2008 DIARY ARCHIVE - DATES GO IN DESCENDING ORDER

20th October 2008

Waffler

I am not sure how long Jazz Fm has been back on air, but I did an autotune on my dab radio today and was surprised to find it on air with announcers.  I heard mention of the fact that Robbie Vincent would be on this Saturday and every from 10am.  Robbie was pioneer on BBC Radio London of the phone in.  He also played soul tracks on the same station, the rest is history including Radio 1 of course.  What is even more exciting in my opinion is the soul cellar on a Saturday with Peter Young!

From their site

 

Art Blakey brilliantly made the case for a daily dose of jazz when he said that 'Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life'. We’re really delighted to be bringing Jazz FM back to an expectant audience in the UK and all over the world.

From now on we'll be broadcasting on digital radio in London, the North West, the West Midlands, Glasgow, parts of the East Coast of Scotland and South Wales. We'll also be broadcasting on Sky and Freesat and online at Jazzfm.com.

Our music will be a wide selection of the finest jazz from all over the world. In the evenings and at weekends we'll be running specialist shows including some of the timeless Jazz FM icons such as Dinner Jazz and the Late Lounge.

We'll also be introducing a host of new talent and new cutting edge music.
We'll be making much of our music available to our listeners on CD’s and downloads and our first album 'The Sound of Jazz FM 2008' will be available in major record shops and online from October 20th.

The return of Jazz FM is a tremendously exciting project for me personally. It was a much loved radio station with a fiercely loyal audience. We all need something to soothe our souls and make sense of the madness of today. Jazz FM does that for me. I hope it will for you too.

Or as Ella Fitzgerald put it:

'Forgive me if I don’t have the words.
Maybe I can sing it and you’ll understand.'

Richard Wheatly
Chairman of Jazz FM

The programme schedule Monday to Thursday

07:00 – 10:00 David Prever (The Jazz Breakfast)
10:00 – 14:00 Anthony Davies (Mid-mornings)
14:00 – 16:00 Steve Quirk (Smooth Jazz in the afternoon)
16:00 – 19:00 Gary King (Jazz to drive home to)
19:00 – 22:00 Sarah Ward (Dinner Jazz)
22:00 – 01:00 Claire Anderson (The Late Lounge)
01:00 – 07:00 Smooth Jazz (Through the night)

Friday
As above except:

19:00 – 21:00 Mike Chadwick (Latin Party)
21:00 – 00:00 Steve Quirk (Fusion Flavours)
00:00 – 03:00 Paul Ruiz (The Jazz House)
03:00 – 07:00 Smooth Jazz (Through the night)

Saturday

07:00 – 10:00 Tom Dudley (The FT Weekend Breakfast Show)
10:00 – 13:00 David Freeman (Blues and Boogie)
13:00 – 15:00 Bob Sinefield (Big Band and Trad)
15:00 – 18:00 Peter Young (Soul Cellar)
18:00 – 20:00 Mike Vitti (Jazz Funk Party)
20:00 – 23:00 Mike Chadwick (Saturday Night Experience)
23:00 – 04:00 Mark Doyle (Fierce Angels)
04:00 – 06:00 Smooth Jazz (Through the night)

Sunday

07:00 – 10:00 Duncan Barkes (The FT Weekend Breakfast)
10:00 – 13:00 Robbie Vincent (Sunday Morning Soul)
13:00 – 14:00 Anthony Davies (The Jazz Legends)
14:00 – 16:00 Leo Green (Leo Green and Friends)
16:00 – 19:00 Ralph Tee (Expansions)
19:00 – 22:00 Sarah Ward (Dinner Jazz)
22:00 – 00:00 Mike Chadwick (Cutting Edge)
00:00 – 06:00 Smooth Jazz (Through the Night)

Waffler's recent programme jottings (a section inspired by Buster's "Monitor", but not  as detailed!)

Janice Long on BBC Radio 2 excellent show    Steve Allen show on Sunday most entertaining, how does he get away with his celebrity remarks etc? - Emperor Rosko show on Big L was great - Big L now identifying as Big L International, has it been taken over yet? - Mike Read show in the mornings on Big L heard on Friday is excellent as ever -  Jolly Roger (Roger Davies) after Mike Read also has a professional on air voice - Big L was thought to be lost and off air but it continues, well done to them - They have a vip club (Big L) £29 pounds or so to join and all you get is a 1gb MP3 player with a special message from the Big L DJs, also around £9.99 a quarter, for discounts etc (will this pay for the operation? I doubt in a recession whether many will join - What happened to VIP radio on sky when it closed due to the death of its organiser? Johnnie Walker back on Radio 2 this week 

News from other sources

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The High Court in Blantyre on Sunday granted Private broadcaster Joy Radio an injunction stopping the revocation of its license by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority

from www.radiotoday.co.uk

Legendary BBC Radio 1 presenter John Peel is to have a train named in his honour, this coming Wednesday - two days before the 4th anniversary of his death.

Roger Moore Toni Morrison Candace Bushnell Neil Gaiman and Curtis Sittenfeld will appear on BBC World Services brandnew daily arts and entertainment show The Strand

Radio Romania International announces on its website that its 30-minute DRM English transmission through the World Radio Network from a transmitter in Norway

Key 103 DJ Richard Clarke, whose show was networked across Bauer Radio's Big City network, has been signed by 95.8 Capital FM.



Litt to sell London stations

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Oct 17: A London-based media group has put two of its stations up for
sale... by posting a message on their websites.

Litt Corporation, best known for operating the popular Sunrise Radio station
in the capital, is offering Time 106.8 and South London Radio 107.3 to
potential buyers.

Time, which covers Greenwich and surrounding parts of South East London, and
South London Radio targeting Lewisham and Bromley, are co-located at a site
in Abbey Wood.

The message, which has been posted on both station websites, reads: "Our
current owners operate large regional and national services and they feel
the community would be better served by a local company running a radio
station in the area instead of a large media group.

"Therefore [the station] is for sale, and we would welcome the opportunity
to speak to any potential buyers for the radio station."

The company has given a deadline of 31 October for interested parties to get
in touch.

In this week's RAJAR book, Time had a slightly lower Q-on-Q reach of 14,000
(3 per cent) and a share of 0.6 per cent, while South London Radio was up
slightly to just 7,000 (2 per cent) and a 0.6 cent share.

Both stations have had several changes in name and ownership since their
respective launches. Time began as community outfit Radio Thamesmead in
1990, before becoming RTM and latterly Millennium FM, settling on the Time
brand after being purchased by Litt in 2004.

South London Radio started broadcasting as urban station FLR First Love
Radio, becoming Fusion shortly afterwards. It was briefly known as Time
107.3 before being spun off as South London Radio in 2007.

Last update: 3:02 p.m. EDT Oct. 17, 2008
SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct 17, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- WorldSpace, Inc.

A leading provider of satellite radio services outside the U.S., today
announced it, along with its U.S. subsidiaries WorldSpace Systems
Corporation and AfriSpace, Inc. have filed voluntary petitions for
reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the
United States Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

The WorldSpace Board of Directors unanimously determined that Chapter 11
reorganization was necessary for the Company to engage in an orderly process
to raise sufficient funds to repay its senior secured and convertible notes
by means of either a sale of the Company or its assets, or a
recapitalization of the Company.

WorldSpace will continue to operate its business and manage its assets as a
"debtor-in-possession" under the jurisdiction of the court and in accordance
with the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and the orders of the
court. The holders of the Company's existing senior secured and convertible
notes have agreed to provide, subject to the satisfaction of certain
conditions, a "debtor-in-possession" financing facility of up to $13 million
for a period of 90 days in order to facilitate a sale transaction. The
financing facility is expected to enable the Company to continue to pay
salaries of critical employees and continue operations which are critical to
preserving the value of its core assets through the term of the facility.
About 1worldspace(TM)

Based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, 1worldspace(TM) is the
world's only global media and entertainment company positioned to offer a
satellite radio experience to consumers in more than 130 countries with five
billion people, driving 300 million cars. 1worldspace award-winning
programming provides subscribers with a combination of news, sports, music,
talk and entertainment, as well as brand-name content and educational
programming. Leading brands from around the globe found on 1worldspace
include the BBC, Virgin Radio UK, and RFI.

