Looks like I brought the wrong radio to NZ...

In my last minute semi-planning, I decided not to bring any shortwave radio to New Zealand - any means either of the Sony 7600gr with wonky telescopic antenna, and the much smaller Degen DE1105 -- with no telescopic antenna at all.

All I brought then was the Pure PoketDAB 2000. There is a DAB trial here. But my how the signal is weak. It's not useable downtown -- so far the only place I've been able to enjoy it is in Ponsonby, up high. I don't know the details of the intended coverage are, but where I've been -- from Parnell to Ponsonby -- it's not a goer.

So I'm mostly using the FM part of the PocketDAB. It doesn't have RDS, which can slow things down a bit. Some stations it receives well, and some it really doesn't! The most frustrating examble is Radio New Zealand National. 101.4, pretty much everywhere in downtown, the quay, Parnell and Ponsonby at least, sounds like a leaky cable radio singal. If I had brought the beat-up Degen, at least I could use AM...

Ah well!

BBC World Service Trust in Georgia

I missed this announcement, but still, better late than never. I was vaguely involved, for a few days, and I'm really happy – and mightily impressed to see it taking off.

Georgia's first community radio station goes on air

The BBC World Service Trust has launched a radio station in Georgia that has people stopping in the streets.

People gather in the town centre of Ninotsminda in Georgia's Javakhetu region, to listen to the country's first community radio station. 

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Telly news

Just been watching the coverage of six Bulgarian medics returning home from Libya. Who had it first? France24. They had pictures of the plane landing, while CNN's Breaking News graphic quoted a Libyan official as saying they were unlikely to serve their sentences in Libya. 

I was only channel-hopping, so my observations are limited. 

On Al Jazeera, there was a clear in the pictures compared to CNN and France24 – I think they were anchoring out of KL so that would explain that!

CNN got some pretty good commentators, once they got going. The only thing that had me tuning away from France24 was one of their studio commentators, I think the EU editor, who freaked me out a wee bit!

Richard Sambrook in the papers on WS

Richard Sambrook has written an article for The Independent titled "Why The World Service Matters". As you would expect, it's pretty much spot-on.

My opinion, though, is that Sambrook doesn't take enough credit for the strength of the English output – Nigel Chapman came in and cut out most of the non-news content, and that in turn means Richard Sambrook, as head of Global News Division, has a greater responsibility there.
I think Richard Sambrook is a proper visionary, much more than the "management-visionary" that means Bush House is all about change these days. As a journalist, Sambrook believes in the BBC values. At times those values seemed to not apply to the upper management, the people outside and above the language services.

But who knows, maybe that's all changed since I left :-)

The World Service is fab, and deserves a load more money – hopefully the public service remit for BBC World, and the advertising on BBC.Com can help there. Don't forget other parts of the World Service have websites which could, and I think should, be commercialised. I'd have no problem with radio services getting more air-time thanks to money from top-notch British advertisers.

New Dalet screenshots

Tod Maffin has posted screenshots of the CBC's current version of Dalet. Quite interesting. I've never used it, but have been tempted for quite a while.

Alan is Free!

Great news! I'm going to leave the picture of him to the side for a while. 

I got a text this morning just before 8, asking if I'd heard the news, he's been released  – great news!