An Open Letter to my Senators RE: The VOICE OF AMERICA (for others to use also, if they so wish)

Earlier tonight, I wrote up a letter that I sent to both of my Senators in the US Congress, concerning the shutdown of the Voice of America (as well as the other US, foreign broadcast outlets -- Marti, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, etc.).

Here is a copy of the letter I sent, with the Senators' names left blank.

I am posting it here in case any SWL's who read this blog want to send a letter to their Senator or Congressional rep. All you have to do is copy, paste, edit the name of your Congressional person into the greeting.

Peace.

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Dear Senator ____________,

I am a concerned American, and also a Shortwave radio listener. I am a Radio listener, and over the years have seen the power and capability of Radio as a vital information medium.

Recently, the Voice of America has come under fire. In fact, President Trump, through an executive order, switched it off last Saturday. He pulled the plug on America’s voice to the world. All VOA frequencies are nothing but static. America’s voice to millions in the rest of the world is now utterly silent.

This is a grave mistake, being that the Voice of America was, and still could be, a direct voice for America, American ideals, democracy, and as a source of unbiased news that goes directly to hundreds of millions of people throughout the third and fourth world, many of whom do NOT have great – if any – cell service, and who do NOT have great – if any – internet. 

VOA is America’s voice that goes directly to the individual in other countries, without any internet middlemen to shut it down, and without government, or other, firewalls in the way.

All they need is a radio, and in places like Africa and Asia, where there are some regimes that exert control over the media, they still have a lot of radios, including Shortwave capable radios. Not only is Shortwave radio important to reach the people in these countries for that reason, but also it's one way for the US to directly reach out to those people, unfiltered, with an American message.

Now, I understand that the US is trillions of dollars in debt. However, the Voice of America only cost the government approximately $260~ Million a year to operate. Considering the good will, the soft power, and the accurate and good image of America that VOA projects to the hundreds of millions of people in rural and poor, urban Africa and Asia, $260 Million dollars a year is a bargain.

Many detractors say that ‘no one listens to Shortwave radio’. The fact is, Africa and Asia are NOT like the Western world. They have depended on Shortwave radio for decades. They probably use Shortwave radio for news and information more than the Western world did 60 to 80 years ago, back when VOA was founded.

While it may be a fact that the majority of people in these regions may listen to local FM stations – as we all know, it doesn’t take everyone listening to a medium to influence a country or region. Soft Power does not work that way. Soft Power only needs a small number of people in an area or region to spread the message.

We all know this in this modern, ‘viral video’ age. It doesn’t take many to influence a larger number of people. We all have seen it with the internet. With other media it is the same. Single books have influenced thousands of people. Single books have even changed geopolitics. The premise is the same with Radio – one person can influence many.

And with Shortwave radio in poorer regions of the world, it is also the same. Our adversaries clearly understand this. This is why China jammed the VOA and Radio Free Asia. This is why Cuba jammed Radio Marti, which was also switched off. Our adversaries understand what the present Administration apparently does not – that Radio is a vital information medium, Shortwave included.

And what does pulling the plug on the Voice of America tell the world? What does it tell our adversaries? That we are only going to cater to those intelligentsia in those regions, who have great internet, and that we ignore the millions who don’t? 

 

Does the United States have a message to give the world, or does it not? If the present government in Washington, DC believes in America, why is it pulling the plug on the Voice of America? And if they also believe in America, American Democracy, and America’s message, why are the members of Congress in Washington, D.C. silent on this? 

And what about the people in the third and fourth world who are growing in numbers, and who don’t have access to great internet (if they have internet at all). Take a look at any Cell Phone Service map of these countries (such maps are readily available online), and compare it to industrialized nations like the US or Belgium or Germany. It’s like night and day.

Does the US have a message for the world, or doesn’t it? Do we only provide an American message to those who have good internet and a good cell phone, or do we use a medium – Radio -- that is cheap, works easily, and often already available in the household?

I think it is imperative that the Voice of America be switched back on, and that it also uses the Shortwaves as a medium to reach the hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa. Africa has over half of its people living in rural areas, the majority of them impoverished. Many of them have multiband radios with Shortwave, and unlike Westerners, they don’t instantly toss electronics away when it’s old. They don’t have a lot. They keep what they have.

By turning our back on these millions of people, America is, in effect, saying “The United States is NOT exceptional, and the United States has no message. The United States does not have anything to offer the world. Turn to some other country instead. Goodbye.”

Right now, no one in the Congress in the US is decrying the switching off of this valuable information and messaging resource. That is a travesty. When it comes to our country’s Voice that sends our message to the world, the members of Congress, regardless of party, appear to have been completely silent. Congress in general, which controls the purse strings, appears to not care at all about this important issue.

By turning VOA off, we are decreasing our influence in the rest of the world. And no Congressional people apparently see that? I certainly hope you do not agree with the silence on the part of Congress, as concerns the shutting down of the Voice of America.

I sincerely hope that you, as a Senator in Congress, speak out against this action taken to shut down VOA, and take whatever action may be available to you to restart VOA, and prove to the rest of the world that yes, the United States of America has a positive and true message to tell the people in the rest of the world.

Thank you, Senator __________, for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,

_________________________________

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So there it is. I'm not trying to start a letter writing campaign here. I don't have THAT many readers. But if anyone is interested in letting the US government know that switching off the VOA is a mistake, copy and paste, and send it.

