Radio France International in Portuguese: much to say in just half an hour

On Friday, June 24, I was zapping on my shortwave radio and faced a dynamic transmission in Portuguese, looking like as it was aimed to Africa. The speaker had much to say – including an Interview about a new drugs reports from UNO –,  and not that much time. At least, I had this sensation. Then, between around 19h20nUTC and 19h30 there was no identification of the broadcaster, neither at the end of the transmission. As the news made mentions to Le Figaro, I deduced it would be Radio France International. However, RFI’s site didn’t mention the frequency I had tuned in. Anyway, on Saturday, a while before 19h I was ready with my radio tuned in at the same 13.675 khz. Yes, this time I could confirm that was RFI. The broadcast in Portuguese is very informative and well made.

The Fridays transmission was a bit better (SINPO code 45544), as you can listen here.

The Saturdays transmission was not so good (SINPO 45323), but could be perfectly listened to, as you can confirm on the recording below.

And if you want to compare the sound of the internet for the same broadcast from Saturday, here is a peace.

Sign the petition trying to save Radio Netherlands

Sometimes I have the sensation that this blog, in fact, will be transformed in an obituary of the international radio era. After BBC, RFI, RTP and Deutsche Welle, now it is time for radical cuts in RNW. But, while the scissors in BBC and RFI is around 25%, the government of the Netherlands has much worse intentions, showing that hasn’t idea about the capital that this traditional station represents. The euphemism is always the same: new focus. As RNW noticed on June, 24, “the figures announced today show that from 2013 Radio Netherlands Worldwide's budget will be reduced by 70 percent, from 46 million euros to 14 million euros a year”. Read the article in this link.

At this rate, in a few years, we probably can listen, between the traditional international stations, only to Radio China, Radio Havana Cuba and Ahmadinejad’s IRIB.

As the Dutch’s government decision has to be approved by the Parliament, you can sign the petition for support from RNWs staff in this link. I, of course, already signed.

Inbox: listeners of Deutsche Welle loose his voice on the radio

Some time ago, I wrote a post abou Inbox. Now I'm coming back to the issue.

After giving a tip that she was going to retire in the program from the week before, in this weekend’s Inbox program, DW’s Margot Forbes didn’t just confirm the news. She had much worse news to the listeners of the Deutsche Welle English Service: after years of integration of listeners from all around the world, the program Inbox has had last weekend its last broadcast. Definitely, a surprising and sad information for all listeners.
2011 will be remembered as a year of bad news by Deutsche Welle. After reducing the German program to half, one of the last “light” programs of the English service is being discontinued. Worse just if in a few time the English Service will be reduced to one hour each day, as the German program. DW has now a much more frowning face. It’s really a shame!
Lots of listeners wrote to Margot for her last transmission, lamenting her absence, but wishing her good times in her merited retirement. What nobody could imagine was that the whole program would disappear, as you can listen above, on the recording I made from the final broadcast of Inbox, a bit melancholic program, in my opinion.
In these sad times of radical budged cuts in the international stations, this will probably not be the last bad news by DW. It’s disappointing that the bureaucrats of Europe are killing his traditional international stations, instead of reinventing and giving them a new impulse, using the new technologies.

I can only wish to Margot a good ride on her bicycle, since she told listeners that cycling would be one of her occupations after retiring, and hope that the next bad news will not arrive that fast.

Here are Margot and her partner, Rita Oliver, in a picture from DWs site.

Listen here the tip of Margot that she would retire in the Inbox from June, 19

Listen here the last Inbox, from June, 25

The power of China, also on shortwave 2: broadcast in English tuned in in Brazil

The recording below is a complement to the previous post, whit a part of the transmission in English of China Radio International. The broadcast, whit good quality, brings the end of the program Beijing Hour, which is broadcasted twice a day, at 7h UTC and 19h UTC, from Mondays to Fridays.

 

Record:

June, 24

19h48 UTC

7.295 khz

SINPO code 55533

The power of China, also on shortwave: broadcast in German tuned in in Brazil

It’s very impressing the presence of China on shortwave. Looks like the Dragon is an exception in the international scene, where most of broadcasters are reducing dramatically or finishing the transmissions in shortwave.  In the South of Brazil, it is possible to listen to the same program of China Radio International (CRI) at the same time in different frequencies, and also different programs in different languages at same time.

In this recording, for example, I’ve received in good conditions the broadcast in German, in which the radio, during the Chinese course, explains, for example, that in this Country the soup is served at the end of the meal. In the program CRI Panorama, listeners from Düsseldorf and Obersdorf are greeted for their birthdays. After a song, which I’ve cut off of the recording, the program talks about the German colonization of Tsigtau, in China, at the end of the XIX century, where it is possible to see nowadays good conserved German style constructions.

Irony: CRI has 2 hours of German program each day. Deutsche Welle, just one!

Record:
June, 24
19H UTC
11.650 khz
SINPO  code 45333

Sex on BBC: maybe now the audience of my blog will increase

After Radio Vaticano talking about noble causes like the dealing with Aids in Africa, it’s time to a radical change of subject. Well, not so radical, indeed. This report from BBC's Global News podcast from June, 1, brings an interesting story about the debate about the use of condoms in porn movies. Made in Los Angeles, the report interviews even Hustler’s Larry Flint (do you remember the movie “The people against Larry Flint?), who, of course, is against the idea. But porn movies producers are under pressure, because people are sure that it is a public health question.

The drama of AIDS in Africa, in an interview by Radio Vaticano

While big international public radio stations are reducing their transmission time, religious programs are increasingly occupying this space in shortwave worldwide. But Radio Vaticano can’t be classified in this same group. The Pope’s radio has a long tradition on shortwave.

The transmission schedule in Portuguese for Brazil has been reduced recently, but I’ve recorded, with a good signal, an interesting program targeting Africa, in which the first lady of Mozambique talks about the fight against AIDS.

Did you know that because of this disease lots of 10 year old children are householders ins Mozambique? Keeping them in school is one of the challenges that government and NGOs have to deal with.

Record made in May 29, at 18:10 UTC, on 15.570 khz.

Location: -27.700962, -48.503506