1worldspace satellites cover two-thirds of the earth and enable the Company
to offer a wide range of innovative services for enterprises and governments
globally, including distance learning, alert delivery, data delivery, and
disaster readiness and response systems. 1worldspace is a pioneer of
satellite-based digital radio services and was instrumental in the early
development of the technology infrastructure used today by XM Satellite
Radio. For more information, visit www.1worldspace.com.
Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
statements are based on management's current expectations or beliefs about
future events and financial, political and social trends and assumptions it
has made based on information currently available to it. The Company cannot
assure that any expectations, forecasts or assumptions made by management in
preparing these forward-looking statements will prove accurate, or that any
projections will be realized. Such forward-looking statements may be
affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks or
uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or
implied by the statements herein. For factors that could cause actual
results to vary, perhaps materially, from these forward-looking statements,
please refer to the Company's Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, and other subsequent filings. Forward-looking
statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this release. The
Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise publicly any
forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future
events or otherwise.

SOURCE: WorldSpace, Inc. (via Marketwatch)

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Radio Today
October 15 2008

Independent Radio News has dumped its long-time news supplier ITN in favour
of a new deal with Sky News.

The new contract automatically makes Sky the dominant supplier of national
news to UK commercial and community radio stations.

Sky News Radio, headed up by Andy Ivy, will now service more than 250 radio
stations which use the IRN service in addition to current clients such as
Classic FM, Absolute Radio and the GMG Radio Network.

Mark Wood, Chief Executive of ITN is proud of his relationship so far with
the radio industry: "We have delivered an award winning news service to IRN
for 16 years thanks to the dedicated team of journalists working in our
radio department. We are clearly very disappointed not to be selected as
preferred supplier. ITN's proposal was for a continued high quality, tightly
costed, service that our client stations have come to expect from us."

http://www.radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.3936.2

 

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14th October 2008

Waffler:

Big L on Sky was a good music service, but it is a pity it has come to an end.  Maybe the Isle of Man Broadcasting Company could cease the opportunity to buy the name and set it up on a commercial footing

The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) recently commenced a new radio service called Sandya Guwanviduliya (evening radio). This new service which starts everyday at 6.

The Voice of America (VOA) has launched its own FM transmitter in Sierra Leone. The opening ceremony was attended by the Honourable Alhaji Alpha Kanu, Minister of Presidential...

Dailymail.co.uk reports: "Two BBC radio presenters have been suspended after using the term 'window licker' during a football phone-in show.

Former GCap Media network programme director Pete Simmons has been appointed as programme director for Magic 105.4 in London.Pete replaces Adrian Stewart who joined Heart 106.

The remaining members of the 4 Digital radio consortium have held emergency talks following the exit of majority shareholder Channel 4

Global Radio has signed a new two year contract with UBC Media Group to supply traffic and travel bulletins for the entire Global Radio group, via a deal with Trafficlink.

On Saturday BBC World Service in partnership with the British Council launches the 11th International Radio Playwriting Competition

Presenter Mike Read announced on Big L this morning that the station had been bought by a growing radio group.

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The UK's first commercial radio station, LBC, started broadcasting 35
years ago today, October 8.

Radiotoday.co.uk reports that it is celebrating with a series of
on-air montages reflecting how the station has reported the news to
Londoners over the past three and a half decades.

The montages have been created by executive producer Chris Lowrie, LBC
97.3's longest-serving member of staff, having been with the company
for 22 years.

In addition to the montages, the LBC 97.3 website is marking the
birthday with a number of dedicated pages featuring archive audio,
stories and photos of some younger-looking LBC 97.3 legends, including
Steve Allen and Clive Bull.

LBC first went on air at 6.00am on the 8th October 1973 with the
strapline "Where news comes first."

David Jessel was the very first voice to be heard on LBC on that
chilly October morning.

There is a rumour that just seconds before he started broadcasting, he
was violently ill into the waste paper basket. Jessel recalls that
moment: "You just knew disaster was looming, we went on the air with
three hours stretching in front of us with no producers no reporters
and no stories." Jessel remembers asking the bosses what should be in
the show. "They said just talk about interesting things that have
happened that day, I said it is six o'clock in the morning, the day
hasn't happened!"

The LBC 35th birthday page is at:
http://www.lbc.co.uk/happy-birthday-lbc---35-today-4933

It seems that quite large chunks of Broadcast Magazine are available as a
free download from www.broadcastnow.co.uk  BDCX email group KF credit

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The Daily Express reported on August 11:

"Troubled times for Big L radio, home of veteran retro disc jockeys
Mike Read, "Diddy" David Hamilton, Emperor Rosko and Adrian John.

The much-loved national station – one of the main alternatives to
Radio 2 [ sic- but then it is the Daily Express!- Moderator] – appears to be on
the verge of shutting down amid a financial
crisis which has led to dozens of staff members not being paid.

This week two of the Frinton-on-Sea-based station's main presenters,
John and Garlick, walked out.

"There's no point in denying the station's money problems," Radio 1
veteran John, 52, who quit his weekday breakfast show yesterday, told
us last night.

"There's a serious cash flow problem. Everyone's been soldiering on
for seven months without getting paid properly but it came to the
point when I just couldn't carry on.

"When you've got a family and mortgage to think of there comes a time
when you have to act for yourself."
John, who has a wife and 21-year-old son to support, added that he'd
love to return to Big L in the future and is keen to help revive its
fortunes.

"Big L is a tremendous station, there's a free spirit there which you
don't get at the big commercial stations and I love it," he added.

"As DJs we're an optimistic bunch – we have to be – and people like
Mike will be trying very hard to pull things together.

"I don't think this is necessarily the end. I'd love to start a
campaign to save Big L – get big names such as Elton John and Cliff
Richard on board to promote it…you never know, it might work!"

A spokeswoman for the station, which is run from a studio above a
bargain-basement shop in the Essex seaside town, confirmed both John
and Garlick had left the station – but refused to be drawn on their
reasons."

Ian Damon left the station on September 14 due to non payment of wages.

On September 25 a poster on the MusicRadio News forum reported that
Mike Read said in response to a listener query something along the
lines of:

"No bull, the situation is: we've been trying to move our transmitter
site for the last two years. There are environmental hurdles to
overcome, understandably, before we can do this. In the meantime,
we're saving money in the current financial circumstances"

The Trintelhaven site is not on the grid so runs on diesel, on
September 4 "tulip" on the Friends of Big L forum posted:

"Today I got in touch with the Dutch Telecom Agency in Groningen and
Amersfoort concerning the closure of the BigL transmissions on 1395 AM
from Trintelhaven. As far as they know there are no new regulations
for the transmittersite at Trintelhaven. As a spokesman in Amersfoort
said: The dieseltank was empty."

No applications for a medium wave transmitter at any other locations
have been found by Dutch reporters to online forums, it is difficult
to get planning permission for a high power medium wave transmitter in
the Netherlands.

At 1117 today their Sky Channel, 0190, stopped transmitting the
station and has reverted to a test tone.

 

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4th October 2008

Waffler:

Plenty of time now the weather has changed for the worse to spend some time listening to your radio.  I expect a lot of site visitors enjoy listening to their car radios.  I do not have a car, although I have a full driving licence.  Car Radios tend to be more sensitive and receptive to stations due to advanced circuitry that is built into them.  I expect many advances like RDS for traffic information and better autotuning and filters are due to ttiohe need to suppress any noise generated by the car or its electrics.  

