sector was continuing to grow with the licensing of new players in the industry. “We are pleased that this sector continues to expand with the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) in November 2011 licensing AB Communications and Talk Radio as free to air independent radio stations,” he said. “The BAZ has also invited applications for 14 local commercial radio stations as moves intensify to diversify the radio broadcasting sector.”

(Source: The Herald – Zimbabwe Government newspaper

c4500BC A Sumerian Harp is the first-known string instrument.

1931 RCA Victor produces the first 33.3 rpm long playing disc, a recording of Beethoven’s Symphony NO 5.  New equipment is needed to play such records, so the venture fails and long-players are not revived until 1948.

In grassy fields baove the cliffs at Etretat, Claude Monet would work on five to six paintings at the same time.  As the weather changed he would change from one canvas to another.

A manned rocket reaches the moon in less time than it took a stagecoach to travel the length of England.

It is estimated that at any one time, 0.7 percent of the world’s population are drunk.

It would take more than 150 years to drive a car round the sun.

Christopher Columbus had blond hair.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance.

Facts gleaned from the following books:

“The Book of Useless Information”  by Keith Waterhouse and Richard Littlejohn
“Facts and Trivia” edited by Isaac Asimov
“The Book of Firsts” By Ian Harrison
“Mr Hartston’s Most Excellent Encyclopedia of Useless Information.

If you have any interesting facts to share – please email the blog at wirewaffle@hotmail.com and put “Interesting Facts” in the subject box, so I can find the email in my spam box. Thank you

A new radio station I have been listening to on wi fi radio is KRLI which broadcasts easy to listen to oldies. Not obviously everyone’s choice of music but a genre that is hardly catered for in the UK. Their web address is http://krli.net/

The snow fell on Saturday night around 9.30 pm here. It was exceptionally thin flakes of snow, which seemed to cover everything up to 3 inches and more very quickly. Today, Sunday the snow has been trodden down, and has melted very slightly. Inevitably, although I pray not, it will freeze overnight. Bear in mind that conditions on road and pavement will be treacherous, so proceed with absolute caution.

I wonder if any of you have seen this amusing You Tube video about the Duck and the Grapes?

Also I am very fond of Radio Jingles, as I suppose many other blog readers are. There are many jingle videos on You Tube, this is by way of a treat, a selection of jingles which seem to fall into the category of my all time favourites. They have an offshore feel to them. There are also some lovely old radios on view as well! The best in my opinion is the Lively Companion one about a portable radio!

Hope the snow does not turn to ice.

Here are some pictures I took today, it is on a main road so most of the snow has gone, except on side streets.  Pavements were slippery though.

______________________________________________________________

There should be a law to ensure that buyers really do have a mortgage or something to sell before they make an offer.  Their offers should be realistic and binding on them, except in the case of exceptional structural problems being identified in two independent surveys.

Instead an Estate Agent is supposed to check somebody out financially before advising their client to accept and offer.

It is a sad fact that society today is corrupt.  Some people, not all, genuinely think they can make offers on houses and then pull out, or drag their feet to the frustration of a Vendor.I have experienced an agent who seems to have been deliberately hounding a buyer who was delaying getting a mortgage, that they withdrew their offer. I specifically asked them to let the solicitors sort it out.

Please Mr Cameron pass a law that

a) Makes people pay a non refundable deposit when they have an offer they make accepted on a property. To the buyer’s solicitor not to the Estate Agent. Say £2,000 to be deducted off the purchase price on proceeding.
b) Make it illegal to make an offer without being able to show a mortgage offer which matches the price offered.
c) Ban Estate agents from chasing up buyers, make this the job of the solicitors.  Estate agents are experienced negotiators but are not lawyers so they need to know their place – in my opinion.

In conclusion – If you are thinking of buying a house and do not have adequate funds – do not come my way!!!!

I had to pay to get my passport identity verified by a solicitor. Why do buyers just waltz into an agents and get treated like Lords and Ladies.  About 40% of buyers are charlatans and liars and low life and scum!!

I have more rights selling and buying on eBay, than when house buying and selling it seems.  Sorry if you are not a house owner, the other problem for my children’s generation is also complicated.   House prices too high, job market poor and crippling rents that landlords charge.

Selections from the Radio Today Site

The BBC Trust says Radio 5 live should ensure that discussions and features should have an obvious link to news or topical issues.

The guidance comes from the Trust’s service review of the station, which also says it should cover more minority sports that commercial radio does not.

