Wednesday, February 07, 2007

SW broadcasters and DRM Group to hold meeting

Shortwave Broadcasters and DRM Group to Meet in Elkhart, Indiana

The National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB) and the USA DRM Group will hold a two-day joint annual meeting in Elkhart, Indiana May 10 and 11, 2007. The meetings, which are open to broadcasters and other interested parties, will be hosted by the HCJB Global Technology Center in Elkhart.

HCJB operates a large shortwave station in Quito, Ecuador and various other radio and health care missions around the world. Its Global Technology Center is involved in engineering, research and development, training and technical support for these worldwide operations. The Center has been in the forefront of research and development on DRM -- Digital Radio Mondiale, a revolutionary technology that gives shortwave and AM radio signals an FM-type quality.

On the agenda for the two days of meetings are tours of the HCJB Global Technology Center in Elkhart and the world headquarters of LeSea Broadcasting in nearby South Bend, Indiana. LeSea operates shortwave stations WHRI in South Carolina, WHRA in Maine and KWHR in Hawaii. Speakers at the meetings will include Dr. Kim Andrew Elliott, audience research officer at the Voice of America; Dr. Adrian Peterson, coordinator of international relations for Adventist World Radio; Allen Graham from HCJB's shortwave station in Ecuador; and various persons involved in DRM broadcasting on shortwave and other bands.

Presentations will range from technical topics to programming and audience research.NASB member Assemblies of Yahweh, which operates shortwave station WMLK in Bethel, Pennsylvania, will sponsor a banquet for the groups on the evening of May 10 in South Bend. This is the first time in the two groups' history that their annual meetings have been held outside of the Washington, DC area.

Jeff White, NASB President, explained that "we thought it would be good to meet in a different part of the country this year, and we had an invitation from HCJB, which has been an associate member of NASB for many years." NASB and the USA DRM Group are separate organizations, but they have many common members, since some of the strongest supporters of DRM technology have been shortwave broadcasters. The FCC has officially authorized U.S. shortwave stations to broadcast in DRM.Broadcasters, manufacturers, consultants and academics are invited to participate in the NASB and DRM meetings in Elkhart. Local students and shortwave listeners are also invited to participate as observers. Pre-registration is necessary, but is free of charge. For more details, see the meeting webpage, www.shortwave.org/meeting.htm (or) e-mail: nasbmem@rocketmail.com

For more information, contact: Jeff WhitePresident, National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB)c/o WRMI Radio Miami International175 Fontainebleau Blvd., Suite 1N4Miami, FL 33172 USATel +1-305-559-9764Fax +1-305-559-8186E-mail: radiomiami9@cs.com www.shortwave.org
(Source: Rachewl Baughan, Monitoring Times)