Radio Prague back on the air for one day, August 31

On 31 August 1936 Czechoslovak Radio launched its international service on shortwave. The station identified itself as “Radio Prague, Czechoslovakia”. Radio Prague will mark its 80th birthday with a series of special reports and events posted on their website.

Special QSL

Radio Prague will issue a special QSL card to mark its 80th birthday. To obtain it, please send a reception report from their special birthday broadcast on 31st August 2016.

Meanwhile www.shortwaveservice.com  has announced special transmissions via Yerevan to commemorate Radio Prague's celebration of 80 years of broadcasting.

Tune in on Wednesday, 31st August:

1630-1700 UTC on 9535 kHz towards 65° Russia at 100kW (Russian)*

1800-1900 UTC on 11845 kHz towards 305° Europe at 100kW (German / French)

1930-2030 UTC on 9885 kHz towards 330° Scandinavia at 100kW (Czech / English)

2100-2130 UTC on 9405 kHz towards 280° Southern Europe at 100kW (Spanish)

* tentative

As the broadcasts are shorter than 30 Minutes Shortwave service would like to fill it with your Radio Prague Birthday Greetings. Please leave a message on answering machine +4922517724266 or send a prerecorded file to info@shortwaveservice.com

More about 80 years of Radio Prague at :

http://www.radio.cz/en/static/80-years-of-radio-prague

Radio Prague 80th Anniversary Competition

http://www.radio.cz/en/static/competition-2016/

 (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi)

 (dx_sasia yg)

(Larry Van Horn N5FPW/tarheelscanner)

Radio Prague to suffer no budget cuts in 2012

Seventy five years ago, at 10 AM on August 31, 1936, the foreign service of Czechoslovak Radio went on air for the first time ever. Today, Radio Prague is an independent broadcaster although it is still funded entirely by the Czech Foreign Ministry. Following severe budget cuts in recent years, some good news came on Wednesday from the Foreign Ministry which promises no further cuts for 2012. Radio Prague spoke to the head of the ministry’s public diplomacy department, Jan Bondy.

The read the continuing interview please go to:
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/radio-prague-to-suffer-no-budget-cuts-in-2012

Radio Prague to celebrate 75th anniversary

On 31 August, 2011, it will have been 75 years since the Czechoslovak company Radiojournal launched its regular shortwave broadcast. That’s considered to be the beginning of Radio Prague. To mark the anniversary, Radio Prague will be doing some special programmes and is preparing various events.

An exhibit covering the past and present of Radio Prague has been set up on the ground floor of the Czech Radio building on Rímská 13, Prague 2, since 23 June.

A press conference on the current state of international broadcasting will be held for Czech and foreign journalists in the Czech Radio building on 31 August. Journalists will have the opportunity to see the 75 Years of Radio Prague exhibit and visit the international broadcasting workspaces.

For more information visit the special page on the Radio Prague website at:
http://www.radio.cz/en/static/75-years-of-radio-prague/
(R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Radio Prague continues on shortwave from Miami

Yesterday, January 31, Radio Prague ended its shortwave transmissions from the Czech Republic. However, an agreement between Radio Prague and WRMI will allow shortwave transmissions to continue to the Caribbean and Latin America via Radio Miami International in English and Spanish. As of today, February 1, the schedule for Radio Prague programs via WRMI is:

0630-0700 UTC Daily (Spanish)
0700-0730 UTC Daily (English)
0930-1000 UTC Daily (Spanish)
1000-1030 UTC Monday-Friday (English)
1930-2000 UTC Saturday-Sunday (English)
0300-0330 UTC Daily (Spanish)

This schedule will remain ine ffect until further notice. All broadcasts are on 9955 kHz with 50 kilowatts from Miami on an azimuth of 160 degrees.

Jeff White, WRMI General Manager, said that "Radio Miami is happy to be able to help Radio Prague stay on the air, just as we did with Radio Slovakia International when its shortwave transmissions were scheduled to end last December 31. We have had close cooperaton with Radio Prague for many years now, and we hope this cooperation will continue for many more years."

