ABU Weekly News Digest  4 November 2011

A weekly summary of news from ABU members and other broadcasting news items from around the Asia-Pacific region. Click on the headline for the full story.

Latest News

• 04 Nov

ABU to hold radio and TV song festivals

The ABU will hold both a radio and a television song festival in 2012, the Programme Committee heard today.

• 04 Nov

Demand for global action to halt killing of journalists

More than 400 representatives of global news organisations today issued a call for global action to halt the killing of journalists.

• 04 Nov

Singapore’s MediaCorp names fund recipients

Six projects have been chosen to received pilot funding from MediaCorp’s S$5 million-dollar (US$3.95 million) Content Innovation Fund.

• 03 Nov

Veteran broadcasters win ABU technical awards

Senior broadcast engineers from India and China have won ABU Excellence Awards.

• 03 Nov

Sports broadcasters to benefit from training in Hanoi

ABU Sports members will benefit from training to be held in Hanoi next March, the Sports Group meeting heard today.

• 03 Nov

Japanese documentary wins 2011 Child Rights Award

A documentary about the lives of two disabled children in Japan has won the 2011 Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award for broadcasting.

• 03 Nov

MPEG-4 HD interoperability tests show good results

A series of MPEG-4 HD video encoder and decoder interoperability tests involving equipment from six vendors has recorded a 98 percent pass rate.

• 03 Nov

Singapore finds the One

Asian entertainment channel One will launch in Singapore following a carriage deal with pay-TV platform Mio TV, C21Media reports.

• 03 Nov

Pakistan government defends PTV-Zee TV venture

The joint venture between state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) and India’s Zee TV is an open business deal, Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has told Pakistan’s Upper House of Parliament, RapidTVNews reports.

• 03 Nov

SBS launches Your Language app

SBS has launched its Your Language app, allowing users to livestream and replay radio programmes in more than 60 languages.

• 02 Nov

ABU annual meetings open in New Delhi

The ABU’s annual meetings open today in New Delhi, hosted by India’s national broadcasting corporation, Prasar Bharati.

• 01 Nov

US’ BBG unveils five-year plan

The US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has released the framework of its new strategic plan to enhance the global impact of US international broadcasting.

• 01 Nov

BBC marks 75 years of television

It’s been 75 years since the BBC’s first regular “high-definition” television broadcast was made from Alexandra Palace in north London on 2 November, 1936.

• 01 Nov

NZ Labour party promises new public broadcaster

New Zealand’s Labour party has promised to launch a new public broadcaster if it is elected, TVNZ reports.

• 01 Nov

Mediacorp to discontinue DAB radio

In December, MediaCorp will discontinue its Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) service, ChannelNews Asia reports.

• 31 Oct

SBS faced with cutting jobs and programmes

The Managing Director of SBS-Australia Michael Ebeid has told staff that the multicultural broadcaster has a A$4 million (US$4.15 million) budget deficit and will cut staff and programmes if it doesn’t get additional government funding, The Australian reports.

• 31 Oct

India’s Press Council seeks wider powers

The Chairman of India’s Press Council, Markandey Katju, has called for the council’s powers to be widened to cover the electronic media, The Times of India reports.

• 31 Oct

IRIB-Iran wins URTI Radio Grand Prix

IRIB-Iran has won the 2011 URTI Radio International Grand Prix for its programme, Street Children, which was produced by Khosro Rasouli.

Latest News

• 15 Jul

Prasar Bharati to auction prime-time TV slots

India’s public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, which controls national TV broadcaster Doordarshan and All India Radio, is all set to conduct e-auctions for the programming content slots of its flagship DD National channel, reports The Financial Express.

• 15 Jul

ABU news safety guidelines approved

The ABU News Group has approved news safety guidelines designed to help ensure the safety of journalists in the course of their work.

• 15 Jul

BBC journalists hold a one-day strike

Journalists at the BBC have begun a 24-hour strike in a row over compulsory redundancies.