If you're in the UK, you may want to really revise it, keep it on your computer somewhere, because there are rumors that the UK government may be taking a look at BBC SW operations as well.

Shortwave radio services like the VOA, BBC, RFI, and even those of our adversaries are important to the rest of the world, so they can hear our messages and determine for themselves what to think of world affairs. 

Apparently not enough people in my government agree. Writing a letter may not change anything, but in my view, it's better than doing absolutely nothing.

Peace, to all my readers, no matter where you are.

C.C., March 20th, 2025

'This Is The VOICE OF AMERICA, Signing Off'

The VOICE OF AMERICA, the global broadcast station run by an arm of the US government, is off the air -- perhaps permanently.

Our present Administration shut down VOA, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, Radio Ashna (to Afghanistan), and Radio Marti indefinitely. The suspicion is that the present people running things in Washington, DC see the entire operation as a waste of money -- especially their SW radio operations.

This shutting down of VOA, Marti, etc., occurred officially on Saturday, and for a while Marti just played old shows while VOA was playing music. But now most of those frequencies are silent. For how long? Who knows?

I have held off on writing about this subject over the past several days, for a reason. Even though the shutting down of VOA is an important development -- especially here in the US, where the station is used by our government to bring America to the rest of the world via the radio waves -- it is a politically charged subject. 

And the political nature of the discussions often gets in the way of the bigger issue: Few in government, or even in the Radio industry and Radio hobby, believe in Shortwave Radio as a medium anymore.

That fact always gets lost in the constant hate tirades against Donald Trump and his administration when this subject is brought up, even in SWL circles.

His administration took VOA off the air. That is true. 

But no one in Congress, or even the Radio industry (like the NAB) is standing up for VOA. Even the leaders of the opposition party in Congress, the Democrats, are silent about VOA being shut down.

It's Radio. And it's being shut down. You'd think that, in itself, would make it an important issue to the Radio industry, as well as the vast majority of Radio hobbyists. You'd think that even the NAB would be concerned, as it's Radio.

Unfortunately, it's almost the opposite.

Many SWL's on the radio forums and subreddits online seem to not care about VOA's demise any more than the present US administration does. Some SWL's have called it 'propaganda', and say good riddance to it. Some say that 'Shortwave is dead -- everyone is online'. Some say that VOA had no listeners. So let it die.

They don't seem to care about VOA's dying, except that it's being shut down involves Donald Trump, a highly polarizing figure in American politics.

Now, I won't go into the politics here. I hate politics, as it always includes varying degrees of hate. What one may think or believe about President Trump, personally, is actually beside the point.

The FACT that no one in government, the NAB, or any organization outside of VOA employees and maybe a handful of vocal SWL's supports VOA's existence speaks loads.

'SUPPORT VOA? THAT'S SHORTWAVE. YOU'RE LIVING IN THE PAST'

When VOA was being scrutinized by the present administration, even a couple weeks ago, I got into literal arguments online with Radio industry people, as well as SWL's, concerning VOA. I think VOA has value. It's the US's voice to millions and millions of poor people in Africa and parts of Asia, where a lot of people don't have free press, or good internet access.

All you have to do is look at the cell coverage maps, and the statistics, to see that for much of the world, internet use is not as widespread as it is in the US, EU, Canada, Oz, NZ, the more industrialized nations of Eurasia, and most of Latin America. 

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Here is just one of several websites that have cell coverage maps for most of the countries of the world, including Africa and Asia. This site, like the others, has a drop down where you choose the country, and there's another drop-down menu to choose a cell carrier. 

https://www.gsma.com/coverage/#865

This particular map is for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it's showing the area one popular cell carrier covers. As you can tell, the cell service doesn't cover that entire country. If you compare it to Belgium, you'll see a drastic difference in cell coverage.

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Trying to tell a lot of Radio people that VOA was, and is, important because third and fourth world nations do not have first and second world cell and internet coverage has been like talking to a brick wall. There are maybe one or two people on Radio industry forums I go to who agree with VOA's existence, and a handful of vocal supporters on the Shortwave subreddits, but more of them seem to agree with the present day administration that VOA's purpose died with the Cold War

Those of us who support VOA feel like we're talking to dead air.

It's sad, and it's frustrating.

If Radio industry people and Radio hobbyists do not believe in VOA, and Shortwave, over the air radio as a viable medium -- why should anyone else?

When I ask that question online, I got a lot of backlash from short-sighted folks who think that I a) support the Trump Administration and its actions, or b) am an enemy of some sorts to the SW hobby or the SW broadcast medium.

When I ask some of those detractors what they are doing to show support for the Voice of America -- like emailing your congressman, for example -- the answer is mostly crickets.

It's an example of a lot that's haywire in my country. Political divisions run deep, and get in the way of actual dialogue.

In this case, is the VOA worth the money? Is reaching out to the over 500 million people in Africa who live north of the Namibia/Zambia line, 65% of whom are impoverished and have little cellphone or internet access because over half of them live in rural areas -- is reaching out to them important, or not? The VOA cost the US government about $267 million to run every year. Is that a good investment, or not?

ONE B-21 BOMBER + ONE AIRCRAFT CARRIER =

52 YEARS OF V.O.A. BUDGETS

One B-21 Raider bomber plane costs over twice that amount. And the US Air Force wants 100 of them. The USS Gerald R Ford, which is one of our latest aircraft carriers, cost $13 Billion dollars in 2018, and that's almost $16 Billion in today's US Dollars (the US Navy wants ten of them).

The B-21 Raider, the US's second generation Stealth Heavy Bomber, is pictured up top, with the venerable B-52H pictured below. The B-21 costs about $600 million per plane.

And some say that the B-21 and Ford class aircraft carriers are sitting ducks in today's drone weapons version of warfare. As we've seen in recent land wars, drones are becoming increasingly deadly in all sorts of warfare. Yet the US government is spending the rough equivalent of 52 years' worth of VOA budgets on just one B-21 and one Ford class carrier.

Just one B-21 and one Ford class carrier could pay for more than half of VOA's budget throughout all 83 years of its existence (VOA was founded in 1942).

So is the VOA worth the money?

In my opinion, the answer is yes. But, unfortunately, my country's present government, its opposition party in Congress, many Radio industry people, and even a lot of fellow SWL's, also think the answer is NO.

WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT RADIO IN GENERAL?

This leads to the next logical question: if the Voice of America is useless to the US as a form of radio broadcast, 'soft power', what does that say about the power of over the air radio in general?

Because Radio in general is in decline. As I pointed out in my last blog article, two of the largest Radio companies in the US recently announced the shutdown of 20 FM as well as AM radio stations.

When it's AM stations that are shut down, people in Radio practically applaud. But now the illness is hitting FM as well. And this leads me to question exactly who is standing up for Over-The-Air radio? If we can't stand up for our country trying to reach out to millions of people in third and fourth world countries using Over-The-Air radio, what is the use of Radio, really?

If the answer is to just 'go online', why have Radio at all? Is it going to be reduced to nothing but a gazillion, financially dysfunctional, cookie-cutter, 'Radio' content channels? Because once Radio goes all online, that's what it will be -- internet content, with low visibility, and lower revenues for most stations that go online-only.

Ask any internet content creator about the reality of content revenues, versus the myth that you can make a lot of money online. With nearly infinite competition, visibility is scarce, and when it comes to internet content, visibility is everything.

So, to me, this VOA issue is not just an example of my country abandoning the Radio medium to reach other regions of the world with 'Soft Power' -- it's also a classic example of Radio people shooting their industry, their hobby, in the foot.

Who is speaking up for Radio?

C.C. March 19th, 2025

EDIT: March 19th: I revised some language in one paragraph, to keep this post even further from politics.

 

AM Radio Bloodbath Now Hits FM, too: Two large US Radio companies shut down 20 AM & FM stations nationwide

The logo for 'Jack FM', WLXX 101.5, Lexington, Kentucky -- a station shut down during recent budget cuts at one of America's largest radio companies. Lexington is a fairly large city, with about 300K in the metro region. Jack-FM's usually do fairly well in the ratings, as they play a wide range of Classic Hits from the 1980's to the 2000's and early 2010's. But the Jack format didn't save this FM station from being shut down. Radio station shut-downs are now hitting FM as well as AM.

My industry is dying. Radio is dying. The Great Recession kicked it in the guts, the internet economy slammed it in the head, the Pandemic economy cut it off at the legs, and now the industry is starting to fold.

When I hit the internet with my first cup of coffee or tea every day, I usually check the Radio site called Radio Discussions. It's a forum of Radio industry insiders, experts, former Radio workers, and Radio hobbyists, and often it's a good source of news on what is happening in the industry.

Earlier this evening I was slammed by a news report on RD that two of the largest Radio companies in the United States -- Cumulus and Townsquare Media -- are shutting down 20 AM, and FM, radio stations. There are staff cuts, too, but they're not just cutting staff. They're literally shutting down radio stations as well.

Here is a link to the news article posted on RD.:

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/296690/twenty-cumulus-townsquare-media-stations-cease-operations-with-more-to-come/

The stations' programming ranges from Country, to News-Talk (an FM as well as AM's), to Sports-Talk (with both Infinity Sports Network and Fox Spots taking a hit), to "Jack" style 80's-00's Classic Hits, to Classic Country (an FM at that), to 'Lite Rock' (an AM with an FM translator), to an FM Classic Hits station (in Missouri). That's just a sampling from the article linked above, and its source says that there are more station shutdowns to come.

MANY THOUGHT FM RADIO WAS IMMUNE

Up until recently, the revenue issues associated with Radio's new, shaky business model (FM, AM, HD, + online) have only hit the AM band, and staffing. I've reported on these AM stations going off the air over the past several years, since the Pandemic ended. 

The stations that went off the air in this region, since 2019, are fairly numerous -- KNPT Newport OR, KUTI Yakima WA, KMED/KYVL Medford OR, KKPZ Portland OR, KDWN Las Vegas NV, CKMX Calgary AB, CFTE Vancouver BC, CKST Vancouver BC, CHED 630 Edmonton, CKGO 730 Vancouver (the last two were replaced by sister stations that were moved to their frequency) are just a few of the stations in the Western US and Canada that have shut down operations permanently. There have been other stations in the Eastern US and Canada that went off the air, too -- CHML Hamilton ON a classic example.

The most recent shakeup on the West Coast of the US was KGO 810 San Francisco being changed to play KSFO 560's conservative talk programming -- and KSFO 560 was then shut down. It is no longer on the air. 810 now identifies as KSFO. 