WRMI Radio Miami International
175 Fontainebleau Blvd., Suite 1N4
Miami, Florida 33172 USA
Tel +1-305-559-WRMI (9764)
Fax +1-305-559-8186

E-mail: radiomiami9@cs.com
http://www.wrmi.net/

Czech Radio will broadcast Czech music for Sundays last broadcast

Radio Prague, which makes its final shortwave transmissions on 31 January, will continue to produce its 30-minute programmes in six languages. However the Head of Radio Prague, Miroslav Krupicka, has told the station’s English programme Mailbox that “We wanted to make the programme cheap and we’ll play music – Czech music on Sundays.”

A listener from the US enquired about the possibility of utilizing the longwave transmitter at Topolna [on 270 kHz] covering a large part of Europe for Radio Prague’s foreign language programmes for part of the day. However, Mr Krupicka said that was not an option: “It’s quite tough because currently, the longwave is allocated to domestic broadcasts. But overall, longwave is being considered for closure as well, for budgetary reasons, for financial reasons, because to maintain longwave and well as shortwave is quite expensive and Czech Radio cannot afford that. So probably the days of longwave broadcasting are numbered within Czech Radio as well. So there is no long term prospect for Radio Prague being on longwave.”

The complete transcript and audio of the programme is available on Radio Prague’s website.

(Radio Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Radio Prague closes the Litomysl site facility

From Radio Prague’s Mailbox programme broadcast yesterday:

Armin Gerstberger from the United States asked this question among others: “I was wondering what will happen to your shortwave transmission facility in Litomysl after 1/31/2011. Will it be maintained for future use by Cesky rozhlas, rented out or sold off?”

Radio Prague answered: The Litomysl transmitter has been closed down and the staff laid off. As for now, it is unclear whether the facility will be dismantled or whether it will be preserved for potential future operation.
(Source: Radio Prague/Radio Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Radio Prague to close shortwave services

On the heels of this weeks' announcement that RAE Argentina and Radio Slovakia International will terminate shortwave at the end of the year, comes word from the Czech Republic on Radio Prague.
Gayle VH

The following has been posted on Radio Prague’s Facebook Page: Radio Prague will be terminating shortwave broadcasting as of January 31. The station’s financing for next year has been drastically reduced by the Foreign Ministry in line with government austerity measures aimed at cutting the state deficit. The details of the budget are still being discussed. At present, broadcasting will continue in all six languages via the internet, satellite and partner stations.
(Radio Prague via Mark Coady, Ontario DX Association)

Radio Prague releases new shortwave schedule

Radio Prague has published its new shortwave schedule effective on Monday 1 February. It’s as follows (all times UTC):

All times UTC

Czech
0930–0957 11600 SW Europe
1030–1057 21745 W Africa
1200–1227 9880 N Europe
1330–1357 6055 C Europe
1630–1657 5930 W Europe
1830–1857 5930 W Europe
2030–2057 5930 W Europe
2200–2227 5930 SW Europe
0030–0057 5930 S America
0230–0257 7345 N America
0330–0357 7345 N America

German
0730–0757 5930 W Europe
1100–1127 7345 C Europe
1300–1327 6055 C Europe
1600–1627 5930 W Europe
1730–1757 7285* W Europe

English
0800–0827 7345 NW Europe
1000–1029 21745 W Africa
1130–1157 9880 N Europe
1400–1429 11600 S Asia
1700–1727 5930 NW Europe
1800–1827 5930 NW Europe
2100–2127 5930 NW Europe/N America
2230–2257 7355 C & W Africa
2330–2357 5930 N America
0100–0127 7355 N America
0200–0227 7355 N America
0400–0427 7345 N America
0430–0457 9855 E Africa/Middle East

Spanish
0900–0927 11600 SW Europe
1500–1527 11600 SW Europe
1900–1927 6200 SW Europe
2000–2027 5930 SW Europe
2130–2157 5930 SW Europe/S America
0000–0027 5930 S America
0000-0027 7420** S America
0130–0157 7355 C America
0300–0327 7345 S America