• 14 Jul

News Corp withdraws bid for BSkyB

Media moghul Rupert Murdoch has abandoned his bid to take over British satellite broadcaster BSkyB, as the fallout continues from the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, ABC News reports.

• 14 Jul

Nepal’s PM praises role of media

The media has been playing a vital role in social change around the world, Nepal’s Prime Minister, Jhalanath Khanal, said today.

• 13 Jul

TVNZ charter abolished

The Television New Zealand Charter has been abolished through a bill passed by New Zealand’s parliament last night. The charter encouraged TVNZ to show programmes that reflect New Zealand’s identity, in return for receiving NZ$15 million (US$12.66 million) to produce shows that would not be commercially viable.

• 12 Jul

KBS Media merges with KBS Internet

KBS Media, the company which spearheaded the Korean Wave with its drama series Winter Sonata, has announced its merger with KBS Internet.

• 12 Jul

Regulations a hurdle to China’s converged media plans

The lack of converged media services such as IPTV in China due to diverse regulations and lack of single regulatory body are barriers which the government needs to act on quickly, reports ZDNet Asia.

• 11 Jul

TV sales surge in Japan ahead of digital switchover

On 24 July, Japan will be turning off its analogue TV signal. The National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan has created a mascot, Chidejika, (a word play on “deer” and “HD broadcasting”) with a countdown calendar, reports Kotaku.com.

• 11 Jul

New Executive Vice-President at NEP

Yukihiko Amagi has retired from his post as Executive Vice-President of NHK Enterprises (NEP) and will be succeeded by Tetsuo Hiraga.

Dari                 R A D I O A C T I V I T Y <alokeshgupta@gmail.com>

Tanggal           14  Juni  2011   09.14

Kepada            mapemclub2020@gmail.com

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• FREE Pacific Radio Guides June 2011
• AWR to begin Shortwave Broadcasts in Tibetan
• Monitoring Medium Wave / AM 1368 in Europe
• RADIO EAST AFRICA QSL

FREE Pacific Radio Guides June 2011

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 08:07 AM PDT

New Pacific Radio Listener Guide now at www.radioheritage.com

The June 2011 version of the PAL Radio Guides covering all AM [mediumwave] radio stations across the Asia and Pacific region is now available from www.radioheritage.com.

The PAL Radio Guides list all known AM and SW radio stations operating in the region…… with detailed station data such as operating times, languages, location, and much more…across many thousands of individual stations.

Information in the new Pacific Asian Log Radio Guides is great for travellers, travel agents, corporates and others who need to keep clients and staff informed.

Radio saves lives in emergencies [think earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand, floods in Australia] and these guides list the stations you need to know about across the region.

The PAL Radio Guides are compiled in Seattle [USA] by our editor-in-chief Bruce Portzer from monitoring reports, official sources and feedback from listeners across the region.

Search the two guides online now by options such as location and frequency or download copies for your own personal use from www.radioheritage.net Access is free for non-commercial use.

Search our other frequently updated online guides to Australian narrowcast AM radio [Australia 1611-1701 AM] and the New Zealand Low Power FM Radio Dial [NZLPFM Radio]

Feedback, corrections and updates from users are always welcome and will be incorporated in future versions. Simply email your comments to info@radioheritage.net.

*********************
Radio Heritage Foundation is a registered non-profit connecting popular culture, nostalgia and radio heritage across the region. Free community access to these PAL Radio Guides is available at our global website www.radioheritage.com

Now covering 50% of weekly operational costs with donations from supporters worldwide. US$50 sponsors one day. Your donation is important to us and will help keep the PAL Radio Guides free. Please use your VISA or Mastercard today at www.radioheritage.com. Thank you!
*************
(Media Release, Radio Heritage Foundation, www.radioheritage.com, June 13 2011)

AWR to begin Shortwave Broadcasts in Tibetan

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:07 AM PDT

By Shelley Nolan Freesland
AWR Communication Director

After a two? year search for a producer, AWR will begin broadcasting programs in the Tibetan language this summer through shortwave radio and online. “We are thrilled to have located this young man,” says AWR president Dowell Chow. “Although we would normally wait until the start of our next semiannual broadcast season (in October) to launch a new broadcast, we want to begin reaching listeners as soon as possible.”

