I've not put much in this blog for a while. I've been meaning to pay tribute to Cooke and Ustinov, but things have been busy of late to say the least.
For a bit of added motivation I'm going to add general technology topics to this blog, to spur me on to add more frequent entries.
20040419
20040328
Broadcasting House
BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme today came from New York, and was duly greeted by the cries of listeners who are apparantly fed-up of specials always coming from the US and featuring something trivial. I can sympathise, and it makes me wonder if the media has the same fixation with the US as the poxy Blair government.
In any case, this morning's BH did include an interesting feature (dumbed down or not) on 'Air America Radio', a new liberal network of stations to take to the airwaves in the currently Republican dominated Mediumwave band. Clearly timed to influence the Presidential Election this autumn, the network is aiming to be an antedote to the extreme-right voices such as Rush Limbaugh.
In any case, this morning's BH did include an interesting feature (dumbed down or not) on 'Air America Radio', a new liberal network of stations to take to the airwaves in the currently Republican dominated Mediumwave band. Clearly timed to influence the Presidential Election this autumn, the network is aiming to be an antedote to the extreme-right voices such as Rush Limbaugh.
20040322
Feedback
It should now be possible to leave comments on each of the entries in this blog. Your thoughts are very welcome.
20040321
Moscow Calling
I've got back into listing to the Voice of Russia for the first time in quite a while. Most of my listening in recent times has been limited those stations relayed via WRN on my Worldspace receiver. Unfortunately the timing of the Voice of Russia has meant that I have rarely ever been able to catch it's one airing each day. So it's been back to the trusty shortwave set which unfortunately seems to be suffering from a bust speaker, and the bassy sound of the Sangean ATS 909 has now become a muffled mush, requiring an external speaker to regain intelligibility.
Nevertheless I've got it sorted, and have printed out the latest schedule from the Voice of Russia website. Sadly, VoR's long standing Science Correspondent Boris Belitsky died quite recently I believe, so the programme 'Science and Engineering in the Commonwealth' is for the time being no more.
A new programme I noticed, however, is 'Moscow Calling'. From it's name I thought it might be a listener mailbag programme, and although the edition of the programme I heard did feature listener's comments, it's in fact a rock show (using the opening of the Gorky Park song of the same name as an intro). This seems to be quite a revolution in the schedule of VoR, as here we have an energetic show hosted by young presenters on modern, popular music. In my mind VoR has tended to err towards a more intellectual and classical type of programming, but Moscow Calling can only be a forward step in broadening the station's audience and appeal.
Nevertheless I've got it sorted, and have printed out the latest schedule from the Voice of Russia website. Sadly, VoR's long standing Science Correspondent Boris Belitsky died quite recently I believe, so the programme 'Science and Engineering in the Commonwealth' is for the time being no more.
A new programme I noticed, however, is 'Moscow Calling'. From it's name I thought it might be a listener mailbag programme, and although the edition of the programme I heard did feature listener's comments, it's in fact a rock show (using the opening of the Gorky Park song of the same name as an intro). This seems to be quite a revolution in the schedule of VoR, as here we have an energetic show hosted by young presenters on modern, popular music. In my mind VoR has tended to err towards a more intellectual and classical type of programming, but Moscow Calling can only be a forward step in broadening the station's audience and appeal.
US war coverage
Interesting feature on Channel 4 news this evening about the war coverage by the major US networks. Apparantly the viewers of Fox News were so confused by that channel's coverage that 30% of viewers actually thought that WMDs had been discovered in Iraq.
It's been clear for some time that the US networks have just unquestioningly supported the march towards war, and now that questions are being asked about validity of the reasons for invading Iraq the issue has got to be raised as to why the US TV networks weren't there and asking the right questions when it mattered.
It seems to me to be another clear sign of the excessively deferrential stance the US media takes with the Administration. Support the country after 9/11, certainly, but when it comes to war, a probing, investigative and critical eye is required to ensure that the direction of a government is the right one. In this the US media has failed, and the editorial line taken must surely be questioned.
It's been clear for some time that the US networks have just unquestioningly supported the march towards war, and now that questions are being asked about validity of the reasons for invading Iraq the issue has got to be raised as to why the US TV networks weren't there and asking the right questions when it mattered.
It seems to me to be another clear sign of the excessively deferrential stance the US media takes with the Administration. Support the country after 9/11, certainly, but when it comes to war, a probing, investigative and critical eye is required to ensure that the direction of a government is the right one. In this the US media has failed, and the editorial line taken must surely be questioned.
20040306
HAMs
I tune in to the local HAM repeater from time to time. This essentially allows local amateur radio operators to rebroadcast what they're saying through a far higher powered and prominently located transmitter than with their home kit. Particularly in this area where hills, fells and mountains block much line-of-sight communication, it's common to hear two HAMS chatting away on the repeater from two locations between which VHF contact would normally be impossible. One may be near Windermere, the other down Blackpool way, for instance.
Yesterday I heard the first conversation on the repeater in a while. I suppose the random times I tune in aren't always favoured by HAMs, and many use the repeater to chat when they're on their way home. (I wonder if the new hands-free legislation has put pay to this?) In any case, on this occasion one must have been based around Alston way, as he was recounting having his transmittions unintentionally being re-broadcast via Great Dun Fell, and was complaining about a new radar installed which was interfering with much of the VHF comms he normally would listen to.