I note that the site with the same name of this continues to serve up its excellent brew of technical information with saucy pictures.  I am not a radio amateur like Richard who own the site, and although I was a technical operator once at a big broadasting organisation, my interest is in the programmes and presenters.  I am however fascinated by the masts and technical equipment used in radio.  In the lovely sunny weather recently I was able to sample some of the amateur bands. Interesting hearing people from all over the world talking to each other on single side band.  It is a pity however there is not a category of licence for people who want to talk and play music on amateur bands.  Mind you some of the Dutch and German pirates prove that this may not be the way forward for leisure radio in the UK.

Howard Hughes continues to do excellent programmes on BBC 3 Counties, sitting in for other presenters. To my knowledge the broadcaster has had his working experience in radio in the commercial radio side of British Broadcasting.  He has a voice which is as fine as any BBC 4 announcer.  

News from other sources 

Free satellite in 900,000 UK households as Selkirk prepares for Switchover

A month before Selkirk in the Scottish borders becomes the first region in the UK to switch to an all digital service, the latest figures from Ofcom reveal that there are over 900,000 households with a free satellite service in the UK.

The Communications Market: Digital Progress Report for the second quarter of 2008 shows around 840,000 homes were using free satellite - from BSkyB, BBC/ITV or other retailers - on their main television set. This was an increase of around 120,000 on the previous quarter.

In addition, between June and September BBC/ITV freesat sold a further 60,000 units, meaning that the total number of households using a free satellite service is now around 900,000.

The report also shows that 88 per cent of households now have digital TV on their main set. The second quarter of 2008 showed that households remain focussed on switching their secondary television sets to digital as well. Over half (19.1 million) of the 35 million secondary sets have now been converted to digital.

Key trends for the second quarter of 2008 include: 

Eight young musicians have been announced as the latest musicians to join BBC Radio 3s New Generation Artists scheme expanded for the first time by two

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Absolute Radio has announced a partnership with radio manufacturer Pure to increase the take-up of digital radio in cars – and has unveiled new research demonstrating high.

An American radio presenter from Jacksonville's WFYV-FM has quit live on-air during his afternoon show after hearing he was about to be fired.

BBC Radio 1 drivetime presenter Scott Mills, currently being filmed 24/​7 in his flat, has beaten colleague Chris Moyles to the title of Funniest Radio Show at the LAFTA Awards.

BBC London 94.9FM reunites the legendary Thats Life team when Esther Rantzen and Adrian Mills take over the Breakfast Show on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 October from 6.009.00am.

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John Legend is to perform a very special gig for BBC digital radio station 1Xtra

The BBCs Indian Ocean relay station is commemorating 20 years of transmissions from Grand Anse Mah in the Seychelles.

GMG's Century Radio in Manchester is launching an outdoor marketing campaign for both of its breakfast and drivetime shows.

Town 102 in Ipswich has a new afternoon presenter. Suffolk-born Daniel Fox will take over the show on the Tindle Radio station from October 13th.

10.30am: Global Radio has set an 8 November date for the relaunch of XFM Scotland as Galaxy - followed just two weeks later by the rebranding of Power FM in Hampshire as Galaxy

A delicious mix of gardening cooking health and beauty Grow Your Own Drugs is an informative guide to plants and how their beneficial properties can help with everyday ailments.

 

 

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1st October 2008

Waffler

The weekend was lovely and sunny here in the UK, unfortunately today things have deteriorated, and we had the heating on for a while. It is windy and wet.  We also had some fog which presented some interesting FM radio, lifting the reception of some of my more distant stations temporarily.  I also managed two days of good shortwave listening.  It was good to hear much more than China Radio International and firedrake drumming from China.  I will always listen to conventional radio as well as digital of any kind.  Mind you my criteria now is, that if it is entertaining or informative radio, it is worth listening to form whatever source.  Overall the American stations I have heard to date seem to have jollier presenters than ours, some of the health adverts are quite bizarre!

BBC 3 Counties continues to put out good programmes. One of my favourite Capital/LBC announcers Howard Hughes did a weekend show interviewing people, and was on again today doing a phone in around midday.  A lovely voice, not sure if it is a "radio voice" put on, but a really professional and entertaining broadcaster.  I wonder if Steve Allen, will leave LBC and work on the BBC Locals one day, he is a great broadcaster but not always on at sociable hours. His show on Sunday morning is very amusing and clever.   I heard Stephen Rhodes on the breakfast show today mention that he was at school with a chap with the name of Ali ? - claimed he was boss of Radio Caroline at one time. Have tried to check that out but without success so far in two offshore books. 

Listening in to web radio is refreshing, there are some stations on line which are much better than those I can receive on air.  Nothing though seems to be able to beat the BBC Radio 4 output.   I will need to spend some time soon expanding the internet radio section of the site.  Yesterday I thought the radio had gone wrong mainly because it would not log on to the network.  I put it on later on in the day and it went on first time. I am wondering if the company Receiva, who supply the software for it had problems with their server. When you switch on a wi fi radio it updates with the current list of stations. You can also go on to their site and register your own stations, which makes it easier than scanning through 3000 plus stations with a handset.   Confusing on net radio there is also a Caroline International which plays mainly back to back music and jingles - not the real Caroline but an alternative to the album format.  I do have an article to add to the site soon, but if you want to read it sooner join the British SX Club, it is in their Communication Magazine for October.  A link to their site is http://www.bdxc.org.uk/.  Membership is very reasonable and the logs of stations is right up to date, thanks to the excellent work of unpaid volunteers that run the club, and aided by an enthusiastic logging by their membership.

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News from other sources

We have now reinvented ourselves, with a brand new name and a whole new attitude. Just like David Bowie became Ziggy Stardust and Prince decided to be a symbol, we wanted a new look so we’ve shaken things up a bit, added a little spice and created a brand spanking new radio station that will blow your socks off. Absolute Radio is a new music and entertainment brand that keeps all the great things our listeners love but a million times bigger and with more attitude and naughtiness than a Rolling Stones backstage party.

From the Guardian Paper

So now we know the new name of Virgin Radio - it's Absolute Radio, if you didn't know - but what is the UK's newest national station going to sound like?

Maybe you are an existing Virgin listener who is terrified what its new owner, the Times of India Group, is going to do with your favourite station. Maybe you have never listened to Virgin because you don't like Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen.

Or maybe, like me, you are an occasional listener who drifts off to BBC 6Music and - whisper it quietly - BBC Radio 2 because Virgin has neither the playlist nor the personality to keep you listening longer for 15 minutes.

Virgin's - I beg your pardon - Absolute's programming boss Clive Dickens hopes to change that.

Two phrases in particular stood out from my chat with the former Capital Radio boss. One, that he wanted his station to sound "a million miles from last.fm".

And two, that its playlist would be "deeper, wider and less repetitious" than its present offering.

Unlike some radio stations and their bosses, Dickens rather likes the words in between the records. It's what gives a station its personality. Problem is, there aren't too many DJs out there who can match the wit and warmth of the likes of Jonathan Ross, Chris Evans and Virgin's very own Christian O'Connell.

What do you make of Dickens' new hirings, including Tim Shaw and Jo Russell, and another Virgin DJ, Geoff Lloyd, who he has promoted to the key drivetime slot? And will you miss the presenters on their way out, who include JK and Joel and Tony Hadley?

As for the playlist, don't expect a revolution in the artists that Virgin/Absolute plays. Just a lot more variety.

So instead of just hearing the three most popular Police records - as dictated by lots and lots of market research - we might hear their top 12 or 15 records. So less of Every Breath You Take, Message In A Bottle and Roxanne, and hello to King of Pain, Spirits In The Material World... and so on. Hang on, this is turning into a Police fan site.

But don't expect a revolution - Dickens isn't about to stick Tea In The Sahara on the turntable - okay, okay, I know there aren't too many turntables left at Virgin HQ anymore. Which is a shame, because I quite like Tea In The Sahara.

Anyway, Dickens talks a good game and seems, by all accounts, a rather personable chap with his. I'm not overly keen on Absolute as a name. But like he says, even if you don't like it, very few people actually hate it. And no, I don't hate it either.