Tibet, a mountainous province in China, does not have an established Seventh? day Adventist Church presence. When AWR began spreading the word that it was looking for a Tibetan radio producer, a few leads came through contacts at other supporting ministries. Eventually AWR connected, through e? mail, with a man named Nurpu Lama.

Last fall, Chow was scheduled to attend a listeners’ reunion in Kathmandu, Nepal – a country which borders Tibet – so Lama traveled there to meet with him. The trip required considerable perseverance: a long walk from Lama’s hillside home to a larger town, a bus ride, a full? day walk to the Nepali border, and a day? long bus ride to Kathmandu.

Since Lama speaks Nepali, he was able to receive training from AWR’s long? time Nepali producers and technician, learning the equipment and voice announcing skills. The Nepali team provided him with a supply of their scripts, which he began translating by hand and contextualizing for the Tibetan people. Since then, Lama has twice more made the exhausting trip back to Kathmandu to do more recordings in the AWR studio.

Lama’s life is not easy. Although his home does have electricity and he is able to use the laptop computer provided by AWR, to access e? mail he must hike down the mountainside to a lower village to visit an Internet café. His days are very full, as he raises some animals and food for his family, and also works as a Gospel Outreach pioneer.

“Please join us in prayer as this new producer takes on these additional responsibilities,” says Chow. “His voice will be heard across Tibet, through one of the best shortwave signals that AWR has on its entire schedule, sharing the advent message of our soon? coming Savior.”

Adventist World Radio is the mission radio arm of the Seventh?day Adventist Church. It broadcasts the Adventist hope in Christ to the hardest?to?reach people groups of the world in their own languages, through shortwave, AM/FM radio, podcasts, and on?demand at awr.org

(Source : Adventist World Radio)

Monitoring Medium Wave / AM 1368 in Europe

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 05:14 AM PDT

Dear listeners,

Today we have made a modification to the Medium Wave antenna on 1368 kHz that may increase sky propagation during the night. Listeners in southern and central Europe should get better reception after sunset effective tonight June 14, 2011. Can anybody monitor out-there in
Europe?

We run daily on 1368 kHz in Europe from 19:00-02:00 CET (17:00-00:00 UTC)

Please send your reception reports to reports (at) nexus (dot) org

Thank you for your co-operation.

73,

Ron

–
Ron Norton NEXUS-Int’l Broadcasting Association

RADIO EAST AFRICA QSL

Posted: 13 Jun 2011 02:35 AM PDT

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dqXFybbuG3s/TfXZ6ZRgm-I/AAAAAAAAIqk/KHmB_rD5URk/s400/REAfrica_QSL_1.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MCfwV1tZjdE/TfXZ6br_CAI/AAAAAAAAIqc/p8rjhZCYIrw/s400/REAfrica_QSL_2.jpg

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R A D I O A C T I V I T Y

Dari                 R A D I O A C T I V I T Y <alokeshgupta@gmail.com>

Tanggal           15  Juni  2011   09.17

Kepada            mapemclub2020@gmail.com

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ESAT accuses China of complicity in jamming signals

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 08:37 AM PDT

The Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT), which resumed transmissions to Ethiopia last week after nearly two months of interruption, has urged the government of the People’s Republic of China to desist from providing technology, training and technical assistance to the regime in Ethiopia to enable it to jam shortwave radio and satellite transmissions to Ethiopia.

