VOA NEWS


Kremlin's Sputnik Radio to Broadcast 'Alternative News' in
Washington

Daniel Schearf
July 12, 2017

Russian state-funded Sputnik Radio has started its first
broadcasts in the Washington, D.C., area, in an effort to reach
more Americans with what it calls "alternative news."

Sputnik, which says it gives voice to minority views outside
mainstream media and supports an anti-establishment agenda,
broadcasts on the 105.5 W288BS frequency.

Critics say Sputnik functions as part of a Kremlin propaganda
machine aimed at undermining Western institutions.

Sputnik Radio staffers say its broadcasts into the Washington
area will allow Americans in the nation's capital to listen to
them and not just to what is being said about them.

"People heard a lot about us. Unfortunately, they could not
really listen to us," said Sputnik bureau chief Mindia Gavasheli.
"And, people who were reporting about us quite often wouldn't
even bother to listen to us and present how they see us, present
what we do, accurately."

Sputnik's Washington bureau opened its doors to the news media
this week, in attempt to dispel what they said were
misunderstandings as well as "constant attacks from U.S.
corporate media."

Sputnik and other Russian state-funded media say that while they
promote anti-establishment views outside mainstream media, they
don't produce Kremlin propaganda.

"Since I work here, obviously I don't feel this way," Gavasheli
said. "Nobody tells me what to do. We get together with our guys
every day for editorial meetings, and we decide what we're gonna
do, how we're gonna do, who we want to invite, and so on and so
forth. No one tells us how to do that, right?"

Critics disagree

Many who study Kremlin media, like Robert Orttung, a professor of
international affairs at George Washington University, disagree.

"At the end of the day, that's the purpose of these broadcasters,
that's the purpose of Russian foreign policy in general, is to
undermine our democracy, undermine the faith of the American
people in their own institutions," Orttung said.

Sputnik fired its former White House correspondent Andrew
Feinberg in May, who then became a vocal critic.

"And, it's definitely propaganda," he said of Sputnik's product.
"The idea that they are being attacked by corporate media is
ridiculous. They're being called out for reporting half truths
and, in some cases, lies."

Sputnik rejects the comments as those of a disgruntled former
employee. But, Feinberg is not the first to work for and then
turn against Kremlin-funded media. A few former reporters for RT,
previously known as Russia Today, quit their jobs over coverage
of Russia's gay rights and its military actions in Ukraine and
Syria.

Russia's state media are not the only authoritarian government
outlets operating in the U.S. China's media presence is big.

"But the Russian one seems to be particularly effective because
it has very high production values and it's reaching an audience
of people who feel like the mainstream media has not answered
what they're looking for," Orttung said.

"The only way that Russian propaganda can be effective here is
when we're completely divided ourselves," he added. "And that
creates an opening for them."

Russian state-funded media promote the notion that President
Vladimir Putin's Russia is a benevolent and moral power simply
seeking to maintain peace at home and promote a multi-polar
world. They have well-qualified journalists among their ranks.
But they also seem to attract a number of idealists,
anti-establishment activists and conspiracy theorists.

...

Sputnik says people should read, listen and judge for themselves
whether it is "alternative news" or Kremlin propaganda.

Full text:

https://radio-locator.com/info/W288BS-FX

https://bluegrasscountry.org/

"........Starting June 21, 2017, Bluegrass Country will no longer broadcast over 105.5 FM. The station will continue to broadcast over 88.5 FM HD Channel 2, streaming at bluegrasscountry.org, Internet radios, and via our smart phone apps for iOS and Android devices.

The 105.5 FM signal is owned by a third party with whom were unable, despite our best efforts, to reach a contract agreement going forward. We apologize for the inconvenience to our listeners who currently hear us at 105.5 FM.

All is not lost!

The 88.5 FM HD Channel 2 signal delivers better sound quality with a much larger broadcast range. HD radios for home and car are reasonably priced and easy to install. (Many newer cars come with an HD radio as standard equipment and you might already have one.) You can find out more about how you can tune into Bluegrass Country using HD here (How to Listen). If you’re having trouble, call us at 202.491.3347 or send an E-mail to support@BluegrassCountryFoundation.org and we’ll help........"

https://bluegrasscountry.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Coverage-1.png

http://web.archive.org/web/20170624224451/https://bluegrasscountry.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Coverage-1.png

http://www.insideradio.com/wamu-hd/image_91ca6018-3ff8-11e7-9041-eb24db3278e2.html

"...DC’s Longtime Bluegrass Analog FM Put Out to Pasture.

The banjos and fiddles will continue to ring out online and on HD Radio. But Washington, DC radio’s 50-year bluegrass tradition has lost its analog FM home. The Reston, VA-licensed translator W288BS at 105.5 FM that has supplemented Bluegrass Country’s WAMU-HD2 and online distribution will cease simulcasting on June 21..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAMU

"......Bluegrass Country
WAMU's HD2 subchannel broadcasts bluegrass music under the branding "Bluegrass Country". WAMU launched Bluegrass Country as an internet stream in 2001. The station began airing on HD2 in 2007, when WAMU removed all music programming from its main signal as a result of becoming Washington's primary public news/talk station. In July 2016, WAMU announced it would shut down Bluegrass Country on December 31, unless it could find a buyer for the operation and access to its HD2 channel.[8] After an extension, the nonprofit Bluegrass Country Foundation took over operations in January 2017.[9]
Bluegrass Country aired on independently-owned translator W288BS (105.5 FM) from the Reston, Virginia area until June 2017, when the owner elected not to renew his contract with the channel and replaced it with Radio Sputnik.[10] Programming on Bluegrass Country includes The Katy Daley Show, The Lee Michael Demsey Show, Stained Glass Bluegrass and The Ray Davis Show....."

https://www.voanews.com/a/kremlin-sputnik-radio-broadcast-alternative-news-washington/3941692.html

See also:
http://wapo.st/2uWoj6I

Kim's note: Sputnik Radio traces its evolution from the old Radio
Moscow, later Voice of Russia.

     The "alternative streams":

   https://sputniknews.com/radio/

   http://icecast.rian.cdnvideo.ru/rian.voiceeng     ENGLISH

   http://icecast.rian.cdnvideo.ru/rian.voiceger    DEUTSCH

   http://icecast.rian.cdnvideo.ru/rian.voicerus

   http://icecast.rian.cdnvideo.ru/rian.voicearb

   http://icecast.rian.cdnvideo.ru/rian.voicestm

   http://icecast.rian.cdnvideo.ru/rian.voicechi

   ............

Sending Pic:198x188C;

This is Shortwave Radiogram.

Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

Shortwave Radiogram now changes to Olivia 64-2000 ...


RSID: <<2017-07-16T06:11Z OL 64-2K @ 7730000+1500>>


This is Shortwave Radiogram in Olivia 64-2000 ...


From ARRL.org:

New FT8 Mode Included in WSJT-X Beta Release

07/12/2017

A beta release of WSJT-X, version 1.8.0-rc1, includes a new FT8
mode, featuring a faster turnaround, and it's already showing up

Missing text due to transmitter failure

on 9400 kHz via Kostinbroad, Bulgaria.

[2017-07-15, 16.11z]

Received via US WEBSDR on 7730 kHz

via WRMI, Florida

[2017-07-16, 06.11z]

  Ending song:

   http://www.midomi.com/index.php?action=main.track&track_id=100823215855285525&from=voice_search

  Martha Reeves - (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave

   https://youtu.be/sW9mCPlp61U