As part of the service review process, UTV Media – the owner of commercial rival talkSPORT – has been arguing that 5 live is failing to meet its current requirement for 75% of the station’s output to be news and current affairs.

Today the Trust reported that 5 live has ‘breadth, depth, wit and intelligence’, and 9 out of 10 listeners rate sports coverage on the station as high quality. Audiences also praised the station as a reliable source for breaking news and said it had ‘knowledgeable presenters who make stories accessible without trivialising them’.

BBC Trustee Alison Hastings, who led the review, said: “In a year that has seen so many major news stories hit the headlines, it’s great to see that 5 live’s approach to news coverage and breaking news really stands out for listeners. We’ve set out ways in which we think 5 live could build on this to ensure that all of its journalism continues to meet the high standards that audiences expect. The station also has an unmatched reputation for sports coverage among licence fee payers. Given the BBC’s unique position we think the station could do more to cover the less mainstream sports that other stations can’t, and we look to the Executive to decide how best to achieve this.”

Last week, the BBC Trust announced as part of its DQF interim report that 5 live’s proposals to reduce current affairs programming shouldn’t go ahead. Today, it adds that the other cost-savings outlined for the station should be retained within the overall DQF strategy – namely reducing the cost of overnight programming, using smaller teams of presenters at sports events, reducing 5 live’s team of regional journalists in England and working more closely with other parts of BBC News.

BBC Three Counties Radio Managing Editor Mark Norman is the latest local radio boss to announce his departure from the corporation.

He’s spent the majority of his 21-year BBC career in Luton, becoming the station’s boss in 1998.

Before joining the BBC he worked as a newspaper reporter, including in Hertfordshire and the North East of England.

Mark told RadioToday.co.uk that leaving the BBC was one of the hardest decisions he’s had to make. “It is an organisation which has the ability to inspire those who work inside it and those who pay for it and that’s not something one gives up lightly,” he said. “I came to the BBC from newspapers by chance – it was a move dictated by geography rather than desire. I think I got lucky. Without knowing it I found myself in a job that made me feel passionate about broadcasting and reignited my appetite for journalism.

“Since then I have been privileged to be able to reflect the area in which I was born and grew up, working with some of the most amazing people I have encountered in any walk of my life. And even more gratifying than that is the fact I’ve done it in Local Radio – the one bit of the BBC that is truly defined by its listeners and is better than anything else on the radio because of it. I’ll miss working here, but I’m looking forward to becoming a proper listener.”

Mark joined BBC Radio Bedfordshire, as it was then, as a reporter in 1991, later going on to produce the station’s breakfast show and work as a presenter. In 1998 he had brief spells as a reporter at BBC Look East and Acting Managing Editor of BBC Radio Northampton before taking over as Managing Editor of BBC Three Counties Radio at the end of the year.

In recent years, he’s had three spells on attachment away from Three Counties – in 2005 as an Advisor in the BBC Corporate and Social Responsibility Unit; in 2006-7 as Executive Editor of BBC East; and in 2010-11 as Head of Local Radio Development.

Tim Bishop, Head of Regional and Local Programming BBC East, said: “I first met Mark when he came for a week’s work experience on his local paper. In lots of ways he hasn’t changed. He was always proud of working for the BBC covering the patch in which he grew up. He’s creative, restless, easily bored and out of that appetite for new and bigger and better ideas, BBC Three Counties has produced some great radio that have been recognised with a string of national awards.

“He’s had some great successes and like everyone who does anything really good he’s never been afraid to fail, to know when something hasn’t worked, but not to be afraid to come back and try again. He’s had the personality and presence to lead some of the best presenters in local radio and get the best out of them and leaves BBC Three Counties far stronger than we joined the BBC as a fresh faced young man.”

Mark’s departure follows the recent announcements that the Managing Editors of BBC Radio Manchester, BBC Radio Cumbria and BBC Hereford & Worcester are to also leave their posts.

The owners of the second digital radio multiplex for Greater London have announced plans to change transmission provider from June this year and extend coverage.

Switchdigital as agreed a 12-year deal with French company VDL, which will see the service through its second licence period.

The deal includes a new transmitter at the BT Tower which is expected to improve indoor reception of the stations on the multiplex for DAB listeners in Central London.

Switchdigital is jointly owned by UTV Media, TIML (owners of Absolute Radio) and Carphone Warehouse. The contract will mark VDL’s first move into the UK digital radio transmission market.