More at : http://www.abugidainfo.com/?p=18210

FRS on air next Sunday evening June 19th

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:04 PM PDT

Dear FRS Friends,

If you have just joined our address book and this is the first mail you are receiving, be welcome as member of the FRS family! Next Sunday (June 19th) FRS-Holland will be on air with full programming. Opposite to our usual broadcasts, this one will take place in the evening hours between 16:52- 22:00 UTC/ 18:52- 24:00 CEST. FRS-Holland will be on 7685kHz avoiding 7600 and 7595 interference during the first part of the broadcast. 7685 isn’t affected by adjacent channels being used by other stations. Especially during the last part of the broadcast it will be interesting if & how signals will be received to the east (Russia, Ukraine etc.).
We will take our time…it’ll be an ‘old fashioned’ long FRS broadcast: 5 hours!!. Our full staff will be involved including Paul Graham who was absent for quite some time. This time we will deviate from the usual schedule: 3 blocks of resp. 60s, 70s and 80s tracks, a DX Show and a show with mostly tunes. We will handle no letters, there’s no Phrase that Pays, the music comes first! Although each show will include 1 or 2 short radio related items !

We like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of you who responded to our brief evening tests May 22nd (7685). These two 15 min. tests were widely heard across Europe and beyond. For 30 minutes we received some 30 reports. And last but not least: we will soon start replying to the many, many listeners who responded to one or more of our 30th Anniversary broadcasts back in October & November 2010 and February 2011. FRS has produced a special & informative commemorative 30th Anniversary booklet which will be available to each and everyone who sent a report/ letter. This booklet is almost finished. So please have a little more patience, you will get your special QSL card(s) and the booklet.
Thanks for your patience and understanding!!

Hope you are able to tune in next Sunday. We hope the full June 19th shows will go out via the Internet one week later, Sunday June 26th. More news about that will follow.

73s, Peter Verbruggen (on behalf of the entire FRS staff)

a Balance between Music & Information joint to one Format….

FRS-Holland
POBox 2702
6049 ZG Herten
The Netherlands

e-mail: frs.holland@hccnet.nl
e-mail: frs@frsholland.nl

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R A D I O A C T I V I T Y

Dari                 R A D I O A C T I V I T Y <alokeshgupta@gmail.com>

Tanggal           16  Juni  2011   09.17

Kepada            mapemclub2020@gmail.com

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• Denmark reactives long wave and leaves medium wave
• TECSUN PL-390 FM DX KING ?
• Old Radios Brought Back To Life At InfoAge

Denmark reactives long wave and leaves medium wave

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 05:36 AM PDT

Today the Danish national public service radio station DR has reactived long wave 243 kHz using a brand new Nautel 50 kW sender from the current transmitter site in Kalundborg on the western part of Sealand (Sjælland), Denmark.
Broadcasting on medium wave 1062 kHz (250 kW) will cease on Monday June 27 2011. From today and until Monday the programmes will be simulcast on the two frequencies. Broadcasting hours remain the same. Cf. WRTH or Euro-African MW Guide for details.
The use of 243 kHz with 300 kW was ended in February 2007, but after Turkey left the channel in October 2008, DR is the only radio station on this channel. Thus it is estimated that the coverage will be pretty good on 243 although the power utilized is only 50 kW.

Full story (in Danish) here:
http://www.radionyt.com/artikel/default.asp?id=18515

Best 73s
Stig Hartvig Nielsen

(Via mwdx list)

TECSUN PL-390 FM DX KING ?

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 02:20 PM PDT

Phil’s reveiew of FM Dxing capabilities of Tecsun PL-390

Old Radios Brought Back To Life At InfoAge

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 11:03 AM PDT

Radio club hosts repair clinic
By Kathy Yevchak

Gerry Kersus’ RCA radio has been in the family for more than 60 years. It was a wedding gift for his parents. But it has seen better days. Rather than junk it, Kersus brought the All American 5 radio to the radio magicians from the New Jersey Antique Radio Club Saturday to see if it could
be resurrected.

http://wall.patch.com/articles/old-radios-brought-back-to-life-at-infoage

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R A D I O A C T I V I T Y

Dari                 R A D I O A C T I V I T Y <alokeshgupta@gmail.com>

Tanggal           17  Juni  2011   09.07

Kepada            mapemclub2020@gmail.com

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• BBC will restart morning Hindi broadcast
• AT8VTM – International Museum Weekend 17th to 27th June 2011 at VITM, Bangalore
• DRM+ successfully tested in New Delhi
• DRM Newsletter 6/2011
• BAU launches kisan radio station