It will take a while, however, to stop reminding me of Absolut Vodka, not the first thing I necessarily want to think of when my radio alarm clock - now there's a phrase you don't often hear these days - goes off in the morning. I'm more of a Bacardi and Diet Coke man, at that time of day.

Anyway, it will be fascinating to see how the new brand is marketed, and exactly how radical a shift in the playlist we will see. Plus, whether disenfranchised lorry drivers blockade the M25 in protest at losing their favourite AM radio station. Probably not.

Still, there is one thing we can surely all celebrate. No more Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. Woo-hoo!

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Internet radio groups in America have gained a small victory this weekend with the announcement that the House of Representatives has approved a new bill.

The bill allows them to negotiate a lower royalty rate with the entertainment industry, something which has been closing stations across the states.

Originally, the American National Association of Broadcasters were against the bill, but that opposition has been dropped and it is believed that the Senate will likely approve the bill without problems.

Lower rates could be worked out as early as next month

Text of report in English by Jung Kwon Ho: “North Korean officials listen to foreign radio”, published by South Korean newspaper The Daily NK website on 25 August Shenyang,

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A DRM+ special event is taking place today in Kaiserslautern, Germany. In addition to a report on the concept and presentation of the first field results of the DRM+ trial

Radio, Martin Kelner: It is almost impossible to work as a BBC local radio presenter without the Alan Partridge reference being thrown your way

Bauer Media's Key 103 has once again been confirmed as the official radio partner of the Manchester Comedy Festival. It has secured the gig for the last nine years.

Forth One and Forth 2 spent the weekend raising Cash for Kids at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, by turning one of the wards into a live studio.

A long-time community radio group, which started life over 15 years ago, is finally celebrating with the upcoming launch of Amber Sound FM in Derbyshire on October 4th.

 

TFM Radio breakfast presenter Graham Mack has admitted being a terrible driver - and has been proven as filmed for Krash TV putting lipstick on whilst driving!

 

 

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5th September 2008

Waffler

I have been listening into Radio Seagull, Radio Veronica 192, Radio 227 and also Radio Mi Amigo 259. I recently obtained a web radio which connects up to the hi fi.  The question we all have to ask, is internet radio real radio.  In the case of these three stations they are all broadcasting in Holland.  Radio Mi Amigo and Veronica use the same jingles they used offshore. I do enjoy Dutch pop music from the 60s and 70s, and there is a proportion of that on these stations.  I got the internet radio cheaply on Amazon, and consider it a very good purchase.  I will now be able to put reviews on site for a variety of different stations.  I also managed today to hear the fabulous Ern and Vern from BBC 3 Counties, on demand.  Ernie Armand seems to be the saucier of the two as they romp through tons of double entendres. How is your thing hanging - out front, in between your legs?  Not sure what it it was but they also ask how their cock was on holiday, but save the hour by playing the sound effect of a cockerel. One of the lady callers was reported to enjoy hitting herself on the head with a tray, then at Ernies invitation she did it. In his words "until it hurts".  They say they have a facebook page, so I must try that out very soon!   This is not cheesy radio I assure you, pure genius, like two Kenny Everett's at times

Interesting to learn that Virgin is no longer allowed to use the name on air and will become Absolute Radio. Seems to me a funny name for a radio station.  Noticed on my net radio that Virgin have a trance station. I must try that out, we rather enjoy Chill, but wonder how trance and chill vary, being in our mid fifties.

The Ramadan station from Harrow is coming through strongly from Harrow.  I wonder how these broadcasts are used. Are they inspirational for listening to, or in parts - the ceremony that is carried out ?  I was alerted to the station when I came out of a meeting in Harrow Civic Centre. They had a banner with station details on a fence to a house which is a place of worship.  I could not find it in the Ofcom listing of the stations at first, but it is there.

Point Blank were playing some good jazz funk recently on a breakfast programme around 9am.  

Have just seen the latest Trawler Men programme. The ships were taking a basing in the seas, it must have been pretty tough for offshore broadcasters.  We all know that the Ross Revenge was a cod fishing boat, which stayed at sea for weeks.

News from other sources

The Times newspaper has signed a six month breakfast sponsorship deal with LBC 97.3, centered around Nick Ferrari’s Breakfast show.

BBC Radio 5 Live exclusively broadcasts freetoair commentary of Englands key World Cup qualifier against Croatia live from Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb on Wednesday 10 September.

Commercial Radio revenue dropped by over 10% between April and June, compared to last year.However, figures released by the RAB this week for Quarter 2 2008 show sponsorship and...

The new RTI schedule includes an even stronger line up of English DJs. Most have or are working for the BBC. Others worked for the legendary Radio Luxembourg or Radio Caroline.

Radio Hacc
87.7 FM - Harrow, NW2
Ramadan Broadcast
On air from: 01/09/08 to 02/10/08
Contact: Zafar Iqbal
Telephone: 07976 350875

Author: Radio Hacc (---.zone2.bethere.co.uk)
Date:   27-08-08 09:28

Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah,

Insha'Allah Radio Hacc will be broadcasting during the holy month of Ramadan from the London Borough of Harrow on 87.7FM and online on www.haccfoundation.com.

Hacc Foundation is a voluntary non-profit organistion run by volunteers aiming to unite communities by bringing community cohesion through various projects.

Volunteers are required of all ages and backgrounds to help with Radio Hacc. Full training will be provided. We have numerous opportunities for:


*Presenting
*Researchers
*Fundraising
*Administration support
*Marketing


If you are interested in helping then please call us on 07976 350875.

 

 

Newly independent digital station Planet Rock is to move to new studios at UBC's Lisson Street base in Marylebone.

Lisa Snowdon has been announced as the new co-presenter of Capital 95.8's breakfast show.The host of Britain's Next top Model becomes the fourth co-presenter on the show

Virgin Radio has revealed it will be relaunched as Absolute Radio later this autumn. It follows the station's £53.2 acquisition by TIML Golden Square from SMG.

The rebrand has been triggered by a change of ownership clause in the licensing agreement with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, allowing it to take back the name.

TIML, a subsidiary of Times of India, bought the business with radio consultancy Absolute Radio in May this year. The group is led by Absolute founders Clive Dickens, who replaced Virgin Radio executive chairman Richard Huntingford following the sale, Adrian Robinson and Donnach O'Driscoll.

Meanwhile, the station has also unveiled a new presenter line-up as part of the relaunch, which will be supported by marketing activity from today (September 2). It is bringing in Jo Russell, who is currently part of presenting duo Jo and Twiggy on Trent FM, to replace JK and Joel on its weekend show. The pair are leaving the station. It has also signed Tim Shaw from Kerrang! Radio, where he presents a show with Big Brother winner Kate Lawler.

The new name will be supported a major campaign using the strapline "Discover real music". It claims the relaunch will involve "the largest multiplatform marketing campaign in commercial radio history". It has been developed by Albion, which won the £5m business in June.

The station has also outlined its plans to diversify outside of radio into areas included branded properties, music subscriptions, downloads and ticketing.

O'Driscoll, Absolute chief executive, says: "Absolute is a brand that is unapologetic, cheeky and infectious with a long-term brand building and investment strategy behind it."

He adds that the UK launch is "just the start", claiming the brand's ambition is international.

 

 

 

 

 

Serbia to shut down 300 unlicensed radio and TV stations

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August 29th, 2008 - 10:53 UTC by Andy Sennitt

Starting from September 1, 2008 all TV and radio stations broadcasting without a necessary permit, and there are more than 300 of them in Serbia, will be shut down. The National Broadcasting Agency (RRA) and National Agency for Telecommunications (Ratel) will partake in this activity.

It is impossible for those stations to find loopholes in the law that could help them, and if they decide to continue airing illegally, they will be fined from RSD 300,000 to 1 million (US$5,795-$19,320), warns Goran Karadzic, the Vice President of RRA.

 

Time 106.6 FM is to leave Slough, following approval from Ofcom for the station to co-locate with Sunrise Radio in nearby Southall, outside the station's TSA.