Piers Collins, Director, Switchdigital London, said: “We have been very impressed with VDL’s fresh approach, value for money and desire to work with Switchdigital as a strategic partner.”

Yannick Andre-Masse, VDL’s CEO added: “For VDL, the establishment of a presence in the UK digital radio transmission market represents an important strategic extension of the company’s existing FM and digital transmission network operations in France and Belgium.”

The London 2 DAB multiplex was launched in July 2000. Current stations available include XFM, Gold, BBC London 94.9, Absolute Radio’s 70s and 00s decades stations and French Radio London.

Mary Kalemkerian, who launched BBC Radio 7, has announced her retirement from the BBC after 30 years.

She’s currently Head of Programming for Radio 4 Extra, after overseeing the station’s rebranding from BBC 7 last year.

A former winner of Station Programmer of the Year at the Sony Awards, Mary said she was sad to be leaving but felt the time was right. “It has been ten years since we launched Radio 7, and during that time we’ve seen the station steadily grow,” she said. “I wanted to be sure that last year’s re-branding was a success and now Radio 4 Extra is well and truly established and firmly on the digital radio map, the time is right for me to leave the BBC. I can move on confident in the knowledge that the station is in great shape and my small but perfectly formed team will carry on the good work.”

Gwyneth Williams, Controller of Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra, said: “We will miss Mary and her enthusiasm and knowledge of our unique archive, but she leaves behind her a wonderful legacy. Her editorial leadership has been a key part of making Radio 4 Extra into what it is today, for which I’m very grateful. Mary hands on the baton to her excellent team who will continue to bring the very best in archive comedy and drama to Radio 4 Extra’s growing audience.”

Mary’s first job at the BBC was on Radio Scotland’s pre-school programming. She later worked on Schools Radio programmes in London before joining BBC Worldwide as Senior Commissioning Editor for the Radio Collection. She was also chief producer of youth magazine programmes for Radio 5 following its launch in 1990.

The BBC says her responsibilities will be taken on by an ‘integrated management team for both Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra’.

Community radio station Cheshire FM has ended broadcasts after being served with a winding-up order because of unpaid debts.

The station, which launched in March 2007, fell silent on Friday afternoon.

It’s understood the final track played was Take That’s ‘Happy Now’, with the station’s RDS changing to ‘RIP CHFM’.

Only last month the station heard from Ofcom that its licence was being renewed for a further five years, so would have been able to continue until at least March 2017.

Cheshire FM was awarded a community radio licence in May 2006 after previously running an RSL station. It was set up by Wire FM founders David Duffy and Houltby. Duffy went on to buy Dune FM and later Central Radio while running Cheshire FM.

The community station hasn’t been managed by Niocom for over a year. Recent changes included the signing of Brendan Kearney for the station’s breakfast show in June last year.

Cheshire FM has had mixed fortunes over the five years it was on air, picking up a business award in 2008 and then being found in breach of its licence by Ofcom in 2010 for not sticking to the regulator’s terms on advertising and sponsorship quotas.

BBC Sport and the England and Wales Cricket Board have agreed a new six-year deal for radio coverage, meaning ball-by-ball commentaries will run until at least 2019.

The agreement means live and exclusive coverage for the BBC of two home Ashes series in 2015 and 2019 as well as all England’s home Test, One-Day International and T20 series fixtures.

The current deal with the BBC is due to expire at the end of the 2013 season. Matches are broadcast on Radio 4′s long wave frequencies as well as BBC Radio 5 live Sports Extra under the ‘Test Match Special’ branding.

David Collier, ECB Chief Executive said: “This is excellent news for all cricket-lovers. Test Match Special brings cricket into millions of homes in this country each summer and is widely recognised for its unique and world class coverage of cricket. The next six years are set to be exciting ones for the sport and Test Match Special’s coverage together with the regular summaries and updates provided by BBC Radio 5 live will play a significant role in promoting cricket from the playground to the Test arena.”

Barbara Slater, Director BBC Sport said: “We’re delighted to be taking cricket on the radio forward for a further six years. Test Match Special, now in its 55th year is one of the most treasured programmes on the BBC with its unique mix of expert commentary, insight, humour and entertainment. In a new digital era the programme and its accompanying download have never been more popular with its audience.”

National sports radio station talkSPORT has announced electronics firm Sharp as an official partner of its coverage of the Euro 2012 football tournament this summer.

The firm will have bespoke on-air content around live matches and also be featured in the station’s sister title Sport Magazine as part of the build-up to the event.

talkSPORT is broadcasting all 31 Euro 2012 matches live through June and early July from the tournament in Poland and the Ukraine.

