Brother Stair in Europe!

[Josh]

Until something happens to teh innerweb we shouldn't expect much change from swbc. Govs spend millions on programming, staff, radio gear, lectric bill, and what if no one listens? Hence why everyone has abandoned swbc save for the various propaganda ops like radio free asia and the like, and of course religion. There's hardly a commercial aspect to swbc at all, so you're left with those willing to fund their message such as religions, ufo folks, apparently something air america wasn't willing to do. I'd much rather hear Hannity on swbc than Bill Hicks I mean Alex Jones, but at least I can get Hannity locally on 3 different stations at different times if I miss a part of a bcast.

[Brian]

They must be making a few quid from it as all I heard on 6070m last weekend was Brother Scare.

Perhaps I should look into getting a few shows from him to pay my vast 'leccy bill.

[BoomboxDX]

To be honest, the most frustrating part is not even the content, but the fact that it is the same content on every station.  When I tune from 530 to 1600 KHz, it dosent seem to matter how good the dx is, I dont hear anything within the US worth listening to (unfortunately, my RX stops at 1600)

Then again, an optimist would probably  say that the difficult stations  between the numerous syndicated satellite repeaters  are the real reward for listening, but that dosent mean hearing the same show on several frequencies isnt a little disheartening.

I hear a wide range of programming on the MW band. Daytime, I hear conservative talk, religion, sports, news, South Asian music, Korean programming, Variety talk (new age, in some cases), Russian religion, Mexican ranchero music, Spanish language religion, one classic hits station, one Country station, a fringe-signal business talker and a classic country station. At night you can add several CBC outlets and a rock station to the mix, along with one pop station, a couple stations with classic hits, and a couple more classic country stations (I'm talking dependable signals, not just intermittently received ones).

On FM, if you're talking commercial radio you're talking maybe five formats, in different flavors (pop, hip-hop, AC, rock and country). Seven formats if you add the classic rock and old school urban station. There is a local smooth jazz station but it will go away as soon as it is sold. There is a classical station that is in the commercial part of the FM band, but technically, it's not really commercial per se. Nine or ten formats on FM vs. more like thirteen or more on MW.

I understand your frustration with MW but I've been hearing the same complaints since the 80's when DXers complained about satellite and automated music networks.

[BoomboxDX]

I don't think most people have a problem with the broadcasts per se*, but it's very tiresome when all you can hear on the broadcast bands is religious stuff, or RHC, or maybe CRI or the CRN1 jammer. Even on a good day, those stations can account for half of the decent, copyable signals. It gets old, unless RHC is playing some good music.

* Stair is the exception for reasons much discussed in the past. No need to rehash them now.

That's all I hear on SW also: RHC, a couple religious bcasters, Rebelde on 5025, and CRI and the CNR1 jammers. On good nights Nikkei's two stations come in well. Maybe NHK to Russia or Asia. BBC from Singapore during early mornings. RNZI.

Definitely a far cry from the waning days of the Cold War when a lot more could be heard. If propagation was better I'm sure more Asian and Mideast stations would be audible, but propagation is the great eraser there. By the time it gets better those stations will undoubtedly be gone.

[Pigmeat]

I like the idea of Ralph on the other side of the Atlantic, it gives the people of Walterboro a break from the old lecher.