BBC will restart morning Hindi broadcast

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 07:50 AM PDT

BBC Hindi will survive funding cuts: Patten

From Prasun Sonwalkar Oxford, Jun 17 (PTI) Terming the BBC Hindi Service as “very important”, Lord Chris Patten, chairman of the BBC Trust and chancellor of the University of Oxford, today said the service will survive the major funding cuts that had severely affected its future.Patten, who recently took over as chairman of the BBC Trust, told PTI here that due to the importance of the Hindi Service and increasingly deeper relations India, he was making all efforts to ensure its survival amidst funding cuts.

Read the PTI story here :
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/bbc-hindi-will-survive-funding-cuts-patten/729400.html

(Naleen Kumar)

AT8VTM – International Museum Weekend 17th to 27th June 2011 at VITM, Bangalore

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 05:57 AM PDT

Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technology Musuem, Kasturaba Road, Bangalore is the India’s First Special Event Amateur (Ham) Radio Station operating from India taking part in the 10th International Museum Weekend 2011 from 17th to 27th June 2011. Details of the Musuem is on http://www.vismuseum.org.in/ and about the International Museum Weekend is on http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk/imw/

Thanks to Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Government of India for giving us Special Callsign AT8VTM vide Special Permission L – 14011/639/2010 Dated 15.06.2011.

Special and Sincere Thanks to Volunteers and Operators specially VU2UR and VU2LX to make this very big event happen.

Please do come up on the air and work use out to receive special event QSL card. VU Hams have to send sufficient postage stamp and address label along with their QSL for contact made to receive QSL Direct, DX Hams 3 IRCs

de Lion Ajoy VU2JHM
Hon. President, Bangalore Amateur Radio Club VU2ARC
http://www.barc.in

DRM+ successfully tested in New Delhi

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 03:55 AM PDT

New Delhi, 27th May, 2011: The first ever DRM+ trial measurements in India have thrown up very satisfactory results. The test, organised jointly by All India Radio (AIR) and Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Consortium, was an effort to test the strength and coverage of DRM digital radio in FM band (VHF band II).

The single test frequency of 100.1MHz carried three programme channels – Gold DRM (FM), Rainbow DRM (FM) and AIR news in Journaline and its reception was measured by a test vehicle going in four directions from central New Delhi where the transmitter was installed. Nautel VS-1 transmitter with 300W output power (500W radiated power) along with RFmondial DRM+ Modulator and Fraunhofer DRM Content Server were used.
Two test modes were measured – robust 4-QAM and high capacity 16-QAM and the DRM+ coverage was found to be comparable with that of analogue FM station operating at approximately 5 times the power of the DRM+ signal. A full report will jointly be published by AIR and DRM.
This week long DRM+ Showcase (23rd – 27th May 2011) in New Delhi was also accompanied with an extensive workshop on DRM technology covering crucial issues of planning, transition, simulcast, content and receivers. A large number of participants from all across the country attended the sessions that also had interactive discussions with DRM experts.
DRM members Nautel (Canada), Fraunhofer, RFmondial, University of Hannover (Germany) KETI (South Korea), Analog Devices (USA) and BBC (UK) took part in the test either with equipment or experts or both. DRM Consortium will provide more information along with the test results shortly. For details log on to www.drm.org
Ruxandra Obreja, Chairperson DRM Consortium said “This test was a successful culmination of a close partnership of DRM Consortium and All India Radio and the whole hearted support of the DRM members who took part in this event. AIR has already adopted DRM30 for its SW/MW network and DRM+ will play a complementary role operating in VHF band.”

