Comparing NHK broadcast in SW and Satellite

Comparing reception of NHK World for Brazil, in portuguese, by shortwave (in 17.540 khz) and Intelsat 21 Satellite in C Band.  Reception made in Florianópolis, South of Brazil, on Sunday, May 4, 2014 at 21h44 UTC. Notice that there isn’t delay in satellite reception, which indicates that the broadcast by shortwave to Brazil uses the signal generated by Intelsat 21.

The last program from Radio Canada International for Brazil

The host Hector Vilar

Last broadcasts use to be melancholic for the listeners and for the hosts of the programs. And, last times, this moments are, unfortunately, more usual than they should be.

In the “good bye edition” of the program Canadá Direto, from Radio Canada International for Brazil, the director of the program, Hector Vilar, that commanded the show since its beginning, in 2004, speaks clearly about the end of the Brazilian section of the station, that decided to finish the shortwave broadcasts in all languages and terminate the Brazilian and Russian departments.

In the program, broadcasted on June 22 and reprised on June 23, Vilar was in the studio with Cristiane Hirata and Gilda Salomone (the picture, shot by Hirata, I took from the site of the program). They revisited important moments of the eight years of the show, and talket with all journalists that worked for it. They don’t have reason for not speak in clear text, and express straightly their disappointment with the decision of the government, in an important moment of the relationship between Brazil and Canada. Vilar also explains that he received the news that he would be fired, as all his Brazilian colleagues, just when his daughter was getting one month old, and stability would be important.

The end of the shortwave broadcasts from Radio Canada was news also in Radio Havana Cuba, as you can listen to in the program below, which I’ve recorded some days before by satellite.


The second recording I’ve taken from the internet site of the program, brings the moment with the hardest critics from the team.


The third recording was made in Florianópolis in the old fashion way. The very first moments in 17.860 khz and then in 15.455 khz. Unfortunately the propagation conditions weren’t as good as usual in the program (Sinpo 35333).


Best wishes for the competent team of Canadá Direto. We will miss the program.

In higher frequencies

Reception in my house is made with a small parabolic antenna

With not that much time to dedicate to the blog, I’ve been absent for some time. But I didn’t stop completely listening to radio.  A bit disappointed with the never-ending bad news about the closing of international broadcast radio services (till the Pope is abandoning the broadcast on shortwave), I’ve been surfing in higher frequencies. More specifically, listening to radio by satellite.

In Brazil, with a small KU parabolic antenna of 90 cm, it is possible to receive an interesting range of broadcasts in the Hispasat satellite, including traditional shortwave broadcasters like Radio Exterior de Espanha, Radio Habana Cuba, and Radio France International, all with high quality.

In the audio below, made on June, 14, you can listen to parts of the broadcast from Radio Exterior de Espanha, with the end of a music peace, news about the international crisis (which, as all radio fans know, is accelerating the dismantlement of international services), the weather forecast, about the interest of the station to know her listeners, and something more.

Clear embarrassment in DW Radio's last broadcasts

Sines relay station: closed

The embarrassment of Deutsche Welle Radio’s staff became evident in the last broadcasts on October, 29. In the last edition of the program Newslink, from the English Service, it’s possible feel the sadness in the air, with the loss of jobs from colleagues and the absence of consistent reasons to abandon the medium radio. Former moderator of Newslink, Rick Demarest, wrote, in July, that for less than 500 thousand  euro/year it could be possible keep the English audience in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and USA, where radio networks like NPR used DWs content. Read the article.

Listen to the end of last Newslink broadcast:

The sadness is also clear in the special show Contrast, from Portuguese Service for Africa, about the closing of the Sines relay station. In an honest text from reporter João Carlos, and edition of Johannes Beck, DW speaks with some of the workers that lost their jobs and don’t agree with the decision of the top board.

Listen to the story of Sines (in Portuguese) or read the text in DWs site.

The silence of Deutsche Welle Radio: last broadcast in German

Trincomalee relay station: turned off



Internet streaming recording made at 0h UTC, October, 29.

Shortwave recording  from USA (Cypress Creek) in 17.820 khz, at 22h UTC.

That was the last broadcast of Deutsche Welle Radio in German. The end of an era, as the former German radio broadcaster self described it.

This last and very nice broadcast, with important moments in history of the broadcaster, is a proof of the courage of the top management of DW (to interrupt such an important service), that doesn’t see the strategic role that the radio plays.

It’s a contradiction in face of the increasing competition between international broadcasters, as alleged by the direction of DW for cutting services, giving up a loyal audience won over nearly six decades of hard, serious and competent work from a highly qualified team. So, of course, DW’s director general, Erik Bettermann didn’t convince in this last broadcast, when he told that he likes radio even more than TV. He's giving on a plate large audience to the competition. China Radio International is probably saying ‘’thank you very much”.

Beyond nostalgia, this historic program has also important information in Bettermann’s speech: after many years of heavy investment, DW has decreed, officially, the end of Digital Shortwave (DRM).

And I, probably, will try to listen to some more broadcasts in other languages, preceded by Fidelio’s Interval Signal, till, probably in not that long time, DW Radio will be completely in silence.

Below DW's notice informing that the game is over.

New paths and farewell

  

With the euphemism “new paths”, Deustsche Welle is, finally, announcing clearly to the listeners of the German radio service, since last Sunday, that the broadcast on October 29 will be the last of its history. Important moments from the station, founded in 1953, will be remembered in this last broadcast, as you can hear on the following excerpt from the end of the program “DW Das Magazin”, from Monday, October, 24. DW’s director general, Erik Bettermann (below in the official picture) will have a speech in the program. Could he convince you?

Bettermann: convincing?

The story of Sines Transmitter Park

(read more about)


To mark the end of the activities of the Sines transmitter park, in Portugal, Deutsche Welle presents next October, 29, a special edition of its Portuguese program “Contraste”, telling the story of the German transmitting station in the Iberic Peninsula. It has been informed by the chief of the Portuguese redaction, Johannes Beck, during the night broadcast of DW in Portuguese for Africa, last Saturday. As you can hear in the recording below, Beck was telling about the changes for listeners in Africa with the closure of the transmitters in Sines and Trincomalee (Sri Lanka). The Sines picture above is in a discussion forum in the internet (link).

The recording of this night program of DW in Portuguese goes to my archive of shortwave, since was broadcasted from Trincomalee, with pretty good reception in Brazil, at 19h30 UTC, in 15.640 khz. I think that a special program about the Asian station would be a good idea too. A curiosity: before beginning the Portuguese program, Trincomalee keeps using the classical “Pausezeichen” of DW.

The new scheme of transmission in Portuguese for Africa, from October 30 on, just from Kigali, Ruanda, is in DW’s site and reproduced below:

- Morning Edition - 05h30-06h UTC: 9.800 kHz (250 kW) and 12.045 kHz

- Night Edition - 19h30-20h UTC - 6.145 kHz (250 kW) and 9.735 kHz (250 kW)

And, as we’re talking about closure of transmission parks, there is an interesting  article from Victor Goonetilleke in the blog DX Asia, defending it would be technically better broadcast for Africa from Trincomalee than from Kigali. Goonetilleke writes also about the growing up of China Radio International in the vacuum from the spaces abandoned by the big occidental stations.

Part of the program of DW in Portuguese for Africa, on the October, 15: