** ALGERIA [and non]. 13790, May 9 at 0636, Chinese with fast SAH and
CCI, the latter a new ``station`` in Algeria as reported here last few
days in WOR iog, ``Ifrikya FM``. In a surprise development, this is to
be a pan-African service in a few languages, original stories
mentioning SW but WTFK? Since then has been found on SW frequencies
until now scheduled for TDA, i.e. mostly carrying Qur`an service.
At this hour big collisions. Per Aoki: 23-09 Ouargla site, but 13790 a
very bad choice with plenty of other usage including, 06-07 CNR1
jamming vs RFA Chinese via Saipan; also CNR1 jamming vs Sound of Hope,
2130-1420. // 15110 Béchar now only a JBA carrier. Recheck much later
at 2219 May 9, only weak ME? music on 13790. EiBi shows Algeria
starting at 2000, and nothing else at this hour.
OUARGLA appears to be correct spelling, not Ourgla or Ouragla! Google
translates from French to Arabic as waraqla or ورقلة
More about this at Tony Rogers` Africa on Shortwave:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N0T-5Bh704WY8tiUnTrtfrCIl7CdY13u/view
Here`s one recent report in the WOR iog:
``ALGERIA: I have been following the new African station Ifrikya FM
from Algeria, and recorded 13590 and 13790 kHz overnight from 2300 to
0300 UT (6 May into 7 May). There was overall good reception on 13790
(via Ourgla), with audible but weaker reception on 13590 (via Bechar).
Programming was predominantly African music, however there was a
female host from 2325 and later a male host, with various guests with
short speech segments. From around 0255 there was a promo loop with a
montage of voices mentioning Burkina Faso and Sudan, perhaps others)
which could have been journalists covering those areas. Seems to me
that the station is in "preview" mode and has yet to settle down to
regular programming. Worth keeping a watch on. They have a webpage at
http://www.ifrikyafm.com
and a Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090062677320
from where I see this email address: ifrikyafm@gmail.com
-- Alan Roe, Teddington, UK``
Website is just ``coming soon`` -- La voix Africaine`` (Glenn Hauser,
OK, WOR)
** COLOMBIA. 5910-, May 9 at 0645, Alcaraván Radio with music, S9/+10
on signature offset about minus 50 Hz, back after missing 48 hours
ago. Now there is again a much weaker JBA carrier on 6010- with almost
same offset pitch on BFO, maybe LV de tu Conciencia if not Brasil
(Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** OKLAHOMA. DEBATE MOUNTS OVER FUTURE OF OETA’S BROADCAST TOWERS
By Janelle Stecklein, CNHI Oklahoma, Enid News & Eagle May 9, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — Uncertainty is growing about who would control and use
a vital network of rural broadcast communication towers following a
gubernatorial push to sever ties with the Oklahoma public
broadcaster.
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s decision to veto a routine measure reauthorizing
the existence of Oklahoma Educational Television Authority has created
some thorny and complicated logistical and operational questions,
including who ultimately owns the seven broadcast towers that quietly
play a vital role in rural public safety. Those have been maintained
over the years with a mix of private OETA donations and state
funding.
A spokesman for Stitt’s office on Monday insisted the answer is clear
— the state owns the towers if OETA is disbanded.
OETA leaders, though, plan to ask the attorney general’s office for a
formal opinion on ownership, said Bob Spinks, a Friends of OETA board
member.
“This whole thing has obviously raised some issues that we’ve never
had to really think about before because we’ve had this great
relationship with the state of Oklahoma,” Spinks said. “We’re really
the only entity in the state that can actually broadcast to all 77
counties, and so we feel like that partnership is extremely important
with the law enforcement and public safety folks.” In his veto message
of House Bill 2820, Stitt wrote that while OETA may have played a
“principal role in the provision of educational television services at
one time, today the OETA’s long-term, strategic value is at best
unclear, if not outright imagined.” Stitt later accused the
broadcaster of using tax dollars to “indoctrinate kids” and showing
programming that “overly sexualizes our kids.”
Spinks, who grew up in McAlester watching OETA, said Stitt’s comments
ignore the role that parents play in selecting their children’s
programming.
“It’s still a parent’s responsibility to decide whether what their
children are watching is appropriate or not,” said Spinks, whose own
children also watched OETA programming.
But beyond the programming debate, Spinks said OETA and public safety
entities have long had a symbiotic relationship. The public
broadcaster allows police and fire dispatchers to mount dispatch
repeaters on its seven broadcasting towers free of charge. OETA also
broadcasts emergency communications to all 77 counties and holds the
state’s FCC broadcasting license.
Spinks said it’s possible OETA could continue to operate a public
television station with only private funding, but that would require
“complete reworking of the licensure, which is not a simple thing.”
