NASB NEWSLETTER
November 2008
IN THIS ISSUE:
HFCC News
News from NASB Members and Associate Members
DRM News
SWL News
NASB Mailbag
New Shortwave Books
HFCC News
Moscow Hosts B08 HFCC/ASBU Conference
by Glen Tapley, WEWN Global Catholic Radio
The B08 HFCC/ASBU high frequency coordinating conference, hosted by GFC- General Radio Frequency Centre, headquartered in Moscow, was held at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Moscow, Russia August 25-29th 2008. This is the first hosting of the coordination meeting in the Russian Federation. The B08 conference included 124 delegates representing 50 frequency management organizations and is a joint conference of the HFCC (High Frequency Coordination Conference) and the ASBU (Arab States Broadcasting Union). I had the distinction of representing the NASB for this conference. Other NASB members in attendance were George Ross with KTWR and Jason Cooper representing WWCR Radio.
A bit about the trip before topical information: I found Moscow to be a bit different than I expected. It was a mix of the old and new with an emphasis on the new. Certainly there were the old Stalinist buildings and the Soviet-era constructions, but there were certain modernizations. New office buildings were going up and instead of witnessing small, black, smoke-belching automobiles, I saw Chevys, Fords, Hondas, and Toyotas. Next to old railway stations, there were modern shopping malls. Of course, there were the evidences of Soviet times with the hammer and sickle and red star carved into many government buildings. Most souvenir shops featured old Soviet symbolism on their T-Shirt and cap offerings. One particular humorous T-Shirt referred to McDonald’s as McLenin’s with the 100% beef replaced with red and black caviar protruding from between the bun.
Since there are no English street signs, getting around is a bit challenging, but once on figures how to turn the city map right side up, a person can match the Cyrillic lettering with the signs. Some words were transliterated so you could read food signs such as hamburger and combo meal. Crossing the busy city streets can be quite hazardous, so the Russians built underpass tunnels complete with small shops that allow a walk under the street and the opportunity to purchase anything from food to new shoes.
As mentioned above, the designated hotel was the Radisson SAS. On the lobby wall, a plaque observing the rich and famous who have been past guests listed such notables as Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, the Rolling Stones, and Angelina Jolie. As I did not witness my name, I figured it could only be a moderate hotel at best. All kidding aside, the Radisson SAS was what would be expected from a Radisson chain--a modern hotel complete with restaurants, a gym, and even a casino. Directly behind the hotel was one of the modern shopping malls which is characterized by shops and restaurants from many countries including the United States. You have got to witness the Baskin Robbins and the food court staple Sabarro in Russian Cyrillic!
The denizens of the city tend to walk at a race-walker’s pace. We had to be on our toes so not to be walked upon. This is probably similar to a number of the world’s larger cities. I had to bring back moves from my old football-playing days in order to dodge the populace. Overall, the people I came in contact with were very pleasant. One example was while waiting for a table to become free at a small eatery, two individuals actually offered a place at their table.
Thursday evening, we were treated to a river boat cruise on the Moscow River and a gala dinner under a large tent at a local restaurant replete with singing gypsies. After fish, lamb, veggies, caviar, and Russian hospitality, we loaded on the bus and returned to the hotel.
The head of the Russian Federal Service for Communications, Mr. Boris Boyarskov, opened the conference thanking all who attended, reminding the delegates that it was on October 29, 1929, that HF radio in Russia had its beginnings. BBC soon followed as did the Voice of America and today, scores of stations now broadcast to tens of millions of people worldwide emphasizing the need and importance of coordination. The work of preparation and the hosting of the conference by the Russian General Frequency Commission, specifically the efforts of the Director of the GFC, Mr. Valery Naslednikov, the Deputy Director, Mr. Leonid Mikchelevskyi and their team was duly noted.
Among the topics covered by Mr. Oldrich Cip, Chairman of the HFCC was the subject of wooden transmitters which is an important issue to NASB members and HF broadcasters worldwide. The good news in this area is that the ITU has joined the effort to eliminate
the wooden requirements that still remain in the frequency schedules of some frequency management organizations.
Another focus had to do with additional HF spectrum and DRM. While no added HF spectrum for broadcasting was agreed upon at WRC-07, DRM was endorsed for use in the tropical bands. Since tropical broadcasting is capable of covering large local areas this may be a positive application of DRM for domestic AM to digital broadcasting. One note of concern, however, was that although there is a promising trend in digital receiver circuits capable of decoding both DRM and DAB, the DRM and AM modes have been labeled as optional on the draft of new digital receiver profiles by European groups promoting DAB. HFCC Vice-Chairman Horst Scholtz, who has recently become a member of the DRM steering board, will be representing the HFCC membership in talks with the European Broadcast Union regarding the new receivers and other topics of importance to HF broadcasters.