About DRM
Digital Radio MondialeTM (DRM) is the universal, openly standardised digital broadcasting system for all broadcasting frequencies up to 174MHz, including LW, MW, SW, band I and II (FM band). DRM provides digital sound quality and the ease-of-use that comes from digital radio, combined with a wealth of enhanced features: Surround Sound, Journaline text information, Slideshow, EPG, and data services. DRM on short, medium and long wave for broadcasting bands up to 30 MHz (called ‘DRM30′) provides large coverage areas and low power consumption. The enhancement of the DRM standard for broadcast frequencies above 30 MHz (’DRM+’) uses the same audio coding, data services, multiplexing and signaling schemes as DRM30 but introduces an additional transmission mode optimized for those bands. For more information and DRM updates please visit www.drm.org
(DRM Consortium Press Release)

DRM Newsletter 6/2011

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 10:42 AM PDT

June issue of DRM consortium’s newsletter is now available at :
http://tinyurl.com/6de5qjb

Main stories :

- DRM+ successfully tested in New Delhi
- Latest ITU activities
- Steering Board Meeting
- KOBA, Seoul, 14-17 June
- Latest DRM Press Coverage
- Goodbye to Fanny Podworny

BAU launches kisan radio station

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 09:27 AM PDT

Kisan Radio Station, which is being launched by the Bihar Agriculture University (BAU), Sabour (Bhagalpur) in the district soon. Farmers coming within the aerial distance of 20-kilometers would initially be visited, once the Kisan Radio Station (KRS) goes on air.

Full story at :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/New-Article/articleshow/8876413.cms

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R A D I O A C T I V I T Y

Dari                 R A D I O A C T I V I T Y <alokeshgupta@gmail.com>

Tanggal           18  Juni  2011   09.23

Kepada            mapemclub2020@gmail.com

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QSL FROM RADIO THAILAND

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 04:09 AM PDT

QSL from Radio Thailand in 12 days for a report emailed to IBB Udonthani

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vSDDc6-4Q3A/TfyIAj2OGAI/AAAAAAAAIqs/ejRiI5pQaiw/s400/r_thailand_may2011_big.jpg

Radio, tak seorang pun yang tidak mengenalnya, merupakan si “kotak ajaib” yang kini semakin terpinggirkan. Sesungguhnya keberadaan radio memiliki posisi tertentu di hati semua orang. Dari golongan dan kalangan masyarakat kelas mana saja, bila dihadapkan pada satu pertanyaan “ benarkah radio tak ada matinya walaupun  berhadapan dengan media informasi lainnya?”, yakin akan menjawab benar. Betapa tidak, radio dengan segala keunggulannya tetap mampu bertahan dalam “kekuasaan” tersendiri di hati publik dari segala aspek kehidupan. Tulisan ini tentu tak dapat berbicara secara global tentang keunggulan radaio dalam mengisi keseharian kita, namun sebagai pecinta siaran radio, tulisan ini dihadirkan setidaknya sebagai paparan singkat dengan harapan dapat merubah stigma publik yang berpendapat bahwa kehadiran teknologi mutakhir bidang elektronik di era globalisasi informasi akan “menendang” radio dari sisi pendengarnya, karena sesunggunya radio “did not die, how ever”.

Setiap jenis media punya kekhasan dan daya tarik tersendiri. Maka radio pun tak lekang oleh perputaran waktu dan perkembangan zaman. Perkembangan televisi dan media cetak yang begitu pesat dengan berbagai sajian aktual dan hangat, tetapi masih banyak orang yang mengandalkan radio sebagai sumber informasi yang jauh lebih hangat dan aktual. Walaupun internet dan ponsel menawarkan berbagai hiburan, tetapi masih banyak orang yang senang mendengarkan musik dan menikmati hiburan melalui radio.

Dari segi teknologi dan ragam program, radio terus berkembang. Bukankah sejarah telah mencatat dan membuktikan betapa besar jasa radio dalam rangkaian perjalanan sejarah ummat manusia. Perang dunia misalnya, dimana radio merupakan alat propaganda ampuh, bahkan sampai saat ini bila terjadi perebutan kekuasaan di suatu negara atau kejadian sabotase oleh penentang pemerintah, maka diantara berbagai media massa, radiolah yang pertama kali diincar.