“We’re hoping that that veto is overridden because it’s just the
simplest way, the most logical way to keep us able to do what we’ve
been doing for so long,” Spinks said.
OETA viewership continually ranks among the top nationally with about
650,000 Oklahomans tuning in each week and over 100,000 others
streaming the station’s programming.
Spinks, now a retiree, said the funding the state provides — $ 2.9
million this budget year — makes up about a third of what it takes to
operate OETA. The remainder comes from private donors and grants.
Ray McNair, executive director of Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association, said
law enforcement agencies and fire departments have dispatch repeaters
mounted to nearly every available OETA tower that funding allows.
He said every tower is vital for public safety communications. Unless
they’re demolished, he’s certain public safety providers would be able
to continue using them, he said.
“If OETA loses their license, I’m sure there’d be some mechanism in
place that law enforcement, firefighters could go to utilize those
towers because to drop our repeaters and move them to another tower is
a pretty expensive venture,” McNair said.
Meyer Siegfried, a spokesman for Stitt, said if OETA is disbanded, the
state will retain ownership of OETA’s towers pursuant to state law. If
the Legislature does not override Stitt’s veto, OETA has one year to
wrap up operations.
“It’s not OETA, the state agency, that’s critical to rural public
safety, its state assets, i.e. the towers, that play a role in the
safety of rural Oklahoma,” Siegfried said in an email.
He said National Weather Service, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Oklahoma
Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security can use
independent systems to send wireless emergency alerts to geo-targeted
areas of the state through wireless carriers to anyone that has a
cellphone. “These alerts will continue regardless of whether the OETA
towers are there or not, and certainly regardless of the governor’s
veto,” Siegfried said.
He also said OHP does not have any of its communication assets on OETA
towers.
He did not say who would be tasked with maintaining the towers if OETA
shut down or from where that funding would come.
Senate President ProTem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said he voted
against extending OETA’s authorization around 2012. He said Senate
leadership privately pulled him aside and explained how “critically
important” the towers were to law enforcement and that the FCC license
held by OETA was nontransferable.
“They asked me not to be flippant in my vote,” Treat said. “So ever
since then, I’ve supported its continuation based on (that)
knowledge.” State Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, said he’s “very
concerned” by the veto. He said OETA meets both a public safety and
educational need.
Thompson said he doesn’t know who owns the towers, but said that
they’re “very, very needed in public safety” and said are a lot of
unanswered questions. He said Oklahoma also needs the FCC license.
“I’m not at the point yet of deciding what to do with the towers if
they go out of business,” Thompson said. “I’m still hopeful they’ll
still be in business.” (via gh, Enid, WOR)
** SPAIN. 17855, 15520, 17715, 11670, May 9 at 2217, REE check finds
all four active, unlike yesterday, on a non-English Tuesday, in usual
order from VG to G to F to VP when tuned direct (Glenn Hauser, OK,
WOR)
** TURKEY. 11785, May 9 9 at *2157, TRT IS comes on but only S4/S6
direct so no listening to the English hour following (Glenn Hauser,
OK, WOR)
** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 2189 monitoring: confirmed UT
Tuesday May 9 at 0030 on WRMI 9395, S9/+10 direct. Next:
2330 UT Tuesday WRMI 9395 to NNW
2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v to WSW
0030 UT Thursday WRMI 9395 to NNW
0130 UT Thursday WRMI 5010 to S
Full schedule including AM, FM, webcasts, satellite, podcasts:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
Like our website, a noncommercial service for which financial
support is appreciated; thanks this week to Jack Amelar, Lowell MI,
for a contribution via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com - ``To keep
WOR on the air and logs. Overdue donation. TNX for what you do``.
One may also contribute by MO or check on a US bank to
Glenn Hauser, P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
** VANUATU. 11835, May 9 at 0659, R. Vanuatu third harmonic has just
popped on with QSY from JBA 7260, to 3945; amazing S9/+10 signal
direct, first with music, then Bislama talk in an echoey venue,
something about building materials, presumably getting into news. Also
JBA carriers on 7890 = 2 x 3945; and equally JBA on 15780 = 4 x 3945.
Ron Howard was listening at same time with a much more detailed report
to the WOR iog. He had heard 15780 recently but not this time. Next?
19725 = 5 x 3945 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WOR)
UNIDENTIFIED. 28420 USB, May 9 circa 2213, OSOB is a weak ham in
English with accent, probably Latin American. Never any ID which ought
to be uttered at beginning and end of each interchange, with inaudible
contact. Yes, no other phoners heard on 10m, nor any CW beacons (Glenn
Hauser, OK, WOR)
This report despatched at 2312 UT May 9
http://www.hard-core-dx.com/article.php?story=20230509231502246