[HCDX]: Mysterious Taiwan

[Jorma Mantyla <jmantyla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

MYSTERIOUS TAIWAN

Can anyone help and give a brief summary of the situation of the external
radio services of Taiwan?  Especially: what stations and programming is
relayed on various AM/MW frequencies during night-time?
WRTH's 99/98 told that several radio stations (at least CBS - Central
Broadcasting System, Voice of Free China and Voice of Asia) were merged
into one entity according to a government decision of 1997.  The name of
this new radio station is "CBS-Radio Taipei International" (see WRTH 2000
p. 59).
What actually happened in January 1998 is still somewhat unclear to me.
Especially I am wondering what is the connection between CBS-RTI and Voice
of Kuanghua which is still listed as a separate radio station broadcasting
in Chinese to mainland China (see WRTH 2000 p. 160).
There is some information available on the CBS-RTI homepage
	http://www.cbs.org.tw/english/
but many things remain still unclear, as they admit on this page:
"CBS has operated under an air of mystery for over 70 years."
This new international radio station is a giant, as they describe:
"There are nine transmission sites in Taiwan: Lukang, Fang Liao, Chang
Che, Tamsui, Paochung, Huwei, An Nan, Hu Kou and Ming Shiung subsidiary
stations. CBS has 16 medium wave transmitters (10 medium frequencies), 25
short wave transmitters(45 short wave frequencies) totalling 41 medium and
short wave transmitters and 55 medium and short wave frequencies with a
total power of 10,050 kilowatts. The output capacity is 2.69 times as much
as that of all the public and private radio stations combined and the
coverage areas include the middle and southern parts of Taiwan, Mainland
China and the whole world."
Indeed, there are very few international radio stations nowadays which
such facilities.
Listening observations seem to confirm that CBS, VoFC and Voice of Asia
really are one organisation.  They produce programmes in various languages
which are broadcast on frequencies belonging to each other.  Old station
names are used, however.  "Voice of Asia" can be heard on 7445 kHz both in
English and in Indonesian around 1200UTC.  RTI-programmes are aired on
frequencies previously used by CBS only, e.g. 603, 747 and 1206 kHz.
Voice of Asia in English can be heard on 1206 kHz at 1500UTC.
But the biggest mystery is Voice of Kuanghua radio station which - I think
so - has some connections with the Taiwan ministry of defence (or army?).
This is indirectly said on SBC-RTI homepage: "CBS, at that time, played a
special role under the Ministry of Defence, executing a military
operation."
Can anyone tell a) what is the connection between CBS-RTI and the Voice of
Kuanghua, i.e. was Kuanghua excluded when CBS-RTI was formed, or is there
a loose connection? b) what is the connection between Voice of Kuanghua
and Taiwan Army & Air Force radio stations?  c) are CBS-RTI programmes
aired over Voice of Kuanghua transmitters and vice versa?
My personal listening observations give me reasons to assume that the
Voice of Kuanghua is loosely connected with CBS-RTI.  It also has
something to do with military stations.
I have noted that during Taiwanese night-time (1500-2100 UTC) many radio
stations carry external service programmes produced by CBS-RTI, Voice of
Kuanghua or even some military stations.  Thus very surprising
identifications can be heard on various AM/MW frequencies
(identifications in Chinese are hard to understand but it's not
impossible).
Here are some notes:
-Voice of Asia uses their old name on 7445 kHz around 1200UTC.
-Voice of Asia and Radio Taipei International can be heard on 1206 kHz at
1500 UTC.
-1206 kHz has sometimes parallel programming in Chinese with 1386 and 1467
kHz.
-There is a jammer on 1467 kHz against the Kuanghua transmitter which is
listed in the frequency section [WRTH 2000 p. 419] but not in the country
section.
-Voice of Kuanghua relays Army Radio Han Sheng Broadcasting Co. at least
during night time.
-Voice of Kuanghua relays Air Force Radio Kung Chun during night-time, I
have heard Kung Chun -identifications at least on 711 and 1422 kHz.
Taiwan Air Force Radio main station 981 kHz 250 kW is listed under
Kuanghua in the country section but is mentioned separately in the
frequency section.

If anyone is reading this in the Far East, please, could you reply and
give us a summary of the mysterious Taiwanese external service broadcasts,
especially on medium-waves during night-time.

Jorma Mantyla
Kangasala
Finland
http://www.kaapeli.fi/~jmantyla/


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