Shortwave America

Yan Yinan - China Drive Host Passes Away

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:17:00 +0000

Beijing Cream Author, Anthony Tao, has broken the sad news of the untimely death of China Radio International's China Drive Host, Yan Yinan

Yan Yinan died from injuries sustained from suicide after she jumped from her apartment building. A credible piece of information from Beijing Cream says "Some of her colleagues were seen crying inside the CRI office on Friday. A source said CRI management has emailed staffers asking them to keep news of Yan’s death off social media out of respect for her family, and that there is an internal “ongoing discussion” about how to proceed." Beijing Cream broke the story on April 2, 2013 at 5:27 pm

Yan is being described as someone very special to everyone who knew her and worked with her. All information further says that even when she was on her own time, she was someone who was well respected, well-liked, and words such as "mentor" come into play as part of her life's narrative. Obviously, losing Yan Yinan means that the world has lost someone who brought immeasurable value with her during her life.

China Radio International has released this statement:

"China Radio International is sad to announce the tragic passing of Yan Yinan after a struggle with illness. She will be missed as a colleague and friend. Out of respect for her privacy and the wishes of her family, we hope everyone can join us in giving them the ability to grieve in private."

CRI's description of Yan Yinan as someone who died from a "struggle with illness" is confirmed to be completely dishonest. Although some people who commit suicide do have a background of mental illness, this is not the case with Yan, and definitely not the case with everyone who ends their lives so drastically.

Her co-host, Mark Griffith has declined to make a public statement regarding Yan Yinan.

This clip from China Drive, recorded on November 4th, 2008, features Yan Yinan with her co-host closing out an episode of the show.

A recent China Drive show recorded on April 25th, 2013, can be heard here

The China Drive webpage is here

Yan's C.R.I. Profile is here

There appears to be some controversy over allegations that China Radio International intentionally covered up Yan's death, but never attempted to cover up the death of Xu Huaiqian.

Keith Perron, the owner of PCJ Media and PCJ Radio International once worked with Yan Yinan during his time at C.R.I. See the PCJ statement here.

We now learn that Yan Yinan's death took place on March 29th, not April 2nd, as was earlier released. Keith Perron says he vaguely remembers Yan Yinan as someone who worked in the newsroom and features department.

Other Suicides of China Radio International Staffers:

PCJ Media confirms other suicides at C.R.I. such as the death a few years ago of a man of Middle Eastern descent who jumped from the rooftop of CRI's building in Babaoshan western Beijing. This staffer was assigned to one of CRI's Middle Eastern language sections. Jon Kennedy in the English Section of C.R.I. is another death, his body was cremated without an autopsy. Keith Perron questions the official story given which reported Jon to have died from heart attack.

At this time, C.R.I. continues to shroud Yan Yinan's death in secrecy. Shortwave America and PCJ Media / PCJ Radio International wish to send condolences to the family, co-workers, and friends of Yan Yinan.

Chicago Police Department Communications Discipline

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:19:00 +0000

Chicago has become the murder capitol of the world. Located inside the borders of the only state that explicitly says citizens have absolutely no legal rights to self - defense of any sort, be it with your hands or with a gun, the ranks of the Chicago Police Department have been thinning even in the face of new hires.

Thinning ranks at the Chicago Police Department also means higher stress levels for their sworn members. Most interactions between police and the public are professional, and most of the conduct over the air between CPD Officers and Chicago's OEMC dispatchers is almost always jovial, free-flowing, professional, and kept to necessary details.

An audio clip recorded on 8-21-2012 has surfaced that shows us just how stress, confusion, and chaos can affect the working relationships between officers and dispatchers. The audio from Chicago Police Department Radio Zone 12 starts out as the 15th district is working a case involving a robbery offender or offenders with a weapon, and becomes tense from there.

Transcript:

Officer: Ok, I'm on the way

Radio Dispatcher: 1519 officer, we'll hold ya down, any information on these robbery offenders? Anyone have any info?

Field Unit: 1506 Eddy, Uh, they said that they took a shot at them, so uh, there IS a weapon involved here.

Field unit: (unidentified transmission) good thing ya got that job out for us before you (officer speaking too fast to be clearly intelligible) squad!

Dispatcher: umm, calm YOURSELF DOWN

Field unit: 150?? Sarge, did ya copy that?

Dispatcher: Yep, I copied everything you gave me and I gave it out, that's a 10-4!

Field unit: (Unidentified transmission) You gave it out when you felt like it, didn't ya?

Dispatcher: Shut - up!

Field Unit: (Unidentified transmission) don't tell me to shut up, do your job right!

Field Unit: 2533Robert

Dispatcher: Call me on the phone and I'll tell you what ya did incorrectly! 2533Robert

Field Unit: Yes ma'am, can you call this car back, tell em' to meet us outside cause this house looks pretty secure in the back if he wants to walk through

Dispatcher: sure would, 10-4!

Dispatcher: That unit, I have your radio number. If you come over the air, you'll be written up.

Field Unit: (Unidentified transmission) what's that?

Dispatcher: That's radio 9960, 9960 for the comments.

Field Unit: (unidentified transmission) write me up!

Dispatcher: You will be, keep talking!

Dispatcher: alright, gimme your name!

Field Unit cuts in with unidentified transmission: cut it out!

Field unit cuts in emotionally with unidentified transmission: I'm not gonna ask to be recognized whenever I'm looking for a man with a gun, squad! You can just answer the question, alright!

Dispatcher: 9960 for that radio number, if you say anything else you WILL be written up! YOU HEARD ME ask the unit he has the air for information so...stop it with your comments!

Field Unit cuts in aggressively and emotionally: your job before you did that!

Dispatcher: I never gave out a job!

Unidentified female field unit: hey, let's keep the radio open / clear now!

Dispatcher: Sergeant, you're the boss! Tell your units to stop with the comments!

We now know this armed robbery incident and radio exchange took place overnight between 10PM and 7:30AM because of the 25th district "robert" designator.

This whole exchange took place over a time period of one minute and fourty five seconds. That is enough time for a unit to have had a life threatening emergency in an armed situation like this. The people of the city of Chicago DO NOT need sworn police officers who can't get along with each other, and neither do they need police officers and communications dispatchers in that same situation of not being able to work well with each other. Hot heads, emotional reactions, and law enforcement DO NOT mix!

