Mid-Winter Schedule Updates

Information edited for clarity by Teak Publishing

All times UTC

Clandestine
JSR Shiokaze / Sea Breeze
Effective: 14 Feb. 2019
1300-1400 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 7345 as follows
1300-1330 Chinese Mon; Japanese Tue/Sat; Korean Wed/Fri/Sun; English Thu
1330-1400 Korean Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat; Japanese Tue/Sun; English Thu
1405-1435 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Daily, ex 7295
1600-1700 7440 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6095 as follows
1600-1630 Chinese Mon; Japanese Tue/Sat; Korean Wed/Fri/Sun; English Thu
1630-1700 Korean Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat; Japanese Tue/Sun; English Thu

Voice of Tibet
Effective: 14 Feb. 2019
Tibetan
1335-1400 9900 DB  100 kW / 131 deg to CeAs ex 9904

Nigeria
Radio Nigeria Kaduna via Issoudun, France relay -  now three hours per day
Hausa
0500-0700 on  7335 ISS 150 kW / 170 deg to WeAf
0700-0800 on 13840 ISS 150 kW / 170 deg to WeAf
0800-0900 on 13840 ISS 150 kW / 170 deg to WeAf inactive at present
0900-1500 on 17690 ISS 150 kW / 170 deg to WeAf inactive at present
2000-2300 on  7235 ISS 150 kW / 170 deg to WeAf inactive at present
(SWL/DX Bulgaria 14 Feb., 2019)

Voice of Nigeria summer schedule update

Nigeria

Broadcast daily unless otherwise indicated

Target areas and languages as indicated

All times UTC

0500-0700 15120 IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF English, not active at present
0700-0800 15120 IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF French, not active at present
0800-0900 15120 IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF English, not active at present
0800-0900  9690 AJA 250 kW 248 deg to WeCeAF Hausa
0900-1500  9690 AJA 250 kW 248 deg to WeCeAF English
1500-1600 15120 IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF English, not active at present
1600-1630  9690 AJA 250 kW 248 deg to EaCeAF Swahili
1630-1700  9690 AJA 250 kW 248 deg to WeCeAF Yoruba
1700-1730  9690 AJA 250 kW 248 deg to WeCeAF Igbo
1730-1800 15120 IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF Arabic, not active at present
1800-2000 15120 AJA 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF English DRM
2000-2100  7255 AJA 250 kW 248 deg to WeAF French
2100-2200  7255 AJA 250 kW 248 deg to WeAF Fulfulde
2200-2300  7255 AJA 250 kW 248 deg to WeAF Hausa
(DX MIX News, Ivo Ivanov-BUL, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 3)

(WWDXC/Top Nx 1122)

Voice of Nigeria summer schedule

Effective to: 30 October 2011

All times UTC

500-0700 15120*IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF English
0700-0800 15120 IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF French
0800-0900 9690 IKO 250 kW 248 deg to WeCeAF Hausa
0900-1500 9690#IKO 250 kW 248 deg to WeCeAF English
1500-1600 15120 IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF English
1600-1730 9690&IKO 250 kW 248 deg to WeAF Swahili/Yoruba/Igbo
1730-1800 15120 IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF Arabic
1800-1900 15120 IKO 250 kW 007 deg to NoAF English
1900-2100 7255+IKO 250 kW 248 deg to WeAF English/French
2100-2300 7255^IKO 250 kW 248 deg to WeAF Fulfulde/Hausa

* co-ch CRI in Chinese
# co-ch AIR in English from 1330.
& co-ch RRI in Romanian till 1655.
+ co-ch Radio Belarus in German/English and CRI in Turkish/Russian.
^ co-ch Radio Belarus in English/Russian
(R BULGARIA DX MIX News, Ivo Ivanov, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews May 17)
(DX Mix News 677 via Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria & Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany)