French
0700–0727 5930 W Europe
0830–0857 11600 SW Europe/W Africa
1430–1457 11600 SW Europe/W Africa
1730–1757 5930 W Europe
1930–1957 6200 W Europe
2300–2327 5930 N America

Russian
0500–0527 5980 E Europe
1230–1257 6055 E Europe
1530–1557 5930 E Europe

Transmitters at Litomysl, 100 kW except:
*) Relayed via Sines, 250 kW
**) Relayed via Ascension, 250 kW

Selected programmes of Radio Prague are also relayed by Radio Miami International from Miami, FL, USA on 9955kHz. The complete programme schedule of WRMI can be found here.
(Source: Radio Prague)

Related story: Radio Prague continues on shortwave with one transmitter
An article on Radio Prague’s website deals with the situation following the Czech government’s decision to reduce the station’s budget, especially with regard to shortwave, which the Director of Radio Prague, Miroslav Krupicka, says accounts for about half the station’s audience reach:

“Radio Prague’s budget for this year has been reduced by 15.0 percent. It is a little bit more than we expected but we have to come to terms with it. It still makes it possible for us to continue shortwave broadcasts. What we have to do is to close one of the two shortwave transmitters that we have in Litomyšl. We will be able to cover basically more or less the same territory we have been covering so far, which means the whole of Europe, North Africa, let’s say the Middle East and parts of North and South America. We won’t be reducing very much the area that we cover so far.”

Those economy measures almost halve the shortwave transmission bill to 7.0 million crowns (US$ 387,000) a year. Dutch-based consultant and former RNW Creative Director Jonathan Marks and the AIB’s Simon Spanswick explain to Radio Prague’s Chris Johnstone why some international broadcasters have dropped shortwave altogether.
(R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Radio Prague on future of shortwave

In today’s Mailbox program (Dec. 13) on Radio Prague’s English service, the station said in relation to its shortwave broadcasts:

“At the moment all we can say is that the status quo will be maintained until February 1st 2010. What will happen after that date is still the subject of discussion between Czech Radio and the Foreign Ministry. We will, of course, update you on the matter as soon as we know more. In the meantime, thank you very much for your interest and support.”
(Source: Radio Prague/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Earlier post, Radio Prague to remain on shortwave at:
www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=28878961&postID=7785831450669057133

Radio Prague to remain on shortwave

great news, from earlier hobby speculation indicated they would sign-off by December 31, 2009

Jonathan Murphy has forwarded the following email received by Anker Petersen:

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Department for Culture, Communication and Promotion
Prague, December 2, 2009
Ref. Nr.: 129223/2009-OKKP

Mr. Anker Petersen
Chairman of the Danish Shortwave Club International
Udbyvej 11
2740 Skovlunde

Dear Mr. Petersen,
thank you very much for your letter of October 16, 2009. I would like to appreciate your interest in broadcast of the Czech Radio Prague. We are proud to have such a radio and there is no intention to stop its broadcast. The Radio helps promote the good name of the Czech Republic in the world and plays a key role also for Czechs living abroad. Great support and encouragement for Czech countrymen is also the Internet site www.krajane.net managed by the Radio.

Due to current financial crisis the Government of the Czech Republic decided in June 2009 to reduce the state budget by 20%. Following the Government Resolution No. 715 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is obliged to reduce the budget of the Radio for 2010 also by 20%.

According to the data received from the Radio the reduction will mean saving on all budgetary items and increasing of the Internet budget. The short-wave broadcast will be retained in reduced form. Foreign transmitters will probably replace some of the transmitters in Northern Bohemia. The broadcast in different languages should remain unchanged.