Geoff Spells with VT Communications, in referring to an ITU circular letter (CR/282) noted that the B08 season would be the last one where broadcasters could use the band 7100-7200 kHz. After March 2009, the band will be primarily allocated to amateur services.
Interest in coordinating frequencies continues to be of beneficial significance to additional nations as Belarus has applied for and was granted full HFCC membership. The Voice of Russia, Russian TV and Radio Network, and TRC Efir were accepted for associate membership. Thompson, TCI, and WRN, have expressed interest in becoming associate members and invitations to join have been extended to BBC and RFI.
The A09 HFCC/ASBU meeting will be held in Tunis, Tunisia by invitation of the ASBU. This conference is expected to be held February 2-6, 2009. A point of good news for NASB members is the approval of the B09 conference meeting to be held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic which will be hosted by the NASB.
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Next HFCC/ASBU Conference to be held in Tunis
The A09 HFCC/ASBU Conference will take place February 2-6, 2009 in Tunis, the capital of the North African country of Tunisia. It will be hosted by the Arab States Broadcasting Union, which has its headquarters in Tunis. Jeff White, NASB President, will be the Association's official representative at the conference. Those NASB member stations who need special assistance with their frequency schedules and potential collision resolution should contact Jeff before or during the meeting at .
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Plans Underway for HFCC/ASBU B09 Conference Hosted by the NASB
The HFCC/ASBU Steering Board has accepted the invitation of the NASB to host the organization's B09 frequency planning conference in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic August 24-28, 2009.
Approximately 120 persons from some 40 countries are expected to attend the five-day conference, which will take place at the Dreams Punta Cana Resort, approximately 40 kilometers north of the Punta Cana International Airport. Punta Cana, located at the easternmost tip of the Dominicsn Republic, is a major Caribbean tourist destination, and there are direct flights from many parts of the Americas and Europe to the Punta Cana Airport. The Dreams Resort is located directly on the beach, and it has one of the largest free-form swimming pools in the Caribbean.
Delegates from shortwave stations, telecommunications authorities and frequency consulting services will spend the conference week planning their frequency schedules for the winter 2009-2010 period. All NASB members and associate members are invited to attend the meeting and to assist in welcoming the world's shortwave broadcasters to Punta Cana. The NASB conference organizing committee is making all of the arrangements with the hotel, and it is organizing all aspects of the meeting, including meeting rooms, computer and audiovisual services, Internet connections, transportation, tours, coffee breaks, meal functions, receptions, delegate registration, corporate sponsorships, etc.
NASB members and associate members who would like to sponsor coffee breaks and other events at the conference should contact Jeff White at for a list of available sponsorships and prices.
The meeting will take place from Monday through Friday. On the Saturday after the conference, there will be an optional all-day tour to Santo Domingo, the Dominican capital city, to see historical sights such as the Columbus Lighthouse and the first cathedral in the Americas. The trip will also include lunch at a typical Dominican restaurant. Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover the island of Hispaniola (comprising present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in 1492, and Santo Domingo was the first colonial capital city in the Americas.
Dreams Punta Cana is an all-inclusive resort, meaning all meals, beverages, taxes, tips and entertainment are included in the room charge. The NASB has negotiated a special conference rate of US$130 per night for a single room, and $168 per night for a double room (i.e. $84 per person, per night). Complete conference information is available from .
The NASB has hosted one other HFCC/ASBU conference in the past. This was the A08 Conference in Mexico City in February, 2008. That was the first-ever HFCC/ASBU conference in Latin America. Next year's conference in Punta Cana will be the first HFCC/ASBU meeting in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic is one of only two countries in the Caribbean where shortwave broadcast stations are currently operating.
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News from NASB Members and Associate Members
New Associate Member Richardson Electronics
By Mike Thompson
We welcome our newest Associate Member, Richardson Electronics. Established in 1947 and headquartered in the Chicago suburbs of LaFox, IL., Richardson Electronics is the world's largest stocking distributor of vacuum tubes and related components. They have supported the broadcast industry since their inception, concentrating on replacement tubes and high power capacitors for shortwave, television, and commercial radio applications. Major brands inventoried include Eimac, Econco, Amperex, National Electronics and Jennings , among several others. For inquiries regarding ANY tube model number (including both new and rebuilds), vacuum capacitor or contactor used in shortwave transmission, you can contact them at 800-348-5580, , or visit their website at
North American Shortwave Survey Proposed
At our 2008 annual meeting at Trans World Radio in North Carolina, some NASB members suggested that we consider the possibility of conducting a survey to determine the number of shortwave listeners in North America, and some of their demographic information.