Anthony Hogg, Head of Creative Solutions at talkSPORT sales house UTV Pitch, said: “As a dedicated sport station we’re really excited about 2012 and having a sponsor like Sharp on board for our UEFA EURO 2012 coverage is a great start to the year. Our platforms will provide the perfect environment for Sharp to engage directly with football fans on their FanLabs project. We are again using our tried and tested unique category exclusive six partner commercial tournament model for official brands wanting to activate or align themselves to the biggest tournament of the year.”

Martin Arnold , Marketing Communications Manager at Sharp said: “talkSPORT is the home of football fans and we’re delighted to be a sponsor of their UEFA EURO 2012 coverage this summer. We had a great response to working with them on the UEFA EURO 2012 final draw last year with lots of engagement with our FanLabs project both on talkSPORT.co.uk and through their social media channels.”

From Radio Netherlands Media Blog

IBA gives public access to archival treasures
January 30th, 2012 – 16:33 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.

Close to 20,000 programmes and songs dating from before statehood until recent years have been digitized by the Israel Broadcasting Authority and are now accessible at www.iba.org.il/zemerivri. Some of the items are extremely rare and have faded from public consciousness. But for some listeners they may be of great significance for any number of historic or personal reasons.

“This is a first step in the establishment of the IBA’s new media and in making the IBA’s extensive archives available to the general public,” IBA chairman Amir Gilat said. Of the material that is accessible, there are more than 10,000 songs and programmes that reflect the pre-state era, and convey the spirit of the state in the making.

The items are categorized under Events, Holy Days and Festivals, Hazanut (cantorial music), Songs, Bible, Sketches based on tradition, Sabbath, Dances, Days of Awe, Music, Settlements, Jerusalem and General.

The project was carried out within the framework of the IBA plenum’s resolve that public broadcasts belong to the public, and that every effort must be exerted to make them available through the new media. The digital process was conducted in cooperation with the National Library’s Tslil (Sound) Archive. The website through which the archival material can be accessed is part of larger project that is being carried out through the IBA information network under the direction of Moshe Lev, and Israel Radio’s new media division headed by Zelig Rabinovich.

(Source: Jerusalem Post)

From the digital spy site

Zoe Ball has confirmed that this weekend’s Saturday breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 was her last, as she wants to spend more time with her family.

The mother-of-two completed her final 6am to 8am breakfast show on the station at the weekend after two and a half years in the early slot.

The former Radio 1 breakfast presenter informed listeners at the weekend that she wanted to spend more time with her children, Woody, 11, and Nelly, 2, along with DJ husband Norman Cook.

“You have been such splendid company, but after three glorious years of early rising my other family – my three ­monkeys at home – have decided they’d quite like me to themselves at weekends,” she said.

Ball has been doing the show since June 2009, although she had a break in January 2010 when she gave birth to her second child.

She will remain on the books at Radio 2 as a cover presenter, including regular cover for Ken Bruce’s weekday mid-morning show on the station.

“I look forward to continuing as Ken Bruce’s stunt double when he’s on holiday,” she added.

After the programme, Ball posted on Twitter: “Thank you splendid bunch of #BarkingLarkers for your fine company on Saturday mornings. I will miss y’all!”

Barking Larkers was the name Ball gave to her Radio 2 listeners.

Lynn Parsons will cover the Saturday breakfast show for the next few weeks, before a permanent replacement is announced.

Kyle Sandilands

© Rex Features / Newspix/Rex Features
Kyle Sandilands is being investigated by the Australian communications watchdog.

The Aussie radio personality, who was dumped by sponsors of his 2DayFM after he launched an on-air attack on journalist Alison Stephenson last year, could be reprimanded after a number of listeners complained about him.

A spokesman for the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) told The Age: “We are investigating complaints about Kyle Sandilands’s remarks on radio on November 22, 2011.

“The results of that investigation will be made available in due course.”

In his tirade against Stephenson, Sandilands called her a “fat slag”, a “little troll” and a “piece of s**t” and threatened to “hunt her down”.

A petition on Change.org called for Sandilands’s sponsors to stop supporting him, and soon after, advertisers including Telstra, Fantastic Furniture, Vodafone and Jenny Craig cancelled their contracts with the radio station.

After the incident, Sandilands said to Stephenson on air: “If you took a personal offence to it, Ali, I’m sorry, but maybe you should think again before you start going [against] different people.

