17 April 2003

Towards Freedom TV on the air terrestrially Reception of Towards Freedom TV in Baghdad may have improved now. A Reuters report says that "on Wednesday, US forces started broadcasting television from Baghdad airport. Using frequencies once used by Saddam's state media, the new Arabic network is called Nahwa Al-Hurrieh or "Toward Freedom" and features US and British programs." The same report also mentions that a satellite dish and receiver sells for $300, well beyond the reach of most Iraqis, Yet Baghdad electronics retailer Jassem al-Saadi says he sold 30 yesterday and about 100 today. 8:09:06 PM     comment on this entry []

Baghdad said to be back on 1170 kHz Tarek in Cairo reports: "I was listening to the BBC Arabic section today and I  was lucky enough to hear a report about the return of radio Baghdad.. they were interviewing a guy called professor al'aa Sadek I think...he's  responsible of the media and he mentioned that Radio Baghdad restarted broadcasting on 1170 kHz from 21.00 p.m till 1.00 a.m and the programs mainly music and announcements that this station will start broadcasting regularly on this frequency and welcoming reports. he also mentioned that this transmission is covering all Iraq....(well...I doubt it! Tarek)" Hmm, that's not one of their listed frequencies, so could be from one of the mobile transmitters - either a US one or the one they found inside a container in Baghdad the other day. Or maybe the 50 kW transmitter in Kuwait? Or airtime hired from somewhere else? Strange time of the day to choose - perhaps they don't want to clash with Information Radio and Towards Freedom TV :-) I assume that's Baghdad time, so would be 1700-2100 UTC. (Andy) 4:22:55 PM     comment on this entry []

From the guestbook... There's a great deal of amusement amongst my colleagues at Radio Netherlands at the following comment posted in our Guestbook: "Gee Andy your comments are so unbiased that they carrying real weight. Again, I think you believe you don't censor but you do. You allow people to praise your coverage and slam the USA but anyone who calls you on your biased reporting and slaming America are deleted. Andy I bet you are left wing, pot smoking, raidcal [sic]. Typical media type." It amazes, and saddens me, that people can't tell the difference between maintaining editorial standards and censorship, or between criticising the policy of a particular US administration and "slamming the USA". I notice we don't get the same sort of comments when we carry articles criticising the governments of Third World countries - or of The Netherlands, for that matter. Interesting. 1:43:31 PM     comment on this entry []

© Copyright 2003 Andy Sennitt.