This is fairly interesting as far as HAM comms go, as I believe legislation prevents discussion of anything topical or juicy in nature. By the sounds of it most of the local crowd were heading to a HAM 'do' today in Blackpool - a flea market thing as far as I could tell. It made me wonder how many of the HAMs actually meet up with the various they speak to.
At least when chatting to someone in the same region there's a decent chance of ending up at the same do, or having a get together. I wonder if I'll ever seen many of the people I chat to on the internet.
Yesterday I heard the first conversation on the repeater in a while. I suppose the random times I tune in aren't always favoured by HAMs, and many use the repeater to chat when they're on their way home. (I wonder if the new hands-free legislation has put pay to this?) In any case, on this occasion one must have been based around Alston way, as he was recounting having his transmittions unintentionally being re-broadcast via Great Dun Fell, and was complaining about a new radar installed which was interfering with much of the VHF comms he normally would listen to.
This is fairly interesting as far as HAM comms go, as I believe legislation prevents discussion of anything topical or juicy in nature. By the sounds of it most of the local crowd were heading to a HAM 'do' today in Blackpool - a flea market thing as far as I could tell. It made me wonder how many of the HAMs actually meet up with the various they speak to.
At least when chatting to someone in the same region there's a decent chance of ending up at the same do, or having a get together. I wonder if I'll ever seen many of the people I chat to on the internet.
20040302
End of an era
Today at the age of 95, after 58 years and an amazing 2,869 programmes, Alistair Cooke retires as presenter of Letter from America, the world's longest speed radio programme. Few can have assisted trans-atlantic understanding so much as Cooke's weekly 15 minute analysis of the events in America from such a insightful and unique perspective.
Find full coverage on the BBC News website.
Find full coverage on the BBC News website.
20040229
Radio Aum Shinrikyo
It must be coming up for 10 years since I heard this station on the radio. I vaguely recall hearing it on mediumwave via Russia, and a quick search on Google shows that the station was on 1494khz back in 1994. I don't recall much about the broadcast - I assume it wasn't fantastically listenable in that I believe I only ever listened to the broadcast once, however it was truly bizarre, and naturally rather shocking, to discover the following year that the people behind a programme I'd listened to were also behind the gas attacks on the Tokyo subway.
I'd long since forgotten of any motive for these attacks by the group, if indeed any were ever discovered. However the sentencing of Aum's leader this week has cast the attention of the media once more upon the group. It seems, as with terrorists the world over, that it is those disillusioned with the state of things around them who take to such extreme actions. Curiously, the quality of life of those in Japan is generally high, yet still the stresses and nature of the Japanese capitalist culture nevertheless proved too much for some to handle.
I wonder how differently news of the Aum attacks would have been received around the world had they occurred in 2004 instead of 1994...
I'd long since forgotten of any motive for these attacks by the group, if indeed any were ever discovered. However the sentencing of Aum's leader this week has cast the attention of the media once more upon the group. It seems, as with terrorists the world over, that it is those disillusioned with the state of things around them who take to such extreme actions. Curiously, the quality of life of those in Japan is generally high, yet still the stresses and nature of the Japanese capitalist culture nevertheless proved too much for some to handle.
I wonder how differently news of the Aum attacks would have been received around the world had they occurred in 2004 instead of 1994...
20040228
The power of the media
A documentary programme shown yesterday 'Sex, Lies & Michael Aspel' told the until now hidden story of how mild-mannered BBC presenter was the secret father of the likes of Spice Girl Mel B and Danniella Westbrook. The fact that my parents initially took the programme to be a true documentary, although it was actually a spoof, reflects the real power of the media. Although benign in this example, when the vast majority of people rely on the reports in national television, radio and websites to inform themselves about issues of the day, is it any wonder that media outlets can so easily be turned to malevolent ends by governments?
Even in the mainstream Western media governments can manipulate public opinion by encouraging certain evidence to be reported: the imminent risk to British interests in Cyprus by Iraq, to give a recent example. Such stories receive considerable coverage in the media at the time, but when the government decides to stop endorsing this evidence, who notices? Yet how many people keep on believing the original report, as they've not happen to catch the little coverage of the correction, if indeed there has been any? Democracy requires informed opinion to function successfully, but how accurately informed is public opinion in practice?
Even in the mainstream Western media governments can manipulate public opinion by encouraging certain evidence to be reported: the imminent risk to British interests in Cyprus by Iraq, to give a recent example. Such stories receive considerable coverage in the media at the time, but when the government decides to stop endorsing this evidence, who notices? Yet how many people keep on believing the original report, as they've not happen to catch the little coverage of the correction, if indeed there has been any? Democracy requires informed opinion to function successfully, but how accurately informed is public opinion in practice?
20040212
Updates
Following around a month without updates, much of the World Media section of the website have been updated - in particular the links to station websites.
I got a free program with a PC magazine that offers to build a database based website, which I might give a go if I can find the chance. One problem with trying to maintain a sizable website using static HTML pages is that any changes in designs or even just sections means a lot of work. Blogs in a way represent just one of the developments available in making websites easy to update.
I got a free program with a PC magazine that offers to build a database based website, which I might give a go if I can find the chance. One problem with trying to maintain a sizable website using static HTML pages is that any changes in designs or even just sections means a lot of work. Blogs in a way represent just one of the developments available in making websites easy to update.
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