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August 29th, 2008 - 13:57 UTC by Andy Sennitt

 

The DRM Consortium introduces its most recent advancement at IFA in Berlin, one of the key events for the global consumer electronics industry. This year the DRM Consortium will be showing the latest DRM capable receivers at the Digital Radio Stand, Hall 2.2, booth 107. DRM+ will be featured in the Science and Technology Forum (TWF), at the Fraunhofer IIS stand, in Hall 5.3, booth 15.

There are currently more than 700 hours per day of programming broadcast in FM-like quality around the world using the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) digital radio system. The system operates on the long, medium and shortwave bands but has recently been extended to the broadcasting bands below 120 MHz for the digitalisation of the FM band. This extension of the DRM standard is called DRM+.

During IFA, the DRM Consortium in association with 004 GmbH, eCommerce service providers and official supporters of DRM, will showcase the following receivers on the Digital Radio Stand, Hall 2.2, booth 107:

The results of recent DRM+ field tests from Germany will be presented publicly during IFA session entitled “Talk im TWF” on Tuesday, 2 September 2. Expert speakers from the DRM Consortium and the German DRM Forum will contribute to the session which takes place in TWF Halle 5.3.

Detlef Pagel, Chairman of the German DRM Forum, expressed his confidence in the success of DRM + worldwide: “DRM+ is more than the digitalisation of the FM band, DRM+ leads to a highly efficient usage of spectrum and allows for more station to launch on-air with low-cost energy consumption. For listeners, DRM+, like DRM, offers an undisturbed mobile reception and digital quality sound and a wealth of optional features including DRM surround sound and data and text services such as Journaline”.

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On Wednesday, 3 September Radio Sweden will be celebrating its 70th birthday with special broadcasts, a panel discussion, and live music.

BBC Radio Northampton is launching a brand new sound for breakfast on Monday 1 September.Presenters Joe Pignatiello and Julia Morgan both love and know Northamptonshire.Between 6.00 and 8.00am each weekday they will be celebrating the county and the people who live there.

 

Joe joined Radio Northampton from BBC Radio Jersey where he presented the Breakfast show.Jules is a familiar voice to Radio Northampton's listeners. As part of the consumer programme team she has helped win back thousands of pounds worth of goods and services for listeners struggling to make their voices heard. 

Joe and Jules will wake Northamptonshire up with the latest news, travel and weather information as well as a big dose of fun and entertainment.If it's happening in the county Joe and Jules will be the first to tell you about it. 

Laura Moss, Managing Editor, Radio Northampton, says: "Joe and Jules will be able to bring their enthusiasm for everything that is Northamptonshire to the show. "It's going to be an exciting time for the station. 

"Anna Murby has been such an important part of the station and attracted many new listeners at breakfast time. I'd like to thank her for all her work over the years and wish her every success in the future." 

BBC Radio Northampton broadcasts on 104.2 and 103.6 FM.

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Ofcom today invites applications for licences to provide community radio
services within east and southeast England, excluding Greater London and
other areas within the M25. The closing date for receipt of completed
applications is 5.00 pm on Tuesday 18 November 2008.


Further details are available from the link below:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/commun_radio/tlproc/invites/area7.pdf

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Hospital: Israeli peace pioneer Nathan dead at 81

The Associated Press
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

JERUSALEM: Abie Nathan, the pilot, entrepreneur, peace activist and founder of the groundbreaking "Voice of Peace" radio station, died Wednesday at Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital, the hospital said in a statement. He was 81.

Nathan burst onto the world of Middle East diplomacy in 1966 with a dramatic solo flight to Egypt in a rattletrap single-engine plane, more than a decade before Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty.

Although he failed in his initial bid to talk peace with the Egyptians, his daredevil escapade won the affection of many Israelis and launched a long and often eccentric one-man crusade to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Over time, he earned a reputation as a maverick peace activist who often took diplomacy into his own hands. He was called a crackpot and a prophet. But many admired the daring of the former Israeli air force fighter pilot as he pounded on Egypt's doors, sailed his pirate radio ship into hostile Middle East waters or risked his life on hunger strikes for peace.

Yossi Sarid, a dovish lawmaker, said Nathan paved the way for Israel's peace movement. "He was ahead of his time, and he did everything himself," he said.

On hearing of Nathan's death Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert issued a statement that said, "Abie Nathan loved life, loved mankind and loved peace. He painted Israeli society with a unique shade of humanism and compassion."

Abraham Jacob Nathan was born April 29, 1927 in Iran, educated in India, and served in the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot, before joining the Jewish immigrant influx into newborn Israel in 1948.

A short, dark man, he flew for Israel's national airline and ran an art gallery and restaurant that became the center of Tel Aviv's bohemian life. His American-style diner even helped pioneer the hamburger in Israel.

Convinced that people power could succeed where the diplomats had failed, he ran for parliament in 1965 on a promise to fly his private plane to Cairo and talk peace with the then Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser.

"Someone has to do something," he would say, in the soft lilt that revealed his Indian background. "We are getting nowhere with the politicians."

The voters rejected him, but he flew his private plane "Shalom One" to Port Said anyway. Egyptian authorities treated him courteously and sent him home. The Israeli government disapproved of his unauthorized border crossing but took no action.

He continued his campaign for peace later that year with trips to Europe, the United States and the Soviet Union, where he met with world leaders such as Pope John Paul VI and Senator Robert Kennedy, and intellectuals like Jean Paul Sartre and Bertrand Russell.

In 1967, he flew to Egypt again and was turned away without seeing Nasser. The Israelis jailed him for 40 days.

After two more fruitless flights on commercial airlines, Nathan changed his tactics, buying a 188-foot, 570-ton freighter that was partially funded by John Lennon. He anchored it off the coast of Tel Aviv and turned it into a pirate radio station, "The Voice of Peace," with a mix of pop songs and peace messages.

"Shalom, salaam and peace to all our listeners," Nathan declared in his maiden broadcast in 1973. "The Peace Ship is a project of the people. We hope through this station we will help relieve the pain and heal the wounds of many years of suffering of the people of the Middle East."

Over the next 20 years, "The Voice of Peace" became especially popular among youth. It was the only radio station in the Middle East that broadcast music from the world's "Top 40" charts and used English as its primary language, yet offered both Israeli and Arabic news.

Apart from his peace efforts, Nathan flew or shipped emergency supplies to victims of war, earthquakes and famine around the world, including to Biafra, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Lebanon and the former Zaire.

In the 1970s, Nathan went on repeated hunger strikes to try to force the Israeli government to make concessions for peace with Egypt and talk to the Palestine Liberation Organization.

He saw the first wish come true when Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979. But it would be years before Israel would reverse a law making meetings with the PLO a crime.

Nathan broke the law several times by meeting with PLO leader Yasser Arafat, whom he later referred to as his "brother." In 1989 he was jailed for 122 days, with a one-year suspended sentence if he repeated the offense. He did, and was charged again.

It was a measure of the public affection he commanded that during a prison furlough, he was honored with a banquet attended by the cream of the Israeli establishment.

In January 1993, with a more moderate government in power, parliament repealed the law banning contact with the PLO, and Nathan immediately flew to Tunis seeking a fresh meeting with Arafat, this time legally.

Eight months later, Israel and the PLO signed an interim peace agreement, and Nathan celebrated with symbolism: he sank the Voice of Peace ship.

In 1996, Nathan suffered his first stroke in Washington. The trauma left his left side paralyzed and grounded him for life in a wheelchair. A second and more severe stroke hit in June 1998 in Tel Aviv. This one robbed Nathan of his speech. In recent years, he had been confined to a retirement home and had rarely been seen in public. In a 1996 interview with The Associated Press, Nathan said that during one of his prison hunger strikes, he was certain he was going to die. He bought a grave and a tombstone. When asked what he would want written on the stone, he replied "Nissiti," the Hebrew word for "I tried."

