http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/radiogram.htm

  https://github.com/GyanD/codexffmpeg/releases/tag/2023-03-05-git-912ac82a3c

RSID: <<2023-07-13T23:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>


Welcome to program 313 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:44 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:52 MFSK32: Rare snowfall in Johannesburg, South Africa*
  7:27 MFSK64: One of Venezuela's oldest radio stations silenced*
13:24 MFSK64: This week's images*
28:37 MFSK32: Closing announcements

* with image(s)


Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

We're on Twitter now: @SWRadiogram





From Deutsche Welle:

South Africa: Johannesburg revels in snowy surprise

July 10, 2023

Johannesburg experienced its first snowfall in over a decade,
surprising residents and delighting children.

People in South Africa's largest city, Johannesburg, were
delighted on July 10 by rare snowfall.

The South African Weather Service said Johannesburg last saw snow
in August 2012.

More snow was expected in the city Monday overnight.

Cold weather conditions were expected to continue in other parts
of the country for the rest of the week.

Johannesburg's winter wonderland

While other parts of South Africa regularly receive snowfall
during winter, the once-in-a-decade dusting captured Johannesburg
residents' imaginations.

They took to social media to share videos and photos of them
playing in the snow.

After taking her picture on Nelson Mandela Square in the
financial district, Jennifer Banda said she was pregnant the last
time it snowed. "Eleven years down the line, it's exciting that
we have snow," she said.

"It's been such a long time, I feel so happy," another resident
Lerato Matepese, said.

Warnings of more cold weather

Despite the fun, authorities warned people to stay warm accross
the country as the cold spell continues.

In Johannesburg, residents who rely on fires for heating were
told not to leave them unattended.

Humanitarian organization Gift of the Givers told South Africa's
News24 that it responded to four fires caused by unattended
heaters and fires elsewhere in the country.

Snow has been reported in several provinces, including the
Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.

https://www.dw.com/en/south-africa-johannesburg-revels-in-snowy-surprise/a-66183315

 

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Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...


 

RSID: <<2023-07-13T23:37Z MFSK-64 @ 9265000+1500>>
 

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

From the Voice of America:

Venezuela's Oldest Radio Station Falls Silent

Adriana Nunez Rabascal, Carolina Alcalde
July 12, 2023

Caracas —

One of Venezuela's oldest radio stations has fallen silent for
the first time in its 93-year history.

Radio Caracas Radio or RCR, broadcast its last show on June 30
with staff saying they could no longer keep the station operating
under increasingly difficult circumstances.

The station since April 2019 had been broadcasting via YouTube
after the telecommunications regulatory agency closed down its
signal, without providing a reason.

And earlier this year, the state-owned phone company CANTV cut
service to all its telephone lines.

The power company said the issue was due to a damaged transformer
that supplied electricity to the building. But with no power for
three months, RCR was unable to keep going.

"The telephone line service that allowed us to communicate with
the people, to receive complaints, was cut even though we were up
to date with our payments. How do you explain that? This is a
radio station that was without electricity for 92 days, and
dependent on a power generator," said Jaime Nestares, RCR's owner
and director.

Nestares and one of his show hosts José Domingo Blanco told VOA
that the station's board of directors was alerted to possible
actions against RCR members. Because of that, they decided to
close temporarily to protect the team.

"Is it worth the risk? Losing assets, having our assets seized,
having people jailed? Is it worth it? I think the time has come
to step back, restructure and launch a new alternative that will
protect us from all these difficulties," Nestares said.

The radio owner said he hopes the closure will be temporary. But
added that since CONATEL cut the station's signal in 2019, RCR
has struggled to keep working.

"Over the last four years, there has been a huge drop in the
advertising market and the value of YouTube commerce. We've had
difficulties with electricity and the internet. More and more,
we're seeing that Venezuelans have fewer and fewer resources to
access social networks and audiences have plummeted," he said.

VOA's request for comment from Venezuela's Ministry of
Communications went unanswered.

Founded in 1930, RCR was known for being critical of the
government. It was also one of the few remaining outlets from the
Grupo 1BC operation that was still able to work.