Thank you very much again for your interest in the broadcast from the Czech Republic. If you have more questions please do not hesitate to contact directly the Czech Radio or our Ministry.
Yours faithfully
Robert Řehák
(Mike Barraclough/worlddxclub)

Radio Prague's new-look website

Radio Prague editor-in-chief explains changes to new-look website

It’s the first day of school, autumn is nearly upon us, and as you might have noticed there are changes too on the Radio Prague website. Radio Prague’s Editor-in-Chief Gerald Schubert came into the studio to explain what’s new and why.

“We launched it today, and it’s quite a new, modern design. We actually chose to do it because as our listeners maybe know, we are part of public Czech Radio. Czech Radio has a certain corporate identity, and has a certain corporate identity on its websites as well, so we should adapt elements of the common design of Czech Radio in our website, and that’s what we did.”

OK, so what are some of the new things that our readers can expect from the site?

“Well, it’s nice that you say readers because actually what I want to refer to…”

I’m sorry, listeners!

“No, they are readers as well, but the thing I wanted to refer to was the audio performance of our website. Of course we have a lot of readers on our website, we will still present everything in text as well, but we have a new feature for listeners on the website, and that’s our own embedded player which means that listeners don’t need to have software on their computer. They don’t have to wait until a new window opens; they can just click on the player on our website and directly listen to the stories.”

And just give us a reminder of how many people use the Radio Prague website, because it’s one of the most popular news sources about the Czech Republic on the internet.

“Definitely. We have to separate so-called ‘unique visits’ and articles read or listened to by people. We have about 800,000 unique visits a month in all our six language versions, and when it comes to opened articles it’s almost 1,500,000, which is really quite a lot. We’re one of the most important Czech news sources in the Czech Republic and I think the most important in the world.”
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/119815
(Jaisakthivel, Chennai, India)

Radio Prague to end Sackville Canada relay

Due to budget cuts and down sizing, Radio Prague will terminate their Sackville, Canada relay in English on July 1, broadcasting on 6080 kHz at 0330 UTC.
The current broadcast relay via WRMI will continue.
(Frank Hillton, SC)

Czech Republic - Radio Prague A09 Multilingual schedules

Effective: 29 March - 15 October 2009
broadcast daily unless otherwise indicated

All times UTC

Czech
0130-0157 on 6200 7345
0230-0257 on 7345 9870
0830-0857 on 11600 15710
0930-0957 on 9880 21745
1100-1127 on 11665 15710
1230-1257 on 6055 7345
1530-1557 on 5930 17485
1730-1757 on 5930 17485
1930-1957 on 5930 11600
2100-2127 on 9410 11600
2330-2357 on 7345 9440

English
0000-0027 on 7345 9440
0100-0127 on 6200 7345
0300-0327 on 7345 9870
0330-0357 on 6080 SAC
0330-0357 on 9445 11600
0700-0727 on 9880 11600
0900-0927 on 9880 21745
0900-0927 on 9955 RMI
1030-1057 on 9880 11665
1300-1327 on 13580 17540
1330-1357 on 9850 WOF Fri/Sat in DRM
1400-1427 on 9955 RMI
1600-1627 on 5930 17485
1700-1727 on 5930 17485
2000-2027 on 5930 11600
2130-2157 on 9410 11600
2230-2257 on 7345 9415

German
0630-0657 on 5930 7345
1000-1027 on 6055 9880
1200-1227 on 6055 7345
1300-1327 on 9850 WOF Fri/Sat in DRM
1500-1527 on 5930
1630-1657 on 11700 SIN
1630-1657 on 11825 ARM

French
0600-0627 on 5930 7345
0730-0757 on 9880 11600
1330-1357 on 13580 17540
1630-1657 on 5930 17485
1830-1857 on 5930 13580
2200-2227 on 7345 9415

Russian
0400-0427 on 9445 11600
1130-1157 on 11665 15710
1430-1457 on 7345 13580
1800-1827 on 5840 DB

Spanish
0000-0027 on 7275 ASC
0030-0057 on 7345 9440
0200-0227 on 6200 7345
0430-0457 on 9955 RMI
0800-0827 on 11600 15710
0930-0957 on 9955 RMI
1400-1427 on 11625 13580
1800-1827 on 5930 13580
1900-1927 on 5930 13580
2030-2057 on 5930 11600
2300-2327 on 7345 9415
2330-2357 on 11740 SAC

