29 March 2003

Iraq Satellite Channel The picture and sound are breaking up again following more bombing. In case you haven't read the replies to earlier items, Ibrahim has a possible explanation for the audio quality: Hi, I have information from inside Iraq stating that the Iraqi regime is using mosques and Islamic Holy shrines like the those in Najaf and Karbala as broadcasting centers for Iraqi TV and radio in order to avoid them being bombed by the allies. Maybe this explains the boomy echo like sound you hear in when they speak due the domes and the large size of those shrines. Ibrahim [axxxesss@hotmail.com] • 3/29/03; 10:48:30 AM 9:33:55 PM     comment on this entry []

Eastern Radio It turns out that this station reported by BBC Monitoring on 756 kHz has been around for some time, and previously reported by Clandestine Radio Watch. Here's what Tarek found in the archives: Eastern Radio, Eastern Broadcasting House Organization: Carmel News Agency, which is a Washington-based Arabic news organization. Presumed to be a PSYOP operation by the Israel Defense Forces. Broadcasts from: Kfar Killa, southern Lebanon, or northern Israel Languages: Arabic Identification: (Arabic) al-idha'ah al-mashriqiyah, dar al-idha'ah al-mashriqiyah.  (English) Eastern Radio, Eastern Broadcasting House. Active Since: December 23, 2000 Known as "Experimental Radio from the Mediterranean Basin" [(Arabic) al-idha'ah al-tajribiyah min hawd al-mutawassit] between December 2000 and January 2001. Formerly known as the Voice of the South and broadcast on behalf of the South Lebanese Army. Contact Address: Post Office Box No 52341, Limassol 4062, Cyprus Fax Washington, DC: 1-202-4680261 Fax London: 44-207-6917678 Monitored: Dec 00: Time? 756 kHz (BBCM via CRW 60) 1400 756 kHz (Zedian-Egypt via CRW 60) Jan 01: *0600-0800* 756 kHz Identifying as "Eastern Radio." (BBCM CRW 62)  Nov 01: *0700-1630* 756 kHz (BBCM CRW 87) I see Dave Kernick also spotted this. 4:38:05 PM     comment on this entry []

Don't mention the war... Britain may be involved in a controversial war, but you'd never know it by looking at the top three searches on the BBC Web site right now: cbeebies tweenies smile 4:00:28 PM     comment on this entry []

More on Iraq Satellite Channel More evidence of the makeshift nature of the production facilities they're using. The 1300 UTC news bulletin is on, and the announcer has no autocue. He hardly looks up. In between items he glanced to his left as if waiting for a cue, a sign that they don't have a conventional gallery set up. But the technical quality of the satellite signal continues to be excellent. The closing sequence had a globe with the word "news" in English scrolling across the screen, no Arabic text. All the presenters are wearing identical military style uniforms, but with no insignias, suggesting they're civilians. All the men I've seen so far seem to have incedibly hairy chests - I wonder if this is part of the macho image they're trying to get across? Andy Sennitt. 2:11:35 PM     comment on this entry []

Another new one... BBC Monitoring is reporting that an anti-Saddam radio station identifying itself as "Eastern Radio" [al-idha'ah al-Mashriqiyah] has been heard on mediumwave 756 kHz, a frequency that has been used by both Republic of Iraq Radio and the US-run Information Radio. Andy Sennitt 1:48:11 PM     comment on this entry []

Honour for Clandestineradio.com Nick Grace will probably be mad at me for telling you this, but I'm so happy for him. The US Library of Congress has selected Clandestine Radio.com as one of the Web sites for inclusion in the historic collection of the 2003 War on Iraq Internet materials. That's a tribute not only to Nick, but to the entire team of Clandestine Radio Watch and the many individual DXers who help to produce the definitive reference source on clandestine and surrogate broadcasting. As many of you know, we at Media Network have a close working relationship with CRW, and we sometimes co-publish material. It's very gratifying for us to know that such material is recognised in Washington as being of significant value. Andy Sennitt 8:29:11 AM     comment on this entry []

Iraq Satellite Channel still on the air I just checked the DSL feed of the Iraq Satellite Channel and it's still on the air with excellent reception. As Tarek observed yesterday, the audio definitely has a boomy sound as if they're broadcasting from an empty warehouse or something. It's certainly not a studio. Bart Kuperus (who worked with me at WRTH) called last night and we we were discussing how amazing it is that they just keep coming back. Bart is of the opinion that they must have mobile uplinks. And if they have a number of them, they can operate from different locations seamlessly. That would also explain why they don't carry press conferences live. It could well be that the videos are delivered by despatch riders, and that the actual location they broadcast from is constantly changed. That would also explain why the playback quality of such recordings is markedly inferior to the live studio output. I bet they're still using analogue video tape. Andy Sennitt 8:18:42 AM     comment on this entry []

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