Keeping this communications related, this is a good example of how NOT to communicate with others. Judicious use of radio air time in any emergency profession is key. They WAY our nation's emergency responders communicate with each other matters just as much as knowing WHEN and WHEN NOT to say anything on the air. Discretion is the better part of valor.

As this transcript shows, several violations of CPD policy took place as did several violations of FCC laws in regards to proper identification of radio transmissions. FCC laws and regulations apply to everyone who uses communications gear, and even to those who live in Florida and operate well pumps in bad repair.

Hopefully, something was done about this radio exchange. Besides placing other officers in danger, it placed the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications in a bad light. The City of Chicago has enough problems, enough of a bad image, and incidents like this just make things worse. Would this dispatcher have ignored other demands for police service coming across her screen to continue the argument with the field unit with radio#9960? Would the police officer have ignored criminal activity to continue the argument with the dispatcher? Did this incident continue with further exchanges between radio 9960 and the dispatcher? We'll never know.

CISPA Blackout

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:03:00 +0000

Shortwave America will be participating in the CISPA Blackout of April 22nd, 2013. When you come to the main page, you will be greeted by THIS:

Shortwave America will be back on-line April 23rd, 2013

Guest Post - Bob Zanotti On The Relationship Between DX Chasers and Shortwave Broadcasters

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:40:00 +0000

In recent months I have received several private questions and comments about postings on various shortwave-related forums, which were highly critical of so-called “DXers” – the term commonly used by broadcasters to refer to those who make a hobby out of tuning the bands for signals to identity, just in order to obtain a QSL card, as opposed to those who actually listen to programs and comment on program content. Although my name and that of Bob Thomann were mentioned in some of the postings in question, we were not directly involved in them.

But there is an issue here, and it is based on this fact: Broadcasters need to be able to demonstrate that their programs are not only reaching their target areas in a technical sense, but very importantly, also that the expenditures for program production, transmission infrastructure and the cost of sponsorship are warranted, in the sense that the MESSAGE is getting through to the audience. DXers do not help matters here, but Shortwave LISTENERS or “SWLs” do.

It is no secret that the management of Swiss Radio International (and other SW broadcasters) was upset over DXers , and asked Bob Thomann and me to address the issue in the Swiss Shortwave Merry-Go-Round, which we did. In fact, I think we were the first SW broadcasters to do so, but not the last.

However, while I can confirm that the SRI management did not like "QSL-hunting DXers” who didn't listen to program content and sometimes referred to them as “DX nuts”, Bob Thomann and I were always diplomatic in discussing this issue over the air, and we never called anyone names. Our position on-air can be summarized this way, and it was stated many, many times:

"We [broadcasters] are not here simply to supply a signal to identify, just for the purpose of getting a QSL card. If that were the reason for our efforts, we might as well transmit a 1,000 Hz tone along with an ID loop. There is no conflict between being a technically-interested DXer and being a program listener. Just use your technical skills to improve reception to the extent possible, but then, listen to the program. You'll get a QSL card, but all we're asking for is some comments about our programs, whether good or bad. This is what justifies the enormous cost of our broadcasts, but QSL card-hunting does not."

This was and still is our position on DXers, and I know it is shared by other SW broadcasting veterans. From that perspective, DXers were and are very frustrating for the broadcaster and program-maker, and I feel sure that this group was, indeed, at least partly responsible for the demise of big-time shortwave broadcasting after the end of the Cold War.

Having said all of the above, I want to make it very clear that this issue can be discussed in a businesslike and objective way, and I discourage the use of language that could be construed as abusive or excessively provocative on the part of either side of the argument.

I know how easy it is in this field to get embroiled in controversy and in-fighting. For this reason, I want to emphasize that the purpose of this posting is to restate the position of Bob Thomann and me on this issue for the record. While I realize that the discussion will continue, this posting is not intended to add to or encourage the debate. There are more appropriate forums than SIS for this purpose. Any related comments are, of course, welcome.

Digital Radiograms Gaining Popularity With Shortwave Broadcasters

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:34:00 +0000

Taking the lead of the amateur radio community, shortwave stations, WRMI in Miami, Florida; KBC; and VOA with their "VOA Radiogram", and PCJ Radio, are discovering the powerful and robust communications that can be accomplished with modes like Olivia, MFSK64, RTTY, and PSK.

Had we looked back down the road even a decade ago, there is no way anyone would have guessed that shortwave stations would even give amateur radio digital modes a first glance, much less start using digital modes.

Jan Oosterveen of KBC says: "Olivia is a robust digital text mode. It can overcome all types of noise. But can Olivia 8-1000, reduced by 24 dB, be decoded under the amazing voice of country singer Suzy Bogguss? We will find out 24 March 2013 at about 0130 UTC, with the mode centered on 2500 Hz. This will be during The Mighty KBC broadcast to North America, 0000-0200 UTC on 7375 kHz. And at just before 0200 UTC, MT63-1000 (long interleave) in Flmsg format will be centered on 1500 Hz, and an MFSK32 image centered on 2500 Hz." Jan says "Listen between 00.00-02.UTC on 7.375 kHz beamed to North America."

The following joint press release from VOA and WRMI has this useful information:

While it will be strictly one mode at a time this weekend on VOA Radiogram, WRMI, Radio Miami International, will fill its channel (9955 kHz) with multiple instances of digital text.
On Saturday, 23 March 2013, 0400 UTC to 0400 UTC Sunday (midnight to midnight EDT), WRMI IDs will be in BPSK63F, centered on 900, 1300, 1700, 2100, 2500, and 2900 Hertz. (The RSID will guide you to 2500 Hz.)

On Sunday 0400 to Monday 0400 UTC, PSKR250 will be centered on 900, 1700, 2500 (RSID will be 2500 Hz), and PSKR125 on 1300, 2100, and 2900 Hz

The WRMI IDs are generally at the top of the hour and sometimes also at 30 minutes past the hour. Don ‘t let low signal level and noise on the channel discourage you from trying to decode these.
Taiwan-based PCJ Radio International will transmit a message in MFSK32 via WRMI at 0227 UTC on 31 March 2013.