Some of these stations that were switched off permanently may still have a small online presence. But most are gone, gone, gone. As you can tell, the stations I just listed above were all AM stations.

But now this trend is shutting down some FM stations as well. FM radio, as a medium, is NOT immune to the difficult economics of Radio these days.

SPORTS TALK TAKES A SMALL HIT

Several of the shut-down stations in the article linked about are Sports talkers. For the past few years, Sports stations have been able to survive on low ratings, because -- the prevailing wisdom states -- Sports talk stations don't need ratings. They have a lock on men. Advertisers that want to reach men will use Sports talk stations, regardless of their ratings.

But it turns out that Sports stations aren't immune to being shut down due to Radio economics. The advertising revenue crunch is hitting Sports radio, too.

IT SUCKS TO SEE IT HAPPEN

It is probably obvious I'm a MW/AM radio fan. I like tuning into the distant stations at night, and I'll listen to the programming -- be it Classic Hits, Classic Country, Sports talk, public radio from OPB (Oregon Public Radio) or the CBC, some religious music and programming, some news-talk, a lot of South Asian music, ranchero, etc.

And for the past several years those of us who are AM radio fans have had to endure the negative comments about AM radio being 'ancient' and needing to go off their air.

But now FM radio is also feeling the pinch. A bunch of the 20 stations owned by Cumulus and Townsquare Media that are being shut down are on the FM band -- the one that the AM decriers always like to say is the only 'Radio' that counts.

NEWS FLASH: FM radio is not sacrosanct. Ever since WPLJ -- once a TOP STATION in America's Market #1, New York City, sold for millions less than it was worth in the 1990's and 2000's, the writing for FM has been on the wall. 

FM Radio is not beyond the reach of cost cutting.

It's sad, because from time to time I have been an avid FM listener, too. FM was where you could hear all sorts of great pop and rock music in the 80's through the 2000's. When I got a Sanyo FM-AM boombox on Christmas 1982, I was glued to it for years until that radio was stolen. I tuned the Rock stations and Pop stations and some R&B stations. And there is no denying that for decades, FM Radio has been a vital part of American music culture.

Now it is fading, along with AM.

My Sangean PR-D14, my last purchase from now-defunct Fry's Electronics. It is my kitchen radio, on 24/7. It will bring in DX, but usually I have it tuned to local talk, NPR, or the local Catholic Station on 1590. When I bought this radio in 2020, there were a lot more radio stations on the air. That number, on both FM and AM, is declining.

GET 'EM WHILE YOU CAN

One of my mantras that I repeat periodically on this blog site is 'Get 'Em While You Can!'

This applies to Shortwave and Medium Wave, two media that are obviously in decline, and it appears with the recent shutdowns, staff cuts, stock price declines, and other Radio economics, the decline of Radio in general is only going to accelerate.

If you have a radio, switch it on, listen around -- both FM and AM, and SW too.

The day will come those bands will be all static and hiss, with maybe a couple pirate stations here and there. You never know when your favorite program, or favorite station, is going off the air.

My guess is that at this rate, the AM band has 10 years left. FM maybe 15. SW maybe 5.

DEAR RADIO: 

DON'T EXPECT STREAMING TO SAVE YOUR STATION

At the same time, streaming will not 'save' Radio. There are still roughly 15,000 radio stations in the US. In no way will all 15K stations today be viable internet streaming channels tomorrow.

The competition is just too infinite, and online, visibility is everything.

RADIO DISNEY'S DEMISE WAS A HARBINGER OF THE FUTURE

Remember Radio Disney? They switched off their AM stations and sold them in 2015. At the time they switched off their AM stations, they admitted that 16% of their audience -- mostly teens and younger people -- were still listening to the AM's.

They sold off all their AM radio stations anyway.

They said their audience would automatically go online, to their stream.

Apparently, that didn't happen. Their predictions and prognostications about their new, preferred choice of broadcast medium were wrong.

Streaming was the new business model, they said. Streaming was the future, they said. AM and OTA radio is old school, they said.

For a couple years they were on HD2's (until late 2017) and then just on their own online stream.

Then they shut the entire operation down. The RD page is now a 404.

Streaming did not save them -- and their programming was good, backed by a plethora of Disney media and singing stars. Their DJ's and announcers were very good and engaging. Still, that business model failed.

When one of the largest media companies in the US has no more faith in Radio, in general, it says something. I think the shutdowns and layoffs since the Pandemic are the writing on the wall. 

I hate to make such statements, but one thing I've learned over the years is that you have to be a realist. My former industry -- a dream job, really -- and one of my favorite hobbies, is on borrowed time. That's the reality.

Until next time, my friends,

Peace.

C.C. March 15th, 2025.

One of the US's Biggest Radio Companies lays off 300 people, including Air Staff

Recently, one of the biggest Radio companies in the US has announced a series of layoffs, because of their bankruptcy. Audacy (formerly Entercom -- they have a few stations in my metro region) announced 300 layoffs, including popular, veteran DJ's and other airstaff, along with programmers and other vital positions at their radio stations across the country.

Here is a link to an article that discusses the layoffs.:

https://radioink.com/2025/03/06/audacy-lays-off-hundreds-in-major-post-bankruptcy-move/

Here's another link, continuing the listing of Audacy radio personnel laid off.:

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/296032/audacy-layoffs-march-2025/

It's a sad day for Radio, really, as these layoffs at larger and smaller Radio companies keep happening. The prevailing mantra is that advertising revenues are in a slump and still declining, because Radio is a 'legacy' media (like TV, Cable, Newspapers, Magazines) and 'legacy' media aren't the place to go to advertise anymore.