Nigeria Cross River State plans new statewide broadcasting system

Nigeria’s Cross River State Government has awarded the contract for the supply and installation of complete UHF television/radio full transmission system for Cross River Broadcasting Corporation (CRBC). The Commissioner for Information and Orientataon, Ntufam Edet Okon Asim, who briefed newsmen at the end of the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting, said the contract which will be undertaken in phases will cost about N958 million (US$8,317,416).
Asim disclosed that the contract is to be handled by a reputable contractor that has an impeccable track record in the electronic media industry, adding that it is intended to replace the epileptic [sic] transmission of the station whose services do not go beyond the shores of the state. He said with new 20 kW transmitters for both the radio and television, signals from the stations will cover the whole state.
(Source: This Day Online)
Andy Sennitt adds: Presumably this means that the mediumwave transmitter at Ogoja on 1134 kHz, currently listed as 10 kW, is to be replaced with a 20 kW transmitter.
(source: R netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Nigerian minister says switch to digital broadcasting imperitive

The Nigerian Minister of Communication and Information, John Odey, has said that it is imperative for Nigeria to switch over to digital broadcasting if the nation does not want to become a dumping ground for analogue equipment from other countries. The Minister said this at the inauguration of the presidential committee on the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in Nigeria.
Odey, who was represented by the Minister of State for Communication, Alhaji Dasuki Nakande, noted that the nation cannot afford to be left behind in the switchover when the nation consider the drastic consequences of not switching over to digital. According to him, “the government is fully aware that Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind in view of the drastic consequences on our broadcast industry and the overall information sector. If we do not follow the trend, our country will become a dumping ground for analogue equipment apart from losing other benefits associated with digitalisation.”
He continued, “Your task, distinguished personages, is to deliberate on the implications of digitalisation and provide government with policy framework for the implementation of the process.”
Alhaji Nakande, stressed the need for the committee to come up with a policy framework, that the country will adopt. The policy framework will be complied with by various broadcast stations. “So that Nigeria will have a unified transmission across the country,” he said.
(Source: Vanguard Online/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Nigeria's Borno State TV to broadcast on shortwave

Borno State Government in Nigeria has bought new equipment and facilities for its radio station, Borno Radio Television (BRTV). Also, the radio station has expressed its readiness to extend it coverage to most states in the Northeastern parts of the country and the neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
The General Manager of the station, Alhaji Babakura Abba Jato, said that the equipment, costing hundreds of millions of naira, was brought in from Italy and would be immediately installed in order to commence broadcasting on both AM and FM. Jato told journalists that the station was at 85 per cent completion stage.
Jato explained that after the installation the coverage area of the AM/FM stations of the organisation will be beyond the state boundaries. He said that the station is going to transmit on the shortwave band based on the new licence it has obtained from the NBC.
(Source: ThisDay online/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Nigeria's FRCN Director-General claims lack of funds affects output

The Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, (FRCN), Ben Egbuna, has said that paucity of funds and obsolete equipment remain the major factors militating against it. Fielding questions from newsmen in Bauchi, Egbuna regretted that the Corporation was still faced with the problem of obsolete equipment. He said, “As it is now, we have transmitters that are as old as 40 years which are also analogue while everything in the world has gone digital.”
The FRCN boss also lamented that the lack of the modern broadcast equipment have negatively affected the services of the Corporation adding that this can be noted in its poor revenue generation capacity because, according to him, no advertiser will want to place his advert in a not too stable broadcast. However, he said the Corporation has done its best to stay above board, pointing out that a few new pieces of modern broadcast equipment have been procured and installed.
He added that the problems faced by the Corporation was that, “our men here are still learning how to manage the equipment. As soon as they are done, our broadcast quality will definitely improve.”
On the FRCN Zonal Stations in Ibadan and Enugu, the Director-General declared that, “these are dead because of lack funds to replace the equipment that has gone completely bad. The only shortwave station still on air is Kaduna, that too is down for now due to damage to the transmitter by a rainstorm, but our engineers are right now there trying to fix it and very soon it will come back on air.”
(Source: R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Related stories:
Radio Nigeria acquires new transmitter
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/radio-nigeria-acquires-new-transmitters

SW and MW still a priority for Radio Nigeria Kaduna
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/sw-and-mw-still-a-priority-for-radio-nigeria-kaduna