(End press release)

Now, since DRM turned out to be dead in the water; this should become interesting since the equipment and software to decode digital modes is easily available, or CAN be accessed by most people even if they have to ask a friend or family member to do it, the wider audience will definitely take interest for the reason that those regions of the globe who have been victimized by China's malicious interference would still be able to decode quite easily since the job of separating interference from digital communications is actually easier than separating it from the spoken voice.

This could very well go beyond an experimental stage to become a trend if stations turn out to like this sort of efficiency. The only real drawback is that digital modes are full duty cycle that can add to wear and tear on transmitters. However, there is a chance that the digital traffic might be pre-recorded, therefore saving the transmitters from the dreadful effects of full duty cycle work.

Here's an interesting thought as this article closes: It would be neat to find out later on down the road that China's choice to use digital modes for malicious interference was the impetus for this trend of experimentation! The next thought to go with it is that it would be interesting if entire programs start to be conducted in digital modes.

Analysis of Papal Relationship With Vatican Radio, International Media

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:16:00 +0000

A David Willet - BBC quote today says a lot about Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, elected as Pope Francis I.

"Francis is a Jesuit, a member of perhaps the most powerful and experienced religious order of the Catholic Church. The Jesuits are expert communicators and it is significant that one of the first people summoned to meet the new Pope this morning was Father Federico Lombardi, head of Vatican Radio (run for many years by the Jesuits) and the Vatican Press Office. "Under Pope Benedict, Father Lombardi was a mere functionary who had no direct access to the Pope. He could not pick up the phone and talk things through quickly - he just received orders from the Vatican Secretariat of State. That has now changed overnight."

"It will be interesting to see what changes are made to Vatican Radio's output under Pope Francis", said Andy Sennitt, retired from RNW.

The BBC quotes a source as saying this: "At dinner he half-jokingly toasted his fellow Cardinals with a prayerful quip: "May God forgive you for what you have done!"

Furthermore, the BBC reports the following:
Security for an unannounced trip into the city with the Pope was kept to a minimum. Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, pointed out to journalists that the Vatican's security officers - the famed ceremonial Swiss Guard and the 150-strong police force - are there to serve the pontiff, not to restrict his movements. "He will do his own thing in his own time and at his own speed," Father Lombardi said.

Further notes on Pope Francis I say that he will have audience with the press this coming Saturday, and that he seems to have a "vivid awareness" that he has a lot of work to do at this juncture of Catholic church history. This important quote sounds pretty re-assuring that Pope Francis is going to be a Pope of the people: "Public relations will be a priority at a particularly sensitive moment of papal transition."

What this might mean for Vatican Radio and other international broadcasters who report news and items of public interest regarding the pope and the church:

Given that the order the Pope belongs to is accomplished at training their progeny to be expert communicators, it can be expected that Pope Francis will be very blunt and brutally honest, he will cut right to the point and will not beat around the bush. Pope Francis, as a Jesuit member, will have much to say about Vatican Radio operations and the content of programming. Reasonable speculation can be laid on some aspects of more modern programming becoming a bit more traditional. We can definitely expect Pope Francis to be someone who could possibly want some items on Vatican Radio to be cleared by him prior to being aired.

In terms of Pope Francis' relations with international broadcasters outside of Vatican Radio, we might see him more willing to be approached on topics that are more narrowly tailored to his vision for the papacy, the church, leadership expectations within the church, reform of certain matters of policy, and what he wants the church image to become.

As this is the most important aspect of communications with Pope Francis, some of us are wondering if Pope Francis will be monitoring more than just local radio, and whether or not he will be listening to international shortwave broadcasts relevant to his interests. Jesuits, as a general rule, usually do tend to pay more attention to radio than television. Given that this Pope is more of a humble individual focused on the needs of people, we can reasonably say there is about an 50 to 65% chance that he will be tuning in as his time allows.

Young people in the Catholic church culture have openly stated that they wanted a Pope who would be for young persons, so from the communications perspective, it will be interesting to see whether or not Pope Francis pays attention to where the communications / media interests of young people are swaying these days.

Tim Allen's Last Man Standing and Ham Nation Work Together To Publicize Amateur Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:46:00 +0000

Hosts Bob Heil - K9EID (Heil Microphones), Gordon West - WB6NOA (Gordon West Radio School), George Thomas - W5JDX, and Don Wilbanks - AE5DW (Amateur Radio Newsline) bring out the best aspects of amateur radio communications for "Last Man Standing", on the ABC Television Network. Watch Ham Nation episode 88 to go on a behind the scenes look at the ham radio gear used on the set of Tim Allen's Last Man Standing.

This episode guest stars ABC Last Man Standing Producer, John Amodeo (NN6JA), Julian Frost (N3JF), and Cheryl Lasek (K9BIK), also of Amateur Radio Newsline.

Illinois Senator Introduces, Then PULLS Internet Censorship Bill Amid Severe Backlash - Ira Silverstein Needs To Go Back To Law School

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 16:02:00 +0000

On Tue, Feb 19th 2013, at 11:57AM Central Time, Mike Masnick, published a very useful piece over at Techdirt. This piece revealed that Illinois has a treasonous, constitutional traitor in its midst! The said treasonous, disgusting, facist, card carrying friend of Hitler is none other than Ira Silverstein! See Computerworld for their take on it.

The man in the photo above is none other than the inhumane, self-admitted speech Nazi, himself! What did ole Ira do to gain such scorn from Shortwave America, you ask? Well, he decided all on his own that it would be a great idea to silence anonymous speech by way of an official state bill that read in part like this: "Creates the Internet Posting Removal Act. Provides that a web site administrator shall, upon request, remove any posted comments posted by an anonymous poster unless the anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post and confirms that his or her IP address, legal name, and home address are accurate"

Ira should have known better, we, the people of the State of Illinois have every right to expect that he should have known better than to even attempt this! Here is a verbatim copy of Ira's biography: "Attorney; Degrees from Loyola University in 1982 and John Marshall Law School in 1985; past President of the Northtown Community Council; board member of the Korean Senior Center; member of the Greek Pan-Hellenic Laconian organization; Director of the Bernard Horwich JCC; married (wife, Debra), has four children."