Relays
ARM = Armavir, Russia
ASC = Ascension Island
DB = Dushanbe, Tajikistan
RMI = WRMI, USA
SAC = Sackville, Canada
SIN = Sines, Portugal
WOF = Wooferton, U.K.
(Radio Prague Booklet via Alexey Zinevich, Minsk, Belarus/PTSW)

Radio Prague - revised B08 multilingual schedule

Radio Prague - B08
Effective: 26 October 2008 - 29 March 2009

All times UTC

Czech
0030-0057 on 5930 7345
0230-0257 on 6200 7345
0330-0357 on 6200 7345
0930-0957 on 11600 21745
1030-1057 on 15700 21745
1200-1227 on 11640 17545
1330-1357 on 6055 7345
1630-1657 on 5930 15710
1830-1857 on 5930 9400
2030-2057 on 5930 9430
2200-2227 on 5930 9435

English
0100-0127 on 6200 7345
0200-0227 on 6200 7345
0400-0427 on 6080 SAC
0400-0427 on 6200 7345
0430-0457 on 9855
0800-0827 on 7345 9860
1000-1027 on 9955 RMI
1000-1027 on 15700 21745
1130-1157 on 11640 17545
1330-1357 on 9850 WOF Fri/Sat in DRM mode
1400-1427 on 11600 13580
1500-1527 on 9955 RMI
1700-1727 on 5930 15710
1800-1827 on 5930 9400
2100-2127 on 5930 9430
2230-2257 on 5930 9435
2330-2357 on 5930 7345

German
0730-0757 on 5930 7345
1100-1127 on 7345 9880
1300-1327 on 6055 7345
1300-1327 on 9850 WOF Fri/Sat in DRM mode
1600-1627 on 5930
1730-1757 on 5940 ARM

French
0700-0727 on 5930 7345
0830-0857 on 9860 11600
1430-1457 on 11600 13580
1730-1757 on 5930 15710
1930-1957 on 6135 9430
2300-2327 on 5930 7345

Russian
0500-0527 on 5980 9855
1230-1257 on 6055 17545
1530-1557 on 5930 9450
1900-1927 on 5830 DB

Spanish
0000-0027 on 5930 7345
0000-0027 new freq 7420 ASC, ex 7275 from Nov.3
0030-0057 on 9955 Radio Miami Int'l
0100-0127 on 11665 ASC
0130-0157 on 6200 7345
0300-0327 on 6200 7345
0530-0557 on 9955 RMI
0900-0927 on 11600 15255
1030-1057 on 9955 RMI
1500-1527 on 11600 13580
1900-1927 on 6135 9430
2000-2027 on 5930 9430
2130-2157 on 5930 9435
2330-2357 on 6000 SAC
ARM=Armavir;ASC=Ascension;DB=Dushanbe;RMI=WRMI;SAC=Sackville;WOF=Wooferton
(Source: DX Mix News #546/Ivo Ivanov via Alokesh Gupta, India)

Radio Prague collector Olympic QSL cards

Looking to add to your card collection during the Olympic games ? You still have time to collect the Radio Prague 2008 QSL card series. This year's eight card edition, titled Czech Sporstman includes legendary runners, gymnast, wrestlers, cyclists, footballers, hockey player Jaromir Jágr, plus tennis pro Martina Navrátilová and decathelete Roman Šebrle. The series is online at: www.radio.cz/en/html/qsl2008.html

The theme of One World...One Dream thrives as China and the world continue their countdown to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. The games will be held August 8-24, 2008 in Beijing. To mark this occasion, China Radio International is still offering their special QSL cards and postcards of ten Olympic sites. Send your reception reports to: 16A Shijingshan Street, Beijing 100040 People's Republic of China or via email crieng@cri.com.cn . To learn more about the games, visit The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at http://en.beijing2008.cn/
(Source: Gayle Van Horn/QSL Report, Monitoring Times

