MN.12.08.2019. A visit with Dan Robinson Episode 1

This is the first in a new series of Media Network special video safaris, investigating the long slow fadeout of shortwave international broadcasting. Today's guest is Dan Robinson. We talk at length about the magic of shortwave receivers, international broadcasting and his 34 year career at the Voice of America.

Since Libsyn is an audio podcast network, please watch this episode on vimeo using this link. 

 

I remember filling in US visa forms in the plane and using the zipcode 20547 when asked for a hotel address. 330 Independence Avenue was easy to remember and I had heard it mentioned so many times on the air.

This is an in-depth video, and designed to ensure that important stories about international broadcasting are preserved. We may make a more popular, shorter version at a later stage. But for the moment, I am grabbing the stories long form while I can. Suggestions welcome to a special e-mail address: medianetworknewseries@gmail.com. 

This episode is hosted on the Media Network vintage vault

MN.15.01.1998. Boundless & RNZI

Crazy opening with Coco Jambo. Radio New Zealand may be axed. We spoke with Linden Clark (photo) who explains the importance of RNZI, producing some 30 bulletins of news each day. Shortwave still makes sense because of the vast distances. There are problems with the license of independent station Star Radio in Monrovia, Liberia. They are funded by USAID. We look at the challenges facing documentary makers. We compare the glory days of radio theatre, programmes like The Shadow and Tales of Two Cities. Lots of quotes from Orson Welles. He explains that most directors and writers are actors. We have another visit to the documentary festival “Boundless Sound” in Amsterdam and hear from Chris Brooks of the CBC. ABC Australia argues that the “Listening Room” project works. Michiel Matszer says there may be too many documentaries being made in the Netherlands. 20-30,000 listeners daily, but each documentary may take a month to produce. Victor Goonetilleke explains the launch of student radio. The SLBC loaned a 50-watt transmitter, especially at science festival. He also reports Myanmar is being heard quite well in North America. Mike Bird’s report comes from a phone box, as Mike is on holiday.

This episode is hosted on the Media Network vintage vault

MN.24.03.1994 -schedule changes and Capital Radio

Shortwave radio stations shifted their frequencies to cope with changing propagation conditions. It was often quite challenging to find where your favorite station had gone to when the summer schedule started. Although it may sound boring to read lists of times and frequencies, as in this edition of Media Network, there really was no other way unless you had one the station's programme schedules. Radio Mozambique is facing severe problems both technical and financial. We promote our "email facility". Radio Norway may close down its Fredrikstad transmitter. The Grundig Yacht Boy 320 and 360 has been announces. These sets costs around 150 Dollars. JIngle Feature: We look at the Dutch evangelist Johan Maasbach and how offshore radio disk jockeys would imitate the style of the religious sponsor. BBC World Service has closed its monthly magazine. Radio Netherlands launches new jingles for 1440 kHz from Hans Hoogedoorn.  

This episode is hosted on the Media Network vintage vault

MN.21.12.1994. EBS and Basicode

This was a news update edition of the programme. Tony Barratt pays us a nice compliment. Lou Josephs reports about the newly expanded AM band above 1600 kHz. US Digital Radio is failing. BBC has announced that DAB demos will be made in Berlin in the Funkausstellung in 1995. We also look at the future of the Emergency Broadcast System as the US moves to a digital service. Who remembers the CONALRAD?  Do you remember to BASICODE experiments in 1992? Optimod killed it. What happened to the AM data system to help spread schedule data in real time? Pierre Schwab in Hong Kong explains ID-Logic. Tom Sundstrom reports problems with the Mali transmitter of China Radio International. HAARP in Alaska is getting ready. Louis Slesin of Microwave News is critical. Voice of Russia has started using a new directional antenna on 1215 kHz, causing grief to Virgin Radio in the UK. Radio Free Europe/VOA has a new service from Holzkirchen on 1593. BBC Monitoring has completed an extension of its facilities in Caversham.  

This episode is hosted on the Media Network vintage vault

MN.08.12.1994. Veronica and Zambia

A news edition of the programme. Radio Tirana is now hiring out airtime on 1395 kHz. Trans World Radio signs on from the 1 MW transmitter in Albania. This is causing a bit of a headache in the Netherlands where Newsradio1395 is being planned by Veronica. Diana Janssen investigates. Piet van Tellingen from NOS Radio 1 thinks it won’t work – but then he would say that. BBC Radio 1 has left mediumwave. TalkRadio is to launch in its place. Dutch troops captured in Bosnia have been listening to Radio Netherlands as their only way of finding out what was going on. Because they knew their captors might understand the word “radio”, they gave the station the codename strawberry instead. We also play the solarplexis joke. The call of the FishEagle used to be the only identification out of Zambia. That was the government broadcaster Radio Zambia. We now follow-up on a new christian station called Christian Voice which has now gone on the air. We find out the details of how it has been organised and the technical details of the transmitter. A UK singer living in Denmark has released an album of songs about amateur radio called SEEKYOU. James Robinson reported on a new country radio network on Astra. Victor Goonetilleke reports on the 5th anniversary of the South Asian DX-SWL net on 7080 kHz +/-. An amateur radio operator has gone on the air in Palestine backed by Yassar Arafat.. Sam Voran’s Radio Free Somalia is back on the air. Arthur Cushen has been following up.

This episode is hosted on the Media Network vintage vault

MN.02.06.1994 Soros moves to Prague

A news edition of the programme (i.e. plenty of short items). 

Richard Measham of BBC Monitoring Services explains that Radio Metropolis in Prague will start a commercial radio service on shortwave including programmes in English. Jeff White reports about the demise of La Voz del CID, the Cuban clandestine run by Cuban exiles. The FCC has a new bulletin board. VLQ9 Brisbane heard in Europe. Mike Bird investigates and discovers it’s a new channel for Radio Australia. George Soros announces it will take over the 15 million items in the RFE/RL archives and move them to Prague. Radio D-Day from Bournemouth is currently on the air. Radio Kiwi has announced a schedule of test broadcasters. Jeff White explains at WRMI. Radio Dnesti International,  broadcasts three times a week heard on 15290 kHz.

This episode is hosted on the Media Network vintage vault

MN.19.09.1994.WillemBos

A news edition of the programme. Radio Netherlands is closing the Arabic, French and Portuguese shortwave broadcasts after a re-organisation. Holland FM transmissions noted 1224 kHz. Radio Moscow is stopping its broadcasts in several languages including Dutch and Afrikaans. Australian TV’s future is in doubt because of high costs. There were questions when it was revealed that companies had paid to be part of the public service programming. Another review of Radio Australia has been set up. Hans Bakhuizen updates us on DAB’s launch, expected in Berlin in 1995 and the ESA Archimedes project.

Visit to IBC 1994 in Amsterdam. Jeff Cohen explains MPEG compression and the plans for the World Radio Network. Arthur Cushen has been following the crisis surrounding the volcano eruption in Papua New Guinea. We also talk with Dutch radio engineer, Willem Bos, about the trend to launch cheaper communications receivers under 1000 US dollars.

This episode is hosted on the Media Network vintage vault