Nathan was twice married and had one daughter, Sharona. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

 

 

 

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31st July 2008

Waffler:

Thanks to a local freecycle group I have had the pleasure of obtaining three radios.  One of them is from the 70s and in reasonable condition for its age.  The others displayed faults not worth repairing.  I will feature all to these in the magazine section in due course. Thanks to George's neighbour for donating them.  

It has been very hot today, well at least I have felt warmer than I did yesterday, probably the humidity. I managed to do a shortwave listen for the first time in a few weeks.  My brother word processor used for logging radio listening, had a display fault - the lcd screen does not display properly in extreme heat or cold.  I managed to hear CVC international with a Hindi music programme on 13635 at 11:40 GMT. The ubiquitous China Radio International was on 13630 Khz at 11:45 GMT.  I got an unidentified station on 15150 KHz. Then Radio Exterior D'Espania on 17395 Khz.

Don't forget either to visit the BBC Iplayer to hear the pick of programmes on Radios 1-4 all the digital and local radio stations.  It is a pity that they have not put a version of the radio one on cable and freeview. It seems as usual that television has the priority over radio.   I also recommend Xstream which works on Xp, not so well on Vista. This can be used to listen to other radio stations, but has an excellent recording applet which enables you to record streamed programmes off the BBC and elsewhere.  Obviously copyright restrictions exist but as long as you do not pass them on to anyone else and use them for personal listening I do not think anyone will complain.

Radio is a very personal medium, often people listen on their own, in the bathroom, kitchen, or car.  The lucky one's have a partner who does not mind them listening on earphones in bed.  My hearing for my age is quite acute, so it would be unfair for me to do this and then if my wife did to complain.

I was astounded to find out how much we owed to our power supplier yesterday.  Was it that radio I left on the mains all night long? No it is the product of the ridiculous increase in power costs.  I wonder if an offshore station would be a viable thing any more,  they had large generators on board to power up to 50Kw of output.  We can only pray that Government will cap the power increases. No such chance! As far as I can see all the parties have not got any idea of how to arrest the current inflation rate. 

I was listening to a Roger Day show on Radio Caroline, just prior to the marine offences bill. This was on an mp3 from Azanorak. It was excellent with many adverts for Nescafe, International DJs and Transmitter engineers. Roger was peppering the programme with Major Minor Radios.  Irish Ballads and other eccentric non pop tunes. We know that Phillip Solomon of Major Minor put money into the station then, and they had to use the music in programmes.  Roger seemed to make a professional job of it all the same.  Johnnie Walker mentions in his autobiography that he hated this music, and often left the music out, and claims he threw some overboard at times!  Roger Day has worked on Radio England, Caroline, RNI and many land stations - top marks to you Rog!

2ip pip pip - our mirror site has gone "bottoms up" and sunk.  The owners let webmasters send in queries to the forum when the pages reverted to 2ip adverts, but recently have revealed that they are only taking paid sites now.  I hope that I have kept all the visitors to that site.  I need a mirror, because I can also put some extra material on that which blends in the main one.  Blueyonder or Virgin as they should call it give only 55mb of space.  The 2ip people gave 100mb, and the new suppliers give me 250mb.  I used to have www.wireless waffle.co.uk but this is only a personal non profit site and I need a sponsor if I take a domain over again.

It appears that ArrowRock seems to have left DAB in London and is on Satellite only now. The Groove did the same thing.  As far as I can hear ArrowRock is back to back music now.  One jewel in the crown of back to back music is Chill,  with no djs or adverts  - lets hope that stays on DAB in London for a long time.

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News from other sources

Danny Baker, the original host of BBC Radio 5 Live' s 606 football phone-in, is to get his own weekly programme throughout the football season.

James Whale is returning to mainstream radio next month to present a week of late-night programmes for LBC 97.3.

Denise Van Outen is currently in discussions with GCap Media about her Capital Radio show because she is finding it difficult to manage her radio and TV commitments.

LBC News 1152 will axe its overnight rolling news service and will instead simulcast sister station LBC 97.3, starting on August 1.

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Ofcom has fined the BBC a record £400,000 for a series of occasions on which it "deceived its audience by faking winners of competitions and deliberately conducting competitions unfairly".

The regulator said that on eight occasions spanning from July 2005 to March 2007, the BBC "deliberately" conducted viewer and listener competitions "unfairly" on BBC One, BBC Two, CBBC, Radio 1, and 6 Music.

Its content sanctions committee fined the BBC: £115,000 for 17 incidents of fakery on 6 Music's Liz Kershaw Show; £75,000 for 2 incidents during Jo Whiley's Radio 1 programme; £50,000 for an incident on children's TV show TMi in September 2006; £45,000 for fakery in Sport Relief 2006 and another penalty of the same amount for Comic Relief 2007; £35,000 for a faked winner in the Scottish national opt-out of Children in Need in November 2005; and £17,500 each for separate incidents during Russell Brand and Clare McDonnell's shows on 6 Music.

"The investigations found that in some cases, the production team had taken pre-mediated decisions to broadcast competitions and encourage listeners to enter in the full knowledge that the audience stood no chance of winning," said Ofcom. "In other cases, programmes faced with technical problems made up the names of winners."

In response, the BBC Trust said: "Ofcom's decisions today relate to cases considered by the BBC Trust in 2007 which led to remedial action by the BBC and significant changes in the way the BBC complies competitions and programmes. The Trust regrets that these serious breaches by the BBC have led to a financial penalty being applied by Ofcom and the loss of licence fee payers' money as a result.

"Ofcom requires compliance with its Broadcasting Code and can impose sanctions when a broadcaster breaches that code. We recognise that the penalty in these cases reflects that the breaches were serious, deliberate and in some cases repeated."

"These editorial failures were serious and, through our work, we are confident they have been taken seriously by those involved. Our concern now is ensuring that the highest editorial standards are maintained to safeguard the public's trust."

A subsequent statement from BBC management added: "We accept Ofcom's findings. We have taken these issues extremely seriously from the outset, apologising to our audiences and putting in place an unprecedented action plan to tackle the issues raised. This includes a comprehensive programme of training for over 19,000 staff, rigorous new technical protections, new guidance to programme-makers on the running of competitions and a strict new Code of Conduct.

"Ofcom has recognised that neither the BBC nor any member of staff made any money from these serious editorial lapses. Whilst we must never be complacent and must remain constantly vigilant, audience research suggests the comprehensive action we have taken is rebuilding the trust of viewers and listeners."

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17th July 2008

Waffler:

Overall a splendid programme from Red Sands Radio. A variety of music and not just sixties or seventies tunes. I admit I did not find the country music show very appealing, but was quite happy dipping in and out of the output.  I did this online and on the radio, 1278 was coming in quite well here as described in my last posting.  I will spend some time in the next few weeks listening to the other station on 1278 - namely Crush AM from Hertfordshire College.   Ofcom have calculated potential interference well for my part of London.  A turn of the set when Red Sands was on, and up popped Crush.  This was on a Sony 7600 receiver, not a normal household set.

Chill is still going strong on DAB in London, and other parts of the country. It has an output on Sky as well.   My wife and I enjoy having the station on in the background.  It is amazing also that some of the music pops up on television programmes as backing tracks.  Lord Hanson orginally launched Melody to provide Muzak that he liked. This did have announcers but was relaxing, then it became Melody Radio, then finally Magic so different from the original station.

BBC 3 Counties still shines as a beacon to me in the field of local radio.  They changed all their presenters round some time ago, which was a bold idea.  Stephen Rhodes now does the breakfast phone in.  Ronnie Barbour does a mid morning phone in, and Jonathan Vernon Smith does one at 11am.  Coupled with other phone ins, and the excellent Ern and Vern show on a Friday, which is hilarious and entertaining, this station is a gem.  It is a pity that BBC London does not do as well, in my estimation.  Great to hear Vanessa Feltz, Danny Baker and Robert Elms, but surely they could give some good "non celebrity" broadcasters a chance to speak to the Captial?  Maybe I like BBC 3 Counties because it is not my local station, and although it comes in well is partially dx!   Fear not that is not the case, I rate good radio by presentation styles and professionalism, that is evident with a distant crackly station or a good FM or DAB broadcast.