“If they say I can dish it out but I can’t take it, I never ever dish it out first. I always retaliate due to someone else’s crazy, outrageous allegations.”

He later released a statement saying: “I took my remarks too far and for that – and the offence caused to Alison Stephenson and those exposed to my comments – I sincerely apologise.

“I regret the impact this has had on our clients and our hard-working staff. I regret that so many had to bear the brunt of my actions.”

The BBC will have to find a further £10m of savings after the BBC Trust reversed planned cuts to local radio and current affairs, following an outcry from licence fee payers, politicians and religious leaders.

BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten has said that he has asked BBC director general Mark Thompson to row back on around half of the planned £15m cuts to BBC local radio in England.

Thompson has also been asked to rethink some areas of the BBC current affairs proposals, after the Trust judged that they could “disproportionately affect the BBC’s journalistic offer”. It is thought that this will include plans to scale back BBC One’s Inside Out strand.

Overall Lord Patten said that the Trust’s changes to the Delivering Quality First cost-cutting scheme should “cost the BBC no more than £10m” a year.

In its interim conclusion, the Trust said: “Our analysis of the proposals has convinced us… that some of the proposed changes – to local radio and some current affairs output – are likely to have too much of a detrimental impact on the BBC’s journalistic aspirations and reputation.”

Talking about local radio, it added: “We… think the scale and impact of the cuts, although lower in financial terms than for many other parts of the BBC, is disproportionate to the value of these services to their audience and have asked the [BBC] executive to consider again the shape of their proposals, set against a clearer overall strategy for local radio as a whole.”

The English local radio proposals were among the most controversial aspects of Thompson’s Delivering Quality First budget cuts initiative.

Last October, the Trust launched a public consultation on the DQF proposals, which aim to save around £670m a year by 2016/17 under the BBC’s new licence fee agreement.

The local radio cuts, slashing around £15m a year from station budgets and putting around 280 jobs at risk, are understood to have attracted thousands of complaints from licence fee payers, politicians and senior church leaders.

Using the submissions, along with audience research and other analysis, the Trust found that “local speech radio is an area of almost total market failure”, meaning there are few other serious commercial alternatives to the BBC’s output.

The Trust said that local radio “brings something unique and intimate to its audience, many of whom tend not to use many other BBC services beyond mainstream TV”.

It found that particularly in areas outside the south east of England, BBC local services are “seen to provide balance against perceptions of a metropolitan and centrist BBC, and above all, listeners value most the localness of their particular station”.

BBC Radio 5 Live logo
The BBC had proposed to focus primarily on peaktime local radio programming – breakfast, mid-morning and drivetime – as well as sport, and faith programming on Sunday mornings.

Other areas of the schedule would then be filled by increasing the sharing between stations in off-peak slots, such as weekday afternoons, and Sunday evenings.

For example, the BBC executive proposed that all local radio stations would share a single “all-England” programme from 7pm to 10pm every night, while they would simulcast Radio 5 Live from 1am until the start of their breakfast programmes.

Within shared programme, the individual stations would continue to run local news bulletins, and be able to opt out at times of civil emergency or bad weather.

The Trust said that there was a “sound logic” behind the BBC’s proposals, largely because content sharing is already in radio networks.

“Content sharing already exists in some areas at some times without much of an apparent effect on the quality of output, and it is clear that listeners are generally less concerned about the need for a local service to remain local in off peak times such as overnight,” said the Trust.

“The emerging findings from our audience research, and that conducted by the executive following sharing trials last year, suggest that it is possible that some sharing of content, in some areas and at some points of the day, may be an effective way to increase the quality of output.

“However, the findings from our consultation, audience research and other analysis have shown us that local speech radio is an area of almost total market failure; that it brings something unique and intimate to its audience, many of whom tend not to use many other BBC services beyond mainstream TV.

“To some, particularly away from the south east, local radio is seen to provide balance against perceptions of a metropolitan and centrist BBC, and above all, listeners value most the localness of their particular station.”

The Trust said that it will now work with Thompson to “consider the shape” of the local radio proposals against an “overall strategy” for the sector.

This will include proposals to ensure stations “stay local for most of the time to continue to have an impact and to stay distinctive”.

It added: “Local radio is not the same everywhere. It means different things to different communities in terms of news, sport, culture, identity and music.

“The changes should reflect this, and look to give station managers some discretion to be flexible and run stations with regard to the particular needs of their audiences.”