RadioWatch

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Austin, Texas, USA: Hundreds of New Low-Power FM (LPFM) Radio Station Licenses To Be Awarded to Nonprofits If They Apply

Austin, TX (PRWEB) March 12, 2013 Brown Paper Tickets, the Not-Just-For-Profit event registration and ticketing company, is launching a National Make Radio Challenge during South-by-Southwest (SXSW) to bring awareness and guidance to nonprofits eligible to apply for a low-power FM (LPFM) radio license, in preparation for a once-in-a-lifetime application window being offered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this fall.

“Now is the time for nonprofits to prepare their application to own a part of the public airwaves,” said Sabrina Roach, a Doer specializing in public interest media for Brown Paper Tickets. “Most traditional media have not included the LPFM application window in news coverage, and the majority of groups eligible to apply are not aware that this opportunity exists. This is a problem, because the application will take about three months to complete.

“The National Make Radio Challenge is needed to make groups aware of the opportunity, to inspire them to think about how they could use the power of radio to serve their communities, to guide them to resources that make building and operating a radio station realistic, and to help them to organize and successfully complete the application in time,” Roach said.

UN reporting fellowship accepting applications [Worldwide]

Journalists who are 25 to 35 years old and from developing countries can apply for a fellowship to report on the United Nations.

The fellowship, sponsored by the Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund for Journalists, gives participants the opportunity to report on international affairs during the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Fellows will make professional contacts, interact with seasoned journalists and gain a broader perspective on global issues.

The fellowship is open to journalists currently working full time in developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

In an effort to rotate recipient countries, the fellowship will not consider journalist applications for 2013 from nations selected in 2012: Argentina, Liberia, Sri Lanka and Tunisia. Journalists from these countries may apply in 2014.

The fellowship includes travel, accommodations and a per diem allowance.

The application deadline is April 5.

For more information, click here.

(Source: ijnet.org)

Iran to set up foreign media control committee

Iran is to set up a special committee, which will control the work of foreign media during presidential elections slated for June 14, Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance for Press and Information Mohammad-Jafar Mohammadzadeh said Monday.

He added that that the registration of foreign reporters who are to cover the elections has already begun.

(Source: Voice of Russia, TASS)

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

AM and FM to disappear from cars?

An article appeared a few days ago on US website, Radio INK. It was written by their publisher Eric Rhoads. The story is this :-

Radio INK held a conference last week where digital experts talked about the growth of online radio listening over the past 12 months in the US.

At one session, 3 reps from the car industry spoke about what is happening to the in-car entertainment experience, the digital dashboard and what's next. Then this statement came from the stage:

"AM and FM are being eliminated from the dash of two car companies within two years and will be eliminated from the dash of all cars within five years."

The panelists said that, after much research, the trends tell them that young people don't use radio anymore, they want streaming services.

Read More at Radio INK

(Source : Radio Ink via Radio Today, Australia)

Swaziland: Broadcasting Bills Go to Parliament

Broadcasting legislation enters Swazi parliament - good news or bad?

Media Institute of Southern Africa - Swaziland

Alert - Media Analysis, 7 March 2013

Swaziland's minister of information, communication and technology has tabled two broadcasting-related Bills in the Senate, according to the Swaziland Senate running sheet dated Wednesday 6 March 2013

Minister Winnie Magagula tabled the Swaziland Broadcasting Bill 2013 and the Swaziland Broadcasting Corporation Bill 2013.

It is now expected the Bills will be discussed by various parliamentary committees who, it is understood, will seek consultation from anyone interested in the future of Swaziland's television and radio. No dates or information are yet forthcoming on the government's public consultation process.

The Bills appear in the Swaziland Government Gazette of Friday 15 February 2013, vol. LI, No. 19.

South Africa: President Zuma Has Received a Resignation Letter From SABC Board Chairperson and Deputy

President Jacob Zuma has today, 11 March 2013, received the joint letter of resignation from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Chairperson, Dr Ben Ngubane and Deputy Chairperson, Mr Thami ka Plaatjie.

The President is currently considering the resignations.

(Source: Press release of South African Govt. via allAfrica.com)

Morocco Reveals First Press Freedom Report

Morocco's first annual report on press freedom highlighted the progress that the country has made in the last year.

Communications Minister Mustapha El Khalfi said that 2012 was characterised by an attitude in the courts that encouraged reconciliation in cases involving journalists, and the creation of a system of sanctions that does not threaten the economic structure of press establishments.

The February 23rd document did not mention any physical or moral attack on Moroccan journalists.

The report also claimed that no publication was banned or censored during the past year, and no journalist was sent to prison.

Colorado, USA: Local radio host honored at Colorado Broadcasters Association awards

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — During his more than 20 years on the radio, Axel Contreras has gotten plenty of listener recognition — fans routinely call to request a song or compliment his news coverage.

This past weekend, though, the 38-year-old Contreras finally received some official recognition to match, in the form of two awards from the Colorado Broadcasters Association.

At the association's annual banquet in Denver, Contreras won best afternoon show in the small market category for “The Axel Contreras Show.” It airs from 2-6 p.m. every weekday on 94.5 FM KQSE, also know as ‘La Nueva Mix.'

AMSAT now preparing for two launch opportunities

AMSAT's focus on STEM education and development of a cubesat platform capable of flying a science mission with a reliable communications link resulted in our previous selection of Fox-1 in the third round and RadFxSat (Fox-1B) in the recent fourth round of NASA's Cubesat Launch Initiative. Actual launch vehicle selections are dependent on the availability of auxiliary payload space and on what orbits are required.

AMSAT VP Engineering Tony Monteiro reports that he has been in conversation with NASA about our orbital preferences/priorities and we're awaiting a response from NASA as to a specific launch selection. In the meantime, the engineering team expects to complete Fox-1 in 2013 and have RadFxSat ready in the 2nd half of 2014 in order to take advantage of launch opportunities that may be offered by NASA.

Fox-1 and the RadFxSat missions are based on similar system architecture.

Read more at Southgate Amateur Radio News

(Source: ANS via Sourthgate Amateur Radio News)

Low-cost 24MHz-1.85GHz Software Defined Radio

Essex radio amateur Pete Sipple M0PSX picked up a Realtek RTL2832U Radio & TV Dongle for £18 at the Rainham Rally.

By simply installing some additional software he was able to covert it into a multi-mode receiver covering from 24MHz-1.85 GHz.

He notes that the Dongle can be bought on Amazon for as little as £14.

Read his article about how to install the free software on the Essex Ham website
http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/realtek-sdr-pc-dongle-for-under-20-pounds.html

(Source : Southgate Amateur Radio News)