It is amazing, given that Ebay said that they were going to cut out people are still  selling copyright re-recordings, that under "pirate radio" and "old time radio" there. I have seen cases of recordings which appear to be copies of Jumbo records and other commerically available recordings. The old time radio recordings are clearly downloaded from the radio lovers or the Internet Archive Site.  Azanorak also have a variety of offshore recording which seem to be "pirated" and sold on Ebay. 

I added a guest book to the site and would like to see some visitors there. I admit that I added two "fake" entriest to the guest book a few days ago. Please feel free to share your radio views, and views about the site here.   This site needs some online feedback, I get it by email from time to time but hope you will want to put your views on line for everyone to look at.

I am also interested to see if there is a demand for a radio club of people interested in broadcast radio and personalties, to meet up in a pub or coffee bar in the North West London area, say monthly. If you would be interested then please email me at wirewaffle@hotmail.com and I will try to coordinate an inaugral meet up.

I have also filed a report on a visit I made to Southall recently in the magazine section.  It was a most interesting trip, and although I was unable to visit the studios I managed to get what I feel were interesting pictures and information which I hope you will enjoy.   On the subject of me using moving slide shows on the site - I decided to do this on occasions and apologise if you cannot see these. You can remedy this by downloading flash player http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=shockwaveFlash

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News from other sources

The BBC World Service will join the majority of other BBC radio stations on Multiplex B next month. (freeview) If you listen to BBC World Service via Freeview, you'll need to re-tune your set-top box from August 4th as the international radio service is on the move to a different...

Michael Jackson has come out on top of a music survey, voted for by listeners to BBC Radio 2. Billie Jean has been voted the greatest dance record of all time.

Dutch Christian broadcaster GrootNieuwsRadio is to convert from a limited company (BV) to a foundation (stichting

WorldSpace, which has been in serious financial difficulties, has relaunced as 1worldspace.?? The company is rolling out a new website, though some of the links are still to...

Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) has closed a deal with two prominent new partner stations to broadcast its Spanish language programmes in the United States.

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A team of reporters has spent months in Southall, West London, living and working as "faujis" – the Punjabi term used to describe the hidden community of young, mostly male, poor farmers from the Punjab working in this country illegally.

Recording hours of footage in this hidden, illicit world, the team found a thriving trade in fake documents, widespread illegal job practices, and squalid housing – in just one square mile, more than 40 houses packed with faujis were identified. 

Many faujis choose to come here knowing the risks and knowing they are commiting a crime; arriving on the backs of lorries or outstaying their visit visas and buying fake documents to work here. 

Their invisible status also means they are locked out of the system, with no rights and no protection, surrounded by forgers, criminals and ruthless employers. 

One man says he has lived in the UK as an illegal immigrant for a number of years. He was open about the fake documents he could obtain and boasting about customers in Sheffield, Bradford and Coventry. 

He told the BBC team he could get people into the country with a fake "original" passport, that it could be "checked" at City Airport by paying someone working there £250 to scan it through the passport machines. 

Another supplier of fake documents boasted of his thousands of pounds of business and shows his stash of forged and real ID documents kept hidden inside a loudspeaker in his house. He said he could supply "any form of Home Office ID, any NI [National Insurance] number, any Health and Safety, any [driving] licence, any European licence, and any bill, BT, gas, electricity. And if anybody needs an original provisional or original licence that is also available – but very expensive… And any passport."

Later, talking about the lower quality, fake driving licences he can supply for £250, he said: "Believe you me, people are driving buses with this." 

The BBC also recorded him offering to open bank accounts, and on the phone to his forger, casually "ordering" a genuine passport for the next morning. 

He claimed that, armed with the right documents, he could get our man employed in a warehouse "or if you want catering work, I can get you a job at the airport". 

One of the faujis laughs and says: "The whole of Southall came on the back of the lorries, not only us. Ask anybody, but no-one tells the truth around here." 

The same men said they had come to the UK illegally through Russia. The journey took a year and they survived on a diet of bread and eggs. 

Documents are important because they provide a sort of legitimacy. What the Faujis fear is simple: being caught and sent home. But with the documents they can get a bank account and do better paid work. 

The undercover team found a chip shop where a fauji said they had been employed for 12-hour days, six-days a week at £150 – or about £2 an hour. 

The BBC undercover reporter told the owner that he had no paperwork. The owner told him "do not mention this, otherwise you may be nicked". 

After working hard for a 14-hour day without any break the owner then refuses to pay the man because he said he left before two weeks of being employed. 

Our man then says he arrived with other faujis at a building site in North London and was put to work at height with no interview, training, safety advice or equipment. 

He earnt £35 for a 12-hour day, that's less than £3 an hour. 

The BBC confronted the men who had sold us fake documents – they both denied it and said we had the wrong person. 

One even tried to show the BBC his original driving licence, confident that would reassure us of his innocence – yet on secret camera he had previously revealed it to be an expensive fake. 

The owner of the fish and chip shop in Southall has told the BBC that he does not employ illegal immigrants and that all his staff have the correct paperwork and permission to reside and work in the UK and that he did not pay our man because it was a training day. 

BBC News Publicity

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 BBC World Service will broadcast a series of documentaries in the run up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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YouTube accounts for more than twice the UK video streaming traffic of iPlayer, analysis suggests.

The trade body that represents Britain's commercial radio industry has pledged to "aggressively oppose" BBC plans to launch 65 new online local video services, arguing that the...

Capital breakfast presenter Johnny Vaughan will be the first in the barber's chair, having all his head hair shaved off during a live outside broadcast from Canary Wharf.

Plymouth volunteer Bob Smith, a man who devoted a significant amount of his adult life to furthering the cause of hospital radio in the city, has died.

London talk station LBC 97.3 has agreed a four week deal with The Times newspaper to sponsor the stations Saturday morning programmes

The Ofcom broadcast licence held by TLRC's 107.5 Sovereign Radio is being advertised to third parties in time for its expiry in November 2009.

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4th July 2008

 

 

Waffler:

A lovely sunny day today, the English Summer can sometimes surprise us all.  Red Sands radio started its first day of transmission on 1278 Khz, from the North Sea.  So far an excellent station, which is audible in the afternoon in my part of North West London. Crush Radio, Hemel Hempstead University is also coming through on the same frequency but can be nulled out by rotating the receiver. Thankfully they both come from separate locations at different angles. I suppose Ofcom have calculated that the two stations will not cause interference to each other.  Redsands and Hemel are actually low power stations only intended for local reception, so it is a premium to us DX'ers that we can receive it on slightly more sophisticated radios. i will try on one of my inexpensive radios soon to see if they can "hear it".  The station has a wider playlist than an oldies station and the chat between the people on the fort is reminiscent of that on the offshore stations in the sixties. Top marks as ever to Bob Le Roi for getting the whole package together. There are now people on board broadcasting, quite a few of the shows last time were pre-recorded.  I am listening to the stream on line now, and it has a light whistle on it, so it must be monitored from land - quite an authentic sound to it!  The news story about Red Sands Radio is in the news below.

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On Monday I took a ride on the bus to visit the radio town of Southall in Middlesex, and will be filing a report on the site in due course. Most impressed with all that I saw there, I was not able to get into see the studios but got some interesting photos and have some observations to make as well.  

I had a Sainsbury delivery this week, and the delivery chap said in a jovial fashion "oh my days!". I remarked I had not heard that expression said so well since Bashment Radio on a Sunday Morning.  The chap said that it was his brother that did the Sunday morning show on that station.  I warned him not to leave his van on the double line outside or else it would be a dilemma. I remember the presenter there using the expression dilemma when he did his problem chat spot when he asked people to phone in with their views.  I have also since been trying out some of the London stations to see if any play Reggae.  I knew that Roots Fm and Unique FM play it, and have also found Beat FM with some.  Vibes FM played a bit today.  I am told that Point Blank FM have a reggae show on a Sunday as well so I may try to see if it is on.