For more than a decade, the conglomerate has faced pressure from
the government which declined to renew the license of Radio
Caracas Televisión (RCTV), and also closed Radio Caracas
Internacional.

The country's economic crisis started taking its toll on RCR
about 10 years ago, requiring the station to downsize from 100
employees to about 15 staff, including cleaning and security
personnel, and eight program hosts, some of whom work from other
countries.

Nestares says his small team is looking for a different way to
reach audiences to get RCR back up and running.

"We have done the best we could to continue. I believe that the
difficulties we have force us to reinvent and rebuild ourselves
and return with a new alternative."

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders says that under
President Nicolás Maduro “Venezuela is experiencing a prolonged
restrictive environment in terms of information, with policies
that threaten the full exercise of independent journalism."

It ranks the country 159 out of 180 countries on the World Press
Freedom Index, where 1 shows the best media environment.

For veteran journalist and RCR host Blanco, this is the second
time he has had to deal with a media closure.

He was working at radio station Mágica 99.1FM when CONATEL denied
the renewal of the broadcast license in 2017, forcing it off the
air.

Blanco said he wonders if people inside Venezuela are aware of
the significance of another media outlet closure.

"We are talking about democracy, freedom of the people. We are
talking about key words that must be part of a collective, by a
society," he said.

Diosdado Cabello, a ruling party deputy and member of Venezuela's
National Assembly, stated in November that many of the radio
stations were closed by their owners and he insisted that freedom
of expression is guaranteed in Venezuela.

"It's a mistake to think that freedom of expression belongs to
the owners of radio, television, and newspapers," Cabello said at
a press conference. “Freedom of expression belongs to the
citizens."

'A great loss'

For Teresita Fernández, a 64-year-old longtime listener of RCR,
the radio station shutdown saddens her because she has no
alternative source of information.

She also said she felt concern for the station's owner and team,
adding that she knows firsthand the consequences of a company
closure.

"It's a great loss for freedom of expression and for the daily
contact it brought about the country's reality, in a clear way
and without censorship," said Fernández.

One of the programs she listened to daily was Blanco's.

"I think he's a clear, honest, old guard journalist. It's a sad
day. I see how little by little, everything is ending. It's very
difficult to work in these conditions, without advertisers and
financial pressures. I'm distressed, because I feel that change
will be very difficult in this country," said Fernández.

At least 285 radio stations were shut down throughout the country
between 2003 and 2022, according to Espacio Público.

The Venezuelan free expression nonprofit reported that at least
81 radio stations were closed last year, making 2022 "the year
with the most radio stations closed in the past two decades."

In a March address to the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Türk,
High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed concern about
restrictions on the media in Venezuela, including the blocking of
websites and closure of radio stations and programs.

This story originated in VOA's Spanish-language service.

https://www.voanews.com/a/venezuela-s-oldest-radio-station-falls-silent/7177447.html
 

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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

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This week's images ...



People watch a volcanic eruption near Litli Hrutur, southwest of
Reykjavik, Iceland, July 10. https://tinyurl.com/2nk4lwas ...

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A bicycle rider in the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, as the
sun rises. https://tinyurl.com/2jtccdmv ...

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Early morning on Science Lake, Allegany State Park, western New
York. https://tinyurl.com/2qk499br ...

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A ladybird (ladybug) on a leaf in Kars, Turkey.
https://tinyurl.com/2lgckaqy ...

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Seagulls chase a bald eagle from their nesting areas next to
Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, July 11.
https://tinyurl.com/2ln96yvf ...

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An American mink in Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina,
July 11. https://tinyurl.com/2zcelh7h ...

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The Wilkes Street Tunnel in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
https://tinyurl.com/2mkzo2c8 ...

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The sun sets northwest of Edinburg, Texas, June 15, during a heat
wave. https://tinyurl.com/2noh2jlw ...

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Our painting of the week is "Ripe Melons" (1850) by John F.
Francis (born in Philadelphia). https://tinyurl.com/2qc3z7w8 ...

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Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...

 

RSID: <<2023-07-13T23:58Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>