There are other issues within the advertising world, of course. Advertising itself is changing, as many online stores do not need to advertise anywhere outside their own website, or they just use placement on a search engine instead. The dominance of the internet has changed not only audio media like Radio -- which depends on advertising -- but also the nature of advertising itself.

That all aside, a lot of people who were laid off at Audacy were popular airstaff, and -- as I've said before, several times on this blog -- they will probably never work in Radio again.

The industry is in decline, and although Radio could possibly do more to promote its medium to the public, the writing is on the wall: everyone is going online for all entertainment and information -- be it news, music, TV shows, books, etc.

THE VOICE OF AMERICA MAY BE SEEING CHANGES

Since the 2024 Presidential election in the US, and the change in administrations, the Voice of America may be seeing some changes as management of the radio service changes.

Some believe that the VOA is past the pull date, and needs to go all online. I've read many comments by people in the Radio business even saying this sort of thing.

It's amazing that people in an industry view their own industry with such distaste. VOA reaches out to poor people in Africa, for example -- a continent which is NOT covered by lots of cellphone service (as any look at cell service maps can show you), and where internet isn't readily available. Over 55% of Africans are impoverished, and live in rural areas away from the big cities where there is cell service, internet, and a lot of FM radio.

VOA was designed to take America's news, opinions, culture, and entertainment to such people.

Yet we may be seeing such services being curtailed or reduced later this year. It's almost as if carrying America's viewpoints to poor, rural people in other areas of the world doesn't count anymore. And surprisingly, a lot of people in the Radio business seem to agree with that idea. It's as if they don't really believe in the power of Radio anymore.

Right now, no one knows exactly how the future of VOA will go.

Rumors are that the BBC may be considering similar moves. The World Service will be online only in many regions.

In many of these regions, China is expanding its influence, both in the media, and economically. Apparently, the Chinese do not share the West's current view of the power of Radio as an information medium.

Timmy the Cat during better days... This pic was from 2015, when I first started this blog.

RIP my little friend.

IN OTHER LIFE....

Last weekend I began to feel soreness in my throat, and a head cold coming on. Throughout the week, I made sure I got extra sleep, and took garlic extract and Eleuthero extract, and it seems to have mostly killed the virus.

My cat Timmy, who I got in 2012, died on me last weekend. He had been ill from a virus or some other ailment, and having no working car, I couldn't take him to the vet. I was giving him kitten formula, and he seemed to be improving, but one afternoon I went to check on him and he was dead.

It really sucks to lose a little pal. Timmy used to be a bit stand-offish at first. I had heard that he originally was a barn kitten, so he always had this independent streak about him. But over the past year he began to meow a lot, wanting to be petted, and rubbing against me. 

But then I lost him. Sucks, but that's life.

My cat Racofrats, when a kitten. He is doing well.

I still have other articles to finish. I'll probably post the Solar Cycle article next, as I am thorougly convinced that compared to previous ones, this one is a poor performer.

Then I will post others.

Stay tuned.

C.C., March 8th, 2024

Canadian media company fires Radio airstaff; FM station north of Toronto near shutdown

It's a sad time for Radio in my other mother country, Canada.

At least a couple times last year I posted articles about Radio companies in Canada either taking stations off the air, or laying off airstaff. Three FM's near Ottawa almost went off the air -- a new buyer showed up at the last minute for at least two of them. CHML 900 in Hamilton was shut down abruptly, leaving its airstaff and listeners in the lurch.

CHML 900, the News and News-Talk station in Hamilton, Ontario -- Canada's #9 city -- was shut down abruptly one day last year, with the programming halted and replaced with a tone, and then all the staffers were laid off. Unfortunately, abrupt firing of staff is a long time Radio practice. One day I showed up to work to find that 7 or 8 people in my building were gone. They had been given their notice as soon as they entered the door to go to work. Now that Radio is experiencing revenue issues industry-wide, these sorts of layoffs are becoming more and more commonplace.

Like a recent Canadian station in Markham, York Region, Ontario, that is experiencing revenue problems and may go off the air -- CHML was 'live and local'. A lot of folks in Radio think 'live and local' is the answer to Radio's woes. The example of CHML and other stations show that 'live and local' doesn't seem to make a difference. Either  the ad money's there, or it isn't.

Bell Media got rid of several stations, and in 2023 several AM'ers across Canada were shut down completely. Some radio stations in Western Canada also combined operations with other stations last year, reducing airstaff in the process (news stations in CKWX Vancouver and CFFR Calgary did this). 

Also in Vancouver and Edmonton, news-talkers CHED 630 and CKNW 980 moved their signals to different frequencies, with the stations on those new frequencies basically going off the air, and the airstaff on those stations (880 CHQT and 730 CKGO) being let go.

Obviously, Radio is in flux in Canada, and it's not just hitting the AM band.