Radio Prague relay updates frequency for Spanish

Ascension Island
Frequency change of Radio Prague relay in Spanish via VT Communications:
0000-0027 new frequency 7275 ASC 250 kW / 245 deg to South America, ex 11665
(R BULGARIA DX MIX News, Ivo Ivanov, via wwdxc BC-DX June 3/DX Mix News #523 via Alokesh Gupta & wb, Germany)

Radio Prague's special QSL card offers

Czech Republic
From the Radio Prague website:
Radio Prague is issuing a special QSL card on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of Czech Radio's first regular broadcast. If you'd like to obtain your own copy, make sure to send us a reception report from our program on the exact date of the anniversary: May 18, 2

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/103102

Radio Prague is pleased to announce a new competition relating to Czech sports people.

Which Czech sportsperson or team has particularly impressed you?

Write and tell us what you know about them and why you admire them. The author of the best entry will win a week-long stay for two in Prague. Ten others will receive runners-up prizes. The best entries will be aired in our Mailbox show on June 29th and you will also find them on our web site
at

The deadline for entries is June 13th, and the address to send them to is:
Radio Prague
Vinohradska 12
120 99 Prague 2
Czech Republic

or you can e-mail them to cr @ radio.cz
(R Prague website via BrDXC-UK ng Apr 19/BC0DX #857 via wb, Germany))

Radio Prague - A08 Multilingual schedule

Czech Republic - Radio Prague

All times UTC
Broadcast daily unless otherwise indicated
Effective: 30 March - 26 October 2008

Czech

0130-0157 on 6200 7345
0230-0257 on 7345 9870
0830-0857 on 11600 15710
0930-0957 on 9880 21745
1100-1127 on 11665 15710
1230-1257 on 6055 7345
1530-1557 on 5930 17485
1730-1757 on 5930 17485
1930-1957 on 5930 11600
2100-2127 on 9410 11600
2330-2357 on 7345 9440

English

0000-0027 on 7345 9440
0100-0127 on 6200 7345
0300-0327 on 7345 9870
0330-0357 on 6080 SAC
0330-0357 on 9445 11600
0700-0727 on 9880 11600
0900-0927 on 9880 21745
0900-0927 on 9955 RMI
1030-1057 on 9880 11665
1300-1327 on 13580 17540
1330-1357 on 9850 WOF Fri/Sat in DRM
1400-1427 on 9955 RMI
1600-1627 on 5930 17485
1700-1727 on 5930 17485
2000-2027 on 5930 11600
2130-2157 on 9410 11600
2230-2257 on 7345 9415

German

0630-0657 on 5930 7345
1000-1027 on 6055 9880
1200-1227 on 6055 7345
1300-1327 on 9850 WOF Fri/Sat in DRM
1500-1527 on 5930
1630-1657 on 11825 ARM

French

0600-0627 on 5930 7345
0730-0757 on 9880 11600
1330-1357 on 13580 17540
1630-1657 on 5930 17485
1830-1857 on 5930 13580
2200-2227 on 7345 9415

Russian

0400-0427 on 9445 11600
1130-1157 on 11665 15710
1430-1457 on 7345 13580
1800-1827 on 5840 DB

Spanish

0000-0027 on 11665 ASC + test on 7275 ASC Mon-Fri
0030-0057 on 7345 9440
0200-0227 on 6200 7345
0430-0457 on 9955 RMI
0800-0827 on 11600 15710
0930-0957 on 9955 RMI
1400-1427 on 11625 13580
1800-1827 on 5930 13580
1900-1927 on 5930 13580
2030-2057 on 5930 11600
2300-2327 on 7345 9415
2330-2357 on 6000 SAC
ARM=Armavir, Russia
ASC=Ascension Island
DB=Dushanbe, Tajikistan
RMI=WRMI, USA
SAC-Sackville, Canada
WOF-Wooferton, U.K.
(Source: DX Mix news #516 via Alokesh Gupta, India)