Vatican Radio’s English to Africa will be moving to a digital platform

Vatican Radio (Gayle Van Horn Collection)

Vatican Radio’s English Africa Service would like to inform listeners in Rome, Italy, that the English Africa Service program broadcast five times daily on Rome's FM 103.8 MHz is moving to a digital
platform beginning Wednesday, 15 February 2017. From this date onwards, the English Africa Program can be heard only through the Vatican Radio World Channel on Digital Audio Broadcasting standard known as DAB or its updated version DAB+, which will require the purchase of a digital radio receiver. However, listeners can continue to listen to the podcast of the daily program throughout the day by logging on to our website, click on English and then go to the On-demand and Podcast section on the right hand side of the page; click on English for Africa Programme.

In recent years, Vatican Radio has experimented with digital transmission technologies, including DAB, which is said to be cheaper and has a better sound quality,according to experts. In Africa, the main outlet for our English Africa programmes will continue to be through the re-transmission of the daily program by several Catholic radio stations in Africa. Most of these radio stations are owned by various African Catholic dioceses, parishes, religious congregations and some by the Radio Maria network.

The times and frequencies of shortwave broadcasts to Africa and the rest of the world remain the same:

All ties UTC

0140-0200 on  5940 SMG 250 kW / 086 deg to SoAs English till March 4
0140-0200 on  7410 SMG 250 kW / 090 deg to SoAs English
0140-0200 on  9515 SMG 250 kW / 086 deg to SoAs English from March 5
0300-0320 on 15470 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SoAs English
0300-0330 on  7360 MDC 250 kW / 320 deg to CEAf English
0500-0530 on  9660 MDC 250 kW / 250 deg to SoAf English
0630-0700 on  9660 SMG 250 kW / 210 deg to WeAf English
0630-0700 on 11625 SMG 250 kW / 184 deg to WCAf English
0730-0745 on 15595 SMG 100 kW / 107 deg to N/ME English Mon-Sat
0900-1130 on 21550 SMG 250 kW / 145 deg to CeAf English Special events
1130-1200 on 17590 SMG 100 kW / 112 deg to N/ME English Fri
1130-1200 on 21560 SMG 100 kW / 113 deg to N/ME English Fri
1530-1600 on  9510 PUG 250 kW / 285 deg to SoAs English
1530-1600 on 11695 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SoAs English
1530-1600 on 11940 SMG 125 kW / 090 deg to SoAs English DRM
1730-1800 on  9660 MDC 250 kW / 258 deg to SoAf English
1730-1800 on 11625 SMG 250 kW / 148 deg to CEAf English
1730-1800 on 13765 SMG 250 kW / 184 deg to NWAf English
2000-2030 on  9660 SMG 250 kW / 210 deg to WeAf English
2000-2030 on 11625 SMG 250 kW / 184 deg to WCAf English
(DX Bulgaria/13 Feb)