Summer A-18 cuts of Radio Taiwan International from March 25

TAIWAN   Summer A-18 cuts of Radio Taiwan Int from March 25
0800-0900 on 11605 PAO 300 kW / 045 deg to EaAs Japanese
1100-1200 on 12030 TSH 300 kW / 002 deg to NEAs Russian
1300-1400 on  9735 PAO 300 kW / 045 deg to EaAs Japanese
1900-2000 on  3955 WOF 250 kW / 114 deg to WeEu French
2200-2300 on  9735 PAO 300 kW / 045 deg to EaAs Japanese
Radio Taiwan Int in Japanese/Russian/French from March 25:
1100-1200 on  9735 PAO 300 kW / 045 deg to EaAs Japanese
1400-1500 on  9590 TSH 300 kW / 325 deg to CeAs Russian
1700-1800 on 11955 ISS 500 kW / 055 deg to EaEu Russian
1900-2000 on 13835 ISS 500 kW / 185 deg to NWAf French Sun

Shortwave cuts of Radio Taiwan International in summer A-18

TAIWAN(non)   Shortwave cuts of Radio Taiwan International in summer A-18
1700-1800 on 11955 ISS 500 kW / 055 deg to EaEu Russian via TDF Issoudun&
1900-2000 on  3955 WOF 250 kW / 114 deg to WeEu French via BAB Woofferton
1900-2000 on  6185 WOF 250 kW / 082 deg to WeEu German via BAB Woofferton

Radio France has decommissioned three mediumwave transmitters

Radio France has decommissioned the first three of of its mediumwave transmitters. Last Wednesday, three high power AM stations of France Info, the news channel of the public broadcaster, were switched off.

France Info is currently available in France on more than 260 FM frequencies. Nevertheless there are still areas where the station is not well-received on FM. Therefore France Info also transmits through various high power mediumwave transmitters.

To save costs, it was decided to change this. The three mediumwave transmitters affected are:

In NE France, Nomeny 837 kHz 200 kW, located north of Nancy.
In Central France Nieul 792 kHz 300 kW, north of Limoges.
In the south, Muret 945 kHz 300 KW, SW of Toulouse.

The other high power mediumwave stations of France Info,as well as the mediumwave transmitters of the local network France Bleu, are still on the air.

For listeners in the affected areas, the elimination of AM stations means receiving France Info in some places over the air is difficult or even impossible, requiring manual switching between different AM frequencies. DAB+ is not an alternative, as Radio France has already decided not to invest in digital terrestrial radio.

After the summer station operator TDF will dismantle the mediumwave transmitters in Nomeny, Nieul and Muret. What will happen to the towers is still unclear.

Radio France is not the first public broadcaster in Europe to switch off mediumwave. Previously, public broadcasters in Norway, Denmark, Flanders, Switzerland, Hesse, SouthWest Germany, Central Germany and Bremen turned off their AM stations.

In the Netherlands it's planned to turn off the mediumwave transmitter of Radio 5 in 2015, but an official notice has not yet been released.

(Source: Radio.NL translated by Andy Sennitt)

Bureaucrats gave listeners little time to learn about shortwave cuts by VOA, RFA, and RFE/RL

Executives in charge of the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), which operates radio transmissions for the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), have once again shown their contempt for loyal radio listeners of many years, as well as for Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalists and broadcasters who prepare shortwave radio broadcasts, which IBB just announced it wants to terminate at the end of the day on June 30, 2014 in a massive and in most cases complete cut affecting many countries without free media: Belarus, Caucasus, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Iraq (Kurdish), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

At the very least, BBG members should intervene and tell IBB executives that they cannot give radio listeners only a day or two to adjust to such a major change. They should also demand that IBB executives show a little more respect for managers and journalists at VOA, RFA, and RFE/RL.

All shortwave frequencies will also be eliminated for Voice of America English radio broadcasts to Asia, VOA English teaching programs, and VOA programs to Bangladesh.

VOA, RFA, and RFE/RL shortwave radio listeners do not yet know about these cuts becoming effective on June 30, and neither did managers and broadcasters at these media outlets until they received an email from IBB late Thursday night. While some further reductions in shortwave transmissions were anticipated as part of general budget cuts, managers and broadcasters at BBG entities were surprised to learn from IBB that they had only a couple of days to prepare for such a drastic move and equally short time to alert their audiences. Many VOA journalists still do not know this is happening, as the word about the cuts reached only some staffers Friday afternoon, sources told us.

This is a new low in contempt being shown by IBB executives for these media outlets and their managers and journalists. While these shortwave cuts were being discussed earlier, the sudden announcement from IBB that they will take effect in two days was a complete shock to the staff, sources told BBG Watch.

But this sudden IBB internal announcement shows ultimate contempt for loyal listeners of many years to shortwave radio broadcasts from VOA, RFA, and RFE/RL.

Thanks to IBB executives who surprised everyone with their decision to cut numerous shortwave transmissions on June 30, international audiences will now have at best only a day or two to learn about these massive terminations of radio broadcasts.

IBB’s senior bureaucrats have no respect for anyone: VOA, RFA, and RFE/RL as institutions, their managers and their journalists, and least of all for international radio audiences.

How can you tell someone with only two days notice that they will have to find other ways of getting news or, in the case of broadcasters, adjust to producing programs for new platforms?

These IBB actions, however, do confirm the boundless arrogance of IBB’s senior management.

(Source: BBG Watch)