Mengapa radio menjadi incaran utama? Setidaknya ada tiga faktor keunggulan radio dibanding media lainnya :

1. Siaran radio bersifat langsung. Artinya, suatu pesan yang ingin disampaikan prosesnya mudah dan cepat, efektif dan efisien, sebab siarannya langsung tertuju ke sasaran. Hal ini telah dibuktikan oleh Bung Tomo ketika membakar semangat Arek-Arek Surobojo melawan Jepang pada zaman revolusi. Hingga kapanpun, program dan informasi yang cepat dan real time melalui siaran langsung tetap dibutuhkan oleh masyarakat, sehingga muncul pemeo “siapa yang menguasai radio dialah yang menguasai masyarakat, dan siapa yang menguasai informasi, dialah yang menguasai dunia.”
2. Siaran radio tidak mengenal ruang dan waktu. Artinya, begitu pesan disampaikan di depan microfon, seketika itu juga didengar oleh pendengar betatapun jauhnya. Bahkan inofrmasi yang disampaikan radio dapat didengarkan sambil ber-apa saja, di ruangan mana saja, sambil duduk santai, sambil makan, sambil tidur dan bahkan dikamar mandi juga tetap OK.
3. Murah dan praktis. Artinya, jika dibandingkan dengan harga media informasi lainnya, maka radio jauh lebih murah. Bahkan kini ia telah diintegrasikan dalam berbagai alat komunikasi seperti hand phone, komputer, internet dan sebagainya. Bahkan kini, pesawat radi didesain semakin kecil dan semakin band semakin lengkap sehingga mudah dibawa kemana-mana dan dapat didengarkan dimana-mana.

Selain itu, siaran radio mempunyai daya tarik dari unsur-unsur yang dimiliki, yakni kombinasi antara lisan, music, sound effect dan sebagainya.

Sejak reformasi atau sejak tahun 1998 radio tak melulu berisi hiburan, tetapi juga beragam informasi. Kalau dulu, setiap radio wajib merelay siaran berita sebanyak 13 kali sehari, dengan adanya reformasi dan pembubaran Departemen Penerangan, tidak ada lagi wajib relay, maka stasiun radio masing-masing mempunyai program news sendiri. Itu pulalah yang membuat orang tetap setia mendengarkan siaran radio.

Radio Luar Negeri

Memonitor radio sangat boleh jadi merupakan suatu hobi yang cukup unik dan menarik, terutama siaran radio luar negeri. Tak banyak orang mengetahui bahwa sebagian besar negara di dunia ini memiliki siaran internasional yang ditujukan ke berbagai sasaran siaran termasuk Asia Tenggara. Bahkan sebagiannya menyelenggarakan siaran dalam bahasa Indonesia melalui gelombang pendek (SW). Dari sekian komunitas yang mengetahui keberadaan siaran radio luar negeri itu ada lagi yang menganggap bahwa untuk mendengarkan siaran radio luar negeri membutuhkan biaya mahal. Benarkah demikian?

Sesungguhnya tidak! Karena untuk mendengarkan siaran radio dari seluruh dunia sangatlah mudah. Berikut informasi berdasarkan pengalaman penulis selama menekuni hobi mendengarkan siaran radio luar negeri selama dua puluh tahun terakhir ini.

1.   Pesawat radio

Idealnya mendengarkan siaran radio luar negeri diperlukan receiver multiband digital yang harganya diatas Rp 500.000,- Tetapi bukan berarti radio seharga Rp 50.000,- tidak mampu menerima siaran rln. Asalkan receiver memiliki gelombang SW, maka sudah mampu menerima siaran radio dari beberapa negara. Semakin banyak band sw-nya semakin banyak pula siaran yang dapat diterima, lebih-lebih bila menggunakan radio digital yang mampu menjangkau seluruh frekuensi radio dan menerima gelombang dengan selektifitas yang cukup tinggi.

2.   Bahasa

Radio luar negeri, selain menyiar dalam bahasa Inggris, lebih dari 30 stasiun menyelenggarakan siaran dalam bahasa Indonesia dan berbagai bahasa ibu wilayah sasarannya. Bahkan banyak pula siaran dalam berbagai bahasa daerah di Indonesia, sehingga memungkinkan siapa saja dapat mendengarkan dan memahami materi siaran yang disampaikan.

