Peace University ousts Peace Radio station in Costa Rica

There's no peace in Costa Rica, where the University for Peace and Radio For Peace International (RFPI) are locked in a dispute over the station's premises. On July 21 the University delivered an eviction notice to RFPI, which has been operating since 1987 on the University campus in Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica. The station’s gate was locked with chains and patrolled by armed guards employed by the University for Peace. The radio station was advised to vacate its facilities in two weeks.
      According to RFPI General Manager James Latham's comments on the station website, the "unexplained and legally questionable decision" to evict RFPI endangers the livelihood of the station’s employees, and also threatens to silence the voice of peace on international airwaves. "This is more than an eviction, this is about the right to free speech," Latham says. "What is most shocking and sad is that this action comes from an international peace organization". Both parties have filed lawsuits against each other.
      University for Peace has not responded to questions emailed by DXing.info. Luís Alberto Varela, the University's lawyer, says on Tico Times that already in April 2002 RFPI received a letter about the termination of cooperation and the station was asked to leave in July 2002. Varela cites an outstanding $14,000 debt owed by Radio for Peace to the University for installation of telephone and Internet structure and illegal use of radio frequencies as reasons that have been communicated.
      RFPI program director Naomi Fowler says to DXing.info that a year ago the station did receive a letter requesting them to leave their premises, but without a reason. "They gave no reason for this to us, unlike their current claims that we were broadcasting illegally or that we owed them money," Fowler says. "We explained to them that they were trying to evict us from our own building! They did not appear to know that the building did not belong to them, as their institutional memory is short due to the five administration changes over the last 16 years," Fowler writes. "That eviction attempt we assumed was legally unenforceable and we never heard anything from them after that until this latest eviction order."
      In an earlier email to DXing.info, the staff of RFPI says that "ideological differences" between the station and Maurice Strong, President of the University for Peace Council, are partly to blame for the conflict. As to broadcasting on an illegal frequency, the staff email says that the station is looking for another frequency to replace 15040 kHz, which according to a letter received from the authorities, is reserved for air traffic.
       Despite the conflict, RFPI has continued to broadcast on shortwave.
(DXing.info, July 27, 2003)

Big L Radio testing on 1008 kHz

Big L Radio (Radio London) is testing on 1008 kHz mediumwave. The station is transmitting from the Netherlands, but is aimed for an audience in the United Kingdom. A test transmission was heard by Paul Ewers in the United Kingdom on July 18, carried by BDXC-UK, where Mike Terry has reported that the next test will take place on July 22 at 1100-1300 UTC. According to a press release by Radio London, the station is planning to transmit at a power of 400 kW from Flevo. Reception reports are welcomed and will be acknowledged. Reports may be sent by mail to Radlon Media Limited, P.O.Box 7336, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex CO13 0WZ, United Kingdom, or by email to Ray Anderson at Radlon Media. The name of the station refers to Big L, Radio London, an offshore pirate station in operation from 1964 to 1967. Radlon Media Limited aims to relaunch the station, though with a wider appeal than the original station, after it received a license from the Dutch authorities in a recent reshuffle of the AM band. Radio London however admits that fundraising has been "rather slow", and gives no indication of when the station would begin regular transmissions.
(DXing.info, July 19, 2003, updated July 20)

Radio San Miguel de Sondor on 6535 kHz

Peruvian shortwave station Radio San Miguel de Sondor has been logged on 6535.2 kHz, replacing Radio Difusora Comercial from Huancabamba, which was most recently heard on 6560.3 kHz. Radio San Miguel de Sondor was first heard by Rafael Rodriguez in Colombia on July 2 and reported in Conexion Digital no. 219. According to Rodriguez, the owner of the station Federico Ibañez had lost mayoral elections and moved his station to another district. The programming remains similar, including a program called Aires Huarinqueños heard at by Rodriguez at 2330 UTC. The station has been heard to sign off around 0400 UTC.
(DXing.info, July 13, 2003)

Radio Baltic Waves testing on 1386 kHz from Lithuania

Radio Baltic Waves International (RBWI) from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius has confirmed conducting "channel marker" transmissions on 1386 kHz, where an unidentified station has been heard playing non-stop pop music. The transmission is aired at 2000-2100 UTC and originates from a 25-kilowatt transmitter in Giruliai. According to a station press release, reported by Bernd Trutenau on MW-DX, correct reception reports will be verified and should be sent by snail mail, containing an audio tape of the broadcast. The station is also interested in the reception of its relays of China Radio International in the evening hours on the frequency of 1557 kHz (150 kW from Sitkunai). The address is Radio Baltic Waves International, Vivulskio 7-405, Vilnius LT-2006, Lithuania. 1386 kHz is also used by a transmitter in nearby Bolshakovo, Kaliningrad. This transmitter airs Voice of Russia programming at 0900-2000 UTC.
(DXing.info, July 12, 2003, updated July 13)

VI Radio from UK new low-power on 1386 kHz

VI (short for Visually Impaired) Radio has begun transmissions on 1386 kHz at the West of England School and College, a school for young people with little or no sight, based at Countess Way, Exeter EX2 6HA, United Kingdom. VI Radio hit the airwaves on May 20, thanks to support from local radio stations and a grant from the National Lottery’s Community Fund. The school has a website and telephone number 01392 454200, fax 01392 428048. As with the other school-based LPAM stations, it probably operates
during term time only with very limited hours, says Dave Kenny, who first reported about the station on BDXC-UK on July 10.
(DXing.info, July 12, 2003)

Radio Vatanym in Moscow on 1098 kHz

Radio Vatanym, a station for Tatar and Bashkir listeners in the Moscow area, started transmissions on 1098 kHz on June 25. The transmitter is located in Kurkino and has a power of 10 kW. The company was given a broadcasting license on May 25, and a few days later it was assigned to broadcast on 1098 kHz. The same frequency has previously been used for example by Radio Liberty. Radio Vatanym transmits at 0300-2100 UTC, but plans to extend transmissions to 24 hours a day. Programs consist of music, cultural, children and current affairs programs, including news every three hours and teaching on Islam. The address of Radio Vatanym is ul. Bolshaya Dmitrovka, dom 9, str. 1, Moscow 125009, Russia, telephone +7-095-292-1555 and 095-771-6533. The station was first reported by Alexander Dementiev on July 3 in Open DX.
(DXing.info, July 12, 2003, edited July 16)

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