Ira's excuse for attempting to silence the people of his state was said by him to have been an effort to protect children and introduce New York's similar bill. But, wait a moment! If Silverstein pulled the bill, why does the Illinois General Assembly site show the bill has been referred to the Assignments Committee? Maybe the State Senate is terribly embarrassed by Ira Superdunce, and so they don;t want it to read that the bill has been removed? OR are they re-wording the bill so as to re-introduce it?

Either way, the U.S. Supreme Court has made it very clear that anonymous speech is indeed protected: "Protections for anonymous speech are vital to democratic discourse. Allowing dissenters to shield their identities frees them to express critical minority views . . . Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. . . . It thus exemplifies the purpose behind the Bill of Rights and of the First Amendment in particular: to protect unpopular individuals from retaliation . . . at the hand of an intolerant society." McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, 514 U.S. 334 (1995)

Further, SCOTUS also says this: "an author's decision to remain anonymous . . . is an aspect of the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment." This is because "the interest in having anonymous works enter the marketplace of ideas unquestionably outweighs any public interest in requiring disclosure as a condition of entry." The Supreme Court has also held that there is "no basis for qualifying the level of First Amendment scrutiny that should be applied to . . . [the Internet] medium." Accordingly, "[i]t is clear that speech over the internet is entitled to First Amendment protection" and that "[t]his protection extends to anonymous internet speech."

See the IT Law Center for more, to include Applicable Tests.

From the Electronic Frontier Foundation, we have this bit that speaks volumes in itself:
"The tradition of anonymous speech is older than the United States. Founders Alexander Hamilton James Madison and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers under the pseudonym "Publius " and "the Federal Farmer" spoke up in rebuttal. The US Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized rights to speak anonymously derived from the First Amendment."

Shortwave America urges everyone in the State of Illinois to contact the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission to demand that Ira Silverstein be properly disciplined, even if that means revocation of his law license. The people of the State of Illinois should NEVER ONCE tolerate or forgive ANY elected or appointed official's actions when such actions are so grossly out of line as to violate the constitution or the bill of rights at the state or federal level!!

Ira Silverstein, this author, as one of the people of the State of Illinois on behalf of fellow state residents, demand that you resign from Illinois law and Illinois politics altogether for your attempt at such a grievous and unethical act! You truly need to go back to law school, that much is a fact! where were your brains and common sense, Ira? Did you have a "God" moment? Maybe you thought you were a hero of some sort? Thought you would throw your weight around? You likely know that none of us buy your "someone think of the children" story! While cyber-bullying or bullying of any sort is not acceptable in the least, squelching freedom of speech is never an answer!

YOU, Ira Silveratein, at least for the time being, are a public official who is held to public ridicule and are at all times, a target for public discourse. Even with all of the above information being true, Ira, no one in the public eye has any right to not be offended, that right simply doesn't exist. No one participating in public discourse has a right to not be offended. The distinction of this from bullying is that bullying actually has the aim of committing grievous harm to a particular victim, whereas simply being offensive can and usually is aimed at public government officials or other people in a general sense without any real threat to anyone.

In closing, the problem, Ira, is that you apparently don't have the intelligence to think like that and to define things in proper context. This is what makes YOU a dunce, an ignoramus, a worthless low life! You really should leave politics and law to those who hold real competence.

The public can contact the less than honorable Ira Silverstein:

Springfield Office:

Senator 8th District

501A Capitol Building

Springfield, IL 62706

(217) 782-5500

(217) 782-5340 FAX

District Office:

2951 West Devon

Chicago, IL 60659

(773) 743-5015

(773) 743-4750 FAX

BBC Cumbria Welcomes Fluff Cat and The Rock Kittens

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 07:36:00 +0000

Listen for credits at the end of the video. Shortwave America congratulates Terry Askew and his hard working fellow musicians on this new achievement and on their full album being released VERY SOON! To learn more about the Space Gypsy Adventures, which led up to the formation of "Fluff Cat and The Rock Kittens", SEE THE WIKI.

The official Space Gypsy Website is here!

Flight Communications Reveal Pilot Wants Disabled Child Arrested

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:54:00 +0000

A radio monitor in Satellite Beach, Florida, reports the following: Yesterday (March 3rd 2013), at around 2:18PM United States Eastern time, a pilot on 131.05 (possibly Orlando IAP or KFLL IAP) requesting that a GSE and Law Enforcement meet the flight at Gate 6. Two passengers traveling with a small child, have been asked to keep the child from being unruly; and were allegedly refusing all instructions including seat belt instructions and instructions to turn off electronic devices. Pilot fears things may escalate.

The behavior referred to would appear to be that of a child with a disability, and the pilot ought to be ashamed of himself!

Anyone with details, audio recordings of this incident to include any TSA / law enforcement radio traffic should contact Shortwave America. Your identity will not ever be made public, unless express written consent is given.

Chinese Government, China Radio International Noticeably Quiet On Topic of BBC and VOA Interference

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:27:00 +0000

Keeping a watch on Chinese government sites and especially their state broadcasters such as China Radio International (CRI) has been interesting to say the least. Yesterday's piece about the facts and profile of BBC and VOA interference performed by the Chinese Government was just the start of a series of pieces here that will talk about, tease apart, and analyze the Chinese Government war against foreign broadcasts.

On the CRI website yesterday, it was noticed that the chinese Government would easily release information about three pending executions of convicted murderers by lethal injection, but in the heat of a widespread international conversation on international press freedom, CRI, CCTV, and the Chinese Government have been noticeably quiet. Although there have been some suspicions that Iran or Libya could be involved in malicious interference, experienced residents of those countries who regularly monitor shortwave frequencies have said now as in the past that neither Iran, nor Libya, would ever be able to act with the sort of strong efficiency we see in this round and pattern of interference.

An overnight session of monitoring the CRI English Service from February 27th, 2013 to February 28th, 2013 had negative results in respect to mentions or reference to BBC or VOA broadcasts, nor were there any mentions on any programs of China being active in any sort of media campaign. This does not seem to point to innocence on China's part, however. There is actually consistency and corroboration to the rumor that secret orders were handed down to reign in foreign broadcasters as mentioned in yesterday's piece, and this corroboration comes directly from China's silence.

Over the many ages of Chinese Government having the sort of structure and rule they have, the telling statements of guilt has always been their silence, and as we all know, silence speaks a thousand words! Chinese Government has engaged in one consistent practice of behavior that forms the modus operandi we all have become so accustomed to. Within the pattern of behavior is where the real story is told and analysis can be done.

A Wikipedia entry on the topic says the following:

Targets
Since broadcasting began in 1996, Chinese authorities have consistently jammed Radio Free Asia broadcasts.^[4] In 2002, the Broadcasting Board of Governors reported that "that virtually all of VOA's and RFA's shortwave radio transmissions directed to China [...] are jammed," including their Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, and Uyghur language services.^[5]
In 2008, the Oslo-based Voice of Tibet reported that jamming of its radio communications intensified during the 2008 Tibetan unrest, as authorities increased the number of disrupted signals it employed to block outside transmissions.^[1]
Other targets for jamming include the BBC World Service, and Sound of Hope radio network.^[6]

Response

In 2011, some international radio broadcasters, including the BBC and VOA, announced plans to scale down or close their Mandarin shortwave service for China due to spending cuts and frustrations caused by jamming efforts^[7]^[8] BBC and VOA instead chose to invest more heavily in internet radio; both received financial support from the U.S. Department of State to fund and research internet censorship-circumvention software, such as Freegate and Ultrasurf, to enable their Chinese audience to access their programs online.^[9]^[10]
Broadcasters have also sought to educate their audiences on the use of anti-jamming technology.^[11]

One correction to this article has to be made: China has been broadcasting since before 1996, so, perhaps there needs to be some clarity that it was Firedrake interference that started being broadcast in 1996??

As of the last 24 hours, one of the most respected, expert, radio monitors in the world said something that tells us in great detail exactly what is going on! Here is that quote:

"The Beam is on slightly South of Oman and the BBC is in the clear with weak jamming underneath and as I start to turn the beam towards the East BBC drops and the Jamming comes on top and I settle on about 20 degrees East of North. The Jamming is clearing coming from China NOT Iran. The S metre drop just 5db from 15db over 9 and stays that way."

Here is a recording of THAT instance in the last 24 hours taken on the following date, time, and frequency: BBC World Service Frequency 17.790.2 Khz - February 28th 2013 - 9.46.56 AM (Time Zone Witheld)

China Starts Communications Media War - Targets BBC and VOA Broadcasts

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:15:00 +0000

Just when everyone got used to hearing Firedrake, China's most well known music used to maliciously interfere with foreign broadcasters, the world has been hearing THIS! The recording was made on 17790khz at 0706UTC. Date: February 27, 2013. This recording is one sample of many that are now floating around radio communications circles.

The sound you hear in the recording resembles one of several digital communication modes that can be heard across the high frequency bands from 160meters (1800Khz) to about 10meters (28500Khz) and usually in SSB (Single Side-Band) mode. What you are hearing is someone knowingly, willfully, and maliciously interfering with international broadcast services.

At first, it seemed as though the BBC was the only victim of this nasty behavior, but the VOA (Voice of America) has also been a target of a well organized and well-resourced country. The guess at this time, given the timing of these instances of interference is that the malicious radio interference is originating from China.

"The BBC said that while it is not possible to know who is doing the jamming, "the extensive and co-ordinated efforts are indicative of a well-resourced country such as China." says an article at VOA's website. The BBC is incorrect that there is no way to know who is performing the illegal and malicious broadcast interference. Triangulation and other RF Direction Finding techniques are available. There has been no news about if the BBC and / or the VOA are seeking such remedies.

Consistent with the recordings out here of the now famous malicious interference which has affected just about every part of the world on the shortwave bands, VOA says this:

"At VOA headquarters in Washington, engineers say that while the agency's Chinese-language broadcasts are routinely jammed in China, its English broadcasts usually are not. They noticed the jamming of the English programs about a month ago and say it appears to use a new technology."

The technology being used is not new, but is a combination of digital modes based on something similar to RTTY and possibly SSTV. Shortwave America is making efforts to identify this mode and how it was written in an attempt to decode it to see if there is anything such as a message or other identifiers being sent in the data stream. Even if there are only zeros and ones being carried, it tells us something about who wrote this digital mode, what their mindset was, what their technical abilities are, and might even tell us about the sort of equipment being used. Just like when police use ballistics to test bullets, we in the communications circles can do a sort of analysis of these signals to identify specific characteristics of it.

This specific digital mode is definitely military in nature because of the wobbly weebly sound that is heard in the recordings. If you scan across the HF bands in any mode, you can hear a digital mode that has nothing but THAT "wobbly weebly" make up to it. It's simply a shifting of tones which is a variance of phase shift keying with data attached to it. Now, listening further, you can hear what almost sounds like a characteristic of what we have known for decades as the "Russian Buzzer"; only it's in a fast high pitch that comes in bursts of sound in a 1-2-3 beat pattern.

All of these details of the mode being used would tend to indicate someone who has knowledge of radio technical arts specific to digital, data, ciphers, code writing and decoding, transmitter and antenna capabilities in high-power environments, antenna radiation patterns, signal propagation, and communications warfare. The offender is going to be a male between 30 and 50 years old, has a background in high level government communications with military experience, holds a certification or license for radio work, likely has an electronics degree or holds advanced mathematics understanding whether documented by an educational institution or not.

The offender is operating voluntarily as opposed to being under duress due to the sort of time and concentration needed to create and then pre-record the digital product. Those affected should know that this is going to be someone of either an Asian or Middle-Eastern culture who holds communist or other extreme beliefs. It appears to be a fact that whoever is performing this interference is someone specifically assigned to run the sound on a repeating loop until the program being interfered with is over, or someone who is actively sitting by a receiver and operating the signal direct from a single site.

