All India Radio revives AIR Aizawl

India

Log edited for clarity

All India Radio
All times UTC
5050 kHz, AIR Aizawl, Jan 3. Exciting news for the New Year! Today had positive reception of
this station that had been off the air for several years.

Yesterday had a faint hint that another station might be here besides the usual Beibu Bay Radio, so monitored this frequency again today, at 1120-1127. Prominent test tone, went off for a minute until start of the distinctive AIR interval signal.

Possible news 1130-1145 in Hindi, then at 1135 noted "this is All India Radio with the news read by . ." Items not very readable due to Beibu Bay Radio interference.
(R Howard, CA/Etón E1/dx-India 03 Jan)

I have contacted AIR Aizawl. They are using only 2 kW now (instead of 10 kW). Tomorrow they will increase the power some more. 7295 kHz is also on air.
Sked:
5050 0025-0400 1130-1630
7295 0700-1000
Reports to aizawl@@prasarbharati.gov.in
(Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/National Institute of Amateur Radio Hyderabad)

New shortwave station launches in Nanning, China

Tony Harding, a Hong Kong-based journalist covering the 6th China-ASEAN Expo, has just sent us this report:

Guangxi People’s Radio and China Radio International today launched a new radio service - Beibu Bay Radio - “Voice of Guangxi Beibu Gulf”. The station broadcasts on a network of 15 FM frequencies and 2 shortwave transmitters across Southern China from studios in Nanning, Guangxi province. The station will be on the air from 0700-2400 daily (2300-1600 UTC), in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Thai and English.

There are DX opportunities to hear the station on 5050 kHz and 9820 kHz, and on the Web at http://www.bbrmedia.com/ . The main English language program, called The Hot Pot Show (This a Chinese form of eating, not a reference to the Golden Triangle in South East Asia), is from 1600-1800 local time (0800-1000 UTC).

At the opening ceremony, attended by the consuls of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the wish was expressed that the station will be able to give China’s angle on events and trade in the area.

The launch of the station coincides with the 6th China-ASEAN Expo being held in the city and is also in preparation for the 1 January 2010 removal of trade tariffs between the 11 countries to form the biggest free trade area in the world. China is attempting to bolster cooperation as well as projecting a more favourable image abroad.
(Source: Tony Harding for Media Network/R Netherlands Weblog)

China Radio International's report of the ceremony at:
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2009/10/23/1461s524477.htm