Now Corus Media, one of Canada's larger media companies, has laid off airstaff, including some airstaff at a station I hear at night, CFFR 660 Calgary. The company says it saw a 14% dive in ad revenue over 2024. They also saw an 11% cut in ad revenue for their TV stations.

https://broadcastdialogue.com/more-staffing-cuts-confirmed-across-global-news-corus-radio/

Another recent news item showed that an FM station in the highly populated York Region of Ontario, Canada -- CFMS 105.9 'The Region', located in Markham, a city just north of Toronto with over 300K people (the surrounding York Region metro area has over a million) -- is about to go off the air because of declining revenue. Markham itself is the 16th largest city in Canada.

https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/radio-station-nearing-shutdown-pleads-for-municipal-support-10248009

CFMS is a news and multicultural variety station that also plays Adult Contemporary music. The fact that it is an FM station in a metro area of over a million (York Region) shows that even FM stations in populated areas can have financial issues. 

Declining ad revenues are a really big problem in Radio these days. When Newport, Oregon's news-talker KNPT 1310 went off the air in early 2024, their owner said that their ad revenues dropped by over 50% since the Pandemic hit, and revenues never went back upwards. That took several stations -- AM, FM, and streams -- off the air permanently, leaving coastal Lincoln County devoid of news-oriented radio stations except for an Oregon Public Radio FM station, KOGL, 89.3.

Now we are seeing further cutbacks in the radio industry as Radio companies -- both in the US and Canada -- are feeling the economic pinch. Legacy media -- be it Radio, TV, Cable TV, or newspapers and magazines -- are all being hit with drops in advertising revenues.

Even Public Radio is seeing budget problems as increases in costs are often greater than increases in funding. Here in the US, our conservative government is trying to cut Public Radio funding from the government completely -- leaving all funding to underwriting and donations. Many stations and Public Radio networks may survive Federal government cuts, but others may see stations go off the airwaves.

This could include AM as well as FM public radio stations.

One excuse for government officials to cut Public Radio funding is the same one used by people in the Radio business whenever you talk about AM radio and Shortwave radio: 'everybody's got internet... They've got their cell phone, that's where they get their news and information.'

Sounds terrific. But if a government official like FCC's Brendan Carr says basically the same thing concerning NPR and Public Radio in the US, all of a sudden people in the Radio business don't like hearing that mantra.

The problem is that few in Radio are truly defending Radio. Because Radio is in financial dire straits when compared to previous decades, it seems that the movers and shakers in the industry are at a loss when it comes to keeping the medium, the platform alive.

They often say "we're building our digital platform" as a solution. But any content creator can tell you that online is not a panacea for media. Once you're online, you're competing with millions of other content sites and creators.

Recently, a bipartisan bill introduced in the US Congress, to keep AM radio in vehicles, got pushback from RADIO PEOPLE. I frequent several Radio forums and subreddits, and it's amazing how many Radio industry people are fine with AM being allowed to be removed from car radios and soundsystems.

When Radio people are against a Radio platform, it's no wonder that attacks on the industry by government and corporate interests are succeeding.

Who is speaking out for Radio?

IN OTHER LIFE

As I stated in an earlier article/post here, I took a respite from writing my blog. The weather got cold, I had a property issue to deal with (basically pouring water on a 'fire' that other people were pouring gas on, while lighting matches -- it all had to do with a remote piece of property where we have a dispute with neighbors). My car is still not dependable, and I have an ailing cat, Timmy, who seems to have gotten a bug and is getting better. 

For a couple days he didn't show up at my front door, or kitchen window, as per usual. Finally, I looked around, and he had been hiding out -- sleeping in my living room, behind a chair on a cat bed. I had thought he'd gone outside, but he hadn't. He wasn't feeling well. Finally, I got him to eat some canned cat food with cod liver oil sprinkled on it -- he ate a little off a spoon, then would stop. Then a few hours later I got him to eat again. I placed a heating pad in the cat bed, too. Now he's up and around maybe once a day. After losing a cat just five months ago, it's heartening to see one of my cats get better for a change.

HEARING MALI ON SHORTWAVE!!

I've been DXing every night and/or morning, and although some MW stations have re-appeared from the ether that were missing since 2014, many have never reappeared on any of my radios. 

The re-appearing stations? KEJB Eureka, 1480, with oldies. Eureka is a city on the far northern coast of California. KEJB plays a cool mix of oldies. I hadn't heard them in at least 10 years and they began showing up again.

KDUN, Reedsport, Oregon 1030 is another reappearance. They used to be a nightly listen in 2012-2013, then they went off the air. When they came back on the air, I never heard them until a couple months ago. They play an interesting mix of Classic Hits.

Another reappearing station is KSWB, Seaside, Oregon -- also on the Coast. They were a nightly listen in 2012-2014 or so, then disappeared for 10 years. Now they are back. They aren't as strong as they were in 2013, but it's cool hearing them. Co-channel Classic Hits station KKNX Eugene OR hasn't returned yet, though. I used to hear both of them, playing their mixes of Classic Hits. When the Solar Minimum kicked in, they both disappeared.

Which leads to my opinion about the Solar Cycle: This cycle is a DUD. I should be hearing a lot more than I'm hearing on both MW and SW. Back in 2012 I used to hear KVNS, Brownsville, Texas on 1700, nearly every night, just using a Sony SRF-42 and a small loop. I haven't heard them in well over 10 years. 

I know that some out there think the Solar Cycle Peak is awesome. Sure, it's awesome when compared to a minimum. But it's a mediocre, crap Cycle we're in. Anyone who has logbooks going back several decades (as I do) can tell you that.