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I have also just seen the Neil Diamond performance at Glastonbury.  I had written Neil off some years ago, but was most impressed by his music and energy on that show.   Not Radio but worth a comment.

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I also thought that my portable mini disc recorder had gone wrong when I listened back to some recordings made on holiday a while back.  I had made the mistake of recording off a mono output radio into a stereo lead. It gives a shocking tinny distorted recording. This is overcome by using a mono adapter in the radio output then plugging the stereo lead in.  I normally use a radio which has a stereo output, but the place where I was had poor reception and I cannot switch the radio to mono. I used an old Superdrug portable and forgot it had a different output!    I made a bid for a mini disc on eBay and thankfully it failed.   I also emailed a seller on Amazon and never got an answer to my question, funny I also did that a while back on another item form a private seller there and that was ignored.  Overall though I find Amazon excellent for buying and selling second hand books and cds.

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On a few days recently the short wave has been rather "dead". That I know is due to tropospheric lows.  In the 80s I bought a new radio and the second day it was "deaf" to most signals, and I imagined it was not working.  The next day it was ok again and I could not understand why, until a radio enthusiast explained it to me.  

I have put some cds for sale on the site, and they are quite inexpensive, please give them a look and email if you are interested.  If you do not want to pay by paypal I can come to an arrangement, also I can reduce postage costs by sending only the cd in a plastic sleeve with the inlays etc so you can put it in a case on arrival. cd_library_sale.htm

News from other sourcesFrom July 1, 

Polish Radio External Service has started broadcasting on 198 kHz longwave.

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson led the tributes to Sir Charles Wheeler, one of the BBC’s most renowned correspondents, who died today aged 85.

Throughout July and August BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra will be celebrating the summer with a series of very special shows both from the UK and abroad.

The famous Listen in Colour strapline and chameleon-based logo for Jazz FM is returning to promote the relaunch of the digital only station later this year.

It’s becoming increasingly likely that GrootNieuws Radio, the Dutch Christian radio station on 1008 kHz, will be forced to close down on 1 August.

BBC Radio 3 returns to the WOMAD festival for the eighth year as exclusive media partner broadcasting live from the festival site at Charlton Park throughout the weekend 25th -27th June

RED SANDS RADIO 2008 - PROMOTING:

If you are an unsigned musician or live performer and reside in Kent, we need you to get in contact with us.  This years broadcast will put the spotlight on some of Kent’s best creative talent.  To be assured of a spot on Whitstable’s Red Sands Radio we’d like to hear from you as soon as possible. contact us

Red Sands Radio 2008 from July 4th to July 13th on AM & Online

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Flying the Flag

Broadcasting from the Thames Estuary Red Sands Radio might be all at sea but its HQ is in Whitstable & it’s serviced from the harbour there. In the mid 1960’s Radio Sutch, the first station to use a Fort later Radio City settled on Shivering Sands. Meanwhile Radio Invicta later KING then Radio 390, took over the Red Sands. They too were supplied from Whitstable Harbour; Fred Downs owner skipper of the ‘Harvesters’ looked after the needs on Shivering Sands whilst Vic Davies served Red Sands with his ‘Mallard’

Operating outside then British Territorial waters both stations kept a low profile, the Forts were unlit as shown on the Admiralty charts, & no flag ever flew from their radio towers. Now in 2008 broadcasting & operating within British law Red Sands Radio has commissioned its own flag to fly from the Fort top

Said media designer ‘Kathia’ “Initially the idea was to use the overall layout plan of the Forts, but artistically I created a design based on a red background that encompassed the Fort’s elevation in yellow surrounded by the distinctive well know life ring”

Radio Red Sands launches on 4th July 2008. For more information contact Red Sands Radio, PO Box 299, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2YA or telephone 07961 601 893

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Premier Radio have spent all week doing a Radiothon, and have so far been
pledged over 425,000 pounds from Listener's, to purchase new MW transmitters,
and to pay their DAB bills on the London multiplex.

http://www.premier.org.uk/?gclid=CIr9mvnSlZQCFQunQwoddw7ruA

The yearly RAJAR podcasting and internet radio listening survey shows
that 14.5 million people (up from 12m last year) have claimed to
listen to radio via the Internet, thats 28.9% of the population,
including 10.9 million listening live (up from 9m) and 9.3 million who
have used Listen Again services (up from 7.6m). In addition, 6 million
have downloaded a Podcast (up from 4.3m) and 2.1 million have used a
Personalised Online Radio (up from 1.6m).

9.4 million people, 18.8% of the population, claim to listen to radio
via the Internet at least once a week, either live or through a Listen
Again service (up from 8.1m), and 3.7 million to listen to a Podcast
(up from 1.9m).

5% listen to radio via the internet every day or most days, 2.5
million people.

The average user of Listen Again services listens to 1.8 programmes
each week. Three quarters of Listen Again listeners say the service
has no impact on the amount of live radio that they listen to;
however, 13% claim to now listen to more live radio while 7% say they
listen to less. Almost half of Listen Again listeners said they are
now listening to radio programmes that they didn't previously listen
to as a result of the Listen Again service.

The typical Podcast user subscribes to 3.59 Podcasts (up from 3.16)
and spends just over an hour in the last week listening to them.
Comedy and music are the two favourite genres.

The vast majority of Internet radio listeners (89.2%) listen at home;
almost 1 in 4 listen at work (24.4%) while 6.4% listen elsewhere.

Asked when they listen, 36.3% (5.3 million) said their listening was
always in real time. A further 24.7% (3.6 million) said they listened
at a later time than the original broadcast, while 39% (5.7 million)
used a combination of real time and Listen Again, meaning that 9.3
million people use Listen Again facilities.

The full 22 page survey is available for download at:
http://www.rajar.co.uk/content.php?page=news

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The BBC has unveiled a new-look BBC iPlayer which fully integrates
radio and TV in one interface, as the service records over 100 million
requests to view programmes in the six months since its launch.

The new-look service, which launched in beta June 25, will 'dual run'
alongside the existing iPlayer for the next few weeks.

Erik Huggers, the BBC's Group Controller for Future Media and
Technology, says: "The next generation of BBC iPlayer allows UK
licence fee payers to catch up on their favourite BBC TV and radio
programmes in one place – a completely unique on-demand service.
Audiences are now able to experience the full range of BBC content
–some 250 TV programmes currently available each week as well as all
the BBC radio networks – in a new and more accessible way, and all for
free.

On-demand radio from the BBC has been a phenomenal success since it
was first launched in 2002, with around 600 million hours listened to
via streaming or the 'listen again' function. The full integration
with iPlayer is a natural evolution for the audio service and an
exciting step for audiences."

Audiences can choose to either listen again to BBC Radio from the last
seven days with even better sound quality, or listen live – while the
option of a pop-out player allows users to continue listening as they
browse other web pages. 'Listen again' users can now also rewind and
fast forward in the same way that they can for TV programmes.

The new-look BBC iPlayer offers a more rewarding user experience,
allowing smoother and easier navigation between TV and Radio
programmes, while features such as 'Last Played' – which allows users
to resume watching programmes at the point they have left off – mark
the beginning of a shift towards personalisation.Other key
enhancements include combined TV and radio categories such as comedy
and drama, a larger playback screen to watch TV programmes and a TV
schedule that allows users to plan their viewing over the coming days.

These will sit alongside the existing 'More Like This' function, which
recommends other programmes users might like. There have been over 100
million requests to view programmes since BBC iPlayer launched. In May
alone, there were 21.8 million requests to view, some 700,000 per day
on average.

Digital Spy reports that Mark Friend, the BBC's controller of
multiplatform at audio and music interactive, described the
integration of radio into iPlayer as "a really big moment" building on
the existing BBC Radio Player, which has served half a billion hours
of content since its 2002 debut.

Bitrates for some networks will be increased to 12