3.   Hobi

Masing-masing orang memiliki hobi yang berbeda-beda. Ada yang senang mendengarkan music, ada yang gemar mencari informasi aktual, ada yang hobi filateli (mengumpulkan prangko dan benda pos lainnya), sementara ada yang hobi sahabat pena, koleksi koin, souvenir dan sebagainya. Maka, mendengarkan siaran radio luar negeri bukan hanya tidak mengganggu hobi, melainkan dapat mendukung semua hobi tersebut. Dari rln kita dapat menemukan berbagai jenis aliran musik, berbagai berita dan informasi nasional dan  mancanegara, dapat melengkapi koleksi prangko dan benda pos dari luar negeri, mudah menemukan sahabat pena, dapat melengkapi koleksi koin, souvenir dan berbagai pernak-pernik khas dari berbagai negara, dan bahkan dapat menambah uang saku dari jasa monitoring ini.

4.   Radio nasional dan internasional

Pendengar rln berprinsip “berjiwa nasional berwawasan internasional.” Artinya, bagaimanapun fanatiknya seorang pendengar terhadap siaran rln, tidak lantas melupakan radio lokal atau RRI. Bahkan antara keduanya saling melengkapi. Dulu mungkin ya, ketika RRI hanya boleh memberitakan suara penguasa. Tetapi setelah keran kebebasan pers dibuka, media informasi kita telah mampu membangun kepercayaan publik dengan memberitakan informasi aktual yang berimbang, karena berita aktual inilah yang dibutuhkan masyarakat termasuk pendengar siaran rln. Sedangkan informasi mengenai berbagai hal tentang suatu negara tentu akan lebih lengkap bila didengarkan melalui radio yang berada di Negara tersebut, walaupun siaran rln relatif singkat antara 30 menit sampai 4 jam sehari, itupun sudah termasuk siaran ulang.

Rln bukanlah pesaing radio local maupun RRI, tetapi lebih sebagai mitra yang saling melengkapi. Bahkan banyak diantaranya merupakan perpaduan siaran dari kedua Negara, dimana masing-masing Negara mengirimkan salah seorang penyiarnya untuk diperbantukan pada radio pemerintah setempat seperti yang selama ini dilakukan antara RRI dan KBS Korea Selatan. Begitu juga kerjasama antara rln dan radio-radio local di tanah air yang selama ini memiliki hubungan kerjasama dalam merelay siaran. Di NTB misalnya ada Haccandra yang merelay BBC London, CNL FM yang merelay Radio Nederland, Radio Mitra Idola Kita merelay Voice of America, Radio Kharisma merelay Radio Australia dan Radio Global Lombok FM yang merelay Radio Jepang NHK World.

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Menteri Luar Negeri, David Lidington  mengatakan akan membatalkan keputusan mereka setelah meninjau dan menimbang pendapat dan tuntutan anggota parlemen, sehingga ia ingin membantu BBC menemukan cara lain untuk pendanaan.

World Service awalnya telah menetapkan target peningkatan dari pendapatan komersial sebesar £ 3.000.000 (US$ 4.870.000).

Dia mengatakan bahwa beberapa pemotongan — seperti siaran Hindi melalui gelombang pendek — adalah sebuah keputusan BBC yang tidak bisa diveto oleh pemerintah. Pemotongan anggaran  untuk siaran berbahasa Arab inilah yang “mengejutkan”, bahkan itu diputuskan sebelum peristiwa di Timur Tengah dan Afrika Utara terjadi.

Mr Lidington berkata: “Bahkan setelah pemotongan, World Service masih akan menerima dana dari pembayar pajak Inggris sebesar £ 733,000,000 ($ 1,190 juta) selama tiga tahun ke depan. Setelah itu entahlah, ini sebuah tantangan bagi World Service mendatang.

(Sumber: ABU)