Since China has recently had a change in administration, it would make sense if this is someone wanting to show the higher leadership that they have foreign broadcasting under control, someone who wants to project a favorable image to higher leadership. This would be consistent with comments made on certain internet sites who carried the story of the targeted BBC/VOA interference to programs directed to the East and Southeast regions. The comments are pro-Chinese Government, communist in nature / tone, and openly sympathizes with such. This observation of comments and comment posting behavior at these websites was made by retired RNW member, Andy Sennitt.

According to Keith Perron at PCJ Radio:

"They are very easy to spot. 1st: They always spew out pro-communist propaganda, 2nd: If you check their history you will see they only signed up after the news story was published, 3rd The way they write. You can check out various comments areas from different news sites both television, print and youtube with stories related to China and you will notice the same key words that pop up. Someone at CNN International they get thousands of posting a month like this."

Shortwave America has learned from PCJ that the Chinese Government employs upwards of 300,000 special agents who do nothing but internet police work aimed at censoring web based communications and creating propaganda. This includes posting their propaganda on internet sites, and comments sections of internet sites with phony accounts.

More information from PCJ says that Sina Weibo has had postings that reveal english broadcasts that were free from interference along with the frequencies and times.

Additionally, an anonymous source inside China says word has gotten around that there is indeed an uncomfirmed order to "prevent certain unfriendly broadcasters no matter the language from being heard in China". Victor Goonetileke has THIS RECORDING from February 26th, 2013 on 15155Khz in AM mode at 0059:55UTC.

Now it can be asserted factually that China is indeed the culprit behind this malicious interference by weight of evidence alone, and that they are using not one, but two different digital modes to interfere with international media broadcasts. Performing RF direction finding and triangulation would only confirm this as a formality.

Other links of interest in this on-going saga:

U.K. Guardian: BBC Condemns China's 'deliberate' jamming of world service broadcasts

BBC Statement regarding interference to BBC World Service Broadcasts

BBC China Crew Detained By Chinese Military After Filming Cyber-Warfare Headquarters

Shortwave America will have more on the renewed Chinese war against foreign communications as it develops.

New Show Coming: Shortwave America Special Focus - Kids, Incorporated

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 09:56:00 +0000

The 1980s brought the world a cultural revolution in an era of difficult international relations, Reaganomics and the Laffer Curve, Mohawks and Jean Jackets, Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton-John, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, and Belinda Carlisle. We all wanted our MTV, and Twisted Sister spoke for all of us when they said "We Not Gonna Take It".

Europe had us all dreaming of living in another planet, and Kids Incorporated was one of the few shows parents would let their kids watch.

Full cast and crew credits are here. Above, you see the original first season cast of Kids, Inc. Just WHY did Shortwave America choose to do a special show on THIS show? Because the legacy of the show, the memories, and the fact that this was the only truly respectable children's show of a key decade of time that never had any public controversy attached to it. In the end, it also boiled down to the fact that many countless hundreds of thousands of fans have such great personal memories of this 80s and early 90s production, that it holds real merit.

Kids, Inc. was a high quality production for its time and tackled some of that era's most important issues in the pre-teen and teenage demographic. Overall, the 80s has a nostalgia all its own attached to it for all of us that lived in that decade and have our own valued memories, so this specific Shortwave America show will be one to treasure for several generations of people across every walk of life!

The songs performed on Kids, Inc. were all number 1 radio hits in the 80s, or otherwise enjoyed heavy rotation play at major stations everywhere. Until this show is ready to be unveiled, enjoy THIS video as a preview of what you'll enjoy!

New Show Coming: WLUP AM-1000 Celebrity Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 09:23:00 +0000

Rick Kaempfer (pictured above), has signed on to be part of a historic Shortwave America documentary involving a celebrity voice from what is considered the golden era of what was once the historic WLUP - AM1000! Rick is what can only be called a "Producer's Producer" and also owns his own publishing company, Eckhartz Press. Prior to forming Eckhartz Press, not only was Rick a skilled and well respected radio Producer, he also owned and operated Chicago Radio Spotlight, along with a list of other blogs that earned praise.

The celebrity voice from the old WLUP - AM1000 will remain a surprise for now, but here are a few hints:

He was known to walk into the studio with a backpack and a water bottle

He was always able to be emotionally provoking and even controversial while rarely ever crossing the line.

He had his own sense of style, and always brought his own brand of talk to the air

Though known for his unique show over the decades, he is also very versatile

WLUP AM-1000 was a sister station to WLUP 97.9FM, Chicago's premiere rock station. The story is best told in brief by the very voice of WLUP in the video below. Please note that the effort that made this video relevant at the time has since been discontinued, and the website affiliated with it is now gone.

There are hours of material to go through for this documentary, people to interview, and lots of work to be done. In the end, this will be the most dynamic show ever written and produced here at Shortwave America, and it's sure to make major media headlines! Keep visiting for progress updates, because you WANT to hear this show!

BIG News From PCJ Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 07:17:00 +0000

January 26th, 2013 will mark a milestone for the PCJ Media Network Plus program. As of the given date, PCJ will have aired 100 episodes of this focused specialty international media show. PCJ Radio also wants all of you to know that: This March there will be 3 celebrations for PCJ!! The first one will be the 4th anniversary of Happy Station Show returning to the air. The second celebration will be Keith Perron's 4th anniversary as host. (Eddy Startz over 40 years, Tom Meijer over 20 years, Keith Perron 4 years. That's longer than Pete Myers and Jonathan Groubert) It's also the 4th anniversary of the founding of PCJ Radio/Media. For this celebration, there will be a special edition of Happy Station in March. One lucky person will have a chance to win a package of Happy Station Show promotional items. These are all new and include a 45rpm record of Tom Meijer. Stay tuned for details!!

The next piece of news out of PCJ Radio will bring everyone back to the good old days of shortwave listening. PCJ says: "In the next few weeks PCJ Radio will be releasing a package ring tones of 100 different interval signals from 100 stations. Some of them were recorded directly off shortwave, satellite and include ones that are studio copies. They are all recorded between 1930 and 2012. There will be a charge of 10$ for the full package. Payment will be done through PAYPAL. Once we receive payment we will send you an ID and PASSWORD to access the PCJ FTP to download the ZIP file."