We consulted the head of a major media research institute based in the U.S., and he proposed a survey where the telephone is used to recruit respondents, but the survey itself is done either through a website or via email. He felt that a sample size of around 3000 would probably get the kind of information we indicated in our rough list of questions.
The length of time to accomplish the survey would be in the range of 1-2 months once the data is gathered. With Internet-based surveys, data is coded almost automatically – making it less time-consuming, and hence less expensive.
The cost of the survey, assuming a 3,000 person sample with a 15% refusal rate for people agreeing to complete a survey on the web, would be $14,000. This includes telephone costs, analysis and reporting.
The NASB is prepared to pay for a portion of this cost, but we are interested in finding radio stations or other organizations that might be interested in participating in the survey, in order to reduce the cost for everyone involved. Depending on how many organizations participate, the cost per organization could be very reasonable.
We would appreciate it very much if you could pass this information on to the person(s) at your organization who are involved or interested in audience research. If your station or organization might be interested in participating in the survey, please let us know so that we can determine what the cost for each entity will be, and so that we can include questions in the survey that are of interest to your organization. If there is sufficient interest to pursue this project, our hope would be to carry out the survey soon, so that a summary of the results can be released at our next NASB annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee on May 7-8, 2009.
Below you will find a list of questions that has been suggested for the survey so far. If you have any questions about this project, or would like to participate, please contact Jeff White at .
RADIO/MEDIA DATA
1. Radio ownership – broken down by type of receiver (AM/FM/SW/Sat) and how many owned
2. Radio use (AM/FM/SW/Sat) - % who listen daily/weekly/monthly
3. What make of SW receiver do you own (manufacturer’s name).
4. Number of hours per week SW listened to
5. How many years listening to SW
6. Is the SW listener also an amateur radio operator
7. What type of SW receiver used (portable/table top – possibly with price range information)
8. Which SW stations listened to (prompted & "other")
9. Listening to religious programs via SW (if so, which stations?)
10. Listening to international media (by SW, local rebroadcasters, internet, satellite radio)
11. Which languages do you listen to international broadcasts in? (prompted & "other")
12. Listening to radio on portable devices (mobile phones, MP3 players that have integrated radios)
13. Awareness of DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale)
14. What type of DRM receiver does the user have – software based or a DRM radio?
15. How much would the respondent be willing to pay for a DRM radio should they come on the market?
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
1. Age
2. Gender
3. Economic status (average annual income)
4. Educational Level
5. Political preference (this may or may not be desirable, but could be an interesting data point)
6. Geographical identifier (such as postal code)
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Trans World Radio Announces New President
News release from Trans World Radio via Dino Bloise, Florida
CARY, NC, October 21, 2008—International Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio (TWR) officially announced today the selection of Lauren Libby as its new president and CEO. The unanimous decision by TWR’s Board of Directors to elect Mr. Libby came after an exhaustive six-month search process. He succeeds David G. Tucker, who stepped down from his position earlier this year.
Libby, who currently serves as senior vice president and chief operating officer with The Navigators in Colorado Springs, Colo., will be commissioned by TWR on December 1. He will become the Mission’s fourth president.
“I am pleased and excited about the appointment of Lauren Libby as the president of TWR,” said Thomas J. Lowell, TWR’s chairman of the Board of Directors. “In my conversations with Lauren, I sense that he is a man with a passion for serving the Lord and that he has a strong interest in the people who serve in this ministry as well as those who support TWR. He brings to our organization significant knowledge of radio, experience in leadership of a mission organization and a strong desire to lead TWR into the future.”
Libby’s 30-plus years of experience primarily come from an extensive career with The Navigators. Most recently, he has served as a member of the U.S. Navigator National Executive Team—a six-member group responsible for corporate ministry decisions, the organization’s 1,500 field staff and finances for the U.S. Navigator corporation.
A member of the Board of Directors for the National Religious Broadcasters, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and Northwestern College, Libby is also president and CEO of New Horizons Foundation –a public charity designed to help donors accomplish their giving objectives in education, research, humanitarian aid, religion and health-related areas. Additionally, he co-founded Educational Communications of Colorado Springs, which comprises 15 radio stations and 28 translators. Libby also served previously on the board of the Christian Stewardship Association.
A farmer’s son from northern Kansas, Libby holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Regis University. He and his wife, June, have one adult son.