Nigeria: Committee suggest more SW/MW stations

Inadequate funding has grounded the 32 FM radio stations initiated by the Free Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) nationwide in 2000. The stations were conceived by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to cater for the states that had not yet benefited from the national station policy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that only 18 of the stations have been inaugurated while the 14 others were in limbo. The uncompleted stations include Harmony FM, Ilorin; Prime FM, Lokoja; Highland FM, Jos and Atlantic FM, Uyo. Others are Creek FM, Yenagoa; Paradise FM, Calabar; Charity FM, Asaba; Bronze FM, Benin and Jewel FM, Gombe.
Horizon FM, Dutse; Equity FM, Birnin Kebbi; Royal FM, Sokoto; Gift FM, Jalingo and Sunshine FM, Damaturu.
A report submitted by the Committee on the operations of the FRCN, however, stated that the 18 operational stations had no back-up transmitters. Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, explained that some of those inaugurated stations were facing operational constraints. “Some of these stations are located in remote areas, far from state capitals, thus creating additional constraints, ‘’ he said.
Specifically, the five-man committee suggested to government, to review the FM stations, especially on the possibility of converting some to shortwave and mediumwave broadcasting. It said while the shortwave and mediumwave could render largely social services, the FM stations should be commercialised, to generate funds for FRCN operations. “FM stations, where appropriately cited and efficiently managed, should be profitable ventures, ‘’ the committee said.
(Source: Vanguard Online/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Nigeria's NBC wants more local content on radio

The Director-General of Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Engr Bolarinwa, has decried the inadequacy of local programmes from broadcast stations across the nation, saying that local content programmes could boost competition in the industry. Engr Bolarinwa made the observation yesterday in Port Harcourt at the opening ceremony of a four-day joint national workshop on, ‘Broadcast Programmes Production’ organised by the Alpha Institute of Broadcasting and Communications (AIBC) and the National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC).
The director-general noted with dismay the absence of local content programmes in most Nigerian broadcasting stations, adding that about 70 per cent of their programmes were from foreign and independent producers. According to him, “there is the repetition of foreign content in most broadcast stations in the country and this is not helping the nation’s broadcast industry”.
Engr Bolarinwa stated that Nigeria was still faced with the challenge of ensuring adequate local content programmes, an act which, he said, has militated against the nation’s growth in the industry. He noted, however, that proper local content programmes would not only make for easy learning and appreciation by local viewers and listeners but also boost the nation’s identity and broadcast independence among other nations.
(Source: The Tide Online/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

New shortwave transmitter to be installed at Jaji, Nigeria

Shortwave may be dying a slow death in some parts of the world, but in Africa it’s still an integral part of the distribution mix for many state or public broadcasters, especially in the larger countries.
Opening a new FM station at Radio Nigeria Kaduna, which will carry programmes in Hausa, Niger’s Minister of State for Information and Communication, Malam Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, said:
“The need for Hausa FM station is long overdue because of the increasing number of Hausa speakers across the world. We have over 16 million Hausa speakers in West Africa. This has been exploited by international radio stations that have news and other programmes in Hausa even in North African and Asian countries like Egypt, Libya, Iran.
“The Federal Government is doing everything possible to resuscitate the radio station and transmitters that have gone down, especially the shortwave station. We have received a 200 kW transmitter from Japan Development Corporation which we intend to install in Jaji. Government has set up a five-man committee to look into the operation of the FRCN to see how it can discharge its functions effectively,” he said.
(Source: Daily Trust, Abuja/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Related story:
Nigerian government plans to reinvigorate FRCN stations
February 2nd, 2008
The Nigerian Federal Government is considering a masterplan to revive the services of Radio Nigeria, Kaduna, toward the effective pursuit of the country’s foreign policy. The masterplan, which is to cover other sister FRCN stations, would transform the archaic infrastructure of the stations into a state of the art status.
A memo made available to journalists shows Nigeria as not having utilized public broadcasting as a platform for foreign policy advocacy. “In June 2007, the American Senate voted 1.8 billion dollars to fund public and private broadcast services in the Third World mainly to propagate US interests,” it said.
The document complained about the neglect of the Hausa language as a tool for mass enlightenment, particularly the Hausa Service of FRCN Kaduna. “Nigeria, which is the home of the Hausa language and with the highest number of Hausa listeners in the world is yet to accord it the importance that it rightly deserves. Foreign stations are now setting the pace in the utilization of the Hause language to reach the target audience for influence,” it said.
The memorandum suggested that national radio stations be revived to match the international reach. (Source: The Tide/R Netherlands)