See the official PCJ link here

Remember Sandy Hook Elementary

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:51:00 +0000

All names and photographs are courtesy of ABC 7 Television. Those not shown here are listed in the victim list above the photos. Shortwave America wishes to pass on deep condolences to everyone in Newtown, Connecticut. You will not be forgotten. Your lives mattered. Those who survived this horrible tragedy will forever be scarred, but know you have the support of caring and loving people around the world. Shortwave America will be participating in the moment of silence today, December 21st, 2012.

We, the loving and compassionate members of society around the world will do our part to ensure that everything that can be done IS done to forever stop the loss of our innocent.

Shortwave America Status - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:07:00 +0000

For all of those who frequent Shortwave America, you have noticed a lack of things happening here. That absence of activity has to do with a combination of health issues, business decision making, technical issues, and really, just a lack of anything truly newsworthy that would normally be presented here.The health, business, and technical issues are being worked towards a resolve.

There was supposed to be a Thanksgiving show for all of you, but, health concerns interfered once again. With any luck, a Christmas show will be posted here for all of you if things go right. Behind the scenes, Shortwave America is slowly but surely working on the new categories of shows mentioned earlier on. One new show that is also being written for future use here is a reflection going back twenty years on the music and influence of Mark Heard, who passed away in 1992 after performing what would be his final show in southern Illinois.

This show will take us back to Mark's death, and will explore how Mark's memory lives on to this day, how his work continues to influence his peers and fans, and what Mark's life still means to everyone who knew him.

In the meantime, the holidays are coming quickly. Shortwave America wishes everyone a happy, safe, memorable, Christmas and New Years!

Please enjoy the Christmas greeting video posted below, compliments of PCJ Radio and Shortwave America.

Massive World-Wide Internet Disruption

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:51:00 +0000

Venturebeat is reporting that Facebook has encountered what looks like a massive failure of their DNS. This has resulted in Facebook being unavailable for millions or more people world-wide, and along with this, GMail, and X-Box have also been affected by some unknown massive failure that some are speculating could also be DNS related, but no one yet knows for sure.

At this time, some rumors are going around blaming Anonymous, and Anonymous has not yet taken credit for any of this. Anonymous has stated on Twitter that they have not had anything to do with this massive outage of the named internet sites.

Twitter user, "Roastydog" had this to say: "Facebook is down? Haha losers, your silly social networking site died hahaha -says everyone on a social networking site"

As of 1747 hours CDT, Anonymous has reported that Facebook seems to be slowly recovering from this disaster involving their DNS.

Marnie Chesterton To Join Shortwave America

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:57:00 +0000

As the backlog of programs and work becomes more and more, there came the need for Shortwave America to start looking for experienced, talented, able, and responsible people to become part of what this has all become and will continue to become as time passes.

With that having been said, we are pleased to announce that Marnie Chesterton, formerly of Radio Netherlands Worldwide and the well known, much loved program, Earthbeat, will be joining Shortwave America in the coming weeks.

Marnie is a friendly voice known the world around, who will make a wonderful addition here at Shortwave America. Marnie's experience. combined with her creative and technical talent, added to her vision, her love for radio, and passion for reaching people in the most meaningful ways will make her someone very valuable to the readers and listeners here.

Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Marnie Chesterton!

Andy Sennitt Returns To The Airwaves

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 11:54:00 +0000

Early this morning at around 10:00UTC, Andy made the announcement that he will be working on a volunteer basis at Radio Seagull. Andy said this in his announcement:

"All the presenters are, like me, experienced broadcasters who volunteer their time and who do it for the love of radio and music, not because they have big egos. My presenter's page on the website will go online next Wednesday. For me, the icing on the cake is that Radio Seagull has its own offshore radio ship, which is sometimes used for broadcasting, so I have finally been offered the chance to work for a real offshore radio station."

You can hear Andy's show starting Tuesday, October 2nd. The show will run Tuesdays at 1100-1300 CET, which is 1000-1200 UK time.

Welcome back to the airwaves, Andy!

Radio Seagull is here

The Radio Seagull Livestream is here

Twitter Trolls Could See Themselves Unmasked

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:55:00 +0000

The Daily Telegraph and Australian Government have partnered with celebrities to write a petition that they hope will force Twitter to unmask anonymous trolls who use their accounts to bully others. According to the Herald Sun in Australia, "#StoptheTrolls ... Michael Clarke, Charlotte Dawson and Ben Barba have all signed up to tackle cyber bullying."

That isn't the end of the list!

Here are some quotes from the Herald Sun:

"Attorney-General Nicola Roxon is also behind the campaign: "Cyber bullying is reprehensible and has no place in our society."

"celebrities from the world of sport and entertainment also taking a stand, including NRL superstar Ben Barba, AFL convert Israel Folau and Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke, who boasts more than 285,000 Twitter followers."

Read the entire article here.

Police are very concerned that they cannot chase down anonymous Twitter users who are being abusive because Twitter will go to great lengths to protect the identity of its users.

Shortwave America is on board with this effort, but there are concerns on this side of the fence. What exactly will be considered cyber-bullying? As we know it now, cyber-bullying is only seen and defined as the really clear cases of extreme abuse. Those of us who have been in the entertainment industry as writers, broadcasters, or in other entertainment capacities want anonymous abusers named and shamed, but we have to be careful what we call "abuse".

As evidenced by this last quote from the Herald Sun article:

"Broadcaster Ray Hadley has been the victim of trolls but while he was speaking out against abusers on his 2GB show yesterday, Parliamentary Secretary Mike Kelly took to Twitter to attack him.

"An airwaves troll trolling the digital trollers. We've come full circle," the Labor MP wrote.
Hadley fired back: "If Mr Kelly has got time to tweet as often as he appears to, the PM needs to give him more to do."

If a difference of opinions and / or ideas like we see in the above situation will be considered abuse and subject to prosecution in the name of stopping cyber-bullies, the money and resources, the manpower, and the use of the courts will be so excessive that the idea of cyber-bullying will not be taken seriously by anyone, and effective solutions will lose their teeth.

Cyber-bullying is serious, sometimes it's dead serious. People around the world have taken their lives or in the least, have been hospitalized for medical or psychiatric treatment due to the massive trauma that can be inflicted. If we are to combat cyber-bullying by using legislation and law enforcement, let's do it by defining abuse as something very specific with real capability to do real harm and make sure the person / people we're nailing for it actually performed their actions with real criminal intent.