But you get what you get.

This isn't to say it's all been bad on SW and MW. Just three hours before posting this article I heard MALI on Shortwave! It was on 5995 kHz, after 0600 UTC (after 10 p.m. Pacific time).

I heard it on my new XHDATA D109WB radio, which I had my indoor 25 ft. / 8 meter wire clipped to. I have heard Mali maybe once or twice before, a year or more ago, on a different radio (probably my Panasonic RF-B45 and indoor wire). RTV Mali broadcasts 50KW from Bamako, the capital. The signal was not readable, but I could tell it wasn't English, some of the speech sounded similar to African accented French, and the music I could hear definitely sounded African.

RTV Mali also came in on my Tecsun PL-398, although the bass response on the XHDATA is greater, making it easier to follow the music. It came in on my Panasonic somewhere in between the XHDATA and Tecsun, with the main differences being the sound or fidelity.

I unclipped the indoor wire and my XHDATA was even bringing in the station off the whip. It wasn't readable, but it was still barely there. 

The XHDATA D109 is a great little radio. I got it just before the tariffs hit on February 4th. I will have an article worked up on it that I hope to publish in a month or so, after I have plenty of time to run it through its paces.

So, even though I still think this Solar Cycle is a dud, it's much better now than it was during the Solar minimum, and I will take whatever I can get. If Mali comes in now and then -- awesome.

Until next time, when I post some of the articles I've been working on,

Peace.

C.C. February 22nd, 2025

(Washington's Birthday)

Taking A Break, But All's OK

It's already been a new year for over a month and a half, and it's been almost two months since I last posted an article here, and although I've had several articles in the works, I haven't felt the impetus to publish them lately. 

The reasons are varied.... I had a property issue I had to take care of, some financial issues to deal with -- and then we had a two week cold snap (where the temperatures got down as low as 18F / -10C, and it was cold in the house. I simply didn't feel like writing much. I have an ailing cat, and a car that needs to be fixed... Life simply got in the way of posting articles here.

The articles I still have to finish are varied -- a couple have a few DX sound files, which take years to load on Blogger, so I've put off posting them.

One is an article on the current, crap Solar Cycle -- an article I've been working on for a year. I kept thinking 'I'm sure the DX conditions will get as good as they were in 2012 so I will be proved wrong', but that's never happened. DX conditions on MW as well as SW have been poor compared to 11-12 years ago. The Solar Cycle article, admittedly, is a bit lengthy.

I've thought of cutting that one down but it's a chore, because it basically says that the latest Solar Cycle is a dud, and that idea is fairly controversial. Consequently, one needs to prove what they say, because there are still a lot of DX'ers and SWL's who think that Solar Cycle 25 is the best thing to happen since peanut butter and jelly appeared in the same jar.

And proving what you say means you include a LOT of info, including charts and graphs from NASA and the like.

All this said, I've taken a respite from posting, and I'll be back here in a week or two.

I have a couple articles on two different XHDATA radios I purchased since Halloween. I've become a fan of XHDATA, because they really have good radios for the price. I'm really enjoying using them in the DX hobby. It's just too bad the crap ionospheric conditions don't really show everything these little marvels can do. :-)

Anyway, I'll be back. Here's hoping you all are doing OK, and if you're in the Northern Hemisphere, you are staying warm.

Peace.

C.C. February 20th, 2025.

A Mouse of Christmas Past: Hum-A-Tune the House Mouse

Recently I was rearranging some books in my small bedroom book library. As I do most of my reading there, that's where I have a lot of my books. As I pulled some books out to move them to a better shelf, I saw him: Hum-a-tune, my wind up 'house mouse'.

I had placed him there several years ago, just temporarily, to keep him safe -- so he wouldn't be knocked down by my cat. The fact he survived all these years is remarkable. 

I got him in Christmas when I was maybe 5 or 6. When I was a kid, we always had two Christmas trees -- there would be the big one downstairs in the living room, and then there was a smaller one that was either in my bedroom, or in the upstairs hallway. Both would have lights. The big tree downstairs had the larger, 'C4', incandescent, multicolored Christmas lights, and lots of glass ornaments -- most of which I still have.

The smaller tree in my room had twinklies, and there would be a few presents under it as well. I don't know why my parents did that, but my Dad did love Christmas.

This one year, I can't remember which one exactly, I got up on Christmas morning to see a few wrapped presents under my little tree (probably books), and there was something stuck inside the tree, in the branches. It was a grey, stuffed mouse, with red ears and a happy face.

When I pulled him out of the tree, I could see he had a key on his back -- he was a music box mouse!

There was a card next to him, stuck in the tree. My father wrote in the card: 

This is Hum-A-Tune, the House Mouse. 

Whenever you're feeling sad, just turn the key on his back, and Hum-A-Tune will hum you a tune, and make you happy!

I knew it was from Dad, because I could recognise his writing. And my Dad was a sentimental sort of person. He worked in a factory, had served in the Army Air Forces in World War II (as a B-29 Gunnery trainer), his father died when he was in high school, and just a year or two previous to the year I got Hum-A-Tune -- right around Christmas -- we had lost his brother, my Uncle Bill, so Dad knew that life could send you some hard knocks.

But Dad also liked the kinder things in life -- things like Hum-A-Tune, for example -- and I think it was because such things reminded him of those better, happier things in life. There are enough things that will hurt you. Sometimes a stuffed animal or simple wind-up toy or music box can make you smile for a moment.