If we allow anything and everything to be called abuse from a civil or criminal perspective, say good-bye to free speech and internet anonymity! Everyone who comes across this, please urge your legislators, law enforcement, and major influences to use common sense before going overboard and causing this whole cause to lose credibility!

11th Anniversary of 9/11/01 - No One Is Forgotten

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Shortwave America always pays tribute to the victims and families of 9-11-01 each year. They were pilots, airline crew members, World Trade Center Workers, Police Officers, Firemen, Paramedics, civilian volunteers, good samaritans, and the list goes on. As time has passed since that morning, it has been learned that many thousands of people are now sick from breathing in the dust and debris from the collapsed buildings. You are not forgotten either!

None of you are forgotten! Each year, we post Daryl Worley's "Have You Forgotten?" This year is no different. "Have You Forgotten?" is the single most powerful expression of remembrance anywhere, ever written by any artist on the planet.

New York City ARECS (Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Service) was activated the morning of 9-11-01. This quote from the NYC ARECS page tells the short summary of how our fellow amateur radio ops came to give of themselves when NYC had absolutely no communications at all: "Plans called for hams to be on duty 24 hours a day. Not only were cell sites, police and fire communications, and most television antennas lost when the World Trade Center collapsed, the New York City Office of Emergency Management bunker was lost when 7 World Trade Center collapsed later in the day (it had already been evacuated). Besides emergency traffic, amateurs shadowed some New York City officials and medical officials, handled medical traffic, and assisted the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army."

See the NYC ARECS Page here. The page includes important files that prove their service and help to remember the contribution they gave on that day to help in the search and rescue efforts. KA1DDB has a web page dedicated to our fellow amateur operators who served on that morning to help keep communications running.

New Shows Coming!

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Shortwave America is proud to announce that several NEW shows are coming and are in the writing / production process as this announcement is being released. These new shows will be in several categories, and will bring you interviews with some of the world's top headliners.

The new show categories coming up in series, but not necessarily in order will be: Christian Contemporary Music Radio Hits, 80s Pop & Contemporary Radio Hits, Amateur Radio Legends & Icons, and finally...Shortwave Radio with a focus on the popular programs of the past and legendary icons of the shortwave business.

Some of the names Shortwave America is working to bring you in these new shows are: Twila Paris, Bruce Carroll, Steven Curtis Chapman, Richard Marx, Olivia Newton-John, Deborah "Debbie" Gibson, Hap Holly, Ted Randall, and lots more!

A VERY special show outside these categories is in production as well! The next upcoming show will salute the ladies of radio. The very FIRST Shortwave America Halloween and Thanksgiving shows will be fun offerings for all ages and people from all walks of life.

Just prior to the Salute To The Women of Radio, Shortwave America will ask "What Would YOU DO?" as we look at the inspiration, logistics, and impact of this popular ABC Television series with John Quinones. Will John join us on this show? You'll have to wait to find out! This special edition of Shortwave America will eventually turn to the communications topic to present various communications related scenarios and ask "What Would YOU Do?"

Remembering WJOL's Tony Ray

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:35:00 +0000

Joliet, Illinois
Report Assisted by Scott Slocumb of WJOL

Anthony "Tony" Ray, known as the Voice of Joliet, passed away on Friday, August 24th, 2012. A graduate of Joliet Junior College and the Devry Institute of Technology, Tony worked in radio since he was 15 years old with his early focus on sports reporting and hosted a gospel show on WJRC.

At the time of his passing, Tony was the current President of the Forest Park Community Center. Tony was only 53 when his golden, comforting voice went silent for the final time. Tony spent twenty years at WJOL and rose to become Program Director and Operations Manager. Tony became known as the Voice of Joliet during the decade of 1988 to 1998 when he hosted the Morning Show.

Joliet Junior College says this about Tony:

"Tony spent three years at the Chicagoland Gospel Radio Network as operations manager for the company's three Gospel stations and hosted the afternoon gospel show on "Power-106". He has been the host of many programs and has performed at many events throughout the Joliet and Chicagoland area. Tony was once employed by the Will County State's Attorney's office as Victim's Advocate working primarily with victims of domestic violence".

During his life, Tony was an accomplished vocalist, song writer, and producer. This part of his life led him to become the Minister of Music at All Nations Church of God in Christ, and Shiloh Baptist Church. Following his love of music and being true to his character, Tony became an Adjunct Faculty Member at Lewis University, Music Director at the Black Student Union Gospel Choir, and Director of the Joliet Central High School New Era Choir.

Visitation for Tony Ray will be 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 4 at Minor-Morris Funeral Home on Richards Street in Joliet. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Sept, 5 at All Nations Church, 503 S. Water St., Joliet.

According to Scott Slocumb, Tony had just finished a performance at his church when he suddenly lost consciousness and died at the hospital a short time later. No official cause of death is available at this time, although natural causes are the only suspect.

Those in the Joliet city limits and larger Will County area remember Tony Ray as a dynamic, passionate, hard working, talented, fun, compassionate man. When Tony was on the air or at church, whether he was advocating for victims and survivors of violence, or he was just living his life...he gave it his heart and soul without any holding back.

Proof of this comes not just in the testimonials of his life from the community, but also from a WJOL recording aired on August 27th, 2012 in which Tony sang "God Bless The USA". This recording of Tony performing had this reporter in awe, as I witnessed him give the original artist of this song a run for his money.

Greg from the American Legion Band tearfully remembered Tony Ray live on WJOL as someone who was very special.

Special thanks to Scott Slocumb at WJOL for providing information to assist in this salute to a wonderful person.

Remember Aurora, Colorado - Support For The Victims, Witnesses, and Their Families

noreply@blogger.com (Shortwave_America) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 02:21:00 +0000

Shortwave America wishes to send care and support to the victims, witnesses, and their families in Aurora, Colorado. No one deserved what happened there. No one should be dead or injured right now. No one should ever have to mourn the way the community of Aurora is mourning right now. May all of you know that people around the world are remembering you, and sending a spirit of peace and healing your way.