A pic of Hum-A-Tune's back, where you can see the music box key. He is a Knickerbocker toy. Knickerbocker Toys, based out of New York, went out of business in the 1980's. 

Anyway, after I pulled Hum-A-Tune out of the tree, I wound him up, and he did play a happy tune! For years he was in my bedroom, on top of a shelf. Then, when my parents repainted the interior of the house, he got moved to a box, and when I got older, he ended up in the basement, in my old box of toys.

About 8 or 9 years ago, I went down into the basement, looking for the last of the old glass ornaments for my Christmas tree. There were still signs that the basement had flooded (about 2-3 feet worth of water, at least twice since 1991), and it was still a mess.

On the way to the corner where the old ornaments were still kept, I happened to look in the back of my old toy box, which was nearby. The basement had just recently flooded that November -- my house is in a river valley and basements can be dicey because of the water table. My parents had a basement put in knowing that risk. I think the basement has had 5 or 6 floods over the years the house has been here. We've gone through 5 or 6 sump pumps. They end up burning out because they can't handle the water when it happens.

Anyway, I looked in my toy box. And there he was -- my old mouse! I had completely forgotten he'd existed. I picked him up, and remembered -- he had been in my Christmas tree when I was a little kid! It was then that the card, and the words that my Dad wrote, came to mind. I had long lost the card, but I still remembered the words that Dad wrote.

I immediately took Hum-A-Tune upstairs, awestruck that he managed to keep from being damaged in the flooding. He apparently was high enough up in the old toy box that the water never got to him. Unfortunately, his music box no longer works. Sitting in the basement for so many years apparently ran its toll. 

I put him in my bookshelf in my bedroom upstairs. Then, of course, life intervened. I had to take care of my ailing mother for a couple years, and you forget about things... For a couple years I really didn't get any sleep.

But just over two weeks ago, like I said, I found him behind the books. Now I have him near a couple other old stuffed animals from years ago, next to my radios on the headstead of my bed.  

The stuffed animals may look odd there, but they remind me of a time when my Father and Mother were still alive, and life was a lot better, and life was still full of wonder. As I live alone, there is no one to criticise any of them being there, so they stay where they are.

My Sakai guitar. My godfather, my Uncle Calvin (who served on ballistic submarines) got it for my Uncle Dale, maybe 1972 or '73. Uncle Dale was a country guitar player and singer. He always played and sang at family get-togethers, like Christmas. The two uncles had a falling out, and Uncle Dale left it on Uncle Calvin's front porch. In the Summer of 1976 Uncle Calvin invited us up for a barbecue, and he sold the guitar to my Dad, so I could have it. The guitar and small amp together cost $40. So I play a guitar that's been in three separate hands in the family.

When I was a kid, I never thought that life would be so rough, with long stretches of dark times. In many respects, I am probably better off than a lot of people, but it still isn't easy, especially during holidays. And at times like Christmas I really miss my folks, as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and some cousins who have all passed on. My #1 electric guitar (my Sakai Japanese Jag copy) used to belong to my Uncle Dale, who was quite the country and folk music entertainer.  He would always play and sing 'Randolph The Bow Legged Cowboy' during Christmases. He died in the early 2000's. Unexpectedly. A lot of the family are gone. It sucks.

It's a real tough time.

Hum-A-Tune reminds me of Dad. And every time I look at Hum-A-Tune the House Mouse, I think of what my Father wrote, and how much thought he put into writing those words. He really wanted to make his son happy. He put so much thought into placing the music box mouse in my tree, and writing the card. I treasure the fact that he really loved me enough to try to make sure I felt loved and cared for, and he always tried to make sure I was always happy. 

Dad left us in 1984, but there still is some of him around. My first guitar, my telescope, my DX-160 SW radio, my old boombox, my bagpipes -- they all remind me of Dad. And now so does this stuffed, music box mouse. 

It's hard to find people like my Father was. Having people like that in your life, frankly, is a rarity. I was lucky, my parents both made me feel that way, especially at Christmas. My Mother and Father had their rough spots. But they never made me feel unloved or unsupported. Every Christmas I miss them.

Now, Christmas is just another day out of 365 days in the year.

My Christmas lights this year, the only decorations I put up.

These Gingerbread men I keep up year 'round on my mantlepiece. Just because.

GOD LILLE JULAFTON!

Right now it's the 23rd of December. The Scandinavians call it Lille Julafton, 'little Christmas Eve'. When I was a kid the night of the 23rd was usually when my folks finished putting up Christmas decorations and getting ready for Christmas time. It was a night that really felt Christmas cheer. It really was like a 'little Christmas Eve'.

I presently have no idea what I'll do this Christmas. I will probably DX a bit, pet my cats, and maybe go out on a night time bike ride. I may work on some old-time banjo tunes on my banjo -- something I've been trying to relearn.

I'll probably read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. My extended family may or may not have a get-together for Christmas. If they do, I'll probably go and play my bagpipes.

But it simply won't be the same as it was years ago.

Here's hoping that all of you out there have a good holiday. If you have someone, give them a hug. If you have a cat or a dog, pet them, hold them close, and tell them how much they mean to you. Life is short. 

Hum-A-Tune says Merry Christmas.

Peace, and Merry Christmas.

C.C.

December 23rd, 2024.